4* releases are now a waste of everyone's time and money.

13

Comments

  • DAZ0273
    DAZ0273 Posts: 10,280 Chairperson of the Boards
    HoundofShadow said:
    I think the misunderstanding came from "retiring 4* land", which I last remembered.That explains why what I wrote didn't make sense.

    There are a lot of similarities between MPQ and other collectible "card"  (match-3) or  "character" game as far as dilution and useless character releases is concern: 1) It's more difficult to get what you want as more cards or characters are added in.  2) RNG. 

    I believe the devs are also looking at how their competitors are dealing with these issues. However, those devs from other games don't seems to be stopping new releases despite feedbacks from players and they have been running the games since 2014/2015. 

    Increasing CP gain is one solution. The problem is how many is enough for the vets? 50 CP a week will net the players an extra 104 LT or 130 Classic per year. Will that be enough?

    Making 5* easier to get? Since 5* is the top prize of the game, the devs are unlikely to make it easy. Again, how do you define easy? Add 5* covers in SCL 10 progression? Reduce the number of days needed from 90 days to 60 or 45 days to get 5* covers from daily login? 

    Could it be Support that will turn your 5* into a 6*?

    What's the net effect of retiring new 4* release and making 5* easier to get? The gap between new players and vets will increase many fold, compared to now.

    How do you solve this? If your answer is increase the rewards that newer players get to speed up their 3* or 4* progression, then this will affect future character bundle prices, which is another source of income for them. The devs either reduce the price of their bundles or include more covers per bundle, which means taking a hit in their sales or ROI. 

    Maybe instead of lecturing the vets (and no I am not claiming to be one) you could put your hand in your pocket and support the Devs instead of your "I don't spend a dime" mentality? If not, I guess, don't lecture the vets or those who do spend on the game? Just an idea.
  • PiMacleod
    PiMacleod Posts: 1,786 Chairperson of the Boards
    Not to piggy back on anyone's point, but I'd like to throw my perspective on a small part of this.

    I'm no whale.  But I've been around a LONG time in this game.  I can finally champ my first 5* (marvel... Sigh).  Very few unchamped 5*s remain.  And like some people on here, I've spent very little.  Probably around $100 ...?  Couldn't say.

    Now that you know my roster at a glance, I'm at that point that when I spend a hoard of LTs or CP, I'm not excited by a single 4* pull.  Not one.  I don't care of it's a meta character or not.  I want a 5* character.  That's the prize now.  Even if it's Rescue (but I'd probably still be upset at getting a W5sp).  

    Once upon a time, I'd pull those tokens, get some 5s, but I'd also excitedly smile about getting those Valkyrie or Bishop covers.  Someone who mattered.  

    If they released a new meta 4*... Maybe I'd be happy to see a new 4* cover in my LTs/CP for them, but it still wouldn't compare to getting these 5*s covered properly.

    Hope this helps someone's argument.  :)
  • HoundofShadow
    HoundofShadow Posts: 8,004 Chairperson of the Boards
    edited June 2019
    1) There's nothing to lecture the vets about. They are experts in MPQ. I'm just being blunt and straightforward about what I say. That's all. The reason for not "spending a dime" is because when I joined this forum, I saw a lot of "challenges" like:

    a) new players will never catch up with 4* releases without spending a lot of money.

    b) new players will never be able to cover the 4* that they want without spending a lot of money.

    c) new players will never catch up with roster slot costs without spending a lot of money.

    d) This game is locked behind paygate/paywall/P2W.

    A recent one would be:

    e) You need to have meta 5* character in order to get top 10 in SCL 7 PvEs.

    All these are written by some of the vets here.

    I want to share my experiences and let any new players that read this forum know that the above is not true at all.  You can progress, get the 4* that you want without spending a single dime, and you don't need meta 5* characters to get top 10 in SCL 7 PvEs. The only criteria are patience and competitiveness.

