Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes/The Phantom Pain

[prisonermonkeys]

Are you notified when this happens?

Yes. If you're online and the security team spot an intruder, you will get an alert and you will have the opportunity to get to your FOB and defend it. It's a lot like the emergency call that you get at the start of Episode 21, but the security team has to spot the intruder for the call to go out. If you're not present, you will get updates and rewards the next time you log in.

I generally try to use up my resources to keep them at an unattractive level, although naturally have to save up 72,000 fuel now for the last few FOB developments, and I have no nukes, so I wonder if I'm just not a very attractive target for risk v reward?

It depends on your settings. The more platforms that you have, the harder the infiltration will be for your opponent because they start from the outermost platform. Attackers tend to go for the easiest targets - under-developed, and light on security (you get an overview of the FOB when checking out the list of targets). If you tighten the settings, it will make you less attractive to attackers, unless they're supremely confident and capable, mostly because the system is heavily weighted in favour of the defender. That said, I have successfully infiltrated a four-deck command platform with heavy security and taken a nuke undetected.

If it helps, my loadout looks like this:

Primary - custom G44-MG, custom Bambetov SV
Secondary - Wu pistol (with inbuilt silencer), rocket arm
Support - C4, sleep/stun/smoke/damage grenades, sleep/damage mines, e-stun decoy
Items - NVG, pentrezamin, smoke box, +2 cargo Fulton, sneaking suit

 

[Sturdy]

Ah OK, makes sense, I've had the security settings on high the whole time, and all are at 3/4 platforms currently, with command platform at 4/4, so presumably I'm just not a very attractive target. Not going to complain!

I've given a couple of infiltrations a go when there is an event running, as I assume that's just an automated thing for fun? Each time I've done it it's moaned that I don't have a PS Plus membership, I've just cancelled it and it's carried on fine. Presumably without PS Plus I couldn't attempt to infiltrate a player's FOB, because then if they retaliated, I'd be playing online against a person, which my lowly PSN status doesn't allow?

 

[prisonermonkeys]

I would assume so. I'm on the XONE, so I need XBox Live Gold to play.

 

[TenEightyOne]

If you're not present, you will get updates and rewards the next time you log in.

This is confusing me a little. According to Konami you can opt to have the FOB offline (and therefore never attacked), I can't find how to do that though... and the fan-sites suggest that it isn't possible?

It would be a bit odd to force an online feature on players who aren't interested in the online aspects, presumably I'm just missing something?

 

[NLxAROSA]

There's no such thing as an offline FOB. But the FOBs are completely separate from offline since one of the latest patches. So offline resources and online resources are separated. So if there's no cash, no people and no resources in there, there's nothing to lose.

 

[TenEightyOne]

There's no such thing as an offline FOB. But the FOBs are completely separate from offline since one of the latest patches. So offline resources and online resources are separated. So if there's no cash, no people and no resources in there, there's nothing to lose.

Cool, is there a source for that?

All I could find was that I could buy real-world insurance against some of the losses. Which I won't be doing

EDIT: Patch 1.01 notes don't mention it

http://www.konami.jp/mgs_portal/jp/info/index.php?d=201510&id=720

 

[NLxAROSA]

Not sure if it was mentioned in the patch notes anywhere (also don't remember which specific patch it was), but in earlier versions cash and resources were shared (so people could steal your offline stuff via online). Now it's separated, you can see this in the resources screen. For each resource there are two numbers: one has a globe icon in front of it. That one is the online amount you own. You can't sell online resources, only offline resources. FOBs also procure resources separately from Mother Base. This also means you can't build a nuke with offline resources anymore, only with online resources.

EDIT: those patch notes appear to be for MGO, not for offline?

 

[TenEightyOne]

Not sure if it was mentioned in the patch notes anywhere (also don't remember which specific patch it was), but in earlier versions cash and resources were shared (so people could steal your offline stuff via online). Now it's separated, you can see this in the resources screen. For each resource there are two numbers: one has a globe icon in front of it. That one is the online amount you own. You can't sell online resources, only offline resources. FOBs also procure resources separately from Mother Base. This also means you can't build a nuke with offline resources anymore, only with online resources.

EDIT: those patch notes appear to be for MGO, not for offline?

