I managed to complete my first day of the beta by 4:30 AM, and I have to say, it has added an extra element of fun to the daily missions. Here then is my report.
1. I recommend changing the name from 'campaigns' to 'operations', by using the following definition...OPERATION (noun): performance of a practical work or of something involving the practical application of principles or processes. It seems much, much more consistent with what is going on to call it an Operation IMO. Calling it a Campaign really conjurs up feelings of detailed maneuvering or strategizing. I feel quite strongly about this point.
2. I understand for the beta the premium tier is unlocked automatically, but just for fun I've paid the 250 dilithium just to gauge my reaction, and it felt quite steep. I understand that most likely the premium beta rewards are deliberately underwelming since everyone will get them, but going forward the quality will need to improve.
the 250 you paid isn't to unlock the premium tier. it's to get 200 campaign points.
Jean-Luc Picard: "We think we've come so far. Torture of heretics, burning of witches, is all ancient history. Then, before you can blink an eye, suddenly, it threatens to start all over again."
My own impression of it is that it's cool, free stuff is good. If the premium track is cheap enough then non-free stuff is also cool.
On the other hand I hope that this drives revenue for DB because otherwise it seems like a serious waste of development time. It doesn't make the game any better and might even make it worse if it causes people greater anxiety about making their dailies.
I like the idea. It doesn't add much to the game, but at least there's another incentive to complete the daily missions.
Theoretically, I also like the legendary at the end of the premium tier (for those who pay, it's an actual chance of getting or upgrading existing legendaries) but I can't imagine them offering the premium rewards for 9,99 or less, so basically, I already know that I will never buy it. If for any reason they should set the price at 9,99 or even lower, then yes, this would be a great addition to the game!
I would like a clear text prompt that says something along the lines of: "Claim each tier as you unlock it, and continue earning accolades to unlock the next tier for the duration of the Campaign".
Since everybody was going to have access to the premium tier of rewards for free during the beta, it would have been nice to offer a 5* citation instead of a 5* crew, since it will have different value for different players. For some, it could allow them to immortalize a crew member and even unlock a new collection reward. For others, it adds a new 1/5 crew to a full crew quarters.
I understand the concept on an ongoing basis, with both the 4* and 5* crew rotating each campaign, but it stings a little as a one-time run (since I'm in the latter camp).
I understand that desire and would also appreciate it, but I'm sure you can imagine the outcry of people upset that all the campaigns after this one were no longer citations but actual crew members.
About the unlock after beta: will we have to unlock each tier with dil or how exactly ? Or can we unlock the full track somehow ? How much of what will this need ?
As for the name, I agree with the above suggestion to rename campaign to ops or something else, since this has nothing to do with a campaign concept.
Don't think I've seen it asked or explained yet, so pardon if I missed it.
What's the silver cylinder thingie in the blog post picture for tier 2? It looks like there's a gold thingie on tier 18 of the premium rewards too. Are these equippable items or some sort of new loot box I can earn 3* trainers from?
About the unlock after beta: will we have to unlock each tier with dil or how exactly ? Or can we unlock the full track somehow ? How much of what will this need ?
As for the name, I agree with the above suggestion to rename campaign to ops or something else, since this has nothing to do with a campaign concept.
Unless they make structural changes after the beta concludes, tiers can be unlocked by completing daily missions throughout the week or by spending dilithium.
I would just like to add my thoughts so far with campaigns. I like the addition of free stuff for things I already do, and the option to get 5* characters is great.
+1 for dilithium on premium track and/or less than $5 price point
If the price ends up being around $5 for the premium track, I would buy it if the legendary adds stars to a useful character or is one I really want. If the 4* and 5* reward was a citation instead, then I would buy it pretty consistently. Otherwise I wouldn't buy it unless it is somewhere in the $1-3 range. The 4* crew doesn't do much for me, as I'm only missing a few from being immortalized. Although if voyage-only or newer crew showed up from time to time that would be a plus.
+1 on inventory issue / swap for 3* and 4* components
I have no crew needing equipment, so this just clogs up another space that I then need to sort through during replication use to keep from going over the limit. For older players like me, components would be much better and they wouldn't clog up another slot.
