Re: Q&A 5 - Roster slot answer

hesjingixen

During the Q&A, when addressing the question regarding roster slots, they said something like "If you're doing Deadpool's dailies, you should have about 375 extra HP".

Wth are they talking about? Deadpool's Daily awards ISO and covers. Where are they seeing 375 HP?

Unknown

hesjingixen wrote:

During the Q&A, when addressing the question regarding roster slots, they said something like "If you're doing Deadpool's dailies, you should have about 375 extra HP".

Wth are they talking about? Deadpool's Daily awards ISO and covers. Where are they seeing 375 HP?

Tokens

Unknown

KrazyKeylime

unreliable HP can not be counted as reliable HP i suspect someones thinking seems flawed. I have been playing 2 accounts everyday so far no HP combined yet where my 375 HP for roster slots? doesn't seem fair to factor it as a given when the draw is completely random at a low %. is very possible for it not to have come up in 2 weeks. if the % increased to 100%, or until it hits, at the end of two weeks then that is a different story.

Edited: for better explaination

GrumpySmurf1002

Their estimate is off anyway. At this point the expected return would be 286 HP. (13 per token)

Even doing something like 250 is 1 in 25 to get there, then 375 is 1.5*25 = ~38 tokens, which wouldn't make sense since we're only 22 tokens into the project.

KrazyKeylime

one solution should be to have first set of heroes have an iso cost and duplicates cost HP to open a roster slot. one thing to address the current state of the game is that they should of made daily rewards retro active. So we can afford roster slots today. i mean come on roster slots have been an issue since 2013 and little to no progress has been made on this issue. if they stopped the cost from rising (250HP cap because the usefulness of roster slots is cover dependent) that will allow us to start building a surplus to be able to spend on something else besides roster slots. i got an xforce that needs some love but all my HP goes to roster slots and the occasional shield.

Chirus

I think we need to call it what it is: a temporary bandaid. Even if there was a guaranteed HP drop per daily (which would be crazy), it's still a static amount to address a problem that by design will continue to increase with every additional purchase. In time, all the HP that you can earn in a month will still not be enough to purchase one spot on your roster (and of course every two weeks we get a new toon). Once we cross that threshold, I think we should simply petition to make this game a pay-per-month and just do away with roster slot costs because that may save more money than shelling out $50 every month just to keep up with the release schedule.

Before anyone says it, let me cut you off, please don't talk about cash-grab. There is such a thing as cost and benefit. The company will have to realize at some point certain aspects of their game have become too pricey for anyone to justify a purchase. If they start to lose sales significantly because no one is willing to pay the exorbitant cost to keep playing their game, that is when they are backed into the wall and must do something about this obvious problem. Clearly, we have not crossed that line yet, and we may not get a straight answer until we do.

SnowcaTT

Woo, my crusade. I keep getting less excited about it, apparently they aren't going to do anything about it.

Having a little HP extra every week or two isn't going to help when you are introducing a new character every other week, and therefore players need to buy an extra roster spot every other week. At this point those slots are 800 HP, and they'll soon be 850 HP if you have one of every character.

Lots of people have suggested lots of fixes, from free each time you add a character (good idea!) to capped at 500 HP or so (good idea!) to free ones for 1* and very cheap for 2* (good idea!) - none of these have been addressed.

Let me throw another one out there for you D3, though marvel wouldn't probably sign off on it. Give me banner advertising on the sides, and free roster slots. I'll have the option to either pay for roster slots and remove the advertising, or live with free roster slots and ads.

Anything but ever increasing prices that never level off for roster slots, it's getting ridiculous. When you introduce low-power 3*'s (SG, a recent example) and people debate when she's even worth keeping a slot for - it's time to consider changing the prices of the slots.

Or slowing down character releases - another common request! I think this is a better income driver, so maybe you should get roster slots under control to KEEP that income coming in as players can then keep the characters!

Spoit

GrumpySmurf1002 wrote:

Their estimate is off anyway. At this point the expected return would be 286 HP. (13 per token)

Even doing something like 250 is 1 in 25 to get there, then 375 is 1.5*25 = ~38 tokens, which wouldn't make sense since we're only 22 tokens into the project.

