MPQ Sneak Peek: March 2020 (Updated 3/17/20)

HoundofShadow

People getting on edge just because of a potential 4/5/4/5/4/5 release schedule. 

Let's look at the last 1 year release schedule:

2019
3/14: Talos
3/28: Hela
4/18: Thanos
5/2: Ronin
5/16: Rescue
5/23: Sabretooth
6/6: Storm
6/20: Black Cat
7/4: Mysterio
7/18: Iceman
8/15: Prof X
8/29: Human Torch
9/19: WorthyCap
10/10: SM 2099
10/24: Carbage
11/7: Wolfsbane
11/21: Modok
12/5: BRB
12/19: Karolina Dean

2020
1/9: Northstar
1/30: Mister Sinister
2/13: Karnak
2/27: Havok
3/12: 4*
*3/26: 5*

The potential 4/5/4/5 schedule can only be counted from Karnak release. 

However, we are missing data for April. So, unless some players have been able to datamine new releases info until the end of April, I will say that people are spreading fear among themselves. 

Let's assume it is true that it will 4/5/4/5 release schedule until the end of the year, it could mean that it's a trade-off for 4* feeders.

However, there isn't any data to support this. Alternatively, some 5* might have stayed too long in LT store, so a temporary faster 5* release schedule is needed to boot them out before they go back to "the norm". 

In the meantime, stop spreading fear among yourselves.

Daredevil217

HoundofShadow said:

People getting on edge just because of a potential 4/5/4/5/4/5 release schedule. 

Let's look at the last 1 year release schedule:

2019
3/14: Talos
3/28: Hela
4/18: Thanos
5/2: Ronin
5/16: Rescue
5/23: Sabretooth
6/6: Storm
6/20: Black Cat
7/4: Mysterio
7/18: Iceman
8/15: Prof X
8/29: Human Torch
9/19: WorthyCap
10/10: SM 2099
10/24: Carbage
11/7: Wolfsbane
11/21: Modok
12/5: BRB
12/19: Karolina Dean

2020
1/9: Northstar
1/30: Mister Sinister
2/13: Karnak
2/27: Havok
3/12: 4*
*3/26: 5*

The potential 4/5/4/5 schedule can only be counted from Karnak release. 

However, we are missing data for April. So, unless some players have been able to datamine new releases info until the end of April, I will say that people are spreading fear among themselves. 

Let's assume it is true that it will 4/5/4/5 release schedule until the end of the year, it could mean that it's a trade-off for 4* feeders.

However, there isn't any data to support this. Alternatively, some 5* might have stayed too long in LT, so a temporary faster 5* release shedule is needed to boot them out before they go back to "the norm". 

In the meantime, stop spreading among yourselves.

I’m confused as to why you can only count from Karnak. It seems the last 6 releases have the 4/5/4/5/4/5 pattern. And as you say, people are on edge about the POTENTIAL of this pattern continuing. If people have concerns about this being the new norm, the forums are the right place to voice that concern. Especially when you have vets like myself and @bluewolf who contribute a TON to these forums talking about it being the thing that could push us to give up the game altogether. I’m hearing a lot of people echoing this on Line as well. Regardless of your feelings, there is nothing wrong with looking at the the last 6 releases and saying IF this pattern continues, the game will push out many of its players. Gives them time to course correct if they so choose. But without the feedback, they don’t get that info. You don’t need to rush to defend every piece of feedback that isn’t pro-developer. 

HoundofShadow

I used 1 year of data to make my point and you used 3 months of data to make your point. Of course, fearmongers are going to select limited data to support their point. Why not try using 1 year of data instead?

People here have always used a 4/5/4/4/5 release schedule as a norm and the last 4/5/4/4/5 ends with Mister Sinister for now. Why are people so inconsistent? 

TPF Alexis

ThaRoadWarrior said:

We would also accept a new community manager named Guffman...

Or Godot?

I'm not at the point of quitting yet, but all of the changes for quite some time now have felt like net negatives. I don't know how much more it's going to be before the straw that breaks this camel's back, but it seems to be on the way.

bluewolf

@HoundofShadow

First, the "norm" for quite some time was not 4/5/4/4/5, it was 4/4/5/4/4/5.  Basically throughout 2017 and 2018 you had the majority of 5's spaced 6 weeks apart.  (Spacing has always operated on an "on-average" schedule when movies or other factors sometimes moved releases forward or back.)

