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Account wide unlock for lobi/lockbox ship/gear (suggestion)
aranvar
Member Posts: 4 Arc User
Hello;
I dont know if this have already been said before, but I have to point here again suggestion for the game.
I'm fine with creating another toon, but since crafting, leveling etc is quite an heavy and daily grind, I focus only on one character to fully optimize, the other used more for storyline or faction specific experience.
With the upcoming release of a whole expansion based on time travel, exclusively accessible if you roll another character, I'm myself in some kind of dilemna:
My main character is a betazoid scientist, actually running a paradox class with the whole temporal fragmentation and warfare set, just for roleplay (got the wells uniform and so my crew). So three ships that were extremly long an costly to get (a lockbox wells timeship+ moebius and Paradox dreadnought+ warfare set+wells costume+aeon timeship for 2900 lobi). moreover, I still havent grinded enough dilithium to upgrade everything to epic rarity, mandatory power creep to have a chance in pvp battles....
And all of these efforts are available for a single character.
But if I have to roll another character, wich will likely be a temporal agent, will I really have to spend the same huge amount of ressources just to have this totally appropriate set for temporal related content on my future new character a second time (I guess eternal and ouroboros class from 31st century may use the temporal fragmentation set) ?
For me, the answer is short for the moment, nope, nope and nope, buying everything off the store would cost around thousand dollars, wich is an absurd amount to pay, even for a very good game, not counting the expansion pack (for something virtual, I already think that 30 dollars a ship is quite a lot), I'm not that kind of whale...
I even thinks is pretty insane and dangerous to push people to spend similar amounts of money or farming time in the game (without deeply impacting mental health), even its the only way for the studio to survive (or likely not, but no one would question the excesses of F2P economic model).
Thats why I'm suggesting for STO to introduce a way to unlock all the lockbox stuff like ship, special weapons, costume etc...all the super expensive gear, actually character bound; to be available for the whole characters of the account, via the dilithium store sytem or anything...
Even if its restricted for subscriber, or unlocked with a tonken sold a few thousands of zens in the store, or simply a zen cost for each item you want to redeem, based on the rarity, lobi cost etc...
Otherwise I dont know how to solve my dilemna otherwise than getting rich (good luck in our so fair society model)...or losing social life to grind all of this again
What do you think of this ?
I dont know if this have already been said before, but I have to point here again suggestion for the game.
I'm fine with creating another toon, but since crafting, leveling etc is quite an heavy and daily grind, I focus only on one character to fully optimize, the other used more for storyline or faction specific experience.
With the upcoming release of a whole expansion based on time travel, exclusively accessible if you roll another character, I'm myself in some kind of dilemna:
My main character is a betazoid scientist, actually running a paradox class with the whole temporal fragmentation and warfare set, just for roleplay (got the wells uniform and so my crew). So three ships that were extremly long an costly to get (a lockbox wells timeship+ moebius and Paradox dreadnought+ warfare set+wells costume+aeon timeship for 2900 lobi). moreover, I still havent grinded enough dilithium to upgrade everything to epic rarity, mandatory power creep to have a chance in pvp battles....
And all of these efforts are available for a single character.
But if I have to roll another character, wich will likely be a temporal agent, will I really have to spend the same huge amount of ressources just to have this totally appropriate set for temporal related content on my future new character a second time (I guess eternal and ouroboros class from 31st century may use the temporal fragmentation set) ?
For me, the answer is short for the moment, nope, nope and nope, buying everything off the store would cost around thousand dollars, wich is an absurd amount to pay, even for a very good game, not counting the expansion pack (for something virtual, I already think that 30 dollars a ship is quite a lot), I'm not that kind of whale...
I even thinks is pretty insane and dangerous to push people to spend similar amounts of money or farming time in the game (without deeply impacting mental health), even its the only way for the studio to survive (or likely not, but no one would question the excesses of F2P economic model).
Thats why I'm suggesting for STO to introduce a way to unlock all the lockbox stuff like ship, special weapons, costume etc...all the super expensive gear, actually character bound; to be available for the whole characters of the account, via the dilithium store sytem or anything...
Even if its restricted for subscriber, or unlocked with a tonken sold a few thousands of zens in the store, or simply a zen cost for each item you want to redeem, based on the rarity, lobi cost etc...
