My personal experience with Traitors is that the "zero drop rate" was much higher, at least 50% or more, and I ran a bunch. Many others I know had similar experiences with many of the solo adv's.Originally Posted by Remei
Why not remove the "zero" drop entirely? Make it drop something on the very low end, 3 eggs, 5 eggs, whatever, but zero is just so ... disheartening.
Yes BB, wait on the very low conversation rate until after the event. Eggs are being held for a kings ransom in the TO. Your always going to have those with the advantage if you can purchase the resources.
Hm....not sure how to react to that, lemme try?
It will always be true that long/er term players have an advantage over new players, be it knowing the game mechanics, flow of the game, time based games like TSO and accumulating resources and what have you. Regardless of FPS, Hack n Slash or City Builder, the learning curve or whatever may be smaller. But let's obviously focus on TSO.
Even if we all start with 0 event resources, a new/er player also starts with (let's compare to a 2 year player) 2 years less time, resources, knowledge and of course what we are trying to argue here, advantage. Previous events gave special Specialists, Buildings and other stuff that the old player has that a new one not has.
An old player will have something like 18+3 Explorers, a new one might have the 3 tavern gens, a new one that dropped some early cash may have up to 10 fast ones, making this 10+3. That is still an 8 Explorer gap between them (disregard the books for now to keep it more balanced) I'd say 8 Explorer difference is...uh, this varies from event to event, but let's just go with 100? more event resources over the new player with every return (same duration obviously).
Alright, this might not be as bad now, but we are talking new players that may not have dropped the cash yet, let's be generous and give them all 3 slow pokes. So that 18 extra Explorers is some 250 (for the lack of math'ing to my 100 above) eggs for every return over the new guy. Remember he has slow pokes, so we can double our value and get 500 resources over the newbie.
In terms of challenge...the challenge is what you want it to make, really.
The event items have just gone up in price, just going up and up. Rather than a challange, it's causing frustration and boredom to me...well not entirely me like that, but...casuals can't back to back adventures like a crazy person, lootspots aren't game supported, so if they get scammed, they will get a double smack in the face (and might just drop out of the event altogehter), but for us who can back to back adventures (call us pro's/no life's/basement winner's if you will) get massively annoyed over figuring out the _best_ cost/time/troop effective adventure and milk the thing for what it's worth until the event is over. It can't be good, it has to be the best. You can shut down the entire rest of the game that doesn't revolve around that efficiency and they don't care, there is no other way to go....all other adventures that don't fit that criteria are disregarded for the time being, no variety will be needed let alone used.
To a high level long term player, this frustration gets amplified by using the full game mechanics with block (blabla not supported but used etc blabla), meaning having to wait on the slow tavern gens to arrive to the adventure, then watch them crawl into their positions, after they took half a day to pack camp and set up again. This time just waiting doing nothing (regardless if you can go afk/have other things to do) just feeds into this irritation valley, It. Is. Slow.
Marshalls can be there in 2 minutes, so, hey.
Also _we_ won't be slowed down.
Due to having a (strong) running islands, (lots) of resources to trade and the financial power to keep buffs on the Barracks, restocking the Army isn't much of a deal running, in current event mostly Traitors, BN, IotP, BK and RB...to ever run out of troops running them back to back from waking up until going to bed one day.
A new player will be heavily mostly burdened by this. As the Explorer doesn't reel in enough, adventuring would be the only counterbalance for them, which they can't keep up with. Throw in it not being a guaranteed drop of eggs but only a chance, and this may demotivate them even.
It says "That means that we always base our balancing on the assumption that, as a player, you would start with ‘0’ event resources, as this is logically the lowest common denominator."
