Why no new 3 stars??

Twomp_thaDJ
Twomp_thaDJ Posts: 237 Tile Toppler
I don’t know if anyone can really truly answer this, but why don’t they release 3* characters anymore. With the constant release of 4* characters dilution is only going to get worse. And I understand them trying to fix things a little with the shards and redoing champ reward to help with feeders.

if you go to a 3* 4* 5* release schedule or even 3* 4* 5* 4* release schedule you slow down on dilution and you help (if done logically) add feeders to help keep up with the 4*s that are relentlessly being added.. and from what I’ve read here, the amount of players isn’t necessarily growing but at a stand still of new players signing up and vets quitting because of stagnation. So adding 3* to the game does help both sides of the coin (again if done logically) vets get feeders, dilution is slowed and we still have to buy roster slots for new characters. 

So I’m not really sure if we will ever get the answer as to why 3* characters ceased to be developed but if nothing else it slows down dilution with creating another currency and taking away resources.
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Comments

  • DyingLegend
    DyingLegend Posts: 1,191 Chairperson of the Boards
    Three star characters are useless after a certain point
  • Wonko33
    Wonko33 Posts: 985 Critical Contributor
    edited January 2020
    new players have enough 3 starts to progress without the challenge of dissolution
  • tiomono
    tiomono Posts: 1,651 Chairperson of the Boards
    I just wouldnt want more 3* required versus events added to the rotation slowing down 4* required or unique events like evrrgreen.
  • Borstock
    Borstock Posts: 2,518 Chairperson of the Boards
    Money. The answer is money.
  • Twomp_thaDJ
    Twomp_thaDJ Posts: 237 Tile Toppler
    If the answer is money.. how are they making money on the 4* tier? Just indulge me..
  • bluewolf
    bluewolf Posts: 5,247 Chairperson of the Boards
    Sometimes the money is not directly from the release, but from the resources required by the release and the resulting need felt by some to replenish them.  The main resources are HP, iso, and token/CP usage.

    If a 3 or a 4 is released, each requires a roster slot, so that's about 1000 HP.  Iso (not really a driver of spending) is more of driver for engagement/a reason to keep going.  Now, for covers.  

    If you introduced a 3 it is very, very likely that most players would not try hard to pull their covers.  They would know that they could easily get the covers they need (even if they had 3* Shield Training) by saving Elites and Heroics and pulling for the new person once they entered tokens.  Hence they could casually approach the various stores around the new release and feel less pressure to spend for more tokens, or just to replenish the HP they used.

    4's are different; even if most players aren't whaling them. Their rarity makes them more compelling so people use more HP and tokens to get them; they use CP and LTs too (maybe) once they enter the pool.  And there is the occasional whale who will chase covers for a 4 to get them champed as soon as possible (from the new release store and vault).

    Basically it comes down to 3's being far easier to cover (especially now, after shards are in) and finish, and therefore not putting as much spending pressure on players.
  • HoundofShadow
    HoundofShadow Posts: 8,004 Chairperson of the Boards
    The last two 3*, Gambit and Angel, were released in late 2017. However, they came along with 5*. 

    3* are given out like candies, so fewer players would see a need to buy them, compared to 4* and 5*. If something is easy to get, its value go down.  Even when there are bundles for 3*, they are cheap. 

    On the other hand, 4* and 5* portrays higher value due to its rarity, thus, they potentially give higher revenues. 
  • BriMan2222
    BriMan2222 Posts: 982 Critical Contributor
    If the answer is money.. how are they making money on the 4* tier? Just indulge me..
    Three stars are much, much easier to get than four stars. As a non spender, I had the newer 3 stars that came out like Angel and Electra champed within a few weeks after they were released and have all of the 3 stars max champed now.  On the other hand, 4 stars that were released around the same time I've either just recently champed or are still waiting on a cover or 2.

    Players are much, much more likely to spend Cp to chase 4 stars or Hp in cover store events, Cp and HP can be obtained by spending money.  Nobody is spending money to chase 3 star covers when they are so easy to obtain and also, even as a free to play player I spent very little time in 3 star land.  3 Stars become all but useless pretty quickly once you get rolling.

    Once you champ a few four stars you will only care about 4 stars and 5 stars, and once you get into 5 star land you won't care about any pull that isn't purple.  Four stars and five stars make money.
  • ThaRoadWarrior
    ThaRoadWarrior Posts: 9,125 Chairperson of the Boards
    In the last days of 3* releases (Gambit, Star Lord, and Angel) I remember even as a 4* transitioner only caring about who they gave out as champ rewards into the 4* tier. To this day I've only used gambit and angel in required nodes, and barely know what they do. Any new character released below 5* tier is a reward factory for upper tier rosters primarily (unless broken). Those characters came out alongside 5*s though, which meant everyone needed to open up a pair of roster slots around the same time, so while nobody is going to spend loads on them directly, I could see the HP pressure of opening a second roster slot for first them, and then whoever they are feeding still driving spending some kind of way.
  • shardwick
    shardwick Posts: 2,121 Chairperson of the Boards
    There's just no point.  I'd rather see the devs focus on reworking The Gauntlet, create a new big pvp event like Sakaar Arena, make a new alliance event or a new noncompetitive pve event that has a strong puzzle aspect to it. Hell, they could even do something crazy like rework Supports.
  • Mrcl25
    Mrcl25 Posts: 137 Tile Toppler
    I would like more 3*s (to add to the pvp rotation) and also more 5*s, what I don't want is more 4*s. 
  • Daredevil217
    Daredevil217 Posts: 3,895 Chairperson of the Boards
    I know they’ll make more off 3* from me than 5s for sure. 

