The Devs Wager on the Furture of MPQ

Colognoisseur

Based on recent events it seems like the development team of MPQ has placed a rather large wager on the survival of the game.
It seems like they want MPQ to be in as friendly a state for new players as it can be with what they hope are a new influx of players from the release of Avengers 2 and to a lesser extent Daredevil.
By the time a player finds this game sometime after May 1 it is likely all the characters from the Avengers 2 will be available as characters.
It is likely all the important Daredevil/Hell's Kitchen Netflix characters will be available too.
They are banking on trying to return the game to as much of a day one state as they can.
No new player should be getting stomped so they have devised a system to keep that from happening.
A new player needs to believe they can win cool new stuff and PvE caters to this.
If there are too many actual 4*'s that actually have the power increase that implies then that would be discouraging to new players. Better to make them nothing more than glorified 3.25* and solve that problem.
This is a significant moment for the game and if the development team is correct then it means every year when a new movie comes out they will continually reset the game to make it welcoming to the new players attracted by that.
I'm going to try and step off my self-imposed treadmill and just take what covers come for awhile and just sock away iso leveling up as I get covers. If I am correct the game will constantly be in a state of back and forth. Time to just ride with the tide and not stress about it. Or at least to try.

orbitalint

Great post Colog and from that perspective, I can completely see it. Some of their decisions are obviously not veteran-friendly but this theory at least implies some larger construct they are using to guide decisions. Because I couldn't make sense of many of their decisions over the last month or two.

They are obviously making a bet on an influx of new players for the upcoming releases. Just wish it didn't have to come at the expense of us vets.

Unknown

Addressing the broken game for noobs should be priority #1. They shouldn't need to screw up the high end game to do so though.

DPD helped but I'm not sure how much since I'm not a noob anymore when it was created. There's got to be some way you can divide player base, based on strength of overall roster to allow noobs the chance to compete for lots of 3* covers, while also letting vets duke it out.

esoxnepa

orbitalint wrote:

They are obviously making a bet on an influx of new players for the upcoming releases. Just wish it didn't have to come at the expense of us vets.

It doesn't have to, they are just unwilling to make some of the structural changes that are needed for a more mature game. So instead, they slap band-aids on and call it an improvement.

tanis3303

Switchman wrote:

Addressing the broken game for noobs should be priority #1. They shouldn't need to screw up the high end game to do so though.

DPD helped but I'm not sure how much since I'm not a noob anymore when it was created. There's got to be some way you can divide player base, based on strength of overall roster to allow noobs the chance to compete for lots of 3* covers, while also letting vets duke it out.

But what's the point if everything the vets are duking it out to try and win is just a keystroke and a whim away from being made obsolete? If this X-Force nerf goes live as I've seen it (trust me, its worse than Thora's) I'm out. I'm already feeling defeated by the nerfs, the MMR changes and countless other newbie pandering, vet smashing changes. If they nerf my only other strong character, they win. They got rid of me...which I guess is somehow their end goal.

Malcrof

Switchman wrote:

Addressing the broken game for noobs should be priority #1. They shouldn't need to screw up the high end game to do so though.

DPD helped but I'm not sure how much since I'm not a noob anymore when it was created. There's got to be some way you can divide player base, based on strength of overall roster to allow noobs the chance to compete for lots of 3* covers, while also letting vets duke it out.

I made a suggestion in another thread concerning this. http://www.d3pforums.com/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=27257

I will copy/paste some of it here.. the discussion was about how to keep it profitable and split it.

Part 1:

What they need is simple. 2 separate games inside of the game, sorta the way netflix vs netflix kids does it. Once you reach a certain point, it has to be frustrating to not be able to go any further. I say:

Game 1 is for 1-3*, so all new players to transitioning players can work on our stuff, have PVP's, PVE's that we stand a chance at winning, and reachable goals. 4 star chars would not be usable in this mode.
Game 2 is for the 3* and up players. Once you have solid 3 star rosters, or set other guidelines, this part would be for 4* and up transitioning. Higher rewards, different rewards, add 5* chars (like Celestials etc...) Let you rid yourself of your 1 and 2 star chars to free up roster space, which gets limited fast, and give the hardcore players the hardcore experience they want and deserve, and a reason for them to possibly spend again!

