I bitched a little bit about this escalation but i actually really liked it and preferred it over lust. I enjoyed the idea of the targets being more vague, a pick and choose thing where you could kill whoever you like as long as theyre pigs but use a specific weapon to get the ingredients
I liked how it made this little outside market for the restaurant i wish they either did more like this to other areas or just set more of the escalation on the streets as it’s undercooked. Some overlapping issues occur with the new drinks and food they placed
I felt tho that the first level was probably my favorite because it used bits of the map i prefer. I actually did like how they used the facility as a suit only challenge but i felt the upper levels for example were kinda easy. Like for example they used that little security area again which have guards that just idle and because of that you can take out the pig guards there no problem just like in Pride Profusion. I think either routing the guards differently or putting pigs in a different place wouldve been nice
I really liked how the presence of NPCs changed from level to level. Two had a guard on the phone outside the container to make it more challenging to get in that levels one and three didnt for example. There also seemed to be a little randomness there with what theyre doing when you start up which I didnt mind because it is an escalation
I love the shotgun reskin and the gum is cool, but didnt really like the suit. The cape is less cool and flowing and just a bit dorky
Theres still problems like the filter, no clever dynamic lines and just the voice actor brapping and bugs like seeing thru doors costing me SA but what set it apart for me is it flowed well and used the map in ways I enjoyed. I feel like this highlights elements of Chongqing which are its strengths in ways that Pride didnt
Overall I’d put it above Greed and Pride by a lot. Above Lust by a little and below Sloth by a lot
So, how is Bubblegum? Is it any good/useful? I heard that NPC’s pick it up, eat it, and then faint. I’m not sure how helpful is that, outside when you need to pick up a specific item they carry (like list of guests from Entertainer ET).
Fair enough. I actually just looked through the inventory of suits after finishing this escalation. Really, I think that most of the options except the actual suits and formal tuxedos are pretty good. The casual, tactical, and themed stuff is great and there’s some that do really shine. The Lust suit, the Lee Hong get-up, and the wet suit are probably my three favorites. I can do without the cape on the Gluttony suit to be honest.
Looking at the actual Suits (with ties) the only one that I think is even remotely interesting is the Terminus suit. The others are all just the same boring tie and jacket combination.
It doesn’t seem like you have any control of what npc eats the bubblegum. Whichever one sees it eats it first. They eat it and in a few moments, they go to sleep. It’s better than the sedative poison because you don’t have to poison a drink
Holy crap! Just finished the escalation, quite literally is now my favorite escalation. The map changes were minimal, but still effective towards the theme of Gluttony, the gimmick of feeding the pig was done so much better than feeding the frog in Greed.
Only bad things I can say about this escalation is that I wish the pig would burp less and that the food the pig hungers for was randomized
If anyone is wondering about the redacted challenges: Wafer-Thin Muffin and Horsing Around…
SPOILER:
You need to collect the muffin and the cowboy bust and throw them into the pig’s trough.
Be careful with the muffin because it can break on the rim if you don’t aim well.
The cowboy bust can be found on the stairwell in the block, leading up from the arcade.
The muffin is in the maintenance tunnels behind the core chamber. The best point of access is through the vent next to the door into the core chamber where there is a patrolling guard; you’re going to need a level 4 dongle! Follow the tunnel around to your left and you will see it next to a bottle of wine.
Thanks for that, I forgot where the muffin was.
They really chose these two items to make us go into the deep of the two forteresses suit only, isn’t it ? Smart, in a gameplay way.
I just replayed the escalation and I gained an appreciation for the additionnal NPCs added on each level. The patrol of now three guards, the civilian with the right sightline… That’s good craft from the live team.
I also finally found the main use of the bubble gum : it can be used as a drop and forget.
Either to slow down/stop a particular guard or to intercept an item. Each without waiting for the NPC. Contrary to the vial it can be placed everywhere, contrary to the tranquilizer and the syringe you do not need to see the target and contrary to the goldbrick mine it does not attract nearby NPCs/detonate quicky as a consequence. Is the buble gum efficient ? No. Could it be fun to plan a special run with the right placement for the right NPC minutes in advance for a clockworksmith feel ? I can see it.
Personnaly I will place the bubble gum next to the RFID Triggered Explosive : fun to play around as a challenge in placement and NPC routine knowledge.
I also realised that there was, one day, a meeting at IOI were someone said they wanted 47 to hunt guards under the rain with a fishing line to gather fishes for a pig. And that makes me happy.
Honestly, this was a great escalation all around for me. Enjoyed it as much as Lust!
Outside the sound of the burping, the rest is awesome. The lavish unlockable suit is well detailed, the bubblegum is quite useful given it can be thrown and isn’t too OP (also has a good delay before the victim consumes it) and the shotgun, well, good to see a fancy version of the Sawed Off. Makes me think of the custom one 47 had back in H2:SA.
I think there is a slightly longer delay with the bubblegum between the NPC noticing the item and the effects beginning than we have previously seen with other items, most probably because of the eating animations.
I experimented with Corvo Black, and found that, after throwing the gum into one of those massive flower-bed things within his earshot, the result was that he essentially subdued and hid himself for me! Whether this would have worked as well with the sedative snail is questionable: I don’t know whether the snail’s continuous melody alerts anyone?
I think you mean Tier 3 dongle, unless I’ve been playing Chongqing wrong all along
Edit:
Great escalation. I found that this one is more fun to not speedrun and find new paths/guards. I also think you can feed the pig too quickly and not register.
Mediocre escalation imo. Got around 25-30 mins out of it & will never visit again. And likely will never use the items or the suit (it’s the ugliest so far out of the 7 sins suits) The rewards the pig gives after you feed him don’t make sense at all. What am I supposed to do with a silverballer & duck after the mission is completed? it’s like IO lost their creativity faculty and just throwing stuff and moving on. ah well I really regret buying this dlc …
The snail makes the gum obsolete I think, but I haven’t experimented with it a lot.
Considering we have a worn out suit, as well as literal flashy suits, I think a suit with a cape and some fleur de lis patterning comes off as a bit more safe if anything.
It’s just a different way of delivering a sedative. While both are legal to carry, the gum lets you get out of the vicinity if need be; the snail mine activates pretty much immediately. Neither are really all that OP, just useful in different ways.
Even the Kalmer/ Sieker guns have limited range, usage, and have an trajectory arc you need to learn, making it pretty balanced as you cannot shoot someone in plain sight, and cover isn’t always there.
Having more options does not make the previous item redundant, it just adds versatility to your toolkit.
Whether or not anyone would (could, or should) sacrifice a loadout slot for the gum would depend on the map in question. In Mendoza, for example, where emetic and lethal poisons are easy to come by, but the map is densely populated, a innocuous sedative lure would be rather useful. In Sapienza, though, a lockpick would, for me, take priority over any other item!
Personally I bring anything I want to bring in via briefcase or dead drop, and you also get a free pacification tool too (briefcase). I never sacrifice my lockpicks.
In Sapienza, though, a lockpick would, for me, take priority over any other item!