Vanquish Reviews

Vanquish #6 Playlists
#VQ6_PL1
consisting of...
JGR13 Hell in a P-Cell by Jager1381
FL16 Rocket Wars by freakyleek
Waterworld by AlanBold1983
JJ War of L.S. #VQ by jjn1lfc
Train Killer On The Loose by JC2-FAN-FOREVER


My special Birthday playlist -Options-Settings-Display... RADAR and OHD OFF
#VQ6_PL2
Consisting of...
Hide & Seek Mirror Park by Gary87_
A.I.Acting Rockford Roll by Frezyys
Hide and Seek - PaletoBay by LewR--
Hide Go Seek: Junkyard by ManOfFire
SOCOM LTS Hedge Maze by Model_One

The reviews...
atheistsw
Last nights event was good fun, it's just a shame that the 'hide and seek' concept didn't really work as intended via LTS mode due to player names appearing when you got close even when turning off the HUD, Radar AND Player overhead displays! :'(This meant the first three jobs in PL2 didn't really work as we expected which was a shame as the concept is great and could be something very special indeed! The final 2 jobs worked much better as they were more traditional LTS-style arena's and due to the level design etc they still played out very well even with needless limitations, just a shame that we set the final job to only 1 round for time purposes as it was by far the shortest of the lot!

Think the concept of 'hide and seek' can work much better within a 'Capture' framework as in this game mode the host has the option to turn off ALL the player blips including overhead displays, something that infuriatingly is not an option on LTS game modes. Will perhaps have a look at possibilities myself if I can tear myself away from the wastelands for a couple of hours this week!

Kudos to ManOfFire for continuing to run this event despite considerable technical issues. Last night we had several hang-ups for several minutes at a time during the first job, not for the first time, LTS + playlist = cloud meltdown lol. Nevertheless, perseverance prevails and provides a fun and laid back crew event for those lazy Monday evenings.
...
Sooooo, it IS possible after all to play this game mode without ANY player blips, but there is an additional step you must follow:

So what you do is press pause as normal, then select - 'Online'. Go down and select 'options'. go down to the 3rd from bottom which is ALSO 'player overhead display' and set that to 'None' (several different options). You cant just turn it off under the normal settings menu as it does not work. You have to use the Online options menu as well.
Thanks to jameznash who provided the info after I saw the video below of him playing it with his GTAV PS4 Fans crew!

o_ManOfFire_o
So Vanquish #6 started out so well with 20 people in the lobby of the first job, but was then stalled for close to 15 minutes as late comers chose to spectate and as we are all finding out of late, the servers just can't cope with launching a job whilst simultaneously allowing people to spectate. This stall and subsequent ones as people who had restarted their PS4s to escape the frozen screen tried to rejoin, led to this one job taking 45 minutes to complete and the attendance down to 14. I think in future (or at least until get this issue fixed), I'll request that late-comers to the VQ invites do not spectate, but message myself, jjn1lfc or someone else who is in and we can then send a game invite from within the job, which does then allow people to spectate and join on the next round.


JGR13 Hell in a P-Cell by Jager1381
The Panto Demo Derby takes a new twist out on a railroad viaduct near to Grapeseed in a tight arena that straddles the tracks and so consequently has a locomotive thunder through every ninety seconds or so. Well-constructed as ever, with attention paid to block potential ways that those who have been ejected from the arena could use to re-enter the combat area. The only issue arose when atheist was force glitched through the fence surrounding the arena by a morass of Pantos trying to run him over. He couldn't go anywhere, nor was he out of the combat area and he could not be touched by those of us still within. A minor issue though and one which would be solved if Jager reduced the area by about a metre, as he suggested he could, meaning the combatants couldn't just "sit on the fence".