4/5/4/4/5 was in play for the first part of 2019.  The second half of 2019 saw a slowdown in the character release schedule in general with a couple 3 week gaps and especially after Professor X, we saw 2 or 3 4's between every 5.

Now we have things speeding up.  Rewards are more generous - you get more 4's in play, 5* shards - so it makes absolute sense for the devs to increase the pace of 5* releases from the point of view of keeping pressure on.  Option B is leaving a schedule in place that allows players to possibly feel more "caught up" (thanks to more rewarded covers) which is actually detrimental to the game as designed (always feel pressure) because the applied pressure makes you chase/purchase resources (they hope) as well as keep you engaged trying to complete things.

The questions are:  1.  Will the increased pressure drive players away in frustration and 2.  Will converting 5's from the more-rare, more-special tier to a common release character be embraced by players?  When 5's are converted from crown jewel to commodity, do they maintain their status as the ultimate prize?

I agree that they could be following the 5 release at the end of March with 2 4's, or a gap or something, and it will be 6 weeks (mid-May) to the next 5-st- ....wait a minute.....April 24 is the Black Widow release date.....seems like a good time to release a new 5, dontchathink? 

Waddles_Pines

HoundofShadow said:

I used 1 year of data to make my point and you used 3 months of data to make your point. Of course, fearmongers are going to select limited data to support their point. Why not try using 1 year of data instead?

People here have always used a 4/5/4/4/5 release schedule as a norm and the last 4/5/4/4/5 ends with Mister Sinister for now. Why are people so inconsistent? 

I normally think you get a lil too much push back on the forums, but calling those of us who are voicing our opinions "fearmongers" is a lil out of place.  The total lack of communication from the devs fuels this sense that the ship is sinking.  Most of us love this game, otherwise we would have moved on long ago.  You don't get these impassioned posts from people who don't care.  The fact that some of us are starting to wear down from questionable decisions or lack of communication from the devs points to a bigger issue than whether or not 4545 is the new norm or not.  

JHawkInc

The vast majority of the time we've had a 5/4/4 pattern that repeated, with 2 weeks between releases. That has held pretty consistently since Doctor Strange's release in November 2016 (it almost goes back as far as Black Bolt in July of that year, but Bolt->Strange had some weirdness, and things are much more consistent from Strange forward)

Every now and then it would deviate, and we would get a 5/4/5.

Three times this happened, and was followed by a course-correct (a 5/4/5 followed by a 4/4/4, so it was the same number of 5's and 4's over a longer period of releases). This happened = with Peter Parker, Cable, and Professor X (each a 5* that came "early", followed by three 4's).

Five times we have just skipped a 4* entirely. Thor, Okoye, Doom, Hela, and Storm. 5*s that skipped a 4* (resulting in a 5/4/5), and were followed by two 4's, but not the full three required to "balance it out" like the above situations.

The current situation is definitely out of place. With a 5/4/5 as the past trio of releases, and the Sneak Peek indicating only a single 4 between Havok and the next 5*, this doesn't fit the pattern we've had since Strange (and/or Black Bolt) back in 2016. This is NOT the first time this has happened. Because in 2016 we had The Hulk, Wasp, Black Bolt, Spider-Woman, and Black Widows as a 5/4/5/4/5, the same pattern we appear to be going through with Mister Sinister, Karnak, Havok, and two unknown characters. The big difference is that back then the 2-week release pattern hadn't quite been established. Hulk, 2 weeks, Wasp, 1 week, Black Bolt AND Spider-Woman, then a full 5 weeks before Black Widow was released.

I wouldn't be so quick to worry about a permanent 5/4/5/4 repeating pattern of releases until we see a little bit more to establish that this is what's actually going on. But I also don't think it's out of place to talk about such concerns, given this is a release pattern we haven't ever seen at all, and the closest thing to it was from a more haphazard schedule over 3.5 years ago.

HoundofShadow

If things slow down and then speed up, then it "cancels out" each other.

If you use the last six releases (including the future 2 releases this month), the schedule will look like 4/5/4/5/4/5.

What happens when you use the last 7 releases? It becomes 4/4/5/4/5/4/5. The assumption of 4/5/4/5/4/5 fails.

