I do hope you'll come back, Bylo, you'll be missed here on the forums.
Nudge to our friends at DB who might in good faith not have seen this one coming - in 20/20 hindsight a little outreach here on the forums might have helped buffer against this little firestorm:
"We're still tuning changes to the threshold rewards and have a couple of additional changes during this re-run event - let us know what you think. And we're still working carefully on the changes to threshold rewards we told you about ... hopefully when all are in place the overall event experience will be more fun, challenging and rewarding for everyone. We hope to have it all adjusted and settled over the next couple of months. Please hang with us as we adjust and keep your valuable feedback coming!"
Based on some of the positive changes and additions we've seen alongside the "groan" changes, I do believe they monitor the ideas here. The disgruntled may legitimately differ in that impression, but I'm a "kanar bottle half full" sort of person. :-)
I do hope you'll come back, Bylo, you'll be missed here on the forums.
Nudge to our friends at DB who might in good faith not have seen this one coming - in 20/20 hindsight a little outreach here on the forums might have helped buffer against this little firestorm:
"We're still tuning changes to the threshold rewards and have a couple of additional changes during this re-run event - let us know what you think. And we're still working carefully on the changes to threshold rewards we told you about ... hopefully when all are in place the overall event experience will be more fun, challenging and rewarding for everyone. We hope to have it all adjusted and settled over the next couple of months. Please hang with us as we adjust and keep your valuable feedback coming!"
Based on some of the positive changes and additions we've seen alongside the "groan" changes, I do believe they monitor the ideas here. The disgruntled may legitimately differ in that impression, but I'm a "kanar bottle half full" sort of person. :-)
This is very true. One of DB’s biggest failings is communication. Then people get excited about the repeat legendary at 100k and it’s changed all the way to 400k without any communication at all. People want to understand changes, especially when it comes to money (making or spending). People invest a lot of time and effort into this on top of monetary spending. I’m and here and there spender, monthly card and offers I like, I’m VIP 9.
I think an* ounce of effort up front to communicate changes could have saved a lot of the backlash.
They definitely need better communications. For instance, how hard is it to say, "The next mega will be in January," or, "The next mega is soon, but we regretfully delayed the announcement"?
I do hope you'll come back, Bylo, you'll be missed here on the forums.
Nudge to our friends at DB who might in good faith not have seen this one coming - in 20/20 hindsight a little outreach here on the forums might have helped buffer against this little firestorm:
"We're still tuning changes to the threshold rewards and have a couple of additional changes during this re-run event - let us know what you think. And we're still working carefully on the changes to threshold rewards we told you about ... hopefully when all are in place the overall event experience will be more fun, challenging and rewarding for everyone. We hope to have it all adjusted and settled over the next couple of months. Please hang with us as we adjust and keep your valuable feedback coming!"
Based on some of the positive changes and additions we've seen alongside the "groan" changes, I do believe they monitor the ideas here. The disgruntled may legitimately differ in that impression, but I'm a "kanar bottle half full" sort of person. :-)
DB should hire you on the spot. That statement is exactly what was needed here. I don't think any of us (okay, very few of us) want to hate what DB does. We just want to feel that there is a plan and there is some consistency in the decision making, and to have some transparency from an official source when it is clear things are unexpectedly changing. When that transparency is lacking, even if DB thinks there are very good reasons to stay silent, it makes the most passionate parts of the player base, the ones that go to the trouble of joining a forum dedicated to a mobile game and regularly contribute to it and a wiki, think DB does not care and is only trying to sap every dollar they can out of them. It's such an avoidable thing.
I will say this: They are a company, you can write whatever you want here. If you are not happy with the direction of the game then there is a very easy way to show them by voting with our wallets.
*F2P player here boycotting video warps/video Dabo spins/video doublers*
You never got anything out of me otherwise and now you don't even get that.
I've proved it doesn't hurt me anywhere near enough to slow me down anyway.
At all.
You want money that bad? Make it a flat subscription game and watch it die. The next day. There's people playing free based on the fact that the game isn't honestly good enough to warrant a monetary expense. Build up the content to make it WORTH a modest fee or deal with people walking away.
