What about everyone else though? Why replace and not add? The real reason no one has answered this is because there is no justification for replacing versus adding. Players have to settle for a "less is more" typical statement from a game developer rather than just making this a non-issue and adding ISM to an established tier.
On another thread, someone suggested that they can't have any one day with multiple rewards on the same tier. That was likely a programming setup when they were made. If that is the case, then they can't give ISM or anything else without swapping another item. While I find trainers and rations even more useless, most new people need them more than crates. That may not be your situation, and you may or may not like it, but it is a reasonable explanation.
On another thread, someone suggested that they can't have any one day with multiple rewards on the same tier. That was likely a programming setup when they were made. If that is the case, then they can't give ISM or anything else without swapping another item. While I find trainers and rations even more useless, most new people need them more than crates. That may not be your situation, and you may or may not like it, but it is a reasonable explanation.
I'm looking more for a rationalization on the part of the developers. If it is a problem that is inherent to the game code, it seems like that is a problem that should be addressed. From what I have heard, the game needs a complete overhaul under the hood; we can only hope that Tilting Point will address these shortcomings. Changing the campaign and announcing such a change 1 day prior to the campaign being released only illustrates their willingness to make major decisions with little to no player input.
Yes, it's gonna be really really great. More polestars can be opened. Good luck trying to use them haha. It's quantum we need. Sorry about the sarcasm.
I understand how the crates can be beneficial. I intentionally leave more than a dozen crew unequipped so that the crates can be useful, but I still only get useful drops barely more than half the time. Most of the time, the items just fill my inventory until I have to go in and delete the garbage. It is also frustrating to get multiple copies of the same thing that is needed exclusively for one crew who is long-frozen. Getting the successful drops is nice, but ultimately it only save a small amount of chronitons or credits, both of which are easily obtainable if you play regularly and have a bit of experience. I agree that the trainers would be much better to replace, but they know just how much experienced players complain about getting useless drops that fill their inventory.
Ultimately, ask yourself if you want the means to get more targeted crew, even if only twice a month, or a few items, half of which are useless. As much as I have occasionally gotten decent drops, I expect that the ability to have more polestars when my quantum recharges.
Think like this: yes, you lose out on some items, but you have a much improved chance of getting good polestars so that you can target desired crew a couple times a month. More of your desired crew trumps a few items, in my opinion.
In addition, if you are someone who likes to buy the campaign at the end, the crates are much less likely to give useful things all at once, so if you get it at the end, the massive dump of ISM would still be good.
One counter argument to this is that it’s so difficult to free up extra crew slots, people won’t be able to retrieve crew anyway without air locking cards they’d prefer to have immortalised. And what’s the point in creating a feature that people struggle to use?
Where you are in the game overall has a clear impact on how useful you find different elements. I think a lot of features benefit ‘later game’ players most, so why take away something that can be a boost to those at an earlier stage?
I think there’s a glimmer of agreement here anyway... there would probably have been a lot less concern if they had replaced the replicator rations rather than crates, as a decent number of players (though clearly not everyone) find the crates useful.
I would suggest to TP that instead of replacing crates with ISM, they just make ISM as an additional reward when crates drop. Keeps everyone happy and certainly isn’t game breaking.
+1 to this. TP, it would be a gesture of good faith after what just happened and shouldn't affect any bottom line too much, if at all.
Or they could have used the poll feature themselves and got some actual player input as to what they thought was best and why.
Agree that more player input should be requested and listened to. Getting feedback, and using said feedback, is crucial to a satisfied player base IMO.
Why not add a weekly community reward based on various tasks that awards all active players? X shuttles one week. Gauntlets the next. We are supposed to be in this together right? Make the milestones reasonable, but endless. As long as we grind it out, we get more.
Or how about just converting surplus accolades to ISM?
They could have added it in so, so many places. Gauntlet boxes, Skirmish bonuses, collections, lots of options
All very good suggestions. I especially like the community reward one. Make them temporary achievements that we all need to work towards. I think most would be OK with that.
