There's got to be something that stops anyone's progress in the game or it wouldn't be much of a challenge.
See that's the point. In other games, when you come upon a challenge that blocks your path, that gives you incentive to play MORE. To get past that challenge. To gather the better equipment, to defeat the bad guy. In this game, it simply stops you from playing.
In this case, now, AFTER you've run the shuttle missions, voyages, completed the cadet challenges, exhausted your gauntlet crew, etc. it doesn't allow you to reap the rewards of your work.
I LOVE being able to get Chronitons through voyages, but I'm running out of credits daily - forcing me to suspend my playing.
If you are running out of credits daily you used that resource in a not optimal way. As others have said: STT is mainly about resource management. And even if your credits are zero why are you "forced to suspend your playing"? Levelling up crew is only a part of the game. Many characters need the same items. With those chronitons from Voyages you could build up those in large quantities which makes levelling more comfy longterm. Prefarm common galaxy events items, replicate very cheap, but very hard dropping items etc. I focus on 1 or 2 characters a week, sometimes take a whole week with nearly zero levelling to build up various resources. Never a problem with creds that way. There is a classical saying which is true for this game: It is a marathon, no sprint.
At the rate characters are released, that is untenable in the long term unless you are aggressively airlocking or skipping events.
I keep hearing resource management game, well if you look at what the CEO of this company said in his press release about layoffs, this is a character collecting game as well. As such, I'd prefer to be able to collect as much as I can, and keep leveling at least the same number as are being released in events. (Forgetting the pack only ones as I don't chase those at this point.)
That being said, I actually not crunched like the OP (I do run out of credits, but then I also run out of Chrons, and other things as well.) In this current calendar month, I have immortalized 17 characters. Now 3 of them were the newest 2s, and 3 of them were 3s, but the rest of them were 4s and 1 5. I've also taken 5 5* to FE that are not FF.
The real key that I have found when you are in a collecting and leveling mode is to not just concentrate on the high cost/value characters. At one point I was leveling a 5* and a 1* at the same time. Now that is an extreme, but it alleviated some of the frustrations of the road blocks (that were different then but still road blocks) that I faced at the time.
Patience is also a big virtue, especially in the mobile area where you have ad-warps. I'll admit I've ad-warped high chron missions that I've not needed components from just to get the max value of the warp and some creds. (And to try to get holoemitters for my fleet.)
Now I truly do believe leaving replications unused is idiotic, as you got them as a reward for paid real money to get the VIP. But I also have never replicated anything beyond a 3* and its almost always a 0* or 2* rare faction item that I'll do that I'm out of stock on.
To cross franchises a bit, I think understanding is a three-edged sword here. Each poster here has expressed some different perspectives that have some value on what is working and not working for them. On the one hand, there should be things that roadblock us and slow us down. On the other, it is not logical to think that making major changes (Voyages) in one part of the game should not lead to changes in other parts. There's some balance to be had here somewhere. It might mean more credit drops (or maybe credits drops in Voyages should scale up, and not just the double cred drops.) or scaling back a bit on the rations and upping components and equipment during the Voyage. I have hopes that DB is examining possible rebalancing in terms other than their bottom line and quarterly earnings, but will keep my expectations low for now.
I have constantly run into this problem as well, most often when building EVENT crew. Replicator is a must in those situations. It's awesome to have virtually unlimited replicator rations thanks to Voyages, but like training programs it will just over accumulate now, without any ability to spend it.
Before Voyages, I could at least use Training programs as replicator fodder.
My average "income" is around 2.1 Million credits per week, and I am almost ALWAYS running out. building 4 & 5* crew costs massively, even with the occasional supply kit boost.
Exactly. And it's 4 and 5* crew that I am primarily working on. I came out of this past event with what seemed like a decent supply of credits, especially after using two supply kits, however once you get back into the day to day leveling and equipping of crew, it's insufficient. The amount of credits you receive should be able to keep up with the amount of chronitons you are spending to build those higher end items.
No.. actually, this looks to be what I would expect in a resource management game, that building the high end characters drains resources like crazy.
After you have already spent numerous resources and time to be able to acquire and build those high end characters and resources? That's the problem right now.
There's got to be something that stops anyone's progress in the game or it wouldn't be much of a challenge.
See that's the point. In other games, when you come upon a challenge that blocks your path, that gives you incentive to play MORE. To get past that challenge. To gather the better equipment, to defeat the bad guy. In this game, it simply stops you from playing.
In this case, now, AFTER you've run the shuttle missions, voyages, completed the cadet challenges, exhausted your gauntlet crew, etc. it doesn't allow you to reap the rewards of your work.
