Spiral Knights - All new strata going to be Shock

All new strata going to be Shock

36 replies [Last post]

Thu, 05/12/2011 - 09:18

Dottor-Troione

Have you noticed? In ALL of the 6 strata that are currently being created in upcoming gates, there's an abnourmos quantity of blue and purple minerals while the less present (by far) is always green. So all of them are going to be Shock-themed.

Seems like they want us to use the deposit boost feature, which should've been one major crown-sink but up to now has been ignored. "Coincidentally", shock strata are the most feared by players at least according to this forum...

(it's not a complaint, just an obervation)

Thu, 05/12/2011 - 09:26

Feynt

Legacy Username

I don't fear it, but it is

I don't fear it, but it is annoying if you let yourself get shocked. The coincidence I think is that enough people actually put together this much of an effort to lock in an all shock gate. I'll be impressed when it goes live and actually remains an all shock gate.

Thu, 05/12/2011 - 09:36

Dottor-Troione

but also the first strata of

but also the first strata of the other 3 gates are the same... so it looks (to me) more like devs have pumped up blue and purple extraction so that if the majority of players continues just using the auto-deposit function, all strata will be the same. In other words, they are trying to save an important (in their intentions) feature of the game that hasn't aroused much interest, which is gate creation in general.

Thu, 05/12/2011 - 09:53

Gigafreak

Legacy Username

All-the-same-stratum gates

All-the-same-stratum gates are prevented by GM intervention. If Alloys have been added to a stratum, you know the theme was changed by a GM to prevent the same stratum from popping up too many times in a row.

...I remember hearing about a gate that was all slime, all the time...

Thu, 05/12/2011 - 10:28

Koloth

Gate Construction

Some of us are saving our minerals in hopes of influencing a gate at some point in the future. Let's face it the amount of minerals you bring out in a single run isn't going to be any more influential than an ant trying to move a mountain.

That being said I personally have been focusing on picking up Purple and Yellow and avoiding Blue in all circumstances. Anyone want to guess what I'm hoping to influence? >.>

Thu, 05/12/2011 - 11:26

Sniperjoe

Ooooh, conspiracy.

The boogeymen want to send us through the toughest stratums so we die a lot and have to spend all our CE and thus buy more from OOO and increase their profits!

Ooooh. Booga booga.

Seriously though, I think that it's just a coincidence. Not that I can do much to change it with my pitiful mineral count at the moment.

Thu, 05/12/2011 - 13:15

Shani

Legacy Username

I thought I saw in one of the

I thought I saw in one of the patch/update notes about how the mineral distribution in a stratum is influenced by the stratum type as well, so they'll tend to propagate their own types.

Thu, 05/12/2011 - 13:18

Fenix-Stryk

I hope the all-Shock gate

I hope the all-Shock gate makes it live as-is. It would be a killer challenge and a shocking change-of-pace. =)

Thu, 05/12/2011 - 13:26

Mkos

Leaving the gates as they are

Leaving the gates as they are would actually make boosting have a use possibly since then we don't just always have an automatically varied gate. However I've always thought the boosting system was still kind of useless.

So what if you boost a mineral to give 6 per mineral. That won't stop a lot of people from just auto depositing and I doubt a person who hoards minerals will suddenly dump all of their that type of mineral for that especially since depositing minerals one by one is a lot of clicking(Unless there's some way of manual depositing that's faster that I'm unaware of).

I'd think it would be better if every stratum on a gate had +5 crowns per mineral value despite earlier stratums being filled. That would allow people to affect later stratums without having to wait for all the upper stratums to get filled(which they haven't been lately). I also think there should be some way to lower a mineral so that it's worth less in a stratum and that autodeposit should make it so it deposits that type of mineral to a different stratum since it's now worth more there if a +5 crowns base value is applied to all stratums. You could lower a mineral for every mineral you boost so if you boost two minerals you can lower two other minerals. This could essentially allow you to affect two stratums at a time for better value as well. You would not only have a clear affect on the first stratum, but you could also end up choosing the minerals that go to the second stratum through this lower function affecting what minerals get sent there. You'd pretty much be limited to two combinations for the second stratum though depending on the first since you have to choose the anti mineral for the first stratum type.

