XxX_MLG Noob_XxX
Boar
BE WARNED! THIS POST HAS SPOILERS
Hey guys. So I'm making this post because I'm actually quite displeased with how Gun-D4m's final desperation move (or "final explosion") works in multiplayer. I'm upset with it not just because of its insane difficulty, but also because of this difficulty compared to singleplayer and compared to the other bosses that are faced in a multiplayer setting. I'll separate stuff into my problems with Gun-D4m and my [general] suggestion for a solution.
If you're familiar with Gun-D4m in multiplayer, then you'll know that Gun-D4m uses homing missiles instead of random missiles in multiplayer. This is extremely problematic in the final explosion because the missiles will home in on one player while the final explosion takes place. Although blinking is an option, it is generally quite difficult to survive the explosion phase while missiles are on you. Typical players -- even typical skilled players (excluding people like Pydoyks) -- tend to rely on the shield in order to survive this explosion. However, getting hit while the shield is up slows you down a lot. So if you get hit too frequently by missiles or by red orbs, you're bound to get your shield broken by the blue arrows. Broken shield = dead. What's worse is that sometimes the missiles can still hit you while you're shielding if you're at just the wrong angle. Add to that the fact that your shield can break without blue arrow shenanigans if your shield takes too many normal hits (and broken shield = dead), and we've got a major problem on our hands.
Pydoyks told me that this move is survivable without taking damage. So I'll take his word for it. However, I have never seen how it is done. And although it's possible, I still have some gripes with how Gun-D4m currently works, to be seen below.
Problems with Current Multiplayer Gun-D4m
1) The incredible difficulty of the final explosion.
As it is, I feel like Gun-D4m's final explosion in multiplayer is too harsh for general players and general skilled players. I already described what the process is like in the 2nd paragraph of this post, so I'd rather not state everything again. This difficulty is extremely high compared to later bosses, which doesn't make much sense. And it doesn't give me the feeling of needing to get better, like in fighting Priestess or Mimic. Instead, it gives me the feeling of being screwed over for no reason. (Of course, I could feel slightly differently if I knew the "strat".) Even someone as skilled as Pydoyks said that he could handle the explosion (in HM) approximately 70% of the time. This suggests to me that something is...off.
(While I'm using Pydoyks as a reference, I should probably point out that he would not agree with removing homing missiles from a targeted player or sharing the missiles between players. So don't get the idea that he's on board with this suggestion until he says something -- if he does.)
2) The triviality of the final explosion
Yes. I just used "triviality" to describe the final explosion immediately after labeling it as "incredibly difficult". The issue is that the spiked difficulty is only perceived by one player. The rest of the players have an easier time compared to singleplayer. Gun-D4m nukes a single person to death, and no one else has to worry about missiles getting in their way. Gun-D4m's final explosion is very easy to manage in single player (see the first two videos below)...so the explosion becomes trivial in multiplayer, where missiles won't go anywhere near the other players. As long as you have at least two decent (not even skilled) players on your team, you know that you can survive the Gun-D4m explosion. So the ultimate result of Gun-D4m's current state is that he punishes a single person in multiplayer for no reason. Simultaneously, the "general multiplayer difficulty" is not increased, but decreased. This has major implications in arcade mode. While this also affects story, the brunt of the impact is much less (as always).
3) The final explosion doesn't seem to accomplish what it's meant to accomplish
This is actually a problem I have with Gun-D4m's final explosion as a whole (in singleplayer and multiplayer). From the looks of it, the explosion is meant to be some incredibly insane series of projectiles through which the player has to cleverly navigate in order to avoid damage. Instead, it turns out to be a simple situation where a person can avoid damage by dodging left/right, up/down, etc. in an extremely narrow space. Look at these two videos below.
Courtesy of G
Courtesy of Chaldo and I (excuse the trash audio)
Those examples make the final explosion just seem...trivial. Now compare that to the awesome maneuvering necessary for Zhamla Meer's fight.
Then compare ALL OF THAT to this nonsense in Gun-D4m multiplayer:
(Again, excuse the poor audio.)
This just doesn't add up to me. In singleplayer, you aren't putting a lot of effort into the dodging. It's just hold shield and move in a small area. The nature of Gun-D4m's explosion really kinda forces this on the player. So when the Gun-D4m explosion in multiplayer appears, it's really difficult to survive -- let alone avoid any damage. And it makes a lot of people feel like the whole thing's unfair.
