The "I hate datacrons" thread (spoilers)

[Ingmar]

The only way he'd be on a progression raid is if there weren't enough healers.

He uh. He would not be drafted if there weren't enough healers. Because a) he was not one and b) oh my God he would be terrible.

I tend to agree, though, that the stat buffers and stuff are more needed for shitty guilds than bleeding edge guilds. No, it won't make Drachmir get out of the fire faster, but it'll make it so the two ticks he takes before he trundles out of it not kill him, he'll have to miss TWO steps of the Heigan dance in a row before dying, we'll down the boss riiiiiight before it enrages, etc. It gives you a bit more of a buffer, so that the people who are terrible can be terrible for a little longer, while hitting a little harder.

Can't say we've ever had the DPSers-too-worried-about-their-meter problem, though.

And more importantly when 2 or 3 people die halfway through if the other people are all flasked/food buffed/whatever, they have that much more of a chance to squeeze out enough damage so we don't have to run it yet again.

[Riggswolfe]

I'd probable get quite a few more of these things if more of them were possible to initially spot/hear. Trying to figure out a way to certain point can be ok, humping every random slope and piece of geometry that looks like it may lead somewhere while hoping there won't be an invisible wall, big fat nothing or my character doesn't just get stuck in some hole they randomly slid into ... not so much.

The way controls and collision detection are handled doesn't help, either.

There are multiple internet sites that have guides to where the holocrons are. One I go to has step by step screenshots. Another one has videos. Youtube has videos as well.

[Khaldun]

So I like the *idea* of datacrons--promote exploration.

I hate the fact that they're promoting exploration in a game design that HATES EXPLORATION.

Let's take the pink datacron on Tattooine. Ok, so you see the thing and you first think, hey, maybe I can jump up to it. So I spend about thirty minutes trying and I *almost* can do it. But not quite. So then you think, "oh, it's one of those where you have to get up on that ledge from a long ways away and come back". So I go way south down where some of the bonus quests are and I see the cliffs and I think, "Hey, maybe I can jump along the cliffs until I find a way up." And the thing is YOU CAN. I mean, you can jump along the cliffs for a long ways. Even with the retarded anti-platforming everything of the game engine. And then comes a point where you take a small jump down, I mean, really small, not even the kind you take damage from. And you just DIE, instantly, because you've finally gotten to somewhere that isn't real in the engine.

Fuck. ING. Fail. Do NOT NOT NOT incentivize or encourage players to do something that you don't want them doing, haven't designed for them to do. Don't. Just do not. "Explore the world, but we won't tell you where the physical environment is instadeath or where you'll get 'exhaustion' because, I dunno, we're not even as good as Blizzard at putting unclimbable mountains and oceans around everything." It's a little peeve, but in my mind one of those that really gnaws at me.

[01101010]

Exploration is fine.. I get that. But some of these things are in parts of the world you never go for any reason, at all, ever. Speaking about the ones on Corusant, they are on a bunch of ledges that serve no purpose other than "hey I can crawl all over the map on these pipes and hide up here!" Half the time I was thinking, this would be something to beta test out of your game because really... there is no purpose for this area to even be coded other than to fetch an egg. I get that this is the purpose, just do not like.

[Paelos]

I would like datacrons much better if they were tied to a trivia game.

Answer right - win the buffs
Answer wrong - Wookiee rape.

[angry.bob]

Not even to get my character added to the official Star Wars canon or get a gun that will one-shot anyone in the game will I go through trying to get another fucking Holocron. And I only did them through the second planet. I refuse to even think about what getting the end game ones are like.

[apocrypha]

So I like the *idea* of datacrons--promote exploration.

I hate the fact that they're promoting exploration in a game design that HATES EXPLORATION.

Let's take the pink datacron on Tattooine. Ok, so you see the thing and you first think, hey, maybe I can jump up to it. So I spend about thirty minutes trying and I *almost* can do it. But not quite. So then you think, "oh, it's one of those where you have to get up on that ledge from a long ways away and come back". So I go way south down where some of the bonus quests are and I see the cliffs and I think, "Hey, maybe I can jump along the cliffs until I find a way up." And the thing is YOU CAN. I mean, you can jump along the cliffs for a long ways. Even with the retarded anti-platforming everything of the game engine. And then comes a point where you take a small jump down, I mean, really small, not even the kind you take damage from. And you just DIE, instantly, because you've finally gotten to somewhere that isn't real in the engine.

