Mystery Box Talk

[LocoMofo85]

So I am one of those hardcore, old school COD Zombies guys. I remember WaW taking over my life at one point. My brother and I have put thousands upon thousands of hours in these games and maps, from WaW to Blops 2, I even tried some Blops 3 Zombies when that first dropped, but I don't like the new direction as much. I still prefer the old school masochistic brand of cruelty and punishment classic Treyarc Zombies offered.

 

I've recently made a return to Blops 2 (LocoMofo85, 360, it was a gift, rofl) after about 2 years of never picking up a controller. I still need to build up my conditioning again, still make minor judgement errors here and there, but I have noticed that the player base has changed a great deal since I last played regularly.

 

The main thing I notice besides an abundance of early round downs, is the approach to and understanding of the Mystery Box.

 

While I know there is no exact science, there are some deeper elements at work that I have discovered over all these years, and 3 different titles. One thing is always consistent: The Box rewards you for your patients and effort.

 

Whilst it's all random to a certain degree, trial and error has proven to me without a doubt, that some Mystery Box etiquette is clearly present.

 

What I see these days is players gathering up some points, and dashing full speed toward that thing with the first 950-1700 they get, pistol vibrating in their hands with sheer terror as 3 people dry hump the box in a huddled mass for the next 5-10 waves, down after down, revive after revive, wasted 950 after wasted 950.

 

Experience and raw data has taught me that, if you pop that sucker on waves 1-3, it will begin pitting out crap guns like explosives, shotguns, snipers, etc. Again, it's semi-radnomized, so you can get a H4M3R with your first 950 on wave 1. But the odds seem to be dictated by the player's efforts and actions.

 

It usually don't hit the box until there is literally no rounds left in my pistol, and I have saved up roughly 3k-4k points. I never touch it before wave 4.

 

What results have I seen you might ask? A top tier weapon within 2 hits, every time, no exceptions. H4M3R, Galil, RPD, Mtar, Ray (even though I never keep Ray guns).

 

Even if it's not a matter of using your pistol til you can't anymore, and getting a high volume of knife kills, it's simple math. If I have 4 hits out of the gate, and you have 1 or 2 per wave, chances are I'm going to get a good weapon faster than you.

 

Now what I've found is that when Player A opens the box on wave 2, everyone's odds of getting a good weapon, on average, drop severely. It's no coincidence to me that when the box is hit early, I have greater difficulty getting a good weapon as opposed to when everyone waits and exercises some basic skill and point hoarding technique prior to opening the Box.

 

It can't be coincidence that I have to deal with the Box a max of 4 times per session, very few exceptions (one being the pursuit of Monkey Bombs provided they hadn't turned up before my gun set), whilst everyone else seems to be hitting it into waves 10+.

 

It's gotten that bad that when I hear grenades going off (WASTED KILL POINTS) or the Box jingle before wave 4, I save my time and leave the session...

 

 

What are your thoughts and techniques for dealing with the Mystery Box?

 

 

 

EDIT: I also want to add that I'm getting tired of people buying Jugg on waves 3 or 4, only to go down later on. Focus on your weapon set. When you have one you can work with for the rest of the session, insure that set with Perks like your Jugg, Double Tap, Speed Cola, and FFS... INVEST IN TOMBSTONE... Because I am not a Medic. It's not my job to get you off the ground every wave, lol.

[andydabeast]

Your extended experience seems valuable. very interesting. The only way to scientifically test your theory would be a lot of testing and restarting with a big spreadsheet on hand.

[Guest woj9000]

My usual approach is getting all perks and other necessary items first, then focusing my points on the mystery box. Most of the time I rely on wall guns to gather points in early rounds.

[Liamza2314]

This will be slightly off topic but I agree, my sister and I have been playing zombies since bo1, we went back to waw a while after that and enjoyed all that it had to offer, and we jumped into a tranzit game with some randoms a week ago and its just gotten really bad, we knife till round three, use wall guns till round 5 or 6 and point hoard, and hit the box at rounds 7 and 8, and we hit 30+, but now all I see is nooby mistakes and ridiculously stupid downs, the zombies players aren't what they used to be.

 

Also I am also not a fan of bo3 zombies, I may pick it up when i upgrade to xb1 but i doubt it

[LocoMofo85]

 

 

Your extended experience seems valuable. very interesting. The only way to scientifically test your theory would be a lot of testing and restarting with a big spreadsheet on hand.

Thank you. I have thought about this many times too. There are other variables I'd want to include in the recorded data. number of players, kills/headshots at first contact, points on first contact, heck, I'd even want weapon info, wall purchases per player, ammo in pistol and other guns, all at times of first contact. Perks bought, doors open, lol.

 

 

My usual approach is acquiring all perks and other necessary items first, then focusing my points on the mystery box. Wall guns are always very reliable to gather points in early rounds, and are much safer options as compared to gambling box guns.