FL16 Rocket Wars by freakyleek
We had FL42 Rocket Wars 2 in Vanquish's debut playlist. This is the original and, in my opinion the better. It is less confusing than it's multi-tiered sibling, as all the RPGs are on roughly on the same level on a huge sweeping ring - like a circular Nascar ciruit - suspended over Sandy Shores Airfield. Teams start on the ground with a variety of planes and helicopters and have to fly up and land or bail out and parachute to get to the RPGs and the chance of staying alive or stay in your plane and try to take a few people out with that, whilst flying in circles. The sight of a rocket battle across this aerial arena is spectacular and very entertaining.


Waterworld by AlanBold1983
A great concept that just needs a few tweaks - this does remind me of the film of the same name, starring Alan's favourite actor Kevin Costner. An innovative alternative to the Snipers Vs type of LTS on the Land Act Reservoir, one team, we'll call them the attackers, starts able to collect some proximity mines and grenades before they jump into the water to collect boats or seasharks from a giant boatshed . The other team, defenders, is on a ring platform in front of the Land Act Dam armed with Marksman Rifles. There are three large sweeping ramps up to the platform for the other team to launch up and either throw explosives or get out of their boats and try to get their own rifles before they get shot. The middle ramp goes a little higher to a small platform which the defenders can't easily access without a little swimming and where there are also rifles placed. Here the attackers can get a foothold and take a few of the defenders out. However, it does seem the defenders' Marksman rifles are a little overpowered given the limited supply of explosives that the attackers get and the long approach they have to make across the reservoir. It would be better perhaps if the attackers could continue collecting explosives, as they can only carry 2 proxis and 5 grenades, so after a couple or three passes over the platform all their grenades and proximity mines are gone and they either have to get a gun or try to squash the defenders with boats. I can't see a different gun working here, so it just needs to be possible for the attackers to get more explosives. And maybe something floating in the air between the two bases, to protect the attackers at least some of the way as they retreat and pick up speed for another run.

JJ War of L.S. #VQ by jjn1lfc
Heavy warfare comes to downtown Los Santos as two teams spawn at purpose built hangars with a choice of vehicles and weaponry including Lazers, Savages, Tanks, Armed Insurgents, miniguns, homing launchers and heavy snipers. Most people go for jets first with a few choosing other options and when the session isn't full as in this instance, what largely ensues is a dogfight where the stronger pilots generally win followed by mopping up of anyone on the ground. Ideally should be played with a full or nearly full complement of players. Could perhaps do with the arena reducing in size a bit, to encourage the pilots closer to the ground and thus more susceptible to attackers on the ground.

Train Killer On The Loose by JC2-FAN-FOREVER
An amazing creation that tests and breaks the limits of the game engine and it's ability to cope with chaos. Tightly packed props make an elongated maze-like arena along a stretch of train track, with each team spawning at either end. Between them are loads of dynamic props in the form of stacks of pipes, which get kicked up when the train roars through bringing side-splittingly funny scenes of utter mayhem and sometimes death to those who get caught amongst them. Lots of players are killed by the train or by falling props and the key to winning can be as much about prudence as it is about cold-blooded murder.

The Hide And Seek Playlist
This week' Special playlist was enjoyable, even despite being slightly marred by some players not turning off their maps, HUD and Overhead Display (OHD) as was specified numerous times in job descriptions, crew messages and voiced by those of us with mics. When challenged they either complied or left, but it did take a little time for us to notice and deal with it.
As atheistsw pointed out, we could have totally gotten rid of the OHDs, but as it was one's opponents only became visible when they were a short distance away, so it was still largely possible to play as intended, save for getting 'found' by those with active maps.
I would like to try this playlist again with all the participants playing by the rules and removing their maps etc. Having written these reviews, I am quite frustrated by how this playlist unfolded and the few Crew members who, whether ignorantly or deliberately tainted the experience.
I shall even create a discussion on whether we could have some kind of crew bylaw/ side-rule which legislates for Events such as this where some Crew members don't implement the discretionary conditions of play which the majority are imposing upon themselves in the name of fun. Perhaps if these players feared censure, they would be more likely to play by these optional rules.
Unfortunately, my router crashed halfway through playing my own submission to the playlist and by the time I rejoined, it had already been decided by impatient people to play the last job to just one round, which was unfortunate as it was easily the quickest of the night.
On reflection, even with the OHD properly turned off, I think this game mode is best suited to Free Aim, because then the unarmed hiders would at least be in with a chance of evading pursuit once spotted. As it stands, in Auto-Aim, the Seekers need only step out of their cars and they get a weapons lock.

