3* Strange, DDQ, and champion rewards

DFiPL

Okay, so we just got a reshuffling of 3* champion rewards to insert some 4* who didn't previously have feeders into the equation. Off the top of my head, there are 33 feeders and 7 characters still doubled up. The upcoming Blade release is 4* #39 if you exempt Dino and the Duck.

We know there's going to be both a 5* variant of Doctor Strange and a 3* variant.

That's going to push the 3* roster to 41, which makes for uneven DDQ cycles. Can we extrapolate from that that there will be another four 3* releases somewhere in the future, so as to keep the DDQ cycles from getting uneven, or is it more likely that we start seeing characters cycle back and forth between taco cycles?

If there are another four 3* coming, then that tells us that there's room, at minimum, for 4* growth to continue to at least 45 characters (if the ultimate goal is to have one 3* feeder for each 4* character).

Assuming that Blade, who currently doubles as a Rider feeder, eventually feeds the new 4* Blade, who might we predict as Strange's feeder? One of the as-yet unassigned 4* until such time as a new 4* steps in? Doubling up on one of the existing 33 4* with feeders?

Berserk_Al

I assume he will be giving Gwenpool covers. But just because Kamala Khan will probably give Nova covers.

GrumpySmurf1002

DFiPL wrote:

Can we extrapolate from that that there will be another four 3* releases somewhere in the future, so as to keep the DDQ cycles from getting uneven, or is it more likely that we start seeing characters cycle back and forth between taco cycles?

At 45, characters are still going to cycle back and forth between taco types. The groups would just be staying together.

We had plenty of time in the origin of DDQ where the cycle wasn't even, and characters were merely tagged on to the end of the cycle. I would assume the same would happen here, whether we have 41 or 81 three star characters.

Calnexin

I don't think the 4* tier is tied to the 3*. The tier occupancy is practically exponential.

That said, you've got an excellent point re: DDQ. The "weeks" are only 5 days, so they're not necessarily tied to any particular schedule. If memory serves, previous 3* releases didn't get included in DDQ until there was a group of 5. A fraction of that wouldn't be all that rough on gameplay, but the vault would be... weird.

The 3* Strange announcement really surprised me. I thought they'd finished that tier. Maybe there's enough new blood in the game, or enough hype for a non-5*, to warrant it. But it's not just a new character - the 41st 3* changes a lot of game mechanics.

Maybe they'll do 1 more and go to bona fide 7-day weeks?

cyineedsn

Calnexin wrote:

I don't think the 4* tier is tied to the 3*. The tier occupancy is practically exponential.

That said, you've got an excellent point re: DDQ. The "weeks" are only 5 days, so they're not necessarily tied to any particular schedule. If memory serves, previous 3* releases didn't get included in DDQ until there was a group of 5. A fraction of that wouldn't be all that rough on gameplay, but the vault would be... weird.

The 3* Strange announcement really surprised me. I thought they'd finished that tier. Maybe there's enough new blood in the game, or enough hype for a non-5*, to warrant it. But it's not just a new character - the 41st 3* changes a lot of game mechanics.

Maybe they'll do 1 more and go to bona fide 7-day weeks?

Why does a 41st 3* change a lot of game mechanics?

JVReal

cyineedsn wrote:

Calnexin wrote:

I don't think the 4* tier is tied to the 3*. The tier occupancy is practically exponential.

That said, you've got an excellent point re: DDQ. The "weeks" are only 5 days, so they're not necessarily tied to any particular schedule. If memory serves, previous 3* releases didn't get included in DDQ until there was a group of 5. A fraction of that wouldn't be all that rough on gameplay, but the vault would be... weird.

The 3* Strange announcement really surprised me. I thought they'd finished that tier. Maybe there's enough new blood in the game, or enough hype for a non-5*, to warrant it. But it's not just a new character - the 41st 3* changes a lot of game mechanics.