Fuck. ING. Fail. Do NOT NOT NOT incentivize or encourage players to do something that you don't want them doing, haven't designed for them to do. Don't. Just do not. "Explore the world, but we won't tell you where the physical environment is instadeath or where you'll get 'exhaustion' because, I dunno, we're not even as good as Blizzard at putting unclimbable mountains and oceans around everything." It's a little peeve, but in my mind one of those that really gnaws at me.

Spot on. These things feel like they were designed by someone who explicitly hates players. I'm guessing someone who had their work savaged on a forum somewhere by a bunch of beta testers and is still sore.

[tmp]

There are multiple internet sites that have guides to where the holocrons are. One I go to has step by step screenshots. Another one has videos. Youtube has videos as well.

Bah, i could swear i'd added "without viewing the youtube guides" to the first sentence. But skipped it somehow so, sorry, that was ambiguous. Yes, obv. they have those locations and everything listed now but --while it's hard to put in words-- there's some definite difference between spotting one of those cubes while in the game and then starting to figure out how to get them, vs opening the web page that has them listed and just dutifully going where told.

the latter is sappin mah immersion, perhaps

[Khaldun]

I enjoyed figuring it out myself up to the point that I discovered that some of the natural experiments you'd try cause instadeath without any obvious reason or warning that they would. And that the terrain is often just-this-far-away from climbable through careful jumping. It's an awful mismatch of different aesthetics. If they wanted to avoid Blizzard's hardcore anti-exploration attitude, this wasn't the way to do it.

[Sky]

I see alot of people going crazy about falling off pipes or missing jumps then acting shocked when I ask if they have sprint on and suggesting they turn it off.

That's a good tip!

That Tatooine one on the ledge? That was pretty easy. Tried a few ways up the cliffs, then figured that wasn't the way (if it's not fairly easy, it's wrong). Went around behind and hopped down from above, voila. The only ones I don't care for are those I can't see, not sure where those are...because I didn't see them. The willpower one on Voss for instance, they peek it for you on the shuttle ride, a quick jaunt up a mountain path and I grabbed it easily.

The balloon on Tat I haven't done, just because it's a huge chunk of my daily play time.

I like the datacrons, so I probably shouldn't post in the datacron hate thread.

[tmp]

That's a good tip!

Yeah on case-by-case basis some parts are also easier if you toggle between run and walk. Like jumps to handle small bumps on ropes and whatnot.

[rattran]

I found a few datacrons exploring around, but died got stuck enough to quit looking. I'll grab the ones I know of on new toons, but screw seeking them out.

I was amused to stumble on the  Voss spirit world one, I was just clicking blue things to see what horror spawned and wtfpwnd me this time.

[Xuri]

So I like the *idea* of datacrons--promote exploration.

I hate the fact that they're promoting exploration in a game design that HATES EXPLORATION.

Let's take the pink datacron on Tattooine. Ok, so you see the thing and you first think, hey, maybe I can jump up to it. So I spend about thirty minutes trying and I *almost* can do it. But not quite. So then you think, "oh, it's one of those where you have to get up on that ledge from a long ways away and come back". So I go way south down where some of the bonus quests are and I see the cliffs and I think, "Hey, maybe I can jump along the cliffs until I find a way up." And the thing is YOU CAN. I mean, you can jump along the cliffs for a long ways. Even with the retarded anti-platforming everything of the game engine. And then comes a point where you take a small jump down, I mean, really small, not even the kind you take damage from. And you just DIE, instantly, because you've finally gotten to somewhere that isn't real in the engine.

Fuck. ING. Fail. Do NOT NOT NOT incentivize or encourage players to do something that you don't want them doing, haven't designed for them to do. Don't. Just do not. "Explore the world, but we won't tell you where the physical environment is instadeath or where you'll get 'exhaustion' because, I dunno, we're not even as good as Blizzard at putting unclimbable mountains and oceans around everything." It's a little peeve, but in my mind one of those that really gnaws at me.

