ISO cost? Goooood grief.

Unknown

So, thought I would have a look and see what it would cost to max my Daredevil from level 133 to level 166.

75,500 iso is needed. I clicked buy, and got told it was £79.99. ha ha ha ha ha.

Wow. Greece is bankrupt, the world is in recession, and it costs eighty quid to get a game character up a few levels. I now have six characters needing to get from levels 120-140 to max. I would have to sell my car to do this.

Time for a double iso event? Or maybe offer iso for every boost we don't want?
I would happily sell the level 40 Juggernaut attack boost for 40 iso. Better than deleting a reward, when we get iso for other rewards (tokens).

OnesOwnGrief

Nobody anywhere on this thread has ever said that buying ISO was a smart thing to do. You have many avenues to gain ISO, use them.

DFiPL

Convenience cost.

Look, I don't spend money on ISO, but my perspective is: how much time would it take you to earn that ISO through DDQ, PVE or PVP play?

How do you value your time?

Is the value you place on your time greater than, or less than, the value Demiurge are seeking to extract from ISO-8 sales?

If you value the time spent at more than £80, then the buy makes sense. If you don't (or if you simply enjoy play enough that you're fine with spending that time), then the buy doesn't make sense.

Not sure it's any different in that respect from buying a game console for $400 versus waiting for it to go on sale for $249. How much time would you have spent playing the console in the intervening months? What value would you place on that time and the concomitant entertainment delivered? Is it more than, or less than, the $150 you'd save?

AXP_isme

I play quite a bit and I earn about 10k each day on average. I have 30 3*s waiting to be levelled to 166 each of which costs 65k ISO. That's 200 more days and doesn't count any of my lower covered 3*s or 4*s.

I know I shouldn't carp about the ISO, the reduction made a real difference, but that's a seriously long time. I'm not advocating spending real money on ISO, personally it seems ridiculously expensive, but there's a genuine point here about an overall ISO dearth given that the rotating buffs 'encourage' roster diversity.

Orion

I totaled up the amount of ISO that I need to level everyone I have to their current maximums and it's over 1.5 million ISO. That's a little ridiculous. And when I start getting more 4* covers, it will go up way more than that.

Unknown

it costs less than it used to buddy, and scaling is off and no one cares about the last 3-4 events(in both PVE and PVP), get your grind on

Punisher5784

I have been leaving all my characters at level 110-120. I have 350k ISO saved up but I am in no rush to push a few characters to 166. I will just patiently wait unless some crazy sale comes along.

Lidolas

It's pretty clear that the devs don't expect a majority of players to max all characters, or even most characters. They've stated in the past that they think players like having to pick which characters are worth leveling, let alone buying a roster slot for. I think they've come around quite a bit to the completion-ist side of rosters by finally limiting the cost of slots, but I doubt they'll ever provide a 'free' way to win enough iso to max most characters.

Unknown

Lidolas wrote:

It's pretty clear that the devs don't expect a majority of players to max all characters, or even most characters. They've stated in the past that they think players like having to pick which characters are worth leveling, let alone buying a roster slot for. I think they've come around quite a bit to the completion-ist side of rosters by finally limiting the cost of slots, but I doubt they'll ever provide a 'free' way to win enough iso to max most characters.

I actually laugh out loud every time I read that one.

"Tough decisions..." I only have one free roster slot and an R & G and a PX card. Which one to keep and which one to get rid of? Yeah, those are some awesome times.

DBC

Punisher5784

Drummerboycroy wrote:

Lidolas wrote:

It's pretty clear that the devs don't expect a majority of players to max all characters, or even most characters. They've stated in the past that they think players like having to pick which characters are worth leveling, let alone buying a roster slot for. I think they've come around quite a bit to the completion-ist side of rosters by finally limiting the cost of slots, but I doubt they'll ever provide a 'free' way to win enough iso to max most characters.

I actually laugh out loud every time I read that one.