Maybe they'll do 1 more and go to bona fide 7-day weeks?

Why does a 41st 3* change a lot of game mechanics?

Because some people like to make assumptions and then make them some kind of rule.

And the LORD spake, saying, "First shalt thou [max] out the [3 star tier], then shalt thou count to [forty], no more, no less. [Forty] shall be the number thou shalt count, and the number of the counting shall be [forty]. [Forty-one] shalt thou not count, neither count thou [thirty-nine], excepting that thou then proceed to [forty]. [Forty-two] is right out. Once the number [forty], being the [fortieth] number, be reached, then [stoppeth] thou thy [growing of the three star tier]."

beyonderbub

JVReal wrote:

Because some people like to make assumptions and then make them some kind of rule.

I agree and find the assumptions to be frustrating as well. Another pet peeve is when the same frequent posters love to overgeneralize their own opinions and self-proclaim their point of view as the majority opinion. Reading these forums daily is a futile exercise in separating truth from the sea of misinformation and personal agendas disguised as "for the good of the game or gamer community"

Calnexin

cyineedsn wrote:

Why does a 41st 3* change a lot of game mechanics?

1) The repercussions on DDQ. It's set up for a cycle of 5, with the vaults featuring the characters included in that "week". If he's included 41 is a prime number - you can't even that out. So either there's more 3* coming, 3* Strange won't be in DDQ, or they're getting rid of DDQ.

2) The 3* tier is pretty well balanced. They've tweaked here and there, and may have more to do, but 3* is the tier that can least afford a shakeup. Maybe Strange will be an also-ran, but given the movie hype and his particular power suite, I'm guessing we'll see 4-5* tier powers in a 3* character, which completely throws off the balance.

Don't get me wrong. I'm thrilled to get more 3* (even at 1k hp a pop <grumble grumble>), especially if they have a chance to champ-reward a 5*. They might just put him in Devil Dino territory - absent from DDQ and essentials. If not, something in the game is going to shake up.

GrumpySmurf1002

Calnexin wrote:

1) The repercussions on DDQ. It's set up for a cycle of 5, with the vaults featuring the characters included in that "week". If he's included 41 is a prime number - you can't even that out. So either there's more 3* coming, 3* Strange won't be in DDQ, or they're getting rid of DDQ.

Or D) none of the above.

Again, DDQ ran fine when there were 33 characters initially, and up through the 40 we have today. All that would happen is that Strange would be with the first 4 (Panther, Magneto, Storm, Cage) in the next cycle, and it would keep rotating 5 at at time. The second time Strange comes through, he'd be with #40 (Vision) and the first 3 (Panther, Magneto, Storm). And so on.

The vaults would then just continue to reflect the 5 characters in the cycle.

DFiPL

GrumpySmurf1002 wrote:

DFiPL wrote:

Can we extrapolate from that that there will be another four 3* releases somewhere in the future, so as to keep the DDQ cycles from getting uneven, or is it more likely that we start seeing characters cycle back and forth between taco cycles?

At 45, characters are still going to cycle back and forth between taco types. The groups would just be staying together.

We had plenty of time in the origin of DDQ where the cycle wasn't even, and characters were merely tagged on to the end of the cycle. I would assume the same would happen here, whether we have 41 or 81 three star characters.

As things stand, though, they DON'T cycle back and forth. That's what not just an even number of 3*, but an even number of DDQ "groups" causes. If it were 5 groups of 8, they'd flip back and forth every time the cycle starts over, but 8 groups of 5 means that a 3* in the "sweet" taco cycle will always be "sweet." If you introduce a 41st character without any other changes, each time through pushes a given 3* character back one spot in the rotation, so not only do the groups not stay together, but a currently "sweet" character will only be "sweet" six times out of every eleven.

Calnexin wrote:

Maybe they'll do 1 more and go to bona fide 7-day weeks?

That could work. Hadn't considered that.

