Invasions And Alerts: Making Them Fun And Fair For Everyone

[DivisionByZero]

This suggestion is mainly regarding catalyst/reactor and forma alerts that appear at bad times of day or disappear way too quickly. At the same time, it attempts to fix most invasions and alerts having garbage "rewards" that are so underwhelming that they are not worth doing.

First: the problems:

Problem #1: Catalyst/Reactor/Forma Invasions usually expire way too quickly, with many players being unable to finish them in time (getting no reward) and random alerts appearing while players are asleep or at work.

Problem #2: Credit/resource alerts and invasions are largely not useful.

Problem #3: Some players end up disrupting their sleep schedules/screwing up their day schedules over these alerts/invasions. At the same time, the vast majority of alerts and invasions are ignored. This isn't healthy for the players or the game.

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The solution: A token system for catalyst/reactor/forma alerts and invasions.

I'm suggesting that every credit/resource alert and invasion reward players with a certain number of catalyst, reactor, or forma tokens. Players who did more alerts and invasions would get reward tokens more quickly, and get more catalysts/reactors/forma.

Catalyst/Reactor/Forma tokens would be non-tradeable and non-interconvertible. So you could not change catalyst tokens to reactor tokens, for example.

I have heard that the current random alerts are built to guarantee a certain number of catalysts/reactors/forma every certain number of weeks. I would suggest that a catalyst/reactor/forma token reward system be balanced so that token rewards across the alerts for a given time period would roughly equal the distribution from random alerts.

Forma tokens should be more common than catalyst/reactor tokens, and catalysts/reactors should take more tokens than formas (to maintain catalyst/reactor rarity and value).

Catalyst/reactor/forma tokens should be awarded only for credit/resource alerts and invasions. Alerts and invasions that reward Vauban frame parts, research materials (such as Fieldrons), Nightmare mods, and Auras would not grant catalyst/reactor/forma tokens.

Number of reward tokens should be dependent on mission level. For example, a level 30 mission would give more tokens than a level 5 mission.

If this was implemented, random catalyst/reactor/forma alerts and invasions should disappear - this suggestion is meant as a solution for the problems with the current implementation.

Catalyst, reactor, and forma alerts would still exist, but they would only occur on events and post-livestream (for example, Darvo alerts, event-related alerts/invasions, and Gifts of the Lotus).

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Invasion rewards: Making them fun and fair

Currently, if you can't finish an invasion and it disappears, you get nothing. I would suggest that every mission done as part of an invasion alert give some reward.

For Infested invasions (3 missions), the first 2 missions should give a quarter of the invasion reward for their node, with the last mission giving a half of the reward. For Corpus vs Grineer invasions (5 missions), the first 4 missions should give an eigth of the reward, with the last mission giving half of the reward.

For example, if there was a 30000 credit Corpus vs Grineer invasion, the first 4 missions should reward 3750 credits (plus normal mission rewards), while finishing the fifth mission should reward the remaining 15000. The total reward would be the same, the only change being that if you miss out on finishing the alert, you get something, while at the same time, completing the invasion properly is greatly rewarded.

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Everyone wins.

People who have strict schedules/limited time for Warframe win because they don't miss every good alert that isn't event specific or post-livestream

People who have the entire day to watch for events win because they would actually get more forma/reactors/catalysts.

The game would be more active because no invasion/alert would get left behind.

This would not significantly diminish DE's profits from people buying forma/catalyst/reactor in the in-game shop because free forma/catalyst/reactors would be given out at roughly the same pace. In fact, this might actually make people like Warframe more - everyone wins.

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Please help keep this discussion free of trolls.

I cannot see how anyone would "downvote" this suggestion. It's just superior in every way to what currently exists. Comments, upvotes, constructive criticism are always welcome, but I urge everyone reading this to promptly report any troll posts/unconstructive criticism that may pop up.

[immolator1001]

I cannot see how anyone would "downvote" this suggestion. It's just superior in every way to what currently exists. Comments, upvotes, constructive criticism are always welcome, but I urge everyone reading this to promptly report any troll posts/unconstructive criticism that may pop up.

I would down vote based solely on this if I could.

 

But in all honesty the point is that its random. And they don't want the token system because it would be waaaaaaaaaaaaay to easy to get potatoes. If there was a definite way to get potatoes besides after livestreams DE would lose most of their income.

[Casardis]

because it would be waaaaaaaaaaaaay to easy to get potatoes. If there was a definite way to get potatoes besides after livestreams DE would lose most of their income.

 

Even though they changed the alert system so that when a potato or some rare helmets (usually the new one) appears, the alert lasts at least twice the time (sometimes 2h), even though it takes only a single mission to complete it instead of 5, without the fear of missing the reward due to alert expiring since it's handed at the end of the mission, not the alert duration?