Trying to equip and level up Apollo and Kirk has completely killed what little hope/happiness I had managed to restore since this afternoon. I see no reason to even try on this event. I paid money to buy packs for this event to try and enjoy it, and then they need so many ancient films, science experiments, etc that I cannot get them above level 50 before the event starts. I mean seriously, what is the point?! By the time I get either of them up to 100 the event will be half over. And of course none of the items needed are available from either of the factions featured in this event! I see no reason to participate, and if I'm not participating in this event, what is the point of any of this? I gave myself permission to stop playing this game this afternoon; I was expecting that to sting but all I felt was relief. I'm not sure I can put that toothpaste back in the tube.
On hiatus, possibly forever.
Greedy DB possibly just lost a friendly, helpful and very active player who spent real money on the game.
This is really frustrating.
Do any DB staff actually play this game?
Trying to equip and level up Apollo and Kirk has completely killed what little hope/happiness I had managed to restore since this afternoon. I see no reason to even try on this event. I paid money to buy packs for this event to try and enjoy it, and then they need so many ancient films, science experiments, etc that I cannot get them above level 50 before the event starts. I mean seriously, what is the point?! By the time I get either of them up to 100 the event will be half over. And of course none of the items needed are available from either of the factions featured in this event! I see no reason to participate, and if I'm not participating in this event, what is the point of any of this? I gave myself permission to stop playing this game this afternoon; I was expecting that to sting but all I felt was relief. I'm not sure I can put that toothpaste back in the tube.
On hiatus, possibly forever.
I understand completely. When a game becomes a soul-destroying chore instead of a fun diversion it is absolutely time to move on. We of the forum will miss you for sure, as you've been a friendly, engaging, and positive presence here...DB doesn’t seem to understand what it’s losing by making changes such as these.
Trying to equip and level up Apollo and Kirk has completely killed what little hope/happiness I had managed to restore since this afternoon. I see no reason to even try on this event. I paid money to buy packs for this event to try and enjoy it, and then they need so many ancient films, science experiments, etc that I cannot get them above level 50 before the event starts. I mean seriously, what is the point?! By the time I get either of them up to 100 the event will be half over. And of course none of the items needed are available from either of the factions featured in this event! I see no reason to participate, and if I'm not participating in this event, what is the point of any of this? I gave myself permission to stop playing this game this afternoon; I was expecting that to sting but all I felt was relief. I'm not sure I can put that toothpaste back in the tube.
On hiatus, possibly forever.
I understand completely. When a game becomes a soul-destroying chore instead of a fun diversion it is absolutely time to move on. We of the forum will miss you for sure, as you've been a friendly, engaging, and positive presence here...DB doesn’t seem to understand what it’s losing by making changes such as these.
It's one thing to increase mission difficultly and another to triple threshold requirements. I can partially understand if competition pushes people to set timers and wake up over night to run faction missions for top 1000 but DB are now pushing this on most players just to reach thresholds. The strength of an economy is in its middle class. If the middle majority start losing interest because it's a chore and not fun to play any more then DB is going to have serious issues.
Trying to equip and level up Apollo and Kirk has completely killed what little hope/happiness I had managed to restore since this afternoon. I see no reason to even try on this event. I paid money to buy packs for this event to try and enjoy it, and then they need so many ancient films, science experiments, etc that I cannot get them above level 50 before the event starts. I mean seriously, what is the point?! By the time I get either of them up to 100 the event will be half over. And of course none of the items needed are available from either of the factions featured in this event! I see no reason to participate, and if I'm not participating in this event, what is the point of any of this? I gave myself permission to stop playing this game this afternoon; I was expecting that to sting but all I felt was relief. I'm not sure I can put that toothpaste back in the tube.
On hiatus, possibly forever.
I understand completely. When a game becomes a soul-destroying chore instead of a fun diversion it is absolutely time to move on. We of the forum will miss you for sure, as you've been a friendly, engaging, and positive presence here...DB doesn’t seem to understand what it’s losing by making changes such as these.
It's one thing to increase mission difficultly and another to triple threshold requirements. I can partially understand if competition pushes people to set timers and wake up over night to run faction missions for top 1000 but DB are now pushing this on most players just to reach thresholds. The strength of an economy is in its middle class. If the middle majority start losing interest because it's a chore and not fun to play any more then DB is going to have serious issues.
It's almost like they would rather make old content harder to reach than make new content that's fun.
I don’t understand the pitchforks. It’s a re-run, guys. Not that big a deal.