GrumpySmurf1002

DFiPL wrote:

As things stand, though, they DON'T cycle back and forth. That's what not just an even number of 3*, but an even number of DDQ "groups" causes. If it were 5 groups of 8, they'd flip back and forth every time the cycle starts over, but 8 groups of 5 means that a 3* in the "sweet" taco cycle will always be "sweet." If you introduce a 41st character without any other changes, each time through pushes a given 3* character back one spot in the rotation, so not only do the groups not stay together, but a currently "sweet" character will only be "sweet" six times out of every eleven.

So what? They used to switch, and they can again.

DFiPL

GrumpySmurf1002 wrote:

DFiPL wrote:

As things stand, though, they DON'T cycle back and forth. That's what not just an even number of 3*, but an even number of DDQ "groups" causes. If it were 5 groups of 8, they'd flip back and forth every time the cycle starts over, but 8 groups of 5 means that a 3* in the "sweet" taco cycle will always be "sweet." If you introduce a 41st character without any other changes, each time through pushes a given 3* character back one spot in the rotation, so not only do the groups not stay together, but a currently "sweet" character will only be "sweet" six times out of every eleven.

So what? They used to switch, and they can again.

Clearly. My point is that what you said above about them 'already' switching isn't actually accurate.

And my question in the OP was just that - okay yes they could just slip him into the cycle without further additions and have characters snake through both sides of the vault, but if they stopped at 40 originally for symmetry, could the introduction of a 41st be a sign that at least a few more 3* are coming, to be feeders for 4* and to maintain groups of 5 in DDQ?

Bowgentle

DFiPL wrote:

GrumpySmurf1002 wrote:

DFiPL wrote:

As things stand, though, they DON'T cycle back and forth. That's what not just an even number of 3*, but an even number of DDQ "groups" causes. If it were 5 groups of 8, they'd flip back and forth every time the cycle starts over, but 8 groups of 5 means that a 3* in the "sweet" taco cycle will always be "sweet." If you introduce a 41st character without any other changes, each time through pushes a given 3* character back one spot in the rotation, so not only do the groups not stay together, but a currently "sweet" character will only be "sweet" six times out of every eleven.

So what? They used to switch, and they can again.

Clearly. My point is that what you said above about them 'already' switching isn't actually accurate.

And my question in the OP was just that - okay yes they could just slip him into the cycle without further additions and have characters snake through both sides of the vault, but if they stopped at 40 originally for symmetry, could the introduction of a 41st be a sign that at least a few more 3* are coming, to be feeders for 4* and to maintain groups of 5 in DDQ?

I think they stopped at 40 because 4*s had eclipsed 3*s in money making, I don't see a big, long-time plan behind character tiers ever since they made Elektra a 4* randomly.

broll

Calnexin wrote:

Don't get me wrong. I'm thrilled to get more 3*

That makes one of us. I'm wanting to graduate out of 3* into 4* not have the curriculum suddenly and unexpected stretched.

Calnexin wrote:

especially if they have a chance to champ-reward a 5*.

People are being ridiculously overly optimistic about this, it's never going to happen.

GrumpySmurf1002

DFiPL wrote:

And my question in the OP was just that - okay yes they could just slip him into the cycle without further additions and have characters snake through both sides of the vault, but if they stopped at 40 originally for symmetry, could the introduction of a 41st be a sign that at least a few more 3* are coming, to be feeders for 4* and to maintain groups of 5 in DDQ?

So to answer again, no, I don't think it's a sign of anything.

As Bow already said, it's very likely because more money was to be made from 4*, they diverted their limited attention to producing 4* characters. Now introducing their first 3* in an eternity is highly unlikely to be solely a Demiurge strategy. It's almost assuredly Marvel-driven.

Thus, I don't think this affects anything else. That's not to say there won't be more 3*s coming, but it won't be with the idea of feeders or synchronization with the DDQ cycle.