Four-star Fatigue Financially Frees Fanboy
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[GoT] LuckyNumberHat
✭✭✭✭
in The Bridge
In a game about resource management, it all comes down to priorities. Finite supplies means making tough choices and realizing that you can only pursue what you are willing to pay for. After playing for almost two years, I had finally settled in to what my priority was. I've leveled all my crew (384 immortalizations), starred all the missions, and can comfortably place in the top 350 of any given event, even without spending dilithium or cash. So I turned to a mission slightly higher and slightly rarer (at least outside of the whales, that is).
Acquire all the Super-Rare crew.
It has been quite a struggle. Crew space, dedication to events, an increased focus on Voyages. All of these things helped direct my gameplay. I've been stockpiling dilithium to get pack-only crew like IS Picard, Bell, French Q. I've been stockpiling Voyage Revival Tokens to make a run for all the missing Voyage-Only crew (down to 3, Worf, Picard, and Bones). After finally finding Klingon Quark (one I had airlocked before), Anbo-jyustu Riker (another former casualty), and President of Earth (never-before-seen for me), I was down to those 3 Voyagers and the lone pack-only crew I missed, the one left for me to recruit, Tarquin. Since reaching that point, I've been saving my Premium Pack Pulls until the hour he hits the portal.
Then the Bynars came. And I dropped about 4,000 dilithium just to try to get one of each. Never even though of going for the Gold fuse, just wanted both for my little collection. I drained my supply such that I even bought a Steam Pack, figuring the pulls would be useful for fishing for Tarquin and the dilithium would net me another pull or two for the missing Bynar. And heck, once Tarquin hits the portal, I'm already going to buy those packs, so why not go for it now! And sure enough, I did, and I was even successful in finding my numerically-named friend. But it felt like a hollow success. Spending on purpose to reach for them now. Not strategy, not saving, just opening the wallet.
And now Fugitive Spock.
Another Super-Rare to thrown money at. Two weeks in a row. And with the presumed Cheesecake Doctor Seven coming along. Most of these pack-onlys just stay on my roster, a level 100 1/4*. There only to sit in my little trophy case.
As the Red Queen told Alice, "it takes all the running you can do, to keep in the same place." There's no end to this goal. There will always be another pack-only coming. And they will all make it to the portal one day. This goal has only one true impact: it will perpetuate my spending on this game. Because at this point, it's collection for collection sake. And it won't end until the day the last pack hits the portal.
And it's the only thing I'm spending for now. This isn't about competing, it's not an ancillary benefit from an otherwise useful expenditure. I'm spending to chase and it's the only thing I've found a reason to spend for still.
I know this post is vanity. I know it's for me more than it is for anyone else, if it's for anyone else at all. But the spell has been broken. I'll see you in a few months, Fugitive Spock. I hope our paths cross, either from an exhilarating behold in a threshold Premium Pack. Or perhaps in a chance encounter out in the inky black on a Voyage. But it won't be now. And I'm sure your silhouette will be joined by others.
Because for me, now, it's just not worth the running to keep up.
[GoT] LuckyNumberHat [F2P]
Acquire all the Super-Rare crew.
It has been quite a struggle. Crew space, dedication to events, an increased focus on Voyages. All of these things helped direct my gameplay. I've been stockpiling dilithium to get pack-only crew like IS Picard, Bell, French Q. I've been stockpiling Voyage Revival Tokens to make a run for all the missing Voyage-Only crew (down to 3, Worf, Picard, and Bones). After finally finding Klingon Quark (one I had airlocked before), Anbo-jyustu Riker (another former casualty), and President of Earth (never-before-seen for me), I was down to those 3 Voyagers and the lone pack-only crew I missed, the one left for me to recruit, Tarquin. Since reaching that point, I've been saving my Premium Pack Pulls until the hour he hits the portal.
Then the Bynars came. And I dropped about 4,000 dilithium just to try to get one of each. Never even though of going for the Gold fuse, just wanted both for my little collection. I drained my supply such that I even bought a Steam Pack, figuring the pulls would be useful for fishing for Tarquin and the dilithium would net me another pull or two for the missing Bynar. And heck, once Tarquin hits the portal, I'm already going to buy those packs, so why not go for it now! And sure enough, I did, and I was even successful in finding my numerically-named friend. But it felt like a hollow success. Spending on purpose to reach for them now. Not strategy, not saving, just opening the wallet.
And now Fugitive Spock.
Another Super-Rare to thrown money at. Two weeks in a row. And with the presumed Cheesecake Doctor Seven coming along. Most of these pack-onlys just stay on my roster, a level 100 1/4*. There only to sit in my little trophy case.
As the Red Queen told Alice, "it takes all the running you can do, to keep in the same place." There's no end to this goal. There will always be another pack-only coming. And they will all make it to the portal one day. This goal has only one true impact: it will perpetuate my spending on this game. Because at this point, it's collection for collection sake. And it won't end until the day the last pack hits the portal.
