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Reputation System Suggestion
viper40watt
Member Posts: 46 Arc User
I know I'm late to the party in regards to commenting on the Reputation system, but since it seems like Devs actively read the forum, I though I'd add my two cents.
I think there is nothing inherently wrong with the concept of a Rep system, and the idea is a fine one, but as it stands now it feels like nothing other than mindless busy work. It's true that there can be a simple joy in filling up a progress bar and yielding slow and steady progression towards a goal, but the addition of multiple commodoties needed for each project makes the whole thing feel like an irritating and boring job rather than a game. I assume they were added to give a useful function for underused items that were accumulating in people's banks, and/or to provide a light EC sink, but the end result is just tedious.
If reputation projects could be finished with just Omega/Romulan marks I think much of the feeling of 'grind' would be removed. There's fun to be had by playing the missions (STF or Romulan), gaining marks, then filling up progress bars with those marks heading towards an unlocking goal. Things become cluttered and begin to feel like work once you add in the need to replicate endless additional items or run around to various star systems to collect them in huge quantities at the best prices.
Noone really wants to feel like they're playing a second job, and I think this is a simple change that helps to remove some of that grind feeling.
I think there is nothing inherently wrong with the concept of a Rep system, and the idea is a fine one, but as it stands now it feels like nothing other than mindless busy work. It's true that there can be a simple joy in filling up a progress bar and yielding slow and steady progression towards a goal, but the addition of multiple commodoties needed for each project makes the whole thing feel like an irritating and boring job rather than a game. I assume they were added to give a useful function for underused items that were accumulating in people's banks, and/or to provide a light EC sink, but the end result is just tedious.
If reputation projects could be finished with just Omega/Romulan marks I think much of the feeling of 'grind' would be removed. There's fun to be had by playing the missions (STF or Romulan), gaining marks, then filling up progress bars with those marks heading towards an unlocking goal. Things become cluttered and begin to feel like work once you add in the need to replicate endless additional items or run around to various star systems to collect them in huge quantities at the best prices.
Noone really wants to feel like they're playing a second job, and I think this is a simple change that helps to remove some of that grind feeling.
Post edited by viper40watt on
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I'm saying it feels like mindless busy work, something that is often called out as 'a second job.' I've been in many a PUG group with ineffective or AFK players, which is somewhat irritating, but I still enjoy the basic aspect of playing a Star Trek game, even if it sometimes becomes unwinable. Buying commodities is easy, incredibly easy, the cost isn't even that high, just a few million to max out a character's reputation. My complaint wasn't that it was difficult, just that it was tedious and not fun and my suggestion was merely to address the feeling of 'grind' not to make it easier.
I think you may have misinterpreted what I was saying. I have no desire to see a unified mark, I can see a logic in doing so, but I certainly see the reasons why they would remain seperate. My only concern was with removing the extra commodities required to fill out a reputation project, leaving the only requirement marks (omega marks for Omega rep, romulan marks for Romulan, etc.,). In doing so it would address what, to me anyway, makes the reputation feel like unfun busywork.
I went up to T3 on one of my characters before the tedium of filling in boxes became too boring. I still play STFs and romulan PVE missions on all eight of my regularly played toons because I enjoy it, I just don't bother with the reputation system any more as I gain no satisfaction or fun with it. Streamlining the reputation system by not requiring commodities would remove much of the tedium I associate with it.
Why can't I give just marks and EC? So the Romulans can buy there own stuff and why do I have to travel to trader X for commodity A and to trader Y for commodity B, what kind of universe is that. It is like buying a shirt in London, a pair of trousers in Berlin and you get your socks in Oslo. Do they think my space ship runs on empty matter?
I agree there is an internal logic to providing commodities to help out the new colony, more so than donating "experience" or "marks" to help them out. Be that as it may, we play this game to have fun. I can understand when fun impacts profits, there is a need to err on the side of profits, but in this case I don't see how having us run around or replicate a bunch of commodities does anything for Cryptic's bottom line. I believe it would be more fun without that facet.