+1 on a second tier purchase approval step
I already accidentally bought Tier 3 because my phone was lagging and must have double-tapped the screen. I received items and noticed it cost me 750 dilithium. Now I am dealing with CS to get my 750 dilithium back. A secondary confirmation step like is used in the portal would help to keep this from happening.
I don't really get the point. We are already being rewarded for completing the daily chores, by credits and merits. Of course, free extra stuff is always appreciated, but calling this a game mechanic is a stretch. There is no gameplay and no element of strategy to it and it isn't really "fun", other than the instant gratification of receiving something.
Obviously, DB will be mainly interested in feedback about this feature's monetisation. That entirely depends on the price tag. I would find the monthly card price already way too high for something that will run multiple times a month, but I also realise that consistency with the current legendary "value" will probably place Campaigns even higher. Personally, I would probably never spend money on this. I already increasingly fail to complete all the daily missions because I couldn't be paid to do them (looking at you, 5 arena battles). I am not going to invest in the off chance that I will have nothing better to do for a whole week just to maybe receive a legendary card that will not be much use to me at 1/5.
I don't really get the point. We are already being rewarded for completing the daily chores, by credits and merits. Of course, free extra stuff is always appreciated, but calling this a game mechanic is a stretch. There is no gameplay and no element of strategy to it and it isn't really "fun", other than the instant gratification of receiving something.
Obviously, DB will be mainly interested in feedback about this feature's monetisation. That entirely depends on the price tag. I would find the monthly card price already way too high for something that will run multiple times a month, but I also realise that consistency with the current legendary "value" will probably place Campaigns even higher. Personally, I would probably never spend money on this. I already increasingly fail to complete all the daily missions because I couldn't be paid to do them (looking at you, 5 arena battles). I am not going to invest in the off chance that I will have nothing better to do for a whole week just to maybe receive a legendary card that will not be much use to me at 1/5.
I am very much on board with what you are saying. I have hit the dailies only on the few times I go for event crew mainly because I have no one to level. I’m finding this to be a mad dash to use resources I have earmarked for said events. To do this every single day for a week has already proven to be a bit much. I have one crew member sitting at 1/5 I’m lookinh to add stars to. I only see myself going all week for this if that one person is the final reward.
I am very much on board with what you are saying. I have hit the dailies only on the few times I go for event crew mainly because I have no one to level. I’m finding this to be a mad dash to use resources I have earmarked for said events. To do this every single day for a week has already proven to be a bit much. I have one crew member sitting at 1/5 I’m lookinh to add stars to. I only see myself going all week for this if that one person is the final reward.
Same for me. I seldom complete all the daily missions any more, they are absolutely chores. I expect DB is going to value these way to high and charge $10 a pop for them. But for me, honestly, even $4 is too much. I'll repeat what I said elsewhere.
"Well, my first impression of campaigns is it will be a nice little bonus to people who already do all chores anyways, but at the cost of a little harder ranking in faction events.
But also a very heavy handed push towards a weekly subscription they're probably going to value at twice the monthly card.
Unfortunately for those on the borderline, I think it will lead to faster burnout."
I don't really get the point. We are already being rewarded for completing the daily chores, by credits and merits. Of course, free extra stuff is always appreciated, but calling this a game mechanic is a stretch. There is no gameplay and no element of strategy to it and it isn't really "fun", other than the instant gratification of receiving something.
Obviously, DB will be mainly interested in feedback about this feature's monetisation. That entirely depends on the price tag. I would find the monthly card price already way too high for something that will run multiple times a month, but I also realise that consistency with the current legendary "value" will probably place Campaigns even higher. Personally, I would probably never spend money on this. I already increasingly fail to complete all the daily missions because I couldn't be paid to do them (looking at you, 5 arena battles). I am not going to invest in the off chance that I will have nothing better to do for a whole week just to maybe receive a legendary card that will not be much use to me at 1/5.
