New feature: Shields

Unknown

Skyedyne wrote:

I think there should be a con to breaking your own shield, like a retroactive loss of points. Maybe not a 100% loss of points, but perhaps you receive 50% of total points that you could have lost through battles while under the effects of the shield.

At least this way it would be more tactical to use the shield instead of a spam and win type deal. As it stands, it's too easy to utilize them without any sort of repercussion of breaking early to say, increase your lead even more.

I see this as being way too exploitable, and a rich get richer system already.

The repercussions are that you tossed away HP. Your system is the complete antithesis of the idea behind the shields, and would either lead to people shielding early and wasting their HP or people not shielding at all and we have the same PVP as usual.

Unknown

7 in my top 10 in my bracket are shielded, highest being 900. this is some hilarious shiz, LEAPFROG TIME

Unknown

So this IS completely useless as anything but a way to hit progression rewards, because these 'systems' you are all talking about seem to only do that.

If you shield, all you're doing is giving everyone else around you an advantage for points collection, which means they'll overtake you in the standings. This means when you come back, you have 500 points, but now everyone is 100 points ahead, which is the same as losing 100 points due to attacks but without having the retaliations to make up for it.

Unknown

its a way to push up the rewards, and you should only be using shields neways during times that you won't be playing (like work and sleep). u essentially save your progress, which is nice.

Unknown

Shield is primarily used to hit the progression rewards. It also injects some stability in the final phase of a tournament. Normally, if you're #1 with 15 minutes left, your final ranking is likely anywhere between 1 and 200. Now, if you were able to shield at that time, you'd probably get a top 20 at least (though you probably won't get the #1 either assuming you didn't start with a big lead). Further, shields stops the 'last minute tournament entry' guys. If your bracket's top score is 1400, it's going to be awfully hard for a guy to enter in the last 60 minutes to even get anywhere close to that. Even at winning 40 points per game (and you probably won't), you'd need to win 35 games just to even be in striking range.

Unknown

jozier wrote:

Skyedyne wrote:

I think there should be a con to breaking your own shield, like a retroactive loss of points. Maybe not a 100% loss of points, but perhaps you receive 50% of total points that you could have lost through battles while under the effects of the shield.

At least this way it would be more tactical to use the shield instead of a spam and win type deal. As it stands, it's too easy to utilize them without any sort of repercussion of breaking early to say, increase your lead even more.

I see this as being way too exploitable, and a rich get richer system already.

The repercussions are that you tossed away HP. Your system is the complete antithesis of the idea behind the shields, and would either lead to people shielding early and wasting their HP or people not shielding at all and we have the same PVP as usual.

Given how easy it is to obtain free HP in this game, that isn't really a consideration as a penalty. Plenty of people by now have a small stockpile of HP waiting in the wings, especially with the advice given out in these forums as for how to wisely spend it. Granted, there is a distinct possibility that a majority of players do not visit these forums, but I would say it's safe to assume that a healthy portion do and reap the benefits of it.


As for the second part, I believe very strongly that shielding would continue even late into a tournament. The gamble of course being that you are essentially saying that this amount is going to be my winning number. Now, of course, it would most likely encourage more use of the lower shield amount, but as it stands now, it's essentially an "I win" button. Even by attacking the shielded person, unless you are able to repeatedly attack in succession, there is no viable way to close the gap now without : A.) The MMR giving you appropriate ranked opponents or above your rank, B.) Being able to selectively choose to fight opponents in your own bracket, and C.) Having the ability to also only show up in those people of your own bracket.

The system in place, of attacking others from outside your bracket, combined with the shield system, which can only really be effective in single bracket isolation, just isn't a balanced idea in its current incarnation. Hence, those with Ability to spam it incessantly will have the greater edge and benefit of it than someone who is trying to transition into the pvp aspect of the game, furthering the gap now between the haves and have nots.

Unknown

Kyosokun wrote:

So, far, from what people are reporting, there is now a reason not to tank your MMR. Getting to those really high spots will be increasingly tough without getting those higher folks in your MMR to keep giving you adequate points per match.

I feel like it's less your bracket, and more your MMR. your bracket can co-ordinate all you like, if all of you keep getting attacked by players in other brackets, you won't advance that high.

I agree on both points. I have been following a tanking methodology to place highly in the last few tournaments and by the sounds of things: I'm neither helping others nor myself by doing so. Once I get home it's time to join the shield band wagon and try to get up to 1k+ points.

Nemek

Yeah, the shields do severely discourage tanking, which is pretty good news (even though I was probably one of the biggest users.) You just can't acquire 1400+ points while simultaneously being at a low MMR (whether that be because garnering points is tougher at low MMR or because you'd just have to fight so many battles, you'd increase your MMR anyway.)