Yes, putting Goddess Troi at 400k VPs puts her out of reach of a lot more players than if they’d put her at 100k, but is that really worth such anger? I don’t have her either, and will be working to get her, but let’s be honest: her stats at one or two stars are unimpressive, even for most players who could get to 100k VPs. So, for most of us, if we get her, she’ll be taking up a crew slot with far worse stats that other Troi versions, like Mintakan (that far more of us were able to fully fuse). Some might be tempted even to airlock her. Not a huge loss.
My feedback would be to suggest threshold rewards are too high for general event play. While they shouldn't be easy to achieve, they are actually rather difficult and an even bigger problem is that I they risk pushing up the ranked level up way beyond what's reasonable play. It's a bit of a disincentive, unless you plan to go hard. I dunno, I've never been fond of faction events but we'll see where I end up after an easy weekend.
I don’t understand the pitchforks. It’s a re-run, guys. Not that big a deal. Yes, putting Goddess Troi at 400k VPs puts her out of reach of a lot more players than if they’d put her at 100k, but is that really worth such anger?
I mostly think you're not wrong about this. However, I think the primary issue is that it appears to most players that this is a reversal (betrayal?) of what appeared to be a new and well-received approach to re-run events. And it definitely denies an opportunity to newer players for adding a 5* character (no matter her strengths/weaknesses). Which brings us back to an oft-repeated complaint - lack of communication. Why the change?
As I noted earlier, I don't have GoE Troi and was hoping to add her in a timely way so that she'd be useful in-event. Since I am also hoping to get Spock, I'll probably get Troi just by competing for top 1000, but now I won't be leveling her in-event and that creates more opportunity for me to airlock her. Sure, that's my problem, but is that what DB was hoping to achieve with this change? I suspect not, but then who knows?
I don’t understand the pitchforks. It’s a re-run, guys. Not that big a deal. Yes, putting Goddess Troi at 400k VPs puts her out of reach of a lot more players than if they’d put her at 100k, but is that really worth such anger?
I mostly think you're not wrong about this. However, I think the primary issue is that it appears to most players that this is a reversal (betrayal?) of what appeared to be a new and well-received approach to re-run events. And it definitely denies an opportunity to newer players for adding a 5* character (no matter her strengths/weaknesses). Which brings us back to an oft-repeated complaint - lack of communication. Why the change?
As I noted earlier, I don't have GoE Troi and was hoping to add her in a timely way so that she'd be useful in-event. Since I am also hoping to get Spock, I'll probably get Troi just by competing for top 1000, but now I won't be leveling her in-event and that creates more opportunity for me to airlock her. Sure, that's my problem, but is that what DB was hoping to achieve with this change? I suspect not, but then who knows?
I have no issue with the free 5* crew being a little harder to achieve than it was in some previous re-runs (ie: maybe 300k or even 350k).
I think this change, as well as the changes introduced in the previous faction event, are all to drive increased participation in faction events. By making more people put more effort into the events for a longer period of time (ie: no more threshold-and-out within the first half of the event), it makes the event more competitive for the ranked rewards (ie: top-25, top-1000), which in turn could lead to more people spending money to purchase event-specific packs (ie: boost packs for faction events, chron packs for galaxy/skirmish events).
It's all about a push to encourage more in-game purchases, with extra threshold rewards (ie: 10x premium pull & old 1/5* crew) as the initial carrot, and the new 5* crew as the eventual carrot.
I don’t understand the pitchforks. It’s a re-run, guys. Not that big a deal.
Yes, putting Goddess Troi at 400k VPs puts her out of reach of a lot more players than if they’d put her at 100k, but is that really worth such anger? I don’t have her either, and will be working to get her, but let’s be honest: her stats at one or two stars are unimpressive, even for most players who could get to 100k VPs. So, for most of us, if we get her, she’ll be taking up a crew slot with far worse stats that other Troi versions, like Mintakan (that far more of us were able to fully fuse). Some might be tempted even to airlock her. Not a huge loss.
I'm mostly with you. I don't like the change, but I am pushing for SpocketMan either way, so it really won't affect my approach to the event.
Only two factions and only eight missions for each faction. A bit stingy db. Seems like you would give us lots lf missions so we would buy those extra shuttles.
Wow, I was not expecting to see the missions (# per faction, total #, # seats distribution) nerfed so badly, as that was the one saving grace I was looking forward to, in pursuit of the revamped threshold rewards.
