This game is full of misconceptions

D4Ni13
D4Ni13 Posts: 745 Critical Contributor
edited November 2017 in MPQ General Discussion
Disclaimer: Everyone plays as he wants and needs to. What I'm saying here is just my opinion on certain matters regarding this game, and may not necessarily apply to all of you. And that's fine. But if you're not interested to see an opinion that may well differ than the vast popular one, than you should stop reading here! You've been warned. 

Like I said in the title, there are a lot of misconceptions toward this game mechanic & progression and I will discuss most of them here. 

1. The need to catch up with the best

Probably the biggest of them all, this will more than likely ruin your enjoyment for this game. And the thing is that it's based on false premises.

I see a lot of "well, the strong rosters got stronger" reactions to most of the changes in the game. Now let me tell you something: you will never be able to catch up with somebody who is playing at the same amount of effort & dedication as you are and is higher than you in any way. You just cannot catch up. But that's the thing, you don't really have to, because you don't compete with them. 

There is this false impression that you actually compete with other players, when you are only competing with yourself. And no, this is not a cliche, it is the reality. You play in order to have a stronger roster everyday. And when you fight, you fight with the AI all the time. In PvE it doesn't matter which characters you use, as long as you manage to win the fight and finish the event in a certain speed. So that means that if your team of Grocket & Gamora can finish the event in the same amount of time as champed Phantos, the level between the 2 rosters doesn't matter. The only thing that matters is timing, speed, and maybe health packs. In PvP you don't play against other players, but their team's AI. Meaning that you can avoid most of the nasty things a real PvP match would bring (see Magic the Gathering - the original game not the puzzle version - that is a real PvP game). Sure, points matter toward overall progression, and some people would make a lot of things to be on top, but the reality is that it's not great to be at the top, and if you think about it, that should not be your ultimate goal. 

Why ? Lets think about an actual example: Lets say that tomorrow you will have all the characters in game, all of them rostered and sloted and champed. So you would reach the top of the top. What would you do ? 

You will enjoy yourself for maybe 1 month, but then you will get bored. What motivation would you have to compete in an event when you know you have all the rewards already ? You are able to compete and win anything you want, but there's no need to anymore, because you got everything you need. New characters would seem so distant to you and you will feel anxious to get them, but before their release there's nothing to do anymore. What's would motivate you to fight like before ?

So you see, this motivation of growing is only present if you are not the best, because it gives you something to strive for. And the real goal of this game is that you would progress in tiers slowly but surely, but without ever reaching the players above you, unless they stop playing. That means, that in essence you are not competing with them, you are only competing with yourself, to have a better roster day by day. Because if you take all this placement thing out of the equation for a couple of minutes, what would you get from having a better roster than player X ? Nothing. Absolutely nothing. Your daily goal is to get a certain reward, not to be better than player X and Y in a certain fight. You will play whatever matches you need to play in order to get to the reward, but you are not necessarily thinking that you must beat player A and if you cannot you will not reach your goal. No, if you cannot beat player A you just avoid him. So you see ? This is not a PvP, but is some kind of heroes tycoon game. It's like playing Simcity. At the end of the day you only care that your roster got better, not that you are above or below player X & Y. So griping about a 5* that he got stronger after a change while you are merely a 4* player is futile and not worth it.  

2. The need to have all the rewards 

Another big one. People really gripe about not being able to get all the rewards in all the events, and it should really not be the case. 

Maximum progression is set as the highest overall reward system in any game. That is intended to be reached only by the players who are the most dedicated, and not by all the player base. Furthermore, getting max progression in one event doesn't mean you have to get max progression in the next as well. I mean you can if you want to, but you don't have to. Everybody should just progress in a way they are confortable. Sacrifices must be made, the content should not be easy for everybody. You have to take decisions of what you can get and what is worth fighting for. If you could get all of the rewards all the time, there would be no motivation whatsoever, only grinding. Nobody likes grinding, but everybody is willing to grind if they are motivated in a clever way. So thinking that you must get maximum progression all the times is counter-judgement to motivation for grinding. 

There's also one other thing to consider here. What is the importance of the reward you miss to you. I mean lets be honest here, not getting a couple of ISO is not a big deal. Losing a couple of CP once in a while, may be more important than losing ISO, but it is still not the end of the world. This is a game, not a second job. You have a life and you should never sacrifice your life to play a game and reach max progression day in and day out. 