    2) The gap between vets and new players will increase simply because players in higher SCL typically get bigger increment of rewards than players in lower SCL. That's the gap. 

    3) "How much is enough?" is a valid question. 

    What does more CP rewards or easier 5* to get mean? These statements are opened and vague. If they increase cp gain by 5 a week, which is about 10 LT or 13 Classics year, that satisfy your "easier" condition, but will you be satisfied or feel insulted? Will it reduce the size of the problem you are facing?




  • DyingLegend
    DyingLegend Posts: 1,208 Chairperson of the Boards
    Absolutely correct that a new player will never be able to catch up. I've tried to get friends to play the game, but it's way too intimidating and the time commitment is waaaayyy to much. 
  • tiomono
    tiomono Posts: 1,654 Chairperson of the Boards
    DyingLegend said:
    Absolutely correct that a new player will never be able to catch up. I've tried to get friends to play the game, but it's way too intimidating and the time commitment is waaaayyy to much. 
    I'm on day 1914 and I will never "catch up". The only question any player should have to answer for a game is "Am I enjoying myself?" Nobody can answer that question for someone else as we all have different things about the game that give us enjoyment.

    But we should never assume that our experience or playstyle will affect someone else the same way. New players still come into this game. Some will get hooked and find something they enjoy that will outweigh the frustrations they may have. Others will not and will walk away. The same is true of vets.

    New players can join the game and progress through the tiers right now with how the game operates. Could it be changed to allow an easier transition? Absolutely. Does it need to be? That's up for debate. Only the devs can make that call based on the metrics they have on player interest and retention, vs their company's profits. 

    We can and should continue to share our frustrations and concerns though so that they can know how players feel. Sometimes our feelings on what works or doesn't will not match up with what they see on their end. Sometimes we have issues they can make adjustments to as an improvement.

    All we have to answer on an individual basis is "Am I having fun?". Its a game. If it is not fun for you, you would be better off finding something else to fill your time that you enjoy.
  • PiMacleod
    PiMacleod Posts: 1,786 Chairperson of the Boards
    @tiomono

    Very well said.  

    I would like to echo the whole "let your voices be heard" part, mainly because that is the easiest way for the devs to know what we are thinking.

    On that thought, there shouldn't be someone else hushing or naysaying another person's opinion.  

    I mean, of course the title and subject matter of this topic can be debated, but really it's matter of perspective depending on the player.  I totally understand the OP's point...  But that also doesn't mean I have to agree just because I understand.

    And if I don't agree, I don't have to debate it either.  It's not like my opinion should have more value than someone else's.

    Now if we start talking about something measurable, like who's better: Bagman or Kitty... Then I think it's no longer about opinions.  Just facts.  :)
  • Polares
    Polares Posts: 2,643 Chairperson of the Boards
    edited June 2019
    Oh I get super late to the party :S

    My original comment was not only about dilution, it was also about how the game has grown SUPER stale. Nothing has changed in A LOOOOONG time. Supports and Costumes are a very small change, nothing that actually makes a difference.


    • Why is there a not 4 - PvP ? (Run at the same time as a 3, based on season)

    • Why are there not featured 5s for PvP ? (featured chars, +100 levels, broke the meta in 4 land, why not do the same thing with 5s ????)


    This two questions really annoy me, because it would not even be that much work for the Devs and it would move the game forward. I still can't udnerstand how 4-PvP is not the new normal at this point. We should be talking about 5 PvP !!!!!

    Then there are things like:

    • Why is there not more feeders ? 

    • Why keep releasing 4s that we will never use because we won't ever get them to 340+ like the first batch of 4s ? We need way more feeders for 4s. Give 6 covers or more for each 3.


    The game needs to change, there are enough 4s already, Devs can't actually do anything in that space anymore (even with power creep). We need to move to a 5 game, and give more ways of getting them (two feeders per 5, more stores, special events with 5s as progression rewards, etc).

