T6 Connie will probably never see anything like the infinity box.
Wrong. It already was in the infinity promo box in december/january.
And after words once again released in its own lock box.
It's not clear to me what Cryptic's plans in this respect are. It's quite possible that they viewed it's presence with other ships in the infinity lockbox as a negative- but itself as a positive. The future will provide the answer.
Plus it seems to me that their efforts are producing less result. This last Phoenix pack only dropped a bit more than 30 off the pink rock exchange where previous ones dropped by over three times as much. Will be interesting to see how much impact this latest R&D promotion has.
Just a theory and I hope any economy experts will correct me. But the first Phoenix pack the dilithium prices were very high and getting the items in the packs very desirable since they were all unobtainable.
Now many of the first buyers have all the items from the first wave so have little need to try for another wave of packs. And all but the upgrades were one each. And everything is bind to character so no selling. This had a huge impact the first time around because it was all new. Now the market has some saturation and is otherwise choked. No holding something to sell later for those not able to get involved this time. Also no multiples means little need to repeat. As an example, I might have gotten a few of the phaser rifle or shotgun on one character if they were not one per character. Things like that should increase the sales.
Pretty much, yeah. They haven't added anything significant so the biggest spenders will have got what they wanted the first time.
I myself spent a lot of dil getting a Bulwark the first run, but only picked my daily free box for the reruns since I didn't need anything else.
While I'm sure this is an important element, there's another component. The market value of those Phoenix Upgrades seem to have dropped as well. Many purchased them for that item alone, and considered anything else just a nice bonus. It would seem that's no longer a driving factor either.
In my case, I got my primary ship all upgraded to epic. So nothing to upgrade- no purchase for me. I imagine there are others like myself.
T6 Connie will probably never see anything like the infinity box.
Wrong. It already was in the infinity promo box in december/january.
And after words once again released in its own lock box.
It's not clear to me what Cryptic's plans in this respect are. It's quite possible that they viewed it's presence with other ships in the infinity lockbox as a negative- but itself as a positive. The future will provide the answer.
It appeared in its own promo again because they didn't want to run an Infinity R&D promo. We might only see Infinity promos once a year, though it's hard to judge when there's only been 1 so far.
This is an MMO, not a Star Trek episode simulator. That would make for a terrible game.
Plus it seems to me that their efforts are producing less result. This last Phoenix pack only dropped a bit more than 30 off the pink rock exchange where previous ones dropped by over three times as much. Will be interesting to see how much impact this latest R&D promotion has.
Just a theory and I hope any economy experts will correct me. But the first Phoenix pack the dilithium prices were very high and getting the items in the packs very desirable since they were all unobtainable.
Now many of the first buyers have all the items from the first wave so have little need to try for another wave of packs. And all but the upgrades were one each. And everything is bind to character so no selling. This had a huge impact the first time around because it was all new. Now the market has some saturation and is otherwise choked. No holding something to sell later for those not able to get involved this time. Also no multiples means little need to repeat. As an example, I might have gotten a few of the phaser rifle or shotgun on one character if they were not one per character. Things like that should increase the sales.
Pretty much, yeah. They haven't added anything significant so the biggest spenders will have got what they wanted the first time.
I myself spent a lot of dil getting a Bulwark the first run, but only picked my daily free box for the reruns since I didn't need anything else.
While I'm sure this is an important element, there's another component. The market value of those Phoenix Upgrades seem to have dropped as well. Many purchased them for that item alone, and considered anything else just a nice bonus. It would seem that's no longer a driving factor either.
In my case, I got my primary ship all upgraded to epic. So nothing to upgrade- no purchase for me. I imagine there are others like myself.
How much do you need them when you get all Mk XIV Epics in space and ground for your whole ship?
Originally Posted by pwlaughingtrendy
Network engineers are not ship designers.
Nor should they be. Their ships would look weird.
Do they?! I've opened boxes, but never with the hope of getting the prize ship. Me? I like fixed prices: tell me what it costs, and then I can decide whether or not I want to pay for it on Exchange.
T6 Connie will probably never see anything like the infinity box.
