I've just returned to the game after a long time, I left just after they added the Klingon faction, so I was wondering what are the major things I've missed?
...the Klingon faction was added before launch...
So, I'd say, the first major thing you missed was... launch?
Former moderator of these forums. Lifetime sub since before launch. Been here since before public betas. Foundry author of "Franklin Drake Must Die".
Well, did we have to buy lockboxes to get an 10-console version of the JHAS?
Although, honestly, I suspect that the 10-console ships are going to be the ships we get to use Fleet Admiral/etc. In part because of the lockbox ships, and what happened with the JHAS.
I meant missions, more ships etc, I played the game since Beta. Have a life time subscription to. Reason my Join date only has January of 2013 is because I had to create a perfect world account and link them, I used to have the special beta forum title.
I was around for the whole Dervish debacle when a lot of us thought it was a stupid name for a ship and coined the phrase "Don't be Dervish" :P
* Fed engineer has gone the longest without a new ship
* KDF toys are too powerful to not have
* KDF engineer got a Fleet Corsair which is awesome, and KDF science got a Recluse which is also awesome.
* Open box on character that most wants a new ship, or on character that can get the best performance from it?
* Will devs some day decide to give more KDF toys to Fed side? Impossible to know for sure and the ships are too expensive to toss around with a "maybe".
Once you open the ship pack, it's bound to the toon forever. So you're screwed down in the road if you changed your mind about having the ship on *that* toon.
Man, don't hate me for this but ...
too bad?
Cryptic's goal is to get you to play the game. So if you use a BtC item, then want one for another toon, then that is your choice and you are fulfilling Cryptic's goal ... to play the game.
It's not in their interest to make Bound to Account items ... especially for big things like ships.
So if you collect ships, then you have a long road ahead of you and good luck!
Unless it's a Z-store ship, in which case it's not only bound to account, you can have as many as you want.
The restrictions seem... arbitrary and illogical.
Not at all. The C-store ships require respective large cash outlays or EXTREMELY large outlays of dilithium to obtain. It's possible to get a lockbox ship with as little as 9 keys (I did) that you pay $0 for.
Additionally, the c-store ships are convenient: you are paying a premium to add the ship to your account. If lockbox ships worked in the same method, not only would you reduce the number of people buying boxes by (# of alts in game) but would reduce the value of C-store ships (if they were both account bound) making them less attractive.
Why spent thousands of C-points on ships in the store when I can farm dilithium and credits and get lockbox ships for my whole account that is just as good? That's why.
Not at all. The C-store ships require respective large cash outlays or EXTREMELY large outlays of dilithium to obtain. It's possible to get a lockbox ship with as little as 9 keys (I did) that you pay $0 for.
Additionally, the c-store ships are convenient: you are paying a premium to add the ship to your account. If lockbox ships worked in the same method, not only would you reduce the number of people buying boxes by (# of alts in game) but would reduce the value of C-store ships (if they were both account bound) making them less attractive.
Why spent thousands of C-points on ships in the store when I can farm dilithium and credits and get lockbox ships for my whole account that is just as good? That's why.
Okay, let's compare time investment.
A Z-store ship that costs 2500 Z will end up requiring 230,000 dilithium at the current exchange rate. At a maximum of 8,000 dilithium per day, that is 29 character-days of dilithium.
A ship from the lobi store or a lockbox, if sold by a player, will typically run about 70 million credits. Some are higher, some are lower, but 70M seems a fair average. In order to cost less time than a Z-store ship, you have to make a minimum of 2.4 million EC per day. Which is doable if you put some effort into it, but this is definitely not just a casual decision.
But that's one character.
Where it starts getting especially goofy is when you start looking at alt characters. With 2 characters, a Z-store ship costs you 15 days. The cost is halved because you have twice as much time-throttled dilithium coming in. With 2 characters, a 70M ship costs 140M in total because you need to buy it twice.
Or if you want to look at it using real life money (Which Cryptic wants you to do), then a Z-store ship costs you 25$ for all characters, while a lockbox ship (estimated chance of getting a ship is around 1 in 100, or at least has been for past ships) will cost on average 100 keys or 125$ per character.
Yes, it's possible to "get lucky" with a lockbox and get a ship for minimal investment, but that is an extremely unlikely scenario. For the vast majority of players, Z-store ships are far easier to grind out, or buy with money, than a lockbox or lobi ship. The problem is that the lockbox/lobi ships not only cost vastly more time or money, they also give you less. You're paying several times as much, for several times less product.