Bajor - 1st run: 5 x 2 seats, 5 x 3 seats = 10 total
Bajor - rerun: 2 x 3 seats, 5 x 4 seats, 1 x 5 seats = 8 total
Ferengi - 1st run: 4 x 2 seats, 5 x 3 seats, 1 x 4 seats = 10 total
Ferengi - rerun: 2 x 3 seats, 5 x 4 seats, 1 x 5 seats = 8 total
I was one of the few that didn't seem toooooo concerned about the revamped threshold rewards, but this is like salt in the wound, or like being kicked while you're down... cold, just cold!
This has done one thing; made me play and participate less.
I used to like faction events. I built up crew intentionally to do well in them. I could rank where I wanted to about 500 with some effort and close watching, but without being a complete slave to the game.
Now I hate factions. They're not worth playing. Far too much money and/or slavish effort are required to get far too few rewards. I haven't even bothered to start this one yet, I can find no reward to my effort put forth.
And this is carrying over elsewhere. My apathy here makes me care less about the next event. And the next crew. And the thresholds that I used to get 'cos I could, or would have a payed off. Now even those don't have a payoff.
I guess in some ways I should be grateful for the change. I'm about a gnats as$ away from quitting altogether and just hanging out in Discord. And ANY temptation to spend is completely gone.
I ended up pulling an event pack and got Apollo, so I’ll work to the other three and take what I get. Not going to press too hard in this one. Whatever extra rewards I get over threshold, I get, but I’m not going to use any doublers or time boosts unless it might get me another item right at the end.
Comments
Nudge to our friends at DB who might in good faith not have seen this one coming - in 20/20 hindsight a little outreach here on the forums might have helped buffer against this little firestorm:
"We're still tuning changes to the threshold rewards and have a couple of additional changes during this re-run event - let us know what you think. And we're still working carefully on the changes to threshold rewards we told you about ... hopefully when all are in place the overall event experience will be more fun, challenging and rewarding for everyone. We hope to have it all adjusted and settled over the next couple of months. Please hang with us as we adjust and keep your valuable feedback coming!"
Based on some of the positive changes and additions we've seen alongside the "groan" changes, I do believe they monitor the ideas here. The disgruntled may legitimately differ in that impression, but I'm a "kanar bottle half full" sort of person. :-)
This is very true. One of DB’s biggest failings is communication. Then people get excited about the repeat legendary at 100k and it’s changed all the way to 400k without any communication at all. People want to understand changes, especially when it comes to money (making or spending). People invest a lot of time and effort into this on top of monetary spending. I’m and here and there spender, monthly card and offers I like, I’m VIP 9.
I think an* ounce of effort up front to communicate changes could have saved a lot of the backlash.
Edit: proofreading is my friend.
DB should hire you on the spot. That statement is exactly what was needed here. I don't think any of us (okay, very few of us) want to hate what DB does. We just want to feel that there is a plan and there is some consistency in the decision making, and to have some transparency from an official source when it is clear things are unexpectedly changing. When that transparency is lacking, even if DB thinks there are very good reasons to stay silent, it makes the most passionate parts of the player base, the ones that go to the trouble of joining a forum dedicated to a mobile game and regularly contribute to it and a wiki, think DB does not care and is only trying to sap every dollar they can out of them. It's such an avoidable thing.
You never got anything out of me otherwise and now you don't even get that.
I've proved it doesn't hurt me anywhere near enough to slow me down anyway.
At all.
You want money that bad? Make it a flat subscription game and watch it die. The next day. There's people playing free based on the fact that the game isn't honestly good enough to warrant a monetary expense. Build up the content to make it WORTH a modest fee or deal with people walking away.
Greedy DB possibly just lost a friendly, helpful and very active player who spent real money on the game.
This is really frustrating.
Do any DB staff actually play this game?
I understand completely. When a game becomes a soul-destroying chore instead of a fun diversion it is absolutely time to move on. We of the forum will miss you for sure, as you've been a friendly, engaging, and positive presence here...DB doesn’t seem to understand what it’s losing by making changes such as these.
It's one thing to increase mission difficultly and another to triple threshold requirements. I can partially understand if competition pushes people to set timers and wake up over night to run faction missions for top 1000 but DB are now pushing this on most players just to reach thresholds. The strength of an economy is in its middle class. If the middle majority start losing interest because it's a chore and not fun to play any more then DB is going to have serious issues.
It's almost like they would rather make old content harder to reach than make new content that's fun.