My [General] Suggested Solution(s)
So what's my suggested change? I actually have 2 possible options, though they're still general options. I think I prefer the second option though.
1) Make the Homing Missiles Alternate Between Players.
This is only for the final explosion. (Don't alternate missiles while Gun-D4m is still alive.) This actually improves the "general multiplayer difficulty" by requiring all players to move more carefully. Of course, they'd still be moving within a small circle. However, they'd have to be mindful of the missile's location as they dodge within that small radius. And since the missiles would alternate, the missiles shouldn't become overwhelming to the player or his/her shield. It may be beneficial to slow down the frequency of the missiles if deemed necessary or more fair. If other players die, there is the option to leave the missiles cycling between all the players (including the dead) or leave the missiles cycling through the players who are alive. (I feel like an either or exists here since the remaining players will still have to dodge some missiles.) Whatever the case, the missiles should not [consecutively] home in on a single player if he/she is the last one standing.
2) Make the Final Explosion More Like Zhamla's Projectile Burst, and Tone Down on the Missiles (or Remove Them).
I like the idea of reflecting Zhamla Meer's projectile burst because it's actually challenging. You have to be mindful of your positioning within the "maze-like" projectile explosions. And the challenge isn't decreased in multiplayer. Instead, the challenge is still surely felt in both multiplayer and singleplayer. I feel like this helps create the atmosphere that Gun-D4m's explosion is supposed to make: The player is forced to be very mindful of positioning and shielding in order to successfully avoid damage, instead of being forced ("forced") to stay in a small area and spam shield (and then be absolutely screwed when the shield breaks and the higher movement speed throws him/her off). The nature of this idea would require readdressing Gun-D4m's chest laser and his missiles. They'd have to be adjusted so that their use in conjunction with the maze-like environment would not become unfair. Actually, if the explosion was made more like Zhamla's I would be fine with missiles being removed entirely. (Maybe even the chest beam could be removed...but I don't see the chest beam removal being necessary if more open spaces in the maze are created in several areas.)
Aight. I'm done now.
There are other possible solutions too. So...feel free to comment on any of the suggestions I made or to make your own.
Hey guys. So I'm making this post because I'm actually quite displeased with how Gun-D4m's final desperation move (or "final explosion") works in multiplayer. I'm upset with it not just because of its insane difficulty, but also because of this difficulty compared to singleplayer and compared to the other bosses that are faced in a multiplayer setting. I'll separate stuff into my problems with Gun-D4m and my [general] suggestion for a solution.
If you're familiar with Gun-D4m in multiplayer, then you'll know that Gun-D4m uses homing missiles instead of random missiles in multiplayer. This is extremely problematic in the final explosion because the missiles will home in on one player while the final explosion takes place. Although blinking is an option, it is generally quite difficult to survive the explosion phase while missiles are on you. Typical players -- even typical skilled players (excluding people like Pydoyks) -- tend to rely on the shield in order to survive this explosion. However, getting hit while the shield is up slows you down a lot. So if you get hit too frequently by missiles or by red orbs, you're bound to get your shield broken by the blue arrows. Broken shield = dead. What's worse is that sometimes the missiles can still hit you while you're shielding if you're at just the wrong angle. Add to that the fact that your shield can break without blue arrow shenanigans if your shield takes too many normal hits (and broken shield = dead), and we've got a major problem on our hands.
Pydoyks told me that this move is survivable without taking damage. So I'll take his word for it. However, I have never seen how it is done. And although it's possible, I still have some gripes with how Gun-D4m currently works, to be seen below.
Problems with Current Multiplayer Gun-D4m
1) The incredible difficulty of the final explosion.
As it is, I feel like Gun-D4m's final explosion in multiplayer is too harsh for general players and general skilled players. I already described what the process is like in the 2nd paragraph of this post, so I'd rather not state everything again. This difficulty is extremely high compared to later bosses, which doesn't make much sense. And it doesn't give me the feeling of needing to get better, like in fighting Priestess or Mimic. Instead, it gives me the feeling of being screwed over for no reason. (Of course, I could feel slightly differently if I knew the "strat".) Even someone as skilled as Pydoyks said that he could handle the explosion (in HM) approximately 70% of the time. This suggests to me that something is...off.