"Tough decisions..." I only have one free roster slot and an R & G and a PX card. Which one to keep and which one to get rid of? Yeah, those are some awesome times.

DBC

I can't tell you how many times I've pulled a Doc Ock and sold him, then when his DDQ comes up (like today) I say to myself "Ugh I could of had him fully covered." Not sure when or if I would ever use him but I do hate having to make that "tough decision" because slots are so expensive, let alone the ISO to level them to 166.

TxMoose

Drummerboycroy wrote:

Lidolas wrote:

It's pretty clear that the devs don't expect a majority of players to max all characters, or even most characters. They've stated in the past that they think players like having to pick which characters are worth leveling, let alone buying a roster slot for. I think they've come around quite a bit to the completion-ist side of rosters by finally limiting the cost of slots, but I doubt they'll ever provide a 'free' way to win enough iso to max most characters.

I actually laugh out loud every time I read that one.

"Tough decisions..." I only have one free roster slot and an R & G and a PX card. Which one to keep and which one to get rid of? Yeah, those are some awesome times.

DBC

I'm so glad that early on I decided to just buy some slots. I still wasted a ton of beast covers because I just didn't see him as useful, but with ddq, essentials, and his tweaking a while back, I even have him. now he's my least covered character, but I have em all (except devil dino). hated that part of the game early on - and for f2p players it is just a perpetual state of the game I guess.

DFiPL

Punisher5784 wrote:

Drummerboycroy wrote:

Lidolas wrote:

It's pretty clear that the devs don't expect a majority of players to max all characters, or even most characters. They've stated in the past that they think players like having to pick which characters are worth leveling, let alone buying a roster slot for. I think they've come around quite a bit to the completion-ist side of rosters by finally limiting the cost of slots, but I doubt they'll ever provide a 'free' way to win enough iso to max most characters.

I actually laugh out loud every time I read that one.

"Tough decisions..." I only have one free roster slot and an R & G and a PX card. Which one to keep and which one to get rid of? Yeah, those are some awesome times.

DBC

I can't tell you how many times I've pulled a Doc Ock and sold him, then when his DDQ comes up (like today) I say to myself "Ugh I could of had him fully covered." Not sure when or if I would ever use him but I do hate having to make that "tough decision" because slots are so expensive, let alone the ISO to level them to 166.

I've done that dance a few times with 2*. Like, I'd like to have Moonstone. I'd like to have the three-power 2* Bullseye. Both those cats usually get kicked to the curb to make room for 3* or 4* if I pull a cover I don't have already.

I wound up with 1600 HP somehow (probably a couple taco pulls) and have been hoarding them for the last little while, but I had enough a while back to get Bullseye a roster spot, and just spent 700 of the 1600 to roster Ragnarok since he's coming up in a couple days. Still have enough for another spot, though I don't have any interest in Iron Man (3) and The Hood strikes me as a guy I'd have to carry for way too long before he'd get useful. I sell his cover basically every time it comes up. :-/

I'd love to get a Thing, but that's not happening any time soon. Heck, 90%+ of the 4* covers I've gotten have been through the daily rewards. I've only pulled two that I can remember - an Invisible Woman cover after her daily started dropping, and a Professor X cover (though his is all I have; two levels of that).

MyFeetStink

I don't really have a complaint about the ISO cost, as I do seem to be able to earn it fast enough that I am not going to cry. However the cost does seem weird to me. Seems like due to the higher cost, D3 is losing money.

There has been multiple instances of time where I have someone around 155 or so and I am using them in PVP and would like them maxed. Paying $5, or perhaps $10 at most (but feeling stupid afterward) would be possible for me. Not once have I seen the price be under $20 when it entered my mind. No way I would pay that much for something that will just happen on its own in a couple more days.