So you'd end up with the first stratum like

+5, +6, +4, +6, +4

With another stratum that's

+5, +5, +5, +5, +5

Autodeposit would deposit minerals, 1, 2, and 4 into the first stratum and minerals 3 and 5 in the other one resulting in two stratum significantly affected with two boosts. Actually maybe it would be better if all stratums have an equal value for a particular mineral it gets dumped in the highest stratum. So mineral 1 would instead go to the highest stratum if the 56464 stratum is not the highest therefore ensuring your gate is going to get the combination type it wants.

I should probably post this in the suggestion forum.

Thu, 05/12/2011 - 13:33

Dottor-Troione

it can't be a coincidence if

it can't be a coincidence if all strata in all gates have the same mineral distribution. Only two explanations: 1) a very large amount of people has made an agreement to do so (obviously I don't think it's the case) 2) Mineral find ratings have been modified on purpose. Cause they want us to get acquainted to deposit minerals with vastly shared strategy and possibly push some of the wealthiest ones to use those boosts, as the lack of crownsinks is becoming an issue.

I repeat that this doesn't want to be a protest but just an exhortation to begin putting those rocks in the hole with a bit of sense.

Thu, 05/12/2011 - 13:54

#10

culture

Legacy Username

Didn't the previous JK have a

Didn't the previous JK have a shock stratum before it? Maybe all the minerals collected from there are finally being deposited.

Thu, 05/12/2011 - 13:55

#11

Feynt

Legacy Username

You doubt the veracity of the

You doubt the veracity of the community working together to fill a gate?

Thu, 05/12/2011 - 15:39

#12

OnmyojiOmn

Legacy Username

I doubt the veracity of the

I doubt the veracity of the community putting its pants on in the morning without causing serious bodily harm.

Thu, 05/12/2011 - 16:27

#13

culture

Legacy Username

Shoot

And there is an alloy now... ah well.

Thu, 05/12/2011 - 17:11

#14

Feynt

Legacy Username

Boo, we want a single element

Boo, we want a single element gate for a reason. >D

Thu, 05/12/2011 - 18:01

#15

OnmyojiOmn

Legacy Username

I hope they rigged the gate

I hope they rigged the gate because they know how bad shock is now, and not because that's what OOO is going to be doing with every gate that ends up like this. Gate construction is irrelevant as it is, without devs coming in and screwing with them.

Thu, 05/12/2011 - 18:06

#16

Feynt

Legacy Username

Shock isn't bad, it's getting

Shock isn't bad, it's getting shocked because you're careless that is. But agreed, I'd rather they not mess with it because, "Oh look, it's all one thing. Let's fix that!"

Fri, 05/13/2011 - 06:40

#17

Gigafreak

Legacy Username

"Oh look, it's all one thing.

"Oh look, it's all one thing. Let's fix that!"

That's pretty much exactly why they added Alloys to the game. There were so many complaints about the all-Slime gate, and trudging through 29 floors of the same stuff gets terribly, terribly monotonous. Heck, there are folks sick of running the Royal Jelly palace, and that's only three floors of ONE stratum.

Fri, 05/13/2011 - 10:04

#18

Feynt

Legacy Username

Folks are sick of running the

Folks are sick of running the jelly palace because it's perceived as the best means of getting crowns/heat and with a competent team it's dead easy to get jelly gems. They're wrong of course, running through Lord Hotpants' flaming citadel (faaaabulous decor!) gives you a lot more in the way of crowns. And once you know what to expect, it's not a super threat either.

Mind you, the boss isn't nearly as easy.

Fri, 05/13/2011 - 10:28

#19

Hassohappa

Legacy Username

@Feynt

"Shock isn't bad, it's getting shocked because you're careless that is."

So you're basically saying "damage isn't bad, getting damaged because you're careless is." I assume you just float through the game without any armor on because any damage you would take is because you would have been careless? Every attack in the game is telegraphed, but that doesn't mean that you will never be hit, and shock makes it so that once you are hit if you are in a lousy situation you are quite likely to get hit and reshocked because of the way shock hurts. Other status ailments are not nearly as debilitating.