You seem to not have any experience with free-to-play games that involve microtransactions. These games always employ several bottlenecks that keep the player from advancing too fast. Escalating build times come to mind in a lot of them. Most of the time, these can be overcome by spending currency (as is the case here, you can exchange DIL for credits).
Why? I play world of tanks and have for years. And have spent a small fortune on it over the years. Never once are you "stopped" playing the game, even if you don't spend money. You can always run missions, and gather points. You may be slowed down, but right now, I am literally stopped. I don't mind spending money if I feel I'm getting my money's worth. But I have never seen a game that works so hard to KEEP people from playing it. This has been what I consider a flaw of this game from the second I started playing it. It's probably why so many people stop playing it. I don't mind having to work (play the game) to acquire credits, or anything else, but find a way to make it so I can without having to stop dead in my tracks.
If I am misunderstanding you, then I will ask your forgiveness ahead of time, but it sounds to me like you would like for this game to be one of those "time [Edit: to change word to 'vacuuming', since my original word for consuming time was apparently 'inappropriate']" games in which a player, should they choose to do so, could spend 6, 8, or even 12+ hours a day playing it. And if this is what you would like, then of course your are certainly entitled to have that desire, and I can also understand you being 'frustrated' by it.
I suspect there are many other players of this game who prefer it to not be the type of game where a substantial portion of success in the game is based on how much time from your life you devote to it.
There's got to be something that stops anyone's progress in the game or it wouldn't be much of a challenge.
See that's the point. In other games, when you come upon a challenge that blocks your path, that gives you incentive to play MORE. To get past that challenge. To gather the better equipment, to defeat the bad guy. In this game, it simply stops you from playing.
In this case, now, AFTER you've run the shuttle missions, voyages, completed the cadet challenges, exhausted your gauntlet crew, etc. it doesn't allow you to reap the rewards of your work.
You seem to not have any experience with free-to-play games that involve microtransactions. These games always employ several bottlenecks that keep the player from advancing too fast. Escalating build times come to mind in a lot of them. Most of the time, these can be overcome by spending currency (as is the case here, you can exchange DIL for credits).
What matters is my enjoyment of the game. Regardless of "experience" with other microtransaction free-to-play games. And right now, I'm not. And by the number of people I see being dismissed for inactivity in my Fleet, the struggles at DB, and comments by others posting in these forums, I'm not alone.
AGAIN, credit shortages were NOT an issue before Voyages, I'm only asking for a re-balance to allow players to have the credits to build the items that they ALREADY spent considerable time, money, and resources to acquire.
It's about strategy too. Planning ahead, figuring out how things work, where the strengths are and where the blockages are. How to do workarounds or create enjoyment in different areas. I get a blockage every day. I run out of trainers. Or credits. Or chronitons. Or time. Or dilithium. And some of it is randomly generated, like getting an unexpected crew you get excited about and it changes your priorities.
Well, yes and no. Resource management and bottlenecks is a part of the game, by design. You can suggest a rebalance, but don't expect that aspect to be removed entirely. If that prevents you from enjoying the game, then maybe it's not the game for you.
You've been offered some advice here about how to manage the current situation, but you seem only interested in saying that the game is unplayable in it's current state, which itself is over the top.
Why? I play world of tanks and have for years. And have spent a small fortune on it over the years. Never once are you "stopped" playing the game, even if you don't spend money. You can always run missions, and gather points. You may be slowed down, but right now, I am literally stopped. I don't mind spending money if I feel I'm getting my money's worth. But I have never seen a game that works so hard to KEEP people from playing it. This has been what I consider a flaw of this game from the second I started playing it. It's probably why so many people stop playing it. I don't mind having to work (play the game) to acquire credits, or anything else, but find a way to make it so I can without having to stop dead in my tracks.
If I am misunderstanding you, then I will ask your forgiveness ahead of time, but it sounds to me like you would like for this game to be one of those "time [Edit: to change word to 'vacuuming', since my original word for consuming time was apparently 'inappropriate']" games in which a player, should they choose to do so, could spend 6, 8, or even 12+ hours a day playing it. And if this is what you would like, then of course your are certainly entitled to have that desire, and I can also understand you being 'frustrated' by it.
I suspect there are many other players of this game who prefer it to not be the type of game where a substantial portion of success in the game is based on how much time from your life you devote to it.
You are correct. I believe a successful game should be playable as much or as little as a person wishes.