Otherwise I dont know how to solve my dilemna otherwise than getting rich (good luck in our so fair society model)...or losing social life to grind all of this again
What do you think of this ?
Main character.
Lysten@aranvar (29th century Federation betazoid) :
U.S.S. Hari Seldon : Wells temporal science vessel
U.S.S. Rene Barjavel : Paradox temporal dreadnought
Lysten@aranvar (29th century Federation betazoid) :
U.S.S. Hari Seldon : Wells temporal science vessel
U.S.S. Rene Barjavel : Paradox temporal dreadnought
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Comments
At this point I would be happy if they'd just made everything that isn't a ship or console bound to account. Maybe not being able to claim things on all toons, but at least sending them to alts by using an account bank would already be a huge improvement. You'd still have to choose on which toon you mainly want to use a certain item, but if it's no longer needed on one toon then you could at least make it useful somewhere else.
Same for fleet stuff btw. Some of it can be quite expensive like tac consoles and once you swap weapon type, it will be collecting dust.
Are you talking on behalf of consumers/players or were you hired as a company spokesman?
Many people have already stated very compelling reasons on here for making lobi ships account unlocks. Think about it, once you starting unlocking them for your account, their perceived value will rise and consequently, their price on the exchange will go up as well.
And as a result of their EC value rising, people will purchase more of them in order to sell them on the exchange. How is that now a win-win for both Cryptic and players?
Your opinion is noted
I'm talking on behalf of observations and from a making-money-perspective. As Long as you can make money with something you won't change it. And Lobi are such a thing. Account-wide lobi-unlocks would cut the profits as it is now, so face it: It won't change just out of generosity. It's a business.
If enough players get behind the idea of account unlocks and push for it, Cryptic will probably change it's mind. Saying it's a business is circular logic since it's a no brainer that the main driver behind a business to generate profits.
To give you a recent example, let's recall the Romulan admiralty upgrade tokens you got for completing that campaign. Cryptic originally made it so that the tokens weren't effected by the upgrade weekend and then changed it so that it was effected by it. That was after massive wave of complaints on sto reddit and the arc forums.
The problem with that circular logic is that right now, it works fine.
Your recent example is not exactly an equal to the lobi-System though, because the latter one has been established years ago and is going just fine for the money-making companies behind the game. There have been complaints and requests since it was there, but it seems that there are a lot lot lot more players actually giving in to that system. Which is why that circular logic won't go away until this changes.
And These years of single-character unlocks make the Change to accountwide even more problematic. How would Players that have many toons and spent thousands of lobi on the same things for multiple toons be *compensated* once their unlocks are hypothetically going to be an account-thing? That would be impossible and thus, result in disaster.
I believe hes just stating a fact.
Doing this change now would positively affect new players or those that may have gotten few, non-multiple lobi-unlocks while literally punching everyone who has unlocked specific or even most if not all lobi-stuff on multiple toons over time. The latter ones can't be fairly compensated. Imagine the s***storm.
The opportunity to make lobi-unlocks account-wide was when it *started*. The time has passed though.
Lockbox items are sellable/BoE/tradeable/etc. But when you actually bind one to a character, it's marked off in a "Collection" window/list. And in that Collection list, you have the option to pay an additional "zen" (cartel credits) fee to unlock the item for your account - it becomes infinitely reclaimable on your characters from the Collection window, automatically bound on pickup. (unlock fee based on rarity/value of the item, how old it is, sometimes there's sales, etc)
But yeah, trying to apply a system that to previously-owned lobi items could be problematic.
I know the TOR-System, and I really would have loved if lobi and lb would have gone that way. But there's a Point of no return when it comes to mmo-gambling, iirc adding ships to the lobi-store was officially meant to be compensation to the gambling-factor of lockboxes. And when the set-synergies with lockbox-ships were set up, that compensation was also ruined
They make tons of games, mostly nice, but most of the time, the grind/timegate etc to enjoy the end game part is so tedious that most of people leave or become slightly alienated with some routine (refresh craft, do mission A, B, C, sell this, trade that, pray rng while upgrading, repeat etc...).
I wasnt aware of this sytem from swtor, but I know that in GW2, at least skins became acount bound (like legendary weapons), due the efforts invested in, and it wasnt really a basicly implemented feature.
