Did shuttle tokens ruin faction events?
{DD} Smelly
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This is just a general curiosity thing. It seems (for me at least,) that since shuttle tokens were added, faction events have become nearly intolerable. It’s gotten to the point that I hate them nearly as much expedition events. At one time, faction events were my favorite event type. I’m just curious if other people agree/disagree with my assessment.
Did shuttle tokens ruin faction events? 47 votes
Shuttle tokens ruined faction events.
19%
![[S47] ELiL](https://us.v-cdn.net/6030345/uploads/defaultavatar/nL5515UJH9DYJ.jpg)
9 votes
Shuttle tokens are awesome.
55%
![[QH] Oxmyx](https://us.v-cdn.net/6030345/uploads/userpics/547/n2W6EFWXI2VWP.JPG)
![[ISA] Big McLargeHuge](https://us.v-cdn.net/6030345/uploads/userpics/898/nXKVS62J0RWS7.png)
26 votes
I think something else and will elaborate in a comment.
25%
12 votes
0
Comments
Tokens just let more people send more shuttles without spending the DIL. Doesn't really change the names in the top 1500 every faction event. Maybe, MAYBE tokens had an impact on placement around 15-25th place - but even then, you're still spending DIL chasing an extra star on the event legendary.
People could argue that boosts did the same thing 4 years ago when they came out.
People could argue that the massive pools of bonus crew, along with seasoned players who have said massive pools of bonus crew, keep the top 1k competitive and you can't just show up and coast anymore.
People did argue that squads and shared crew VP would break the events.
So no - I don't think tokens are the root of evil - this is how faction events have always been. It's just another method for people to try and rank.
My spending, for perspective: I usually do the monthly card, plus campaign, plus one $10 event deal per month. Occasionally, I'll do a $25 deal like the recent pile-o-dilithium. I don't spend money specifically on rentals.
I worry a bit that the rentals and more specifically that they are part of the premium campaign are making it harder on f2p captains. That bums me out a bit. But for me personally, they haven't hurt my game.
Normally, people don't think about VIP0 players placing high in shuttle events, because they lack 'resources' (mounds of DIL). They always have and will continue to win or do excellently in Galaxy and Skirm events, even Galaxy/Faction hybrids....but a full faction, no way! Right?
However, if you haven't learned this about VIP0 players by now, you should - they are a sneaky little bunch of strategists that will come up from behind you and take your spot on the faction event leaderboard if you don't pay attention. Many of them just sit on piles and piles and piles of shuttle boosts, have never used a token, and have waaaay better crews than you give them credit for. Hell, just a few weeks ago, Paladin and his 18 month old VIP0 account placed in the top 25 of what you could argue was the most competitive faction event ever - and he did it by carefully acquiring and saving the resources and then dumping at one opportune time.
So yes - tokens are a bit of a wet blanket in some circles, but I think they are fantastic for the VIP0/F2P crowd.
Now that 6 week-ish period of faction events where you could outright buy tokens and boosts and 2x rewards? That was cray.
Before tokens, faction events had become a bit boring, because there was really no practical way to move up after the first day or so. Of course, this also made them "easy" in that the effort needed to play was quite minimal - just rinse and repeat. Tokens (plus a deep roster) make it much more possible to change one's rank position, which is great if you want to move up, but not so great if you just want to maintain an early rank positioning (since you're always trying to hold off the players trying to move up). It has become much more of a chore than it used to be. Maybe that's a good thing, and maybe it's not, but it is my experience that tokens have dramatically changed how faction events are played.
Taking those 2 paragraphs together - I think it's made it harder on deep-roster players and more insurmountable for F2P players to break through. That seems like a bad combination to me.
But I don't think that's because of shuttle tokens. I think it's mostly because of campaigns and double rewards from cadet challenges and because more and more people have played long enough to have most 4* immortal. So now there are many more people with lots of bonus crew and generally decent crew and with a good supply of time boosts, double-reward boosts and shuttle tokens, who can go for the ranked reward if they want to.
What bothers me is that faction events used to be the least grindy and time consuming event type and now (when I want to reach the top 1500) they're starting to be annoying too. Not as much as a Galaxy and not even close to a Skirmish, but if it keeps getting worse there will really be no event type left that I don't hate
From observations, I would say they probably don't. Except from a certain perspective I'm sure doesn't actually exist.
For the people that can afford it, the tokens probably just function as a discount. If they are spending, they will probably spend what they need to to hit the goal. If you use them as you get them they aren't going to change where you rank that much. Shuttles still need to be crewed. Ten shuttles don't add that much if the odds on the last 4 or 5 are low. The differences are mostly clustered at the top end I'm sure.
If there is more competition it's most likely down to the growing 4* and 5* crew base. The larger field of potential crew and periodic additional crew slots are what is fueling the sending of greater numbers of fleets at one time. Larger rosters can seat more shuttles. Not a complaint, just a reality. People with enough crew to send 15 shuttles will want to do it.
If people are spending for boosts. Tokens don't matter. Enough time boosts and a single shuttle is all you need. Relying on tokens means depending on shorter time boosts. Without the time boosts tokens will only take you so far. The two factors I would think have more of an impact on the event are boosts and crew size.
As mentioned, tokens can be horded. As can boosts. I'm sure it could be very frustrating for some one spending a lot of money when a f2p account comes out of nowhere to cash in.