Wrong. It already was in the infinity promo box in december/january.
And after words once again released in its own lock box.
It's not clear to me what Cryptic's plans in this respect are. It's quite possible that they viewed it's presence with other ships in the infinity lockbox as a negative- but itself as a positive. The future will provide the answer.
It appeared in its own promo again because they didn't want to run an Infinity R&D promo. We might only see Infinity promos once a year, though it's hard to judge when there's only been 1 so far.
I recall two, but I may be wrong. But again- sort of my point. This hasn't happened enough to say what the next move may be.
Plus it seems to me that their efforts are producing less result. This last Phoenix pack only dropped a bit more than 30 off the pink rock exchange where previous ones dropped by over three times as much. Will be interesting to see how much impact this latest R&D promotion has.
Just a theory and I hope any economy experts will correct me. But the first Phoenix pack the dilithium prices were very high and getting the items in the packs very desirable since they were all unobtainable.
Now many of the first buyers have all the items from the first wave so have little need to try for another wave of packs. And all but the upgrades were one each. And everything is bind to character so no selling. This had a huge impact the first time around because it was all new. Now the market has some saturation and is otherwise choked. No holding something to sell later for those not able to get involved this time. Also no multiples means little need to repeat. As an example, I might have gotten a few of the phaser rifle or shotgun on one character if they were not one per character. Things like that should increase the sales.
Pretty much, yeah. They haven't added anything significant so the biggest spenders will have got what they wanted the first time.
I myself spent a lot of dil getting a Bulwark the first run, but only picked my daily free box for the reruns since I didn't need anything else.
While I'm sure this is an important element, there's another component. The market value of those Phoenix Upgrades seem to have dropped as well. Many purchased them for that item alone, and considered anything else just a nice bonus. It would seem that's no longer a driving factor either.
In my case, I got my primary ship all upgraded to epic. So nothing to upgrade- no purchase for me. I imagine there are others like myself.
How much do you need them when you get all Mk XIV Epics in space and ground for your whole ship?
T6 Connie will probably never see anything like the infinity box.
Wrong. It already was in the infinity promo box in december/january.
And after words once again released in its own lock box.
It's not clear to me what Cryptic's plans in this respect are. It's quite possible that they viewed it's presence with other ships in the infinity lockbox as a negative- but itself as a positive. The future will provide the answer.
It appeared in its own promo again because they didn't want to run an Infinity R&D promo. We might only see Infinity promos once a year, though it's hard to judge when there's only been 1 so far.
I recall two, but I may be wrong. But again- sort of my point. This hasn't happened enough to say what the next move may be.
It was just the one Infinity promo in the late-November/early-December slot lost year. If there are no more surprise releases this year, then that will be the next promo ship period this year, and I'd be very surprised if it isn't an Infinity promo. Remember also that the extra run of the T6 Connie promo this year was all about how that ship could now use the TMP refit parts, so they threw the spotlight back on that ship alone, rather than diluting it by running an Infinity promo with 2 versions of Sheshar, 2 versions of the bug, the Annorax, the Ent-J and the Amarie.
This is an MMO, not a Star Trek episode simulator. That would make for a terrible game.
You know -it's been years since I said anything on the forums, and I'm not sure why I am now, I guess I'm doing so because some people have speculated the walking wallets getting tired.....I remember when the first box rolled out; the Cardassian one - the one that had two rarities. There were some voices in the wilderness saying nothing good would come of the whole lockbox idea, the players wouldn't tolerate it,etc etc... Now here we are almost 5 years later...and I still can't tell if they were right...
Plus it seems to me that their efforts are producing less result. This last Phoenix pack only dropped a bit more than 30 off the pink rock exchange where previous ones dropped by over three times as much. Will be interesting to see how much impact this latest R&D promotion has.
Just a theory and I hope any economy experts will correct me. But the first Phoenix pack the dilithium prices were very high and getting the items in the packs very desirable since they were all unobtainable.