    Now with supports and costumes Devs have more ways of getting revenue, so they can slow new releases to one 5 every month. I seriously doubt they get a lot of money from 4 releases nowadays...

    And this doesn't mean that we need 6s (at least for now). 


    PS: And other games are not like MPQ. The big big difference is that vets don't need to get 100 covers of a particular char to use it. You might need to level him, upgrade their gear (which is usually expensive, etc.), get shards of a char to upgrade its rarity, etc. but they are really different beasts.
  • GoldenArm
    GoldenArm Posts: 28 Just Dropped In
    edited June 2019
    Maybe they just need more vaults, with fewer characters in each.
    Like instead of just "Latest" and "Classic" (which mean precisely nothing atm as many older characters are in the Latest vault, and new-ish chars are in the Classic vault..), have a permanent "Spiderverse" vault, an "Avengers" vault, etc...
    In other words, give players a way to target characters somewhat.
    Newer players may never be able to champ ALL in-came characters, but at least you can build up a roster of your favourites.
    Essentially, make the game work like a comic book store. If you love the Fantastic 4 and dislike the X-Men, you can get everything related to FF and only dabble in X-men when something interesting pops up.
    Heck, this might even lead to some PVP variety long-term!
  • Vhailorx
    Vhailorx Posts: 6,085 Chairperson of the Boards
    GoldenArm said:
    Maybe they just need more vaults, with fewer characters in each.
    Like instead of just "Latest" and "Classic" (which mean precisely nothing atm as many older characters are in the Latest vault, and new-ish chars are in the Classic vault..), have a permanent "Spiderverse" vault, an "Avengers" vault, etc...
    In other words, give players a way to target characters somewhat.
    Newer players may never be able to champ ALL in-came characters, but at least you can build up a roster of your favourites.
    Essentially, make the game work like a comic book store. If you love the Fantastic 4 and dislike the X-Men, you can get everything related to FF and only dabble in X-men when something interesting pops up.
    Heck, this might even lead to some PVP variety long-term!
    This would mitigate dilution, and is something I have suggested in the past (e.g. when vaulting was introduced).

    But it does nothing to fix bloat in the 4* tier.  Basically the only way to move the needle now with a 4* release is with something like bishop.  even good new releases like sabretooth and ronin will see little use because a 280 new 4* will never compete with a 340+ vintage 4* like Medusa or Carol. I think this is really hurting veteran interest in even roster building their 4*s.
  • tiomono
    tiomono Posts: 1,654 Chairperson of the Boards
    Vhailorx said:
    GoldenArm said:
    Maybe they just need more vaults, with fewer characters in each.
    Like instead of just "Latest" and "Classic" (which mean precisely nothing atm as many older characters are in the Latest vault, and new-ish chars are in the Classic vault..), have a permanent "Spiderverse" vault, an "Avengers" vault, etc...
    In other words, give players a way to target characters somewhat.
    Newer players may never be able to champ ALL in-came characters, but at least you can build up a roster of your favourites.
    Essentially, make the game work like a comic book store. If you love the Fantastic 4 and dislike the X-Men, you can get everything related to FF and only dabble in X-men when something interesting pops up.
    Heck, this might even lead to some PVP variety long-term!
    This would mitigate dilution, and is something I have suggested in the past (e.g. when vaulting was introduced).

    But it does nothing to fix bloat in the 4* tier.  Basically the only way to move the needle now with a 4* release is with something like bishop.  even good new releases like sabretooth and ronin will see little use because a 280 new 4* will never compete with a 340+ vintage 4* like Medusa or Carol. I think this is really hurting veteran interest in even roster building their 4*s.
    I think sabretooth will get much more play from the 5* players than Carol or medusa. He is a really really really good counter to one of the biggest meta threats.