I entirely understand where this comes from. Personally, I see value in slogging through arena battles to rake in that extra 73,000 honor per year that comes from finishing daily missions. And - depending on the price point - shifting from the basic Campaign reward track to the premium track to pick up an additional star on a 5* crew I want to improve isn’t a bad thing.
DB wants to improve engagement of existing users while dangling carrots at new players. Depending on the price point, it could be a lucrative endeavor for players as well, especially if you’re already doing that stuff on a daily basis. Some of the tiers look like they need a tweak (25 chrons at premium tiers 9 and 19, we are all looking at you), and the torches and pitchforks will come out if there are any blue trainers that drop from the item crates at basic tiers 2 and 12 and premium tiers 8 and 18, but honor, dil, portal pulls, shuttle boosts/tokens, and crew is pretty lavish for DB.
Less subtly, it depends on the price point of the premium tier. A lot of people say that even a price as low as what is charged for the monthly card is too high. When viewed only from a cost standpoint even that low amount could double, triple, quadruple, or quintuple what people spend in a given month and that kind of increase definitely seems steep; however, compared to what is offered, that opinion seems extreme. From a value standpoint, $10-15 is probably a more reasonable limit...while there will be someone out there complaining even if it were $0.99 for a monthly subscription to the premium rewards tiers, nobody would be happy if Campaigns had a weekly barrier to entry of $20+.
Unless the price is really wacky, I figure this is something that the majority will participate in at the basic tier and occasionally spend their way into the premium tier to hunt for a particular legendary crew. Come to think of it, I wonder how DB will be choosing the 4* and 5* crew - they seem themed this week but will it be a wholly manual setup every week or will there be a pool of crew pairings that someone chooses via dart board (a la Gauntlet traits)?
I am very much on board with what you are saying. I have hit the dailies only on the few times I go for event crew mainly because I have no one to level. I’m finding this to be a mad dash to use resources I have earmarked for said events. To do this every single day for a week has already proven to be a bit much. I have one crew member sitting at 1/5 I’m lookinh to add stars to. I only see myself going all week for this if that one person is the final reward.
Same for me. I seldom complete all the daily missions any more, they are absolutely chores. I expect DB is going to value these way to high and charge $10 a pop for them. But for me, honestly, even $4 is too much. I'll repeat what I said elsewhere.
"Well, my first impression of campaigns is it will be a nice little bonus to people who already do all chores anyways, but at the cost of a little harder ranking in faction events.
But also a very heavy handed push towards a weekly subscription they're probably going to value at twice the monthly card.
Unfortunately for those on the borderline, I think it will lead to faster burnout."
The honor acquired for both tiers, assuming the final reward crew is airlocked, comes to around 2200. I can get that from 2 Voyages. The merits, easily gained from gauntlet, a few boost pulls. Ok. I’ll just claim what I gain from what I do and leave it at that. Again though, I am appreciative of free stuff earned from this. It’s a good and generous idea and I thank you for it
It's nice to get stuff, but it does feel like dailies again, especially as I can't see myself spending any money on the premium track. Not sure why this couldn't just be done through a revamp of the daily missions to contain more/better/different rewards?
Alternatively, I can see myself enjoying these "Campaigns" more if they required doing something new and different to proceed along the track. Preferably something interesting, fun, and strategic that inspires us to play. :-)
Price point is key as many have said. I am thinking around $5 would draw me in a lot. 9.99 and I would have to really want the 5*. More than $10, I would never buy. Be careful DB about driving off your monthly card buyers. I have no beef with you earning money from your labors, but in chasing whales do not forget how much you harvest from little fish in their greater numbers. Do not make them feel the game is pointless without s big wallet.
ec rewards could be 45k , single pack could be 5x, single shuttle token could be more, more rep rations, no trainings , croniten boost could give camp. points, montly card daily and epsodes could also give points
I find it surprising that people are expecting $5 for a legendary, when the lowest price we've ever had is $10, and this reward comes with a 10-pack pull. You can see how highly DB values a 10-pack by how highly you need to rank in events to get one. I'm hoping for $10 but would not be surprised at more. Sure if they're looking for more people to get it more regularly the $5 price point might work, but you're still not going to buy it even for $5 if you've already got the legendary FF so you're unlikely to get it every week anyways. That seems like wishful thinking to me.