2nd part after some input:

In a hardcore mode, there would loads of opportunity for them to offer things and gain revenue. By freeing up slots and ridding yourself of older characters, they have room to add new levels of characters, and some interesting content. Pay to play "instanced" PVE's, just you against the clock, 24 hours to hit X points, gauntlet style, and get a major reward. Put in a gambling side, slot machine style, let you use up HP on the chance at characters only available in specific content like that.

Remove shields in PVP (watch the chaos!) but add in unique buffs that cost HP.. like "hold an infinity gem for X hours" each color gem has a different buff you carry with you the entire X hours you spent for it.

Also, making sure there is a way for those who cannot spend real money, but have been playing 400+ days for instance, to earn HP (along with everyone else), so they can get some random access to these special features.

TheOncomingStorm

Colognoisseur wrote:

Based on recent events it seems like the development team of MPQ has placed a rather large wager on the survival of the game.
It seems like they want MPQ to be in as friendly a state for new players as it can be with what they hope are a new influx of players from the release of Avengers 2 and to a lesser extent Daredevil.
By the time a player finds this game sometime after May 1 it is likely all the characters from the Avengers 2 will be available as characters.
It is likely all the important Daredevil/Hell's Kitchen Netflix characters will be available too.
They are banking on trying to return the game to as much of a day one state as they can.
No new player should be getting stomped so they have devised a system to keep that from happening.
A new player needs to believe they can win cool new stuff and PvE caters to this.
If there are too many actual 4*'s that actually have the power increase that implies then that would be discouraging to new players. Better to make them nothing more than glorified 3.25* and solve that problem.
This is a significant moment for the game and if the development team is correct then it means every year when a new movie comes out they will continually reset the game to make it welcoming to the new players attracted by that.
I'm going to try and step off my self-imposed treadmill and just take what covers come for awhile and just sock away iso leveling up as I get covers. If I am correct the game will constantly be in a state of back and forth. Time to just ride with the tide and not stress about it. Or at least to try.

Let's be honest. A lot of these changes is how the game should have been all along. I certainly wish it had been that way when I was a noob. I think that's the hardest part in all of this. It's the change now. I know speaking from my personal experience, in many ways I feel like a noob all over right now. Although I understand that these changes are in the long term best interest for the health of the game, that knowledge does not make it any easier for me to adjust to this new environment. Let's face it: AP boosts limits, buffs, mmr, nerfs, shield cool downs, etc. We've had a lot of big changes in a short period. I cannot imagine how that kind of change can be easy for any player to quickly adjust to. However, I also cannot imagine that given more time we will all adjust to it and get back to enjoying the game again, just in a new way.

I do however remain hopeful. I remember just a short while ago there was that big explosion over placement rewards for gauntlet and outrage the developers did not come on the forum and address it properly. It turns out that was due to them working on DPDQ. I'm not sure what will come out of all this. But, I'll be here. I may play a more casual style, but I still love the game despite the changes.

rednailz

esoxnepa wrote:

orbitalint wrote:

They are obviously making a bet on an influx of new players for the upcoming releases. Just wish it didn't have to come at the expense of us vets.

It doesn't have to, they are just unwilling to make some of the structural changes that are needed for a more mature game. So instead, they slap band-aids on and call it an improvement.

Problem is nearly every band aid worsens the bleeding. Ddq was great but doesn't relieve them of the growing number of fumbles and sins. The format is actually pretty boring now too but the gore is worth the rewards. By making 4* nothing more that fancy 3* and deciding every week there'll be a new promotional charecter they've really done some damage. The disenchantment and contempt is growing. There's really almost mow point on playing. There's certainly no point in working extra for a 4* cover and it seems with the mmr it may be harder.

They make something decent just to nerf it. They tinker with this and tinker with that. It's all really up in the air on what they feel like doing that day. I couldn't care less anymore. I still play because of a great community (which has literally nothing to do with D3 or the game) and because I have a marvel fetishes it seems.

I have never witnessed a game so terribly canibalize itself before it's really quite a sad spectacle. They did listen to the community a little recently but came back with exactly what one of the major complaints was. You folks enjoy your week on pve new charecter releases every week and good luck with the scaling especially when everyone's nerfed. There's too much to enjoy in life and summer is on the way. A forced reptitive grind doesn't do it for most people anymore

Unknown

TheOncomingStorm wrote:

Let's be honest. A lot of these changes is how the game should have been all along. I certainly wish it had been that way when I was a noob. I think that's the hardest part in all of this. It's the change now. I know speaking from my personal experience, in many ways I feel like a noob all over right now. Although I understand that these changes are in the long term best interest for the health of the game, that knowledge does not make it any easier for me to adjust to this new environment. Let's face it: AP boosts limits, buffs, mmr, nerfs, shield cool downs, etc. We've had a lot of big changes in a short period. I cannot imagine how that kind of change can be easy for any player to quickly adjust to. However, I also cannot imagine that given more time we will all adjust to it and get back to enjoying the game again, just in a new way.

