Aeon Amadi
A.N.O.N.Y.M.O.U.S.
2409
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Posted - 2013.08.09 06:23:00 -
[1] - Quote
TL;DR version at the bottom, but I strongly encourage reading all of it.
Decided to give this the usual title as there's a lot to say about it and it just fits in with the rest of my usual banter.
Now, collectibles are well and good in Eve Online where their price skyrockets because some people have them, others don't etc etc etc. Dust doesn't have it's own economy yet, so that's a bit problematic. I had originally intended that Economy would be in by release so I had stocked up on quite a bit of Dragonfly Scout suits and Toxin SMGs, not to mention some Exile Assault Rifles.
Bit of egg on my face there.
But, we're leaning away from collectibles (somewhat) and I like that. It's not so much about doing events for fancy suits we'll never actually use in combat for fear of losing them (Black Eagles/Quafe scout suits) but the rewards are things we actually use in combat. Advanced suits with advanced weapons from our previous event "mordu's challenge" is pretty useful, albeit almost all of it I wound up not using because it wasn't race specific and Mr. Muriya Mordu gave me a bunch of Caldari gear that's just going to collect Dust.
There is a nice feeling to it all though. A feeling of accomplishment despite the rewards being a little... Finicky. I think that the rewards should be more meaningful though - whereas the Caldari Prime event gave us the Faction-themed Gallente Scout and Caldari Assault, it was a good concept done in a bad way. Ten suits of each didn't really mean much and it fell into the same trap all the other rewards did.
I'm entirely against BPOs, don't get me wrong. They're kinda cool on the militia level but when you start giving free Standard BPO's like the 'Raven' Assault which actually benefits from skill bonuses, it starts getting very uncool in a hurry. With changes to PC and others for FW on the way that will increase ISK income for players, there's soon going to be a lot more ways to make ISK than to lose it and if you're running BPO gear then the ISK sinks are completely nyxxed. I don't have to remind you all why that's bad for the in-game economy.
So what can we offer up that's actually beneficial, worth-while and rewarding?
Well, you know, we do have this nifty little SP system that gives us passive bonuses and access to better gear....
... not to mention at the time I am writing this edition of the Perfecting the Roles series, it just happens to be a double SP week event...
My proposal to make for more engaging, lasting rewards is no less than the one thing we all have in common. SP accrual. Multiplied SP events could be separated into two separate weeks, the first being some mundane (or potentially tedious) task like killing 100 players or landing 250 assists and the reward would be (you guessed it) a 7-Day Active Skill Booster for the following week's multiplied SP event.
I'm sure CCP's marketing team is screaming in terror at the very notion but I honestly think that this would benefit everyone in a variety of ways. Players that don't pay for boosters could benefit from it for that week and potentially have the same SP earnings as other players that do, giving new and moderately new players a much needed edge to stay competitive with veterans.
Paying customers also can benefit from this by shaving off a few thousand Aurum that they would inevitably turn-around and use on gear or other (passive) boosters. So it's not exactly hurting CCP's income - sure, the potential for harm toward revenue is there but I don't think that it's that big of an impact when player counts are on the rise as players want to get that booster for the following week or just to have on hand for later.
Now, don't get me wrong, this doesn't have to be the only reward for events like this. Hell, I actually encourage more vanity stuff as I like being able to walk around in a flashy suit - but it definitely should be racially geared for everyone as some of us can't benefit from it. I would absolutely love a White/Red Gallente Assault suit just to walk around the War Barge with before a match to get some stares.
Anyway, just figured I'd share this with the community. What do you think?
TL;DR - Ditch the small time rewards for events and give players an opportunity to obtain a 7-Day Active Skill Booster a week before Multiplied SP Week events. |