MPQ Developer Q&A July 2023 (ANSWERS)

DrClever

Yeah, I have an alt account that has just champed Polaris-Juggs-Grocket and so can clear SCL9 apart from the required 4/5 which it doesn't generally have.

It was pretty quick to get there playing very casually, but it feels like now there's a big grind to level 3s and roster 4s - hard to see an end to the ISO and HP droughts.

I kind of regret targeting the meta characters as the most fun part was playing what I could with what RNGod gave me (Squirrel Girl covers for whatever reason arrived in vast quantities).

I see a lot of borderline unwinnable battles in PvP with boosted 5s (fair enough IMO) and definitely unwinnable with unlevelled but fully covered 5 teams (you have 13 MThor covers but can't spare any ISO for levelling? Really?)

DAZ0273

@DrClever said:
Yeah, I have an alt account that has just champed Polaris-Juggs-Grocket and so can clear SCL9 apart from the required 4/5 which it doesn't generally have.

It was pretty quick to get there playing very casually, but it feels like now there's a big grind to level 3s and roster 4s - hard to see an end to the ISO and HP droughts.

I kind of regret targeting the meta characters as the most fun part was playing what I could with what RNGod gave me (Squirrel Girl covers for whatever reason arrived in vast quantities).

I see a lot of borderline unwinnable battles in PvP with boosted 5s (fair enough IMO) and definitely unwinnable with unlevelled but fully covered 5 teams (you have 13 MThor covers but can't spare any ISO for levelling? Really?)

Soft cappers...definitely none of them on the Forum luckily...

Timemachinego

@DrClever said:

I see a lot of borderline unwinnable battles in PvP with boosted 5s (fair enough IMO) and definitely unwinnable with unlevelled but fully covered 5 teams (you have 13 MThor covers but can't spare any ISO for levelling? Really?)

PVP has been and is even more so an old player's paradise. Every year or so we get a character that can let efficient players punch up in PVE but even with attempted meta counters I don't think we ever really get that in PVP. I can't claim to know if this is an mmr problem or a me problem or what, but if anything PVP seems like it gets worse and worse every year I play. The top players are so entrenched in their focus that I believe you could take damn near every reward out of ranking play and they'd still be killing themselves to get 1st in their bracket each and every event.

StanleyBurrell

@entrailbucket said:

@KGB said:

@bbigler said:
@skittledaddy I would like to answer your question about how long it takes a new player to champ a 2*, 3*, 4* and 5*. Based on my records of a new roster in October 2021, playing every event and buying VIP & the SCL starter packs plus some other special deals:

2* Champ - 3 days
3* Champ - 10 days
4* Champ - 7 weeks
5* Champ #1 - 3 months
5* Champ #2 - 5 months
5* Champ #3 - 6 months
5* Champ #4 - 6.5 months
5* Champ #5 - 7 months

If you don’t spend money, then I imagine it would take twice as long.

I remember this thread well. The 2* champ in 3 days (13 covers + ISO) seems the most impressive thing of all given you'd be restricted in what you can play by lack of characters and SCL levels. Must have been playing like 6 hrs a day. LOL

I also recall your 5* draw rate was quite lucky (which amazed me because mines never been close to 15% over the lifetime of years of playing). I think it was close 18%. Someone else who got as unlucky as you got lucky with only a 12% draw rate would have taken a lot longer even if they duplicated everything else you did.

The fact that 13% get at least 1 character there in a year is pretty impressive and says that at least 13% of 1 year players are serious spenders.

KGB

I doubt we'll get this answer in this thread, but the last time I asked...the lower tier players collectively outspend the higher tier players, by a pretty significant amount.

This seems accurate to me. I’m sure I’d be considered a heavy ish spender but the times I’ve sat in a random alliance I’ve always been stunned at how many random people buy stuff 😂

skittledaddy

@DAZ0273 said:

Soft cappers...definitely none of them on the Forum luckily...

Agreed. I don't think we could handle that much genius, rugged good looks, and other general wonderfulness around here. Soft-cappers... c'est magnifique!!

Timemachinego

@StanleyBurrell said:

This seems accurate to me. I’m sure I’d be considered a heavy ish spender but the times I’ve sat in a random alliance I’ve always been stunned at how many random people buy stuff 😂

It's honestly hard to stop buying stuff once you opened those flood gates! I've been here for a little over 3 years now... for my first year I was trying my damnedest to get solidly into the 4* tier and those SCL packs offered SO MUCH acceleration. Once I got there, the 5* offers started getting more generous and I couldn't help myself from buying a few of those too. Nowadays I mostly just buy a costume bundle if I love it (or VIP when I like the costume) which I think is fair, but I'm already a spender at this point and have lost all perspective.

entrailbucket

@StanleyBurrell said:

@entrailbucket said:

@KGB said:

@bbigler said:
@skittledaddy I would like to answer your question about how long it takes a new player to champ a 2*, 3*, 4* and 5*. Based on my records of a new roster in October 2021, playing every event and buying VIP & the SCL starter packs plus some other special deals:

2* Champ - 3 days
3* Champ - 10 days
4* Champ - 7 weeks
5* Champ #1 - 3 months
5* Champ #2 - 5 months
5* Champ #3 - 6 months
5* Champ #4 - 6.5 months
5* Champ #5 - 7 months

If you don’t spend money, then I imagine it would take twice as long.

