MPQ Developer Q&A December 2023 (QUESTIONS)

entrailbucket

@Glockoma said:
How about choosing your boosted characters from a batch or perhaps another method of allowing a bit of “dealer’s choice” to boosted characters? This way we can setup some actual teamwork based on inherent synergies.

There’s a fair number of folks out there that will take one look at the boosted lineup and say, “Whelp, looks like I’m sitting out this week.”

I wish they'd curate those lists to boost combo partners together, but if they did what you're suggesting everyone would just boost Thor or Shang-Chi every week -- it goes too far in the opposite direction.

Glockoma

@entrailbucket said:

@Glockoma said:
How about choosing your boosted characters from a batch or perhaps another method of allowing a bit of “dealer’s choice” to boosted characters? This way we can setup some actual teamwork based on inherent synergies.

There’s a fair number of folks out there that will take one look at the boosted lineup and say, “Whelp, looks like I’m sitting out this week.”

I wish they'd curate those lists to boost combo partners together, but if they did what you're suggesting everyone would just boost Thor or Shang-Chi every week -- it goes too far in the opposite direction.

Yeah I thought about the same thing. This is why I was leaning towards picking one or two from a small, rotating cadre of characters so as to not exploit the meta often.

KGB

@entrailbucket said:

@Glockoma said:
How about choosing your boosted characters from a batch or perhaps another method of allowing a bit of “dealer’s choice” to boosted characters? This way we can setup some actual teamwork based on inherent synergies.

There’s a fair number of folks out there that will take one look at the boosted lineup and say, “Whelp, looks like I’m sitting out this week.”

I wish they'd curate those lists to boost combo partners together, but if they did what you're suggesting everyone would just boost Thor or Shang-Chi every week -- it goes too far in the opposite direction.

One possible solution to that is to make you select different characters each week and not allow repeats until you had cycled through all the 5s. So lets say that the boost list is 5 characters and there are 100 total 5 stars then that would mean it would be 20 weeks (20x5) until you could do a repeat character. That would make choosing which characters you wanted for the boost list a bit more interesting.

KGB

entrailbucket

@KGB said:

@entrailbucket said:

@Glockoma said:
How about choosing your boosted characters from a batch or perhaps another method of allowing a bit of “dealer’s choice” to boosted characters? This way we can setup some actual teamwork based on inherent synergies.

There’s a fair number of folks out there that will take one look at the boosted lineup and say, “Whelp, looks like I’m sitting out this week.”

I wish they'd curate those lists to boost combo partners together, but if they did what you're suggesting everyone would just boost Thor or Shang-Chi every week -- it goes too far in the opposite direction.

One possible solution to that is to make you select different characters each week and not allow repeats until you had cycled through all the 5s. So lets say that the boost list is 5 characters and there are 100 total 5 stars then that would mean it would be 20 weeks (20x5) until you could do a repeat character. That would make choosing which characters you wanted for the boost list a bit more interesting.

KGB

That's a pretty good idea! But they'd have to gate it somehow, because most players don't have all the 5*. I'm not sure how you could work around that.

KGB

@entrailbucket said:

@KGB said:

@entrailbucket said:

@Glockoma said:
How about choosing your boosted characters from a batch or perhaps another method of allowing a bit of “dealer’s choice” to boosted characters? This way we can setup some actual teamwork based on inherent synergies.

There’s a fair number of folks out there that will take one look at the boosted lineup and say, “Whelp, looks like I’m sitting out this week.”

I wish they'd curate those lists to boost combo partners together, but if they did what you're suggesting everyone would just boost Thor or Shang-Chi every week -- it goes too far in the opposite direction.

One possible solution to that is to make you select different characters each week and not allow repeats until you had cycled through all the 5s. So lets say that the boost list is 5 characters and there are 100 total 5 stars then that would mean it would be 20 weeks (20x5) until you could do a repeat character. That would make choosing which characters you wanted for the boost list a bit more interesting.

KGB

That's a pretty good idea! But they'd have to gate it somehow, because most players don't have all the 5*. I'm not sure how you could work around that.