What about the last 10 releases ? it becomes 4/4/5/4/4/5/4/5/4/5. It fails too.

Since releases are regarded in "batches of 5" here, when we include future releases for the future 5 releases, the schedule will look like:

4/4/5/4/4/5/4/5/4/5/?/?/?/?/?

Unless someone managed to datamine all April and May releases and can prove within your Line groups that it will be 4/5/4/5/4 for all future 5 ?, then it's simply assumption. 

Black Widow will be out in late April, so it might look like a 4/5 for the next 2 ?. It could be a 4/4/5 for all we know because "celebration" are typically 2 weeks long. Look at the releases for Endgame which was released on 24 April, it's:

4/18: Thanos 
5/2: Ronin
5/16: Rescue

Imagining the worst case scenario, let me try to be as negative as possible.

(Negative mode)

After the players got their wishes for feeders for all Classic 5*, they were asking for feeders for future Classic 5*. This could be your answer for 4* feeders: new (and faster) 5* release schedule, so that they can "justify" new 4* feeders.

It has been so many years and many still can't get it, if you keep on demanding the dev to things your way, there will always be tradeoffs. Perhaps, this is the repercussion for forcing them to rain down shards.

(Ends negative mode)


-Comment in italics was edited for being inappropriate, warning issued.- fight4thedream

ThaRoadWarrior

What we are reacting to is an apparent change in the pattern. Asking the question “is this the new normal?” Isn’t fear mongering, it’s just asking for a status check. Yes? No? Maybe so? There was a time this would have gotten an answer.

JHawkInc

ThaRoadWarrior said:

What we are reacting to is an apparent change in the pattern. Asking the question “is this the new normal?” Isn’t fear mongering, it’s just asking for a status check. Yes? No? Maybe so? There was a time this would have gotten an answer.

It is worth pointing out that it was this kind of questioning that resulted in the devs first telling us about the 5/4/4 pattern and the 2-week release schedule in the first place.

leoperez90

At the end of the day no matter what pattern or w.e they choose to do. We are still playing the game through good and bad. So let's just have fun and chill 

Kolence

Someone forgot about Juggernaut on that list...
Don't you know who he is?!
  

DAZ0273

Oh my goodness... tHe FeAr?!?!?

MAKE IT STOP!

DAZ0273

Maybe I am mis-remembering but I thought we had Army of One not that long ago? Probably just me and it has been cycled faster for the 3's as we haven't had the extra 4* PvP's we were supposed to be getting from that announcement back in the mists of time.

Southside84

I wouldn't mind the 4/5/4/5 schedule to slow down 4 star dilution.  If they kicked back new releases to once every 3 weeks, how many people would mind?

DarthDeVo

HoundofShadow said:

If things slow down and then speed up, then it "cancels out" each other.

If you use the last six releases (including the future 2 releases this month), the schedule will look like 4/5/4/5/4/5.

What happens when you use the last 7 releases? It becomes 4/4/5/4/5/4/5. The assumption of 4/5/4/5/4/5 fails.

What about the last 10 releases ? it becomes 4/4/5/4/4/5/4/5/4/5. It fails too.

Since releases are regarded in "batches of 5" here, when we include future releases for the future 5 releases, the schedule will look like:

4/4/5/4/4/5/4/5/4/5/?/?/?/?/?

Unless someone managed to datamine all April and May releases and can prove within your Line groups that it will be 4/5/4/5/4 for all future 5 ?, then it's simply assumption. 

Black Widow will be out in late April, so it might look like a 4/5 for the next 2 ?. It could be a 4/4/5 for all we know because "celebration" are typically 2 weeks long. Look at the releases for Endgame which was released on 24 April, it's:

4/18: Thanos 
5/2: Ronin
5/16: Rescue

Imagining the worst case scenario, let me try to be as negative as possible.

(Negative mode)

After the players got their wishes for feeders for all Classic 5*, they were asking for feeders for future Classic 5*. This could be your answer for 4* feeders: new (and faster) 5* release schedule, so that they can "justify" new 4* feeders.

It has been so many years and many still can't get it, if you keep on demanding the dev to things your way, there will always be tradeoffs. Perhaps, this is the repercussion for forcing them to rain down shards.

(Ends negative mode)


-Comment in italics was edited for being inappropriate, warning issued.- fight4thedream

You keep talking about the "tradeoffs" and "repercussions" of our "demands."