I have to agree with the OP. Credit issues are a real concern for much of the player base. Though I would probably be just as happy with fewer replicator rations coming in from voyages as I would with more credits
Wow, that's the definition of shortsighted and selfish thinking. I can't use all of one resource I get, so give all players less of it so I don't feel like it's building up.
Not all of us have credit issues. Why should we suffer with fewer rations just because you feel the need to use everything you get immediately.
Well, yes and no. Resource management and bottlenecks is a part of the game, by design. You can suggest a rebalance, but don't expect that aspect to be removed entirely. If that prevents you from enjoying the game, then maybe it's not the game for you.
You've been offered some advice here about how to manage the current situation, but you seem only interested in saying that the game is unplayable in it's current state, which itself is over the top.
I never said it was unplayable. I've said it stops you from playing. And I've said it is extremely frustrating now.
But you may be right, perhaps the game is no longer one I wish to play. Certainly many other players continue to come to that conclusion. Time will tell.
You are correct. I believe a successful game should be playable as much or as little as a person wishes.
Pretty much as a rule, this type of mobile game doesn't work that way. They want players leaving and returning. This allows them to support more users with less hardware. The target audience is more the people logging in for a few minutes as a time while at the DMV than someone who wants to play for 6 hours straight.
If there were endless credits, chronitons, honor, replications, merits and dilithium all my crew would be fully equipped and fused the day I got them.
And I've never called for that. I'm asking for the ability to be able to build the items that I've already used those other resources and time to acquire.
Why? I play world of tanks and have for years. And have spent a small fortune on it over the years. Never once are you "stopped" playing the game, even if you don't spend money. You can always run missions, and gather points. You may be slowed down, but right now, I am literally stopped. I don't mind spending money if I feel I'm getting my money's worth. But I have never seen a game that works so hard to KEEP people from playing it. This has been what I consider a flaw of this game from the second I started playing it. It's probably why so many people stop playing it. I don't mind having to work (play the game) to acquire credits, or anything else, but find a way to make it so I can without having to stop dead in my tracks.
If I am misunderstanding you, then I will ask your forgiveness ahead of time, but it sounds to me like you would like for this game to be one of those "time [Edit: to change word to 'vacuuming', since my original word for consuming time was apparently 'inappropriate']" games in which a player, should they choose to do so, could spend 6, 8, or even 12+ hours a day playing it. And if this is what you would like, then of course your are certainly entitled to have that desire, and I can also understand you being 'frustrated' by it.
I suspect there are many other players of this game who prefer it to not be the type of game where a substantial portion of success in the game is based on how much time from your life you devote to it.
You are correct. I believe a successful game should be playable as much or as little as a person wishes.
Then there should be no Chronitons at all, as you could then just run mission after mission and grind after grind, but that's now how these games work. Not just microtransaction games, many mobile multi-player games. You get so many chrons/tokens for free and they recharge, but then if you don't want to wait there's putting in another quarter in the slot so Pac Man can go chase cherries again.
I'm not suggesting that there is not a need for a rebalance, but continuous constant play as a possibility I've not seen in a free to play, multi-player game since, oh Rogue/NetHack. Even TradeWars had a turn limit per player! The difference being is in a micro transaction game you can mitigate or bypass such road blocks with money. Your one example is one I am not familiar with so I might have to educate myself.
Again, maybe we need a rebalance, but there's some expectations here that need to be rebalanced as well.
There's got to be something that stops anyone's progress in the game or it wouldn't be much of a challenge.
See that's the point. In other games, when you come upon a challenge that blocks your path, that gives you incentive to play MORE. To get past that challenge. To gather the better equipment, to defeat the bad guy. In this game, it simply stops you from playing.
In this case, now, AFTER you've run the shuttle missions, voyages, completed the cadet challenges, exhausted your gauntlet crew, etc. it doesn't allow you to reap the rewards of your work.
You seem to not have any experience with free-to-play games that involve microtransactions. These games always employ several bottlenecks that keep the player from advancing too fast. Escalating build times come to mind in a lot of them. Most of the time, these can be overcome by spending currency (as is the case here, you can exchange DIL for credits).
What matters is my enjoyment of the game. Regardless of "experience" with other microtransaction free-to-play games. And right now, I'm not. And by the number of people I see being dismissed for inactivity in my Fleet, the struggles at DB, and comments by others posting in these forums, I'm not alone.
AGAIN, credit shortages were NOT an issue before Voyages, I'm only asking for a re-balance to allow players to have the credits to build the items that they ALREADY spent considerable time, money, and resources to acquire.
