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Cryptic, are your metrics correct?
captainhunter1
Posts: 409 Arc User
I recently realized that perhaps the metrics gathered from in-game data may be incorrect or hiding the truth involving many player actions, especially transactions.
I only bring this subject up because it seems like these days EVERYTHING in MMO development is based on these gathered metrics. And if they aren't telling the truth, well, entire development cycles based on them end up targeting the wrong areas.
Here's my example: I wanted to purchase a Rail Gun for a vehicle I had. There are a number of ways of doing this (or at least for most vehicle weapons). I could purchase another vehicle that this weapon was in using Zen or Drifter salvage (depending on the vehicle needed), I could buy the weapon separately using Questionite (depending on the weapon), or I could go on the private market and either purchase one from the Exchange or through a trade/sale with an individual.
In the case of the Rail Gun, there is only one source for it in the game - stripping it off a vehicle obtainable only through Drfter salvage. And this is where the metrics go hinky - I bought it for 900 Zen.
What? How?
There is another common currency in-game that many people use - something that really isn't a currency but is used as such in a more 'barter-like fashion - Cosmic Keys. I purchased a 10 Key pack and traded it for the Rail Gun. (which would have been 1500 G in in-game currency, but being a Silver Member until they put Lifetime Subs up fo sale for $199
, I can only have 200 G saved up)
So the metrics will show that Zen sales of Keys are much more popular than they really are for their intended use due to transactions such as mine. I would have gladly bought the Rail Gun staright from a vendor, but for 10 Keys (even with a maximum return in salvage of 150 - but more like 30 on average) I wouldn't have had enough to buy the Rail Gun - with the attached vehicle that cost 200 Drifter Salvage.
So in the end, are the metrics really telling Cryptic the truth? Does my 10 Key purchase tell them I bought a Rail Gun and not for gambling on 10 Lockboxes? I don't think so.
I only bring this subject up because it seems like these days EVERYTHING in MMO development is based on these gathered metrics. And if they aren't telling the truth, well, entire development cycles based on them end up targeting the wrong areas.
Here's my example: I wanted to purchase a Rail Gun for a vehicle I had. There are a number of ways of doing this (or at least for most vehicle weapons). I could purchase another vehicle that this weapon was in using Zen or Drifter salvage (depending on the vehicle needed), I could buy the weapon separately using Questionite (depending on the weapon), or I could go on the private market and either purchase one from the Exchange or through a trade/sale with an individual.
In the case of the Rail Gun, there is only one source for it in the game - stripping it off a vehicle obtainable only through Drfter salvage. And this is where the metrics go hinky - I bought it for 900 Zen.
What? How?
There is another common currency in-game that many people use - something that really isn't a currency but is used as such in a more 'barter-like fashion - Cosmic Keys. I purchased a 10 Key pack and traded it for the Rail Gun. (which would have been 1500 G in in-game currency, but being a Silver Member until they put Lifetime Subs up fo sale for $199
, I can only have 200 G saved up)So the metrics will show that Zen sales of Keys are much more popular than they really are for their intended use due to transactions such as mine. I would have gladly bought the Rail Gun staright from a vendor, but for 10 Keys (even with a maximum return in salvage of 150 - but more like 30 on average) I wouldn't have had enough to buy the Rail Gun - with the attached vehicle that cost 200 Drifter Salvage.
So in the end, are the metrics really telling Cryptic the truth? Does my 10 Key purchase tell them I bought a Rail Gun and not for gambling on 10 Lockboxes? I don't think so.
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Post edited by captainhunter1 on
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I wouldn't say the OP is worrying - they are trying to bring to light that the desired good, (in this case the Railgun), is what they wanted, and the currency utilized, (keys), was the medium chosen because they left him with practically no other option.
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As for keys, Cryptic isn't concerned with whether keys are being used to open lockboxes or not. To them it doesn't matter if you buy Cosmic Keys simply for the pleasure of destroying them. They know that key sales go up when they put out a new lock box, and that they do so consistently each time. Here the metric is simply "How many keys were purchased at any given time", so again the metric is correct.
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Exactly.
What the metrics show about this action is "Keys are popular" not "Rail Guns are popular".
Ergo - the metrics say to developers, "let's keep making more lockboxes" not "let's provide better access to additional weapons for vehicles".
That dissonance from the actual customers is the reason why aura sets are sold the way they are and why no new content is added beyond the Millennium City hub. If the spreadsheets don't show people outside of MC then they won't make content outside of Millennium City. But wouldn't people go to those other places if there was, you might ask? That's where the loop begins.
Anyways, we all know why they push lockboxes, and it has nothing to do with what anyone is doing, not doing, or thinking at cryptic. It's to drive sales of Zen, which is PWE business. No matter what you end up using keys for, it always contibutes to PWE's bottom line. Hence, more lockboxes.
Lockboxes are a shotgun style approach to getting people to buy Zen. If you put out things piece by piece, then people might buy them or not... put a bunch of stuff into a lockbox, and you're guaranteed to sell keys. Like spraying buckshot at a rabbit.
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Unless you can think of a way to provide better access to additional weapons while making as much or more money than the lockboxes, expect them to stay.
(Gamble) -- Works just as it currently does...
(Pick your reward) --- You get to choose from an option of the "Tier 2" and "Tier 3" Prizes
----
If they did that I'd actually buy keys with the purpose of using them to open lockboxes as opposed to buying them to sell at a slight profit later on...
How about offering the weapon (Rail Gun) for sale separately somewhere - Questionite store, Z-Store, Drifter, etc - instead of ONLY on one specific vehicle availablle ONLY with Drifter salvage?
If it was available this way, who knows how many they may have sold to Silvers like me.
But they will never know - because the metrics are showing them false information about purchases - i.e. Keys sell, Rail Guns don't.
And whatever these prizes are would almost certainly never be more expensive than the key itself. So you want an option to lose the gamble? 0.o
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While I can't get into our metrics and tools, rest assured that we do know about the item <-> key trading, and we do account for it.
So I don't care if somebody bought the keys to trade for a railgun. They help fund the game.
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Key sales aren't calculated in units sold but instead are calculated by how long of a line they make when sat next to each other, end to end, on the ground.
"We sold thirty feet* of keys this week. Huzzah!"
*- Cryptic is based in the US so therefore the metric system isn't used.
Thirty feet of keys... hahaha.
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As long as the costumes and auras were considered Tier 2 then yes, I would rather buy my own keys and get what I wanted instead of "playing the market" or bartering with people.