Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes/The Phantom Pain

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You should be aiming to complete every mission without requiring a checkpoint.

Now that's frustrating.

But satisfying when you achieve......

:irked:👍

I don't so much mind that, but if you're going to do that as a game designer, you need to make sure things are consistent.
 
See this is what I'm talking about...

I'm doing one of my very last Side-Ops (just 5 remaining), and it's one of the armored vehicles ones. I shoot the helicopter down with my 50. caliber, 'cause what else are you going to do... Then I proceed to slowly take down the surrounding infantry with my tranq pistol. As I approach to Fulton, another guy comes running. I tranq him, and dispite the nearby vehicle not having a visual on him, it honks its horn, waking not just him, but everyone. I am now surrounded, I instantly get spotted, and the enemy AFV promptly one shots me. Utter and complete BS.

And where does the checkpoint start me? Near the spot where I died, out in the open, with one guy sleeping next to me on the ground, yet the helicopter is still alive, even though the ammo I spent shooting it down before I died, is nowhere to be found in my inventory. Basically the checkpoint makes no sense. These Side Ops are tedious, repetitive and poorly thought out. Offering very little in the means of actual content. But hey, everything to pad out the game. Clearly, it was more important to copy paste small missions, than to actually finish the main story, and perhaps make fewer Side-Ops that were actually well done.

I think I'm also finally at my last Key Dispatch Mission. The last 3 have been massive pains to complete, with one taking be 7 tries to complete, 3 tried for the following one, and only 2 for the last. Properly tired of relying 100% on pure luck for these... But hey, everything to pad out the game with meaningless content...

I also just love how the helicopter, while very fun to use, it also so grossly underpowered and outright useless... I've equipped it with 16 ATGM's and ordered it in to help me deal with enemy AFV's. In order to best secure its survival, I ordered it in as far away as possible. So what does it do upon arrival? It blasts away with its miniguns for 30 seconds, until it takes a hit from the 105mm gun of one of the AFV's and dies. Not firing off a single of its dedicated anti armor weapons. Brilliant friggin game design......

Sorry for continueing my rants about the game, but the more I play it, the more i see its many, many flaws. Considering how long it was in the making, it's absurd that even the most basic elements of game design have gone AWOL. I'd rank Ground Zeroes higher, simply because it felt much more polished, even though it lakes the variety of Phantom Pain in how you go about achieving your goal.
 
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Take the tank first and sneak away again, that's what I've been doing. I can't agree that it's as bad as you make out :)

That said, I agree with @prisonermonkeys that more interiors would be good. I'd also like a Digital Camera and some girlie mags.
 
I find I usually stop playing either because I have something else to do or because I get frustrated and stop before I get angry, never because I'm bored. I did, however, play something else for over an hour last night for the first time since MGS V released... I think I'm just running out of steam, I have no desire to 100% it any more and I feel like I've done everything there is to do already even though I've only done 100 hours. I could keep going to unlock more guns but I don't really know what the point is, they're pretty much all the same after all.
 
I have a problem where the blood on big boss won't wash off. His horn has grown nearly fully and the blood is nearly covered all over his face. Does anyone know how you can wash this off. I can't complete the whole game like this. I've only done 14%

Please don't spoil the game!

Thank you.
 
I have a problem where the blood on big boss won't wash off. His horn has grown nearly fully and the blood is nearly covered all over his face. Does anyone know how you can wash this off. I can't complete the whole game like this. I've only done 14%
You have triggered the game's hidden morality system and have become Demon Snake. This is because you have been doing things that the game considers to be evil, for want of a better term - like, for example, killing enemies after they have been incapacitated (knocked out, put to sleep, or seriously injured). The only way to reverse the process is to perform good acts - rescue prisoners, use non-lethal means of finishing missions, capture outposts (again, non-lethal) and extract animals (especially rare ones) from the war zone. It will take time, though. Keep an eye on your heroism - the higher it is, the sooner you will revert to Venom Snake.

If you're still stuck in Demon mode later in the game, replay the missions "The White Mamba" and "Aim True, Ye Vengeful", Episodes 23 and 25. There are certain people who are worth a lot if you extract them. You will know them when you see them.
 
I have a problem where the blood on big boss won't wash off. His horn has grown nearly fully and the blood is nearly covered all over his face. Does anyone know how you can wash this off. I can't complete the whole game like this. I've only done 14%
How have you been playing the game? Because if you've managed to accumulate 50k demon points at where you are now (I assume without developing a nuke, which will give you 50k demon points instantly), you will need to adapt your play style, or you will be back up there in no time.
 