Spot on. These things feel like they were designed by someone who explicitly hates players. I'm guessing someone who had their work savaged on a forum somewhere by a bunch of beta testers and is still sore.

I think it's more a case of "designed/built by non-players". World-builders who don't actually play the games themselves and have no understanding of why a player would ever want to go to location X or jump down to location Y, or why they would be pissed at not being able to go past invisible wall at Z, or at dying for no apparent reason (environment damage).

Their mindset: "Well just don't go there a second time? Obviously not meant for you to go there if you die from exhaustion/environment-damage. There's nothing interesting behind the curtain, it's just empty space. If I have to spend time on this area, I will have less time to spend adding intricate hieroglyphs along the edges of walls in corners of rooms that people only spend time in because they have to run through them to get from A to B."

[eldaec]

Are we talking about airlocks and orbital stations again?

Because oh god I truly hate orbital stations.

[tmp]

Are we talking about airlocks and orbital stations again?

Because oh god I truly hate orbital stations.

Go try to get the datacron from Shadow Town at Nar Shadaa.

Whether you succeed or fail, in just couple hours you'll be all like "Hah, there was a time when orbital stations felt somewhat annoying."

[Fraeg]

Are we talking about airlocks and orbital stations again?

Because oh god I truly hate orbital stations.

Go try to get the datacron from Shadow Town at Nar Shadaa.

Whether you succeed or fail, in just couple hours you'll be all like "Hah, there was a time when orbital stations felt somewhat annoying."

that the pipe jump one?   If only I had thought to hit record.  While pvping I got to hear a great Teamspeak meltdown of someone trying to get that one done. I had to leave the channel, came back 20 minutes later and the guy was still in full meltdown/rant/soapbox/tissue mode.

[Rokal]

Predictably, datacrons are my favorite part of this game  

[Threash]

I've gotten very lucky on the stupid balloon thing on tattoine twice already, i just went there and dueled someone to get up top of the crawler skipping the whole wait thing.  Before you go wait the entire time find out if someone is already in the balloon and whether they are not dicks.

[caladein]

And you're a Warrior or they're a Sorc, Powertech, or tank spec'd Assassin, but yeah.  The one time I did it, as many people got it from coming on the balloon as got pulled up by a Powertech that rode it with us.

[Threash]

You can also get up there with force push while jumping.

[Mattemeo]

Some of them are just downright esoteric rather than just plain cruel to get to. I noticed on hitting up Balmorra for the first time on my Jedi Knight that there was a quest marker over a box halfway across a broken bridge in the Bugtown sector of the map, but after I got there, it just told me I needed a key. I figured this might drop from one of the arachni... sorry, colicoids in the area as I fought them. Did the rest of my quests but no key every dropped and I kind of put it out of my mind. Then last night as I'm gearing up to log off, I decide to explore for a little bit (I do hunt datacrons), find some craft crystals etc and I end up in some hidden area round the back of the Republic Landing pad where some woman labelled 'Junk Seller' is acting as a Stims/Medicenter vendor. She has a 'Lost Code Cylinder' as one of her items, for 5k. I put two and two together.
Turns out that 5k buys you a +4 Aim datacron from said mystery box. Wat.

[tmp]

that the pipe jump one?   If only I had thought to hit record.  While pvping I got to hear a great Teamspeak meltdown of someone trying to get that one done. I had to leave the channel, came back 20 minutes later and the guy was still in full meltdown/rant/soapbox/tissue mode.

Yup, that one. When i was trying to get mine i was told by the locals it's affectionally called "The Soul Grinder"

[Bunk]

I've purposely avoided all the spoilers on the Datacrons, thus I really hadn't found any. I got really excited when I realized I'd stumbled on to one on Alderann.

Wasn't too hard to get to, a little climb, a little tight rope walk, and one jump. Simple or not, I was excited, because I'd found it on my own damn it!

+4 Aim. Sith Juggernaut. The only stat that benefits me in absolutely no manner what so ever.

[Paelos]

The funniest so far for me is the one on Hoth where you chase down a champion probe droid. That thing is FAST!

[Lantyssa]

I'm liking Taris for datacrons.  I've gotten two, and have seen two more that I just need to puzzle out.