3. The need to have all the characters

Ok, there are collector players that like to have everything that is to have in a game. That's fine. But if you're not a collector, you don't have to have all the heroes in the game. Some think that you may lose by not having a certain required character, and while it is true you might lose some rewards in some situations, it is not such a big deal most try to make. The number of playable heroes in this game is so big that it is pretty hard to have them all, and play them all. I have a lot of characters in my roster that I almost never play. And other than some ocassionaly champion rewards I get nothing out of them. 

The question here is if it matters so much that you would or would not be able to play a required mission once or twice a year with that hero. If it matters to you, than roster the hero, but otherwise don't panic about it. Again, not the end of the world. 

4. The need to progress in player rank

This is the most recent one, and while I was thinking of this post a long time, this was the one that made me write it. Currently the player rank has no purpose in game other than getting you some ISO and until a certain lower lever, to decide if you can be eligible for a certain clearance level. But above that point, it doesn't really matter what rank you are. It only feeds your ego and nothing else. I mean, sure, the ISO is nice to have, but the ISO rewarded can be made in 1-2 days of play most of the time, so you cannot say that it's such a big motivation to gripe over a slower rate of progress there. But apparently it can be a reason to gripe to some, and again, it shouldn't be. 

It is clear that player rank may have a more important role in the future, but it doesn't in the present. And forcing a better rank just for the sake of it is kind of stupid if you ask me. You are trying to cheat yourself that you are better than you actually are ? Does being level 130 instead of 129 makes any difference ? No, in present game terms, it doesn't. 

What other misconceptions do you see in game?
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Comments

  • D4Ni13
    D4Ni13 Posts: 745 Critical Contributor
    edited November 2017
    Starfury said:

    0. The need to tell other people that they're thinking wrong.

    Well I guess this applies to all of us. Well said. 

    Dax317 said:
    The biggest misconception that I see on a daily basis, especially on this forum, is that there is only ONE RIGHT way to play this game. You have to do it these certain pre-determined ways or you are wrong. I think that is what your post is really all about doing things the way that makes the game fun and enjoyable for yourself and not doing it the way of "Keeping up with the Jones". This is most prevalent when someone with a different point of view or suggestion from the norm gets attacked by the masses. For example, some one stated that selling anything but a 1 star roster was wasted. I said that was incorrect, because you received iso for said cover. I was set upon for stating my opinion. I said just different ways of looking at the same issues but others did the same thing. I understand the human condition to think our way is the right way, but one must understand there is more than one way to do most things. This game is no different. Find the way that you enjoy playing this game and play it that way. Because if you are not having fun, there is no point in playing.
    I think so too. When one comes to the conclusion that he loses enjoyment of the game, should ask himself what happened and find the cause. We play games to enjoy ourselves, but being competitive in real life, makes its way here as well. 

    I tried playing competitive a while ago and I started to lose enjoyment and also quit for a period of time. I decided that I would rather play the game mostly casual, than not play it at all and I feel much better now. And I'm not saying that this is the way to go for everybody, but I want everybody to assume the responsability of their choice. One wants to play competitive, fine, but assume that position with both advantages and disadvantages. That's common sense. 
  • D4Ni13
    D4Ni13 Posts: 745 Critical Contributor
    edited November 2017
    Starfury said:

    Especially when a game is designed to evoke all those feelings you tell them are misconceptions.

    I think that vets* should be an inspiration for new players in the game, and I find quite disturbing that a lot of vets are too negative and vocal on this forum and does not help encourage other players to see their situation through their own eyes without being influenced by some vocal subjective rant. 

    So if I must call out this misconcenptions in order to help balance the things out, I will,  even if I fall in the category you put me in. I'm not trying to say that people are wrong or right, I'm just encouraging everybody to play as it is suited for them without being influenced beforehand. There is no black & white here. There are many shades of gray also. Just want people to get in the shade they want and act as they want, not as others tell them too. 

    * by vets I mean people that play the game for a long time, not necessarily the ones that have the best progression. 
  • DeNappa
    DeNappa Posts: 1,391 Chairperson of the Boards
    edited November 2017
    People set (or should set) their own goals for the game. Therefore, I don't think such a list is very useful; for every point, an argument can be made against it if your goal is different.