    I'm pretty sure the only 4's you will routinely see as a low level 5* player will be America Chavez, grocket, bishop, and sabretooth. I'm not sure what the game looks like when your 5*'s start getting 50 or more champ levels on them. But I imagine you won't be seeing many 4's beyond the 4 I listed.
  • Vhailorx
    Vhailorx Posts: 6,085 Chairperson of the Boards
    edited June 2019
    tiomono said:
    Vhailorx said:
    GoldenArm said:
    Maybe they just need more vaults, with fewer characters in each.
    Like instead of just "Latest" and "Classic" (which mean precisely nothing atm as many older characters are in the Latest vault, and new-ish chars are in the Classic vault..), have a permanent "Spiderverse" vault, an "Avengers" vault, etc...
    In other words, give players a way to target characters somewhat.
    Newer players may never be able to champ ALL in-came characters, but at least you can build up a roster of your favourites.
    Essentially, make the game work like a comic book store. If you love the Fantastic 4 and dislike the X-Men, you can get everything related to FF and only dabble in X-men when something interesting pops up.
    Heck, this might even lead to some PVP variety long-term!
    This would mitigate dilution, and is something I have suggested in the past (e.g. when vaulting was introduced).

    But it does nothing to fix bloat in the 4* tier.  Basically the only way to move the needle now with a 4* release is with something like bishop.  even good new releases like sabretooth and ronin will see little use because a 280 new 4* will never compete with a 340+ vintage 4* like Medusa or Carol. I think this is really hurting veteran interest in even roster building their 4*s.
    I think sabretooth will get much more play from the 5* players than Carol or medusa. He is a really really really good counter to one of the biggest meta threats.

    I'm pretty sure the only 4's you will routinely see as a low level 5* player will be America Chavez, grocket, bishop, and sabretooth. I'm not sure what the game looks like when your 5*'s start getting 50 or more champ levels on them. But I imagine you won't be seeing many 4's beyond the 4 I listed.
    Sabretooth will get play because he likely has the most efficient a time power for proc'ing  okoye black. 

    So stupidly broken kits like bishop, or gimmick-y synergies with powerful 5*s like sabretooth or grocket.  That is what it takes to make an impact for vets, as I said earlier in this thread.

    Also, I would add Medusa to the list of 4*s that can be seen in low level 5* play. 
  • WelcomeDeath
    WelcomeDeath Posts: 349 Mover and Shaker
    Wanted to add my 2 cents here.  First of all, I've seen it said that a new 4* doesn't matter to 90% of the playerbase.  While this is likely true, it's also true that a new 5* doesn't matter to 90% of the playerbase.  It probably matters more to people on forums or Line or whatever, but that's a small sample of players.  A new 3* would probably be more exciting to a larger group of players, but I don't think we will see that any time soon.

    Dilution is an issue that I don't think will go away any time soon.  You can't give out more LTs or CP in the game's current state, as that will just mean more people get higher champ levels for latest 5s for free (especially players who hoard), and that's not a good thing.  The only real solution here, as many have seen me argue on Line & Discord, is to dissolve the classics store and put all the 5s in LTs with maybe a slightly better rate for 5s overall and maybe a boosted rate for the newest 5 like they do in new 4 stars for their feature pvp.  Then you can adjust LTs and CP up as much as needed to combat dilution indefinitely.

    While dilution is an issue, I think it's more stale game content and lack of new features that are a bigger issue and are causing burnout.  Costumes and supports don't really do anything to affect or change gameplay (with very few exceptions on supports), and there's been little else rolled out in a long time.  I believe the last 2 major changes were moving to wins/points pvp a year ago and Bonus heroes 2-2.5 years ago, with a couple random changes to vaulting thrown in there, along with 5 star feeders. SCL were great.  Shield ranks were great.  Bonus heroes and 5 star feeders were great.  For some I'm sure wins based pvp was great.  But we're a long time removed from any of these and players just want something other than a new pve that's the same thing, a new pvp that's the same thing or a new boss event that's the same thing.  If it's played right you could even add a new feature that also helps semi combat dilution and get a real win-win.  But at the very least put all the 5s in one store so resources can increase and dilution won't matter.
  • bluewolf
    bluewolf Posts: 5,822 Chairperson of the Boards
    I just feel like it's worth bringing this thread back up in light of Mysterio.

