AC MP game mechanics | Forums

[Collinwood01]

Hello fellow agents. I started playing AC MP again a few weeks ago and as always I read the forum to catch peoples thoughts on various issues. This is not meant to be a whining thread but is intended to hear everyone out about there opinions on different game mechanics. This is also not meant to be a cry to the Devs as to say what we want changed. As long as we can all do the same things with abilities and such, they should just be left alone IMO. If you offer your opinion on this thread I ask that you dont get into naming and shaming and dont call people names because they prefer to play the way you may not. Try to be as objective as possible and try to see where someone else is coming from. Here are a few opinions of mine on various mechanics and I hope to hear your opinions for or against them and other game mechanics I will end up missing.


Hidden gun: A major annoyance to say the least but I dont frown on anyone who uses it. Hidden gun is good in certain situations such as dealing with roofers and runners, helping with variety bonuses, busting up stun locking and doing some of the challenges. I hate getting shot but I understand why people use the gun, myself included. If I get shot in the face I try to ask why it happened. The person may be afraid of getting to close to me for fear of being stunned, going for a challenge, trying to get a bonus(especially in ACR since you can now get 2 different bonuses for using the gun) or they just plain dont like me. Ill say its really annoying when you get into a lobby where a lot of people are packin and every time you spawn in youre shot. Absolutely sucks but its part of the game. Generally how I deal with Gunners
is to try and deny them whatever bonuses that I can. Ill try not to jump if I know someone has a lock on me or, as with ACR, Ill stop running. If im close to turning a corner I might try to make it but I usually dont or I get shot around the corner anyway.

Offensive smoke bomb(OSB): This tactic is highly frowned upon but I do it myself. If I can get extra points for getting focus then Im not going to hesitate to use it. If I can stop my target from using an ability against me then I wont hesitate to use it. Its in the game so use it if you like. When it happens to me I usually know that my screen will be turning green in the near future and I do the same(poison someone after smoking them that is).


Roofing: I personally cant stand roofers and when I say roofers Im talking about a player that is on the roof for the bulk of the session, but its in the game and there are benefits. Its nice to get an aerial kill and it makes it easier to see your pursuers coming after you. Generally I deal with roofers in 3 ways: Ill shoot them, Ill kill an NPC and move on or Ill try to kill them. It depends on what I think my chances are for catching them.

Running: I personally cant stand runners and when I say runners Im talking about a player that runs for the bulk of the session no matter what their score is, but its in the game and there are benefits. Its nice to get escape bonuses and if youre in the lead it also starves your opponents of good points. I did quite a bit of running when I was going for certain challenges and have, on occasion, done it to starve a team of points when playing MH. I would do it in MH if I got a rematch with a team and the lag was so bad that none of my abilities would work if I confronted them. The thing about doing it in MH is that your not getting any points for your team by running around. Generally I deal with runners in 3 ways: Ill shoot them, Ill kill an NPC and move on or Ill try to kill chase and kill them. It depends on what I think my chances are for catching them.

Points starving(running): Im guilty of doing this on occasion. Its not a good tactic but it can help you get a win if your team is better at getting points for killing as opposed to stunning or if you have the lead in a FFA and you want to keep multiple players from getting high point kills. Usually if one person starts to run then it starts a domino affect and everyone starts running. Generally I deal with points starving in the manner I deal with any situation mentioned above.

Camping: Everyone who knows how to play this game and wants a good scoring kill(most of the time) or wants to figure out who their pursuer is, has to camp in some form or another. Whether it be in a moving group, a non moving group or off in a corner where no one can get a aerial kill on you. We all camp. Roofing is a form of camping but is generally frowned upon.

Stun locking: Some people love it and some people hate it. In ACB I would help out in a stun party as often as possible. Most of the time my abilities would fail me but I know that they helped my teammates while I was respawning. I never really tried to do it much in ACR because most of the people I played ACB with didnt get ACR and I didnt feel like trying to explain how to do it to a new person. I know you can still do it in ACR if you get the timing right. Now, getting caught in a stun lock sucks! You can try to be the hero and stay in the game to see if you might get a kill but Id usually just spawn out. If I knew I was facing a team that was good at stun locking, I would stay back a bit and shoot whomever used an ability. It has gotten me stunned though because I would be concentrating on one target and another would just run up and stun me. Thats what I get. lol

Thats all I have for now. Please feel free to add anything that was missed and try to keep it friendly agents. Later

[FilipinoNinja67]

Moving blend group isn't camping, it's hiding while moving and you can easily get cut off and killed if you were playing against a group of good players.

Stun locking- what is it? It is an exploit of the contract system where players can get consecutive stuns on 1 or more players of the opposing team. You can't stun the same person twice though. That still doesn't get rid of the fact that it is exploiting the contract system. Only thing you need to know is which way clockwise is.

Spawn Killing- An exploit of the spawn system in most shooters where players consequtively kill players of the opposing team right where they spawn right when they spawn.