Why would it matter whether or not you had all the 5s. You could still select characters you don't own but when you did you'd obviously get no benefit just like how it works now when you don't own a character and they are boosted.

KGB

entrailbucket

@KGB said:

@entrailbucket said:

@KGB said:

@entrailbucket said:

@Glockoma said:
How about choosing your boosted characters from a batch or perhaps another method of allowing a bit of “dealer’s choice” to boosted characters? This way we can setup some actual teamwork based on inherent synergies.

There’s a fair number of folks out there that will take one look at the boosted lineup and say, “Whelp, looks like I’m sitting out this week.”

I wish they'd curate those lists to boost combo partners together, but if they did what you're suggesting everyone would just boost Thor or Shang-Chi every week -- it goes too far in the opposite direction.

One possible solution to that is to make you select different characters each week and not allow repeats until you had cycled through all the 5s. So lets say that the boost list is 5 characters and there are 100 total 5 stars then that would mean it would be 20 weeks (20x5) until you could do a repeat character. That would make choosing which characters you wanted for the boost list a bit more interesting.

KGB

That's a pretty good idea! But they'd have to gate it somehow, because most players don't have all the 5*. I'm not sure how you could work around that.

Why would it matter whether or not you had all the 5s. You could still select characters you don't own but when you did you'd obviously get no benefit just like how it works now when you don't own a character and they are boosted.

KGB

Newer players would probably be mad about being forced to select 5* that they don't have rostered. Like if you only have 1 or 2 5*, you'd have to pick guys you didn't have for 18 weeks or whatever. Maybe I'm misunderstanding the idea?

Daredevil217

Just more incentive to champ them all. The way I understand it individual 5 star characters would be boosted the same amount of times as they are now. The only difference is by letting the player choose their own boost list, they can cultivate one with more synergy.

Glockoma

@entrailbucket said:

@KGB said:

@entrailbucket said:

@KGB said:

@entrailbucket said:

@Glockoma said:
How about choosing your boosted characters from a batch or perhaps another method of allowing a bit of “dealer’s choice” to boosted characters? This way we can setup some actual teamwork based on inherent synergies.

There’s a fair number of folks out there that will take one look at the boosted lineup and say, “Whelp, looks like I’m sitting out this week.”

I wish they'd curate those lists to boost combo partners together, but if they did what you're suggesting everyone would just boost Thor or Shang-Chi every week -- it goes too far in the opposite direction.

One possible solution to that is to make you select different characters each week and not allow repeats until you had cycled through all the 5s. So lets say that the boost list is 5 characters and there are 100 total 5 stars then that would mean it would be 20 weeks (20x5) until you could do a repeat character. That would make choosing which characters you wanted for the boost list a bit more interesting.

KGB

That's a pretty good idea! But they'd have to gate it somehow, because most players don't have all the 5*. I'm not sure how you could work around that.

Why would it matter whether or not you had all the 5s. You could still select characters you don't own but when you did you'd obviously get no benefit just like how it works now when you don't own a character and they are boosted.

KGB

Newer players would probably be mad about being forced to select 5* that they don't have rostered. Like if you only have 1 or 2 5*, you'd have to pick guys you didn't have for 18 weeks or whatever. Maybe I'm misunderstanding the idea?

Yeah, no need to let the idea scurry too far out of control lol.

My initial idea was to keep with having the rotating group of boosted characters, but to maybe add a couple of picks to it. How many, which tiers, timeouts, etc. I have no serious qualms with figuring a good cadence there in time. The idea is not a fully fleshed out scheme; as @entrailbucket mentioned, we need not have year round meta boosts exploiting it.

What I can’t help but empathize with, however, is that this boosted occurrence has led to playing and encountering what I somewhat consider a faux “6* tier”. As a 5* player for ages now, I can expect to have L570+ individuals at the centerpiece of my team almost every event that supersedes my unboosted counterparts just by match damage and health alone. (In most cases…)

Just like the 4* tier before it that I never used after the 5* transition, my base level 5*’s usually have to take the bench in favor of The Boosted Ones. Insert Ominous tones here Especially as your climb in PvP, with exceptions to meta toons, if you don’t have the right boosted characters you can expect to start getting hit if floating unshielded for any significant amount of time.

