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Alternative to Omega Conversion Crates
squigish
Member Posts: 0 Arc User
I have an idea:
Scrap the conversion crate entirely. Instead, let players keep their old currencies, and keep the "Roxy Store", but change what she sells. She would still accept the old (defunct) STF currencies, but now instead of selling requisition forms, she would sell BNPs and Omega marks. You could also leave the existing dilithium conversion in place, so that players don't feel the need to cash out quickly while they still can. Ideally, since the space and ground vendors would be gone, Roxy could accept requisition forms as payment too.
Advantages:
By keeping the existing mechanism for converting STF currency to Dilithium (and lockboxes, I suppose), you remove the "use it or lose it" feeling that is currently predominant amongst STF veterans, which is making us incredibly frustrated.
You can really and truly say that nothing will be taken away, because no item of any kind will be removed from your bank or inventory.
The player would get to choose whether to convert their old currency into Omega Marks, BNPs, or Dilithium, depending on which/how many STFs they're doing, and other factors.
The player can choose when to convert old currency, and convert some of it to different new currencies at different times.
The exchange rates (whatever you decide they'll be) would be clear, transparent, and easy-to-understand.
You solve the problem of the "Tiered" rewards that so many are unhappy with, without having to code a new type of box for each player.
Disadvantages:
New players may be confused by the store which only accepts items they'll never get.
How is this any different from the Ferengi Prototype Console buyers? You changed how something works, and left a mechanism for players who still had the old stuff to get some benefit from it, that new players could just ignore. If you include some in-game text explaining that the store only accepts items "from a previous campaign" or something like that, you could signal players that this is a legacy conversion only, without breaking out of the in-universe paradigm.
I recall hearing that there is someone at cryptic who doesn't want to let veteran players "skip ahead" in the reputation system. I personally disagree with that, but if you want to implement it that way, just have Roxy tell you "Sorry Admiral, this store is only available to players with Tier 3 Reputation or above". For minimum player anger, I'd recommend leaving the dilithium conversion available to everyone, regardless of reputation level, but as with everything, that's ultimately your decision.
If you don't like the idea of selling Omega Marks at the store, because it contradicts the idea that you have to earn them, make Roxy sell some sort of Omega Mark boost instead, like the fleet mark boost items you can buy with fleet credit. You could even do the same for the BNPs, selling some sort of consumable item that "attracts" Borg Neural Processors, resulting in you getting more of them per Elite STF. The end result would still be the same, in that players with old currency banked would get some amount of new currency they otherwise wouldn't have gotten, the only difference is that they'd have to complete some STFs to get it.
Did an idea like this come up during development? If not, please seriously consider it. Modify it however you like, it's just a preliminary idea.
And because while I haven't heard this about Cryptic/PWE, I have heard of some other companies (such as Apple) not taking kindly to feature suggestions by fans, because of potential future intellectual property/royalty issues, I'm including the following statement. If you don't care about legal details, just ignore it.
I, the author of this post, hereby release the content of this post, and any subsequent post on these forums by me on the same or similar topic, into the public domain, to be used by any person, corporation, organization or entity, for any purpose, commercial or non-commercial, in perpetuity. I hereby forsake any rights I may have, or be determined to have in the future, to royalties, fees, acknowledgement, or any other form of compensation, monetary or otherwise, related to any future development derived from this idea. I disavow any and all intellectual property rights of any kind pertaining to this subject.
By the preceding paragraph, I don't mean to imply that I think such rights exist, only that if they do, I'm giving them up.
TL, DR version: Let us keep our old STF currency, and let Roxy convert it to new currency on demand.
Scrap the conversion crate entirely. Instead, let players keep their old currencies, and keep the "Roxy Store", but change what she sells. She would still accept the old (defunct) STF currencies, but now instead of selling requisition forms, she would sell BNPs and Omega marks. You could also leave the existing dilithium conversion in place, so that players don't feel the need to cash out quickly while they still can. Ideally, since the space and ground vendors would be gone, Roxy could accept requisition forms as payment too.
Advantages:
By keeping the existing mechanism for converting STF currency to Dilithium (and lockboxes, I suppose), you remove the "use it or lose it" feeling that is currently predominant amongst STF veterans, which is making us incredibly frustrated.
You can really and truly say that nothing will be taken away, because no item of any kind will be removed from your bank or inventory.
The player would get to choose whether to convert their old currency into Omega Marks, BNPs, or Dilithium, depending on which/how many STFs they're doing, and other factors.
The player can choose when to convert old currency, and convert some of it to different new currencies at different times.
The exchange rates (whatever you decide they'll be) would be clear, transparent, and easy-to-understand.
You solve the problem of the "Tiered" rewards that so many are unhappy with, without having to code a new type of box for each player.
Disadvantages:
New players may be confused by the store which only accepts items they'll never get.
How is this any different from the Ferengi Prototype Console buyers? You changed how something works, and left a mechanism for players who still had the old stuff to get some benefit from it, that new players could just ignore. If you include some in-game text explaining that the store only accepts items "from a previous campaign" or something like that, you could signal players that this is a legacy conversion only, without breaking out of the in-universe paradigm.
I recall hearing that there is someone at cryptic who doesn't want to let veteran players "skip ahead" in the reputation system. I personally disagree with that, but if you want to implement it that way, just have Roxy tell you "Sorry Admiral, this store is only available to players with Tier 3 Reputation or above". For minimum player anger, I'd recommend leaving the dilithium conversion available to everyone, regardless of reputation level, but as with everything, that's ultimately your decision.
If you don't like the idea of selling Omega Marks at the store, because it contradicts the idea that you have to earn them, make Roxy sell some sort of Omega Mark boost instead, like the fleet mark boost items you can buy with fleet credit. You could even do the same for the BNPs, selling some sort of consumable item that "attracts" Borg Neural Processors, resulting in you getting more of them per Elite STF. The end result would still be the same, in that players with old currency banked would get some amount of new currency they otherwise wouldn't have gotten, the only difference is that they'd have to complete some STFs to get it.
Did an idea like this come up during development? If not, please seriously consider it. Modify it however you like, it's just a preliminary idea.
And because while I haven't heard this about Cryptic/PWE, I have heard of some other companies (such as Apple) not taking kindly to feature suggestions by fans, because of potential future intellectual property/royalty issues, I'm including the following statement. If you don't care about legal details, just ignore it.
I, the author of this post, hereby release the content of this post, and any subsequent post on these forums by me on the same or similar topic, into the public domain, to be used by any person, corporation, organization or entity, for any purpose, commercial or non-commercial, in perpetuity. I hereby forsake any rights I may have, or be determined to have in the future, to royalties, fees, acknowledgement, or any other form of compensation, monetary or otherwise, related to any future development derived from this idea. I disavow any and all intellectual property rights of any kind pertaining to this subject.
By the preceding paragraph, I don't mean to imply that I think such rights exist, only that if they do, I'm giving them up.
TL, DR version: Let us keep our old STF currency, and let Roxy convert it to new currency on demand.
Post edited by squigish on
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Comments
most people will be happy with this and the old stuff can still be removed after some months.
Once something makes it to Tribble, like death and taxes - it's inevitable.
I wish I'd thought of this earlier. Dstahl said tonight that the developers are "working night and day" to try to figure out the conversion rates. Any chance this might be taken into consideration?
But I guess the crate is just as well. I know, however, that if I see the crate in my inventory, it will make me angry for some time. If they have to punch me in the face, they could at least do it with a party popper!
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