PvE tests - it's not their fault.

Calnexin
Calnexin Posts: 1,078 Chairperson of the Boards
edited June 2016 in MPQ General Discussion
I've stopped trying to compete in PvE. It's too much effort - playing on a schedule to optimize and then devoting time to grind down the sub and commit to a full clear of the next is too much.

The PvE tests are aimed at people like me, who don't want to play or grind on a schedule. They don't seem to be going well, from what I've seen. Every change results in more effort and lower placement, at least for those who are vocal on the forums. I posit that this is a losing battle, not because of poor game design, but because of a rabid fanbase.

I've spent some time on the latest PvE trying to farm CP and grind a little bit to place. The number of matches I've played likely would have put me around 150 in a standard event - likely higher because based on the minimal effort I put into Venom Bomb, I'm pretty sure I've been bumped down to a noob bracket. In EoS I'm currently 600th. I'm at ~ 12k points. The leaders are around 40k.

It doesn't really matter how the devs change the formula - they're trying, but they're up against a population that is willing to either put in that time right up front and grind down every node until it's done, or possibly employ bots and/or spend money for advantage.

It's my opinion that they're wasting their time trying to change the formula. If any iteration of the tests are put into play, I will never place for a 3* cover again, because I'm not willing to spend the time required to beat the lunatics who devote their life to the game.

And that's fair, from a game perspective. The people who put in the most work deserve the best rewards. The devs presumably have player data indicating time spent, metrics on how fast a player's score climbs from start of the event, etc. They could put these kind of players in their own bracket based on time spent in the game, but that's not really fair to the players. They could try to spread those players out into more brackets, but splitting it out any other way than they're currently doing brackets would give those players an unfair advantage.

So, I'll echo the sentiment of others - ditch placement for PvE. Provide the score, but no rewards. The current test with more rewards for grinding nodes puts more Iso on the board. More of that, and more progression rewards. If placement is kept in any iteration, the 8 hour refresh is the only way any "normal" player has a shot at a reward that approaches "meh" for time spent.