I do however remain hopeful. I remember just a short while ago there was that big explosion over placement rewards for gauntlet and outrage the developers did not come on the forum and address it properly. It turns out that was due to them working on DPDQ. I'm not sure what will come out of all this. But, I'll be here. I may play a more casual style, but I still love the game despite the changes.

I also think they are, from their side of things, trying to improve the game for the most people. What they aren't doing is telling us that all these changes are part of a grand plan and explain to anyone what they are trying to achieve and why these changes help them achieve that. So from our point of view we just see, "Hey all, we changed some stuff, hope you like it!" and that is a complete non-explanation and gives the players no sense that they are working with a plan in mind, just doing whatever over there and we are given the option to either deal with it, or not deal with it. Hard to inspire confidence in the future they can't even give convincing reasons for a change.

I am all for the "Dad Voice" method of communication.
I.E. "You all arent going to like this but we need to change some stuff because its all tinykittied up. Its for the good of the game as a whole even if it will force many to change the way they play and if you really think we screwed the pooch then let us know, but we wear the big boy pants around here and likely wont back down because the data and the numbers say something needed to be done. As for all you with 'better idea' suggestions we appreciate the input but 99% of the time it makes more sense for us to do things our way even if you personally don't understand why. So thanks for caring so much about the game and we hope once things settle down you will still enjoy it as much as you used to. If not then no hard feelings you have always been free to spend your time and money somewhere else."

simonsez

Cryptobrancus wrote:

What they aren't doing is telling us that all these changes are part of a grand plan and explain to anyone what they are trying to achieve and why these changes help them achieve that.

I don't say this out of anger or cynicism... just being realistic: they can't say it because veteran players would not like the answer.

Unknown

The worst part about this is that they've already had the vets money and now they've drained them, they discard them and move on. That's some seriously ugly business.

Lidolas

Cryptobrancus wrote:

TheOncomingStorm wrote:

Let's be honest. A lot of these changes is how the game should have been all along. I certainly wish it had been that way when I was a noob. I think that's the hardest part in all of this. It's the change now. I know speaking from my personal experience, in many ways I feel like a noob all over right now. Although I understand that these changes are in the long term best interest for the health of the game, that knowledge does not make it any easier for me to adjust to this new environment. Let's face it: AP boosts limits, buffs, mmr, nerfs, shield cool downs, etc. We've had a lot of big changes in a short period. I cannot imagine how that kind of change can be easy for any player to quickly adjust to. However, I also cannot imagine that given more time we will all adjust to it and get back to enjoying the game again, just in a new way.

I do however remain hopeful. I remember just a short while ago there was that big explosion over placement rewards for gauntlet and outrage the developers did not come on the forum and address it properly. It turns out that was due to them working on DPDQ. I'm not sure what will come out of all this. But, I'll be here. I may play a more casual style, but I still love the game despite the changes.

I also think they are, from their side of things, trying to improve the game for the most people. What they aren't doing is telling us that all these changes are part of a grand plan and explain to anyone what they are trying to achieve and why these changes help them achieve that. So from our point of view we just see, "Hey all, we changed some stuff, hope you like it!" and that is a complete non-explanation and gives the players no sense that they are working with a plan in mind, just doing whatever over there and we are given the option to either deal with it, or not deal with it. Hard to inspire confidence in the future if we don't even know that they are planning ahead.

The Devs have been a lot more involved than any other video game I've ever played (not that I have played a lot of games)

Unknown

simonsez wrote:

Cryptobrancus wrote:

What they aren't doing is telling us that all these changes are part of a grand plan and explain to anyone what they are trying to achieve and why these changes help them achieve that.

I don't say this out of anger or cynicism... just being realistic: they can't say it because veteran players would not like the answer.

I will always take an honest answer over a non-answer. If their financials really are telling them that veterans need to gtfo then I will be glad they were honest with me and walk away. If they are not saying anything because they think honesty would cause too many people to walk then, I see that as them trying to manipulate players into doing something that is against the players best interest. That seems over a line somehow.