Fair enough, I hadn't noticed that

So I can ignore the whole FOB thing now it's set up, it won't take any of my offline staff/resources? That's the main thing I guess

 

[NLxAROSA]

Well, that's actually hard for me to say. Since I had a FOB before they split offline/online, the game distributed stuff across both ends, so I didn't really track that. Me running CD's and playing FOB missions at the same time doesn't really help there either (so I was acquiring/using resources/staff both off and online). I heard people complain about offline staff being stolen via FOB, but that was before the patch. Not sure if anyone else can confirm it works properly now. I think it does, but not 100% sure. For the resources I'm pretty sure it's split now.

Personally, I was never bothered by it, with over 400 staff in the waiting room. So steal away what you want.

 

[prisonermonkeys]

So I can ignore the whole FOB thing now it's set up, it won't take any of my offline staff/resources?

Pretty much. When you sort staff, prioritise the Combat Unit over the Security Team. That will make sure that your best staff stay with you, so if you get raided, you only stand to risk losing middling to weak staff.

That said, you should expand it - each new deck allows you to have more staff overall, even offline. It's especially useful for the R&D Team because it will unlock more equipment sooner. An expanded Combat Unit also helps, because the bigger and stronger they are, the more GMP they will rake in. It might also help the Base Development Team because they bring in more resources and faster at higher levels, but ever since resources were separated into online and offline, the whole thing got a little neutered.

 

[NLxAROSA]

Yeah, before the patch I used the FOB to gather offline resources, but that's no longer possible. The increased staff limits are handy though. I'd still invest in Security team a bit, at least until you have developed all the security devices. And definitely develop the 'usable by security team' weapons.

 

[prisonermonkeys]

Bah, getting frustrated trying to S-rank Mission 49. The only way to do it is to suicidally charge at the first tank and try to get within a barrel's length of its main gun to Fulton it. Then you need to shoot to disable the truck, or else you'll be run over. But the second tank is far enough behind them that it won't stop.

 

[Ridox2JZGTE]

Bah, getting frustrated trying to S-rank Mission 49. The only way to do it is to suicidally charge at the first tank and try to get within a barrel's length of its main gun to Fulton it. Then you need to shoot to disable the truck, or else you'll be run over. But the second tank is far enough behind them that it won't stop.

Is this the convoy with a truck and 2 tanks ? Subsistence mission right ? If so, I think I have S ranked it.

 

[prisonermonkeys]

Is this the convoy with a truck and 2 tanks ? Subsistence mission right ? If so, I think I have S ranked it.

Yeah, that's the one. It's a pain in the backside.

 

[Ridox2JZGTE]

Yeah, that's the one. It's a pain in the backside.

Here is a simple trick :

Spoiler

When you drop from the chopper, there's a guard post nearby, try to knock one guy out stealthy ( need to be quick ). Now carry this guy to the road, there should be a few houses on the right side of the road when the convoy would showed up. Drop the guy in the middle of the road. Now this is important, and may need several tries, hide on the side of the road about 20 to 30m in front of the soldier you dropped. When the convoy stopped to check on the guy, quickly get behind the tank at the back and fulton it, then fulton the truck and the tank in front. The soldier would have been awake now, quickly CQC him too if you can. One soldier works, but if you want extra time, use 2 soldiers, the tank in front might not be able to be fultoned in time, so the 2nd soldier would help to stop the tank later on.[/soldier]

 

[prisonermonkeys]

Sounds like a good idea. Rather than use the second soldier, I'll shoot the first tank. Should be enough to stall it.

 

[prisonermonkeys]

Yay, I got some S-ranks that have been eluding me for a while:

- First of all, Episode 49. I tried the suggestion of using a soldier to stop the convoy, but I also found that calling for the helicopter worked because the convoy targets the biggest threat first. A chance sandstorm also worked wonders.
- Episode 13 had also been causing consternation, but I got it and set up a strategy for the total stealth run as well: skip Bwala ya Masa entirely and approach from the east with a silenced tranquiliser rifle and you can clean out the main concourse pretty quickly. When you hit the valve release, the guards will come searching for you, but if you Fulton them out, they have to be pulled away from the separator tank, which gives you time to withdraw.
- The one where you have to retrieve the film canister; the photo is random, but there are only a few pre-set locations for it, and I lucked into one that I knew.
- The total stealth run of "Footprints of Phantoms". I found the mission pretty boring, and had just used the stealth camo to finish it and get all the objectives. It was actually pretty straight forward becausr the enemy is restricted by the same tight corridors as you, and a few smoke and sleep grenades made it easy to clean out.

