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Why did expeditions go away for so long?

On the wiki, they appear to be nearly monthly in 2016, but the upcoming one will be only the 2nd of 2017. Was there a lot of complaining about them or something that made them go away? I was only just getting started in the game when the last one happened i had completely forgotten about it. As i recall it was fun-ish.

Comments

  • DScottHewittDScottHewitt ✭✭✭✭✭
    On the wiki, they appear to be nearly monthly in 2016, but the upcoming one will be only the 2nd of 2017. Was there a lot of complaining about them or something that made them go away? I was only just getting started in the game when the last one happened i had completely forgotten about it. As i recall it was fun-ish.

    I doubt it was that. I think maybe 99% of the people I have seen comment LOVE Expeditions.


    Scott

    "The truth is like a lion; you don't have to defend it. Let it loose; it will defend itself."
  • Grant77Grant77 ✭✭✭✭
    On the wiki, they appear to be nearly monthly in 2016, but the upcoming one will be only the 2nd of 2017. Was there a lot of complaining about them or something that made them go away? I was only just getting started in the game when the last one happened i had completely forgotten about it. As i recall it was fun-ish.

    Expeditions are the most well liked event according to several polls that I have seen. I remember getting my first gold only a month in, when I could barely place top 10,000 in a faction event. The problem lies in the fact that DB has yet to sufficiently monetize them. No money means no events.
  • DavideBooksDavideBooks ✭✭✭✭✭
    Expeditions probably also take more work to create.
  • PallidynePallidyne ✭✭✭✭✭
    I think they aren't high money makers.
    You spend money for extra tickets, but that's about it and the tickets weren't that expensive.
    Chrons for a galaxy or more boosters for shuttles gain DB a lot more cashflow as you gotta spend more to get more.

    I wonder if event packs aren't selling as well if they are relying on the other methods for income in game.
  • Grant77 wrote: »
    . The problem lies in the fact that DB has yet to sufficiently monetize them. No money means no events.

    That make sense, i didn't consider the fact that it wouldnt drive people to compete as much.
  • Banjo1012Banjo1012 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Pallidyne wrote: »
    I think they aren't high money makers.
    You spend money for extra tickets, but that's about it and the tickets weren't that expensive.
    Chrons for a galaxy or more boosters for shuttles gain DB a lot more cashflow as you gotta spend more to get more.

    I wonder if event packs aren't selling as well if they are relying on the other methods for income in game.

    I totally agree with this. Tickets are 20 dilithium. More chrons cost way more. Shuttle boosts are 50 dilithium for one ten pack, or 150 and progressively higher for a 6 pack on Thursdays.

  • This Sisko1This Sisko1 ✭✭✭✭✭
    When the events initiated, one ticket lasted 2 hours. You got 4 a day plus bonus ones from rewards. You could spend all the time trying to critical a node without doing it. My highest ranking was this type of event. I hated it. You got tired doing the same thing over and over again. They made a change that once you unlocked epic, it would stay unlocked. Then they made the change that you can get a critical every time but the points varies on the crew. The tickets were also reduced to 20 minutes.

    The reason people still hate it is it requires a lot of time still. But it's no different that galaxies now a day since you get so much more than before. But extended events of this time are still not well received. Last Xmas, it was a full expidetion and people like to compete so for 5 days it was a drain. The fact that a new event starts 2 days later is also a burnout factor.

    Now why do these not make money? Shuttles, people pay for shuttle boosts, Thursday cadet tickets, and shuttle speedups. Galaxy sales on extended voyages, cadet tickets, chroniton buys and pack offers. Expidetions really only sale additional tickets. It goes from 20 dil to 40 80 and so forth. But each one requires time and lessens the impulse buy so most only buy a minimum amount. Less than additional cadet tickets at 150 dil. So it's not a money maker and older guys like me remember fingers bleeding. With all of that combined, these types make less revenue.
  • Pallidyne wrote: »
    I wonder if event packs aren't selling as well if they are relying on the other methods for income in game.

    *cough* art *cough* risk of duplicates + low honour ratio *cough*
  • I hate expedition due to the time limit on the ticket. I very rarely have continuous gaming time so for me the expedition events clashed with work and wife. Add the frustration of not getting crits on nodes and for me they were hell. I hope that with the changes to crits etc I'll enjoy it more, but for me I can see myself stopping after the threshold.
  • There's only one reason they woud: Expeditions didn't put butts in seats.

    Pack-buyers will by packs to get new characters regardless of event type. It's the nameless masses that weren't participating. Maybe it's because they had that strange combination of feelng rushed, being super-dependant on RNG, and being a tedious grind.

    Remember, the people on the forums are a vocal minority of very-active players. Many of them liked it because: 1) Variety, 2) They're active anyway and can take the grind, and 3) Competition in those events was weaker, so they tended to do better.

    DB has to worry about the aggregate of players.

