What is a "veteran" player?

DAZ0273
DAZ0273 Posts: 10,275 Chairperson of the Boards
in MPQ General Discussion
In the Nerf Bishop thread (and no, save your sanity rather than go in there!) there was basically thrown around a point that the Devs only care about "medium" players and not veterans because they hadn't nerfed Bishop yet to help 5* players.

I have no interest in rehashing that argument here (seriously if you wanna go play in that thread then take some beer with ya) but it did bring up the question of what players (and Devs?) mean when they throw around the term "veteran".

For instance - a 5* player does not have to be a veteran. Spend enough money and you can whale yourself there. I have seen players on this board (one with less than half of my play time!) who identify as 5* players who haven't been playing even 3 years, I'm way past that mark and have no champed 5's - I guess I am a medium player based upon the interpretation above. Look at BBigler's experiment - he counted himself as a new player for the purpose of it as he started from scratch but was considered a veteran as he had prior experience which apparently skewed his results.

So is "veteran" meant as referring to 5* players or is it referring to length of time playing regardless of progress? If it is length of time playing then how long?

The "Vets" are often criticised (especially by certain Forum users) or we are told that certain events are designed for them (SHIELD Training) but who exactly are they?

Thoughts?
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Comments

  • AXP_isme
    AXP_isme Posts: 809 Critical Contributor
    I’ve been around quite a long time, day 1907 today, but I don’t consider myself a vet. As far as I can tell it’s as much a state of mind as anything else. You have to be serious about competing as well as having played, or paid, enough to be able to compete near the top of the tree. 
  • ThaRoadWarrior
    ThaRoadWarrior Posts: 9,455 Chairperson of the Boards
    edited August 2019
    As with everything, I think it's a bit of a gradient/sliding scale. Or maybe there are degrees of it. But if you understand the game, and here I mean really understand it, how to play it competitively or on its terms, you're probably a vet. I'm sure there are people who've been playing DDQ only as long as it's been around, and I wouldn't necessarily call somebody like that a "vet" the same way I'd call somebody a vet who has experience at all tiers of competitive play. So length of time in game is surely a component, but that isn't a 1:1 match to "experience" of and with the game.

    So that's something of a non-answer I guess. 

    I'm on day 1295, with Shield rank 143, everyone on roster but Professor X, 2 5* champs and several others within 1-3 covers of it, and 63 4* champs. But I only play to progression every event and spend cp/LTs as I get them. I'm not sure I'd really call myself a veteran the same as someone that is riding the wave of a meta pvp team coordinating on chat apps etc.
  • tiomono
    tiomono Posts: 1,654 Chairperson of the Boards
    edited August 2019
    It's a fuzzy line as others have said. Partly time around the game/community, partly how much of the game you have experienced.

    There could be a player out there that has been in the game since its release that has not even green checked the prologue and only plays 1 match a day between all the modes available. I would not call them a "veteran". Days played is not the sole indicator.
  • DAZ0273
    DAZ0273 Posts: 10,275 Chairperson of the Boards
    edited August 2019
    So would you qualify as having to have played at the 5* level as a major determining factor?

    (Oh and just to be clear, I have no real feelings either way on the subject, it just seems to be a term thrown around for years that has never really been qualified and I find it interesting what other players think).
  • ThaRoadWarrior
    ThaRoadWarrior Posts: 9,455 Chairperson of the Boards
    I think there are 4* vets and 5* Vets. Within 5* even, there are transitioners with 1 or 2 baby champs, others with lots of baby champs, and then the multiple lvl 500+ "super whales." I think everyone is probably able to speak on their area of experience with varying degrees of competence, but if a 4* Player is advising-up to 5* players, they're kind of not speaking from experience, right? So your mileage may vary.

    Of course there are also Community Parrots, people who deep dive on every thread and internalize the experience of other players and can repeat it with authority even though it hasn't been their own experience (not aiming this label at any specific person, this is just definitely a type of community member in any community). 

    So if you're looking for how one qualifies to earn the "Veteran" achievement, I'm still not sure i've provided an answer.
  • DAZ0273
    DAZ0273 Posts: 10,275 Chairperson of the Boards
    Lol! Well not for want of trying.
  • Borstock
    Borstock Posts: 2,733 Chairperson of the Boards
    I compare it to baseball, myself. First year, you're a rookie. Second year, you're a sophomore (see: sophomore slump). Third year, you're pretty much an established player.

