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The Big 'How would YOU revamp lock boxes' Thread
dukedom01
Member Posts: 462 Arc User
As mentioned with the release of the YoH-Lockbox the door for a possible revamp of all the older lock boxes was openend. Since I am dealing with those things a lot on the player side I thought I throw in some ideas that were gathering dust in my 'stupid thoughts' drawer.
I will go through all the lock boxes, covering my impressions about the choices in there, and try to point out possible improvements.
DISCLAIMER: Improvements in this context is not to be understand as 'giv us all the stuff naow' because you should understand that master key sales are a big part of what keeps the lights running.
Year of Hell Lock Box
- The ships: Not much to say there. Fine as is for both the big shiny grand price as well as the Nihydron Destroyer. Earlier boxes sometimes had twice as much 'minor' ship in them which lead to inventory clutter on mass openings.
- Starship traits: A logical progression from other crossfaction boxes, as was to be expected.
- Genetic resequencers: Two space and two ground traits feel like a good amount, lock boxes with three each were just a bit too much.
- Coalition weapons: Making the players able to choose was a much needed QoL improvement.
- Krenim doffs: I will talk about those at the end a bit.
- Temporal research assignment: The other gem in this box. It wouldn't have hurt though to have a wrapper container for them much like the temporal beacons. Inventory space is at a premium after all.
- Bonus pools: This is where I pitch the first major change. Put all the pools into two wrapper containers. One for the 'large' pools and one for the 'extra large' pools. And then force open the wrapper container when winning them very much like the boxes from queues. That solves two things. First you no longer devaluate older lock boxes when a new bonus pool enters the game, that is a simple matter of updating the wrapper container. And second players cannot stock up on wrapper containers for future pools because they have to decide within minutes of winning them.
- Mining claims: The one big QoL change I hoped for actually happened quite a bit ago, making them bind on account.
- R&D packs: The only thing I have to nitpick about them is that the C-Store R&D packs do not stack.
- Salvaged Technology: I can live with the occasional salvaged technology, especially since they are not taking up a huge chunk of the droptable.
- Catalyst: +25 Skill Rating: Now this one is just plain insulting. They shouldn't even be in there since we get them or the better +50 catalyst in the already present R&D packs. So why aren't they +50 catalysts but only the crappy +25 ones? Or even better since the whole crafting meta shifted from crafting to upgrading lately why aren't they upgrade accelerators?
Xindi-Terrestrial Lock Box
Note: Not mentioning items from now on just means I have nothing to add from previously thoughts above.
- Xindi Boff Manuals: Kemocite 1. 'nuff said.
- Xindi Prototype Modules: I never bought into the special kit modules since I am perfectly happy with my current kit layout with 'standard' modules.
- R&D mini packs: Good riddance when revamping the box.
- Catalyst: +10 Skill Rating: You really really don't want to know what I think about this abomination.
Vaadwaur Lock Box
- Console - Constriction Anchor: Does. Not. Stack. Given that there are people who open hundreds of boxes each day do you really want to slow them down because their inventory is full again. Put them in a stacking box to unpack.
Delta Expedition Lock Box
- Genetic Resequencers: As mentioned earlier three space and ground traits each is just a bit too much.
- Delta Kit Frames: While collecting the data for my statistics it always felt like they were dropping a lot but then I decided to see if I get a nice kit frame from them and went through them faster than you could google blaubeerkuchen.
Xindi-Amphibious Lock Box
- Mirror ship: At the current state of the game this is just a vanity costume unlock and mirror ships had almost double the chance than later 'blue ships' making them quite common. Unless they receive some love as a possible playcard in the upcoming admiralty system I cannot see how those will become more than 'meh' especially since the costume unlocks are only for ships that are already slightly dated themselves.
- Xindi Duty Officers: This one was a fumble again. Unlike all other lock box duty officers these went directly into your roster, unless that one was full. With a full roster you would get a consolation prize (which usually is a bonus pool). As a QoL change I would request a wrapper container for those too.
- Fleet Support Doff pack: My thoughts on doff packs in lock boxes later.
Undine Lock Box
Nothing new to add here, three traits each, not. stacking. console. and the concerns about mirror ships apply
Hirogen, Voth & Elachi Lock Box
Not. stacking. console.