That math is off too, the expected value is ~182 HP/week: assuming 14 tokens a week, @4% you have about .56 successes a week, for an expected value of 140 HP +@0.3% probability you expect about 0.042 sucesses a week *1000=42HP

So assuming you have the low, low, low HP cost per slot cost of 1k a slot, you could buy a slot every month and a half, or about every 3rd character release

Zen808

Spoit wrote:

GrumpySmurf1002 wrote:

Their estimate is off anyway. At this point the expected return would be 286 HP. (13 per token)

Even doing something like 250 is 1 in 25 to get there, then 375 is 1.5*25 = ~38 tokens, which wouldn't make sense since we're only 22 tokens into the project.

That math is off too, the expected value is ~182 HP/week: assuming 14 tokens a week, @4% you have about .56 successes a week, for an expected value of 140 HP +@0.3% probability you expect about 0.042 sucesses a week *1000=42HP

So assuming you have the low, low, low HP cost per slot cost of 1k a slot, you could buy a slot every month and a half, or about every 3rd character release

182 HP per week x 2 = 364 every 2 weeks. I'm gonna guess they rounded to the nearest 25, for their given answer of 375 every 2 weeks.

But the main problem is that it's a static modifier to an increasing variable. So eventually, we'll be right back to the problem of we're needing more HP than they're giving out.

Unknown

I have a few questions that I would like the community to answer, hopefully someone can turn it into a poll.
1. How much is it too much? Considering slot prices the devs said that the slot prices are fine the way they are but in the future not so far away a roster slot will cost just about the same as a 3* cover, is that right?
2a. If the roster slots had a cap (700hp for a slot after 50 slots) how would you spend your earned hp? Hopping? Covers? Or enter events where they charge hp?
2b. If the roster slots had a cap would it be ok if the devs removed hp rewards and replace them with ISO rewards?
3. If the devs do come to the conclusion that the slots are over priced, would it be a good idea for the devs to stop releasing new characters until the slot prices are fixed?

I love this game but I don't know if I see my self spending 1600 hp every two weeks for slots plus shields and covers that are worth it.
Anyways feel free to add other questions that you may have about slot prices.

Spoit

808SpicyToro wrote:

Spoit wrote:

GrumpySmurf1002 wrote:

Their estimate is off anyway. At this point the expected return would be 286 HP. (13 per token)

Even doing something like 250 is 1 in 25 to get there, then 375 is 1.5*25 = ~38 tokens, which wouldn't make sense since we're only 22 tokens into the project.

That math is off too, the expected value is ~182 HP/week: assuming 14 tokens a week, @4% you have about .56 successes a week, for an expected value of 140 HP +@0.3% probability you expect about 0.042 sucesses a week *1000=42HP

So assuming you have the low, low, low HP cost per slot cost of 1k a slot, you could buy a slot every month and a half, or about every 3rd character release

182 HP per week x 2 = 364 every 2 weeks. I'm gonna guess they rounded to the nearest 25, for their given answer of 375 every 2 weeks.

But the main problem is that it's a static modifier to an increasing variable. So eventually, we'll be right back to the problem of we're needing more HP than they're giving out.

Eventually? The arguement is that it's already a drop in the bucket. Even hitting the 0.3% jackpot isn't enough for a single slot for many people

KrazyKeylime

Teno1 wrote:

I have a few questions that I would like the community to answer, hopefully someone can turn it into a poll.
1. How much is it too much? Considering slot prices the devs said that the slot prices are fine the way they are but in the future not so far away a roster slot will cost just about the same as a 3* cover, is that right?
2a. If the roster slots had a cap (700hp for a slot after 50 slots) how would you spend your earned hp? Hopping? Covers? Or enter events where they charge hp?
2b. If the roster slots had a cap would it be ok if the devs removed hp rewards and replace them with ISO rewards?
3. If the devs do come to the conclusion that the slots are over priced, would it be a good idea for the devs to stop releasing new characters until the slot prices are fixed?