Now many of the first buyers have all the items from the first wave so have little need to try for another wave of packs. And all but the upgrades were one each. And everything is bind to character so no selling. This had a huge impact the first time around because it was all new. Now the market has some saturation and is otherwise choked. No holding something to sell later for those not able to get involved this time. Also no multiples means little need to repeat. As an example, I might have gotten a few of the phaser rifle or shotgun on one character if they were not one per character. Things like that should increase the sales.
Pretty much, yeah. They haven't added anything significant so the biggest spenders will have got what they wanted the first time.
I myself spent a lot of dil getting a Bulwark the first run, but only picked my daily free box for the reruns since I didn't need anything else.
While I'm sure this is an important element, there's another component. The market value of those Phoenix Upgrades seem to have dropped as well. Many purchased them for that item alone, and considered anything else just a nice bonus. It would seem that's no longer a driving factor either.
In my case, I got my primary ship all upgraded to epic. So nothing to upgrade- no purchase for me. I imagine there are others like myself.
How much do you need them when you get all Mk XIV Epics in space and ground for your whole ship?
Kinda of my point.
So effectively what we both say is that the phoenix pack to do its job and alter dilithium content. Is to be refreshed with real desirable rewards. Remove the only one per character limitation or the bind on acquire. This way people will open them to get the rare ships and gear to sell on the exchange.
Originally Posted by pwlaughingtrendy
Network engineers are not ship designers.
Nor should they be. Their ships would look weird.
Plus it seems to me that their efforts are producing less result. This last Phoenix pack only dropped a bit more than 30 off the pink rock exchange where previous ones dropped by over three times as much. Will be interesting to see how much impact this latest R&D promotion has.
Just a theory and I hope any economy experts will correct me. But the first Phoenix pack the dilithium prices were very high and getting the items in the packs very desirable since they were all unobtainable.
Now many of the first buyers have all the items from the first wave so have little need to try for another wave of packs. And all but the upgrades were one each. And everything is bind to character so no selling. This had a huge impact the first time around because it was all new. Now the market has some saturation and is otherwise choked. No holding something to sell later for those not able to get involved this time. Also no multiples means little need to repeat. As an example, I might have gotten a few of the phaser rifle or shotgun on one character if they were not one per character. Things like that should increase the sales.
Pretty much, yeah. They haven't added anything significant so the biggest spenders will have got what they wanted the first time.
I myself spent a lot of dil getting a Bulwark the first run, but only picked my daily free box for the reruns since I didn't need anything else.
While I'm sure this is an important element, there's another component. The market value of those Phoenix Upgrades seem to have dropped as well. Many purchased them for that item alone, and considered anything else just a nice bonus. It would seem that's no longer a driving factor either.
In my case, I got my primary ship all upgraded to epic. So nothing to upgrade- no purchase for me. I imagine there are others like myself.
How much do you need them when you get all Mk XIV Epics in space and ground for your whole ship?
Kinda of my point.
So effectively what we both say is that the phoenix pack to do its job and alter dilithium content. Is to be refreshed with real desirable rewards. Remove the only one per character limitation or the bind on acquire. This way people will open them to get the rare ships and gear to sell on the exchange.
I think what we're effectively both saying is that the phoenix pack has lost much of its appeal. But I won't join you in the rest of that statement as I think the bedrock of isn't the items, but the upgrade packs which have lost their appeal to aging (as in completed primary ship) player base.
I'm hoping the next expansion is the solution, but honestly I don't think it will unless it offers a truly new experience instead of more ship and character skins.
Plus it seems to me that their efforts are producing less result. This last Phoenix pack only dropped a bit more than 30 off the pink rock exchange where previous ones dropped by over three times as much. Will be interesting to see how much impact this latest R&D promotion has.
Just a theory and I hope any economy experts will correct me. But the first Phoenix pack the dilithium prices were very high and getting the items in the packs very desirable since they were all unobtainable.
Now many of the first buyers have all the items from the first wave so have little need to try for another wave of packs. And all but the upgrades were one each. And everything is bind to character so no selling. This had a huge impact the first time around because it was all new. Now the market has some saturation and is otherwise choked. No holding something to sell later for those not able to get involved this time. Also no multiples means little need to repeat. As an example, I might have gotten a few of the phaser rifle or shotgun on one character if they were not one per character. Things like that should increase the sales.
