How to eliminate the need for scaling and false incentives

saj14saj

One of the biggest complaints in current so-called PVE mode is that it is unfair to players with more leveled rosters, because their scaling increases disproportionately to the true strength of their roster.

This creates a false incentive to under level characters (leaving aside the fact that most players eventually reach a point where they are so starved for ISO that they *cannot* keep their characters leveled in line with their available covers), in order to reduce the scaling penalty on progression.

The need for scaling comes from having new and veteran players with entirely dissimilar rosters grouped together to compete for progression prizes; this implies that the best solution would eliminate the progression reward system for Story mode, making it truly a PVE experience instead of golf like competition.

Another complaint major complaint is that the regenerating nodes require rushing to complete sub clears on a particular schedule (either every 8 hours for the legacy system, or every 24 for the new in-test system). This behavior is driven by the need to complete for the placement prizes; again, the solution is to eliminate the placement prizes.

. . .

A completely progression reward system can be created which will:

* Allow all players to play together
* Completely eliminate the need for scaling
* Remove the false incentive to under level characters
* Entirely eliminate the drive to grind-to-schedule
* Reduce the ability of weaker roster players to place at the top of events over better rostered players

The basic structure of this system is that each sub has a series of nodes scaling from trivial (for entry level story mode players, say 40-50ish) to challenging for top tier players (say 350-400ish).

The nodes have rewards that are commensurate with the level of roster reasonably needed to clear them effectively, and also increase in value with each clear. The point value for the nodes increases *exponentially*, not linearly throughout the sub.

Each node also can be completed a fairly large number of times (say, for example, 7) to prevent players from running out of playable nodes too soon.

This combination of factors will solve many of the problems.

* There is no false incentive to under level, because this just reduces the ability to get to the nodes with the best rewards
* Players can invest their healthpacks and boosts to get up to a slightly more difficult node tier, but will only be getting the entry level prizes, but still getting a taste of that reward tier--unless they are whaling, but then the publisher will love that so no worries
* Players who can easily clear a node difficulty repeatedly without exhausting their resources will harvest the best rewards--this allows level appropriate rewards to be tied to each node difficulty
* Scaling is not needed, because every level of player can go as deep into the sub as their roster permits--everyone is playing on a level field
* The exponential point value of the nodes allows the progression rewards for the overall node or event to be set so that they are in line with the type of roster that can achieve that level of progression; the exponential curve makes repeating early nodes multiple times less effective than peaking into harder node curves.
* Weaker rosters will almost never be able to out perform stronger rosters because of the exponential point system
* There is no need for a schedule or grinding, since the exponential point system substantially rewards the hardest nodes one can clear, not just the volume of cheap nodes
* There is an natural separation of players into different progression tiers


Also, chocolate and kittens for everyone.