    He obviously doesn't shift the meta .  He provides a novel powerset, and ties into a big MCU release, but isn't someone that people with established rosters will chase hard past 209.  As usual, the art and animations are well done.

    Running him with IM40 provides some possibilities for stunning/controlling a team, but he's certainly not the best choice and you'd probably mostly use him if you happen to get a few covers via placement/progression and haven't gotten some of the other meta people yet.

    I don't think he qualifies as a waste, and honestly adding one more 4 doesn't move dilution much (it's much more impactful every 5 or 10), but he does feel like a giant shrug to me.

    So the point of him is mostly "we need to make a new character to keep the resource pressure up and give you something to chase."
  • JHawkInc
    JHawkInc Posts: 2,605 Chairperson of the Boards

    One thing to keep in mind is the IP itself.

    Mysterio may not be worth much mechanically, as a tool to advance your roster and increase your game experience.

    But there's also the standpoint of "having and getting to play with Marvel characters." It's another character crossed off of Marvel's massive list, and that counts for something. I'm more than willing to admit he will never get used because his damage output is poor, but as a big Mysterio fan, he's in the game, and that's awesome. As a collector, I want every character, even ones I'm not familiar with, and so getting some that I really like is a big win.

    Now, in the grand scheme of things, you'd want the two to overlap as much as possible (and with some, like Gambit and Kitty, they really knock it out of the park). But not having the mechanical value doesn't make the characters a waste, because there's still the collector's value. It's why people get hyped for characters just because of the name, and why we can regularly have "who do you want to add?" threads.

    It's also why I think 4's are just not ever going to go away. You need that spot to just drop in a Black Cat or a Talos so you can add characters for the sake of adding Marvel characters without overly padding the 5* tier in the process. Really, if they were still doing lower releases, this would be a good place for 3* characters as well. I mean, do you really want to eliminate the tier and then have someone like the Wrecking Crew come along and start taking up 5* spots? they'd be GREAT 2*-3* characters, really, but I'm not sure we'd want them as a 5*, and that's where keeping more than one tier of character open for new releases holds a purpose.

    It's a shame dilution is an issue at all, really. It'd be fun to go back in and drop in some characters to the 3* tier for the sake of adding more names to the list of available characters without filling in the more desirable high tier slots.

  • PiMacleod
    PiMacleod Posts: 1,786 Chairperson of the Boards
    JHawkInc said:

    One thing to keep in mind is the IP itself.

    Mysterio may not be worth much mechanically, as a tool to advance your roster and increase your game experience.

    But there's also the standpoint of "having and getting to play with Marvel characters." It's another character crossed off of Marvel's massive list, and that counts for something. I'm more than willing to admit he will never get used because his damage output is poor, but as a big Mysterio fan, he's in the game, and that's awesome. As a collector, I want every character, even ones I'm not familiar with, and so getting some that I really like is a big win.

    Now, in the grand scheme of things, you'd want the two to overlap as much as possible (and with some, like Gambit and Kitty, they really knock it out of the park). But not having the mechanical value doesn't make the characters a waste, because there's still the collector's value. It's why people get hyped for characters just because of the name, and why we can regularly have "who do you want to add?" threads.

    It's also why I think 4's are just not ever going to go away. You need that spot to just drop in a Black Cat or a Talos so you can add characters for the sake of adding Marvel characters without overly padding the 5* tier in the process. Really, if they were still doing lower releases, this would be a good place for 3* characters as well. I mean, do you really want to eliminate the tier and then have someone like the Wrecking Crew come along and start taking up 5* spots? they'd be GREAT 2*-3* characters, really, but I'm not sure we'd want them as a 5*, and that's where keeping more than one tier of character open for new releases holds a purpose.

