Protect the Area

[Convicted Melon]

At first I thought it was pretty novel. A reward for standing your ground in a particular zone, and keeping zeds out of it. A way of making you go to places of the map you hadn't really been to before and hold out there.

Now I groan every single time I hear it announced. The annoying French voice "protect ze area" and a purple arrow leading you to a point on the entire other side of the map. A place you couldn't even reach in time as a lvl 25 berserker at full sprint without zeds spawning in front of you. Areas that are troublesome to defend. Or on Suicidal and Hell on Earth where you just know a large group or fleshpound is going to force a retreat so you don't risk death for it.

Then midway through the wave, or after the wave the annoying French voice pops up and condescends you for not dying in an arbitrary spot.

Was it a neat experiment that should just be an objective mode thing?

[supersand]

a lot of the zones are just suicide spots if FP / QP are in play. I think its cool they highlight some areas to camp but it is just far to risky unless you still have just trash ZEDs, something should be changed to fix this since no one will even try to camp these spots because of that. Maybe something as simple as providing some slight damage resistance when in the zone or some health recovery, or just putting the zones into better spots.

A very large amount of zone areas are just basic suicide traps and these really should be removed because it is counter-productive and just makes people not want to -ever- do the zones.

[Sterling]

They made the game the way it is because KF1 was almost entirely a campfest. Biohazard was all about welding two doors that the enemies would ignore most of the time, while gunning everything down in a straight line. Even fleshpounds didn't pose a threat, as the max that I would see pop up was two, and at that point the demo could just lob a bunch of grenades and spam the M32 until nothing existed around the impact area. In the first game, camping a single area, sometimes tighter than anything KF2 ever offered in objectives, was the way to go. Suburbs has a place on the opposite end of the map where the room is absurdly tiny and zeds will come only through one door. With all that in mind, KF2's design does not take that camping as the "main" way to play, which is one of the reasons it's not an integral part of the game, but a simple bonus objective. It is supposed to reward you for doing something beyond what you should be doing in the match, and the idea that holding a specific spot now is more challenging than in the first game is the point of it. While I can agree that certain defense zones should be tweaked to be a little less deadly, the objective was achieved: defending them is harder and you get extra rewards for it.

[Convicted Melon]

Originally posted by Sterling:

They made the game the way it is because KF1 was almost entirely a campfest. Biohazard was all about welding two doors that the enemies would ignore most of the time, while gunning everything down in a straight line. Even fleshpounds didn't pose a threat, as the max that I would see pop up was two, and at that point the demo could just lob a bunch of grenades and spam the M32 until nothing existed around the impact area. In the first game, camping a single area, sometimes tighter than anything KF2 ever offered in objectives, was the way to go. Suburbs has a place on the opposite end of the map where the room is absurdly tiny and zeds will come only through one door. With all that in mind, KF2's design does not take that camping as the "main" way to play, which is one of the reasons it's not an integral part of the game, but a simple bonus objective. It is supposed to reward you for doing something beyond what you should be doing in the match, and the idea that holding a specific spot now is more challenging than in the first game is the point of it. While I can agree that certain defense zones should be tweaked to be a little less deadly, the objective was achieved: defending them is harder and you get extra rewards for it.

On the lower difficulties I can usually defend it perfectly. Suicidal and HoE? To quote Sid the Sloth, "no thanks. I choose life."

I get that it's optional. The game even says it's optional now. But it's still annoying to be condescended to at the end of rounds, because you didn't defend an arbitrary spot. I find myself telling the narrators to, "shut up," audibly.

At least in Objective mode you kind of asked for it. And usually it makes some sort of sense to guard certain things. But in regular survival mode, it's just become annoying now. Especially with the mindset of them trying to make the game less campy, but also condescend you for not camping at certain times.

[JtDarth]

Originally posted by supersand:

a lot of the zones are just suicide spots if FP / QP are in play. I think its cool they highlight some areas to camp but it is just far to risky unless you still have just trash ZEDs, something should be changed to fix this since no one will even try to camp these spots because of that. Maybe something as simple as providing some slight damage resistance when in the zone or some health recovery, or just putting the zones into better spots.

A very large amount of zone areas are just basic suicide traps and these really should be removed because it is counter-productive and just makes people not want to -ever- do the zones.

Yep, most the SYG spots are noob traps.