One can take a single look at their current PvP event and know exactly how their week is going to go based on the escalated characters. Good, bad, fun, boring - the week ends up being mostly focused around those top 2 or 3 lines on rosters in the more competitive spaces and relegated to ultimately favoring them over sometimes more enticing choices.

So I was just suggesting to the devs to add a bit of user choice into these weeks. I can’t tell you how many time I see the list coming up and wishing I can pick up one of my favorite pairings with some of the toons on deck. It could really add a touch of variety…or be an absolute bust lol!

But hey, the game’s old so who cares. Just want to keep enjoying it while the lights stay on.

Merry Christmas to you all!

KGB

@Glockoma - The problem is that without any cool down on selections, players would perpetually select Shang / Thor / Okoye etc. Why would anyone ever select anyone but the top characters as their extra 2 picks.

My idea as mentioned to EB was to let player select their pick of characters each week but not allow picking someone again until you cycled through all the characters. Now, if the game is going to select 3 each week and only allow the player to select 2, then it doesn't necessarily need to force players to rotate 50 weeks worth (2 per week) but you definitely need to prevent players from just rotating in the same 4-6 characters over and over again.

My suggestion of letting players pick 5 at a time for 20 weeks (assuming 100 total characters) has the benefit that each week you'll face wildly different teams when skipping since everyone won't have the same boost list each week.

KGB

Glockoma

@KGB said:
@Glockoma - The problem is that without any cool down on selections, players would perpetually select Shang / Thor / Okoye etc. Why would anyone ever select anyone but the top characters as their extra 2 picks.

My idea as mentioned to EB was to let player select their pick of characters each week but not allow picking someone again until you cycled through all the characters. Now, if the game is going to select 3 each week and only allow the player to select 2, then it doesn't necessarily need to force players to rotate 50 weeks worth (2 per week) but you definitely need to prevent players from just rotating in the same 4-6 characters over and over again.

My suggestion of letting players pick 5 at a time for 20 weeks (assuming 100 total characters) has the benefit that each week you'll face wildly different teams when skipping since everyone won't have the same boost list each week.

KGB

Yup, my first paragraph addressed just this from my perspective. The TL;DR version was I didn’t care how it was implemented, just that it was not abused.

Devs can figure it out. I want to drive the essence of my question of the month home, though: let a little choice come into the boosted weeks for some added value to the player and their team composition.

Cheers 😎

Daredevil217

Say I have two max-champed Rockett & Groot and a third copy at level 300. If I ascend the max/max will I eventually be able to apply the third version as covers to the ascended version?

entrailbucket

@KGB said:
@Glockoma - The problem is that without any cool down on selections, players would perpetually select Shang / Thor / Okoye etc. Why would anyone ever select anyone but the top characters as their extra 2 picks.

My idea as mentioned to EB was to let player select their pick of characters each week but not allow picking someone again until you cycled through all the characters. Now, if the game is going to select 3 each week and only allow the player to select 2, then it doesn't necessarily need to force players to rotate 50 weeks worth (2 per week) but you definitely need to prevent players from just rotating in the same 4-6 characters over and over again.

My suggestion of letting players pick 5 at a time for 20 weeks (assuming 100 total characters) has the benefit that each week you'll face wildly different teams when skipping since everyone won't have the same boost list each week.

KGB

I'd do it with rotating debuffs in addition to buffs -- that way you can't depend on the same set of guys every week.

But I'm not sure any of this matters or is something the devs or players actually want.

The last time I talked about encouraging variety in the metagame, some guy kept telling me that variety was both impossible and undesirable, and that it was best for the game for every player to use the same two characters for every single event forever.

Bowgentle

@entrailbucket said:

@KGB said:
@Glockoma - The problem is that without any cool down on selections, players would perpetually select Shang / Thor / Okoye etc. Why would anyone ever select anyone but the top characters as their extra 2 picks.

