Drunkard's Walk Forums

Full Version: Shadow Shard TF?
You're currently viewing a stripped down version of our content. View the full version with proper formatting.
Last time I was on, (thursday?) there was some chatter about doing the Shadow Shard TF. Given that:
A) I've heard it's really long (and FUN in all the ways that Posi isn't)
B) I want to avoid a repeat of the last TF/SF attempt I had.
I vote we set aside a block of time well ahead of time that people can agree to.
So what time next weekend will work for people? (and if not next weekend what times are open?)-Terry
------
"Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away." - Antoine de Saint Exupery
The problem with America is stupidity. I'm not saying there should be a capital punishment for stupidity, but why don't we just take the safety labels off of everything and let the problem solve itself?
-Terry
-----
"so listen up boy, or pornography starring your mother will be the second worst thing to happen to you today"
TF2: Spy
What level do you have to be? I probably don't have a character suited for it, I'm afraid, or I'd offer to join.--
"I give you the beautiful... the talented... the tirelessly atomic-powered...
R!
DOROTHY!
WAYNERIGHT!

--
Sucrose Octanitrate.
Proof positive that with sufficient motivation, you can make anything explode.
I think it's 40-50.-Terry
------
"Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away." - Antoine de Saint Exupery
The problem with America is stupidity. I'm not saying there should be a capital punishment for stupidity, but why don't we just take the safety labels off of everything and let the problem solve itself?
-Terry
-----
"so listen up boy, or pornography starring your mother will be the second worst thing to happen to you today"
TF2: Spy
I've heard about this TF, but I have no idea how to get to it...-- Bob
---------
One of the primary differences between the Left and the Right is their attitude toward the Future. The Radical wants the Future to have gotten here yesterday. The Reactionary wants the Future quietly shot and the corpse buried where no one can find it.
-- Bob
---------
Then the horns kicked in...
...and my shoes began to squeak.

His Lovely Wife

I'd love to be in on a TF. I work weekends though, until 2pm Eastern. I know that conflicts with Fox, who'll probably be all Grrr because he'd like to play too. And possibly Drenivian as well.
Alternative to a weekend, an evening TF taking place over several nights? Two TF's running, one running on a weekend, one alternative, if we have enough people?
Bob, you get to the Shadow Shard via Peregrine Island. You have a little red dot for it on your map. It's through the Portal Corp building with the sandbags around it.
Ah, a location on PI I've overlooked. Of course, I've only just started exploring the place on my own recently.
Thanks.-- Bob
---------
One of the primary differences between the Left and the Right is their attitude toward the Future. The Radical wants the Future to have gotten here yesterday. The Reactionary wants the Future quietly shot and the corpse buried where no one can find it.
-- Bob
---------
Then the horns kicked in...
...and my shoes began to squeak.
I've Monday and Thursday free this week, depending on my Dad's "adept" college writing....
''We don't just borrow words; on occasion, English has pursued other languages down alleyways to beat
them unconscious and rifle their pockets for new vocabulary.''

-- James Nicoll
I could do monday( any time) and friday after 5pm PST (8pm EST)-Terry
------
"Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away." - Antoine de Saint Exupery
The problem with America is stupidity. I'm not saying there should be a capital punishment for stupidity, but why don't we just take the safety labels off of everything and let the problem solve itself?
-Terry
-----
"so listen up boy, or pornography starring your mother will be the second worst thing to happen to you today"
TF2: Spy
It's several TFs actually. I think there's a 40-45 and a 45-50, etc...
''We don't just borrow words; on occasion, English has pursued other languages down alleyways to beat
them unconscious and rifle their pockets for new vocabulary.''

-- James Nicoll
Thursday would work better for me -- I have a service appointment for my car tonight (11/5).-- Bob
---------
One of the primary differences between the Left and the Right is their attitude toward the Future. The Radical wants the Future to have gotten here yesterday. The Reactionary wants the Future quietly shot and the corpse buried where no one can find it.
-- Bob
---------
Then the horns kicked in...
...and my shoes began to squeak.
There are in fact four Task Forces in the Shadow Shard. These are:-
Explorers and Exploiters - Contact: Dr. Quarterfield (Level 40 to 44)
The Legend of Ruladak - Contact: Sara Moore (Level 40 to 50)
The Saga of Faathim - Contact: Justin Augustine (Level 44 to 50)
The Saga of Lanaru - Contact: Faathim the Kind (Level 44 to 50)
These are among the longest, most tedious, and most boring task forces in the game. That said, I've personally completed Justin Augustine, so it is doable with a good and organized team.
The main problem is that the Shard TFs are old. The Shadow Shard was introduced back in Issue 1 or 2, so it's essentially launch content. It hasn't been updated since. Hence the TFs are fairly boring "go here and kill X" hunt missions, and the few doors that exist are lackluster.
There are a few epic fights to be had in the Shard TFs - in particular, the Rularuu AVs are a sight to behold. Also, the TFs do force you to explore and fight in the Shard, which is something most people rarely do.
However, the question is whether that outweighs the sheer tedium of how these TFs are structured - and I'd say not very much.
Another problem is the ridiculous difficulty involved in navigating the Shadow Shard.
First of all, the Shadow Shard is not a single zone. It is in fact made up of four different zones, and the TFs make you travel between them. Note this.
Second, while the zones are really cool looking and beautiful - floating islands hanging in distorted space... they are a complete beast to traverse. It's fine if you fly or are really efficient in teleporting...or if you have a temp power jetpack you don't mind using. Otherwise, you'll have problems. It's a long bottomless fall, and dropping down teleports you back to where you entered the zone.
There is a method of last resort - there are geysers that blast you from island to island, but this can be reasonably inaccurate. If you step into one of those with super speed, combat jumping, or even sprint turned on, it's likely to alter your parabolic arc such that you miss horribly. And even then you have very little control of where you end up, and often trying to steer gets you into worse trouble.
And aside from the difficulty in travelling, there's also duration. These zones are BIG. Large enough that you can't Recall Friend from even halfway across the zones, much less from one end to the other. There IS a range limit on teleportation, if you didn't realise - some players don't, because it rarely comes up. Well. It comes up in the Shard.
This would be why the Shadow Shard is so horribly unpopular.
All that said, if you want to do a Shard TF, be damn sure you have at least one flier on your team who can recall members. Preferably multiple flying teleporters, because you may need to set up a teleport chain.
Your team leader should ideally be a flier as well, because for the first few missions you're going to need to return to the contact to turn things in.
After my lengthy rant on the subject, you've probably guessed I ain't too keen on the idea of a Shard TF, but if you need a warm body who can fly and teleport...Space Mage might be of assistance. I can make most days if I know in advance.
And you will need warm bodies if you plan on doing this.
Because all the Shard TFs require a full team of 8 people to start.
-- Acyl