I use to artificially leave inventory slots open for crates and dabo and never got useless stuff from the former and rarely from the latter. If I do it happens mostly due to open reenlistmens.
When the campaigns were introduced I had played my account for only a few months. I vividly remember how helpful these crates, replicator rations and trainers were, and I feel sorry for newer players who cannot spare 5 million credits anyway to retrieve more crew.
The change is quite hostile to new players.
Wir, die Mirror Tribbles [MiT] haben freie Plätze zu vergeben. Kein Zwang und kein Stress, dafür aber Spaß, Discord und eine nette, hilfsbereite Gemeinschaft, incl. voll ausgebauter Starbase und täglich 700 ISM.
While I get not everyone would find them useful - like I don't find the portal packs useful as I've got 30 premium 10 pack pulls since the last portal update sitting to pull for when the next one happens. I wouldn't want them taken away, as will use them eventually (as I do to equipment even if only as replicator fuel) so I don't get why you have to take something away to 'add' something in. You could add in ISM an additional reward with the merit drops etc. It really wasn't a binary choice of one or the other.
I've had Revolutionary Damar for awhile now. I got him within 6 months after the Gauntlet was released.
I never made one of his items though. It buffs his DIP base and nothing else. He only gets used occasionally in the gauntlet so I didn't bother figuring the game which just give it to me.
Neither the Gauntlet or Campaigns have ever given me this one piece of equipment. I've gotten plenty of Legendary Equipment over the years including duplicates of things I needed and things I never needed.
The Equipment crates are useless. Campaigns will give you more credits and replicator rations which are far, far more helpful. If you must spend money on the game you're much better off spending money on Voyage extensions or Cadet Tokens. Both will be much more useful.
Comments
What about everyone else though? Why replace and not add? The real reason no one has answered this is because there is no justification for replacing versus adding. Players have to settle for a "less is more" typical statement from a game developer rather than just making this a non-issue and adding ISM to an established tier.
I'm looking more for a rationalization on the part of the developers. If it is a problem that is inherent to the game code, it seems like that is a problem that should be addressed. From what I have heard, the game needs a complete overhaul under the hood; we can only hope that Tilting Point will address these shortcomings. Changing the campaign and announcing such a change 1 day prior to the campaign being released only illustrates their willingness to make major decisions with little to no player input.
One counter argument to this is that it’s so difficult to free up extra crew slots, people won’t be able to retrieve crew anyway without air locking cards they’d prefer to have immortalised. And what’s the point in creating a feature that people struggle to use?
Where you are in the game overall has a clear impact on how useful you find different elements. I think a lot of features benefit ‘later game’ players most, so why take away something that can be a boost to those at an earlier stage?
I think there’s a glimmer of agreement here anyway... there would probably have been a lot less concern if they had replaced the replicator rations rather than crates, as a decent number of players (though clearly not everyone) find the crates useful.
+1 to this. TP, it would be a gesture of good faith after what just happened and shouldn't affect any bottom line too much, if at all.
Agree that more player input should be requested and listened to. Getting feedback, and using said feedback, is crucial to a satisfied player base IMO.
All very good suggestions. I especially like the community reward one. Make them temporary achievements that we all need to work towards. I think most would be OK with that.
When the campaigns were introduced I had played my account for only a few months. I vividly remember how helpful these crates, replicator rations and trainers were, and I feel sorry for newer players who cannot spare 5 million credits anyway to retrieve more crew.
The change is quite hostile to new players.
I never made one of his items though. It buffs his DIP base and nothing else. He only gets used occasionally in the gauntlet so I didn't bother figuring the game which just give it to me.
Neither the Gauntlet or Campaigns have ever given me this one piece of equipment. I've gotten plenty of Legendary Equipment over the years including duplicates of things I needed and things I never needed.
The Equipment crates are useless. Campaigns will give you more credits and replicator rations which are far, far more helpful. If you must spend money on the game you're much better off spending money on Voyage extensions or Cadet Tokens. Both will be much more useful.