OPERATION Killer Whale

[lossi_2018]

Dear WG and new players hopefully reading this.

 

The last 3 months I started abstaining from randoms and ranked for personal reasons, vowed to stay calm and helpful in chat and delve more in operations when I had the time.

 

Yesterday and today, I almost lost my cool. I didn't curse, I didn't belittle, none of that. But I found myself typing desperately in chat to a non understanding or communicating audience, begging even (yes it came to that), for my teamates to join me in exit point and win the mission. I have killed the bbs, blocked the waves of incoming ships multiple time by myself. This is not bragging, various players tried to help, BUT NO ONE wished to exit map. Even when the bots stopped coming. 

 

It is obvious, multiple times documented, that the player base doesnot, cannot, is unable or incapable of noticing the small instructions on top of screen. They can't read the mini map or spot the small anchor as is. So in order to help and not criticize how about helping them?

 

A blinking red light (as when on fire) with a warning count down (from 5 min onwards) and a siren screaming might do wonders, something to force the players to read, or notice that the mission WON"T end in a WIN if they don't EXIT the map.

 

See how I wrote it?

 

I will do it again.

 

EXIT THE MAP FROM THE ANCHOR POINT

else the mission WILL FAIL! (insert blinking text or dramatic music)

 

I'm serious as the plague.

 

I lost 7 operations WITH ALL OBJECTIVES DONE and with more than half the team alive. People refused to go out.

 

again in bigger letters 

EXIT MAP TO WIN MISSION.

 

It's a font, they can't read it. No problem right?

MAKE IT BIGGER.

 

like that

 

more potent fonts below

EXIT MAP TO WIN MISSION

 

 

plz

 

Thanks

[Profilus]

I doubt it would help.

Besides im sure 95% by those few who will read even that big text you offered, will exit to port via menu.

 

Edit: yep, i have that exact amount of hope for majority of this playerbase.

[Seaman_Staines1]

58 minutes ago, lossi_2018 said:

Yesterday and today, I almost lost my cool. I didn't curse, I didn't belittle, none of that. But I found myself typing desperately in chat to a non understanding or communicating audience, begging even (yes it came to that), for my teamates to join me in exit point and win the mission. I have killed the bbs, blocked the waves of incoming ships multiple time by myself. This is not bragging, various players tried to help, BUT NO ONE wished to exit map. Even when the bots stopped coming.

Welcome to the world of operations.

Two or Three days after the operation change things get better.

I never play the new operation for the first 24 to 48hrs, I value my sanity.

[lilgoth]

just had a Leander intentionally throw a 5* victory, he stopped RIGHT against the exit point but refused to exit the map so he could farm damage 

we lost with 1 / 4 ships in the exit point, and his Leander less than a ship length from the exit point, where he had been for close to a full Minute of time

[Andrewbassg]

8 hours ago, lilgoth said:

just had a Leander intentionally throw a 5* victory, he stopped RIGHT against the exit point but refused to exit the map so he could farm damage 

we lost with 1 / 4 ships in the exit point, and his Leander less than a ship length from the exit point, where he had been for close to a full Minute of time

 I just had a New Mexico do the same thing...... I got the Northern group taking care of in a Gaede then... the whole team died.... because of .... reasons lol. and the NM (*being the last) turned away from the circle ro engage the whole fleet, being literally in front of the circle.....man.....

 

EXIT MAP VIA CAP TO WIN MISSION

 

Maybe that will help. 

[Molly_Delaney]

Nothing can be made idiot proof because as soon as you do, nature breeds (inbreeds?) a better idiot.....

 

Every daft warning you have ever read is because somebody did it!

[Cambera_1]

@lossi_2018I feel your pain. 

This is the 'Way of Operations', the Spiritual Journey hidden in World of Warships.

Successfully continuing in 'The Way' will bring you to Oneness with the Universe.

 

But I warn you, young Padawan, there will be no shortage of trials, tribulations and nothing less than pain on your journey.

 

[ForlornSailor]

10 hours ago, lossi_2018 said:

I lost 7 operations WITH ALL OBJECTIVES DONE and with more than half the team alive. People refused to go out.