 

I have strayed away from wall guns in the later years. I find them to be a waste with the way I play. On Co-op I'm thinking they may be a better option, but when playing solo I get my gun set within 5 hits, every time. I rarely jump the box in a session unless I'm looking for Monkies.

 

I definitely hit the box first. I focus on getting one piece of reliable hardware. For me that's Galil, H4M3R, Mtar, or RPD. Everything else is garbage.

 

Once I have that 1 piece of hardware, I forget about the Box. I have perks to get, Tombstone to buy, and then I'm Packing that gun. Now I'm ready to go, just have fish for a secondary weapon when it's rational to do so (and I have stockpiles of points from camping with a Packed weapon).

 

 

This will be slightly off topic but I agree, my sister and I have been playing zombies since bo1, we went back to waw a while after that and enjoyed all that it had to offer, and we jumped into a tranzit game with some randoms a week ago and its just gotten really bad, we knife till round three, use wall guns till round 5 or 6 and point hoard, and hit the box at rounds 7 and 8, and we hit 30+, but now all I see is nooby mistakes and ridiculously stupid downs, the zombies players aren't what they used to be.

 

Also I am also not a fan of bo3 zombies, I may pick it up when i upgrade to xb1 but i doubt it

 

Yeah, it's not what it used to be. I enjoy Trazit, so much, but it's near impossible to start a good round. People are porting at the bus stop or leaving the diner before the box is jumped. No one is thinking straight anymore, lol.

[Liamza2314]

 

 

Yeah, it's not what it used to be. I enjoy Trazit, so much, but it's near impossible to start a good round. People are porting at the bus stop or leaving the diner before the box is jumped. No one is thinking straight anymore, lol.

Everyone hates tranzit but it's not bad at all, I jump the bus at round 3, pointhoard at the diner and hit the box when its absolutely crucial that I get a new gun, it seems the noobs have taken over zombies, its really bad on bo1 as well, like on moon they just run straight for the teleporter instead of running area 51 first, then i have to run around like the fuckin medic because I'm the only one who bothered to get jugg

[LocoMofo85]

I jump the box as soon as I get to the diner, because when we leave, it should be relocated so we can meet up with it again ASAP. On Tranzit you want to get a good set, and be ready to PaP it immediately. Tranzit has different strategy and protocol for me.

[anonymous]

What's a big mystery as well, is the box in TranZit. Sometimes, you see a green flash before you acquire a weapon (could be a HAMR, could be a Warmachine, do not necessary a good or bad weapon). And sometimes, a teddy bear is sitting on top of the box. Both things seem to happen randomly, but I'm sure there's gotta be some kind of structure behind it

[Liamza2314]

 

I jump the box as soon as I get to the diner, because when we leave, it should be relocated so we can meet up with it again ASAP. On Tranzit you want to get a good set, and be ready to PaP it immediately. Tranzit has different strategy and protocol for me.

Fack yeah, tranzit really threw us in the deep end

[Liamza2314]

 

What's a big mystery as well, is the box in TranZit. Sometimes, you see a green flash before you acquire a weapon (could be a HAMR, could be a Warmachine, do not necessary a good or bad weapon). And sometimes, a teddy bear is sitting on top of the box. Both things seem to happen randomly, but I'm sure there's gotta be some kind of structure behind it

The teddy bear and the flash iis a perma perk that comes from Die Rise but can happen in tranzit, I'm not sure exactly how its acquired, I think it's gotten by spending a set amount of points on the box, it just increases your chances of getting good guns

[LocoMofo85]

 

Fack yeah, tranzit really threw us in the deep end

 

Yes, so many hours spent in TranZit  back in 2012 & 2013. It was a zombies mode unlike any other we had experienced before. The ability to up and leave an area, having a bus to take us around the map, solving mysteries to reveal hidden secrets like the PaP machine. I mean it was the next generation of COD Zombies. Too bad for now it was a one hit wonder sort of concept, lol. I have been waiting for a certain game for over a decade now. Free Roam style Zombie apocalypse with a GTA flavor to the gameplay in terms of map depth, and free roam logic, use of vehicles, etc. This was as close as I really came to having that. ^_^

 

I can still recall playing a local game with 3 friends, and while roaming the fog, completely lost from my team, I stumbled into the hunting shack where you can buy the Bowie Knife. That was my first real big TranZit discovery, and it lead me to more exploration, wanting to get out into that fog, lol. Of course that lead to discovering Nacht Der Untoten, probably my fondest Blops 2 Zombies memory, ever. That moment was SO intense and special for a WaW vet to experience. 