    It's a shame dilution is an issue at all, really. It'd be fun to go back in and drop in some characters to the 3* tier for the sake of adding more names to the list of available characters without filling in the more desirable high tier slots.

    This.  I would like to echo your point there.  I wholly value the OP's point, and I get it.  And I love your point too.

    Which I why I still don't understand why they just won't release people in a tier that's fitting to their character.  

    Black Cat HAD to be a 4*?  Really?!  This goes along with your Wrecking Crew example.  Put people where they belong (mostly).  Sure, the original releases... Leave them where they are.  It would shake up too much to change Juggs for example (even though most people would love an actually accurate Juggs).  But new characters... Put them where they go.  If they belong around a 3* area, throw them there.  Guess what?  It won't hurt 4* dilution then, would it?  In fact, it could become another feeder that's missing for existing 4*s!

    I think throwing more characters on the 2* and 3* tiers would give more variety to those tiers, add more feeders to each, and even though it would make the climb a little harder for newer people, it would also give them MORE feeders for already existing people.  Feeders are pretty important, I'm sure we can all agree... And if doing this reduces the amount of 4* releases, this also reduces the ongoing dilution that keeps happening over time.

    I mean, like you said, what veteran is spending money on 4*s that don't impact the meta?  The whales.  But they will spend it on any release, because the collectors wanna have them all, no matter what.  So there's not really much of a loss there, I'd think.
  • ZootSax
    ZootSax Posts: 1,819 Chairperson of the Boards
    PiMacleod said:



    Which I why I still don't understand why they just won't release people in a tier that's fitting to their character.  

    Black Cat HAD to be a 4*?  Really?!  This goes along with your Wrecking Crew example.  Put people where they belong (mostly).  Sure, the original releases... Leave them where they are.  It would shake up too much to change Juggs for example (even though most people would love an actually accurate Juggs).  But new characters... Put them where they go.  If they belong around a 3* area, throw them there.  Guess what?  It won't hurt 4* dilution then, would it?  In fact, it could become another feeder that's missing for existing 4*s!

    I think throwing more characters on the 2* and 3* tiers would give more variety to those tiers, add more feeders to each, and even though it would make the climb a little harder for newer people, it would also give them MORE feeders for already existing people.  Feeders are pretty important, I'm sure we can all agree... And if doing this reduces the amount of 4* releases, this also reduces the ongoing dilution that keeps happening over time.

    I mean, like you said, what veteran is spending money on 4*s that don't impact the meta?  The whales.  But they will spend it on any release, because the collectors wanna have them all, no matter what.  So there's not really much of a loss there, I'd think.
    I think the bloat of the 4* tier is a product of their actively avoiding putting overly-unique/complicated powers in the 1*-3* tiers, so the 4*'s are the lowest tier where they can really play around with more interesting power sets.  In the informal Q&A from a year or so ago, they stated that they changed 1* Spider-Man to make him easier and his only remotely complicated powers related to web mechanics, a pretty basic ability which has been in-game for five years.  The 2* tier isn't much different (other than the concept of passive abilities being introduced), with Moonstone probably having the most complicated power set of anyone (not "best", mind you, just most complicated abilities with the conditions to her purple & red powers), which frankly isn't complicated.

    In the 3* tier (ignoring Hawk-Guy whose power set is vastly more complicated than anyone else in the tier), you just don't see the same type of powers as in the 4* & 5* tier.  Only Star Lord (one of the newest 3*'s) uses charged tiles.  Only Dr Doom, Daredevil & Elektra use trap tiles (Doom & Daredevil were introduced when 3*'s were the top tier and Elektra's black is a "lazy" copy of 4* Elektra's power).  Only Colossus can send characters airborne (again, a power introduced when 3*'s were top tier).  Only Quicksilver can lock tiles.  Only Dr Doom's purple, Hawk-Guy's black and Squirrel Girl's green have both active and passive components on the same color.  

