Can Steam users stay competitive?

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Hi everyone,

I'm a steam user on day 147. I've been able to field a pretty good team and play "competitively" (almost always top 50, usually top 20) for most events, despite having a job which requires travel and, every once in a while, my undivided attention. icon_razz.gif

It seems obvious to me that the MPQ devs are determined to make this less of a casual game and more of a lifestyle, or an exercise in the hardcore. This is evidenced by longer events, higher point totals, slower games, etc. As a fully addicted quester, I'm okay with this because the returns are great with new characters, new event types, etc. But I need some device flexibility in return. Don't get me wrong, I know many of you have full time jobs, but it's a lot more difficult to sneak into the toilet carrying my laptop (yes I do have Steam installed on my work computer).

I've been holding onto hope since day one that there would eventually be a link between desktop and mobile, but it looks like that has completely been de-prioritized. My question for you guys is, how are you Steam users feeling? Is anyone else falling behind, disappointing its alliance, etc.?

IceIx, will you guys ever throw us Steam users a mobile bone?
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  • IceIX
    IceIX ADMINISTRATORS Posts: 4,313 Site Admin
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    benomoth wrote:
    I've been holding onto hope since day one that there would eventually be a link between desktop and mobile, but it looks like that has completely been de-prioritized. My question for you guys is, how are you Steam users feeling? Is anyone else falling behind, disappointing its alliance, etc.?

    IceIx, will you guys ever throw us Steam users a mobile bone?
    We actually just had a decently long discussion about that again today. It's not completely deprioritized, just not finalized in any way, shape or form for either the positive or the negative. Only thing you're really missing out on as a pure Steam user is the Facebook rewards sharing which isn't much if you A) Don't have tons of friends playing or B) Don't game the system with 3 highly active FB friends on a pseudo account.
  • JamieMadrox
    JamieMadrox Posts: 1,798 Chairperson of the Boards
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    IceIX wrote:
    benomoth wrote:
    I've been holding onto hope since day one that there would eventually be a link between desktop and mobile, but it looks like that has completely been de-prioritized. My question for you guys is, how are you Steam users feeling? Is anyone else falling behind, disappointing its alliance, etc.?

    IceIx, will you guys ever throw us Steam users a mobile bone?
    We actually just had a decently long discussion about that again today. It's not completely deprioritized, just not finalized in any way, shape or form for either the positive or the negative. Only thing you're really missing out on as a pure Steam user is the Facebook rewards sharing which isn't much if you A) Don't have tons of friends playing or B) Don't game the system with 3 highly active FB friends on a pseudo account.
    I need to really take issue with that statement. It's really easy to get a ton of MPQ FB friends through the forums here and groups on FB dedicated to this purpose. I know people that make thousands of ISO per day off of FB shares. Even with my less than 100 friends I made 10k+ in one week (I tracked it for fun). That's a lot of levels especially for newer rosters.
  • IceIX
    IceIX ADMINISTRATORS Posts: 4,313 Site Admin
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    I need to really take issue with that statement. It's really easy to get a ton of MPQ FB friends through the forums here and groups on FB dedicated to this purpose. I know people that make thousands of ISO per day off of FB shares. Even with my less than 100 friends I made 10k+ in one week (I tracked it for fun). That's a lot of levels especially for newer rosters.
    Yes, there are people that did and do so, not saying that's not the case. Those are the vast minority of users though. Most users that use Facebook sharing are gaining a couple hundred a day, if that. The chart for how much players take in via FB sharing looks much like the chart often bandied about regarding income and the 1%.
  • Unknown
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    IceIX wrote:
    benomoth wrote:
    I've been holding onto hope since day one that there would eventually be a link between desktop and mobile, but it looks like that has completely been de-prioritized. My question for you guys is, how are you Steam users feeling? Is anyone else falling behind, disappointing its alliance, etc.?

    IceIx, will you guys ever throw us Steam users a mobile bone?
    We actually just had a decently long discussion about that again today. It's not completely deprioritized, just not finalized in any way, shape or form for either the positive or the negative. Only thing you're really missing out on as a pure Steam user is the Facebook rewards sharing which isn't much if you A) Don't have tons of friends playing or B) Don't game the system with 3 highly active FB friends on a pseudo account.

    I'm going to have to disagree a bit on that, things that are time sensitive like shields or rubberbanding are way easier to deal with when you need a phone + 3G than a computer with Steam and internet. I can't really install Steam at work but I could easily just shield there or play a couple rounds during a break.

