"PASS" option for top tier rewards that aren't needed

JVReal

It seems like many people are complaining about the top tier winners not needing the rewards they are earning and therefore selling them, severely limiting or bottle-necking the flow of highly sought after rewards such as 4* covers.

Many top ranking players say they do sell the covers or don't need them, but they compete because they are in top tier alliances and are required or feel required to rank at a certain level for the sake of the alliance.

Could there perhaps be a "PASS" option when issuing rewards where the top tier players essentially cash in the cover for ISO and bump the cover down to the next highest ranking individual in the lower tier if the only reward difference is which cover is granted?

For example, if the #1 player doesn't need the X-Force cover that is currently the reward, he/she would choose "PASS" and get Iso, and then the #2 ranked person would get the X-Force cover with a message "Player #1 has passed this reward on to you, congratulations!". That player then has the option to accept or pass it on to the next highest rank person who would otherwise have missed the reward.

This keeps the number of covers in play limited to the amount rewarded instead of significantly lower due to selling, and passes them to the players that really need them and worked hard to try and get them but fell short.

Just a thought.

Unknown

This is a good idea in principle, but it needs considerably more development in detail.

For starters, the decision to pass or accept a reward must be made before the end of an event, or the reward resolution process could be greatly delayed. How would this preference be specified by the players? One can add check boxes to the event rewards window, but should players be allowed to pick and choose every single reward? Or should they only be allowed to select one maximum reward tier, such that all rewards above it are passed?

To prevent players from hoarding all rewards from above, a passed reward must be able to push lower rewards down the ranks. How would this downward flow of rewards interact with the reward preferences?

What is the impact on the meta game? Will the competitive drive be dampened because people can now get lucky with passed rewards? Will players begin to negotiate with each other outside the game for passed rewards, perhaps resulting in the formation of a black market?

Passing rewards will also greatly increase the supply of currently rare covers. This will no doubt impact the intended progression schedule, and more importantly, the bottom line of the developers. Will the reward tiers have to be tightened as a result of this? Is there any way to replace the loss revenue? Would the change be popular enough that increases in player retention can offset the losses?

This idea has been brought up before on the forum, but it still needs quite a bit more work on it before it can be considered for implementation.