I haven't been around for most of it. But some aspects of the game have obviously grown. The focus on profiting off more powerful cards rather than lower power flavor cards has led to larger more powerful crews that are harder to pare down into the fridge. And people are finding ways to use them. Tokens are most likely a relatively small impact on the larger competition picture.
1) More crew is added every week (i know shock horror) therefore more bonus pool, more power creep with strong bases e.g. Desperate Riker, Riker Q, Captive and 1701 Bashir are effectively an upgrade of RAF Bashir these newer crew are not in portal so if you missed the event or had to space them for whatever reason you're at a disadvantage.
2) this event has some bonus crew that was previously Pack only Protomorphosis Riker, Mycelial Culber, the latter being uite a key one.
3) Seats not 100% sitting that well with bonus crew in some of the faction missions. This again relies on having more in depth squad than usual to optimise success rate.
4) Premium track not only provides tokens but extra shuttle packs and dilithium making it easier to buy shall we say a bit more frivolously on extra tickets for Thursday's cadet challenges.
5) Event type schedule - this can be another factor particularly as the recent alternations have been somewhat erratic.
Then we get to the player creature habits of the 'silent but violent' stockpilers as mentioned above, just biding their time till they throw everything into an event, these are the same people who probably have all the loo roll right now.
On the negative side, factions have become far more competitive, even to finish in the top-1500.
On the positive side, there is more flexibility to make up ground if you don't want to wake up overnight.
Once you have a strong enough crew and stockpile of tokens, I think the pros & cons even themselves out.
Sorry about falling our of top 50. That is partly me. I'm blowing a year's worth of resources to make top 50. It won't happen again. You can return next faction event.
Dirk you need to have 200 tokens to make a run at top 25. I think you found that out though.
My first 5* through an event was through a faction event ... Mirror Data ... you had to rank top 1000 back then ... I felt this was a massive achievement, I had taken my time to build my crew with the driver to not airlock crew I did not own ... this meant I was basically freezing my immortal 4*s on a constant basis.
My second was Away Team Saru, again a faction event ... until tokens (and skirmish events) were introduced I constantly ranked well (time permitting) in faction events ... since then my average has taken a massive dive and Faction events have become my worst event-type by far.
(I also have never set my alarm to wake up every 3 hours to send out new batches of shuttles, as players used to do - guess you don't need to with tokens).
For me, this has meant that the more time-consuming events (galaxy, hybrid, skirmish) have become more "important" in crew quality progression, but on the other hand, I've never been a player who puts massive amounts of time into the game. Put these two together and it means I'm starting to experience burn-out.
I genuinely used to like faction events, because it gave me a sense of my crew's progression ... I was able to do well because I'd put time into collecting/developing my crew ... now I can only really do well if I put time into grinding events ... it feels like there is no middle ground anymore.
Add that to the fact that it is now fairly easy for any player to build up resources (free campaign track, ad warps etc. etc.) it has become a lot harder for a casual player (like me) to continue getting enjoyment out of the game ... But, maybe that's okay, let the serious players get the rewards.
I didn’t come in intending to go that nuts (just top 1500 for Scotty), but I was doing so well on Thursday night I figured I might as well go for it. You’re right that I should have had 200 tokens to stay up there, and I only had about 110.
I’m going to stock up again before making another such run. Between the 110ish tokens and maybe 125 3* time-reducer boosts I spent, I won’t be making any top 25/50/100 runs again for a little while.
Somehow? I strongly disagree and in fact think the exact opposite has happened. I used to place always within the top 1500 rank and most of my fleetmates did too. None of us spent di on instant returns. If you are on the free track, and spend little or no $ you have only a few tokens. This is worthless.
It is the $ spenders buying the packs and premium track that allow ppl to have a stockpile of tokens, leading to a Mass return of shuttle claims within the last 3hrs-30 min of the event. Dramatically altering the end result.
I understand instant returns happen, im not disputing that. Those players have been a “constant” Since the inception of shuttles events. Since tokens were invented there is a huge displacement of rank during the last few hours of the event that did not occur before. Everyone (di spender or not) had a basic rank within the top or not, and you could count on that rank to vary a bit but you knew if you were going to get the ranking gold or not within the last 3.0 hrs. Now it can change so fast to knock out a 600 rank to a 1650 or more, within the last stretch of the event. I see it every shuttle event now.
The di spenders are token spenders too. So now non or minimal spenders are shut out by the spenders basically doubling down the $$$ to get tokens, and instant di returns on masses of shuttles tokens.
Absolutely tokens have altered the event, way more than boosts, or any other widely Avail free variable within. Everyone can get a min of 6 boost packs a week for free. If you have double add option its 12. For free. Available to everyone.
I tend to think for top 1500, the main drivers aren't so much people spending additional money directly on tokens, but the following:
Just the free stuff results in an extra 200k vp available for a faction event once every 4 weeks (110k from boosts, 88k from tokens). Spending shifts that a little more weighted to tokens.
For free to play players, tokens allow much bigger highs in vp from stockpiling. if you only push for a top 1500 in a faction every 3 months rather than once a month, you can accumulate close to 150 tokens over 18-24 months. 150 tokens, plus 3* boosts for the whole event, is enough for top 15-25. Before tokens, top 25 was already becoming impossible for ftp players, and they really had no option for a end of event push. Now you can send lots of tokens to claim right at the end.