    Last time out, they made adjustment to try to adjust the poor nature of Expeditions. Hopefully they contine to make changes, and give they type a bit more chances to allow the wider player base to understand how they work.
  • At release, expeditions were quite a grind. However, since changes have been implemented (no expiring tickets, guaranteed rare reward on crit, no longer having to reunlock every tier, etc.) I spend about 45 minutes running through my three tickets and then can call it a day.

    My guess is that they are more time intensive to make (each one is like a mini episode and we know how long those take) and they don't make enough money for DB to justify them.
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  • [BL] Q wrote: »
    I'm sitting in the corner here still waiting on a ship battle event :(
    yo5ms0m9t9aw.jpg

    Same.
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  • Hope_FHope_F ✭✭✭
    The reason why those events are so well liked is only because they almost never happen. It's the diversity people are craving for, not the actual event type. The last one (part of a hybrid I believe) was third event of the Klingon Mega...it was my only one and I recall that I was glad when it was over. It's a lot of work. People say that Galaxy are work too, but I feel I can do them pretty much blindly...you usually do not have such a deep bench and select the single crew you need within a second or so while alongside you watch a TV show or so (I prefarm, so I don't have to go for items during Galaxy)...This is not so easy with Expedition, you have to pay more attention, where you click, which crew you select at every node, preplan the mission, etc.

    I am convinced that Expeditions would be the least liked event types if they happened 1/3 of the time.

    Of course there is also the fact that they are not a cash cow, so DB doesn't really care about them.
  • Hope_F wrote: »
    I am convinced that Expeditions would be the least liked event types if they happened 1/3 of the time.

    I'd tend to second this.

    I find them entertaining, to be honest, for the first 30 minutes. It's always nice to do new away missions and the text and storyline can be quite entertaining. After that first hour of fun I need at least 5 months to relax before being ready to take on a new Expedition.
    "Dance with me. For science."
  • Expeditions happened to be my favorite event before they were devalued in the rotation. Everyone has their preferences, but many players preferred them even when they did occur a 1/3 of the time.
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  • I have never liked Expeditions. trying to get through them is a pain.
  • FutureImperfectaFutureImperfecta ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited December 2017
    I loved them when they were 1/3 , when they were slowed down and even now.

    I wish this could have been a full on expedition instead of a hybrid but I'm happy with any expedition I can get.

    In some aspects it's like making a full episode but in my opinion way easier.. and not-much- harder.. heck maybe even easier then a faction.

    In an episode they have to worry about balance of prizes, the prizes them self and connecting then to every branch out of part gathering in the game.

    (On top of the continuing base story of the game).

    Faction events you have at least 40-60 text blurbs and often way more to them (2 or 3 faction, x10, x win blurb and lose blurb).

    Expeditions, there are 5 missions, usually 5 parts in each and a win lose blurb for each so in the end, you've got about 50 blutbs and they're generally smaller

    " Name_vslue was unable to defeat the snake, everyone died". Or "name_value used their charm to subdue the snake, everyone lived"

    So in the end, there really isn't a lot of extra work creating an Expedition over a faction event.. in some cases it's slightly less.

    So, then it does all come down to profit..
    If my memory serves me the last expedition did have a slightly higher ticket cost versus all previous Expedition..

    I like that they made the changes that they did..
    They ended up rolling out the same changes to the rest of the games away team missions (always crit if points = Target) however for the purposes of monitizing they instead could have incorporated boosts on to Expeditions as well, Serving in a similar way as in Galaxy's..

    They would either boost odds of getting the star (bonus component in a Galaxy) or it could have served as a way of "strengthening" a character that had a lot of fatigue.. for characters that give big point bonus these would make boosts a continuous use item, especially for newer players or players without a deep bench.
  • MagisseMagisse ✭✭✭✭✭
    Morn wrote: »
    I hate expedition due to the time limit on the ticket. I very rarely have continuous gaming time so for me the expedition events clashed with work and wife. Add the frustration of not getting crits on nodes and for me they were hell. I hope that with the changes to crits etc I'll enjoy it more, but for me I can see myself stopping after the threshold.
    Note that there's no longer a time limit on the ticket either, so your two main frustrations are now gone.
  • This will be an interesting change due to the Starbase upgrades we have, to be able to crit higher and finish the missions more easily. Maybe that is what DB is counting on so we buy 2x more tix? I'm okay with that. This is one event I am actually looking forward to in the last few months of 'meh' events.
    I want to become a Dilionaire...
  • Exactly Sinclair !
    The events themselves have given us players the fatigue lol. Switching it up, new (it in this case returning) types of events are critical to player enjoyment.

    Player enjoyment = $
  • Zombie Squirrel Zombie Squirrel ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited December 2017
    Funny, expeditions are the ONLY event where i spend dilithium(for extra tickets, 8k last time). So from my side DB gets the most cash, event wise. :D
    •SSR Delta Flyers•
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