    So, I say anyone who has two years of relatively consistent engagement under their belt is pretty much a vet at that point. And since that's what I think, everyone should think that, and anyone who doesn't is wrong. :P
  • ThaRoadWarrior
    ThaRoadWarrior Posts: 9,455 Chairperson of the Boards
    What's a....base(?) ball? That some kind of sport thing?
  • ThaRoadWarrior
    ThaRoadWarrior Posts: 9,455 Chairperson of the Boards

  • abmoraz
    abmoraz Posts: 712 Critical Contributor
    ThaRoadWarrior said:
    What's a....base(?) ball? That some kind of sport thing?
    It's like Cricket, only it has an ending.
  • Warbringa
    Warbringa Posts: 1,299 Chairperson of the Boards
    I am a casual player but do consider myself a veteran.  In each of our own minds, the term veteran is relative based on length of play, roster, and your own view of your knowledge of the game.  All of these things probably factor into what is a veteran in MPQ terms based on each person's individual criteria. 

    In general, a more generic and easier definition would probably be just length of time played alone.  In this case, if you have lived through several iterations of MPQ and seen how the game has changed and/or has not changed, that probably alone qualifies you as veteran status.  

    Veteran does not equal whale and vice versa.  Someone can be both, but they are completely independent. 
  • peterdark
    peterdark Posts: 151 Tile Toppler
    I mis-read the title as "what is a vegetarian player"  :|
  • randomhero1090
    randomhero1090 Posts: 396 Mover and Shaker
    Warbringa said:


    Veteran does not equal whale and vice versa.  Someone can be both, but they are completely independent. 

    That.

    While I have champed 5s, i'm day 648 and that's not even in the ballgame of what I would considering a Vet.

    However, the terms get mixed.  I've probably done it myself i'm sure.  But they are very independent esp since the release of my special stores and bundles.  The Kitty/Thor/Okoye store accelerated many into 5* play.  If Kitty had a feeder we'd have a lot more.
  • BriMan2222
    BriMan2222 Posts: 1,291 Chairperson of the Boards
    edited August 2019
    AXP_isme said:
    This feels like it’s about to descend into the: I remember when... nostalgia thread. I’ll start!

    I might be a vet because... I remember when true healing was nerfed and the pages of outrage it generated on the forum. 

    Real pepperidge farms territory there. 
    You beat me to it, lol.  I was just about to post how I know I'm a vet because I remember when environmental tiles were a thing and when 2 star covers were rare, 3 star covers were ultra rare, and the only 4 star in the game was x-force wolverine and a 4 star wolvie cover was like finding a unicorn.
  • ZootSax
    ZootSax Posts: 1,819 Chairperson of the Boards
    AXP_isme said:
    This feels like it’s about to descend into the: I remember when... nostalgia thread. I’ll start!

    I might be a vet because... I remember when true healing was nerfed and the pages of outrage it generated on the forum. 

    Real pepperidge farms territory there. 
    I was thinking the same thing, although I'm such a casual player I'm probably more of an old, unofficial forum historian than actual veteran.
  • DAZ0273
    DAZ0273 Posts: 10,275 Chairperson of the Boards
    ZootSax said:
    AXP_isme said:
    This feels like it’s about to descend into the: I remember when... nostalgia thread. I’ll start!

    I might be a vet because... I remember when true healing was nerfed and the pages of outrage it generated on the forum. 

    Real pepperidge farms territory there. 
    I was thinking the same thing, although I'm such a casual player I'm probably more of an old, unofficial forum historian than actual veteran.
    Uh oh...now we are gonna have to have a "What is a casual player" thread...😉
  • StevO-J
    StevO-J Posts: 751 Critical Contributor
    edited August 2019
    ZootSax said:
    AXP_isme said:
    This feels like it’s about to descend into the: I remember when... nostalgia thread. I’ll start!

    I might be a vet because... I remember when true healing was nerfed and the pages of outrage it generated on the forum. 

    Real pepperidge farms territory there. 
    I was thinking the same thing, although I'm such a casual player I'm probably more of an old, unofficial forum historian than actual veteran.


    Then tell us, historian, of the glorious days when the forum (and the game according to the myths...) were ruled by Jamie Madrox..

     ;) 

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