    For example, there are players that want to be 'the best', and in order to do so they 'need' to 'catch up with the current best' (if they're currently behind).

    For me personally, my penultimate 'goal' is to get all characters and max them, but even so, I don't try to be obsessive over it.

    Of course, certain gameplay elements may push players toward certain goals or beliefs, don't forget that the f2p model is usually built around pushing people toward sales and keep players addicted.
  • Bowgentle
    Bowgentle Posts: 7,926 Chairperson of the Boards
    aesthetocyst said:
    Dormammu said:
    Bowgentle said:
    My god what is up with all the soapbox posts lately.
    Just play.
    Um, this is a forum. It's one big, giant soapbox. I log into the game to play. I log into the forum to read the soapbox.
    Soapboxes ... soap operas ... for MPQ players.
    If I want soap operas, I'll read up on the various slice wars on LINE, thanks.
  • Beer40
    Beer40 Posts: 826 Critical Contributor
    aesthetocyst said:
    Dormammu said:
    Bowgentle said:
    My god what is up with all the soapbox posts lately.
    Just play.
    Um, this is a forum. It's one big, giant soapbox. I log into the game to play. I log into the forum to read the soapbox.
    Soapboxes ... soap operas ... for MPQ players.
    And just like soap operas, sometimes people you think were long gone come back from the dead! Shout out to all the "I quit but now I'm back" people  :D
  • Straycat
    Straycat Posts: 963 Critical Contributor
    The post basically boils down to FOMO. And I agree, playing without that can be freeing.
    One misconception I see is the iso value of time, and the need to champ everybody. Is it really worth it to champ a low tier character?  That takes a week or more to build that iso back up, while it might be months before pulling another cover. I might eventually champ Kingpin, but I think that iso is better spent anywhere else.
  • Wonko33
    Wonko33 Posts: 985 Critical Contributor
    OP : your title and your disclaimer don't really go well together... just saying
  • Jarvind
    Jarvind Posts: 1,684 Chairperson of the Boards
    D4Ni13 said:
    you will never be able to catch up with somebody who is playing at the same amount of effort & dedication as you are and is higher than you in any way. You just cannot catch up. 
    I gotta disagree on this - if your luck in pulling 5*s is significantly better, you can absolutely pull ahead. Not saying that's how it should be, but it is.
  • broll
    broll Posts: 4,732 Chairperson of the Boards
    edited November 2017
    Jarvind said:
    D4Ni13 said:
    you will never be able to catch up with somebody who is playing at the same amount of effort & dedication as you are and is higher than you in any way. You just cannot catch up. 
    I gotta disagree on this - if your luck in pulling 5*s is significantly better, you can absolutely pull ahead. Not saying that's how it should be, but it is.
    I was coming to disagree with this also.  I have not only caught up with but passed a lot of players here on the forums.  Some of this was difference in RNG but there were other factors such as effort spent, money spent, planning, and new players benefiting from game improvements (champ levels, more ISO, etc). 

    Now I'll certainly never catch up and pass with the biggest whales or the most active vets, but that's like 1% or less of the playerbase...

    D4Ni13 said:
    Why ? Lets think about an actual example: Lets say that tomorrow you will have all the characters in game, all of them rostered and sloted and champed. So you would reach the top of the top. What would you do ?

    You will enjoy yourself for maybe 1 month, but then you will get bored. What motivation would you have to compete in an event when you know you have all the rewards already ? 
    I also disagree with the idea that the above quote is why you shouldn't try to catch up.  For people like me who are completionists the above scenario is the holy grail.  Having hit 100% on everything would be amazing.  You are right that I might quit playing when that happened, but I would quit because in my mind, I beat the game, I won.  I could close this chapter of my gaming career and move onto another game to let my OCD rule my life and force me to play to a probably unhealthy level.. lol
  • BlackWidower
    BlackWidower Posts: 250 Mover and Shaker
    GuntherBlobel said:
    Pink tiles. They are purple. ‘Nuff said.


    This is purple:



    Unless Grimace, Marie Schrader or Prince are wearing it - it's not purple.


  • beyonderbub
    beyonderbub Posts: 661 Critical Contributor
    The OP is full of misconceptions... and a load of condescension. I just flashed back to Sr. Mary Alice scolding my kindergartener self for eating the tasty paste yet again. 
  • broll
    broll Posts: 4,732 Chairperson of the Boards
    BlackWidower said:
    GuntherBlobel said:
    Pink tiles. They are purple. ‘Nuff said.