 

I have another suggestion how to fix it:

- enable teamdamage

- remove penalty for killing teammates

- blapp every "teammate" that is too st00pid to find the exit

= profit

 

serious note: this scenario is doomed, has been for a long time. Its too hard for average ppl to figure out. Says a lot about the playerbase, once again. So, play in a division or 3, better 4 players, and you can ignore the hordes of braindead around you... its really the only way to still have fun inthat scenario.

[Nov_A]

Just. Dont. Play. It. Alone.

 

I know a lot of people dont want to wait for a team to assemble or would welcome a general better experience for everyone created by WG, but there are just some kinds of players, that would not even manage to finish the operation when they recieve electrical shocks as warning to exit. Since Narai is dead, most people in the operations channel play Aegis, due to fastest mission with good XP grind. Over time you manage to identify some active and capable Friendos for playing operations. Much more relaxing and useful when using special signals or grinding, than trying to play with randoms.

[BlackFish__]

There is an operations channel in the WOWS client. Use it to find ppl to play OPs. It used to be the gathering place for people farming Narai but now they are doing the T6 OPs.

[Cambera_1]

For those who claim that this operation is too hard in random people.

 

Yesterday, I did this Operation seven times yesterday, each with Random Teams.

* Thrice with 5 stars, once with everyone alive. 

* Once with 4 stars, this because an accidental exit

* Twice with 3 stars

* Only once with a defeat throwing 3 stars away, with the last cruiser failing to leave the centre of the harbour.

 

Not saying that this is a statistically significant sample, but my experience yesterday. 

So Killer Whale is perfectly doable solo with Random Teams.

I ground out of my Devonshire, solo, since Thursday.

[bratisla_boy]

I just "advised" * my son to get in the exit cap with his Graf Spee to win, seeing that half of the team was at the opposite side (as usual). Because of that it was a 4 star win. Proud of him

 

* "if you don't go into exit cap NOW you will do double dishes AND extra homework next week". Classical threats best threats.

[lossi_2018]

I want to point out I wasn't complaining about difficulty, but the obscure instructions (for the new players - perhaps due to the language barrier) that make it a potential fail.

I rarely miss a star even if I have to kill all targets by myself but I need people to die or move to exit to win.

 

Having said that, I want to thank the brave Dallas that died this morning wit suicide (at my less than polite suggestion) when he realized what he was supposed to do. It was his first mission and I apologize for my manners. I firmly believe that most players IF they understand what they are supposed to do will respond decently. 

 

I will never forget that before visiting the forums, I spent my first six months learning the game by myself and having a completely different idea about what was going on. I remember thinking that (I was playing dds) you need to cap to win randoms, while avoid getting killed or getting spotted by CVs. I fired torpedoes in my 6th game and my guns perhaps after twenty?  All notions right to a degree, both wrong depending on circumstances.

 

My first year in the game was a blur of misery and barely 40% WR while trying different dds (sometimes wit success) until I found de fat BBs and then CVs. The latter showed me (cuz I realized my responsibility and forced to watch the whole map from above) how much people get and how much are,

despite obvious,

a complete mystery to them.  

[Seaman_Staines1]

2 hours ago, ForlornSailor said:

I have another suggestion how to fix it:

- enable teamdamage

- remove penalty for killing teammates

- blapp every "teammate" that is too st00pid to find the exit

= profit

Unlike PVP or CO OP team damage and killing teammates is an option unavailable in operations.

And thank the gods for that.

 

 

[invicta2012]

1 hour ago, Cambera_1 said:

I ground out of my Devonshire, solo, since Thursday.

Devonshire and London do well in Killer Whale. They have all the whack of a Pensacola without the tendency to explode. 

 

I've been back playing this and it's going much better than New Newport did. This is a reliable victory, three stars is no stress, five seems quite possible.

[Exocet6951]

What are you talking about, this operation is perfect.....

Spoiler

....ly adapted as a playerbase literacy test.

 

[Afghanicus]

I've seen most of the player-base fail even easier operations (or even co-op battles) so this can't surprise me anymore.

 

Not sure if the majority are kids, people with mental disorders or what but it's definitely worrying.