Unknown

Community service: Bag Man team at 1495 rating on Shield Training, shielded for 8 hrs if anyone still doesn't have those free HP. IGN Veracity, MMR I assume low to mid, though I am seeing a frightful lot of Ragses and Magses for someone still stuck with Thoverine as best option.

Not sure this is exactly the spirit in which it was intended to be used, but they must have anticipated it.

Unknown

I'm starting to like this shield thing lol.
Just hit 1100 and shielded for 24H. I think it's the best I can do with my team (85 wolv 85 thor 30 IM40).
I hope for a spidey... but even in worst case scenario I lost 50HP (=200-150 from progression) for an IM40 cover. Not bad at all
Oh... also got a bag-woman from the 800 token... lol

poomermon

Peridot wrote:

Community service: Bag Man team at 1495 rating on Shield Training, shielded for 8 hrs if anyone still doesn't have those free HP. IGN Veracity, MMR I assume low to mid, though I am seeing a frightful lot of Ragses and Magses for someone still stuck with Thoverine as best option.

Not sure this is exactly the spirit in which it was intended to be used, but they must have anticipated it.

Thank you. I actually farmed quite a bit points from you and other high ranked players who put **** teams for defence. I only have a 2-star team but I managed to get to 1750 points when everyone was busy playing lightning rounds. I expect to be eaten alive when those top players shields run out.

Unknown

I'm currently #2 in my ranking with 552, while #1 is 611 and shielded. I'd post up pictures, but I don't exactly know how...

Kelbris

Oversoul wrote:

I'm currently #2 in my ranking with 552, while #1 is 611 and shielded. I'd post up pictures, but I don't exactly know how...

There's probably a free screencap app you can download. There's a great one on the Google Play market.

Kelbris

So I just shielded and then yielded to someone, and my shield stayed intact. Neat.

Unknown

poomermon wrote:

Peridot wrote:

Community service: Bag Man team at 1495 rating on Shield Training, shielded for 8 hrs if anyone still doesn't have those free HP. IGN Veracity, MMR I assume low to mid, though I am seeing a frightful lot of Ragses and Magses for someone still stuck with Thoverine as best option.

Not sure this is exactly the spirit in which it was intended to be used, but they must have anticipated it.

Thank you. I actually farmed quite a bit points from you and other high ranked players who put **** teams for defence. I only have a 2-star team but I managed to get to 1750 points when everyone was busy playing lightning rounds. I expect to be eaten alive when those top players shields run out.

1750?????

that's ridiculous

Unknown

There is no mechanism that'd cap the amount of points you could get from shields. If people are taking turns shielding there's really no limit to how high a rating you could get to. I suspect the higher points you go, the more likely this is actually going to happen because people will perceive their 1000+ points as 'pretty good' and start shielding, which makes them easy targets for anyone else and then whoever hit them thinks 1000+more is 'pretty good' and shield and so on. Remember, the shielded guy cannot even retaliate, so unless his team is outrageously powerful, it really doens't get safer than attacking that guy.

Unknown

forgrim wrote:

poomermon wrote:

Peridot wrote:

Community service: Bag Man team at 1495 rating on Shield Training, shielded for 8 hrs if anyone still doesn't have those free HP. IGN Veracity, MMR I assume low to mid, though I am seeing a frightful lot of Ragses and Magses for someone still stuck with Thoverine as best option.

Not sure this is exactly the spirit in which it was intended to be used, but they must have anticipated it.

Thank you. I actually farmed quite a bit points from you and other high ranked players who put **** teams for defence. I only have a 2-star team but I managed to get to 1750 points when everyone was busy playing lightning rounds. I expect to be eaten alive when those top players shields run out.

1750?????

that's ridiculous

He's talking about SHIELD training. It's not that crazy, I got to 1600 with a **** team before to grab the Thor cover. Nobody plays the thing anyway. Well maybe now there will be more people playint it actually

Unknown

I'll be playing once the leaders are up in the Grey Suit Widow range.

Unknown

Peridot wrote:

Community service: Bag Man team at 1495 rating on Shield Training, shielded for 8 hrs if anyone still doesn't have those free HP. IGN Veracity, MMR I assume low to mid, though I am seeing a frightful lot of Ragses and Magses for someone still stuck with Thoverine as best option.

Not sure this is exactly the spirit in which it was intended to be used, but they must have anticipated it.

Even if it's not intended, a shielded opponent is still the safest person to attack by the virtue of that guy cannot retaliate against you at all. You can't control whose screen you happen to show up normally, but one less retaliation is still one less way to lose your points.

Unknown

Ghast wrote:

I'll be playing once the leaders are up in the Grey Suit Widow range.

That's what I was thinking. Actually I think I'll wait until leaders are a several hundred points above the GSBW range to be safe.