Hide & Seek: Mirror Park by Gary87
Our introduction to the concept and a nice place to try to blend in with Non Player Characters (NPCs), with the mix of the built-up suburbia and the open space of Mirror Park itself, hemmed in by walls made from floating barges. Only played to one round, I was on the Seeker team and as it later emerged, both teams had at least one player that still had radar etc, so our team was inevitably going to find them all. The person on the Hiders' team with map on somehow managed to get out of the arena and out of the combat area, I later saw on Jager's stream, so that point of escape could need to be found and plugged. Their last holdout was JC2 hiding on a rooftop, who sent a sneaky in-game text message saying "I can see you" to jjn1lfc, who subsequently climbed onto the roof and shot him.

A.I. Acting: Rockford Roll by Frezyys
A Hide and Seek in the vicinity of Rockford Plaza, with the Cops/ Seekers starting on the edge of an area that incorporates some of the shopping district, town hall and police station. In places barges were used to keep players in the arena, whilst in other shipping containers were used, but didn't prevent access to the subway or several other places where an entire team could hide undiscovered (if it were being played properly). Traffic seemed fairly light and the placement of props seemed to prevent a build up of traffic that sometimes made it difficult to find any vehicle to hijack. It did also seem rather easy to spot the difference between NPCs and other players, though apparently someone did try to jack a car that was being driven by another player.

Hide and Seek: Paleto Bay by LewR--
This job in Paleto Bay, gives a nice change of vehicles to hijack from the predominately sedans, coupes, SUVs and sports cars that one finds in the city, including trucks pulling boat-trailers and HGVs. It was fun to play as a Seeker/ Cop with the different dynamics of the fast moving highway that passes through the edge of town, the quieter, more sedentary provincial town centre and the beach with a few bikini clad NPCs running aimlessly about. As a seeker it was entertaining, but as a hider it was marred by a seeker with map on heading directly towards my location - running around with the NPCs on the beach and shooting me. Of the three Cops Vs Perps type Hide & Seek jobs, this was the best.

Hide Go seek by ManOfFire
This was my own submission to the playlist and I'd tried to create a more traditional interpretation of the concept of Hide and Seek - kind of like a 30 player Slasher, with a few Marksman pistols stashed about in nooks and crannies for the hiders to discover and make a stand with. They have roughly 30 seconds to find somewhere to hide, whilst the seekers, who spawn on the railway nearby run into the Junkyard opposite the Maze Bank Arena. I think I need to remove the dynamic props that fall amongst the seekers as they spawn. It seemed to play fairly well, save for one corner where Hammer managed to get stuck. I just wish we'd been able to switch off the OHD completely, as such proximity in this area must have made us light up like Christmas trees, when the seekers stalked past our otherwise hidden bolt holes.

SOCOM LTS Hedge Maze by Model_One
The final job of the playlist and unfortunately only played to one round. This LTS wasn't designed or intended, as far as I know, to be played with radar and map off, but after playing it through when testing for previous events, it seemed disappointing to have a fight in a maze, where you could see precisely where everyone one was and be seen by them. Locked to first person, this also worked and made the whole experience thoroughly enjoyable.