 

P.S. I stopped playing operations until they bring Narai back.

 

As well as stopped giving a single dollar to WG as well.

 

Or ruble, whatever.

 

[Bics93]

13 ore fa, lossi_2018 ha scritto:

They can't read

 

You can make the text bigger, but won’t solve the main problem: most of them are slightly less intelligent than a Chimpanzee, maybe you can try with colourful geometric shapes 

[RenamedUser_92906789]

 

Yes ... they ALL went for A8.

When they came there, one of them said that WG changed the exit location.

 

You BAD, BAD WG.

 

[NobleRipper]

Timing and locational awareness seem to be the most useful traits to do Killer Whale well (and for the record, I agree that it's a pretty easy op. to do well at overall even if there can be the odd frustration now and again; if it wasn't a challenge it wouldn't be interesting, right?), and of course striking it lucky with a northern departure point. Most of the losses I've seen recently (for reference I've played about six so far this week of which two were losses, one 5*) have been people not seeming to pay attention to the fact that time is running out, or steaming in the wrong direction while focused on the enemy ships.

 

Personally, I would make the timer more prominent (say, put it in the top centre of the screen, larger font, flashing red etc.) when it gets to the three-minute mark. For extra effect, maybe add a directional indicator immediately below it pointing to the exit; an extra bonus would be if it told players that were too far away from the exit that they can't physically make it in the time remaining at their ship's best speed.

[hgbn_dk]

 

All random teams today.

[Estaca_de_Bares]

I played it yesterday a couple of times in order to lift a pinky I received in rankeds, one in Furious and another in La Galissonnière. Both were 5 stars but I had to ask the team twice to go for the escape point in the CV one, because only me and a Pensacola reacted fast enough, while the CL one was a lot more relaxed. I've noticed that people become clueless more often when the exit is to the west (happened with Furious) instead of to the north.

 

Salute.

[NobleRipper]

46 minutes ago, Estaca_de_Bares said:

I played it yesterday a couple of times in order to lift a pinky I received in rankeds, one in Furious and another in La Galissonnière. Both were 5 stars but I had to ask the team twice to go for the escape point in the CV one, because only me and a Pensacola reacted fast enough, while the CL one was a lot more relaxed. I've noticed that people become clueless more often when the exit is to the west (happened with Furious) instead of to the north.

 

Salute.

The western exit always seems to be more of a challenge. I suspect it's because it's further to go in the open getting shot at (I've been killed a whole bunch going that way, and a lot of teams seem to end up getting slaughtered en masse), but also because there's more temptation to sit and shoot at all the enemy ships. It's a lot harder for a significant proportion of the team to get stuck miles from the northern exit with too many enemies in front of them to get out.

[jss78]

I have spent games imploring in chat in FIVE LANGUAGES for people to go for exit (starting at 10 minute mark). I have clicked in vain on the map for minutes, and used universally understandable instructions like "5 min, exit",  "4 min, exit", etc.

With respect, WG, this operation is badly designed. It is not acceptable that one person playing poorly can ruin a 20 minute effort for the rest of the team. The purpose of a video game is to be fun and engaging, and the only thing this operation engages is my adrenal [edited] as it produces stress hormones.

 

Note that many of your other operations are not like this. In Newport Defence 4-5 good players can mount a successful deep defence even if 2 players do something dumb. Same in Aegis and Narai -- a win (at least a sub-five-star one) is not compromised by one or two players doing something dumb

 

I'd like to propose a simple, scientific, and useful design maxim for you. Let's call this the "three monkeys rule".

 

In short, when play testing each operation, make the test group composed of 4 good-average human players and 3 monkeys. And follow this rule: in order for the  operation to go on live server, this test team must be able to win the operation.

 

Figure 1. Test group composition.

 

[Odo_Toothless]

On 2/29/2020 at 5:46 PM, NobleSauvage said:

Personally, I would make the timer more prominent (say, put it in the top centre of the screen, larger font, flashing red etc.) when it gets to the three-minute mark.

You are right. I modded timer font size and moved them to the centre (here: 02:11), i never have a problem with seeing it. Probably will publish it as a mod soon.