15 replies to this topic

[20886432]

It takes a long time to save up enough to get a reward that in my opinion, it is disappointing when you end up just getting an item. Just my two cents.

[CaptC]

On the other hand, there appears to be no upper limit to the amount of SRS you can keep, so this is free storage for the item selling temple.

[20886432]

Interesting, I never thought of that.

[Nera]

On the other hand, there appears to be no upper limit to the amount of SRS you can keep, so this is free storage for the item selling temple.

 

Good point, but we can keep there only a few items, because you need 69 SRS for each and they are not easy to get with missions.

 

I fear it will become a way for top studios to get more and more EPIC objects for diamonds (10 boxes for 690 diamonds) during item selling temple: they are 7 easy points each, so without spending diamonds we will be out of this kind of temple too. 

[CaptC]

Selling temple is already the province of the rich. Currently, whoever has the most storage tabs, wins.

 

So while I agree with your point, Nera, I don't see that the ability to exchange diamonds for epics/decorations is much different from buying out the Sex Shop, or making sure you have 21 storage tabs.

 

In fact, I don't mind it at all as a soak the rich scheme. If money decides that temple anyway, giving players more reason to financially support the game during that temple is fine by me.

[Nera]

With my studio we was able to stay in the top 10 of the temple, even if some players form top studio have tabs full of objects.

They spent some time to fill them, and however during the temple they have to make missions like others.

 

10 box option not only gives them a lot of items during temple, but it gives them epic items, which are 7 points each (during temple missions rarely gives you epics).

I will see in the next temple if you are right (I hope so), but I think the situation will be very different from the past.

[Kitekat]

On the other hand, there appears to be no upper limit to the amount of SRS you can keep, so this is free storage for the item selling temple.

why tell all  your secrets ???

[Nera]

why tell all  your secrets ???

 

Because he is a very kind person 

[CaptC]

why tell all  your secrets ???

 

Nera, that is Kitekat joking with me. Before I became a moderator, I tended to play things very close to the chest. You had to pry information out of me.

 

I enjoyed some of the bribes very much.

 

But I can't do that any more. During the moderator interview process, Playata even made a point to me, that I can't flirt in the forums anymore.  (Or at least not as much. LOL)

[Lizbeth]

 I am going to give my unvarnished, no bull**** assessment of the latest update and features, specifically the feature that allows players to decorate their rooms. It is my hope that at some point, the developers will be shown this message, unedited.

For starters, it's a pretty cool new addition. I like it! Players can customize their room and decor in much the same way they can their clothing, and I welcome this fine addition. I do want to be positive, because the developers have made a sincere, concerted effort to continue to develop new features and the game. I appreciate and commend the gave developers for this fact!!!

However, you've also made some bad design decisions.

#1 - There are over 200 new decorations. The equivalent of patterns. However, instead of just making the patterns appear as additions to missions, we instead have to collect 69 room scents to unlock a decoration box and get a random pattern. The best case scenario, therefore, is that the players will need to acquire roughly 14,000 room scents to unlock all of the patterns. That - in and of itself - would be a big enough grind, but you've also decided to throw in a RNG (random number generator) into the equation. Which gets us to problems #2 and #3.

#2 - There is no guarantee when you open a decoration box that you won't get a decoration you have previously discovered. Now initially, as most of us have almost no patterns, there is a very low statistic probability of this occurring, but as players slowly acquire more patterns, the chance of his happening will become greater and greater. If a person had (for example) half the existing patterns, that means that for every box they open, and assuming they even get a decoration item at all, they will have a 50% of getting a room decoration they already have. This also leads into problem #3.

#3 - Decoration boxes have a chance to give you a clothing pattern, and it's a very high probability. Of the 6-7 decoration boxes I have opened so far, three of them have been clothing patterns! If I walked up to a snack vending machine and put in $1.50 and selected Fritos, I could understand if the machine gave me a package of potato chips or pretzels due to a mechanical or stocking error, but I would be highly surprised and agitated if a snack vending machine gave me a pair of socks instead.

You have already started from a place of great difficulty by requiring players (under a best case scenario) to acquire almost 14,000 room scents. You have then made this number statistically much higher since one can and likely will acquire decorations they have previously acquired. Lastly, on top of all of that, you have decided to further dilute the loot table with clothing patterns - in a decoration box I would add - and with a high drop rate.

Imagine the player who spends 690 diamonds, several times, to purchase boxes of decorations, and is getting clothing patterns 30-40% of the time. They're going to be very upset.