They allowed all account characters to share cosmetics but required player to use a transmutation charge (sold mostly in the store, hopefully with a currencie conversion) at every application on an armor piece.
I also just dont understand player that are quite annoyed with a few things becoming more common, its game after all...I think that its quite toxic to lock the majority of nice gear behind mountains of grind or money, it reduce enjoyment, and you wont likely do the contnt you like with the ship you like, unless you paid a lot more that than its reasonnbly acceptable for a game.
But yes, I'm sure, to make account bound lobi or lockbox rare content in exchange of some zen fee, I think it will become more and more important for the future of the game. I'm sure it cant survive only with compulsive buyers or whale, because they are a minority and the game would become empty, and crash, and buyers will feel cheated.
This game is already horribly grindy. If I stay here, its because the team have develloped very the canon universe of star trek in a game. If I werent a star trek fan, I would have left it from a long time. Three of my friend I invited to play this MMO left once they hit max level and finished the stories after a few month, due to dilithium grind with poorly equiped T5, because 30 dollars for a single ship is too much (often you required the whole set to get the console synergy bonus).
I'm wondering if we shall make instead a thread on reddit to get much more visibility, I'm sure devs havent read at all, but if it takes more importance, or is repeated often...maybe they'll consider theses kinds of ideas.
PS: sorry for my very clumsy english, but if I post in another section coresponding to my native language, it will be simply ignored...
Lysten@aranvar (29th century Federation betazoid) :
U.S.S. Hari Seldon : Wells temporal science vessel
U.S.S. Rene Barjavel : Paradox temporal dreadnought
I have purchased many things through the lobi store over time. I have only made a few duplicate purchases, but I have made some. It is doubtful that there are many people that have made siginificant duplicate purchases for this to matter. There is always somebody that is going to complain about a decision made by the developers. Besides which, I was not debating the merits of making this change as whole. Rather I was stating that I would not be opposed to it and why.
I'd be happy with being charged more zen (or lobi) to unlock an item or ship from the lobi store and lock boxes, or to unbind it so it can be moved to another character. SWTOR charges an extra zen-equivalent fee to make their lock box items account-wide reclaimable once you own one of them.
I very much doubt that - look at how many KDF are asking for equal Treatment and how they are treated (like taylor bug remained unadressed for 6 months or so and there's only one zen KDF Outfit, compared to 20 or so on Fed side,...EDIT: of give the Kobali BOFF the Option of not just wearing FED uniforms)
I'd say: as long as players buy LB and Lobi and the Company makes Profit, they won't Change it
KDF: 2 tacs, 2 engs, 3 scis
KDF Roms: 3 tacs, 1 eng, 1 scis
FED: 2 tacs, 1 eng, 2 scis
TOS: 1 tac
all on T5 rep (up to temporal)
all have mastered Intel tree (and some more specs Points)
highest DPS: 60.982
I have a fleet mate that wanted a Herald dread and we all know that, that's one ship that is just hard to come by. He said he opened 500 boxes and never once found one. So he ended up having to sell all the stuff out of those boxes and got it off the exchange. Now he won't buy another thing from Cryptic again. I know for sure he has at lest 20 or more officers. How much in the long run do you think that will cost them. 1 shot of 500$ or buying stuff for 20 officers over a period of time? If he could have that unlocked for every officer I am pretty sure he would have felt he got his moneys worth and still put money towards the game.
They would sell more keys if they did the unlocks as well. because if I could get a herald dread and I knew my Fed Eng. and my KDF Tac could have it yeah I might try for it one day after saving some resources up. I know others would try for the ships they want to. But as it is now its not worth the investment in game resources or in real money to have it locked behind one officer. A lot of us would pay a few Zen to get our Lobi ships on our different officers. We buy ships their now pay 1 price and its unlocked for that faction and we feel we got our moneys worth out of that. Some pay 100's for 1 ship for 1 officer and some feel pretty crappy about that. Then Cryptic wonders why they see a drop off of sales once in a while. People get tired of feeling like their is no worth for all that money paid out. I think the account unlocks would really help in a lot of ways specially Cryptic's image with the STO players and the on line MMO community in large.
Fixing that for you, as you have a whoopsie in the Quote-tags
Edit: I should read the entire thread before posting since kiralyn came up with a similar idea.