You are entitled to your opinion, just accept that it is pretty self-centered. DB is running a business and fulfilling your personal concept of enjoyment does not net them any money. Unlike traditional games that you used to purchase at a given price, microtransaction based games rely on people spending their money over time. And simple drug addiction machanics (let people enjoy playing, then limit their ability to play) have proven to produce the most reliable revenue streams.
I have over 20M credits in the bank so I cannot relate to Voyages shifting the balance. But I do remember when Trainers were a major bottleneck for me. Back then, people told me that there will be a point at which I will be swimming in trainers, if I adjusted my playing style. It sure would have been easier if DB had just given me unlimited Trainers...
So what would it matter if they raised the amount of credits we can get daily? How would that affect anyone negatively? If I want to replicate 5 legendary items a day then who cares? To me it is more of an incentive to up my VIP to replicate more items daily but if I am limited by credits or replication material I am a lot less likely to pay RL money to do that. Isn't that how P2W is suppose to work?
Why? I play world of tanks and have for years. And have spent a small fortune on it over the years. Never once are you "stopped" playing the game, even if you don't spend money. You can always run missions, and gather points. You may be slowed down, but right now, I am literally stopped. I don't mind spending money if I feel I'm getting my money's worth. But I have never seen a game that works so hard to KEEP people from playing it. This has been what I consider a flaw of this game from the second I started playing it. It's probably why so many people stop playing it. I don't mind having to work (play the game) to acquire credits, or anything else, but find a way to make it so I can without having to stop dead in my tracks.
If I am misunderstanding you, then I will ask your forgiveness ahead of time, but it sounds to me like you would like for this game to be one of those "time [Edit: to change word to 'vacuuming', since my original word for consuming time was apparently 'inappropriate']" games in which a player, should they choose to do so, could spend 6, 8, or even 12+ hours a day playing it. And if this is what you would like, then of course your are certainly entitled to have that desire, and I can also understand you being 'frustrated' by it.
I suspect there are many other players of this game who prefer it to not be the type of game where a substantial portion of success in the game is based on how much time from your life you devote to it.
You are correct. I believe a successful game should be playable as much or as little as a person wishes.
Then there should be no Chronitons at all, as you could then just run mission after mission and grind after grind, but that's now how these games work. Not just microtransaction games, many mobile multi-player games. You get so many chrons/tokens for free and they recharge, but then if you don't want to wait there's putting in another quarter in the slot so Pac Man can go chase cherries again.
I'm not suggesting that there is not a need for imbalance, but continuous constant play as a possibility I've not seen in a free to play, multi-player game since, oh Rogue/NetHack. Even TradeWars had a turn limit per player! The difference being is in a micro transaction game you can mitigate or bypass such road blocks with money. Your one example is one I am not familiar with so I might have to educate myself.
Again, maybe we need a rebalance, but there's some expectations here that need to be rebalanced as well.
I have no problem with the chroniton system. And I'm not calling for the ability to build crew over and over with no restrictions - or no bottlenecks. I just believe that there should always be something a player can do if he wants to play a game. Not be forced to stop and wait for chronitons to recharge, or for the day to re-set. Even if it's small side missions to earn small amounts of extra honor, chronitons, or credits, etc - available at all times. If a player wants to put in the time and effort, they are able to without spending money to do so. Adding voyages did help with this - at least you can read the captions log when there is nothing else to do.
But as I already stated, the point of this thread is to share my frustration over credit shortages and ask for the ability to be able to build the items that I've already used resources, money and time to acquire. Which was never an issue before Voyages.
Edit: World of Tanks is a free to play game, where you start with tier-one tanks and take them up to tier 10. You fight battles based on the tank's tier level, to earn in-game credit to upgrade your tank and it's equipment. You use credits when you use specialty items. There are multiple countries and multiple 'trees' of tanks you unlock and build. You spend money to buy premium tanks, or use premium items to enhance your tanks ability and give you an edge in battle. Buying premium time earns you extra credits per battle. Whether you spend money or not however, you are always able to fight battles and earn in game credit. Playing high tier battles you will often lose credits. There are bottlenecks in time, trying to earn the credits to get your next tank or equipment; and if you really want to compete, you need to spend some cash, but you are never forced to stop playing at any point. You can always play lower tier battles to earn credits.
I find that the Saturday cadet challenges give a big boost of credits. If I am low I will use a supply kit and buy an extra set of tickets on Saturday. That has pretty much alleviated the credit crunch for me, and I usually have a comfortable surplus these days.
There's got to be something that stops anyone's progress in the game or it wouldn't be much of a challenge.