I love this game but I don't know if I see my self spending 1600 hp every two weeks for slots plus shields and covers that are worth it.
Anyways feel free to add other questions that you may have about slot prices.

1) The benefit of adding a new roster slot has marginal returns ( the character is basically useless unless it is an essential for an event or you are a new player and anything is helpful) upon purchase and the value doesn't come in until you get more covers on said character. so it needs to be treated as such an cost should be capped at a modest sum of HP 250 seems about right.Lets face it that new lvl 40 character with one cover is not going to win you any matches against level 200+ enemies. For most players it has no immediate value but is a cost because covers expire.I personally feel that an iso cost is what that feature deserve if that at all, if i had to design it there would be no cost to roster slot for your fist copy of the character it would unlock once you receive the cover for the character. if you want to recruit a second copy of that character then a tax must be paid 250 HP that doubles for each copy you want to have of the character. The base price can be adjusted by rarity but no hp cost for 1* and 2* character that is ridiculous given the current drop rates.

2a) any cap will help the current situation, however 700hp is over 5$ and that far exceeds the value the slot like most of the pricing of many aspects of MPQ. i would spend hp on shields and covers xforce need some love.

2b) it depends on where they take it from. it was in standard tokens a while back but they removed it from there. HP is a scarce and unpredictable resource a maximum of 450HP can be won from PVP event and most people win only 50-150 HP. if you want a single cover of a 3* it cost 1250 HP, just over $10,you need to win first place as player and alliance 3 times to have enough to buy a single 3* character. i think we the hp for that and shields cause using a shield usually gives you a small net gain in hp per event if that, let alone buying multiple shield per PvP. i think they already have enough outlets planned with more and more characters coming out that they don't need to remove any current HP sources unless they plan to reprice the whole system. and if not they can develop pay events that have juicy rewards or exclusive characters
3) it if the choice is either develop new character or fix roster slots, roster slots can be fixed in a few weeks of work if it was a high enough priority and only one or two characters need to be delayed. for business purpose they can both be done at the same time over a longer period of time just let the player base know it is being addressed but that doesn't seem like it is happening.

I think MPQ needs to reprice its whole system. Everything, even shields, cost way too much considering how scarce HP is given. Even if 3* cost 600 per cover that is $75 to max a 3* just on covers which is unreasonable!!! whole games cost less then $50 hell a marvel comic cost 3.99 for the whole damn comic. If they put a code in each of those for a free 3* cover i would buy tons of them. Adjust the prices and let the average player support the game we like to play.

comic book prices
1938: 10¢
1962: 12¢
1969: 15¢
1971: 20¢
1974: 25¢
1976: 30¢
1977: 35¢
1979: 40¢
1980: 50¢
1982: 60¢
1985: 65¢
1986: 75¢
1988: $1.00
1992: $1.25
1995: $1.50
1996: $1.95
1997: $1.99
2000: $2.25
2005: $2.50
2006: $2.99
2009: $3.99

Adjusted comic book prices from 2012
1938: $1.63
1943: $1.33
1948: $.95
1953: $.95
1958: $.86
1962: $.91
1969: $.94
1971: $1.13
1974: $.1.16
1976: $1.21
1977: $1.32
1979: $1.26
1980:: $1.39
1982: $1.43
1985: $1.39
1986: $1.57
1988: $1.94
1992: $2.04
1995: $2.26
1996: $2.85
1997: $2.94
2000: $3.00
2005: $2.94
2006: $3.40
2009: $4.27
2012: $3.99

Unknown

KrazyKeylime wrote:

Teno1 wrote:

I have a few questions that I would like the community to answer, hopefully someone can turn it into a poll.
1. How much is it too much? Considering slot prices the devs said that the slot prices are fine the way they are but in the future not so far away a roster slot will cost just about the same as a 3* cover, is that right?
2a. If the roster slots had a cap (700hp for a slot after 50 slots) how would you spend your earned hp? Hopping? Covers? Or enter events where they charge hp?
2b. If the roster slots had a cap would it be ok if the devs removed hp rewards and replace them with ISO rewards?
3. If the devs do come to the conclusion that the slots are over priced, would it be a good idea for the devs to stop releasing new characters until the slot prices are fixed?