You can buy nearly all your Rep commodities from the replicator. It costs about 25% more, but for an active endgame "main" character it's pocket change.
If only you could buy consumables from the replicator, too. THAT'S what doesn't make a ton of sense.
Sadly, that's not the point.
F2P games prize what's called "Daily Participation". It's a critical metric for this type of game, because it maximizes the exposure players have to the most profitable content (i.e. new ships, costumes etc.) while minimizing the feeling of "burnout".
Making things "easier" i.e. very fast would undermine the whole system.
Why? Let's say you spend 30mins to 1h a day in STO. Log in, collect your Rep projects, Duty Officer Assignments, and do the quickest dailies (like the Academy mission, Dilithium mining, etc.). For the average casual player, that's a day well-spent, because every day you come a little bit closer to the next bit of Rep gear or whatever.
Let's say you get bored. Even casuals get bored (Zynga learned this the hard way). But the daily participation, coupled with the fairly regular new content rollouts (Something like 10 new ships in less than 6 months!) tempts you to "spice things up" by splurging on a spiffy new ship to run and re-run ISE and Romulan PUGs on. There's the moneymaker right there.
Even a person who knows exactly what they're doing (like yours truly) is not immune to the call. I just dropped $25 worth of Zen on a new MVAE because I liked the idea of splitting up my "Patrol Escort" and am currently contemplating dropping a little more on the Andorian Escort.
TL;DR: F2P MMOs thrive on making casuals feel like they're not completely wasting the little time they have each day to play games. For me at least, STO has managed that. It's a little bit "dirty" for sure, but so long as it's not entirely egregious (it isn't yet for me), it's good fun.
This would certainly tone down the tedium some while still keeping the immersion of sending actual items
I would also like to see items bought from the rep store as account unlocks.. Like the sets and store weapons...
I also wouldn't mind seeing the timer reduced on the inefficient minor rep projects (the ones which grant 800 rep), so that if you're sitting on all the necessary materials, and you're perfectly willing to accept paying the premium that the inefficient rep gain represents, then you're free to mitigate the calendar gating.
As for the EC sink, I appreciate that they dressed it up some, instead of just running with "X marks, Y skill points, and Z energy credits."
The store unlocks and item projects can remain as is.
The current daily projects are annoying, and serve no purpose other than a mindless, annoying time-sink. The feel like they were designed by someone who played far too much farmville, or similar crappy browser games. They can be done away with no harm, and the entire system would be more enjoyable without losing anything of merit.
I'd also be willing to cope with the current, annoying click-fest system if it were account (or faction, at least) wide unlocks. But doing it over and over for every character is just too painful for words. So I've stopped, and given up advancing my reputation ranks entirely.
USS WARRIOR NCC 1720 Commanding Officer
Star Trek Gamers
This. Commodities was never an issue. Especially when you can stockpile a ton of commodities and just put them in the bank. Can't understand how people can do a ton of STFs in a row without going crazy. 2 elite STFs per day for 2 characters is my max and luckily I have no more Omega reputation projects that I want to do.
Wouldn't it make more sense to give them a replicator or a couple of them. I can understand that they are in need of resources to build up their new world, but the aren't a 24th century resemblance of third world people, they have knowledge, technology.
Also, when the Romulans are trying to build up a new society, you might expect traders will go there, the Tauw Dewa sector. After after all they are in the game to make money, I am here to play, to have fun (which I do). So where the hell is Mudd.
I make it clear. I like the Tauw Dewa sector and New Romulos. They are wonderfully created, but one part of the reputation system is just plain boring micromanagement.
That is not what I said.
USS WARRIOR NCC 1720 Commanding Officer
Star Trek Gamers
Commodities are not but the consumables are. 6 bank slots just for one days worth of them. It's just meant to be a time sink.