Now look, I am an MMORPG veteran, so I understand the considerations that you have as content creators. You cannot make it too easy, because the most hardcore, voracious players will devour it quickly, "finish it" and then go "Ok, what's next?". You have to put in place some design decisions that artificially impede the rate at which the player base can get through and absorb this new content. It takes time and money to develop, so it needs to last. I respect your dilemma. I really do.

However, as currently implemented, I could go play vanilla world of warcraft, and likely have a better chance of getting the legendary Thunderfury, Blessed Blade of the Windseeker, than I do of ever getting all these new decorations in this game. LOL.

That said, you have what amounts to a precious gem, when it's first taken out of the earth. You simply need to cut and polish it now. So these would be my suggestions.

#1 - Remove clothing items or patterns from the loot table of decoration boxes entirely. They have no business there at all. If a player spends 690 diamonds to purchase ten decoration boxes, they have a reasonable right to expect that they will get ten DECORATIONS! Even if some of them are decorations they have already discovered, when spending money, time, or effort to unlock a decoration box, the loot table for those boxes should contain just decorations.

#2 - Perhaps give players the option to spend 69 room scents for a random decoration, or a higher number of room scents for a guarantee of a decoration they do not already have. It's still RNG, but you're giving us - the players - some choice in the matter as well. If we want to roll the dice for the random option, and we get a decoration we already had, then that was our choice. Or some option, at a higher cost, that at least reduces the likelihood of getting a decoration we already have, since you have already started off from a place of some difficulty by requiring 69 scents to unlock one box.

I can see the developers being unsure of #2, but #1 needs to happen.

 

Thank you for your time.

[Lizbeth]

On the other hand, there appears to be no upper limit to the amount of SRS you can keep, so this is free storage for the item selling temple.

 

I am choosing to respond to this message separately from my above post, because it is my hope that the above post will be read and processed separately from a response I make to you, individually. Ok... We cool?

The strategy minded side of me looks at what you just said and thinks "Yup. Excellent idea". That side of me respects and appreciates that angle to it, just so we're clear.

However...

Do you honestly think when the developers were creating this new content, they had it in the back of their minds that players could use this mechanic to maybe eek out a few more points in a selling temple? If they wanted to soak the rich more on a selling temple, they could have just rolled out 5 additional storage tabs.

Rather, it's a fun new feature that let's players decorate the background to their stars little crib of sorts.

 

Haven't we - and I am sure as crap including myself in that WE - strategized or theory-crafted enough of the fun, silly, quirky entertainment out of this game in the name of competition? Don't get me wrong, as currently implemented, you are 100% correct in your strategy observation, but can't we just let the child be innocent and pure for more than a few days? LOL

Let's just leave it as a fun, quirky, silly new feature, and not strategize the bejebus out of it my dude

 

Liz

Edited by Lizbeth, 02 November 2018 - 08:00 PM.

[CaptC]

LOL, not trying to steal the fun.  Just an observation I made very early. Sorry, gamers game, and they look for angles... and I know you know that very well, Lizbeth xD

[Kitekat]

lizbeth big post please do not set on #1

#2 i can go with this thats an idea

maybe combine #1 in #2 means much more  scents to get no items and new deco

[20886432]

I really want more decorations Items are easy enough to get.

[Lizbeth]

First off, thank you to Captc for understanding my intent, and laughing with me. It's my opinion that I really over thought this game in the past. LOL

 

As for this feature, I opened another box, got another clothing pattern. I'm getting clothing items from decoration boxes roughly 50% of the time then. So at this point:

 

If scents happened to be attached to a mission I would have otherwise done

 

OR

 

If no other, more desirable mission choice exists, and I pick a mission with scents attached

 

Then fine. I'll get some scents. And I'll sorta pick up a few drips and drabs of items, maybe get a few extra skill points from the achievements, and that's about it.

 

Basically, really neat feature. I appreciate the time and creativity that went into it. I look forward to it at some point in the future, when they hopefully decide to let us actually partake and enjoy it

[Nera]

Wew, it takes me a long time to read all the Lizbeth post 

I agree with you Lizbeth, because I'd like to get only decos and don't find doubles (it is very frustrating after all the time spent to get the 69 scents).

 

However, I think top players are interested in increase their score only, so they are more interested in clothing. If developers didn't put clothing in deco boxes, top players will ask for that soon.

 

You are saying people will be upset to buy 690 diamonds boxes and find a lot of clothes, but it seems top players don't care about that: after less than one day some people had the whole room completed 100% 

If they have to spend more diamonds to complete the room, it is better for playata: onestly, I don't think they will change this!

Edited by Nera, 04 November 2018 - 01:21 PM.