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Has any thought been given to some sort of trading mechanism for characters?

Or is that considered too game-breaking? Could we trade a surplus 4 star for a one star we don't have, for example?
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  • WaldoMagWaldoMag ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited January 2021
    We have talked about it many times in the past.

    Here is one old thread on the subject.
    https://forums.disruptorbeam.com/stt/viewthread/62985

    Keep in mind imbalanced trades are not going to work. Because one account gains substantially and the other loses
  • They could do a Ferengi Trade Market or something (which has also been suggested elsewhere) so you’re not trading cards with your alt and cheating so to speak, it could be something different for each player like Dabo crew...?
    “What's a knockout like you doing in a computer-generated gin joint like this?”

    Proud member of Patterns of Force
    Captain Level 99
    Played since January 2017

    TP: Do better!!!
  • WaldoMagWaldoMag ✭✭✭✭✭
    The problem still will be as mentioned in the thread in my other post. The cost of implementing a trading system that results in a loss of revenue.
  • WaldoMag wrote: »
    The problem still will be as mentioned in the thread in my other post. The cost of implementing a trading system that results in a loss of revenue.

    Too bad it feels like TP will only make changes and add new features that have something to do with spending, not something that the community would actually want or has been asking for 🖖
    “What's a knockout like you doing in a computer-generated gin joint like this?”

    Proud member of Patterns of Force
    Captain Level 99
    Played since January 2017

    TP: Do better!!!
  • I read the old forum post and a lot of it makes sense. Here's another suggestion. What if you could exchange five of your FE 1/5* crew for a Legendary Citation? This would help the abundance of FE 1/5* crew in our ranks right now. The FE criteria ensures that the user put the time and effort to maximize the value of the character. This might be more valuable than a trading post for cards.
  • WaldoMagWaldoMag ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited January 2021
    I
    WaldoMag wrote: »
    The problem still will be as mentioned in the thread in my other post. The cost of implementing a trading system that results in a loss of revenue.

    Too bad it feels like TP will only make changes and add new features that have something to do with spending, not something that the community would actually want or has been asking for 🖖

    I would greatly appreciate them being able to keep voyages from getting stuck.

    Edit: I will add one thing on a market system. Any trading should be done through a different client. Only one account can be open by any client. So if the game Ap is open, it closes. This happens when you have two devices and try to access the same account on those two devices.
  • starfoxstarfox ✭✭✭
    i dont get why we cant trade characters with others. this game is kind of a ccg . ive been playing magic online for almost 17 years. i started during the first mirrodin. we trade cards all the time there, the games still going strong . i still buy boosters from time to time. if we could trade in timelines i would still buy the premium pack sales
  • starfoxstarfox ✭✭✭
    i dont think the game would suffer if we could trade characters because people would still buy premium packs . i use magic as an example because people trade for the cards they want all the time but still buy boosters. actually in this game ive stopped buying packs unless the sale is really good because im tired of paying lots of money for crew that i still cant get. that is such a turn off that ive had enough of it . i used to buy the premium pack sales almost every time they happened but lately ive skipped most of them , even though ive been tempted, because i know i wont get the crew i want.
  • WaldoMagWaldoMag ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited January 2021
    I think if trading was to be attempted it should be limited to faction items initially.
    Only allowing the trade of 5 of them a day between players.
    Maybe components too, and 5 of them a day.

    I do not see any problem with trading one star crew. However, stargazer Picard should not be included.
  • (HGH)Apollo(HGH)Apollo ✭✭✭✭✭
    They could do a Ferengi Trade Market or something (which has also been suggested elsewhere) so you’re not trading cards with your alt and cheating so to speak, it could be something different for each player like Dabo crew...?

    Yes something like this would be the easiest to implement and not allow any cheating. Players can go to an exchange and trade with the game. Allow the exchange of one legendary for another, one super rare for another. If your legendary is 3/5 then you could get a 3/5 of the other legendary in return. If need be TP could attach a small dilithium cost/credits/merits to it. I think it would increase the participation in events and pack buying. TP could have a couple of legendaries and super rares that rotate out every day or week.
    Let’s fly!
  • W.W. CarlisleW.W. Carlisle ✭✭✭✭✭
    I don't see the problem in this so long as you couldn't do uneven trades. Nearly every thing in the game has an equivalent value in dilithium. So long as the value of what was being exchanged was the same, I don't see why anything couldn't be exchanged. No one could take advantage of anyone that way. You want this spare 5* outfit? Offer me a gold piece of equipment or several items to reach that value.
    I sometimes play the virtual CCG version of Elder Scrolls and there is lots of trading in it. You get achievements and ranks for it. Still plenty of sales happening there.
    W.W. CarlislePlayed since January 20, 2019Captain Level- 99 (May 9, 2022)VIP 14Crew Quarters: 485/485Most recent/Lowest- Anbo-jyutsu Kyle Riker (1/5* Lvl 30) 5/29/23Immortalized x-866 5* x184, 4* x 490, 3* x91, 2* x62, and 1* x27Most recent Immortal - Tearful Janeway 4* 5/25/23Current non-event project- Improving my Science base skill. Retrieval Project- Mestral 1/5*
  • ExanimusExanimus ✭✭✭✭
    I think the general argument against is going to consistently be "money." I have seen multiple comments over the last clearly indicate the reason they play less or are leaving is in large part crew slot related. Certain people seem to have a paranoia that the game is a week from bankruptcy.