    This is purple:



    Unless Grimace, Marie Schrader or Prince are wearing it - it's not purple.


    Looking for a response image I found this:


    So Magenta is the official color then?  Maybe we can end the pink/purple debate finally.  LOL JK no one's gonna call it Magenta...
  • animaniactoo
    animaniactoo Posts: 486 Mover and Shaker
    broll said:
    Jarvind said:
    D4Ni13 said:
    you will never be able to catch up with somebody who is playing at the same amount of effort & dedication as you are and is higher than you in any way. You just cannot catch up. 
    I gotta disagree on this - if your luck in pulling 5*s is significantly better, you can absolutely pull ahead. Not saying that's how it should be, but it is.
    I was coming to disagree with this also.  I have not only caught up with but passed a lot of players here on the forums.  Some of this was difference in RNG but there were other factors such as effort spent, money spent, planning, and new players benefiting from game improvements (champ levels, more ISO, etc). 

    Now I'll certainly never catch up and pass with the biggest whales or the most active vets, but that's like 1% or less of the playerbase...

    D4Ni13 said:
    Why ? Lets think about an actual example: Lets say that tomorrow you will have all the characters in game, all of them rostered and sloted and champed. So you would reach the top of the top. What would you do ?

    You will enjoy yourself for maybe 1 month, but then you will get bored. What motivation would you have to compete in an event when you know you have all the rewards already ? 
    I also disagree with the idea that the above quote is why you shouldn't try to catch up.  For people like me who are completionists the above scenario is the holy grail.  Having hit 100% on everything would be amazing.  You are right that I might quit playing when that happened, but I would quit because in my mind, I beat the game, I won.  I could close this chapter of my gaming career and move onto another game to let my OCD rule my life and force me to play to a probably unhealthy level.. lol
    I have games available to suggest along with play strategies, just in case you needed them...

    One is a game my sister and I love and have been playing for longer than I've been playing MPQ and the devs are AMAZING. Freaking wizards. At balancing the game for casual players and hardcore players and vets and new players. Along with being entertaining and somewhat challenging at the same time.

    The other is a game my sister and I have been playing for a month and are laughing at the insane amount of strategy and effort we are putting into our grind and beating the system and beefing ourselves up. It's the kind of insane you can only do in concert with someone else - who is also a completionist.

    You know. Just in case you felt like you actually had time to play games other than MPQ. ;)
  • D4Ni13
    D4Ni13 Posts: 745 Critical Contributor
    broll said:
    Jarvind said:
    D4Ni13 said:
    you will never be able to catch up with somebody who is playing at the same amount of effort & dedication as you are and is higher than you in any way. You just cannot catch up. 
    I gotta disagree on this - if your luck in pulling 5*s is significantly better, you can absolutely pull ahead. Not saying that's how it should be, but it is.
    I was coming to disagree with this also.  I have not only caught up with but passed a lot of players here on the forums.  Some of this was difference in RNG but there were other factors such as effort spent, money spent, planning, and new players benefiting from game improvements (champ levels, more ISO, etc). 

    Now I'll certainly never catch up and pass with the biggest whales or the most active vets, but that's like 1% or less of the playerbase...
    Amount of effort & dedication meant to include all the effort spent, money, planning & other things you mentioned. The only thing that you cannot include there is RNG like Jarvind said. So you went above players that didn't put the same effort & dedication as you did, which is normal... but you didn't go above players that did at least what you did or more, and it is really hard to do that even with lucky RNG imo.

    broll said:
    I also disagree with the idea that the above quote is why you shouldn't try to catch up.  For people like me who are completionists the above scenario is the holy grail.  Having hit 100% on everything would be amazing.  You are right that I might quit playing when that happened, but I would quit because in my mind, I beat the game, I won.  I could close this chapter of my gaming career and move onto another game to let my OCD rule my life and force me to play to a probably unhealthy level.. lol
    I understand & agree that completion is a thing, but when it is equal to quiting the game I don't believe you feel it like winning. 

    I'm only saying this because I was in that position in another game a few years ago. And the feel was not winning at all especially when the game continues beyond your leaving. Now the game has a lot of new content, but I don't feel the need to go back unfortunately.

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