[anonymous]

 

The teddy bear and the flash iis a perma perk that comes from Die Rise but can happen in tranzit, I'm not sure exactly how its acquired, I think it's gotten by spending a set amount of points on the box, it just increases your chances of getting good guns

Are you sure if that? Because that's what I believed first as well, sand it seems like a rumour that everybody believes. But I've played attention to this recently, and to me it appears that not the green flash not the Teddy bear seem to bring me any luck. I mean, last time I got a green spark, I got a Warmachine. Also, didn't knew this was in Die Rise as well

[LocoMofo85]

I can't recall these teddy/flash details clearly enough from my past playing to say, but i can say that, right now on live (360) the Teddy is always above the box on Tranzit, always. I have noticed it in the many Tranzit matches I have played since returning, but I do know that I'm not used to it. When I first saw this after coming back I was startled, my first thought drifted to players modding the box, but it's always there.

 

Also I don't have any of the DLC maps yet, none, standard edition Blops 2 disc.

 

I have another theory of my brother's I'd like to throw out there. He is more hardcore than me, by far. He knows the lore and story better, every easter egg of every map, every train route, every trick, glitch, etc. His COD Zombies knowledge puts mine to shame.

 

He insists that the round at which a gun is taken out of the Box, determines its power to a small enough degree that you can't really notice it til much later waves.

 

Myself, I sort of disagree, would need more hard evidence, however, I have noticed this type of effect, or illusion, I don't know what to really call it. I have noticed sometimes that guns will lose headshot power on higher rounds, while on others they maintain. Particularly the RPD. I don't know why, I just notice this on the RPD a lot. When I get it early, I find it gets weak by like round 30, whereas I've gotten RPDs later in sessions (purposely evaluating power) and it sustains into the 50s.

 

HAs anyone heard of this, or felt this sort of anomaly before?

[Liamza2314]

 

Are you sure if that? Because that's what I believed first as well, sand it seems like a rumour that everybody believes. But I've played attention to this recently, and to me it appears that not the green flash not the Teddy bear seem to bring me any luck. I mean, last time I got a green spark, I got a Warmachine. Also, didn't knew this was in Die Rise as well

Lol, it's still random, but it does increase your chance, I'm very sure because this has happened to me and friends before, I think it's called the toybox perma perk and you can google it if you want xtra info, as far as I know its in Die Rise and Buried as well, it's like the red insta kill and perma jug

[Liamza2314]

 

I can't recall these teddy/flash details clearly enough from my past playing to say, but i can say that, right now on live (360) the Teddy is always above the box on Tranzit, always. I have noticed it in the many Tranzit matches I have played since returning, but I do know that I'm not used to it. When I first saw this after coming back I was startled, my first thought drifted to players modding the box, but it's always there.

 

Also I don't have any of the DLC maps yet, none, standard edition Blops 2 disc.

 

I have another theory of my brother's I'd like to throw out there. He is more hardcore than me, by far. He knows the lore and story better, every easter egg of every map, every train route, every trick, glitch, etc. His COD Zombies knowledge puts mine to shame.

 

He insists that the round at which a gun is taken out of the Box, determines its power to a small enough degree that you can't really notice it til much later waves.

 

Myself, I sort of disagree, would need more hard evidence, however, I have noticed this type of effect, or illusion, I don't know what to really call it. I have noticed sometimes that guns will lose headshot power on higher rounds, while on others they maintain. Particularly the RPD. I don't know why, I just notice this on the RPD a lot. When I get it early, I find it gets weak by like round 30, whereas I've gotten RPDs later in sessions (purposely evaluating power) and it sustains into the 50s.

 

HAs anyone heard of this, or felt this sort of anomaly before?

Lol I don't have the dlc maps either, I used to play the dlc on my mega gaming pc before it died, and yes, that is something I've had before, and there's nothing on the storyline I don't know, I've had similar things in bo1, too

[Liamza2314]

 

 

Yes, so many hours spent in TranZit  back in 2012 & 2013. It was a zombies mode unlike any other we had experienced before. The ability to up and leave an area, having a bus to take us around the map, solving mysteries to reveal hidden secrets like the PaP machine. I mean it was the next generation of COD Zombies. Too bad for now it was a one hit wonder sort of concept, lol. I have been waiting for a certain game for over a decade now. Free Roam style Zombie apocalypse with a GTA flavor to the gameplay in terms of map depth, and free roam logic, use of vehicles, etc. This was as close as I really came to having that. ^_^

 

I can still recall playing a local game with 3 friends, and while roaming the fog, completely lost from my team, I stumbled into the hunting shack where you can buy the Bowie Knife. That was my first real big TranZit discovery, and it lead me to more exploration, wanting to get out into that fog, lol. Of course that lead to discovering Nacht Der Untoten, probably my fondest Blops 2 Zombies memory, ever. That moment was SO intense and special for a WaW vet to experience. 

Yeah the Hunters cabin and nacht is the best ee ever