Tal Shiar Lock Box
- Console Pack - Ionized Gas Sensor / Plasmonic Leech: leeeeeech !
Dominion, Temporal, Tholian, Ferengi & Cardassian Lock Box
- These were the earliest lockboxes where the doff wrappers still were faction specific. Updating them to more general wrapper containers like in the more modern lock boxes would be another QoL change.
- - Ferengi Cadres: It always annoyed me that the 'special' doffs in there were bind on pickup. Set Krinda FREE!
SNIP
Now that we covered our bases back to the BIG STUPID THOUGHTS I had.
Genetic Resequencers
At this point in the game there are quite a few of them. Just not the one you need. Or maybe you have it on a character that simply is no fun any more.
Enter NPC somethingsomething. For ANY genetic resequencer you bring him he will trade you a bound on account voucher. With that voucher you can copy any lock box trait you already have unlocked on your character into a new bound on account genetic resequencer. Now obviously that is a huge leap to take, but here is the kicker: Place NPC somethingsomething on the captains table making it a perk for veterans.
In addition since it is a shop you can add a delay before traits become available. Something like diablo seasons, if you want the newest traits and stuff you have to get them from lock boxes but once they are out of rotation we want you to have them on your alts.
And if it turns out well you can still expand on that by moving the shop to a location where silver players can access it or by adapting the 'have it on one character get it for others easier' system to other items like crossfaction consoles or *gasp* ships.
R&D and Doff Cadres
Would you rather have a R&D pack or one of the out of rotation doff cadres to open?
Why not both? Like the bonus pools mentioned earlier put them into a wrapper container that force opens upon winning it. Pick your R&D pack or any of the out of rotation doff cadres. And if some doff pack retires or comes back it is just the matter of updating the wrapper container. No stocking up because of the force opening too.
Single doff containers
At this point I think someone at cryptic has to take a good hard look at all the already existing special doffs and determinate if they deserve an upgrade to ultra rare quality. Personally I think a lot of them deserve a power bump but I can understand if the powers that be are a bit afraid of the flood it would open. Especially bumping the lock box doffs to ultra rare would require a large leap.
Done, enjoy.
I will go through all the lock boxes, covering my impressions about the choices in there, and try to point out possible improvements.
DISCLAIMER: Improvements in this context is not to be understand as 'giv us all the stuff naow' because you should understand that master key sales are a big part of what keeps the lights running.
Year of Hell Lock Box
- The ships: Not much to say there. Fine as is for both the big shiny grand price as well as the Nihydron Destroyer. Earlier boxes sometimes had twice as much 'minor' ship in them which lead to inventory clutter on mass openings.
- Starship traits: A logical progression from other crossfaction boxes, as was to be expected.
- Genetic resequencers: Two space and two ground traits feel like a good amount, lock boxes with three each were just a bit too much.
- Coalition weapons: Making the players able to choose was a much needed QoL improvement.
- Krenim doffs: I will talk about those at the end a bit.
- Temporal research assignment: The other gem in this box. It wouldn't have hurt though to have a wrapper container for them much like the temporal beacons. Inventory space is at a premium after all.
- Bonus pools: This is where I pitch the first major change. Put all the pools into two wrapper containers. One for the 'large' pools and one for the 'extra large' pools. And then force open the wrapper container when winning them very much like the boxes from queues. That solves two things. First you no longer devaluate older lock boxes when a new bonus pool enters the game, that is a simple matter of updating the wrapper container. And second players cannot stock up on wrapper containers for future pools because they have to decide within minutes of winning them.
- Mining claims: The one big QoL change I hoped for actually happened quite a bit ago, making them bind on account.
- R&D packs: The only thing I have to nitpick about them is that the C-Store R&D packs do not stack.
- Salvaged Technology: I can live with the occasional salvaged technology, especially since they are not taking up a huge chunk of the droptable.
- Catalyst: +25 Skill Rating: Now this one is just plain insulting. They shouldn't even be in there since we get them or the better +50 catalyst in the already present R&D packs. So why aren't they +50 catalysts but only the crappy +25 ones? Or even better since the whole crafting meta shifted from crafting to upgrading lately why aren't they upgrade accelerators?