I've also been in demon mode since developing a nuke. It's annoying as hell. I've earned a little over 50.000 heroism since, yet I'm still stuck in it.
 
Heroism points and demon points are separate stats and it's easier to get heroism points than get negative demon points. Keep extracting kids, visiting the animal conservation platform until it's gone (and yes, it will take quite a while).
 
I've also been in demon mode since developing a nuke. It's annoying as hell. I've earned a little over 50.000 heroism since, yet I'm still stuck in it.
Do a few runs through "The White Mamba" and "Aim True, Ye Vengeful" and extract all of the kids and hostages.
 
Does anyone know how you can wash this off. I can't complete the whole game like this. I've only done 14%...

You can complete the game that way, it's not a problem. My advice would be not to play as Snake or your avatar, I never use either, it won't be long before you get much better characters. Just don't lose them in FOB attack missions ;)

I've also been in demon mode since developing a nuke. It's annoying as hell. I've earned a little over 50.000 heroism since, yet I'm still stuck in it.

As @NLxAROSA points out; demon points have nothing to do with heroism points, they're separate scales.

Here's a rough guide I found elsewhere;

Somewhere On t'Web
The following is a list of actions the players can perform to increase their Demon Points, grouped by category:

---Fulton extractions

+20 - Fail the fulton extraction of an animal
+60 - Fail the fulton extraction of an enemy soldier

---Assassinations

+20 - Kill an animal
+60 - Kill an enemy soldier
+90 - Kill a Diamond Dogs staff member held hostage
+100 - Kill a prisoner
+120 - Kill a critically wounded enemy soldier
+180 - Kill a Diamond Dogs staff member

---Assassinations via fire damage

+40 - Kill an animal with fire damage
+120 - Kill an enemy soldier with fire damage
+180 - Kill one of your Diamond Dogs staff members held hostage with fire damage
+200 - Kill a prisoner with fire damage

---Buddies

+75 - Destroy D-Walker
+150 - Critically wound D-Dog, D-Horse or Quiet

---Other

+30 - Critically wound an enemy soldier
+60 - Lose a staff member held hostage by aborting mission 22 (+60 each)
+150 - Destroy a support helicopter
+50,000 - Develop a nuclear weapon

DPG06-----Losing Demon Points-----

The following is a list of actions the players can perform to decrease their Demon Points, grouped by category:

---Fulton extractions

-30 - Fulton extract a common animal
-30 - Fulton extract a critically wounded enemy soldier
-30 - Fulton extract a puppet soldier via helicopter
-30 - Fulton extract a critically wounded enemy soldier
-30 - Fulton extract a Skull
-60 - Fulton extract a rare animal
-60 - Fulton extract a Diamond Dogs staff member
-60 - Fulton extract a prisoner
-120 - Fulton extract a child
-120 - Fulton extract a very rare or extremely rare animal

---Extractions by helicopter

-30 - Extract an enemy soldier via helicopter
-60 - Extract a puppet soldier via helicopter
-60 - Extract a critically wounded enemy via helicopter
-60 - Extract Quiet via helicopter
-120 - Extract a VIP or prisoner via helicopter
-120 - Extract a Diamond Dogs staff member via helicopter
-240 - Extract a child via helicopter

---Trophies

-1,000 - Earn the "Cry Havoc" trophy
-1,000 - Earn the "Speechless" trophy
-5,000 - Earn the "Cleared" trophy
-5,000 - Earn the "Trusty Steed" trophy
-5,000 - Earn the "Man's Best Friend" trophy
-5,000 - Earn the "War Buddy" trophy
-5,000 - Earn the "Reminiscence" trophy
-10,000 - Earn the "Conservation" trophy

---Other

-300 - Visit the Animal Conservation Platform
-1,000 - Dispose of a nuclear weapon
-30,000 - Dispose of ten nuclear weapons
 
There's no way of seeing your demon points is there? I've played the game with far too much of an eye on recruiting staff, I've simply not killed enough!

It's only now, later on in the game (where the only staff I'll extract are A++ or above) that I'm getting to regularly use some of my vast arsenal. As much as I love the silenced AMR, I prefer striking real fear into the guard's hearts by letting those shots ring out across the landscape, so they know that another one of their buddies is down.

I should definitely be demon snake...:)
 
Nope, no way to see how many DP you have, other than visual clues (e.g. bigger horn means > 25k, covered in blood > 50k).
 