The Poll Winners
Joint 1st Hide and Seek - PaletoBay by LewR--
Joint 1st Train Killer On The Loose by JC2-FAN-FOREVER
Joint 3rd FL16 Rocket Wars by freakyleek
Joint 3rd SOCOM LTS Hedge Maze by Model_One
Joint 3rd Hide Go Seek: Junkyard by ManOfFire

The Playlists

VQX_PL1
consisting of...
Trainnnn KO Eliminator by JC2-FAN-FOREVER
Stand Off: The Ranch II by Zorvaine
Eclipse Tower Smoke Drop by Loftonian
Rebel Vs Rebels 4 Ways by alanbold1983
Kill Or Be Killed 3 by ManOfFire

VQX_PL2
Consisting of..
INDOOR REVOLVER TRAINING BY YoungBiggi013
(JB) Brawler Derby by JeffBob1979
7PS Triatlo do Piratas by Vinicius7PS
Pirates Of The Caribbean by foubi_17
CANADA VS USA by LAZY_AKA_STONER

VQX_Xtra_PL3
Consisting of...
Exist Tournament by Zex-Vortion
Train Tracked LTS by dillono
LTS: Love The Scrapyard by Coach_Wargo
Cobrao do boliche by borisjohny
A Bigtruck Vs Smallman by Spline72


The Reviews

Trainnnn KO Eliminator by JC2-FAN-FOREVER
Chaos reigns supreme as JC2 returns with a train-based LTS in a long thin arena along a train track, with vehicles and dynamic props suspended overhead and obstacles between the two teams. The only frustrating thing - apart from the usual randomness of one's death - is the inability to get back into the arena should you glitch out. s suggested ramps at either end of the the run, but I would opt for a single ramp in the middle, possibly positioned such that NPCs can drive up it and into the arena for added explosive chaos.

Stand Off: The Ranch II by Zorvaine
Two team pistols-at-dawn LTS with Heavy Revolvers, which though a nice idea, is perhaps more suited to free-aim, because it as it was it amounted to little more than an internet speed test, with the stronger/faster connections moving seconds before the weaker/slower ones. Maybe if each side had to take twelve paces, perhaps to pick up their revolvers, these lag issues might be lessened. Given it's nature, few props are necessary nor are they used, but in it's simplicity it is still a nice job. Very fast rounds <1 minute each.

Eclipse Tower Smoke Drop by Loftonian
Loftonian keeps coming up with fun and different ways to explore the LTS format and this is no exception, with teams racing to the bottom of this apartment block on falling dynamic props, triggered by tear gas canisters. Speed is key here, not just to stay ahead of the other team, but also to keep up with your own, who can easily leave people stranded if they aren't fast enough. A fast descent leads the players to heavy weapons and vehicles including a Savage to finish off the opposition.

Rebel Vs Rebels 4 Ways by alanbold1983
A great 4 team LTS with 4 technicals per team, one driving and one gunning. However, uneven teams - especialy if only one team has 4 players - makes it hard going to compete against two (or more) moving guns. Larger teams will normally dominate. As always with jobs from Mr Bold, the props are placed with a degree of precision that many aspire to equal, with the docks partitioned up by ellipse shaped avenues. We should have put this one in the 4 way competition.

Kill Or Be Killed 3 by ManOfFire
The third of my 4 team KOBK Last Team Standing's, this time made using just the Switchblade and Heavy Revolver DLC weapons from the Executives and Criminals Update. Lag was again an issue for us here, with half the opposing team moving before us, but not able to get so far ahead that we couldn't stab them in the kidneys. The choice here is whether to just charge straight for the guns, stab up the opposition en masse before running for the guns or even rely on the speed of running, rolling and stabbing to take out players already in possession of a gun. All these options were successful at one stage. Think I may open up the barrel lines a bit to hamper players and slow down their run for the guns.

INDOOR REVOLVER TRAINING BY YoungBiggi013
Two team, First Person LTS built around the Merryweather training facility at the docks, with few extra walls and a pinch point where the battle ultimately seems to unwind. It doesn't benefit a team breaking through this pinch point too far, because they then become exposed from too many sides, but it is in their interest to secure and control it, which can be tricky with the slow re-cocking of the revolver between each shot. I did notice some players getting up onto the air ducts and getting a possibly unfair advantage over the opposition, however it was a good fun, well made LTS from an up-and-coming Creator.