Fri, 05/13/2011 - 10:39

#20

Feynt

Legacy Username

I have actually gone through

I have actually gone through half a tier without getting hit before. I wasn't making a concerted effort, I just blocked smart. But yes, damage isn't bad. It's only bad when you're dead from it. Shock is no different for me than stun, freeze, or curse. With the first and last, I avoid combat if I can since attacking is commonly bad (curse only curses one of my two weapons though, so I could shoot or something). Shield repelling to escape and generally walking away from enemies until it passes wins the day. With freeze you're stuck, period, until you get hit or thaw. No turning, no moving, just blocking and possibly impotently swinging/shooting in the wrong direction. THAT is more debilitating to me, but even then it's never been so bad I'd die from it, even on tier 3.

If you treat shock as another stun that hurts and doesn't slow you down, you're free to remove yourself from combat and pick enemies off with guns while you recover. If you can't remove yourself from combat (greavers, typically), learning to shield repel or just relying on your team will see you through. Just because shock inhibits your ability to do stuff for a second at random (and at most, three times from what I've seen) doesn't mean you're incapable of evading or repelling enemies.

Fri, 05/13/2011 - 11:25

#21

Elegies

Legacy Username

Except that shock interrupts

Except, Feynt, that shock interrupts your shielding--typically at the worst possible time. Meaning you get hit again, re-shocked, etc. Hence why it's worse than the the other statuses.

Props for the hubris. Here I was thinking this was a more lighthearted and fun MMO than the ones I desperately needed a break from.

Fri, 05/13/2011 - 12:26

#22

Feynt

Legacy Username

It happens at the worst times

It happens at the worst times because people typically keep attacking in spite of it since they're capable of moving and attacking normally still (ignoring the occasional spaz). Removing yourself from combat means you don't need to shield, you can wait out the status effect and maybe take some pot shots with your gun if you've got one. The greavers are typically the only ones which can keep up with you if you try to run away (since they move basically 3 times your speed until they get close), but shield repelling early gives you a chance to keep walking out of attack range while (if you're shocked early) blocking just for their attack stops you from getting reshocked.

Alternatively, play with people who know to assist team mates in distress and hang around them while you're suffering from shock.

Fri, 05/13/2011 - 13:41

#23

Gigafreak

Legacy Username

They say Shock-spasm damage

They say Shock-spasm damage premturely ends the brief invulnerability you get after being attacked. Having Shock applied while it's already on you will immediately make you spasm, so repeated Shock-based attacks can kill you without a chance for you to do anything at all in between: hit, shocked, hit again, shockspasm, hit again before shockspasm is over, get no invulnerability due to new shockspasm, get hit again during that same shockspasm...

A flock of Shock-based Greavers can kill you in a single round of attacks this way-- tearing you to shreds as you stand there in a series of back-to-back shockspasms induced by being attacked while shockspasming.

That's what I've read, anyway. I haven't had this happen to me personally yet, but that's because I haven't reached Tier 3. So I can't prove if this is actually how it works.

Fri, 05/13/2011 - 13:48

#24

Eeks

@gigafreak I've been

@gigafreak I've been shock-locked 3 times in a row in a fiend shock arena before. What you said sounds like what I experienced. I pretty much couldn't move or do anything at all.

Best 60CE I've ever spent.

Fri, 05/13/2011 - 13:57

#25

Feynt

Legacy Username

I've never experienced that

I've never experienced that issue. If it's true, it's wacky (and not in the good way). I would agree at that point, it becomes one of the most deadly status ailments. But I can't believe it would happen though.

I also wonder why you'd be hit by all those greavers at the same time at all instead of blocking their obvious attack. o.o

Fri, 05/13/2011 - 14:00

#26

Eeks

Dropped a bomb at the party

Dropped a bomb at the party button, switched to sword while backpeddling to line them all up then hit them once and got shocked, then shocked again, then shocked again, then shocked again. I died and ressed and was immediately shock locked again. At this point I was pretty mad so I revived again and got put into another shock lock. Luckily on my 3rd res I was able to kill all the greavers.