Yes, putting Goddess Troi at 400k VPs puts her out of reach of a lot more players than if they’d put her at 100k, but is that really worth such anger? I don’t have her either, and will be working to get her, but let’s be honest: her stats at one or two stars are unimpressive, even for most players who could get to 100k VPs. So, for most of us, if we get her, she’ll be taking up a crew slot with far worse stats that other Troi versions, like Mintakan (that far more of us were able to fully fuse). Some might be tempted even to airlock her. Not a huge loss.
Captain Level: 95
VIP Level: 12
Unique Crew Immortalized: 525
Collections Completed: Vulcan, Ferengi, Borg, Romulan, Cardassian, Uncommon, Rare, Veteran, Common, Engineered, Physician, Innovator, Inspiring, Diplomat, Jury Rigger, Gauntlet Legends
Check out our website to find out more:
https://wiki.tenforwardloungers.com/
I mostly think you're not wrong about this. However, I think the primary issue is that it appears to most players that this is a reversal (betrayal?) of what appeared to be a new and well-received approach to re-run events. And it definitely denies an opportunity to newer players for adding a 5* character (no matter her strengths/weaknesses). Which brings us back to an oft-repeated complaint - lack of communication. Why the change?
As I noted earlier, I don't have GoE Troi and was hoping to add her in a timely way so that she'd be useful in-event. Since I am also hoping to get Spock, I'll probably get Troi just by competing for top 1000, but now I won't be leveling her in-event and that creates more opportunity for me to airlock her. Sure, that's my problem, but is that what DB was hoping to achieve with this change? I suspect not, but then who knows?
I have no issue with the free 5* crew being a little harder to achieve than it was in some previous re-runs (ie: maybe 300k or even 350k).
I think this change, as well as the changes introduced in the previous faction event, are all to drive increased participation in faction events. By making more people put more effort into the events for a longer period of time (ie: no more threshold-and-out within the first half of the event), it makes the event more competitive for the ranked rewards (ie: top-25, top-1000), which in turn could lead to more people spending money to purchase event-specific packs (ie: boost packs for faction events, chron packs for galaxy/skirmish events).
It's all about a push to encourage more in-game purchases, with extra threshold rewards (ie: 10x premium pull & old 1/5* crew) as the initial carrot, and the new 5* crew as the eventual carrot.
I'm mostly with you. I don't like the change, but I am pushing for SpocketMan either way, so it really won't affect my approach to the event.
Bajor - 1st run: 5 x 2 seats, 5 x 3 seats = 10 total
Bajor - rerun: 2 x 3 seats, 5 x 4 seats, 1 x 5 seats = 8 total
Ferengi - 1st run: 4 x 2 seats, 5 x 3 seats, 1 x 4 seats = 10 total
Ferengi - rerun: 2 x 3 seats, 5 x 4 seats, 1 x 5 seats = 8 total
Kickstart - 1st run: 20 missions + 11 missions @ 3* + 2 missions @ 4* = 33 missions (first wave @ 2750)
Kickstart - rerun: 16 missions + 11 missions @ 3* + 2 missions @ 4* = 29 missions (first wave @ 2250)
I was one of the few that didn't seem toooooo concerned about the revamped threshold rewards, but this is like salt in the wound, or like being kicked while you're down... cold, just cold!
It's what they keep doing
I used to like faction events. I built up crew intentionally to do well in them. I could rank where I wanted to about 500 with some effort and close watching, but without being a complete slave to the game.
Now I hate factions. They're not worth playing. Far too much money and/or slavish effort are required to get far too few rewards. I haven't even bothered to start this one yet, I can find no reward to my effort put forth.
And this is carrying over elsewhere. My apathy here makes me care less about the next event. And the next crew. And the thresholds that I used to get 'cos I could, or would have a payed off. Now even those don't have a payoff.
I guess in some ways I should be grateful for the change. I'm about a gnats as$ away from quitting altogether and just hanging out in Discord. And ANY temptation to spend is completely gone.
I feel for you... happened to me in the Captain Spock event
It doesn't matter how many total you're allowed to open the kickstart is always open max, run 11, open 11 run with boosts, run the rest. Done.
Yeah but when you can open 24 at the start, the kickstart gets you to 3500 VP instead of 2250.
I feel like I've definitely had more than 36 shuttle successes and yet my VP is still stuck on 2750.
Yep. That's what I do as well.