Scoregasms

Great post Colog!

Just to point out, it's not just vets, I'm 4-5 months in and these changes are having a negative impact on players like me as well, lol. I definitely feel like my efforts the past few months were simply in vain, I can't even imagine if that was a years+ worth.

There have been a lot of changes lately, maybe moreso than any other time, if they really want to cater the game to the newest players and not alienate the existing user base, then they should just think about reseting everyone's PVE and PVP hidden ratings to 0, essentially making us all new players again too (just with better starting rosters, lol).

One, it resets **** up scaling issues on a regular basis and two, we now have the freedom to use our lower characters for PVE instead of being locked into our top characters only. Hell, I'm sure some forumites will only use 2* in PVP just to shark around those waters. Of course, the moment WE CHOOSE to use our better characters, then all those backend MMR/Rating algorithms kick in and we start seeing higher scaling in PVE and start to get separated in PVP (or whatever the **** it does now).

This doesn't mean one time either, it'd be nice if they did this twice a year and after major sweeping changes.

woopie

The most annoying thing is that there's no more sense of progression in the game. If there's no progression, what's the point?

TheOncomingStorm

simonsez wrote:

Cryptobrancus wrote:

What they aren't doing is telling us that all these changes are part of a grand plan and explain to anyone what they are trying to achieve and why these changes help them achieve that.

I don't say this out of anger or cynicism... just being realistic: they can't say it because veteran players would not like the answer.

In fairness, it's always been that way. They didn't tell us ahead time about gauntlet or DPDQ or countless great characters that were coming down the pipeline like Grocket, Blade, Cage, Fist, etc. I still remember the surprise when got a free sentry in the first run of Prodigal Sun.

I think they like being mysterious, or they're just very good at undercommunicating. Truly, they're gifted either way.

Unknown

I don't care about mmr, scaling, time slices, because it's the same for everyone - right?
Party of the fun of the game is working around those challenges.
But guys, please don't mess with our hard-earned characters.
We broke our butts for most of them.

Lidolas

TheOncomingStorm wrote:

simonsez wrote:

Cryptobrancus wrote:

What they aren't doing is telling us that all these changes are part of a grand plan and explain to anyone what they are trying to achieve and why these changes help them achieve that.

I don't say this out of anger or cynicism... just being realistic: they can't say it because veteran players would not like the answer.

In fairness, it's always been that way. They didn't tell us ahead time about gauntlet or DPDQ or countless great characters that were coming down the pipeline like Grocket, Blade, Cage, Fist, etc. I still remember the surprise when got a free sentry in the first run of Prodigal Sun.

I think they like being mysterious, or they're just very good at undercommunicating. Truly, they're gifted either way.

I may be wrong (and I'm not saying that ironically or sarcastically) but didn't they try announcing a CMags re-balance would come soon, and then it took months and months? And they caught a lot of grief for it? I think they really don't like saying things that aren't set. Turul has forced their hand a bit with character releases so Ice started doing the Unknown threads.

Demiurge_Will

Lidolas wrote:

I think they really don't like saying things that aren't set.

This. Game development is notoriously hard to predict, and we try not to make promises before we're very sure we can keep them.

(Sorry that I don't have much time today to respond to threads here, but we've been listening.)

Unknown

Demiurge_Will wrote:

Lidolas wrote:

I think they really don't like saying things that aren't set.

This. Game development is notoriously hard to predict, and we try not to make promises before we're very sure we can keep them.

(Sorry that I don't have much time today to respond to threads here, but we've been listening.)

Err you can't promise that you can change the value of Xforce's Xforce damage number if you let it slip once you've decided and before ppl spend money on covers for something you KNOW you're going to substantially (negatively) alter?

Do all your keyboards break regularly? All the computers die? No-one can alter numbers on religious holidays?

There are SOME things that would fall under the excuse posted above and others which blatantly don't. You made a decision about when to tell ppl about his nerf and it's nothing to do with whether you can keep the promise of changing a few numbers.

I'm incidentally not saying I have a specific issue with your timing, just your nonsensical reasoning above.

SnowcaTT

There have been a lot of "D3 is saying screw you, vets!" type threads lately.

This might be the tipping point for the vets though. Getting rid of half of the Sex-bomb combo didn't drive them off. Scaling didn't quite drive them off. Terrible vet MMR change hasn't been around long enough to know if it will drive them off. This may finish the job that D3 couldn't quite get done that first time.