    So to answer you question, I believe Black Cat had to be a 4* in MPQ due to the power set they wanted to give her.  To make her a 2*, at best, her green stays the same, but otherwise she needs an entirely new skill set.  To make her a 3*, at best her green and black remain the same, but otherwise she needs 1-2 entirely new powers which greatly changes how the character plays.  It could be done, of course, but the character would need to be quite different.

    Sure, it seems kind of silly (if not downright stupid) in fiction terms when a character like Black Cat can be raised 330 levels higher than Juggernaut and effortlessly brush him aside through match damage alone, but I sincerely believe the  design team only cares about the power sets when assigning tier levels (which is why they only have been releasing 4* & 5* characters since Angel, as they must be more enjoyable to design in addition to being more profitable).  Juggernaut having only big/dumb abilities means he's a 1*.  Agent Coulson, an otherwise normal human, who has both active and passive components of every power is a 4*.  Such is life in the MPQ-verse.
  • Sm0keyJ0e
    Sm0keyJ0e Posts: 730 Critical Contributor
    ZootSax said:

    ...Only Star Lord (one of the newest 3*'s) uses charged tiles.  
    Mmmmm... Gambit, Hawkguy and Rags also create/use charged tiles.
  • PiMacleod
    PiMacleod Posts: 1,786 Chairperson of the Boards
    That's a fair assessment... Power "difficulty" or "complication"

    If that's the case, I could almost see doing the opposite of what you're saying then...  Let's say they make a paltry 2* version of Black Bolt.  It's the same powers, but trimmed WAY down to the 2* level.  Over 4 charged tiles?  30 damage to you, and maybe 400 to the enemy.  ...just throwing numbers out.

    Why?  The reason is simple.  Take the training wheels to the next level.  This game has evolved a TON over it's time.  Why shouldn't the newer players be taught the mechanics that will eventually hit them in the face anyways?  1* storm and 3* storm share similarities and both are decent in their tier.... I can't see why we couldn't make relevant new guys in a lower tier slot, still using current day 'complications'.

    Not trying to start an argument or anything... Just... Doesn't make sense to me if they "know" there's a dilution issue.
  • bluewolf
    bluewolf Posts: 5,822 Chairperson of the Boards
    One thing to consider re: a character's tier is how many resources they require to finish.

    Making a new character means creating art and animations, possible sound effects, tile art asset creation (often), text for powers, QA and playtesting, Marvel approval, etc etc.  

    If you end up making a new 2 or 3, you do not increase dilution at the top tiers of the game, but you still need to do the same amount of work (mostly) to create and ship the character.  This is probably one big reason that all the most recent 3's we got were "lazy" versions of a 5* or 4* (Elektra), although some significant differences exist.  Making a tweaked version of another character is a little easier than making a new one from scratch.

    Anyway, one reason for the pace of character release is to continually impose resource demands on players.  You need HP for roster slots, iso for leveling, covers via tokens/bonus/play, potential spending on said tokens.

    Every person you don't have finished is someone that you are working on, someone that keeps you coming back to cover, someone that you use resources for, creating pressure to replace that resource (most likely CP or HP).
     
    While the game hasn't really increased resource availability in a long time, they did seem to increase them in response to the shift to all 4's and 5's.  And that's the rate of rewards that many players can attest allows them to complete a 4 or a 5 if they play hard, and to keep up with releases. (Certainly 4's; RNG, of course, determines a lot of the progress you can make.)

    A 2 or a 3 creates FAR less pressure on your resource demands, especially in light of the cover resources they provide (Elite tokens are pretty plentiful for many players, and Standards drop all the time).

    So, if they started to release more 2's or 3's without also concurrently releasing 4's or 5's (note that the "recent" 3's were all paired with 5* releases), they would be giving players a pass on the resource demands and allowing you to make more progress than if they continue down the path of every release being a 4 or a 5.

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