My idea as mentioned to EB was to let player select their pick of characters each week but not allow picking someone again until you cycled through all the characters. Now, if the game is going to select 3 each week and only allow the player to select 2, then it doesn't necessarily need to force players to rotate 50 weeks worth (2 per week) but you definitely need to prevent players from just rotating in the same 4-6 characters over and over again.

My suggestion of letting players pick 5 at a time for 20 weeks (assuming 100 total characters) has the benefit that each week you'll face wildly different teams when skipping since everyone won't have the same boost list each week.

KGB

I'd do it with rotating debuffs in addition to buffs -- that way you can't depend on the same set of guys every week.

But I'm not sure any of this matters or is something the devs or players actually want.

The last time I talked about encouraging variety in the metagame, some guy kept telling me that variety was both impossible and undesirable, and that it was best for the game for every player to use the same two characters for every single event forever.

Nobody wants variety.
All the people with this pick your own boost want is a competitive advantage because they think they know how to manipulate this better than their MMR buddies.

Glockoma

@Bowgentle said:

@entrailbucket said:

@KGB said:
@Glockoma - The problem is that without any cool down on selections, players would perpetually select Shang / Thor / Okoye etc. Why would anyone ever select anyone but the top characters as their extra 2 picks.

My idea as mentioned to EB was to let player select their pick of characters each week but not allow picking someone again until you cycled through all the characters. Now, if the game is going to select 3 each week and only allow the player to select 2, then it doesn't necessarily need to force players to rotate 50 weeks worth (2 per week) but you definitely need to prevent players from just rotating in the same 4-6 characters over and over again.

My suggestion of letting players pick 5 at a time for 20 weeks (assuming 100 total characters) has the benefit that each week you'll face wildly different teams when skipping since everyone won't have the same boost list each week.

KGB

I'd do it with rotating debuffs in addition to buffs -- that way you can't depend on the same set of guys every week.

But I'm not sure any of this matters or is something the devs or players actually want.

The last time I talked about encouraging variety in the metagame, some guy kept telling me that variety was both impossible and undesirable, and that it was best for the game for every player to use the same two characters for every single event forever.

Nobody wants variety.
All the people with this pick your own boost want is a competitive advantage because they think they know how to manipulate this better than their MMR buddies.

Only speaking personally here, so take with a large grain of salt: This thought hasn’t crossed my mind.

PvE is boring, but it’s where I get to play with my favorite part of MPQ: the team building. Albeit, it’s mostly against stifled teams, non-tile movers, or the same enemies over and over. Finding new synergies allows me to stay awake while I perform my clears.

PvP is my jam. Simulator allows for my pick three fun. Pick-2’s are less fun. I don’t do the check rooms or any of that anymore, but I enjoy the small thrill of shield hopping and trying to evade hits while tapping or just hitting cupcakes to 1200 when I’m down on time.

Either way, variety is the spice of life for some. But with a mobile game as old as this one, it can use as much defibrillation as it can get before it sunsets.

Everyone’s mileage may vary, but that’s why I suggested a couple of personal picks each week. I think it could be fun. Especially with some of the suggestions from @KGB and @entrailbucket.

Doubt it’ll ever implement anyway. So no worries.

Bzhai

Maybe you guys should take this discussion on another thread? We don't want some people's questions being left out because someone compiling this has to sift through pages of non-questions.

Nurielkun

Any chance for a costume for a 3* Arcade? Those "retro" pixelated characters are kind of hurtful for eyes.

Seph1roth5

Oof yeah a free arcade costume, or heroic boss reward at least lol.

Carnifex

Roughly, what percentage of the player base are playing which Clearance Level? Are the majority at SCL10? From varying forums, everyone appears to be an advanced player and just wondering if this is actually the case?

Jinx

Just watched the final episode of Loki and have to say the time for a complete work of this character is long overdue. He was one of the most disappointing characters ever released, which is sucks because he is one of the most popular characters in the MCU. Now that he has become perhaps the most powerful being in the MCU, can we please replace this absolute garbage character with something better?

axmoss

will we see unique 3 stars in a dual 3/5 simultaneous release?