I remember this thread well. The 2* champ in 3 days (13 covers + ISO) seems the most impressive thing of all given you'd be restricted in what you can play by lack of characters and SCL levels. Must have been playing like 6 hrs a day. LOL

I also recall your 5* draw rate was quite lucky (which amazed me because mines never been close to 15% over the lifetime of years of playing). I think it was close 18%. Someone else who got as unlucky as you got lucky with only a 12% draw rate would have taken a lot longer even if they duplicated everything else you did.

The fact that 13% get at least 1 character there in a year is pretty impressive and says that at least 13% of 1 year players are serious spenders.

KGB

I doubt we'll get this answer in this thread, but the last time I asked...the lower tier players collectively outspend the higher tier players, by a pretty significant amount.

This seems accurate to me. I’m sure I’d be considered a heavy ish spender but the times I’ve sat in a random alliance I’ve always been stunned at how many random people buy stuff 😂

Right, and, like, this is the point I often try to make when we talk about this stuff. It's why the 5* metagame isn't their first priority (even though many of us think it should be). It's why a lot of QoL stuff that only helps us is low-priority.

They pay a lot of attention to the lower tiers because there are way, way, way more of them, and they generate much more spend than the rest of us. In fact, the resources they dedicate to that kind of player are likely the reason why the game remains so successful 10 years in.

DAZ0273

@skittledaddy said:

@DAZ0273 said:

Soft cappers...definitely none of them on the Forum luckily...

Agreed. I don't think we could handle that much genius, rugged good looks, and other general wonderfulness around here. Soft-cappers... c'est magnifique!!

They also make wonderful lovers or so I am told...

bbigler

@skittledaddy You’re right, I’m not representative of the average player, in fact, I would say no one on this forum is. The average player doesn’t even know there’s a forum, or bothers to look up play guides. Nevertheless, it seems like the average player is willing to spend some amount of money on the game, even if it’s a $2 Lightning deal.

I’ve come to realize that I’m an MPQ speed-runner. I enjoy the progression more than getting to the top (I was once at the very top BTW). I once again returned to the game, but only for the purpose of seeing what I can accomplish by day 365. My latest roster is on day 258. I also wanted to prove that it’s possible for new players to reach 5* champs quickly.

So, I guess I’m trying to say that the game is well designed for both new and old players, but I find it boring to grind away for years to level up your guys to 550. And when you get there, then what? Just keep playing the same battles over and over until you don’t even think anymore?

KGB

@entrailbucket said:

@StanleyBurrell said:

@entrailbucket said:

@KGB said:

@bbigler said:
@skittledaddy I would like to answer your question about how long it takes a new player to champ a 2*, 3*, 4* and 5*. Based on my records of a new roster in October 2021, playing every event and buying VIP & the SCL starter packs plus some other special deals:

2* Champ - 3 days
3* Champ - 10 days
4* Champ - 7 weeks
5* Champ #1 - 3 months
5* Champ #2 - 5 months
5* Champ #3 - 6 months
5* Champ #4 - 6.5 months
5* Champ #5 - 7 months

If you don’t spend money, then I imagine it would take twice as long.

I remember this thread well. The 2* champ in 3 days (13 covers + ISO) seems the most impressive thing of all given you'd be restricted in what you can play by lack of characters and SCL levels. Must have been playing like 6 hrs a day. LOL

I also recall your 5* draw rate was quite lucky (which amazed me because mines never been close to 15% over the lifetime of years of playing). I think it was close 18%. Someone else who got as unlucky as you got lucky with only a 12% draw rate would have taken a lot longer even if they duplicated everything else you did.

The fact that 13% get at least 1 character there in a year is pretty impressive and says that at least 13% of 1 year players are serious spenders.

KGB

I doubt we'll get this answer in this thread, but the last time I asked...the lower tier players collectively outspend the higher tier players, by a pretty significant amount.