I find it surprising that people are expecting $5 for a legendary, when the lowest price we've ever had is $10, and this reward comes with a 10-pack pull. You can see how highly DB values a 10-pack by how highly you need to rank in events to get one. I'm hoping for $10 but would not be surprised at more. Sure if they're looking for more people to get it more regularly the $5 price point might work, but you're still not going to buy it even for $5 if you've already got the legendary FF so you're unlikely to get it every week anyways. That seems like wishful thinking to me.
The difference is, that $10 pays for a legendary outright, no strings attached. For the Campaign legendary, you would still have to put in a solid 8 days of effort. Of course, there is the additional stuff earned, which is why I could see the price deviate both ways from $10, with my guesstimate leaning towards more expensive.
I would be really nice if the Premium Rewards Track was part of the perks that VIP 14 players received. I saw a post a long time ago that there was going to be more perks for VIP 14 players in the future. Wouldn't this be a good reward for VIP 14? Or add it to a goal for VIP 15, 16, 17?
I find it surprising that people are expecting $5 for a legendary, when the lowest price we've ever had is $10, and this reward comes with a 10-pack pull. You can see how highly DB values a 10-pack by how highly you need to rank in events to get one. I'm hoping for $10 but would not be surprised at more. Sure if they're looking for more people to get it more regularly the $5 price point might work, but you're still not going to buy it even for $5 if you've already got the legendary FF so you're unlikely to get it every week anyways. That seems like wishful thinking to me.
But if you make the other rewards compelling enough, you might be inclined to buy even if the legendary is not one you want. Make the package as a whole attractive, not just the carrot at the end. Then, if the price was appropriate, it could be income DB could count on across a larger share of the player base, like the monthly cards. If done right, this is a feature that should be volume-generated income, not single buys here and there.
I thought I was the only one who couldn’t be bothered doing all the dailies anymore. Most of the time I don’t have a crew to level since all my 255 slots are full and I only get duplicates from the portal. The exceptions are when I get a new event crew.
I guess this gives me and all the rest of us incentive to start doing it, which theoretically means we are playing more, which means some of us might spend more cash. Which is really the goal of every single new feature they add.
1) I would like to know how much it costs to get all 20 Tiers. Is there wiggle room to skip a few daily missions, or do we have to get all 11 every day for each day to get all accolades necessary for all 20 tiers? We should be able to see the costs per Tier, not just the current one.
2) Getting any ability to get Legendaries is to be commended. I hope that unlocking the Premium tier isn't dilithium-only, though. F2P folks (see: not me) should have a way to get into it. Maybe some super-high Merit costs?
3) I like More Free Stuff.
4) Adding in the DIL is a nice touch, but again for the F2P folks the amount could be slightly adjusted upward. Maybe group it into a higher up tier in the chain, but a bit more of it?
Perception is the thin dividing line between reality and fiction
For those asking, you can earn 550 accolades each day from completing all daily missions. Then, you can potentially earn more from daily login rewards (75 each day, doubled for high enough VIP players on some days for a potential of 150).
By completing all daily missions and redeeming your daily login bonus which includes accolades over the course of seven days, you can earn more than 4000 accolades which is what's needed to unlock tier 20.
There's also the 8th day in this Campaign beta test AND you can earn more accolades by logging in each day so there's some wiggle room for getting to tier 20 without doing everything every single day.
There is, of course, also the option to spend dilithium to complete tiers if you get to the end and are close but don't have any more earnable accolades.
With all of that said - we're also evaluating how people play while participating in Campaigns, so there may be changes to the feature after the Beta is complete.
So each accolade when launched will last 7 days? Is this correct SunshineRiker?
This Campaigns Beta is lasting 8 days in total, but the full feature will likely be longer, perhaps a month long.