This, ahem(!), logically means you also considered the uncommon denominator that is time advantage etc across the board? I majorly doubt that. Know where you kind of do? (Event)Quest chains. You got certain level brackets that need to accomplish/pay/reward different from another level bracket. Wouldn't this be a consideration for balancing? I'm not sure as to how a 3 tier event merchant might be possible to do, but if a L25 pays 1k resources for his General while I pay 2.5k for the same General...ahhhh I may not like that, but I can deal with it, I'm not as ignorant to failing to see my heavy advantage. Neither am I inherently evil enough (I am majorly evil in other regards though) to not want them to be able to get the good General. Which also not means that I would help him to get his one first, I can't be certain how long someone else will play unlike myself, add in human nature and stuff, I come first, when I'm set, I'd end up helping then. It might give me an incentive to help random newbies (after guildies that is), as I don't need to make another 2.5k resources appear, but only 1k.
Another way could've been to determine head start even resources and apply some random magical nonsene number that makes everyone rage like the 20th Anniversary with them ballons. The more you contributes, the heavier the penalty got at the milestones (yes, that was a penalty my dear friends at BB).
If you really really really really really want to balance, start talking with your communities well before events. Time is a thing, and good ideas can sprout (whenever) until whatever deadlines you guys got and might just be recyclable for a while, saving tons of work in the (near) future.
On the spot I can't give you any solutions, as I can't both consider player and business perspective at the same time and make it a win-win balanced situation for both parties. Nor would I know what is all possible to do (then again, I've been told you can program just about whatever if you know how, so I'm already not sure what a realistic limit is) within whatever timeframe and so forth.
As far as balance is concerned, someone still deserves a demotion, whoever pays 300 gems for 500 coal?! Alot of the things in the merchant (outside of events) are beyond comprehension and seem way too random as to not assume someone was on meds at that time, or the entire crew approving it. While others again are undervalued, most especially if comparing to the nonesense.
Binding the Easter Basket Housing to the Achievement system for upgrades was a brilliant move.
One can argue about the points needed to upgrade etc or the values of the achievements themselves, but the general direction is good. I can foresee other things with this in mind already (aside from doing the same one trick pony again, though I won't be much surprised if that happens again), as the Achievements force some diversity and adjustment in gameplay. Obviously you won't make everyone happy with this and there will be just as much grief as joy.
Changing the event resources radically like that may have been needed alright, aside from having done so from the very first event. The transition could've been better though.
Yes, the game very much behaves like real life market...not haha. Time and time again it shows that supply and demand don't define the prices...the prices seemingly only ever increases despite more availablility. Impacts are mostly due to some major game changes like the recent loot changes where settlers rain from the loot in high numbers, throwing the bread prices out of whack.
Unlike real life, this is a game (or a business to you guys alright) and information can be cleared up. There was no need wait so long to give us _these_very_information_ regarding the old eggs or why the stripy eggs got introduced in the first place. Big fat shame on Turian for not having disclosed it alot sooner...though I liked the conspiracy talks in chat regardless hehe
While there is a warning that values etc are not final, your plans just about are. So if say you will have the 2014 as well as 2015 market available with their limits and people act accordingly (and they did as you perfectly mention), you can't just make a move to bring out the 2015 Merchant only and give no further info on the 2014 Merchant besides "Well, was too confusing and stuff" causing the actual rage in players not having a clue what the deal with the dotted eggs are. Though your plans have already been "We will have a market for the dotted eggs too" at any rate, so you could've just said "Dudes and Dudess', we are not going to have the dotted eggs available for the current easter event, but for the summer event there will be a collected old event resources" and obviously include the most crucial information if the sought after item will be available or not, even if "actual other items and prices are still subject to change". That's reliable information people can act upon without getting aggrevated by uncertainty. My "preaching" about the intended summer event for old resources trade in hits a 50/50 wall of sorts, so are "cool" others are "yea right", simply because that timeframe of uncertainty was too big....and all information has been sitting there all along.
Most of us who have jobs know that a project can't be done 1 day before. It gets planned and thought out (long) before and may get changes along the way, but the foundation is there, so any attempt to claim really not knowing what to do about them spotted eggs is futile.
I guess someone had to bite the bullet eventually, congratz on getting another heavy chapter off your shoulders.