Just gotta say I love how versatile this game is, I learned some things from one of my favorite youtube gamers and I think it will really living up gameplay for all.

LANGUAGE WARNING
 
I'm done with this game. Made a few runs on Traitors Caravan Extreme, and no matter what I do, the Skulls spot me, and kill me. Bullet sponges that outnumber you, while being both faster and deadlier than you are not good game design. They are not fun to fight, nor are they fair.

I'm putting this garbage on the shelf for the time being.
 
I wonder what Demon Souls would do ...

I've completed Demon's Souls as well as Bloodborne, and Bloodborne is in fact my GOTY for 2015. The difference is that those games are well made and genuinely difficult, where as MGS V is just plain cheap on more occasions than I can count.
 
I've completed Demon's Souls as well as Bloodborne, and Bloodborne is in fact my GOTY for 2015. The difference is that those games are well made and genuinely difficult, where as MGS V is just plain cheap on more occasions than I can count.

For the traitors caravan on extreme, it's not cheap IMO, it just need different strategy, the enemy has higher health and their attacks are much more powerful as well as more aggressive. I took out the armored column first before it entered the airport. Use sniper tranq to put the guards to sleep on the buildings and guard towers.Spot the truck and the skulls will emerge, and to beat them, there are many ways. I used Serval Sniper rifle and used the airport as battle ground, it requires good dexterity and good use of the surroundings to slow them down. Employ Quiet for fire support, put her in strategic position so she can pick the skulls easily. I used D-Walker once too, with the electric shock weapon, and managed non lethal neutralization on 2 skulls before it blow up as I was careless :lol:
 
I don't have Quite. And to my surprise, I do miss her a bit. Not for her character, because frankly, she didn't ahve much, but as a companion she was pretty awesome.
 
Made a few runs on Traitors Caravan Extreme, and no matter what I do, the Skulls spot me, and kill me.
Take a Battle Dress, fully-upgraded CGM-25 and Hail MGR-4. Take the bandanna if you have it. Lie in wait by the side of the road, and when the convoy comes, charge at the truck. By tripping the fight, you neutralise armed escort. Lure the Skulls away from the truck, and get a lock on with the CGM-25 as it will hit them even when they teleport. Keep moving as much as you can. If you need to resupply, switch to the Hail MGR-4 to do some damage.

I recommend taking them out just north of Nova Braga, just make sure you take out the ZRS troops waiting at the intersection. Alternatively, ambush them north of Kiziba Camp before they get to Mfinda Oilfield.
 
I don't have Quite. And to my surprise, I do miss her a bit. Not for her character, because frankly, she didn't ahve much, but as a companion she was pretty awesome.

Here's a spoiler that may be related.

Don't read this if you want the story to remain strictly intact!!!

Mission 11 has changed to say REPLAY: Cloaked in Silence. Defeat it 7 times in a row and it changes to say REUNION: Cloaked in Silence. Guess what happens after that ;)

I find Quiet to be the most useful buddy except for D-Dog on Prisoner Rescue missions... she can scout outposts and, with the non-lethal gun, is good at staff collection :)

I'm done with this game. Made a few runs on Traitors Caravan Extreme, and no matter what I do, the Skulls spot me, and kill me. Bullet sponges that outnumber you, while being both faster and deadlier than you are not good game design. They are not fun to fight, nor are they fair.

I'm putting this garbage on the shelf for the time being.

The early levels are very easy (imo) compared to previous games... I see from @prisonermonkeys' post that they're beatable. I'll be doing that tomorrow, I don't think I developed that launcher so I really should. Sorry you feel that way about it!
 
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Take a Battle Dress, fully-upgraded CGM-25 and Hail MGR-4. Take the bandanna if you have it. Lie in wait by the side of the road, and when the convoy comes, charge at the truck. By tripping the fight, you neutralise armed escort. Lure the Skulls away from the truck, and get a lock on with the CGM-25 as it will hit them even when they teleport. Keep moving as much as you can. If you need to resupply, switch to the Hail MGR-4 to do some damage.

I recommend taking them out just north of Nova Braga, just make sure you take out the ZRS troops waiting at the intersection. Alternatively, ambush them north of Kiziba Camp before they get to Mfinda Oilfield.

Cheers, I'll keep your advice in mind for whenever I decide to go back to the game. However, that won't be in the near future. I've always hit the convoy right where the escort unit is stationed, and always extract the 4 guys, the front AFV and the truck driver before triggering the appearance of the Skulls.


Here's a spoiler that may be related.