    Cycling cards into the fridge clears slots and opens them for buying new cards. The crew slot system and the lack of trading leaves most accounts in their first two years with almost no where to put a new card. I don't buy anything because there is no where to put anything. I would argue not having a trading system actually causes them to loose income. I have very little income left over to spend on this game. I can't drop hundreds of dollars a week to clear FF every gold card. For this reason I have actually stopped even going after skirmish Golds. Every gold is a lost slot. There is no point dropping cash for event deals because ranking either forces you to airlock a card you might otherwise have kept, or to hold onto cards that slowly strangle your ability to carry and build SR cards. I can't drop the cash for a few packs. Only opening a few leaves you with multiple cards that could take six months to years to ever get the last card or to to FF it. For this reason I never open event packs. Event cards are a minimum 6 months before they enter the portal.

    Spending on this game would make the game harder for me because I can't afford to keep spending until the card is finished. The same for the offers. I don't buy them because I have to keep crew slots free. If the crew slot limit didn't exist, or if I could trade cards I might be able to spend more. I can't speak for every one, but in my case they are definitely missing out on income because they are trying too hard to focus directly on it. I think the paranoia and focus on purchase only is probably costing them as much as they gain at the very least. The loss of players due to the frustration of crew management is also potentially lost revenue.

    I think even a limited trading system would actually make them money. A free trade (crew transfer request) a week within your fleet, with the ability to buy an extra trade ticket or two with dilithium would certainly mitigate any losses. And open slots means more people playing and spending on the events themselves. The fear of lost money is causing lost money.
  • They could limit it to accounts lv50+ to reduce the chances of misuse, but I also think that the best option would be to have trades with the game instead of real players. The trades could be limited to one per week and could require some amount of dilithium as an additional currency.

    I don't think it would decrease their revenue. Those of us who aren't willing to spend 50$/€ or 15000 dilithium to acquire a 1/5* won't do it anyway.

    I also don't think that it would devalue legendaries and dilithium any more than those two things have already been devalued by the game mechanics themselves.

    Plus, thinking of it, the easiest way to implement some apparent "trade" feature would probably be to use the faction stores. I guess there aren't many people who actually purchase legendaries from there, but the option already exists. They would just have to change the purchase method/currency.
  • all the problems with trading would probably be mitigated when trading is only allowed within the fleet, in reality a card collecting game without trading options is nothing short of rediculous....
  • Zombie Squirrel Zombie Squirrel ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited January 2021
    I hope it never happens, cause it will only lead to massive abuse.
    •SSR Delta Flyers•
  • I hope it never happen, cause it will only lead to abuse.

    How could that even happen if the "trades" were not between players, but between a player and the game?
  • edited January 2021
    Still, all this would fit to the upcoming new feature in february:

    * asked for by players for a long time
    * big change
    * introduces new currency: "quantum currency" and "interstellar medium"
    * will help to obtain crew

    (from summary of timelines talks)
  • WebberoniWebberoni ✭✭✭✭✭
    Still, all this would fit to the upcoming new feature in february:

    * asked for by players for a long time
    * big change
    * introduces new currency: "quantum currency" and "interstellar medium"
    * will help to obtain crew

    (from summary of timelines talks)

    I could see quantum currency being gained via running missions, similar to the 'currencies' required to upgrade starbases, which could be used to purchase crew. I don't see any sort of player-to-player crew trading system being implemented, as that would serve to devalue so many aspects of the game that have been established over the years.
  • AviTrekAviTrek ✭✭✭✭✭
    I hope it never happen, cause it will only lead to abuse.

    How could that even happen if the "trades" were not between players, but between a player and the game?

    If the transaction is between the player and the game, what makes it a trade vs a purchase? Exchanging resources (cards, honor, new currencies) for a specific card. It's effectively the same thing as buying a card from faction store. The only difference is the type and quantity of resources exchanged.
  • DragenDragen ✭✭✭
    AviTrek wrote: »
    I hope it never happen, cause it will only lead to abuse.

    How could that even happen if the "trades" were not between players, but between a player and the game?

    If the transaction is between the player and the game, what makes it a trade vs a purchase? Exchanging resources (cards, honor, new currencies) for a specific card. It's effectively the same thing as buying a card from faction store. The only difference is the type and quantity of resources exchanged.

    It would be different if the crew that is on offer by the game would be originating from other players selling crew to the game.
    That way it would be a market where players trade with eachother but always through a middle man. It would make it impossible to trade with your alt because you wouldn't know wich player would buy the crew you sell to the game. And it could further function as a market if the price of the specific crew would be determined by what players want to sell it for and by what other players are willing to pay for it.