See that's the point. In other games, when you come upon a challenge that blocks your path, that gives you incentive to play MORE. To get past that challenge. To gather the better equipment, to defeat the bad guy. In this game, it simply stops you from playing.
In this case, now, AFTER you've run the shuttle missions, voyages, completed the cadet challenges, exhausted your gauntlet crew, etc. it doesn't allow you to reap the rewards of your work.
You seem to not have any experience with free-to-play games that involve microtransactions. These games always employ several bottlenecks that keep the player from advancing too fast. Escalating build times come to mind in a lot of them. Most of the time, these can be overcome by spending currency (as is the case here, you can exchange DIL for credits).
What matters is my enjoyment of the game. Regardless of "experience" with other microtransaction free-to-play games. And right now, I'm not. And by the number of people I see being dismissed for inactivity in my Fleet, the struggles at DB, and comments by others posting in these forums, I'm not alone.
AGAIN, credit shortages were NOT an issue before Voyages, I'm only asking for a re-balance to allow players to have the credits to build the items that they ALREADY spent considerable time, money, and resources to acquire.
You are entitled to your opinion, just accept that it is pretty self-centered. DB is running a business and fulfilling your personal concept of enjoyment does not net them any money. Unlike traditional games that you used to purchase at a given price, microtransaction based games rely on people spending their money over time. And simple drug addiction machanics (let people enjoy playing, then limit their ability to play) have proven to produce the most reliable revenue streams.
I have over 20M credits in the bank so I cannot relate to Voyages shifting the balance. But I do remember when Trainers were a major bottleneck for me. Back then, people told me that there will be a point at which I will be swimming in trainers, if I adjusted my playing style. It sure would have been easier if DB had just given me unlimited Trainers...
It may sound self-centered, but I do not presume to speak for others. Only my own experience with the game and what I feel would make it more enjoyable for me as a consumer of the game. Though I know I am not alone. And given the struggles at DB, they may be wise to re-think some things.
Captain Durf beat me to it. Stock up on Saturdays. 6 tickets + supply kit can get you over 500 000 credits. Buy a couple extras and baby you're a rich man, too.
Why? I play world of tanks and have for years. And have spent a small fortune on it over the years. Never once are you "stopped" playing the game, even if you don't spend money. You can always run missions, and gather points. You may be slowed down, but right now, I am literally stopped. I don't mind spending money if I feel I'm getting my money's worth. But I have never seen a game that works so hard to KEEP people from playing it. This has been what I consider a flaw of this game from the second I started playing it. It's probably why so many people stop playing it. I don't mind having to work (play the game) to acquire credits, or anything else, but find a way to make it so I can without having to stop dead in my tracks.
If I am misunderstanding you, then I will ask your forgiveness ahead of time, but it sounds to me like you would like for this game to be one of those "time [Edit: to change word to 'vacuuming', since my original word for consuming time was apparently 'inappropriate']" games in which a player, should they choose to do so, could spend 6, 8, or even 12+ hours a day playing it. And if this is what you would like, then of course your are certainly entitled to have that desire, and I can also understand you being 'frustrated' by it.
I suspect there are many other players of this game who prefer it to not be the type of game where a substantial portion of success in the game is based on how much time from your life you devote to it.
You are correct. I believe a successful game should be playable as much or as little as a person wishes.
Then there should be no Chronitons at all, as you could then just run mission after mission and grind after grind, but that's now how these games work. Not just microtransaction games, many mobile multi-player games. You get so many chrons/tokens for free and they recharge, but then if you don't want to wait there's putting in another quarter in the slot so Pac Man can go chase cherries again.
I'm not suggesting that there is not a need for imbalance, but continuous constant play as a possibility I've not seen in a free to play, multi-player game since, oh Rogue/NetHack. Even TradeWars had a turn limit per player! The difference being is in a micro transaction game you can mitigate or bypass such road blocks with money. Your one example is one I am not familiar with so I might have to educate myself.
Again, maybe we need a rebalance, but there's some expectations here that need to be rebalanced as well.
I have no problem with the chroniton system. And I'm not calling for the ability to build crew over and over with no restrictions - or no bottlenecks. I just believe that there should always be something a player can do if he wants to play a game. Not be forced to stop and wait for chronitons to recharge, or for the day to re-set. Even if it's small side missions to earn small amounts of extra honor, chronitons, or credits, etc - available at all times. If a player wants to put in the time and effort, they are able to without spending money to do so. Adding voyages did help with this - at least you can read the captions log when there is nothing else to do.
But as I already stated, the point of this thread is to share my frustration over credit shortages and ask for the ability to be able to build the items that I've already used resources, money and time to acquire. Which was never an issue before Voyages.
