Test Discussion Episode 32: 'The Machine' Raid

Thanks for playing Episode 32's "The Machine" Event/Raid. Feel free to post any feedback, suggestion, or issues you come across.

I will check this thread periodically and update this post with any changes.

-Millbarge

Known Issues:

• Feats are not yet available

Incoming Fixes:

• Fixed an issue where Normal Mode received more waves than it should have.
• Fixed an issue where Elite Mode received fewer waves than it should have.
• Reduced the spawn rate of Dive Bombers in Elite Mode.
• Hive Master is now infused with the Teen Titans' powers in the same order during the same instance run. The order is randomly chosen when the instance begins.
• Hive Master's Enervator Beam is now more deadly but damage can be mitigated while blocking with the appropriate Augments.
• Hive Master will pause briefly when releasing from the machine, giving Tanks time to turn his focus on them.

• Hive Master's fight is now split into two stages.
• Stage 1: Hive Master will be Infused with the power of a Teen Titan twice. * When being Infused with the Third Teen Titan he will drop loot and grant a brief reprieve, giving fallen players a chance to re-enter the fight.
• Stage 2: Hive Master will start Infused with the Third Teen Titan and players will need to defeat the remaining phases as normal.

• Added Killer Bees feat.
• Added Exterminator feat.
• Added All the Wild Things feat.

Feedback
Some comments from a Machine Elite run:

• The spawn rate for the Dive Bombers needs to be reduced a bit. The current rate is unmanageable.
• Having multiple Medics spawn in a wave is problematic. If you get two or three of them, it can take a long time and some luck to kill them.
• The Big Bug Bot with the red arrow and explosion attack needs one more second added added to the arrow phase. There were several times I'd see the arrow, but couldn't get out of the way in time because I was locked in animation.
• There were several times where all of the necessary Visual FX didn't render for me. For example, it was 50/50 on whether I'd see the Hive Master's rotating red beam attack. I just found it far safer to block every time I saw a weird animation.

This raid is quite an interesting one. The normal mode spawns quite a lot of adds between rounds, which is fine, but finding the medic in between the mob is quite difficult. Spent more time with the mob then we did with the boss. Maybe reduce the number of adds or the spawn only one medic per round to make it more simple for normal.

The Raid is Boring. The boss is incredible fun, I missed so much this mechanic since Khandaq, but the boss fight is like 20% of the raid while adds are 80%.

Adds are justifiable in elite because if you don't pay attention and die for them, you'll be out, in normal they just make the raid boring. The number of adds definetelly needs to be reduced and the boss damage/health increased according. We are there to fight the big guy with titans power and not a bunch of H.I.V.E robots. If he was like Black Adam in Khandaq, this raid would be perfect.

I found the issue here....Normal mod is getting more waves than it should.
I'm checking in a fix.

I also found that Elite is getting fewer waves than it should - so you run that for the time being

-Millbarge

I ran the normal version of the raid a few hours ago and I noticed a few things that I think may be problematic. When the Hive Master imitated Donna Troy's powers, specifically the Lasso, it was an instant one shot. As you can appreciate, with all the animation pollution and zero tell for this ability, it can be difficult to anticipate her subtle tell for the Lasso. Granted, the group's Cr was between 235-240 so that may have been the issue. The Hive Master also imitated Donna's reflect ability and there was no skull or advance warning.

Overall, I think the normal version of the raid is okay. I'll be back after I've tested elite.

/bump

I updated my original post with a bunch of changing that will reach PCTest soon™.

-Millbarge

Added the following feats to the raid:

• Killer Bees: During the Titans: The Machine Raid (Normal and Elite), avoid all damage from the Hive Heavy Assault Drones.
• Exterminator: During the Titans: The Machine Raid (Normal and Elite), defeat 45 Dive Bombers in one run.
• All the Wild Things: During the Titans: The Machine Raid (Normal and Elite), defeat Hive Master when infused with Beast Boy's powers and morphed into:
  • Bird
  • Hound
  • Gorilla

-Millbarge

Disclaimer: Names and descriptions are subject to change without notice.

Thanks for adding some of the feats my only concern so far is that without an “Elite” only raid feat it will severely diminish the replay ability of Machine elite, unless there is some new expense drop that is only on the hive master’s loot table (which normally there is a feat for anyways so I don’t think as much is true) no players will que machine elite and just stick with HIVE as it will be the much easier renown farm and there are elite only feats associated with it.

DCUO in the past had the trend of speed feats for raids and then it shifted to no-death feat runs and both I believe could work in this situation that will breathe life into this content and its longevity of the dlc which I’m assuming is in the 5-6 month range.
There could be: 1) a speed feat in elite only tied to hive masters final defeat
2) if speed feats aren’t something DCUO wants to revive simply make it like the no death feats of previous episodes. Split the no death sections to one with the hive master add waves surviving without a death and then a no death feat tied to the hive master individual fights just like in prison break elite or blackest day elite etc. Something like this is EXTREMELY needed to at least have a feat that is challenging for the community and makes it so all the feats aren’t completable in the first couple weeks of the dlc just like all the deluge feats and past dlcs

Thank you