Currently doing Episode 28 again; I killed some of the puppets last time, which robbed me of the S-rank, so I'm back for another round. Then I'll do the total stealth run through Pitch Dark.

 

[prisonermonkeys]

Argh, I've got just one more S-rank to go - the re-run of "Cloaked in Silence". Short of memorising every position Quiet takes, do anyone have any ideas?

 

[Jawehawk]

I am amazed that you still play the game this much

 

[prisonermonkeys]

I am amazed that you still play the game this much

I'm going for 100% completion and all achivements. I just need one S-rank, a few mission objectives (the really frustrating ones ...) and about 20 animals.

 

[Jawehawk]

I'm going for 100% completion and all achivements. I just need one S-rank, a few mission objectives (the really frustrating ones ...) and about 20 animals.

I want my Platinum as well, but the grinding to raise Mother Base levels, as well as getting S-Ranks on all missions, is just making me not want to play at the moment.

Also, Driveclub and Bloodborne is stealing me away

 

[prisonermonkeys]

the grinding to raise Mother Base levels, as well as getting S-Ranks on all missions, is just making me not want to play at the moment

I haven't had to grind at all. All I did was sink resources into developing an FOB to boost my overall staff capacity, and cherry-pick the soldiers I Fulton out.

S-ranks aren't hard to get; some of them are just frustrating until you figure them out.

 

[Jawehawk]

I haven't had to grind at all. All I did was sink resources into developing an FOB to boost my overall staff capacity, and cherry-pick the soldiers I Fulton out.

S-ranks aren't hard to get; some of them are just frustrating until you figure them out.

I almost have enough fuel to construct my last platform at the orginal MB, and then I have to save up 75.000 fuel to get a nuke. And leveling up takes time when the game still doesn't feel like giving you S-rank soldiers, outside of those bastards posing as S-ranks. I don't know. I feel like I've spend a lot of time extracting people, but I'm no longer making much progress in levels.

As for S-ranking missions, I feel as if quite a few of them are relying not on skill, but on figuring out a very specific way of doing it as fast as possible. There are of course missions where you can get S-ranks regardless of time spent, but they seem few and far in between.

After 115 hours of playing the game, I do consider it a grind.

 

[TenEightyOne]

Argh, I've got just one more S-rank to go - the re-run of "Cloaked in Silence". Short of memorising every position Quiet takes, do anyone have any ideas?

I read that supply crates dropped onto her work. Not sure if that's an S-rank solution or not.

After 115 hours of playing the game, I do consider it a grind.

I only got the game a week or two ago and certainly don't feel that yet. I've always found most MGS levels to be massively replayable and so far (imo) this one's no exception.

 

[prisonermonkeys]

I read that supply crates dropped onto her work. Not sure if that's an S-rank solution or not.

They do, but she spots me before I can spot her. And then I'm dead.

 

[TenEightyOne]

They do, but she spots me before I can spot her. And then I'm dead.

Further to this; I just watched my 12-year-old stepson do this level with an S... he stays low, moves when Quiet moves... uses the scope to listen for her rough location... marks her... gets supply drop. He made it look tremendously easy in the way that kids often do

 

[Ridox2JZGTE]

or just use sleeping gas grenade, go near to her usual sniping spot, slowly and throw some decoy first to keep her busy Got S rank on 1st try, I took the left path down the river.

 

[Grandea GTR]

So I went back to playing this game again only to find that in this game, it's so much easier to avoid detection than in MGS3, even without reflex mode. This is probably due to the fact that the environment is much more open than it is in MGS3, which was dense with trees and whatnot.

 

[sesselpupser]

Argh, I've got just one more S-rank to go - the re-run of "Cloaked in Silence". Short of memorising every position Quiet takes, do anyone have any ideas?

I just killed her in a straight up sniper duel, three headshots with the entry level Brennan should do it. If you pop your head up quickly she'll take a shot while you duck down, then you have a brief window to take your turn. I died a lot, of course, but it worked out in the end.

 

[VEXD]

The ZZZ Fakel against the wall of her first position so that the gas rises.
You have to run to get there, and I still haven't done it this way, but I've seen it done on a certain video website.....

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