Some would see it as asking for reasonable solutions to very real problems like dilution. It's like inflation in the economy. You start a job earning X amount of dollars per hour/year, and it's adequate.

But pretty soon, the cost of living starts rising. Gas prices go up, which increases the cost of merchandise at the grocery store. Now you have more demands on your resources, yet you're still getting paid the same as before. So you ask your boss for a raise, pointing out that you've been working hard, even overtime in many cases. It's not an unreasonable thing to do. 

Don't get me wrong, shards are nice, but it's like getting a few extra paid vacation days when your base wage/salary remains flat. 

Well, like a job, this is a two way street. They're free to change the release schedule to 4/5/4/5 if they want to as a "consequence" of giving us shards. But burnout is real. If that's the way they want to do it, some of us are gonna start applying for jobs elsewhere, or retiring. Several longtime vets (we're talking 2,000+ days) I know already have (they've walked away entirely, taking their money with them). Don't squeeze that golden goose too hard trying to get it to lay more eggs; you'll end up strangling it to death. 

bluewolf

Southside84 said:

I wouldn't mind the 4/5/4/5 schedule to slow down 4 star dilution.  If they kicked back new releases to once every 3 weeks, how many people would mind?

I would be MORE THAN HAPPY with a 3 week gap between releases but a 4/5/4/5 pattern.

That would be great.

But you know that's not how this works.  It's a FTP economy and they are pushing out characters at a rapid clip again now that they (probably) did all the work to set up CNs in all the events, and set up new scoring everywhere.  That was obviously a big project and probably led to some of the 3 week gaps we've seen in the past 5 months or so, along with holidays of course.

So I'm expecting that the devs think we will just suck it up and accept a 5 every 4 weeks since we got all these shards etc etc, more 4's Mightys and everything else.

Meanwhile SCL10 is a GRIND that wears on me and if the release schedule means I should be playing there all the time I can find better things to do with my time.

DAZ0273

I find this whole thing confusing. The introduction of SCL10 and shards etc suggest to me that it is the devs goal to make more players 5* players. Fine. But they have equally put in place barriers that are making it harder for me to become a 5* player, things like this release schedule and the vast gap between 10 and below which enriches the rich but keeps me depressed. Even though I truly appreciate the SCL10 PvP uptick in rewards that has equally just left me pushed out of placement in most cases. Fortunately the extra rewards mean that isn't such an issue but it has been a seismic shift in the short time we have had it. I have to hit 1000 to even get Top 100 whereas before in 9 I didn't even need 900 for Top 50! Guess I need to go find some slacker brakets!

It is a confusing strategy. If BRB is now going have less time in Latest then I feel like I have to switch up to chasing him  before he is gone because he will be as close to meta I can get at present and is within striking distance but doing so means I'll never be in a position to do much with accelerated releases via hoarding and I can't compete with the SCL10 mob in terms of resource acquisition. And what if the next 5* is a humdinger? I have been here before - RNG absolutely screwed me over during vaulting when others were getting Vulture and I was getting pre-buff Mordo.

So I guess I missed my time to transisition and I tread water or die becuase SCL10 PvE is no good to me.

Oh well. Back to the FeAr!!!!

bluewolf

A note re: actual event scheduling....

Here in the States we have Spring Forward this weekend.  An alliance/boss event is fantastic when those time changes happen because you're not trying to plan around a time change and your locked-in time which doesn't get shifted so you need to do it "an hour earlier".

But instead of an alliance event, or even a merciful 48 hour sub that runs Sat - Monday, we get a normal old PVE.  Strange Sights, in fact.

Feeling burned out yet.......?

ThaRoadWarrior

4/5/4/5 would be just fine if it came with an attendant gap increase in the release drops. I definitely agree the 4* tier is over - my feeling is not that I actually want, well, any more 4*s to have to roster, but they serve as a buffer to 5* acquisition. By spacing out the 5* releases it gives you a window of time where it's realistic to chase them in latest to champion. that 4*s are coming out in between is, to me, the necessary evil that facilitates that capability. 

This new development is coming with no updates on how or even if post-carbage 5*s are going to be assigned to feeders. So we have an apparent acceleration in release rate on 5s, radio silence on how they might be fed, and a general reduction to cp/hp/iso8 rewards all over the place. Fearmongering or not, it paints a picture.