(It's also worth pointing out that for a lot of people I've talked to, the most expedient way to earn tens of millions of EC is to buy keys with zen and then sell them for EC. So the idea of special ships being bought with mountains of EC instead of zen isn't necessarily a bad thing when it comes to Cryptic getting paid)
Or if you want to look at it using real life money (Which Cryptic wants you to do), then a Z-store ship costs you 25$ for all characters, while a lockbox ship (estimated chance of getting a ship is around 1 in 100, or at least has been for past ships) will cost on average 100 keys or 125$ per character.
Exactly!
This is why Cryptic won't (or shouldn't from their point of view) make LB ships BtA ... BtC makes the company more money.
Aaaaaand ... time investment is *exactly* what C/PWE wants you to do - spend time playing the game. Again, from their point of view the current process works!
Comments
...the Klingon faction was added before launch...
So, I'd say, the first major thing you missed was... launch?
I meant missions, more ships etc, I played the game since Beta. Have a life time subscription to. Reason my Join date only has January of 2013 is because I had to create a perfect world account and link them, I used to have the special beta forum title.
I was around for the whole Dervish debacle when a lot of us thought it was a stupid name for a ship and coined the phrase "Don't be Dervish" :P
Just... give me a box that is account bound for the Ships/Consoles. That is all I want.
* Fed engineer has gone the longest without a new ship
* KDF toys are too powerful to not have
* KDF engineer got a Fleet Corsair which is awesome, and KDF science got a Recluse which is also awesome.
* Open box on character that most wants a new ship, or on character that can get the best performance from it?
* Will devs some day decide to give more KDF toys to Fed side? Impossible to know for sure and the ships are too expensive to toss around with a "maybe".
* Solution: There is no solution
* Conclusion: Do not try new Jem'hadar ships
Man, don't hate me for this but ...
too bad?
Cryptic's goal is to get you to play the game. So if you use a BtC item, then want one for another toon, then that is your choice and you are fulfilling Cryptic's goal ... to play the game.
It's not in their interest to make Bound to Account items ... especially for big things like ships.
So if you collect ships, then you have a long road ahead of you and good luck!
Unless it's a Z-store ship, in which case it's not only bound to account, you can have as many as you want.
The restrictions seem... arbitrary and illogical.
Not at all. The C-store ships require respective large cash outlays or EXTREMELY large outlays of dilithium to obtain. It's possible to get a lockbox ship with as little as 9 keys (I did) that you pay $0 for.
Additionally, the c-store ships are convenient: you are paying a premium to add the ship to your account. If lockbox ships worked in the same method, not only would you reduce the number of people buying boxes by (# of alts in game) but would reduce the value of C-store ships (if they were both account bound) making them less attractive.
Why spent thousands of C-points on ships in the store when I can farm dilithium and credits and get lockbox ships for my whole account that is just as good? That's why.
Okay, let's compare time investment.
A Z-store ship that costs 2500 Z will end up requiring 230,000 dilithium at the current exchange rate. At a maximum of 8,000 dilithium per day, that is 29 character-days of dilithium.
A ship from the lobi store or a lockbox, if sold by a player, will typically run about 70 million credits. Some are higher, some are lower, but 70M seems a fair average. In order to cost less time than a Z-store ship, you have to make a minimum of 2.4 million EC per day. Which is doable if you put some effort into it, but this is definitely not just a casual decision.
But that's one character.
Where it starts getting especially goofy is when you start looking at alt characters. With 2 characters, a Z-store ship costs you 15 days. The cost is halved because you have twice as much time-throttled dilithium coming in. With 2 characters, a 70M ship costs 140M in total because you need to buy it twice.
Or if you want to look at it using real life money (Which Cryptic wants you to do), then a Z-store ship costs you 25$ for all characters, while a lockbox ship (estimated chance of getting a ship is around 1 in 100, or at least has been for past ships) will cost on average 100 keys or 125$ per character.
Yes, it's possible to "get lucky" with a lockbox and get a ship for minimal investment, but that is an extremely unlikely scenario. For the vast majority of players, Z-store ships are far easier to grind out, or buy with money, than a lockbox or lobi ship. The problem is that the lockbox/lobi ships not only cost vastly more time or money, they also give you less. You're paying several times as much, for several times less product.
(It's also worth pointing out that for a lot of people I've talked to, the most expedient way to earn tens of millions of EC is to buy keys with zen and then sell them for EC. So the idea of special ships being bought with mountains of EC instead of zen isn't necessarily a bad thing when it comes to Cryptic getting paid)
Exactly!
This is why Cryptic won't (or shouldn't from their point of view) make LB ships BtA ... BtC makes the company more money.
Aaaaaand ... time investment is *exactly* what C/PWE wants you to do - spend time playing the game. Again, from their point of view the current process works!