(While I'm using Pydoyks as a reference, I should probably point out that he would not agree with removing homing missiles from a targeted player or sharing the missiles between players. So don't get the idea that he's on board with this suggestion until he says something -- if he does.)
2) The triviality of the final explosion
Yes. I just used "triviality" to describe the final explosion immediately after labeling it as "incredibly difficult". The issue is that the spiked difficulty is only perceived by one player. The rest of the players have an easier time compared to singleplayer. Gun-D4m nukes a single person to death, and no one else has to worry about missiles getting in their way. Gun-D4m's final explosion is very easy to manage in single player (see the first two videos below)...so the explosion becomes trivial in multiplayer, where missiles won't go anywhere near the other players. As long as you have at least two decent (not even skilled) players on your team, you know that you can survive the Gun-D4m explosion. So the ultimate result of Gun-D4m's current state is that he punishes a single person in multiplayer for no reason. Simultaneously, the "general multiplayer difficulty" is not increased, but decreased. This has major implications in arcade mode. While this also affects story, the brunt of the impact is much less (as always).
3) The final explosion doesn't seem to accomplish what it's meant to accomplish
This is actually a problem I have with Gun-D4m's final explosion as a whole (in singleplayer and multiplayer). From the looks of it, the explosion is meant to be some incredibly insane series of projectiles through which the player has to cleverly navigate in order to avoid damage. Instead, it turns out to be a simple situation where a person can avoid damage by dodging left/right, up/down, etc. in an extremely narrow space. Look at these two videos below.
Courtesy of G
Courtesy of Chaldo and I (excuse the trash audio)
Those examples make the final explosion just seem...trivial. Now compare that to the awesome maneuvering necessary for Zhamla Meer's fight.
Then compare ALL OF THAT to this nonsense in Gun-D4m multiplayer:
(Again, excuse the poor audio.)
This just doesn't add up to me. In singleplayer, you aren't putting a lot of effort into the dodging. It's just hold shield and move in a small area. The nature of Gun-D4m's explosion really kinda forces this on the player. So when the Gun-D4m explosion in multiplayer appears, it's really difficult to survive -- let alone avoid any damage. And it makes a lot of people feel like the whole thing's unfair.
My [General] Suggested Solution(s)
So what's my suggested change? I actually have 2 possible options, though they're still general options. I think I prefer the second option though.
1) Make the Homing Missiles Alternate Between Players.
This is only for the final explosion. (Don't alternate missiles while Gun-D4m is still alive.) This actually improves the "general multiplayer difficulty" by requiring all players to move more carefully. Of course, they'd still be moving within a small circle. However, they'd have to be mindful of the missile's location as they dodge within that small radius. And since the missiles would alternate, the missiles shouldn't become overwhelming to the player or his/her shield. It may be beneficial to slow down the frequency of the missiles if deemed necessary or more fair. If other players die, there is the option to leave the missiles cycling between all the players (including the dead) or leave the missiles cycling through the players who are alive. (I feel like an either or exists here since the remaining players will still have to dodge some missiles.) Whatever the case, the missiles should not [consecutively] home in on a single player if he/she is the last one standing.
2) Make the Final Explosion More Like Zhamla's Projectile Burst, and Tone Down on the Missiles (or Remove Them).
I like the idea of reflecting Zhamla Meer's projectile burst because it's actually challenging. You have to be mindful of your positioning within the "maze-like" projectile explosions. And the challenge isn't decreased in multiplayer. Instead, the challenge is still surely felt in both multiplayer and singleplayer. I feel like this helps create the atmosphere that Gun-D4m's explosion is supposed to make: The player is forced to be very mindful of positioning and shielding in order to successfully avoid damage, instead of being forced ("forced") to stay in a small area and spam shield (and then be absolutely screwed when the shield breaks and the higher movement speed throws him/her off). The nature of this idea would require readdressing Gun-D4m's chest laser and his missiles. They'd have to be adjusted so that their use in conjunction with the maze-like environment would not become unfair. Actually, if the explosion was made more like Zhamla's I would be fine with missiles being removed entirely. (Maybe even the chest beam could be removed...but I don't see the chest beam removal being necessary if more open spaces in the maze are created in several areas.)
Aight. I'm done now.
There are other possible solutions too. So...feel free to comment on any of the suggestions I made or to make your own.