    Considering the new format of PvE, being able to frequently stay in tune with what's happening in the game is even more important now, you don't even have that fixed time frame to work with.
    I don't really mind about the Facebook rewards but not being able to play on the go hurts me in a bunch of events.
  • Unknown
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    Thanks sup, this is the direction I was trying , to take it. I don't care about Facebook rewards, but I do care about being able to access the game on the go, via mobile.
  • Unknown
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    I play only on Steam and I don't have a problem. I really can't imagine having mobile matters if you actually need to physically leave your computer but somehow was able to find somewhere to sit down for 2 hours to play MPQ nonstop which is what is required for the usual last minute PvE frenzy. Seems to me if you're able to put 2 hours straight for MPQ on the go then you could've brought a laptop or just never leave your computer in the first place because you're clearly not very occupied with whatever that made you leave your computer. The recent reduction in rubberbanding also made it easier to not have to worry about the last minute frenzy. In Simulator Basic I saw the #1 drop to #10 because he can't play the last refresh. I'm pretty sure there are past events where you could've dropped 100 places for missing the last refresh.
  • Unknown
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    I got the prompt to send rewards to this afternoon facebook and it wanted me to spam people who do not play the game. I know only two people have it installed and one person actually plays but it wanted me to send to like 8 people so I cancelled it...
  • Twysta
    Twysta Posts: 1,597 Chairperson of the Boards
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    Phantron, curious, but do you just disagree with everyone out of principle?

    Being able to play on the move is an advantage and being a steam player I'd massively welcome being able to also take my game on the road with me if/when need be.
  • Unknown
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    I played a game on steam and another on mobile during a period to see what fits me better, and I can say for sure that steam players fall behind easily.

    I enjoyed the game more on steam interface, but it was way more easy to get better rewards on mobile, so I focused on mobile only.

    In many PVP (Lightning Rounds for example) steam users suffers and don't have the same chances as mobile users.

    I really want the link of the both plataforms, so I can play in my PC when im home, but until then, I will focus on mobile, so i have better chances of better rewards.
  • Unknown
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    Twysta wrote:
    Phantron, curious, but do you just disagree with everyone out of principle?

    Being able to play on the move is an advantage and being a steam player I'd massively welcome being able to also take my game on the road with me if/when need be.

    Apparently you can always just take your laptop to play on the road wherever you are. Or never leave the house in the first place.
  • Unknown
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    Twysta wrote:
    Phantron, curious, but do you just disagree with everyone out of principle?

    Being able to play on the move is an advantage and being a steam player I'd massively welcome being able to also take my game on the road with me if/when need be.

    You must have missed the threads where people say the PC guys have an advantage because the game runs faster on the PC which helps you shave a few precious seconds off every match during the crazy portion of a PvE/PvP event.

    To do well in this game at the highest level requires a significant time commitment, so being able to play the game casually while on the road hardly matters. I'm not familiar with how running this game on multiple PCs work, but I believe it's perfectly doable. The only advantage I can think of at the high end is that you can hide in a bathroom somewhere for 2 hours with an iPhone and hope nobody noticed while you'd have a hard time doing that with a laptop, but it's not something I'd want to try in the middle of anything important. Just because you can carry your phone with you anywhere doesn't mean you'll suddenly have the uninterrupted 2 hours you need at the end. I suppose that could be the difference of getting some points in on a refresh you'll miss versus none, but a single refresh cycle is 12 hours so you usually can do about the same just playing earlier (but more), versus playing later but less (assuming you're unable to find an extended uninterrupted time for MPQ).
  • Unknown
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    if u played during steam beta they linked the mobile and steam if you asked...guess the fanbase is bigger now and more of a hassle...or maybe i have no clue what im talking about
  • Unknown
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    I can think of two hours a day where I have access to 3G but not WiFi. My commute (train).
  • Unknown
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    benomoth wrote:
    I can think of two hours a day where I have access to 3G but not WiFi. My commute (train).

    Me too, I go to work by bus, and I play around 1:30 hours everyday (3 if you count the way back home) and only 3G works
  • Unknown
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    benomoth wrote:
    I can think of two hours a day where I have access to 3G but not WiFi. My commute (train).

    Sure but unless your commute coincides with when an event is about to end, being to play in those two hours isn't going to put you on some kind of insurmountable disadvantage. For US based citizens, the only way I see that happening is on the west coast for the 9am finishes, unless your train leaves really late.
  • Unknown
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    Phantron wrote:
    Twysta wrote:
    Phantron, curious, but do you just disagree with everyone out of principle?

    Being able to play on the move is an advantage and being a steam player I'd massively welcome being able to also take my game on the road with me if/when need be.

    You must have missed the threads where people say the PC guys have an advantage because the game runs faster on the PC which helps you shave a few precious seconds off every match during the crazy portion of a PvE/PvP event.