Pretty much, yeah. They haven't added anything significant so the biggest spenders will have got what they wanted the first time.
I myself spent a lot of dil getting a Bulwark the first run, but only picked my daily free box for the reruns since I didn't need anything else.
While I'm sure this is an important element, there's another component. The market value of those Phoenix Upgrades seem to have dropped as well. Many purchased them for that item alone, and considered anything else just a nice bonus. It would seem that's no longer a driving factor either.
In my case, I got my primary ship all upgraded to epic. So nothing to upgrade- no purchase for me. I imagine there are others like myself.
How much do you need them when you get all Mk XIV Epics in space and ground for your whole ship?
Kinda of my point.
So effectively what we both say is that the phoenix pack to do its job and alter dilithium content. Is to be refreshed with real desirable rewards. Remove the only one per character limitation or the bind on acquire. This way people will open them to get the rare ships and gear to sell on the exchange.
I think what we're effectively both saying is that the phoenix pack has lost much of its appeal. But I won't join you in the rest of that statement as I think the bedrock of isn't the items, but the upgrade packs which have lost their appeal to aging (as in completed primary ship) player base.
I'm hoping the next expansion is the solution, but honestly I don't think it will unless it offers a truly new experience instead of more ship and character skins.
I think we are saying much the same thing. People are getting what they want. Just because the next thing is new does not mean it will necessarily sell well.
My thoughts on getting a boost on the Phoenix box are just a few ideas to get some of what is in it flowing to more people so it gets more interest.
Originally Posted by pwlaughingtrendy
Network engineers are not ship designers.
Nor should they be. Their ships would look weird.
The idea that CBS is monitoring the game that closely is frankly ridiculous. I can assure you CBS has more important things to worry about other then how many Star Trek Online Players have a Constitution or any other class ship. This is just something Cryptic once said in passing to explain why there was no end game Constitution. It wasn't true then, and it isn't true today.
While I agree that this tidbit of information has been taken too probably mean much more than it actually does, I am pretty certain that there are stipulations in the contract about how certain canon desirables are to be handled if Cryptic says so (I have never seen the original quote, so it may have been blown way out of proportion). While CBS will certainly not recalculate any odds or similar, they would not be happy if they were blamed for something they didn't do - which in turn could cost Cryptic dearly. Way too high a risk. If you were to own a, say, McDonald's Franchise and your put down something your customers don't like wrongly to McDonald's policies, odds are McD will never notice. But if they did, your business may very quickly be an ex-business. You're not doing that for a side issue like "why we don't have X".
I myself spent a lot of dil getting a Bulwark the first run, but only picked my daily free box for the reruns since I didn't need anything else.
Similar here. I have spent all my "excess dil" on boxes the first run, and while I wouldn't mind a few more epics to have Risian whatevers on any toon, this is not worth it (and my main got his wanted ships). Also, the remaining boxes are easily helping me through minor additions like doffs or so. So yeah, ignoring this except for the freebie, which isn't even a priority.
Some do, some don't. Some like gambling and its thrill, some even get addicted to it. I personally abhor any "game" I don't really have at least a modicum of control. So if I opened boxes, it was to see how the system works, and to get lobi. No need for any of them anymore, so like you, I prefer a price I know to the great unknown. (Also I prefer account unlocks, different matter though).
My mother was an epohh and my father smelled of tulaberries
That may have been the case before the Infinity box, but nowadays this is no longer true. Almost nothing has retained a value that's high enough to make it worth it to open the boxes; you're better off selling the keys instead.
And even before the Infinity box this was already true for most items; a handful of Doffs like Soreb or Graga Mal usually being the only exception.
Lobi crystals have always retained their value.
True. The Lobi items that can be traded have always been very cheap on the exchange. So you are correct in saying that they have always retained their very low values. Also here you're better off selling the keys.
And since we're not probably going to move on to the bound items: I seriously doubt that most lockboxes are opened for the handful of bound lobi items.