- What's the difference?


OSB

I don't like it but I usually just deal with it. I get really mad whenever I'm stuck in about 6 of them for 30 seconds. I see it as a cheap way to get a kill especially with the ability to throw it, focus, get a hidden bonus, and poison with it. It's just cheap and breaks up the fun in any mode. Nothing says buzzkill like getting a neked hidden focus kill on your target and having a pursuer that doesn't know how to get one without smoke, smoke you and get the same bonuses you just got by trapping you. If it was OTB i would be fine.


Hidden Gun

I'm fine with this ability, I would never use it in any other mode but Escort, but there is nothing wrong with it at all. I personally would like to have it go into a first person wrist aim instead of just locking someone to shoot them...

[Collinwood01]

I definitely agree with the fact that something needs to change about the hidden gun. I like the idea of switching to first person view and having to aim it. If you had to do all that Im betting less people would use it. I know I wouldnt unless it was absolutely necessary. Id also like it to where you can use people to shield you from the shots. As it is now, you can shoot through fifty people and hit your target. Thats just not right but at least everyone has the same advantage and disadvantage when dealing with the gun. I will add that one added thing I like about the gun is the fact that if someone is lagging really bad and you cant get to them because they are sliding all over the screen, the gun will hit them. Beware laggers! lol

The main reason I use OSB is because Im a turtle player. I dont like getting chase kills or low point kills period unless I cant get them any other way. If im in need of points I put on my smoke/poison/2x profile and try to get the most points possible because I dont know the next time Ill be able to get another kill.

[obliviondoll]

When you said "Aerial" kill, I'm assuming you meant "Acrobatic" because "Aerial" doesn't give you anything - INCLUDING not giving you another count towards variety.

OSB isn't a problem. Short Smoke Bomb cooldowns when it's a blatantly more powerful ability than many with longer cooldowns is a problem.

The problem with stunlocking wasn't that it was easy. IT WASN'T. The problem was that the game never taught players about it, and never taught players how to counter it. If they just TOLD PLAYERS HOW THE GAME WORKS, instead of making them figure it out for themselves, then maybe, just MAYBE, new players would have had a fighting chance at breaking stunlocks.

Also, bring back Alliance. It's still easily the best game mode in either AC MP. It would quite likely have been a good point in favour of ACR's approach meter replacing the detection meter in ACB, too. Think about it: Having to balance staying near your target without killing, against the risk of your pursuers moving in to kill you, AND the risk of the targets getting their kills before you get rid of them.

I think if they keep the ACR approach meter, but start it at Silent (like I was saying in the beta, and even before it), that would be a HUGE improvement immediately. If when you're in a marked 'rooftop" area, the meter worked as it does in ACR now, that would be a good way to balance out roofing - you CAN still get high-scoring kills from the roof, but you need to be patient to get those extra points. At ground level, you get more benefits from the approach meter, because the build-up takes less time.

[Collinwood01]

I was never a fan of or any good at Alliance. I can see how the ACR meter would be good for that mode though. @Andrew... Spawn killing: Ive done it a few tmes in ACB MH but never liked it, thought it was to cheap. Im not talking about happening to spawn in next to my target at the beginning of a game but actually waiting for a spawner to come into a game already in progress. Ive had it happen to me as well and would just quit the game. Its just not fun.

[cjdavies]

Hidden Gun:
I use this in Manhunt now when a target starts running and it helps for the challenge which I'm aiming for. I have used this in Deathmatch in a noob lobby as they often roof, it helps with the challenge but I don't like it using it as I only get 100 points. If I get shot I don't mind as they only get 100 points but then again it does lead to Greater Variety Bonus.

OSB:
I did this a lot, going for the focus and posion the same time, I don't anymore I now attempt disguise to poison my target. When I get OSB, and they walk away I just stand still as I know I have been poisoned, I then want revenage by poisoning them without OSB. I now use my smokebomb for defence instead. It is overpowed though with a low cooldown time.

Roofing + Running - Deathmatch:
This usually occurs in a noob lobby, as mentioned I will use hidden gun and I have fun also working on my challenges rather than kiling, I can use my decoy to get the challenge easier as everyone is running about so my decoy is doing the same.

Camping - Deathmatch:
I camp, when I have more 2+ pursers, or even 1 sometimes, even good for a hidden kill.

Stun Locking - Manhunt:
If I get stunned then I will spawn, as I know I will get stunned more than once ranking up the points for the other team.

Manhunt annoyance:
I lock a target, stealth approach, build up incogntio (sp?) and a teammate rushes in for the kill!

Mute:
Maybe it's me but when I use mute and then they throw a smokebomb straight after.

[UrbanSaint]

Hidden Gun: I don't mind this ability at all really. It helps to deal with roofers and runners. I tend to favor Throwing Knives more than Hidden Gun, but Throwing Knives are only really effective at a certain distance. There isn't much point in knifing my target If I have to run and start a chase just to close the distance between ourselves. I would have gotten just as many points, maybe even more, if I just used the Hidden Gun on him.