(JB) Brawler Derby by JeffBob1979
Brawler demo derby with molotovs on a floating, sloped ring-shaped platform intersected by a central spoke. Brawlers can take a hell of a beating, so they are rarely destroyed except under a sustained hail of molotovs. The rounds - set to six minutes - can easily run their full course unless skilled and co-ordinated driving forces the opposition out of the arena. Very neat construction.

7PS Triatlo do Piratas by Vinicius7PS
The Pirate's Triathlon sees two teams climbing, cycling (if they are fast and nimble enough), swimming and running for a sniper platform. The faster team will always succeed, as in this case, with the opposing team getting to the platform and sniping half of our's before we'd even gotten a gun, so they had the strength of numbers to all stand in the open and pick us off as we stood up from cover. The rounds could do with setting to no more than 10 minutes.

Pirates Of The Caribbean by fabinhoo_17
Nautically-themed two team LTS, with players launching on a small beach in a constructed harbour, with five sailing yachts each and an open arena in which to do battle, incorporating some rocks where more molotovs and a few grenades can be found. Within these parameters, our victory seemed assured, but then glitched and lots of the weapon pick-ups became pistols. This actually wouldn't be such a bad addition, though if the guns were single-shot marksman pistols, it would be better than the standard pistols that Rockstar gave us.

CANADA VS USA by LAZY_AKA_STONER
A two team military LTS pitting tanks, insurgents, jets and (apparently) sniper platforms in the air, though with six jets per team this is mostly a jet fight and so the team with more and better pilots will win. Perhaps if it were possible to make some kind of bunker from which the tanks could fire without being easy targets for homing rockets, it might be a bit more balanced, but as it is the jets can just approach the hangars - that afford the only real cover - from afar, fire off their homing rockets and pull away before they get within range of the tank's shells. Making the tanks useless and without suitable cover outside, even a driverless Insurgent is a sitting duck.

Exist Tournament by Zex-Vortion
A four team LTS, where teams start off on floating platforms out at sea with SMG's and Vintage Pistols and must ascend to a platform to do battle with one other team. The winners of this first fight then climb to higher platform where a pair of assault rifles sit out in the open. The first fight is well-appointed with cover, so players can easily get bogged down here and may even have to go back to the launch platform for more ammo. The range of the assault rifles will not easily reach the platform that the other two teams are fighting it out on, so if you do defeat your immediate enemies quickly, it becomes necessary to wait for the other winners to climb to their assault rifles, at which point they are easy pickings. Getting to their platforms isn't an option, because the other team will shoot you in the water and even if you avoid their notice, it is tricky getting onto floating platforms without something to climb on first. Thankfully, the wait isn't long as the rounds are set to five minutes each. A great, quick four team LTS - which is how they should be.
I'd suggest putting a narrow bridge - maybe upturned tire wallls? - across between the two upper platforms, so that a team that has triumphed through skill and prowess, doesn't have to lose to players camping in cover on the other side.

Train Tracked LTS by dillono
A fun three team LTS along the train tracks and industrial yards at Paleto Bay. A nice selection of props that didn't seem inappropriate for the location, combined with strategically well-placed weapons - snipers in vantages, shotguns and SMGs for close-quarters action. There may be assault rifles, but I didn't find them, though there were also pistols, health and armour dotted about too. As we'd expect from dillono, not much in the way of prop-stacking or gimmicks, just an enjoyable and seemingly balanced gunfight. I say seemingly because our team only started in two of the three spawn points at either end of the arena before we won the match (set to two rounds - as 3/4 team LTSs are in VQ). I suspect that the team spawning in the middle may have a rougher time of it, having to fight on two fronts, rather than just one. Got my vote.

