This will probably be my last feedback post for a while, I’m not leaving the game or anything like that. I just feel that any issues or suggestions that I may have has already been addressed by other members of this awesome community, or by the great team at MercurySteam themselves. I felt like I really need to make this, because I’m convicted that this is the most important issue that will make or break the longevity of this game. So please, take what I have to say into consideration.
Since the Patch 06, I have seen a positive change in the economy. I personally have had very little issue grinding Gold, Faction points, Character points, or antagonist rank. I have been heavily using the “invitations” with friends and new players I meet in the “Eternal Soldier” campaign, and have gained over 100k in a less than a week (plus I played a lot). Over all Patch 06 and Wardogs fury was an amazing leap in the right direction, and that the economy is in a good place right now.
However, the recurring issues that my friends and the new players I meet have is the way the antagonist rewards work; more specifically, players that DON’T like to play the antagonist that feel like they’re forced into playing a game mode that they do not want to play to build a blueprint that they worked hard to gain, or to buy lore (but I personally agree that the URAS-BEHERIT lore should be a requirement to unlock with antagonist rank because it fits thematically). Then there are the players that DO like to play the antagonist (like me) that feel unrewarded for playing the antagonist each week with no real reward, other than being high enough rank to build a blueprint that they already have. This I view is a major problem in keeping players involved and coming back to play week-to-week.
I do have a couple of ideas that could help with these two problems. The first is similar I a proposal that I posted about a month ago (that I could tell your team read it
). For the blueprints, have the build cost change from “Antagonist rank=(X) + Gold=(x)” to “Faction points=(x) + Character points=(x) + Gold=(x), or, Antagonist rank=(X) + Gold=(x)”; for example, for HANS’S USU-21 have the build cost Faction points=(3,000) + Character points=(3,000) + Gold=(3,000), or if you have an antagonist rank of LV1 have it only cost Gold=(3,000) to build. This change will allow players to choose the way that they want to build the blueprints. For someone like me, I would rather play as an antagonist to only pay the Gold price, and for some others I meet would not feel forced to play the antagonist to build the blueprint that they want. This could also help diversify the economy.
The second proposal is asking a lot, but please consider it. As mentioned earlier, there is very little incentive for playing the antagonist. The main reason I see players play the antagonist is to be able to build certain blueprints, and after they build the weapon most player won’t play the antagonist again until they want to build another weapon. The other problem is that players feel that their antagonist is worthless, since players can build most weapons with a relative low rank; also, since the rank only last a week it really losses it’s competitive factor, so, what is the point of striving for a high rank each week?
My proposal is awarding Mercury Points to players depending on there antagonist rank at the end of the week, this does not have to be a large amount either. An example how this could be done is that you get 10 points per rank. So, at the end of the week, at antagonist rank 1 you would earn 10 Mercury Points, and at antagonist rank 18 you would earn 180 Mercury Points. These Mercury Points values are subjective and can be lower or higher, but this would encourage players to play the antagonist more, plus be more completive and try for a higher rank each week. There could be several other positives for this new antagonist reward system; such as, an incentive to purchase more Mercury Points to get little bit more that they need to get that item that they want, a reason to play each week, bragging rights that mean something that would instill friendly competition (it’s an Atlanta thing).
This won’t even be that detrimental in lowering the value to Mercury Points, giving an example, even if you had a player that could constantly get to antagonist rank 18 for four weeks (using the 180 Mercury Points sample), that player would only obtain 720 Mercury Points. That is still one full month of that player playing the antagonist in a more competitive environment, fighting their way in ladder to get the highest rank they can.
These two proposals would give players an alternative way to get the weapons they want to build, help diversify the economy, give a reason to play the antagonist each week, letting player have the fun in grinding the way they want to, and ultimately not feeling forced to play in a way that is not fun for them, so they can enjoy to the fullest of all the wonderful things that this amazing game has to offer.
These are merely just my thoughts and suggestions, and sorry again for the really long post. I know that the latest update just came out last week, so I personally don’t expect any major changes to happen any time soon, in the modern-day gaming market it is very hard for an independent compete. But reason I put so much effort into this post is that I see all the love and care into making this game. This has been somebody’s dream project for years finally come to light, and it is worth fighting for. I believe that this game once it’s polished will become a game that will never die; also, know that most (if not all) of us here believe in all of you at MercurySteam and are here supporting all of you!
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