    To do well in this game at the highest level requires a significant time commitment, so being able to play the game casually while on the road hardly matters. I'm not familiar with how running this game on multiple PCs work, but I believe it's perfectly doable. The only advantage I can think of at the high end is that you can hide in a bathroom somewhere for 2 hours with an iPhone and hope nobody noticed while you'd have a hard time doing that with a laptop, but it's not something I'd want to try in the middle of anything important. Just because you can carry your phone with you anywhere doesn't mean you'll suddenly have the uninterrupted 2 hours you need at the end. I suppose that could be the difference of getting some points in on a refresh you'll miss versus none, but a single refresh cycle is 12 hours so you usually can do about the same just playing earlier (but more), versus playing later but less (assuming you're unable to find an extended uninterrupted time for MPQ).

    You just mentioned PvE but I'd argue shield hopping in PvP does not require a big time commitment and being able to check your bracket near the end of an event to decide if you should break your shield or not makes a lot of difference. Also it looks like you are just assuming that the only place where people can get playing time outside the house is in a bathroom, but some people actually have long commutes every day and it's not hard to get some solid playing time on a bus/train.
  • Unknown
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    And if get a bad run and run out of health packs, in mobile you can wait a couple of hours amd play again

    In steam if you go out without the computer, you cant do that.

    PS: not every steam player use a laptop, some use only home pc
  • Unknown
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    IceIX wrote:
    We actually just had a decently long discussion about that again today. It's not completely deprioritized, just not finalized in any way, shape or form for either the positive or the negative. Only thing you're really missing out on as a pure Steam user is the Facebook rewards sharing which isn't much if you A) Don't have tons of friends playing or B) Don't game the system with 3 highly active FB friends on a pseudo account.

    Kinda missed the OPs point I think - its about not having access to the game as much as we would need to stay competitive and win covers in events - not about FB rewards.

    Phantron wrote:
    To do well in this game at the highest level requires a significant time commitment, so being able to play the game casually while on the road hardly matters. I'm not familiar with how running this game on multiple PCs work, but I believe it's perfectly doable. The only advantage I can think of at the high end is that you can hide in a bathroom somewhere for 2 hours with an iPhone and hope nobody noticed while you'd have a hard time doing that with a laptop, but it's not something I'd want to try in the middle of anything important. Just because you can carry your phone with you anywhere doesn't mean you'll suddenly have the uninterrupted 2 hours you need at the end. I suppose that could be the difference of getting some points in on a refresh you'll miss versus none, but a single refresh cycle is 12 hours so you usually can do about the same just playing earlier (but more), versus playing later but less (assuming you're unable to find an extended uninterrupted time for MPQ).


    Its less about using your phone for those last two hours of an event for me than it is just keeping up with my score with a random battle during lunch or in the bathroom, or during the 1.5 hour long commute I have on the bus. Cant connect my laptop when on the bus, no wifi on it. I could play on my phone and at least try to keep up, even if it wont be as fast as a PC its a hell of a lot more matches than 0. Im not looking for 1st place, Im looking for top 50. To do that, I dont need to be on every single second, but I DO need to be on enough to keep myself in that range. Seconds wont make a difference to me, hours will. Plus, if we can link Steam -> mobile, and you think that will be unfair (a fair point), then why not do the other way around as well so everyone is on equal footing - allow mobile to link with steam.

    Road trips, waiting at airports, bus commute to and from work/school, boring **** large company meetings, boring **** school classes (there was more than 1 class where attendance mattered in college but never really paid attention to), laying in bed at the end of the night after your wife told you to stop playing on the computer, people who want to play while watching TV and dont have an appropriate place to put a PC in their living room, waiting in the hospital/doctor's office for your wife....There are quite a few times where a person would have a large chunk of uninterrupted time. The complaint about the disadvantage of pure steam users without having a way to link mobile is legitimate, you just have to think about other's possible situations - not just your own.
  • Unknown
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    I dont know nothing about the tecnological limitation of the link between steam and mobile, but the fact is that for the competition to be fair, this is a needed change
  • Unknown
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    Phantron wrote:
    benomoth wrote:
    I can think of two hours a day where I have access to 3G but not WiFi. My commute (train).

    Sure but unless your commute coincides with when an event is about to end, being to play in those two hours isn't going to put you on some kind of insurmountable disadvantage. For US based citizens, the only way I see that happening is on the west coast for the 9am finishes, unless your train leaves really late.


    Also, not everyone works 9-5 hours. I live on the west coast, and my job starts at 10, I have to leave around 8:15 or so to make it there without being randomly late on slow days. I also leave work around 6-7pm, which again puts me in a **** position to try and cram that last bit of fighting in in about an hour or less - or even none if its my turn to cook dinner. But that hour+ on the bus could have very well saved my spot. I very rarely ever actually see the end of an event.

    It is a situation that happens, and linking steam and mobile is a legitimate solution to the issue. I really dont see why you are fighting against it. Just because it doesnt effect you? Or are you afraid of the extra competition from people who would be able to play more? Im not trying to be mean or anything, I am honestly confused as to why you would fight against something that would help people play the game more.