I love this game but I don't know if I see my self spending 1600 hp every two weeks for slots plus shields and covers that are worth it.
Anyways feel free to add other questions that you may have about slot prices.

1) The benefit of adding a new roster slot has marginal returns ( the character is basically useless unless it is an essential for an event or you are a new player and anything is helpful) upon purchase and the value doesn't come in until you get more covers on said character. so it needs to be treated as such an cost should be capped at a modest sum of HP 250 seems about right.Lets face it that new lvl 40 character with one cover is not going to win you any matches against level 200+ enemies. For most players it has no immediate value but is a cost because covers expire.I personally feel that an iso cost is what that feature deserve if that at all, if i had to design it there would be no cost to roster slot for your fist copy of the character it would unlock once you receive the cover for the character. if you want to recruit a second copy of that character then a tax must be paid 250 HP that doubles for each copy you want to have of the character. The base price can be adjusted by rarity but no hp cost for 1* and 2* character that is ridiculous given the current drop rates.

2a) any cap will help the current situation, however 700hp is over 5$ and that far exceeds the value the slot like most of the pricing of many aspects of MPQ. i would spend hp on shields and covers xforce need some love.

2b) it depends on where they take it from. it was in standard tokens a while back but they removed it from there. HP is a scarce and unpredictable resource a maximum of 450HP can be won from PVP event and most people win only 50-150 HP. if you want a single cover of a 3* it cost 1250 HP, just over $10,you need to win first place as player and alliance 3 times to have enough to buy a single 3* character. i think we the hp for that and shields cause using a shield usually gives you a small net gain in hp per event if that, let alone buying multiple shield per PvP. i think they already have enough outlets planned with more and more characters coming out that they don't need to remove any current HP sources unless they plan to reprice the whole system. and if not they can develop pay events that have juicy rewards or exclusive characters
3) it if the choice is either develop new character or fix roster slots, roster slots can be fixed in a few weeks of work if it was a high enough priority and only one or two characters need to be delayed. for business purpose they can both be done at the same time over a longer period of time just let the player base know it is being addressed but that doesn't seem like it is happening.

I think MPQ needs to reprice its whole system. Everything, even shields, cost way too much considering how scarce HP is given. Even if 3* cost 600 per cover that is $75 to max a 3* just on covers which is unreasonable!!! whole games cost less then $50 hell a marvel comic cost 3.99 for the whole damn comic. If they put a code in each of those for a free 3* cover i would buy tons of them. Adjust the prices and let the average player support the game we like to play.

comic book prices
1938: 10¢
1962: 12¢
1969: 15¢
1971: 20¢
1974: 25¢
1976: 30¢
1977: 35¢
1979: 40¢
1980: 50¢
1982: 60¢
1985: 65¢
1986: 75¢
1988: $1.00
1992: $1.25
1995: $1.50
1996: $1.95
1997: $1.99
2000: $2.25
2005: $2.50
2006: $2.99
2009: $3.99

Adjusted comic book prices from 2012
1938: $1.63
1943: $1.33
1948: $.95
1953: $.95
1958: $.86
1962: $.91
1969: $.94
1971: $1.13
1974: $.1.16
1976: $1.21
1977: $1.32
1979: $1.26
1980:: $1.39
1982: $1.43
1985: $1.39
1986: $1.57
1988: $1.94
1992: $2.04
1995: $2.26
1996: $2.85
1997: $2.94
2000: $3.00
2005: $2.94
2006: $3.40
2009: $4.27
2012: $3.99

Thank you for responding the questions. It is good to know that others think roster slots are one of the things keeping this game from being fun. Also one more question.

What priority would you give to fixing the slot prices over any other problem the game has? In a scale from 1-10 10 being to highest priority?

Unknown

GrumpySmurf1002 wrote:

Their estimate is off anyway. At this point the expected return would be 286 HP. (13 per token)

Even doing something like 250 is 1 in 25 to get there, then 375 is 1.5*25 = ~38 tokens, which wouldn't make sense since we're only 22 tokens into the project.