And it's the only thing I'm spending for now. This isn't about competing, it's not an ancillary benefit from an otherwise useful expenditure. I'm spending to chase and it's the only thing I've found a reason to spend for still.
I know this post is vanity. I know it's for me more than it is for anyone else, if it's for anyone else at all. But the spell has been broken. I'll see you in a few months, Fugitive Spock. I hope our paths cross, either from an exhilarating behold in a threshold Premium Pack. Or perhaps in a chance encounter out in the inky black on a Voyage. But it won't be now. And I'm sure your silhouette will be joined by others.
Because for me, now, it's just not worth the running to keep up.
[GoT] LuckyNumberHat [F2P]
7
Comments
OP. All I was spending on was chasing pack-only 4*, so I'm done spending. And at the end, I acknowledge I'm a narcissist!
GoT Chief Communications Officer
It’s not a strategy for everyone, especially if a favorite character is introduced, but it works for me.
I generally keep the new 4*s from events because they are easy for me to finish by event end then I freeze.
Good for you. That's the way to play. Set your own goals and do what is fun.
I also occasionally rant or tell jokes on the forums. It's a good stress release. 😁
If you are happy to take a more casual approach and not set so many or so high a goal, then that’s great. There’s nothing wrong with playing that way and I hope you continue to enjoy.
Obtaining all the super-rare’s is (was?) a goal of mine too. I was about half a dozen away until a week ago. The sticking point for me until then was always the super difficult voyage exclusives that needed not only the right string of luck to get all 3 parts of the mission, but also an understanding that even then you don’t always get the drop, possibly due to bugs or just plain old bad luck. That was always a stretch to achieve and now with more ‘hard to get’ super-rares, I think I’m ready to concede this is one goal I’m not going to hit.
As a side thought - hitting all achievements is possibly a lot more realistic? Once I get that, maybe then kill any purchases, including even monthly card purchases, for good.
All aside from winning an event. For many of us, that's just never going to happen.
It’s entirely possible to hoard chron and still win an event without spending anything, it just takes a long time. I did it a long while ago, not long after voyages and the subsequent shift in game mechanics. I’ll admit, I was fortunate. However I have still seen plenty of players achieve 1st since then without direct purchases, ie no event deal purchases, just a good depth of crew and 3-6-9-12 months chron hoarding.
It's not only a financial proposition. Time and effort is a cost as well. I, personally, cannot see having enough of all of those at the same time.
Yes that’s a good point - time and effort shouldn’t be forgotten. There are some players that have plenty of both, but not a huge budget, and others that are the opposite.
It is indeed possible to win a full or hybridized Galaxy purely from hoarded chrons and items. But is it really worth the effort of tapping all weekend long? I’ve recently switched from pre-farming to chron hoarding and haven’t yet come across an event where I felt the need to unload them. This is partly on account of mostly unappealing crew, partly because the prospect of spending a weekend doing mindless tapping on a Galaxy event is itself very unappealing to me. Doing so on a Skirmish is a little less unappealing because of the honor fountain effect, though still not my idea of a fun weekend.
I think maybe you’re missing the mark slightly about choosing a rarity and working up. There are a number of players, like myself, that have all 1-3* crew immortalised and 95%+ of purples. All my 5* crew are immortalised, be them at different levels of fusing. I have no crew to work on, every card I have is immortalised and I’m building duplicates.
Some people like goals (others don’t care so much). I wouldn’t advise other players to try not having goals, if that’s how they enjoy playing.
I know I can never collect every character and a top 100 event finish may be the best I can ever place.
My career & family life take priority, making my gaming time limited often, so I put my efforts into the 4*, 5* crew that are important/beneficial to me to improve for events, voyages, gauntlet, & Collections. At times it's slow but I try to enjoy the process. I find a frequent monthly card a good fit for me.
It helps that I'm in an excellent fleet that offers great camaraderie and advice without the pressure of trying to place in every event, and yet the fleet does very well consistently. Task Force April, [TFA] starbase level 128.
I am not saying not to have them. Just saying not to be too strict with them, especially when the target keeps moving and new crew come out weekly. If you are short here or there, I think it is better to put a goal that is 90% done as low priority to finish itself gradually and move on, rather than spend hundreds of dollars and lots of wasted effort chasing one card or one star to fuse someone. The game is more fun for me that way, instead of fixating on something that will change tomorrow. I have all the 1-3* as well, except the 2* EMH and 3* Sisko at 1/3. I don't need to have them done at the expense of 25k honour when that can be used elsewhere to make my game play more enjoyable. I have enough 4* FF/FE and in progress that it is a background goal. If I am missing any, that's ok. I will collect if I can or I won't and not worry about it.
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I completely agree, this thread is a refreshing change of pace from what The Bridge has of late become, kind of a throwback to The Bridge of old.