    That way the price for a Shinzon could be somewhat low whereas a Gary Seven would be extremely expensive since hardly anyone would sell and many would be willing to buy.
  • Emperor Borg Drone (SC)Emperor Borg Drone (SC) ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited January 2021
    AviTrek wrote: »
    I hope it never happen, cause it will only lead to abuse.

    How could that even happen if the "trades" were not between players, but between a player and the game?

    If the transaction is between the player and the game, what makes it a trade vs a purchase? Exchanging resources (cards, honor, new currencies) for a specific card. It's effectively the same thing as buying a card from faction store. The only difference is the type and quantity of resources exchanged.

    That's why I put it in quotation marks. I think the main reason people want a trading system isn't the community-building aspect (which could also be nice) but the fact that one of the most frustrating aspects of the game is the high likelihood of ending up with unwanted and useless legendaries, worth only 550 honor, despite the fact that their drops are rare and they're considered premium content. Another annoying thing, especially for new players I suppose, is how hard it is to get crew you actually need or want from a very inflated portal.

    Being able to get crew at a discounted price (whatever that might be) by sacrificing a copy of another card in your roster, would mitigate both those problems. And assuming that the crew available for "trade" would be limited and change over time, it would create anticipation and probably require resource management, if other currencies are involved. Anticipation is something that a lot of long-time players are missing.

    So I think that it could be a good and safe option to implement this kind of feature. And for players it wouldn't be the same thing as simply spending 14000 dilithium on Dabo, 15000 in the faction store or 10€ on an LTO.
  • dext74dext74 ✭✭✭✭✭
    I think trading opens up a slew of issues as mentioned here.

    But beyond that, it would require TP makes a determination once and for all that this game boils down to be a CCG. On the one hand, we all know it is, but there remain enough road blocks and issues when it comes to cars obtainment and storage that I'm still not convinced that a ccg is what they want to be considered.
  • HaBlackHaBlack ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited January 2021
    There could be one system that allows indirect trading of cards and that could be balanced - Anonymous Auction.

    You place the card you wish to sell on the market.
    You cannot use that card for anything (shuttles, gauntlet, ...) while it is on auction.
    You define price, but it cannot be lower of some systemically determined minimum price.
    Sales last for 1 day (just example, this can be longer, or shorter).
    Anyone can bid on that card and after the auction time is over, card is sold and removed from your roster.

    So how to avoid abuse:

    When placing a card there is no info about seller on the card or any other info that you can write. Just the price. - So you cannot buy from your alt account or another player from the fleet. Price will change when first bid is on, so you can't even search for that.

    You can buy or sell (not both) just 1 card per week.

    The game itself ads 1000'r of random cards with some prices in the auction. - You can buy them, but nobody gets the money except the game itself.


    PlayingSince: 2016-09-16Can we get some more characters from TAS?We finally have Caitians in the game!Character wishlist:
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  • Why not a system which doesn't depend on other players? Why can't I trade in a duplicate character to the time portal (with a loss in value) for something else? We're allowed to use excess items in the replicator, why can't we use duplicate characters as a way to "buy" another card? I've dismissed probably 100+ crew this week alone. The incremental honor just isn't that useful.
  • WebberoniWebberoni ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited January 2021
    earthman34 wrote: »
    Why not a system which doesn't depend on other players? Why can't I trade in a duplicate character to the time portal (with a loss in value) for something else? We're allowed to use excess items in the replicator, why can't we use duplicate characters as a way to "buy" another card? I've dismissed probably 100+ crew this week alone. The incremental honor just isn't that useful.

    It they addressed the bold, there would be [almost] no need for a crew store or trading. Essentially were are trading crew we don't want for crew we do want (to add stars to), via honor.

    Current trade exchange rates:
    - 4*: 90 crew traded in = 1 crew citation (18,000 / 200)
    - 5*: 91 crew traded in = 1 crew citation (50,000 / 550)

    It is crazy that we need to trade in 90 of the same level crew for a single crew we want. Even then it's only adding stars to an existing crew member, not acquiring a new crew that we don't yet have, which is especially tricky when trying to track down the few missing 4* crew that were originally added to the game via Tuesday packs.
  • CalhounCalhoun ✭✭✭✭✭
    I’m confident that the new feature will be something along these lines; a marketplace of sorts, if not direct trading.
  • I think the point I'm trying to make is that there should be some better way to get crew members. The more crew you have, the less likely it is that a pull is going to give you someone you really need.
  • WaldoMagWaldoMag ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited January 2021
    earthman34 wrote: »
    I think the point I'm trying to make is that there should be some better way to get crew members. The more crew you have, the less likely it is that a pull is going to give you someone you really need.

    That actually was the whole point of honor and citations.

    Edit:I always felt the price of things for honor were inflated and still do.
    I felt that the original thought I had was really too low. And when I thought about events, I realized I was taking the incentive for event offers and packs away. So I think my solution was that things in the honor hall should have been reduced by half of course no change ever happened, but they did give us those sales for honor. I do believe the last occurrence was too recent for there to be an honor sale now though.

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