The Division - Angry Joe Gameplay Impressions

[JudgeDredd]

I can't say I've come across anything where I have to side with other players.

The very first story mission I played made it seem like I had to join with a group of other players. Perhaps it wasn't mandatory?

It isn't. Each story mission has a 'floating matchmaking interface' thingy before its entrance, but if you want to solo it you just ignore it and enter.

Yep - saw the matchmaking stuff - just wasn't sure where. There's probably some missions you could do with another pair of hands.

Also, from what I remember of the play through with Angry Joe, all loot is multiple I think. So if there's a gun to be picked up from a bad guy, then there's one for each...was that correct? I don't actually know because I've not went multi player yet

[undercovergeek]

i havent a say in the game, i dont have it and its not my kind, but other than here anywhere else ive read, the game is getting slaughtered whilst it tops the steam charts and is ubisofts fastest selling game ever - is it good or bad  ???

[Skoop]

It's getting some negativity for server issues on release day. People flipped because the main server crashed on release with all the activity, which should have been smooth with the 2 betas they did. 

Looks fixed now, haven't had any issues since release day.

I'm digging it so far, it's been a blast.

[JudgeDredd]

It's been a blast so far. I see absolutely no reason to slate or slag it. It's not perfect but it's very enjoyable imo

[undercovergeek]

1. Couple that with the fact that it looks to be absolutely dull as dishwater – link to youtube.com – and I doubt it will be more than a few months before the servers are sparsely populated. It won't take long for the shiny graphics honeymoon to wear off and the reality of repetitive MMO grind to set in.


2. Don't know if this is good news... in the end, the only major positive thing (and most certainly a huge driving factor for sales) are the visuals. The rest remains the usual UbiGrinding handheld gameplay with no excitement, no exploration, a rather constrained AI and no unique moments that aren't severely influenced by the visuals as well. To no surprise, the story/dialogues/characters are insanely dumb as well. Thankfully everything can be skipped.

Although, not suprising at all, so not disappointing either. I just wonder if this is what games are now, or if there ever will be a shift again to get great graphics combined with a game that isn't just the worst and feeds of primitive instincts rather then offering genuie development.

3. Not had chance to play it yet but by all accounts its a very shallow and repetitive (but not altogether unenjoyable) experience, "The gaming equivalent of the film Anaconda" to paraphrase Jim Stirling.

Clearly the figures show there money to be made in things like this and Destiny though which makes me sad for the future of gaming – Spend all your money on the marketing campaign and you can generate the hype to shift anything

to quote but a few - to me it looks awesome, but that alludes to the graphics - i havent seen any gameplay goings on - as JD said here or elsewhere therell always be haters, was just trying to get a handle on the negativaty

[JudgeDredd]

I think point 3 points to the negativity rather well..."Not had a chance to play it yet". I think people just jump on a bandwagon...which ever one comes along and seems to be the most popular. It's not going to be everyone's cup of tea.

I can only sum it up thus...

• Is this better than other games I have? Yep.
• Is it the best game I have? Nope.
• Is it worth the money I paid? Too soon to say, but so far, yes

That's all I've got really. I only have 5 hours I think in game, but they've been a very enjoyable 5 hours. I've only been in one area (a level 02-04) and strayed into a 5 and died. I think there looked like about half a dozen areas (I'll double check that) and there's also the Dark Zone to visit.

[Apocalypse 31]

18 hours in game. Having a blast!

Today I ventured into the Dark Zone with a friend.

It was not what I expected - in a good way. I thought it would just be PvP killing - it was almost opposite that. The AI that occupies the DZ is tough, and my buddy and I got our butts kicked. We grouped up with other players against the AI - got some GREAT loot. The only time I encountered a Rogue Agent is when a guy accidentally shot a friendly during an intense firefight.

This game is exactly like Borderlands. One noticeable difference between the two games is that loot vendors in The Division actually sell decent equipment, whereas in Borderlands players were expected to loot farm for worthy equipment.

Edit - The Dark Zone is really worth the risk but I wouldn't recommend a player try lone wolf it. I went into the DZ, for the first time at level 12 and got annihilated. To be successful it requires a solid team of players - a team that has players who are dedicated to different specializations - or at least one person as a dedicated medic. Also, rolling as a group in the DZ is a deterrent for Rogue Agents which can be important for pickup zones.

[Arctic Blast]

Finally got around to completing one of the big missions from the base of operations (I rescued the cop to give me early tactical options), and I've crafted a few things...like a suppressor for my badass new SCAR-H with a 12x scope. Time to go play with the new toy.  >:D

Oh, also unlocked the Perks and Traits systems by accomplishing one of the missions. They're nice passive abilities, but you only have so many Traits slots, just like with active Skills.

[kludger]

I'm about 5hrs in at level 7 and I'm really enjoying it so far, despite having been disappointed with the beta, the release version has better lighting, more random NPC encounters outside the dark zone, and seem like I'm finding more loot in empty buildings.

So far I am pleasantly surprised with the improvements in the release version, after having cancelled my pre-order after playing the first beta.

As a loot enthusiast with hundreds of hours in Destiny, I can tell that I'll be playing the division quite a bit.

[glen55]

The Story missions kick up to serious difficulty as you move on, so you kind of need the additional firepower of 4 guys...or atleast 3 other targets for the AI to shoot at while you take shots at them. 

<snip>

Or just farm a couple more levels, right?  I hope?  Not really looking for a multiplayer shooter.

[glen55]

4 crashes in about an hour of play.  Most games are stable on this rig.  It keeps saying my video driver stopped responding - don't remember seeing that error message before.  Seems to be a common problem with Nvidia users.  My drivers are up to date.

[Yskonyn]

There was a bug in the drivers published March 8th.
They issued a hotfix a day later, but perhaps its not entirely fixed on some configs. Try the driver set before the 8th.

[Arctic Blast]

Level 10 now. Some fun new toys. Unlocked the medical wing and I'm upgrading it ans security simultaneously. Started gaining abilities to modify skills. Getting WRECKED trying to take down the Cleaners base solo, so I think I'm going to have to go do some other ops and build up first.

[glen55]

It's still crashing on me every hour or so, which is kind of a drag since I spend a couple of minutes in queue coming back, but . . . this game is a blast!  First really satisfying RPG shooter since ME 3, and I am very impressed with the open world.  Everything seems real, it's not hard to find encounters but they're not the obvious knots of enemies standing X distance apart waiting to be attacked, either.

Loving it - just bring me a little stability, please.

[Apocalypse 31]

Level 28 now, and plan on hitting level 30 today.

The weaponry at this level is impressive, and can kill most enemies in one or two shots. I have all kinds of critical hit bonuses that are also helping.

I'm 90% complete upgrading my tech wings - with only one small 200 point upgrade per wing remaining.

I've completed all of the story missions, thru matchmaking, not solo..that would be insane. They are challenging but if you keep your weapons and gear current with your rank you should have no problems. I would highly recommend against it solo, though. At the map screen you can click on the missions and matchmake - aka - jump on with another player. This is good, even for completed missions as it gives you good XP.

I tried to tackle the DZ solo last night. I was doing well until I called an extract and got swarmed by NPCs. Still a bad idea trying to solo in the DZ.