By a handful, you mean every single lobi console? Some of which are now again in the top tier again after great embassy console nerf freed up all our science console slots? Yeah...that's "low" value...sure. Oddly enough, I consider top end gear that is bound that can only be gotten by lobi to mean that lobi is quite valuable.
Agreed, some of the bound Lobi Items are highly sought after. Lobi has always retained very high value and if anything it's even more valuable after S13 dropped. Not just for Space Consoles but for Ground Gear as well.
Do they?! I've opened boxes, but never with the hope of getting the prize ship. Me? I like fixed prices: tell me what it costs, and then I can decide whether or not I want to pay for it on Exchange.
I second this. I like to know what I'm getting, when I'm getting it. I don't mind spending money, I've bought almost everything on the c-store over the years (less so as of late, admittedly). What I don't like is gambling. I've done a bit of the infinity boxes, just because there's a bit more choice in there and I wanted to build up a bit of Lobi, but those 10 keys (+10 using ec) are all I've bought since keys were introduced. I do want an Annorax, but long ago accepted it ain't happening.
> @thumpyecho said: > You know -it's been years since I said anything on the forums, and I'm not sure why I am now, I guess I'm doing so because some people have speculated the walking wallets getting tired.....I remember when the first box rolled out; the Cardassian one - the one that had two rarities. There were some voices in the wilderness saying nothing good would come of the whole lockbox idea, the players wouldn't tolerate it,etc etc... Now here we are almost 5 years later...and I still can't tell if they were right...
Hard to tell really as people have left the game for so many different reasons over the last 5 years. I don't think the gamble box thing would be in the top 5, but I know lots of people that have been burned by it. Sure you can find out more or less what the odds are, but only Cryptic truly knows, and that house rules kind of stinks in my books. I only have 1 ship from the boxes and probably 20 cstore ones.
Lol. I always giggle when these threads come up (and after the LONG time I've been around? It's happened a lot).
Lockboxes are nothing new to the gaming world. STO isn't the first and guess what? It DOES bring in revenue and probably a good chunk of it, if not the majority. Don't think that's true? Go look at F2P games in general. Almost all have some sort of system like this, and almost all are doing fine. The one thing I do give Cryptic is the fact yes, all the ships in those lock boxes can be purchased without a master key by using the exchange. Do I like it? Don't care either way to be honest. It keeps the game afloat then more power to them.
Almost all the lockbox ships I've gotten I've purchased off the exchange, except the Kelvin and Jem Hadar attack fighter thingy (the very first chance box) because it's just easier. Buy a bunch of master keys, sell them bam got the EC to buy it.
But like I said, thanks for the giggle on seeing one of these threads again.
Yes, I'm that Askray@Batbayer in game. Yes, I still play. No, I don't care. Former Community Moderator, Former SSR DJ, Now Full time father to two kids, Husband, Retail Worker. Tiktok: @Askray Facebook: Askray113
I open only one or two LockBoxes a month. And even then, I'm not expecting The Ship(!). I already know the odds against getting The Ship(!) are less than the odds of me getting struck by lightning. I open the Boxes or buy the R&D Packs for the other things in them. Things my characters use. Or sell. Because one man's trash is another man's treasure. I've made enough EC off LockBoxes to purchase some ships or other gear I really wanted. But The Ship(!) this time is not appealing to me. Why? Simple!
I don't like the Son'a. Or the Baku either, for that matter. Whyever would I want to fly and use ships and gear from a film which isn't one of the better outings of the TNG crew. Please note the preceding was my opinion. It was only my opnion and may not be applicable to other people. Pretty The Ship(!) up and give it six Commander level BOff Slots and I still won't waste my time. Because I don't like the Son'a. Or the Baku They were a plot device, not a worthy opponent deserving of my attention. They existed only so the writers of ST:Insurrection could show us once again Starfleet Admirals are evil, genocidal, greedy and entirely self-serving. Meanwhile the TNG cast was shown as Rebels With A Heart who risked everything to stop the genocidal maniacs.