LTS: Love The Scrapyard by Coach_Wargo
Three team Lts around the Recycling Centre, opposite the Maze Bank Arena. A good selection of pistol and SMG pick-ups, loads of health and armour and the already ample cover just about right with the addition of a few more situationally appropriate props. Go my vote.

Cobrao do boliche by borisjohny
Something like bowling/ skittles with cars floating above Los Santos airport. I think the idea is the team have to drive or send vehicles down the steep slope - go too far on foot and you are rag-dolling down the hill - towards the team at the bottom who have RPGs.
The objective isn't clear though and some of the vehicles can only really effectively be driven down and then off the platform and so out of the combat area and with traffic off there is only one helicopter placed to get back up. The setup for getting vehicles off the top platform leaves them vulnerable to rocket fire. The creator has placed a few RPGs on the top platform, so after a round or two it became RPGs V RPGs. I'd suggest putting exclusion zones over the platforms (and Fort Zancudo) and then laving traffic on, so more heli's and or planes could get the top team back up. It's a nice idea, though still in need of refinement. Rounds are set to 30 mins, which is far too long - no LTS should ever be longer than 10 mins or people will leave/lag out whilst waiting

A Bigtruck Vs Smallman by Spline72
RPG's Vs Insurgents on the freeway at Vespucci. One team spawns too far away around the coast road - why so far? - and the other team spawns in a car park just out of range of the RPGs, but for those who didn't start at either end, there needs to be some indication of where the new vehicles are and perhaps they could be bright colours so that they are easier to spot. The ramps leading to the platforms are quite small, but it is still relatively easy to get up and it is going to be a rare game that the insurgent team don't win.

The Poll Winners
Joint 1st
LTS: Love The Scrapyard by Coach_Wargo
Exist Tournament by Zex-Vortion
Joint 3rd
INDOOR REVOLVER TRAINING BY YoungBiggi013
Eclipse Tower Smoke Drop by Loftonian
Kill Or Be Killed 3 by ManOfFire

60 seconds - Drive thru 2 by jamiejohnward
A really nice idea. Firstly you have to leave the platform via the wing suits landing near some vehicle. You have to drive very fast as you leaved the area to other platform where you have to take the sniper rifles and come back using one of the three half loops. You have to make it professionally or you will fall from the platform. Once you are on the platform you have to snip your enemies. Really funny and well made. I only would suggest using heavy snipers or even marksman sniper. It's hard to aim on moving target especially when they are can flatten you very easily.

Flare Gun Battle by jeffbob1979
Two team flare gun fight take a place on top of a building. The area distributed by half using the wooden walls as line. There are some molotovs assisting for killing. Using them might make the team base all burn in fire. The only problem is not in the job itself. The problem is when there are lots of loads from using the flare gun. Some time you can't see the flares if you shooted them. I think made a limits on how many flare can be seen at once.

NerfThis_97 the sniper rifles and the sniper tower is there for people who stay on the platform opposite, where the parachutes are kept, and don't bother jumping down to get a car.

The idea is to drive around the bottom and stop the opposition from driving up the ramps - effectively ensuring their 60 second countdown timer runs out before they can reset it - sort of like a mini demolition derby.

Trying to shoot people who sre driving is going to be very difficult indeed, which was the main idea, the gameplay is meant to be mostly car based, with the snipers mainly in place for the campers.

I appreciate the review bud

NerfThis_97 dude don't apologise! I wasn't complaining or criticising

I appreciate the effort and time you took. The crew needs more people reviewing jobs for others.

EyezGamer, thanks for your comments. There was not any tear gas in the game and it was always molotovs that were easy to get and grenades that were hard to get without dying. Maybe you made a mistake or maybe something has changed without me knowing. Sometimes the weapons can change when updating an LTS job I have found in the past so I will check on that. Only recent update I have done on this was to move the trigger. Not played online since so I will have to host the job and give it another test.