Fri, 05/13/2011 - 16:12

#27

Feynt

Legacy Username

Without knowing the specific

Without knowing the specific circumstances it sounds like you were just being too eager to kill them and were attacking when you should have been blocking. You can't rush tier 3. The faster you try to go, the slower you end up being.

Fri, 05/13/2011 - 18:03

#28

Droganis

Legacy Username

Arenas

Shock arenas can really decimate a group, or, as one who likes to solo, an individual with very little chance at saving yourself. Yes, shield-bouncing greavers is certainly an option, but not all of us are skilled at it, and if they come in scattered enough, your shield bounce will not recharge fast enough, you will be hit, and you will die. Also, if dealing with those and the IT-Devilites.... Yeah. I can do shock stratums, but it requires such a completely different play style I get more than a little annoyed. But that's why I just avoid those situations now, if at all possible.

Oh, and Quicksilvers en masse can and will also shock-lock you to death, and there is very little you can do about it other than run and pray...

Fri, 05/13/2011 - 18:52

#29

Feynt

Legacy Username

Quicksilvers are annoying for

Quicksilvers are annoying for everyone, shock or no, once they're super charged. But my weapon of choice is a faust and usually I can mow them down before they get the chance to be electrocuted. The major problem with arenas though is everyone tends to finish off one wave entirely and then start on another, but preserving older waves can actually save you a lot of grief sometimes. If you go in order, some waves can add up with 16 gun puppies overlapping from two waves all at once. If you keep those slow or easily avoided enemies alive from a prior wave though (a lumber, a scuttlebot, a gremlin...) you can make life so much easier, breaking up even easily dealt with (but strong) enemies and healers from a proceeding wave.

Fri, 05/13/2011 - 19:30

#30

SirNiko

Legacy Username

How on earth are you supposed

How on earth are you supposed to survive the Quicksilver danger room? I saw one of those for the first time today, and the first two waves in a row were quicksilvers? How do you even do that?

Fri, 05/13/2011 - 19:32

#31

Raul

This is ridiculous, this is

This is ridiculous, this is why I said they need to fix it.

Fri, 05/13/2011 - 20:14

#32

Feynt

Legacy Username

Aggressive blocking and a lot

Aggressive blocking and a lot of luck, I suppose? I'll admit a double wave danger room of quicksilvers is going to get bad real fast on tier 3. At least prior to tier 3 they don't shock themselves.

Sat, 05/14/2011 - 00:40

#33

Eeks

@feynt: It's not possible to

@feynt: It's not possible to block greaver attacks when their attacks are staggered since they break your shield so fast and their aura will shock you. The best strategy I have found is to cancel their charge by preemptively attacking them which is what I was doing. Not that it matters but this was a D28 shock arena fwiw.

Sat, 05/14/2011 - 10:10

#34

Raul

They do in Danger rooms on

They do in Danger rooms on strata 5...

Sat, 05/14/2011 - 11:02

#35

Feynt

Legacy Username

Strata 5 is tier 3, so my

Strata 5 is tier 3, so my statement stands.

Another thing I've noticed about greavers is they lag behind you and miss their primary attack if you keep walking in one direction long enough. Since they shoot diagonally when they attack in tier 3 as well, walking in one of the cardinal directions when they start swooping in will usually get you through unscathed. Again, in my experience. If you stop moving though, or were stunned/shock spazzed while they were swooping in, they can inch close enough to hit. At that point, a shield repel should clear them out far enough that if you keep walking straight they won't catch up in time.

Sat, 05/14/2011 - 14:22

#36

Elegies

Legacy Username

Quicksilvers spawn en masse

Quicksilvers spawn en masse in Tier 2 danger rooms as well. It's brutal. If you get hit by one, even wall-hugging, you're pretty much done. And there's too many of them to clear out quickly, one shocks and it's over.

I hear that they actually kill themselves, eventually, if left alone. Their heal apparently doesn't offset of the damage they take if, when berserking, they collide with a "calm" quicksilver. I couldn't tell if that claim is true, though, because I can only see the damage I do to monsters.

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All new strata going to be Shock