George Lucas did this a lot better. Wrote it. Mean it.
I thin we're coming to a time when the LockBox and the R&D Packs having an infintely tiny chance of earning The Ship(!) may be nearing its death. And this effect is long past overdue. Drop The Ship(!) into the Lobi Store or the C-Store and I mught just pony up the cash. But dangle it as an impossibly rare prize which I can only have a slight chance of winning if I let you dig at my wallet and I'll move on to something else. And all those manhours and marketing hype will immediately go to waste.
A six year old boy and his starship. Living the dream.
They did a lone again R&D Promotion Pack for the T6 Constitution after being in an R&D Infinity Promotion because they wanted to cash in on the 'on his own time' visual upgrade to the Constitution. Might as well milk every last penny out of a 'no cost' update.
And the Amarie stuffed in an R&D Promotion was kind of a bust as well.
'But to be logical is not to be right', and 'nothing' on God's earth could ever 'make it' right!'
Judge Dan Haywood
'As l speak now, the words are forming in my head.
l don't know.
l really don't know what l'm about to say, except l have a feeling about it.
That l must repeat the words that come without my knowledge.'
Just to be clear though.. I hope I'm wrong about this promotion.. I hope it generates a healthy amount of revenue.
I don't personally like the lockbox/RnD Pack model, but I get it. I understand Cryptic has to make money, and unlike others, I don't find the practice deceitful in any way. Players know when they open boxes that the odds are not in their favor, that's why it's called a 'gamble.'
I'm not hoping the promotion is a flop, I'm just not seeing it. I get it, some people want something just because it's 'rare' but I personally believe that's only part of the equation. That rare item has to also be desirable, otherwise no one cares when you go flying around ESD showing off your new shiny.
The Son'a Dreadnought just doesn't seem to fit that bill for me. I can see it as a lock box ship, but as a grand prize in an RnD Pack it's pretty weak.
They did a lone again R&D Promotion Pack for the T6 Constitution after being in an R&D Infinity Promotion because they wanted to cash in on the 'on his own time' visual upgrade to the Constitution. Might as well milk every last penny out of a 'no cost' update.
And the Amarie stuffed in an R&D Promotion was kind of a bust as well.
Well, unlike the So'na Dreadnought, the Amarie at least had a good trait and a nice Heavy Weapon as additional attractions.
And a full interior which is kinda cool as well. Too bad, they already made Sona rooms and corridors for the latest episode and could have easily implemented those on the new promo ship too.
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I’m not getting smart out of it at all. At first I was disappointed that the NX would not have a native bridge. Now I’m rather happy that I can use the cool Defiant interior (from DS9 pack) on it. I must also admit that the fact that I’m able to put the Connie interior (from TOS pack) on the Tier 6 Connie even played into my decision to acquire that ship in game after all.
Who knows, perhaps Cryptic puts not that much into it because they want to do a general overhaul of the concept of ship interiors in the long run. If done right, which they surely can, such interiors are quiet strong arguments to buy a ship/pack or not.
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They've gone on record saying ship interiors take as long or longer to make than the rest of the ship, which would go some length to explain the Xindi palette swaps.
They've gone on record saying ship interiors take as long or longer to make than the rest of the ship, which would go some length to explain the Xindi palette swaps.
Yea I’m sure that’s the case and new Sona dread will probably sell anyway.
But some more effort put into 200 € ships might necessary in the long run especially when the exterior or the stats would not even justify the purchase of a ship which has 10-20% of these cost.
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Comments
And after words once again released in its own lock box.
It's not clear to me what Cryptic's plans in this respect are. It's quite possible that they viewed it's presence with other ships in the infinity lockbox as a negative- but itself as a positive. The future will provide the answer.
While I'm sure this is an important element, there's another component. The market value of those Phoenix Upgrades seem to have dropped as well. Many purchased them for that item alone, and considered anything else just a nice bonus. It would seem that's no longer a driving factor either.
In my case, I got my primary ship all upgraded to epic. So nothing to upgrade- no purchase for me. I imagine there are others like myself.