Edit: World of Tanks is a free to play game, where you start with tier-one tanks and take them up to tier 10. You fight battles based on the tank's tier level, to earn in-game credit to upgrade your tank and it's equipment. You use credits when you use specialty items. There are multiple countries and multiple 'trees' of tanks you can build. You spend money to buy premium tanks, or use premium items to enhance your tanks ability and give you an edge in battle. Buying premium time earns you extra credits per battle. Whether you spend money or not however, you are always able to fight battles and earn in game credit. Playing high tier battles you will often lose credits. There are bottlenecks in time, trying to earn the credits to get your next tank or equipment; and if you really want to compete, you need to spend some cash, but you are never forced to stop playing at any point. You can always play lower tier battles to earn credits.
That's true. I'm often looking for something to do to pass the time and if my shuttles and voyages are all away and I'm out of resources there's not much to do... Apart from the forums. Guess that's why I'm here lol.
I have to agree with the OP. Credit issues are a real concern for much of the player base. Though I would probably be just as happy with fewer replicator rations coming in from voyages as I would with more credits
I'm sorry, but this is a foolish statement. You're literally asking for them to *give us less* of something because it is revealing that you have comparitively little of something else? You can adjust your credit expenditure, or at the very least you can hoard the excess rations for someday in the future when you have need of them again. Asking for less is never the answer.
In other games, when you come upon a challenge that blocks your path, that gives you incentive to play MORE. To get past that challenge. To gather the better equipment, to defeat the bad guy. In this game, it simply stops you from playing.
You're not wrong here NerfB, not at all. But this isn't FF7, or BG, or KOTOR, or any of those old-style RPG's where gameplay and grinding is the limiting factor. Games like this are the "new normal" for mobile games, and certainly for freemiums. They're based on progress walls, whether it be consumable/refillable "energy", lack of strong "cards", or varying tiers of currency.
Do I enjoy your style of game more? Sure! But this type of game has its place too, mainly thanks to their portability and the freedom to play in short bursts. I can't sit down at work for a straight two hours and play Mass Effect, but I can take a 10-minute break to collect my shuttles and run some missions, or run an Ad-Warp while walking down the hall.
In short this game will never be what you're asking it to be, but that doesn't mean it's not worth playing. Personally I play both styles, and enjoy the benefits of each.
Captain Durf beat me to it. Stock up on Saturdays. 6 tickets + supply kit can get you over 500 000 credits. Buy a couple extras and baby you're a rich man, too.
Yeah, I do play the max credits on Saturday cadet missions. I used my last two kits in the last event. I ran a long voyage to get the Chronitons to level a number of 4 and 5 star crew before tomorrows event but had to stop building the items. I rarely use replicators at max level. That stockpile I had on Monday after the event has vanished. Fortunately, tomorrow I will be awarded 7 supply kits because it will be my 20th event. That will indeed help - but's it not a long-term fix.
You are correct. I believe a successful game should be playable as much or as little as a person wishes.
Pretty much as a rule, this type of mobile game doesn't work that way. They want players leaving and returning. This allows them to support more users with less hardware. The target audience is more the people logging in for a few minutes as a time while at the DMV than someone who wants to play for 6 hours straight.
Good point. Which is how I tend to play it during the day when I'm working. But evenings I would love to be able to be able to spend more, consistent time with it.
It's false because you can still play the game when you have no credits.
OK, I will concede that there are still things that can be happening. Such as shuttle missions running and voyages going on in the background, but that's not what I'm getting at by saying you are "stopped". Waiting 20 minutes for 4 chronitons to recharge so you can hit a single build button, or no longer having credits to build a single item and having to stop building, is being "stopped" as far as I'm concerned. But I think you understood what I meant.
Comments
I'm happy for you.
See that's the point. In other games, when you come upon a challenge that blocks your path, that gives you incentive to play MORE. To get past that challenge. To gather the better equipment, to defeat the bad guy. In this game, it simply stops you from playing.
In this case, now, AFTER you've run the shuttle missions, voyages, completed the cadet challenges, exhausted your gauntlet crew, etc. it doesn't allow you to reap the rewards of your work.
At the rate characters are released, that is untenable in the long term unless you are aggressively airlocking or skipping events.
I keep hearing resource management game, well if you look at what the CEO of this company said in his press release about layoffs, this is a character collecting game as well. As such, I'd prefer to be able to collect as much as I can, and keep leveling at least the same number as are being released in events. (Forgetting the pack only ones as I don't chase those at this point.)