Alderaan I found all of one.  Tattooine I know where two are, but the balloon dumped me out 100 feet from the sandcrawler...  Balmora I found one.  Nar Shaddaa I've located zilch.

Dromand Kaas and the starter planets I've found them all.  It felt like a long dry spell until I got to Taris.

[DraconianOne]

Some of them are just downright esoteric rather than just plain cruel to get to. I noticed on hitting up Balmorra for the first time on my Jedi Knight that there was a quest marker over a box halfway across a broken bridge in the Bugtown sector of the map, but after I got there, it just told me I needed a key. I figured this might drop from one of the arachni... sorry, colicoids in the area as I fought them. Did the rest of my quests but no key every dropped and I kind of put it out of my mind. Then last night as I'm gearing up to log off, I decide to explore for a little bit (I do hunt datacrons), find some craft crystals etc and I end up in some hidden area round the back of the Republic Landing pad where some woman labelled 'Junk Seller' is acting as a Stims/Medicenter vendor. She has a 'Lost Code Cylinder' as one of her items, for 5k. I put two and two together.
Turns out that 5k buys you a +4 Aim datacron from said mystery box. Wat.

I found that box. Then forgot about it. Then discovered it again last night after another player had already opened it.

Turns out the chest doesn't close straight away, so if you time it right.... 

[apocrypha]

I thought I'd found the only one I've seen since Balmorra today, on Belsavis. But it turned out to only be 1/4 of one and I'll have to find 3 more before I get it.

So, fuck that. 

[Fordel]

I'm liking Taris for datacrons.  I've gotten two, and have seen two more that I just need to puzzle out.

Alderaan I found all of one.  Tattooine I know where two are, but the balloon dumped me out 100 feet from the sandcrawler...  Balmora I found one.  Nar Shaddaa I've located zilch.

Dromand Kaas and the starter planets I've found them all.  It felt like a long dry spell until I got to Taris.

There is one on Taris you simply won't be able to do without a partner. Just FYI.

[Koyasha]

I'm liking Taris for datacrons.  I've gotten two, and have seen two more that I just need to puzzle out.

Alderaan I found all of one.  Tattooine I know where two are, but the balloon dumped me out 100 feet from the sandcrawler...  Balmora I found one.  Nar Shaddaa I've located zilch.

Dromand Kaas and the starter planets I've found them all.  It felt like a long dry spell until I got to Taris.

There is one on Taris you simply won't be able to do without a partner. Just FYI.

No there isn't.  She listed Dromund Kaas, which means she's Imperial, not Republic.  The two person required one would have been way back on Balmorra.

[01101010]

Not that I give these things two fucks of my attention, but I believe I overheard some people on Quesh say there is one out there that also needs two people...

[Sky]

I like the diversion. Found one on Taris that took me a while to get a few days ago....and then I laughed because I had found the little rampway during my beta weekend, but there's an obvious path (that doesn't lead to the cron) and a less-obvious path (that does); I took the wrong one and thought it was just another decorative nothing.

[Bann]

From poking my head into your thread here, I've been given the idea that you get achivements/stats for the equivalent of jumping around Org bank roof and landing on the spikes. That is awesome if true.

[Nevermore]

Bah, nevermind.  Didn't realize it was different for Imperials.

[Fordel]

I'm liking Taris for datacrons.  I've gotten two, and have seen two more that I just need to puzzle out.

Alderaan I found all of one.  Tattooine I know where two are, but the balloon dumped me out 100 feet from the sandcrawler...  Balmora I found one.  Nar Shaddaa I've located zilch.

Dromand Kaas and the starter planets I've found them all.  It felt like a long dry spell until I got to Taris.

There is one on Taris you simply won't be able to do without a partner. Just FYI.

No there isn't.  She listed Dromund Kaas, which means she's Imperial, not Republic.  The two person required one would have been way back on Balmorra.

That's true, I was thinking of it from a republic PoV.

[Lantyssa]

It'll be good to know, eventually.  Thankfully I have a pretty dedicated duo going.

We spent and hour trying to reach one on Taris last night.  Still no luck.  I think they just placed it there as a tease.