It appeared in its own promo again because they didn't want to run an Infinity R&D promo. We might only see Infinity promos once a year, though it's hard to judge when there's only been 1 so far.
How much do you need them when you get all Mk XIV Epics in space and ground for your whole ship?
Originally Posted by pwlaughingtrendy
Network engineers are not ship designers.
Nor should they be. Their ships would look weird.
Do they?! I've opened boxes, but never with the hope of getting the prize ship. Me? I like fixed prices: tell me what it costs, and then I can decide whether or not I want to pay for it on Exchange.
I recall two, but I may be wrong. But again- sort of my point. This hasn't happened enough to say what the next move may be.
Kinda of my point.
It was just the one Infinity promo in the late-November/early-December slot lost year. If there are no more surprise releases this year, then that will be the next promo ship period this year, and I'd be very surprised if it isn't an Infinity promo. Remember also that the extra run of the T6 Connie promo this year was all about how that ship could now use the TMP refit parts, so they threw the spotlight back on that ship alone, rather than diluting it by running an Infinity promo with 2 versions of Sheshar, 2 versions of the bug, the Annorax, the Ent-J and the Amarie.
So effectively what we both say is that the phoenix pack to do its job and alter dilithium content. Is to be refreshed with real desirable rewards. Remove the only one per character limitation or the bind on acquire. This way people will open them to get the rare ships and gear to sell on the exchange.
Originally Posted by pwlaughingtrendy
Network engineers are not ship designers.
Nor should they be. Their ships would look weird.
I think what we're effectively both saying is that the phoenix pack has lost much of its appeal. But I won't join you in the rest of that statement as I think the bedrock of isn't the items, but the upgrade packs which have lost their appeal to aging (as in completed primary ship) player base.
I'm hoping the next expansion is the solution, but honestly I don't think it will unless it offers a truly new experience instead of more ship and character skins.
I think we are saying much the same thing. People are getting what they want. Just because the next thing is new does not mean it will necessarily sell well.
My thoughts on getting a boost on the Phoenix box are just a few ideas to get some of what is in it flowing to more people so it gets more interest.
Originally Posted by pwlaughingtrendy
Network engineers are not ship designers.
Nor should they be. Their ships would look weird.
While I agree that this tidbit of information has been taken too probably mean much more than it actually does, I am pretty certain that there are stipulations in the contract about how certain canon desirables are to be handled if Cryptic says so (I have never seen the original quote, so it may have been blown way out of proportion). While CBS will certainly not recalculate any odds or similar, they would not be happy if they were blamed for something they didn't do - which in turn could cost Cryptic dearly. Way too high a risk. If you were to own a, say, McDonald's Franchise and your put down something your customers don't like wrongly to McDonald's policies, odds are McD will never notice. But if they did, your business may very quickly be an ex-business. You're not doing that for a side issue like "why we don't have X".
Similar here. I have spent all my "excess dil" on boxes the first run, and while I wouldn't mind a few more epics to have Risian whatevers on any toon, this is not worth it (and my main got his wanted ships). Also, the remaining boxes are easily helping me through minor additions like doffs or so. So yeah, ignoring this except for the freebie, which isn't even a priority.
Some do, some don't. Some like gambling and its thrill, some even get addicted to it. I personally abhor any "game" I don't really have at least a modicum of control. So if I opened boxes, it was to see how the system works, and to get lobi. No need for any of them anymore, so like you, I prefer a price I know to the great unknown. (Also I prefer account unlocks, different matter though).
Agreed, some of the bound Lobi Items are highly sought after. Lobi has always retained very high value and if anything it's even more valuable after S13 dropped. Not just for Space Consoles but for Ground Gear as well.
I second this. I like to know what I'm getting, when I'm getting it. I don't mind spending money, I've bought almost everything on the c-store over the years (less so as of late, admittedly). What I don't like is gambling. I've done a bit of the infinity boxes, just because there's a bit more choice in there and I wanted to build up a bit of Lobi, but those 10 keys (+10 using ec) are all I've bought since keys were introduced. I do want an Annorax, but long ago accepted it ain't happening.
