Math Blaster is my new favorite boss

[Sylvina]

Some people have Dyscalculia and are having trouble with the boss from what I've seen. However the solution simply seems to be running with someone who can help do call outs.

is Dyscalculia a thing? I have trouble with basic math (not THAT basic though) although higher forms of math such as algebra and trig never gave me issues in high school. How would dyscalculia even work?

[Hakuro89]

is Dyscalculia a thing? I have trouble with basic math (not THAT basic though) although higher forms of math such as algebra and trig never gave me issues in high school. How would dyscalculia even work?

It's a thing, but I'd wager maybe 1% of the people blaming it for their botching the mechanic actually have it.

[KisaiTenshi]

It's a thing, but I'd wager maybe 1% of the people blaming it for their botching the mechanic actually have it.

It's doubtful anyone claiming to have it, does. Remember people will always try to deflect their errors on something or someone.

For the most part, (I recorded the my first run, but youtube's upload seemed to have stalled out, since it's been uploading for 3 days) the problem is that the math problem is presented in words instead of how people would recognize a math problem.

For example, this was the first time everyone saw it:


ALIGN CURRENT VITALS WITH SPECIFIED MULTIPLES
Take note on the left:
2
3
7
5

Ok, What does that mean? 10 seconds pass and then the message changes
CALIBRATE VITALS TO MULTIPLES OF 3

Note the HP again:
3
6
6
5
Checkmark or X
Then it resets again
CALIBRATE VITALS TO MULTIPLES OF 5
HP
2
3
6
5
Then an immediate mark down.

Following that, everyone who didn't get at least one buff, dies from the boss "INACCURACY WILL BE PUNISHED."

Then a wipe, and round two.

Multiples of 4 (6 people got it right this time), 5 (5 get it right), everyone with two X's dies again.
Second math quz "CALIBRATE VITALS WITH SPECIFIED MULTIPLES" , and then "CALIBRATE VITALS TO PRIMES" (two fails, not me this time), CALIBRATE VITALS TO MULTIPLES OF 4" (two fails, not me), "INACCURACY WILL BE PUNISHED", and the two players who got two wrong, die, including one player who got at least one right the previous round. So buff numbers are 2,4,4,4,2,4,0,0

And then most of the alliance wipes to "INITIATING SUBJECT DISMISSAL", with everyone but one tank getting nuked by the variable weapons system that spins around.

Round 3:

Multiples of 4 (3,3,6,5,0,8,6,0, two fails), Multiples of 3 (3,3,6,3,5,x,8,6,x, I die, both dps that were in the middle of being raised during the second question survive)
Second quiz (4,8,7,6,8,2,4,6), Calibrate to primes (5,11,7,7,11,3,6,7), calibrate to multiples of 3 (6,9,9,6,9,3,6,7), 3 people die to incinerate, everyone who didn't have at least 2 buffs.

Like it's a fun mechanic, but players will simply stall when they think about it.

If it says multiples of 3, do I make my HP 3, or do I make it 6 or 9? When it says primes, when my hp is 5, it's already a prime, do I stand outside or do I stand on "2" to make it 7?

Like it could have been made a little bit easier by having the UI display it as a fraction.

[Enla]

It's doubtful anyone claiming to have it, does. Remember people will always try to deflect their errors on something or someone.

A quick google search shows that the incidences of Dyscalculia in the populace are around 3-6%. While it's doubtful most people complaining have it, I have come across a few people on tumblr who very much did need someone to do callouts because they suffer from the condition. That isn't to say I want this boss changed in any way, but I don't think it's necessarily fair to assume that everyone who says they have something like this is lying or that math can't be hard for some individuals even without it. Like Tempest said however, eventually most people will get the hang of it.

[Kaoru_Nagisa]

It's doubtful anyone claiming to have it, does. Remember people will always try to deflect their errors on something or someone.

That isn't to say I want this boss changed in any way, but I don't think it's necessarily fair to assume that everyone who says they have something like this is lying or that math can't be hard for some individuals even without it.

It isn't fair to assume it. I was honestly a nervous wreck even before getting to the boss, specifically because I have Dyscalculia and knew I would likely fail it - regardless of whether it's "basic math". I have trouble doing math as is without the use of a calculator... even when I'm having to figure out something as simple as how many materials I need to buy to make my alloted six items for Custom Delivery, I need to use a calculator. Otherwise, I'd be stuck trying to figure it out all day and likely end up buying more or less than I needed.

All the way going up to the boss, I kept apologizing profusely to my group because I knew I would be terrible at the fight before even going in - and I was. Though admittedly, Disposal was worse than the math portion, but that's a story I'd save for Tales from the Duty Finder. Suffice to say, though, because of my consistent failing at the math portion (no one was with me who could do call-outs) and then a whole lot of deaths to Disposal regardless of how much I was sprinting or hugging his butt during the rotation, I was almost in tears by the time we killed Construct 7.

To my good fortune, my group was either really kind or simply took pity on me for how distraught I was and how much I'd been apologizing for screwing up - no one rolled on the healer pants I needed when they dropped from the final boss, not even my co-healer. I also got most of the commendations, somehow...

But I am honestly never going to go back in there as a healer. Not between my inability to do basic math like that under pressure whilst in a vital role, and the All-Greed decision implemented for 24-mans now.