Comments
1. I recommend changing the name from 'campaigns' to 'operations', by using the following definition...OPERATION (noun): performance of a practical work or of something involving the practical application of principles or processes. It seems much, much more consistent with what is going on to call it an Operation IMO. Calling it a Campaign really conjurs up feelings of detailed maneuvering or strategizing. I feel quite strongly about this point.
2. I understand for the beta the premium tier is unlocked automatically, but just for fun I've paid the 250 dilithium just to gauge my reaction, and it felt quite steep. I understand that most likely the premium beta rewards are deliberately underwelming since everyone will get them, but going forward the quality will need to improve.
3. It has been fun so far.
I know, I said that.
On the other hand I hope that this drives revenue for DB because otherwise it seems like a serious waste of development time. It doesn't make the game any better and might even make it worse if it causes people greater anxiety about making their dailies.
I always welcome any means to get more honor... and wtih campains we get that.
As for Premium tier, the price will be the main factor if I will use.
When you purchase 5* in offer you pay between 9,99 to 25$ and you get it as soon as you pay.
In campaing even if you pay you actually have to wait to get up to 8 days the character - meaning price should be way below 9,99.
Theoretically, I also like the legendary at the end of the premium tier (for those who pay, it's an actual chance of getting or upgrading existing legendaries) but I can't imagine them offering the premium rewards for 9,99 or less, so basically, I already know that I will never buy it. If for any reason they should set the price at 9,99 or even lower, then yes, this would be a great addition to the game!
I understand that desire and would also appreciate it, but I'm sure you can imagine the outcry of people upset that all the campaigns after this one were no longer citations but actual crew members.
As for the name, I agree with the above suggestion to rename campaign to ops or something else, since this has nothing to do with a campaign concept.
I got one from tier 2. How do I open it?
+1 for concern about inventory cap
Thank you for thinking about new features and for beta-testing first!
Unless they make structural changes after the beta concludes, tiers can be unlocked by completing daily missions throughout the week or by spending dilithium.
+1 for dilithium on premium track and/or less than $5 price point
If the price ends up being around $5 for the premium track, I would buy it if the legendary adds stars to a useful character or is one I really want. If the 4* and 5* reward was a citation instead, then I would buy it pretty consistently. Otherwise I wouldn't buy it unless it is somewhere in the $1-3 range. The 4* crew doesn't do much for me, as I'm only missing a few from being immortalized. Although if voyage-only or newer crew showed up from time to time that would be a plus.
+1 on inventory issue / swap for 3* and 4* components
I have no crew needing equipment, so this just clogs up another space that I then need to sort through during replication use to keep from going over the limit. For older players like me, components would be much better and they wouldn't clog up another slot.
+1 on a second tier purchase approval step
I already accidentally bought Tier 3 because my phone was lagging and must have double-tapped the screen. I received items and noticed it cost me 750 dilithium. Now I am dealing with CS to get my 750 dilithium back. A secondary confirmation step like is used in the portal would help to keep this from happening.
I don't really get the point. We are already being rewarded for completing the daily chores, by credits and merits. Of course, free extra stuff is always appreciated, but calling this a game mechanic is a stretch. There is no gameplay and no element of strategy to it and it isn't really "fun", other than the instant gratification of receiving something.
Obviously, DB will be mainly interested in feedback about this feature's monetisation. That entirely depends on the price tag. I would find the monthly card price already way too high for something that will run multiple times a month, but I also realise that consistency with the current legendary "value" will probably place Campaigns even higher. Personally, I would probably never spend money on this. I already increasingly fail to complete all the daily missions because I couldn't be paid to do them (looking at you, 5 arena battles). I am not going to invest in the off chance that I will have nothing better to do for a whole week just to maybe receive a legendary card that will not be much use to me at 1/5.
I am very much on board with what you are saying. I have hit the dailies only on the few times I go for event crew mainly because I have no one to level. I’m finding this to be a mad dash to use resources I have earmarked for said events. To do this every single day for a week has already proven to be a bit much. I have one crew member sitting at 1/5 I’m lookinh to add stars to. I only see myself going all week for this if that one person is the final reward.