Don't read this if you want the story to remain strictly intact!!!

Mission 11 has changed to say REPLAY: Cloaked in Silence. Defeat it 7 times in a row and it changes to say REUNION: Cloaked in Silence. Guess what happens after that ;)

I find Quiet to be the most useful buddy except for D-Dog on Prisoner Rescue missions... she can scout outposts and, with the non-lethal gun, is good at staff collection :)

I have to beat that mission a grand total of 8 times? For 🤬 sake Kojima Productions.... You never learn. Just more grinding. I like D-Dog too, except he has been bugged in my game for a very long time. The enemies and prisoners he marks don't show up on my map.
 
I have to beat that mission a grand total of 8 times? For 🤬 sake Kojima Productions.... You never learn. Just more grinding.

Seriously? It's one button-press to beat Quiet in that mission. Okay, 4 buttons the first time and 2 the rest (scope, Left Trigger). She's down before the credits have even finished.

I like D-Dog too, except he has been bugged in my game for a very long time. The enemies and prisoners he marks don't show up on my map.

I don't think that's a bug... D-Dog doesn't interact with your iDroid, you'll see the markers are "fuzzy" as he's found them by scent/sight. Mark them up yourself with the scope, that's how it's always been for me.

What about Paz? What the hell happened to her? I cannot visit or see her, though I have several more photos for her. Why put a character in a game, only to have them vanish and never bee seen or heard from again? I have no idea how her story ends, now. Or, do I? It was blind stinkin' luck I ran into her. Now, she's just gone.

Have you figured out why you can't see her yet? ;)

Another uber-spoiler, don't read this if you want to get to the end of the game before all is revealed!

She was never actually there... your character was standing there with Snake when she died, remember? :)
 
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Almost a week with no new posts... Is anyone still playing? I haven't been on much recently - a combination of not having time to play and wanting to play new things or with friends when I have - but I had a quick go last night and they've added even more new things, twice in one month! There's a fast acting, integrally suppressed WU, an integrally suppressed non-lethal Burkov (which seems really overpowered to me), a 10mm Ze-ev and more. For the first time in a long time I even have question marks on my development tree.

Still not really feeling the impetus to 100% the game ASAP but I'm confident it'll get done eventually, although I have to say I forgot how fun the game is to actually play. A friend watched me playing very loud and fast side ops, he told me he thought he'd had a varied approach to the game until he saw me indiscriminately killing enemies without even checking to see their stats... It seems as though some people get so invested in Mother Base that they get a bit OCD about checking everyone, which contradicts the fact that it's ok to kill enemies now. I mean I'll extract enemies if I notice that they've got good skills but I'm not likely to attempt it in a combat situation.
 
just to give my opinion,... game is not finished,..
and to get the game's ending you must do some stuff i did not do in my playthrough,
i am not gonna grind it, metal gear is all about story, and after mission 30 kojima lost control, konami screwed him over i think.

This had the potential to be one of the best games ever, and they just screwed it over,... even if it had to take 1 or 2 years more, it would have been better than what it is now :ouch:
 
How can you blame Konami for Kojima and his team's awful story direction and writing in the Phantom Pain? The fact that they weren't able to finish the game in the time given to them, says more about them, than it does Konami.
 
How can you blame Konami for Kojima and his team's awful story direction and writing in the Phantom Pain?

Quite easily, publishers steer projects in the wrong direction all the time and the scope for their meddling is limitless - if it's not budget they're cutting it's time, if it's not time it's that they want to bend the story to cater to a significantly different audience... Just look at what happened with Destiny; it appeared that Activision were getting a little too involved and some senior personnel quit at the last minute leaving them with little time to edit the scraps into a coherent story, one lacking a lot of what was supposedly going to be included (like The Traveler actually being evil and that guy from the trailer who ended up having an insignificant role in the end). If Kojima wrote a script that Konami didn't like they'd just tell him to write another, they're paying for it so they have the final say.

That said, I personally don't blame Konami for the plot because Kojima has always been a hack and I can totally believe he was given free reign over that department. He's a totally overrated storyteller but easily one of the best, if not the best, game designers ever. I do blame Konami for the complete collapse of the game after the first act, though; of course there's no proof but I get the feeling Kojima prepared three full acts, Konami gave it the green light and then, late into development, said "Actually sorry Hideo, mate, you've only got half the time we agreed on and you're already out of cash, deal w/it lol ;D" which forced him to bring the story to an abrupt "end" then just add some padding so that it wasn't embarrassingly short.
 
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