The cost of 3* covers is ok, I will buy those here and there when I am close with someone and don't want to wait. But ISO? Over time, I bet D3 could of had $30-$40 from me on ISO if the price was lower. As it is, they got $0 from me on it because its higher than I will pay. The $30-$40 is not much, but its higher than 0. Seems sort of weird, I never once have seen anyone that buys ISO. Just seems like money left on the table for them.

jackstar0

I'm to the point where I am able to level one of my 3*s to max (from ~120) each week. Makes me feel like I am making progress and gives me new tools for the various boosts and such.

I would NEVER complain if we saw an iso influx though. The more, the merrier. But I am guessing they have projections of the iso economy that tell them to keep 20 as that awful default.

Marty17

I only ever bought once (I think it was even on sale). Now I just use it as tracker to motivate myself "It would cost this much £££ to get him/her to level ???"

Believe me, when levelling there are strong temptation to splash £££ on , however I keep telling myself that £80 worth of would level the Legendaries from like the last 10lvls till it's max level. Is it really worth it?

In contrast I don't mind spending £££ on when needed...

mr_X

Punisher5784 wrote:

I have been leaving all my characters at level 110-120. I have 350k ISO saved up but I am in no rush to push a few characters to 166. I will just patiently wait unless some crazy sale comes along.

That is the way I am doing it also. 25 of my roster are 115. Taking them up all at the same time in five to ten level increments. Provided they enough covers to warrant that level. Usually ten covers or over.

Sitting on a 300k plus stash also which would not go far if I started to max out my fully covered.

Probably will buy some HP sometime when there is a good sale or something but very unlikely ever to splash out on ISO. Just to expensive.

Unknown

So I started tracking my Iso shortage just before the change in Iso costs

May-1 Need 3,411,625
May-6 Need 2,642,737
May-29 Need 2,588,145
June-26 Need 2,746,653
Current Need 2,753,639

So while it is frustrating that my Iso need has gone up by 100K since the change in costs, I see that as a positive. My 3star Iso need has dropped by 200K, while my 4star need has increased by 300K. This is a symptom of the greater availability of 4star covers, definitely a positive thing in my book.

That said, I am in the top 5% of the playerbase and am barely treading water on Iso. They can definitely increase the flow of iso a little bit more without breaking the game. Personally, I think that if they increased the 20 Iso booby prize to 50, reinstated the 200 Iso first time node clearance, and made Lightning Rounds double Iso, that would probably be enough to solve the issue.

puppychow

ummm... whales are paying in the area of $2,000 to get a max carnage or thing in their roster. Nuff said.

puppychow

okay, serious reply now. While I agree that it feels really frustrating to see how much iso you need to max out your characters, I think it gives you incentive to play various events like LR and DDQ to earn iso. It certainly works for me. There is no obligation on your part to buy iso for cash; this is a wonderful aspect of MPQ in my view, as there are constant events going on that allow you to earn iso. it's slow, but a steady approach and it works in the end.

Unknown

puppychow wrote:

okay, serious reply now. While I agree that it feels really frustrating to see how much iso you need to max out your characters, I think it gives you incentive to play various events like LR and DDQ to earn iso. It certainly works for me. There is no obligation on your part to buy iso for cash; this is a wonderful aspect of MPQ in my view, as there are constant events going on that allow you to earn iso. it's slow, but a steady approach and it works in the end.

can we have lightning rounds on the weekend so that I can, y'know, actually play them?

puppychow

raisinbman wrote:

can we have lightning rounds on the weekend so that I can, y'know, actually play them?

sorry to hear that you can't play LR during Tuesday 1pm est through Thursday 1 pm est. I view LR as a way to get players to continue playing the game during the "slow" hours/days of the week, as many players work/go to school and can't do so.

I think D3 should resume the special pay-to-enter versus events during the weekend, where players pay a 100 hp fee to enter in a 200 player bracket and fight one another for placement. Every participant receives at least a token for participation, with the top guy getting hp reward plus token. D3 had this a few times last year but stopped it for whatever reason.