Xindi-Terrestrial Lock Box
Note: Not mentioning items from now on just means I have nothing to add from previously thoughts above.
- Xindi Boff Manuals: Kemocite 1. 'nuff said.
- Xindi Prototype Modules: I never bought into the special kit modules since I am perfectly happy with my current kit layout with 'standard' modules.
- R&D mini packs: Good riddance when revamping the box.
- Catalyst: +10 Skill Rating: You really really don't want to know what I think about this abomination.
Vaadwaur Lock Box
- Console - Constriction Anchor: Does. Not. Stack. Given that there are people who open hundreds of boxes each day do you really want to slow them down because their inventory is full again. Put them in a stacking box to unpack.
Delta Expedition Lock Box
- Genetic Resequencers: As mentioned earlier three space and ground traits each is just a bit too much.
- Delta Kit Frames: While collecting the data for my statistics it always felt like they were dropping a lot but then I decided to see if I get a nice kit frame from them and went through them faster than you could google blaubeerkuchen.
Xindi-Amphibious Lock Box
- Mirror ship: At the current state of the game this is just a vanity costume unlock and mirror ships had almost double the chance than later 'blue ships' making them quite common. Unless they receive some love as a possible playcard in the upcoming admiralty system I cannot see how those will become more than 'meh' especially since the costume unlocks are only for ships that are already slightly dated themselves.
- Xindi Duty Officers: This one was a fumble again. Unlike all other lock box duty officers these went directly into your roster, unless that one was full. With a full roster you would get a consolation prize (which usually is a bonus pool). As a QoL change I would request a wrapper container for those too.
- Fleet Support Doff pack: My thoughts on doff packs in lock boxes later.
Undine Lock Box
Nothing new to add here, three traits each, not. stacking. console. and the concerns about mirror ships apply
Hirogen, Voth & Elachi Lock Box
Not. stacking. console.
Tal Shiar Lock Box
- Console Pack - Ionized Gas Sensor / Plasmonic Leech: leeeeeech !
Dominion, Temporal, Tholian, Ferengi & Cardassian Lock Box
- These were the earliest lockboxes where the doff wrappers still were faction specific. Updating them to more general wrapper containers like in the more modern lock boxes would be another QoL change.
- - Ferengi Cadres: It always annoyed me that the 'special' doffs in there were bind on pickup. Set Krinda FREE!
SNIP
Now that we covered our bases back to the BIG STUPID THOUGHTS I had.
Genetic Resequencers
At this point in the game there are quite a few of them. Just not the one you need. Or maybe you have it on a character that simply is no fun any more.
Enter NPC somethingsomething. For ANY genetic resequencer you bring him he will trade you a bound on account voucher. With that voucher you can copy any lock box trait you already have unlocked on your character into a new bound on account genetic resequencer. Now obviously that is a huge leap to take, but here is the kicker: Place NPC somethingsomething on the captains table making it a perk for veterans.
In addition since it is a shop you can add a delay before traits become available. Something like diablo seasons, if you want the newest traits and stuff you have to get them from lock boxes but once they are out of rotation we want you to have them on your alts.
And if it turns out well you can still expand on that by moving the shop to a location where silver players can access it or by adapting the 'have it on one character get it for others easier' system to other items like crossfaction consoles or *gasp* ships.
R&D and Doff Cadres
Would you rather have a R&D pack or one of the out of rotation doff cadres to open?
Why not both? Like the bonus pools mentioned earlier put them into a wrapper container that force opens upon winning it. Pick your R&D pack or any of the out of rotation doff cadres. And if some doff pack retires or comes back it is just the matter of updating the wrapper container. No stocking up because of the force opening too.
Single doff containers
At this point I think someone at cryptic has to take a good hard look at all the already existing special doffs and determinate if they deserve an upgrade to ultra rare quality. Personally I think a lot of them deserve a power bump but I can understand if the powers that be are a bit afraid of the flood it would open. Especially bumping the lock box doffs to ultra rare would require a large leap.
Done, enjoy.
Ceterum censeo Otha supplendum in praemiis.
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