Hi,
the manhunts consist out of the weekly scouts and some rework of missions for the final battle and a master version of it.
Making new missions is a lot of work, therefore its is great to make use of existing missions for a different version of it.
But I am not really exited about the existing set-up.
Scouts feel like filler tasks, do this control point, do that bounty, shoot 100x to the head …, basically like projects, priority objectives, journeys global event or Summit challenges. Just the same filler stuff with different names which do not feel to have something to do with a manhunt or the lore of the game and just feel like a technical list of emotiion-less tasks.
In some manhunt final battles I was surprised about the amount of redesign though but unfortunately there is not a single manhunt I feel the wish to play a second time, preferring the “normal” version of it.
That’s because I do not enjoy the special mechanics included. Because of the same reason I do not replay the Brooklyn missions a second time, raids, Incursion, Kenly, Countdown, Retailiation, ... . Others might see in such mechanics a challenge. For me it is the opposite. All a matter of preference of course.
When looking what peope are playing over the years, I hardly see someone replaying a manhunt mission but might be a wrong impression.
Overall, the manhunts do not feel like a hunt for a dangerous villain. In my opinion it should, considering the lore of the game.
A proposal of key features for an alternative:
- The base of operations becomes aware of criminal activities in DC (or Manhattan, Brooklyn, Central Park, Coney Island, …), that people get threatened, kidnapped and some people have been killed. It is unknown who is responsible and who the perpetrators are and we have no clue why this is happening
- We get the assignment to search and find information. We ask civilans in the streets, we interrogate the mob in the streets, we search for information in computers, …). On the way we have multiple battles with randoms in the streets (just the existing ones)
- Over time we are collecting more and more information to identify the responsibles behind the crimes and potential whereabouts
- While trying to find and infiltrate the whereabouts we again have multiple random encounters (just the existing ones)
- The search for the criminals can be designed in different length, more clear or more vague information for the next step and where to search
- For these steps making use of all kind of existing and varied locations on the map (safehouses, underground areas, side mission locations, mission areas, …)
The final battle:
- Instead of super bullet sponge mechanics, multiple NPC waves out of manholes, shield/tomahwak guys, robots, Black Tusk gadgets … I would prefer a more grounded/realistic but immersive approach
- In general making use of existing NPCs/battles to keep development needs “low” as before
- We finally become aware in which (mission) area the responsible villain can be found but we do not have the information where exactly
- We enter the area and get confronted with his mob
- While searching and getting closer to him, the difficulty increases, not by bullet sponge or the like but by more real aspects
- Difficulty increases: increasingly more NPCs, in addition to the regular criminals some well-trained former military guys/agents with better tactics, better guns and equipment, snipers from the distance in dangerous places, some random CQC situations, random NPCs and the final battle in more demanding places
- In some manhunts could be the task to not kill him but catch him and escort him to a safehouse or base of operations and on the way getting chased and having random encounters in open world (like in Ghost Recon or Assassins Creed) but that would require the design of special battles
How do you feel about the existing manhunts and what are your ideas?