OSB: Never liked it nor do I use it myself, but I certainly understand why people use it, especially in ACR. It helps eliminate the possibility of getting stunned/contested killed, makes it easier to get the focus bonus, and fills up your RDM for a few seconds to help you get the Silent/Incog bonus.

Stun Locking: Never liked it. The only time I do it myself is if I am with a group of friends, and even still I don't really like doing it. I would say it was a lot easier/more fair to deal with in MH than in Alliance because you could always just respawn in MH.

The RDM: I think it only works best in certain modes, mainly Deathmatch. I would have to agree with Obliviondoll in that I think the meter starting at Silent would be an improvement. Overall, I don't have too many problems with it.

Contested Kills/Honorable Deaths: I don't think the problem is with the mechanic itself. I actually enjoy the fact that I can get at least some points for knowing who my pursuer is. I think the main problem is the giant stun prompt. I would make the suggestion that the target's stun prompt be proportional to the pursuer's detection meter. For example, a pursuer with incog status= a target with no stun prompt, a pursuer with silent status= a target with a stun promt range similar to that of ACB's, and a pursuer with discreet or lower status=a target with ACR's current stun prompt range. Just a suggestion though.

[Collinwood01]

I used OSB the other day in ACR wanted and a guy with a mic, whom I had used the OSB on, called me a wuss. About 3 seconds later the score came in after the poison took effect and I got 3000pts for that one kill. Ill be a wuss all day for those kinds of points on a single kill. @ Urban...I like your idea for the meter/stun range. Great idea.

I love reading these calm and nonjudgemental viewpoints about different tactics and mechanics. Thanks and keep them comin!

I just thought of another one...Smoke/Teleport in AA. The only reason I played AA was because of the challenge and this combo helped me get the challenge done as fast as possible. Now its done and I dont play that mode anymore. If I get put into an AA lobby I just leave as soon as I can.

[SixKeys]

Running in Deathmatch - What's really annoying is that the game should punish the runners but it doesn't. There should be an obvious difference in our points towards the end if I've spent the entire match being stealthy and getting Silent or Incog kills left and right, and some noob who's just running around like an idiot getting Reckless kills. But the difference isn't big enough. The runners can still score high thanks to streak bonuses, Acrobatics, Minor Hacks etc. It's extremely frustrating because their running inspires other players to run too, and I end up having to run as well because it's impossible to score Incogs when none of your targets will stay still. So everyone ends up with low scores, even the players who would normally play the game stealthily.

OSB - I try not to use OSB because I see it as cheating. What I hate the most is when I'm in a blend group with another NPC that looks like me and my pursuer is staring at the group from a distance, trying to figure out which one is me, and then they just OSB the blend group and run towards me. Zero stealth there, just laziness. If another player uses OSB against me though, all bets are off. I will go after them and smoke the hell out of them for the rest of the match even if they're not my target. Ticks them right off.

Offensive Tripwire/Firecrackers - Maybe this makes me a hypocrite but these two I do use offensively, on occasion. Firecrackers are much less effective in ACR than in ACB, so I only use them to get achievements. Tripwires are a good way to smoke out campers in blending groups, but I almost never bother with it as my target tends to out himself by running away as soon as they see me aiming.

Stun-Locking - Annoying, but I've come to accept it. The people who get caught in it only need to respawn somewhere else to get out of the situation. If they don't know how to do that, it's their loss. Stun-locking as a defense mechanism is okay (if still annoying), but what I really hate is when it's used offensively, i.e. the target team actively goes looking for their pursuers and then Smoke-Mutes the hell out of them in turns, respawn, rinse and repeat. This completely defeats the purpose of stealth and takes the fun out of the hide-and-seek element of this mode. I usually just quit as soon as I realize this is where the game is headed.

Alliance - I never cared for this mode and I don't miss it. I always ended up paired with players who didn't know the meaning of teamwork and would just run around like headless chickens. At least in Manhunt there's a bigger chance that SOMEONE on your team knows what they're doing.

Poison - Talking about being on the receiving end: when someone OSBs me and I know I've been poisoned, I either smoke them back just to stop them in their tracks for a while (sometimes it works as they get killed by their own pursuer) or I start running around in circles in the hopes that someone else who's after me will kill me before the poison takes effect, robbing the poisoner of their points. I will die either way, but at least I'll get the satisfaction of knowing my poisoner wasted both their abilities for a measly 50 point Intercepted. >:]

[stingray10]

Just get rid of the gun. No if's or but's. This ability (I'm not sorry for saying this) is for people who can't play. It require no skill therefore why make it part of the experience? It ruins people experiences, it changes gameplay into gun battles and it is a real sigh. Getting rid of it would improve experiences. Here's a scenario,

"Oh i've got the flag, YEESSS i'm just 10 meters away." *Gun locking on sound* "God **** it." *Bang*.