Trion - Please do not ignore this post

[Tsort]

Let's discuss shields, shall we?

(...) discussing trading for some reason? (...)

With the update to shields, to correct high rarity gear with low rarity stats, we only improved inventory items. We're not going to maintain a negative experience for most our players so that a select few may maintain a competitive advantage.

The point was, some shields are now better than some other, although they are the same EGO level and the same rarity. So now we have high rarity gear with medium stats or high stats. You didn't really address that.

[Overtkill21]

Let's discuss shields, shall we?

Any time you make a change to base stats on items, you are always balancing the time and resource investment of existing established players with those of new and learning players. (Someone who is a top-level gear vendor has a very different set of priorities than someone who is still making progress through the story and pursuits.)

EGO, high or low, had nothing to do with the prior shield balancing based on quality (I, II, II, IV, & V) and Subclass (D, DX, EX, ARK – which translates a value to the Regenerator, Berserker, etc. to which they are attached).

The gear vendor sees statistical anomalies as an opportunity to capitalize. "OP" weapons and gear become the target of desire and exploitation. They seek out people who do not know the value of what they have, they acquire it, and then sell the goods to another player at an increased price. This is the game of "buy low; sell high" and it is a wonderful and exciting game for those who play it.

So now it becomes a big bad trader versus the poor unknowing noob as a defense? How very straw man of you. Statistical anomalies, as you call them, were statistical levelers making the choice between shields into a real decision. Should you take the lower Regen % over the higher Regen % because the lower has a shorter delay? This was a statistical way of BALANCING shields not an anomaly. Pretty interesting that you didn’t see that.

Conversely, players making progress through the game have a very different experience. They are seeking higher rarities and higher numbers. The chase for them hinges on the opening of every lockbox an the defeat of every boss. The instant an orange item appears in their rewards box, they reach the climax of their experience. The moment when they open their inventory and compare that gear to their previous gear is the most pivotal moment in their daily or weekly gaming experience.

When that piece of gear, that legendary gear that they've slaved for, is inferior to the green or blue they already have, they have a negative experience. They have a negative experience that quite commonly directly causes them to leave the game. When the shields were wrong, this experience happened every single day to quite a few players. It's a terrible gaming experience, and we're not going to encourage it to continue.

You are comparing the shields at face value as are these ill-informed players, interesting again. One need compare the entirety of the shield – the capacity, the recharge rate, delay, resistance presence or absence, and subclass – and then start to look at is it orange or purple or blue. Players shouting how their orange shield was no better than their blue were likely looking at only a few of these things or even more likely – just one – the one that was most important to them. You know, because despite our best efforts to categorize players, they all seem to find something else valuable about an item. Curious huh?

With the update to shields, to correct high rarity gear with low rarity stats, we only improved inventory items. We're not going to maintain a negative experience for most our players so that a select few may maintain a competitive advantage.

You have NOT improved inventory items – you have actually made ALL “V” Quality shields inferior 100% to any other shield in their class. You have undone the statistical balancing your predecessors put into place and you have devalued the game as a whole once again.

Because grenades.

Because Typos.

[N3gativeCr33p]

Because grenades.

Because Typos.

Because bits.

What a damn shame, too... I have the right mind to toss my Defiance disc in the recycling bin and delete all memory of it from the HDD.

[oasis387]

Because bits.

What a damn shame, too... I have the right mind to toss my Defiance disc in the recycling bin and delete all memory of it from the HDD.

mines def not getting played and hasnt been played since the new dlc.. like ive stated before ill check these forums and hope for the best, until then tho... this game is a dust collector

[Holy Bahamut3]

Just as any request to add sources or the amount of Arkforge from current sources is a waste of time, any request to decrease the demand for Arkforge is also a waste of time because they share the common aspect of undermining the company's ability to monetize "whales".

For humor...
http://youtu.be/7veZVmGkQiU

[Zippy McPinhead]

EGO, high or low, had nothing to do with the prior shield balancing based on quality (I, II, II, IV, & V) and Subclass (D, DX, EX, ARK – which translates a value to the Regenerator, Berserker, etc. to which they are attached).



So now it becomes a big bad trader versus the poor unknowing noob as a defense? How very straw man of you. Statistical anomalies, as you call them, were statistical levelers making the choice between shields into a real decision. Should you take the lower Regen % over the higher Regen % because the lower has a shorter delay? This was a statistical way of BALANCING shields not an anomaly. Pretty interesting that you didn’t see that.



You are comparing the shields at face value as are these ill-informed players, interesting again. One need compare the entirety of the shield – the capacity, the recharge rate, delay, resistance presence or absence, and subclass – and then start to look at is it orange or purple or blue. Players shouting how their orange shield was no better than their blue were likely looking at only a few of these things or even more likely – just one – the one that was most important to them. You know, because despite our best efforts to categorize players, they all seem to find something else valuable about an item. Curious huh?



You have NOT improved inventory items – you have actually made ALL “V” Quality shields inferior 100% to any other shield in their class. You have undone the statistical balancing your predecessors put into place and you have devalued the game as a whole once again.

Because grenades.

Because Typos.

Could not have said it nearly as well.

[Raiithe]

Because bits.

What a damn shame, too... I have the right mind to toss my Defiance disc in the recycling bin and delete all memory of it from the HDD.

I got mine via steam, it will be on my account forever, just like that horrible Aliens Vs Predator that came out a few years back. Returned it to the store even but its still there glitching at me from the shadows of my steam games list.

[Market]

does that sound like the definition of pay to win?

Since I can go about the game to farm Arkforge and/or weapons closer to my current EGO, I'd have to say no.

"Pay to get it now instead of putting forth effort in the game", yes. Certainly. Micro-transactions in nearly every game I've ever played gave me something extra in the game, but did not give me an advantage over other players.

I've seen other games that required a player to spend money in order to get a serious advantage over non-paying players. Since all of the gear offered in the store is either cosmetic or game-shortening, I can't see how pay to win fits as a description.

Just my opinions here, no one is expected to agree with or share them.

[BJWyler]

This is a euphemism for it being a cash grab at big consumers of microtransactions and, as predicted:
Anyone want to take a wild guess as to whether increased availability and quantity of Arkforge will occur when these new benefits are added?

And how much you want to bet that an increased drop rate will not occur when they have bonus weekends that up the XP/Rep/Loot accumulation?

In essence, those who paid for the DLC don't deserve to get any further ahead than somebody who didn't pay for the DLC with a "currency" (XP, Loot, Skills, and Rep are not currencies, however and are relatively insignificant when discussing the overall power of a player) that is necessary to remain relevant in the game, and will only continue to be more relevant in the future.

Since I can go about the game to farm Arkforge and/or weapons closer to my current EGO, I'd have to say no.

"Pay to get it now instead of putting forth effort in the game", yes. Certainly. Micro-transactions in nearly every game I've ever played gave me something extra in the game, but did not give me an advantage over other players.

I've seen other games that required a player to spend money in order to get a serious advantage over non-paying players. Since all of the gear offered in the store is either cosmetic or game-shortening, I can't see how pay to win fits as a description.

Just my opinions here, no one is expected to agree with or share them.

Arkforge is used to directly increase the power of one's weapons. Again, I have a very tight definition of Pay to Win, and while this doesn't necessarily cross the line, the fact that DLC owners aren't granted a token amount (even if it would just be 10-15 in the Weekly) is pretty insulting.

[Tsort]

I do agree with you, Market. Real pay to win would be, for example, putting OJ mods in the bit store (or "DLC" vendor locked content) and only there.