    5* I get enough resources to more or less keep up being mostly free to play. 

    3* because all my other ones have two max champ versions and a third for farming, I would need to spend 6K HP in roster spots alone, and would spend a year plus (or however long it takes) making that sole character my bonus hero until they were “caught up” with the rest.

    Way more work, time, and resources than a 5. So I’m good with no more threes. 
  • bluewolf
    bluewolf Posts: 5,247 Chairperson of the Boards
    I know they’ll make more off 3* from me than 5s for sure. 

    5* I get enough resources to more or less keep up being mostly free to play. 

    3* because all my other ones have two max champ versions and a third for farming, I would need to spend 6K HP in roster spots alone, and would spend a year plus (or however long it takes) making that sole character my bonus hero until they were “caught up” with the rest.

    Way more work, time, and resources than a 5. So I’m good with no more threes. 
    I'm going to guess you are a bit off on that math.  I think you hoard, but try this.  When the next 5 enters Latests pick a low-covered 3 (you would likely have a new 3 champed shortly after release or once you could target them).  Then target that 3 and see how far they rise in 2 1/2 months.

    I think that's a reasonable estimate for champing a new 5 as a pull as you go player; I'm at 11 covers on Carbage right now after about that long.

    I think you will max champ a 3 a lot faster than you think if you left them targeted the whole time.  I have added 10-20 covers to my current project (Beast) in the past week or so.

    I guess your goal is having 3 copies but you are in the very small minority of players.  I personally only keep one max champ 3 at all times and that's plenty for me to do very well in the game.
  • Daredevil217
    Daredevil217 Posts: 3,895 Chairperson of the Boards
    bluewolf said:
    I know they’ll make more off 3* from me than 5s for sure. 

    5* I get enough resources to more or less keep up being mostly free to play. 

    3* because all my other ones have two max champ versions and a third for farming, I would need to spend 6K HP in roster spots alone, and would spend a year plus (or however long it takes) making that sole character my bonus hero until they were “caught up” with the rest.

    Way more work, time, and resources than a 5. So I’m good with no more threes. 
    I'm going to guess you are a bit off on that math.  I think you hoard, but try this.  When the next 5 enters Latests pick a low-covered 3 (you would likely have a new 3 champed shortly after release or once you could target them).  Then target that 3 and see how far they rise in 2 1/2 months.

    I think that's a reasonable estimate for champing a new 5 as a pull as you go player; I'm at 11 covers on Carbage right now after about that long.

    I think you will max champ a 3 a lot faster than you think if you left them targeted the whole time.  I have added 10-20 covers to my current project (Beast) in the past week or so.

    I guess your goal is having 3 copies but you are in the very small minority of players.  I personally only keep one max champ 3 at all times and that's plenty for me to do very well in the game.
    You’re pretty much spot on with everything. I do hoard, so have no idea the actual timeline to build up characters. So I’ll trust that estimate. And yeah I know I’m in a super tiny minority of players. I was just talking my specific situation and why I wouldn’t want more 3s. Not speaking for the player base or any other players. 
  • SnowcaTT
    SnowcaTT Posts: 3,486 Chairperson of the Boards
    I really liked when they were doing 5*/3* releases, so everyone could get an idea what the 5* was like by playing the little counterpart.

    And if the answer for them is "money", why not go back to this - requires every player to buy two roster slots.
  • broll
    broll Posts: 4,732 Chairperson of the Boards
    I for one and glad they stopped doing the lazy 3*/5* copy clones.  And now I doubt they would start that again because that would essentially just be making a costume available for free.   :D
  • pheregas
    pheregas Posts: 1,721 Chairperson of the Boards
    Wasn't a fan on the more recent 3* releases, even though some of them ended up being pretty good.  It's just two more roster slots for the established players (eventually...  One to max-champ, one to rewards recycle).  And that can run 2 to 4,000 HP.  Annoying at best.

    For newer players, it's just one more on the pile of characters that they don't have the resources for.  My son always rosters a 4* in lieu of a 3* when given the option since More Match Damage.    I let him play the way he wants, but I don't disagree with him.
  • JHawkInc
    JHawkInc Posts: 2,601 Chairperson of the Boards
    Dilution is an issue for the 3's as well. Every 3 you add makes it take that much longer to cover all of them, potentially delaying how long it takes a player to get to the 4-star tier.

    I like the idea of adding more 3's for the sake of letting that tier have new content, doing a little to keep things fresh, etc, and I think the game could get away with doing one 3-star each year (a 3/5 release wouldn't be bad), but unless we get a re-tune of rewards to increase 3-star drops, the negatives probably don't outweigh the positives.