> You know -it's been years since I said anything on the forums, and I'm not sure why I am now, I guess I'm doing so because some people have speculated the walking wallets getting tired.....I remember when the first box rolled out; the Cardassian one - the one that had two rarities. There were some voices in the wilderness saying nothing good would come of the whole lockbox idea, the players wouldn't tolerate it,etc etc... Now here we are almost 5 years later...and I still can't tell if they were right...
Hard to tell really as people have left the game for so many different reasons over the last 5 years. I don't think the gamble box thing would be in the top 5, but I know lots of people that have been burned by it. Sure you can find out more or less what the odds are, but only Cryptic truly knows, and that house rules kind of stinks in my books. I only have 1 ship from the boxes and probably 20 cstore ones.
Lockboxes are nothing new to the gaming world. STO isn't the first and guess what? It DOES bring in revenue and probably a good chunk of it, if not the majority. Don't think that's true? Go look at F2P games in general. Almost all have some sort of system like this, and almost all are doing fine. The one thing I do give Cryptic is the fact yes, all the ships in those lock boxes can be purchased without a master key by using the exchange. Do I like it? Don't care either way to be honest. It keeps the game afloat then more power to them.
Almost all the lockbox ships I've gotten I've purchased off the exchange, except the Kelvin and Jem Hadar attack fighter thingy (the very first chance box) because it's just easier. Buy a bunch of master keys, sell them bam got the EC to buy it.
But like I said, thanks for the giggle on seeing one of these threads again.
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I don't like the Son'a. Or the Baku either, for that matter. Whyever would I want to fly and use ships and gear from a film which isn't one of the better outings of the TNG crew. Please note the preceding was my opinion. It was only my opnion and may not be applicable to other people. Pretty The Ship(!) up and give it six Commander level BOff Slots and I still won't waste my time. Because I don't like the Son'a. Or the Baku They were a plot device, not a worthy opponent deserving of my attention. They existed only so the writers of ST:Insurrection could show us once again Starfleet Admirals are evil, genocidal, greedy and entirely self-serving. Meanwhile the TNG cast was shown as Rebels With A Heart who risked everything to stop the genocidal maniacs.
George Lucas did this a lot better. Wrote it. Mean it.
I thin we're coming to a time when the LockBox and the R&D Packs having an infintely tiny chance of earning The Ship(!) may be nearing its death. And this effect is long past overdue. Drop The Ship(!) into the Lobi Store or the C-Store and I mught just pony up the cash. But dangle it as an impossibly rare prize which I can only have a slight chance of winning if I let you dig at my wallet and I'll move on to something else. And all those manhours and marketing hype will immediately go to waste.
And the Amarie stuffed in an R&D Promotion was kind of a bust as well.
l don't know.
l really don't know what l'm about to say, except l have a feeling about it.
That l must repeat the words that come without my knowledge.'
I don't personally like the lockbox/RnD Pack model, but I get it. I understand Cryptic has to make money, and unlike others, I don't find the practice deceitful in any way. Players know when they open boxes that the odds are not in their favor, that's why it's called a 'gamble.'
I'm not hoping the promotion is a flop, I'm just not seeing it. I get it, some people want something just because it's 'rare' but I personally believe that's only part of the equation. That rare item has to also be desirable, otherwise no one cares when you go flying around ESD showing off your new shiny.
The Son'a Dreadnought just doesn't seem to fit that bill for me. I can see it as a lock box ship, but as a grand prize in an RnD Pack it's pretty weak.
And a full interior which is kinda cool as well. Too bad, they already made Sona rooms and corridors for the latest episode and could have easily implemented those on the new promo ship too.
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Who knows, perhaps Cryptic puts not that much into it because they want to do a general overhaul of the concept of ship interiors in the long run. If done right, which they surely can, such interiors are quiet strong arguments to buy a ship/pack or not.
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Yea I’m sure that’s the case and new Sona dread will probably sell anyway.
But some more effort put into 200 € ships might necessary in the long run especially when the exterior or the stats would not even justify the purchase of a ship which has 10-20% of these cost.
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