If price will be low then players will faster trade them for some random reward box'es or resources like Grout. Because what else you can offer for those resources? Useless GC or Granite? Don't expect everyone giving anything for half the price they bought it.
PS: It's really sad to hear that this decision was made because of complains from some players... I don't see the problem that you could stack those resources. Actually quite oposite. When you have bought what you needed you could sell/gift what you don't need. Besides now when eggs are limited and will expire what happened to the prices in the market? They are much higher then last year. Sorry but I don't see how that will benefit lower lv players.
I am a new settler. I don't have enough diamond to buy the Stripy Egg in the shop. I think the designers should let the players have more changes to get more eggs.
Sir_Ben_Doan
My question is: what is the point of playing long term, if you are not gonna get any advantages? you already limited "older" players with items numbers they can get anyway. This whole stripy egg idea already backfired right at the beginning with server overload. My guess is, players were opening extra accounts, just to gain more eggs. Please, prove me wrong!
You are basically taking away things that are making players to come back and look forward the next event. Saving resources will only guarantee you that player will stick around for another year, so why would you change that? Greedy people and cheaters that are selling resources for outrageous prices in TO will stay that way no matter what changes you make. New players have to start at the beginning and have to work their way through. There are lots of ways they can level lot faster than most of us have already. Plus there are lot more players level 50 that can help them out. All the have to do is play nice and ask for help.
I'm kinda loosing track what the point of this game suppose to be now.
I think a trade value in the mid-single digits would work. Enough so they are not completely worthless but not so much that nobody wants to trade them.
i dont understand why people putting in the time in 2014 or putting in time in 2015 should change the rewards. diminishing returns? old players have put a lot more time [and in many case money], why should they not be able to have a head start? The game until now has rewarded seniority?
If it's wrong to do so then this is a clear lack of foresight by game developers and admitting your incompetence [though indirectly] is appreciated. At least we are all on the same page now.
you have no idea how to balance a game, an economy, (what is math, anyway?), quests or... why it make sense that i pay 4000 coin in eggs to buy a scenario "where do eggs come from" to get like 400coin in rewards... is the intent to punish people who want to do achievements? I think the real intent is just to punish everyone that tries to play this game.
why did we think the game was missing scenarios? Lets do collectibles, make buffs and buff things.. the 3 most tedious and un-fun things in the whole game.. lets add more of that.. yeah!
i loathe myself for still being here and i loathe myself for taking 10 minutes to attempt to articulate my disdain for how i flush several hours of my life down the cistern on a weekly basis for such an embarrassing and overall inferior product. i truly do hate my self.. why do i do this to myself. I need help.
(p.s. i have saved under 100 spotted egg looking things so i couldnt care less for my own benefit, this rant is entirely about the game and bugs and how infuriating it is to open a ticket with support because they have no idea what is going on or they are playing a game of "catch my feces in your mouth and tell me "thank you"")
Changing the amount of 0 eggs drop would help to lower the prices in the economy for the eggs. Right now, by making it harder to get eggs, you make it less fun for the newer settlers because their chances of getting eggs got lowered. the people who already got their generals will monopolize and ask for ridiculous amounts of resources in TO. By increasing the egg drop, you cause an egg inflation which will lower the cost of eggs, thus in turn helping the newer players to get their event prizes. the high level players can also in turn help their guild mates or just trade other things in turn, so it's no real harm to them. I agree in increasing the egg drops. Which in turn is a win win for the community. As for the event items from previous events, I would have liked to collect resources for any of the items i had aquired. It's not fair to take away a collectible altogether for those who spent time and effort collecting those items. For example the soccer items from the world cup. It was nice to have those lying around just as a collectible. but taking it away without compensation made me feel robbed. Maybe have a PH section added to break down old items and collectibles into normal items like iron ore or steel from the soccer shoes. Doesn't have to be something fancy, but then we could make the choice ourselves to either keep the item as a keepsake or to get rid of it for some more resources.
I agree with Maximus, this is supposed to be fun and every player should be able to afford the event prizes.
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