They know what they are doing and their estimate is not off from the moment they decided that you will have a 2.5% to draw 250HP. I am not even counting 1000 because it's too rare. Assuming you will get 286 HP from 13 tokens is like assuming you will get at least 1 six if you roll a D6 dice 6 times. Probabilities are not so convenient. My score so far is 1/19 (She-Hulk) and one of those tokens gave 250 HP so you are not so far behind.

KrazyKeylime

Teno1 wrote:

Thank you for responding the questions. It is good to know that others think roster slots are one of the things keeping this game from being fun. Also one more question.

What priority would you give to fixing the slot prices over any other problem the game has? In a scale from 1-10 10 being to highest priority?

with the DDQ it should impact may of the current problems the game faces. Some outstanding issues are roster slots, pricing, balancing of heroes, scaling, mmr, lack of new events and/or lack of cooperative events. with the additions of 8 hr refreshers the events can be put on the back burner for a bit while we cycle through the remaining events, but separating events into tiers so that players are competing for rewards based on their current progress in their specific trasition would be helpful so we all are not competing for the same rewards . Scaling and MMR we are told they are constantly being tweaked. Balancing of Heroes will take alot of development and given their track record they tend to beat heroes into the ground with nerfs so i am hesitant to suggest it be the priority, i would prioritize pricing in general and roster slots. roster slots can be the easier to fix of the 2. Pricing looks like it will need alot of work to make prices reasonable without breaking the game.

Unknown

808SpicyToro wrote:

182 HP per week x 2 = 364 every 2 weeks. I'm gonna guess they rounded to the nearest 25, for their given answer of 375 every 2 weeks.

But the main problem is that it's a static modifier to an increasing variable. So eventually, we'll be right back to the problem of we're needing more HP than they're giving out.

Well slots cost me 1050HP each so 6 weeks for each one. The each HP should help keeping my HP stable for a while longer. If they really want to go this way they could have gone with a 2% chance to pull a free slot.

GrumpySmurf1002

Spoit wrote:

GrumpySmurf1002 wrote:

Their estimate is off anyway. At this point the expected return would be 286 HP. (13 per token)

Even doing something like 250 is 1 in 25 to get there, then 375 is 1.5*25 = ~38 tokens, which wouldn't make sense since we're only 22 tokens into the project.

That math is off too, the expected value is ~182 HP/week: assuming 14 tokens a week, @4% you have about .56 successes a week, for an expected value of 140 HP +@0.3% probability you expect about 0.042 sucesses a week *1000=42HP

So assuming you have the low, low, low HP cost per slot cost of 1k a slot, you could buy a slot every month and a half, or about every 3rd character release

Then I lost a day somewhere. Mine's based on 22 tokens, 11 days. 22x13 = 286.

simonsez

Do I wish roster slots cost less? Of course. That said, I open a new slot for every new character, shield hop to 1000 for 4s I need, use rainbow boosts in certain extreme situations, and yet my HP flow is still very positive. So it's hard for me to argue that the game economics are off.

PeterGibbons316

It's very hard for new players to keep up with both the new characters, as well as other characters they need in their rosters. It seems like every other week there is a new character that always ends up being essential for the next event, so if you want to keep earning the new character you are nearly forced to buy a roster slot to house that essential character that allows you to be competitive in the next event.

Roswulf

Fundamentally, I think the Roster Slot system is misconceived. The primary lever that the game uses to signal accomplishment to new players is giving them new covers, especially new covers of new characters. By charging for roster slots, this primary method of making people happy and eager to play MPQ can instead become frustrating. The current system is thus a huge barrier against player retention. Adjusting prices is only a band-aid obscuring the core issue that uncovering a new character should always feel good- I shouldn't be coming home today dreading the fact that I just won an Iron Fist in PvE.

But clearly D3 has done the math and thinks that the revenue from roster slot purchases is worth more than the harm to the player experience. And given I've paid cash for roster slots in the past and likely to do so in the near future...who am I to argue otherwise?