Same for me. I seldom complete all the daily missions any more, they are absolutely chores. I expect DB is going to value these way to high and charge $10 a pop for them. But for me, honestly, even $4 is too much. I'll repeat what I said elsewhere.
"Well, my first impression of campaigns is it will be a nice little bonus to people who already do all chores anyways, but at the cost of a little harder ranking in faction events.
But also a very heavy handed push towards a weekly subscription they're probably going to value at twice the monthly card.
Unfortunately for those on the borderline, I think it will lead to faster burnout."
I entirely understand where this comes from. Personally, I see value in slogging through arena battles to rake in that extra 73,000 honor per year that comes from finishing daily missions. And - depending on the price point - shifting from the basic Campaign reward track to the premium track to pick up an additional star on a 5* crew I want to improve isn’t a bad thing.
DB wants to improve engagement of existing users while dangling carrots at new players. Depending on the price point, it could be a lucrative endeavor for players as well, especially if you’re already doing that stuff on a daily basis. Some of the tiers look like they need a tweak (25 chrons at premium tiers 9 and 19, we are all looking at you), and the torches and pitchforks will come out if there are any blue trainers that drop from the item crates at basic tiers 2 and 12 and premium tiers 8 and 18, but honor, dil, portal pulls, shuttle boosts/tokens, and crew is pretty lavish for DB.
Less subtly, it depends on the price point of the premium tier. A lot of people say that even a price as low as what is charged for the monthly card is too high. When viewed only from a cost standpoint even that low amount could double, triple, quadruple, or quintuple what people spend in a given month and that kind of increase definitely seems steep; however, compared to what is offered, that opinion seems extreme. From a value standpoint, $10-15 is probably a more reasonable limit...while there will be someone out there complaining even if it were $0.99 for a monthly subscription to the premium rewards tiers, nobody would be happy if Campaigns had a weekly barrier to entry of $20+.
Unless the price is really wacky, I figure this is something that the majority will participate in at the basic tier and occasionally spend their way into the premium tier to hunt for a particular legendary crew. Come to think of it, I wonder how DB will be choosing the 4* and 5* crew - they seem themed this week but will it be a wholly manual setup every week or will there be a pool of crew pairings that someone chooses via dart board (a la Gauntlet traits)?
The honor acquired for both tiers, assuming the final reward crew is airlocked, comes to around 2200. I can get that from 2 Voyages. The merits, easily gained from gauntlet, a few boost pulls. Ok. I’ll just claim what I gain from what I do and leave it at that. Again though, I am appreciative of free stuff earned from this. It’s a good and generous idea and I thank you for it
Alternatively, I can see myself enjoying these "Campaigns" more if they required doing something new and different to proceed along the track. Preferably something interesting, fun, and strategic that inspires us to play. :-)
The difference is, that $10 pays for a legendary outright, no strings attached. For the Campaign legendary, you would still have to put in a solid 8 days of effort. Of course, there is the additional stuff earned, which is why I could see the price deviate both ways from $10, with my guesstimate leaning towards more expensive.
But if you make the other rewards compelling enough, you might be inclined to buy even if the legendary is not one you want. Make the package as a whole attractive, not just the carrot at the end. Then, if the price was appropriate, it could be income DB could count on across a larger share of the player base, like the monthly cards. If done right, this is a feature that should be volume-generated income, not single buys here and there.
I guess this gives me and all the rest of us incentive to start doing it, which theoretically means we are playing more, which means some of us might spend more cash. Which is really the goal of every single new feature they add.
2) Getting any ability to get Legendaries is to be commended. I hope that unlocking the Premium tier isn't dilithium-only, though. F2P folks (see: not me) should have a way to get into it. Maybe some super-high Merit costs?
3) I like More Free Stuff.
4) Adding in the DIL is a nice touch, but again for the F2P folks the amount could be slightly adjusted upward. Maybe group it into a higher up tier in the chain, but a bit more of it?
Immortalized crew count:
27×1★; 53×2★; 78×3★; 196×4★; 87×5★
This Campaigns Beta is lasting 8 days in total, but the full feature will likely be longer, perhaps a month long.