That being said, I actually not crunched like the OP (I do run out of credits, but then I also run out of Chrons, and other things as well.) In this current calendar month, I have immortalized 17 characters. Now 3 of them were the newest 2s, and 3 of them were 3s, but the rest of them were 4s and 1 5. I've also taken 5 5* to FE that are not FF.
The real key that I have found when you are in a collecting and leveling mode is to not just concentrate on the high cost/value characters. At one point I was leveling a 5* and a 1* at the same time. Now that is an extreme, but it alleviated some of the frustrations of the road blocks (that were different then but still road blocks) that I faced at the time.
Patience is also a big virtue, especially in the mobile area where you have ad-warps. I'll admit I've ad-warped high chron missions that I've not needed components from just to get the max value of the warp and some creds. (And to try to get holoemitters for my fleet.)
Now I truly do believe leaving replications unused is idiotic, as you got them as a reward for paid real money to get the VIP. But I also have never replicated anything beyond a 3* and its almost always a 0* or 2* rare faction item that I'll do that I'm out of stock on.
To cross franchises a bit, I think understanding is a three-edged sword here. Each poster here has expressed some different perspectives that have some value on what is working and not working for them. On the one hand, there should be things that roadblock us and slow us down. On the other, it is not logical to think that making major changes (Voyages) in one part of the game should not lead to changes in other parts. There's some balance to be had here somewhere. It might mean more credit drops (or maybe credits drops in Voyages should scale up, and not just the double cred drops.) or scaling back a bit on the rations and upping components and equipment during the Voyage. I have hopes that DB is examining possible rebalancing in terms other than their bottom line and quarterly earnings, but will keep my expectations low for now.
After you have already spent numerous resources and time to be able to acquire and build those high end characters and resources? That's the problem right now.
You seem to not have any experience with free-to-play games that involve microtransactions. These games always employ several bottlenecks that keep the player from advancing too fast. Escalating build times come to mind in a lot of them. Most of the time, these can be overcome by spending currency (as is the case here, you can exchange DIL for credits).
If I am misunderstanding you, then I will ask your forgiveness ahead of time, but it sounds to me like you would like for this game to be one of those "time [Edit: to change word to 'vacuuming', since my original word for consuming time was apparently 'inappropriate']" games in which a player, should they choose to do so, could spend 6, 8, or even 12+ hours a day playing it. And if this is what you would like, then of course your are certainly entitled to have that desire, and I can also understand you being 'frustrated' by it.
I suspect there are many other players of this game who prefer it to not be the type of game where a substantial portion of success in the game is based on how much time from your life you devote to it.
What matters is my enjoyment of the game. Regardless of "experience" with other microtransaction free-to-play games. And right now, I'm not. And by the number of people I see being dismissed for inactivity in my Fleet, the struggles at DB, and comments by others posting in these forums, I'm not alone.
AGAIN, credit shortages were NOT an issue before Voyages, I'm only asking for a re-balance to allow players to have the credits to build the items that they ALREADY spent considerable time, money, and resources to acquire.
Well, yes and no. Resource management and bottlenecks is a part of the game, by design. You can suggest a rebalance, but don't expect that aspect to be removed entirely. If that prevents you from enjoying the game, then maybe it's not the game for you.
You've been offered some advice here about how to manage the current situation, but you seem only interested in saying that the game is unplayable in it's current state, which itself is over the top.
You are correct. I believe a successful game should be playable as much or as little as a person wishes.
Wow, that's the definition of shortsighted and selfish thinking. I can't use all of one resource I get, so give all players less of it so I don't feel like it's building up.
Not all of us have credit issues. Why should we suffer with fewer rations just because you feel the need to use everything you get immediately.
I never said it was unplayable. I've said it stops you from playing. And I've said it is extremely frustrating now.
But you may be right, perhaps the game is no longer one I wish to play. Certainly many other players continue to come to that conclusion. Time will tell.
Pretty much as a rule, this type of mobile game doesn't work that way. They want players leaving and returning. This allows them to support more users with less hardware. The target audience is more the people logging in for a few minutes as a time while at the DMV than someone who wants to play for 6 hours straight.
And I've never called for that. I'm asking for the ability to be able to build the items that I've already used those other resources and time to acquire.
Then there should be no Chronitons at all, as you could then just run mission after mission and grind after grind, but that's now how these games work. Not just microtransaction games, many mobile multi-player games. You get so many chrons/tokens for free and they recharge, but then if you don't want to wait there's putting in another quarter in the slot so Pac Man can go chase cherries again.