[JtDarth]

Originally posted by Sterling:

They made the game the way it is because KF1 was almost entirely a campfest. Biohazard was all about welding two doors that the enemies would ignore most of the time, while gunning everything down in a straight line. Even fleshpounds didn't pose a threat, as the max that I would see pop up was two, and at that point the demo could just lob a bunch of grenades and spam the M32 until nothing existed around the impact area. In the first game, camping a single area, sometimes tighter than anything KF2 ever offered in objectives, was the way to go. Suburbs has a place on the opposite end of the map where the room is absurdly tiny and zeds will come only through one door. With all that in mind, KF2's design does not take that camping as the "main" way to play, which is one of the reasons it's not an integral part of the game, but a simple bonus objective. It is supposed to reward you for doing something beyond what you should be doing in the match, and the idea that holding a specific spot now is more challenging than in the first game is the point of it. While I can agree that certain defense zones should be tweaked to be a little less deadly, the objective was achieved: defending them is harder and you get extra rewards for it.

The solution to camp meta isn't making camping completely non-viable, and actively designing the mechanics to do so. Literally, that is what tripwire did between 1 and 2, was redesign the mechanics so that camping was no longer a mechanically viable option compared to kiting.

[infntnub]

They're usually death traps on sui or hoe, but if I'm bored it's a fun challenge if my team feels frisky. Odds are 50/50 or less surviving in most cases it seems. Always know an escape route :p

[DrunkBunny94]

They are an optional challenge for a small reward.

If you are playing in pubs I suggest you avoid them. The team isn't as focused and all it takes is 1 or 2 people not getting the memo to put the game in jeopardy.

If you are playing in a team with friends I suggest you try them. As they are often a good laugh if you are on coms. We often joke that the area isn't bad enough if we don't wipe, and hold worse spots just for giggles when there is no SYG.
It's even funnier if you call anyone out for trying to run away or abandon post.

[screeno42]

I have three ideas for improving SYG:

1. Increase or decrease the chance of it showing up based on player performance. if you're not doing especially well, you may never get an SYG, but if you're doing great, the chance will increase as you may be looking for additional challenge. Basically the game saying "alright, you're good, but can you handle this?"
   
   
2. Announce SYG during trader time, instead of at the start of the wave. This will give players a chance to set up at the location and/or reach it if it is especially far from the pod.
   
   
3. Complete the objective when reaching the final four zeds instead of at the end of the wave. It takes a minimum of five zeds to degrade a zone, and this change would also give players a reasonable window to get to the trader pod if it's on the opposite end of the map.

[Two Clicks]

Only worth doing on Hard. Not worth the risk otherwise. Unless you dont mind some of the team dying.

They dont seem well balanced for pub teams Im afraid. Mostly cause pub teams dont ever seem to have the required perks to hold a spot well or as efficiently enough. The thing that really irks though is that on large maps depending on where you start, you never make it there on time unless the team splits up. Not great for solo players.

[Psycho Dad]

I cant even remember the last time I tried it...but it usually boils down to two scenerios:
-Early wave/decent spot:
One or two players roam around/overextand to rack up kills, while 4-5 players wait in the zone doing nothing. When only a couple Zeds are left, the waiting players leave the area so we loose the reward anyway. Urgh.

-Late wave/bad spot:
Gets overrun fast, obviously. Couple players may or may not survive to finish the wave kiting.

[DrunkBunny94]

Originally posted by Zakillah:

I cant even remember the last time I tried it...but it usually boils down to two scenerios:
-Early wave/decent spot:
One or two players roam around/overextand to rack up kills, while 4-5 players wait in the zone doing nothing. When only a couple Zeds are left, the waiting players leave the area so we loose the reward anyway. Urgh.

-Late wave/bad spot:
Gets overrun fast, obviously. Couple players may or may not survive to finish the wave kiting.

Next time we play together we will do the big meme strats.

If we don't die it's not meme-y enough

[Sterling]

Originally posted by JtDarth:

The solution to camp meta isn't making camping completely non-viable, and actively designing the mechanics to do so. Literally, that is what tripwire did between 1 and 2, was redesign the mechanics so that camping was no longer a mechanically viable option compared to kiting.

Which is why I said I'm not opposed to it being tweaked.

[Doggsen]

The zone on higher levels is a deathtrap unless its on the best camping spots on lower waves.
Not worth the money if half of the team doesnt make it.

[Littlefoot]

IMO, the game should pick an area based on the current position of the players in the map. Obviously, in multiplayer that might be difficult if the team splits up a lot, but in solo and with coordinated teams it would be a lot less frustrating trying to get there in time.

[Ant Ra]

So... Story-wise, it's all right.

Zeds have overrun the world, everything is in ruins, people are almost completely exterminated and you can see almost everywhere last military posts which are also destroyed or forsaken. These posts were determined such positions to be defended, which one should now also defend oneself.

To accomplish the impossible is a common task when military is involved. Generals have their sandbox and therefore the practising personnel have the problems.

Story-wise everything right. Whether it is fun or not is another story.
But once you've found a team with which you can hold these goals on the most unpleasant map, it's actually satisfying again.