This seems accurate to me. I’m sure I’d be considered a heavy ish spender but the times I’ve sat in a random alliance I’ve always been stunned at how many random people buy stuff 😂

Right, and, like, this is the point I often try to make when we talk about this stuff. It's why the 5* metagame isn't their first priority (even though many of us think it should be). It's why a lot of QoL stuff that only helps us is low-priority.

They pay a lot of attention to the lower tiers because there are way, way, way more of them, and they generate much more spend than the rest of us. In fact, the resources they dedicate to that kind of player are likely the reason why the game remains so successful 10 years in.

Absolutely correct. The other thing you didn't mention is that when you are at that stage of the game, spending 20 or 30 dollars on HP for roster slots or specific covers for meta character (ie a bunch of Polaris covers) does a LOT for your game experience (cuts down time/ punch up etc). But where we are, spending $100 or even $500 might do next to nothing even if it was all in buy clubs that netted extra CP.

KGB

StanleyBurrell

@entrailbucket said:

@StanleyBurrell said:

@entrailbucket said:

@KGB said:

@bbigler said:
@skittledaddy I would like to answer your question about how long it takes a new player to champ a 2*, 3*, 4* and 5*. Based on my records of a new roster in October 2021, playing every event and buying VIP & the SCL starter packs plus some other special deals:

2* Champ - 3 days
3* Champ - 10 days
4* Champ - 7 weeks
5* Champ #1 - 3 months
5* Champ #2 - 5 months
5* Champ #3 - 6 months
5* Champ #4 - 6.5 months
5* Champ #5 - 7 months

If you don’t spend money, then I imagine it would take twice as long.

I remember this thread well. The 2* champ in 3 days (13 covers + ISO) seems the most impressive thing of all given you'd be restricted in what you can play by lack of characters and SCL levels. Must have been playing like 6 hrs a day. LOL

I also recall your 5* draw rate was quite lucky (which amazed me because mines never been close to 15% over the lifetime of years of playing). I think it was close 18%. Someone else who got as unlucky as you got lucky with only a 12% draw rate would have taken a lot longer even if they duplicated everything else you did.

The fact that 13% get at least 1 character there in a year is pretty impressive and says that at least 13% of 1 year players are serious spenders.

KGB

I doubt we'll get this answer in this thread, but the last time I asked...the lower tier players collectively outspend the higher tier players, by a pretty significant amount.

This seems accurate to me. I’m sure I’d be considered a heavy ish spender but the times I’ve sat in a random alliance I’ve always been stunned at how many random people buy stuff 😂

Right, and, like, this is the point I often try to make when we talk about this stuff. It's why the 5* metagame isn't their first priority (even though many of us think it should be). It's why a lot of QoL stuff that only helps us is low-priority.

They pay a lot of attention to the lower tiers because there are way, way, way more of them, and they generate much more spend than the rest of us. In fact, the resources they dedicate to that kind of player are likely the reason why the game remains so successful 10 years in.

100% agree with this whole statement. It is also way easier to advance now which in my opinion is a great thing. Our transition through the 4* tier was way way worse. I remember yellow cover after yellow cover for my Kingpin. The biggest adjustment I think they still need to make is either iSo infusion or cheaper leveling costs. It can definitely be deflating if you’re a collector.

Zalasta

@StanleyBurrell said:
The biggest adjustment I think they still need to make is either iSo infusion or cheaper leveling costs. It can definitely be deflating if you’re a collector.

This. I'm down to thirteen classic 5-stars to fully cover and champ. I've been starving all of my other characters levels to try to keep up. I'll likely have them all fully covered long before I have the ISO to champ them. Waiting patiently to see what the anniversary brings in the way of cover opportunities and ISO.

IceIX

@Timemachinego said:
Since we're asking questions and getting answers here, why is 4* Venom (Eddie Brock) the only Secret Invasion cover that didn't change back?

No particular reason. Liked it and decided to keep it around a bit longer. It'll change back at some point.

SolidQ

Where new content? Almost 10 year playing this game. But PVP is still same as 10 years ago.
Need special pvp's like, 1 week running with limited characters(something like no blue/no passive/no heals etc characters), it's boring to play with same 5-6 character always.
Where alliance wars?
Where is 4* rework? Like Healthpoints/Match damage. Too big gap between 4* and 5*. Other games which i'm playing doesn't have too big gap between 4-5*

Punisher5784

@SolidQ said:
Where new content? Almost 10 year playing this game. But PVP is still same as 10 years ago.
Need special pvp's like, 1 week running with limited characters(something like no blue/no passive/no heals etc characters), it's boring to play with same 5-6 character always.
Where alliance wars?
Where is 4* rework? Like Healthpoints/Match damage. Too big gap between 4* and 5*. Other games which i'm playing doesn't have too big gap between 4-5*

@SolidQ
Great questions but they've already completed July. Definitely ask this next Q&A!