I'm not suggesting that there is not a need for a rebalance, but continuous constant play as a possibility I've not seen in a free to play, multi-player game since, oh Rogue/NetHack. Even TradeWars had a turn limit per player! The difference being is in a micro transaction game you can mitigate or bypass such road blocks with money. Your one example is one I am not familiar with so I might have to educate myself.
Again, maybe we need a rebalance, but there's some expectations here that need to be rebalanced as well.
You are entitled to your opinion, just accept that it is pretty self-centered. DB is running a business and fulfilling your personal concept of enjoyment does not net them any money. Unlike traditional games that you used to purchase at a given price, microtransaction based games rely on people spending their money over time. And simple drug addiction machanics (let people enjoy playing, then limit their ability to play) have proven to produce the most reliable revenue streams.
I have over 20M credits in the bank so I cannot relate to Voyages shifting the balance. But I do remember when Trainers were a major bottleneck for me. Back then, people told me that there will be a point at which I will be swimming in trainers, if I adjusted my playing style. It sure would have been easier if DB had just given me unlimited Trainers...
Tomato tomahto. Not to mention false.
I have no problem with the chroniton system. And I'm not calling for the ability to build crew over and over with no restrictions - or no bottlenecks. I just believe that there should always be something a player can do if he wants to play a game. Not be forced to stop and wait for chronitons to recharge, or for the day to re-set. Even if it's small side missions to earn small amounts of extra honor, chronitons, or credits, etc - available at all times. If a player wants to put in the time and effort, they are able to without spending money to do so. Adding voyages did help with this - at least you can read the captions log when there is nothing else to do.
But as I already stated, the point of this thread is to share my frustration over credit shortages and ask for the ability to be able to build the items that I've already used resources, money and time to acquire. Which was never an issue before Voyages.
Edit: World of Tanks is a free to play game, where you start with tier-one tanks and take them up to tier 10. You fight battles based on the tank's tier level, to earn in-game credit to upgrade your tank and it's equipment. You use credits when you use specialty items. There are multiple countries and multiple 'trees' of tanks you unlock and build. You spend money to buy premium tanks, or use premium items to enhance your tanks ability and give you an edge in battle. Buying premium time earns you extra credits per battle. Whether you spend money or not however, you are always able to fight battles and earn in game credit. Playing high tier battles you will often lose credits. There are bottlenecks in time, trying to earn the credits to get your next tank or equipment; and if you really want to compete, you need to spend some cash, but you are never forced to stop playing at any point. You can always play lower tier battles to earn credits.
It may sound self-centered, but I do not presume to speak for others. Only my own experience with the game and what I feel would make it more enjoyable for me as a consumer of the game. Though I know I am not alone. And given the struggles at DB, they may be wise to re-think some things.
That's true. I'm often looking for something to do to pass the time and if my shuttles and voyages are all away and I'm out of resources there's not much to do... Apart from the forums. Guess that's why I'm here lol.
You're not wrong here NerfB, not at all. But this isn't FF7, or BG, or KOTOR, or any of those old-style RPG's where gameplay and grinding is the limiting factor. Games like this are the "new normal" for mobile games, and certainly for freemiums. They're based on progress walls, whether it be consumable/refillable "energy", lack of strong "cards", or varying tiers of currency.
Do I enjoy your style of game more? Sure! But this type of game has its place too, mainly thanks to their portability and the freedom to play in short bursts. I can't sit down at work for a straight two hours and play Mass Effect, but I can take a 10-minute break to collect my shuttles and run some missions, or run an Ad-Warp while walking down the hall.
In short this game will never be what you're asking it to be, but that doesn't mean it's not worth playing. Personally I play both styles, and enjoy the benefits of each.
Yeah, I do play the max credits on Saturday cadet missions. I used my last two kits in the last event. I ran a long voyage to get the Chronitons to level a number of 4 and 5 star crew before tomorrows event but had to stop building the items. I rarely use replicators at max level. That stockpile I had on Monday after the event has vanished. Fortunately, tomorrow I will be awarded 7 supply kits because it will be my 20th event. That will indeed help - but's it not a long-term fix.
Good point. Which is how I tend to play it during the day when I'm working. But evenings I would love to be able to be able to spend more, consistent time with it.
There its a big difference. And how is it false?
It's false because you can still play the game when you have no credits.
OK, I will concede that there are still things that can be happening. Such as shuttle missions running and voyages going on in the background, but that's not what I'm getting at by saying you are "stopped". Waiting 20 minutes for 4 chronitons to recharge so you can hit a single build button, or no longer having credits to build a single item and having to stop building, is being "stopped" as far as I'm concerned. But I think you understood what I meant.