 

Potatoes are already rare as they are (at least not as bad as before), so making it unfair to people with invasions that lasts less than 40 minutes total, under the pretext that it would be "too easy to get" (even though it has nothing to do with difficulty, but rather a very empty grinding experience of exterminate missions that bugs half the time). There's also the fact that you won't get the reward if you complete your fifth mission after the invasion itself is over.

 

Furthermore, Potatoes are almost a must if you want to be effectively playing some higher level content or simply to make nice combination of mods. The rarity of potatoes is enough to justify that there needs to be an adequate balance of access, and DE won't lose much income based on that due to all the weapons available to be potato-ed.

 

By the way, this comes from someone who has potatoed over 20 weapons, all Frames except 3, and still have at least 5 catalyst and 10 reactors left. My argument is more for those who aren't as lucky as I was, who we, and DE, have to consider just as much.

Edited March 31, 2014 by Casardis

[Krjal]

The last catalyst invasion I saw lasted between 20 and 30 minutes. It was ridiculous.

 

I don't think a token system is necessarily the right way to go with invasions but I do agree that they need change.

[immolator1001]

Even though they changed the alert system so that when a potato or some rare helmets (usually the new one) appears, the alert lasts at least twice the time (sometimes 2h), even though it takes only a single mission to complete it instead of 5, without the fear of missing the reward due to alert expiring since it's handed at the end of the mission, not the alert duration?

 

Potatoes are already rare as they are (at least not as bad as before), so making it unfair to people with invasions that lasts less than 40 minutes total, under the pretext that it would be "too easy to get" (even though it has nothing to do with difficulty, but rather a very empty grinding experience of exterminate missions that bugs half the time). There's also the fact that you won't get the reward if you complete your fifth mission after the invasion itself is over.

 

Furthermore, Potatoes are almost a must if you want to be effectively playing some higher level content or simply to make nice combination of mods. The rarity of potatoes is enough to justify that there needs to be an adequate balance of access, and DE won't lose much income based on that due to all the weapons available to be potato-ed.

 

By the way, this comes from someone who has potatoed over 20 weapons, all Frames except 3, and still have at least 5 catalyst and 10 reactors left. My argument is more for those who aren't as lucky as I was, who we, and DE, have to consider just as much.

The completing something after it ends is a problem that should be fixed and bugs about getting reward should be fixed as well (and have nothing to do with your system which wouldn't fix this problem just lessen it)

 

And if you really think that people won't just run every alert that pops up, most which take like 5-10 minutes, to get guaranteed potatoes after a certain amount, won't decrease how rare potatoes are then you don't realise how many alerts there are. And ya potatoes are necessary, that's how DE makes money. 

 

Potatoes are only $1.33, not really that expensive, and while I understand some people can't buy them, thats not the point. They are supposed to be rare since they double the capacity of a weapon. 

 

To think this system wouldn't make potatoes easy to get and abundant unless the cost of potatoes was incredibly high, in which case you'd be better off catching the random alert. 

[DivisionByZero]

 

I would down vote based solely on this if I could.

 

But in all honesty the point is that its random. And they don't want the token system because it would be waaaaaaaaaaaaay to easy to get potatoes. If there was a definite way to get potatoes besides after livestreams DE would lose most of their income.

 

This would not make it "too easy" to get good rewards such as catalysts/reactors/forma. Missions should hand out reward tokens such that the average pace that catalysts/reactors/forma were handed out through a token system would be roughly equal to the pace they are currently handed out now. A token system encourages people to do alerts and invasions, and it also means that people in the "wrong" time zone aren't perpetually mission out on rewards.

Being able to log on in a given 40-minute timeslot isn't a matter of "hard" or "easy". It's a matter of RNG, which Warframe has way too much of. A token system gives everyone a fair chance. Do alerts/invasions -> get awesome rewards eventually no matter what. No more alerts/invasions getting ignored for having lousy rewards.

[Verryn]

I would down vote based solely on this if I could.

Why does such a thing not exist... because I would be using it on just about everyone. xD

 

No one is forcing you to quit what you are doing just to get this virtual item. It's the players choice.

The game tries to be fair enough as it is, without making it easy mode, giving everyone 3-4 potatos a week. That's why invasions, alerts, and their rewards are controlled by RNG, because no one can have an "advantage".

[immolator1001]

This would not make it "too easy" to get good rewards such as catalysts/reactors/forma. Missions should hand out reward tokens such that the average pace that catalysts/reactors/forma were handed out through a token system would be roughly equal to the pace they are currently handed out now. A token system encourages people to do alerts and invasions, and it also means that people in the "wrong" time zone aren't perpetually mission out on rewards.

Being able to log on in a given 40-minute timeslot isn't a matter of "hard" or "easy". It's a matter of RNG, which Warframe has way too much of. A token system gives everyone a fair chance. Do alerts/invasions -> get awesome rewards eventually no matter what. No more alerts/invasions getting ignored for having lousy rewards.

Its controlled by RNG we have as much of a chance as any other timezone... And yes it does make it easier, it means I am guaranteed a potato if I do enough missions, while without it I might get 4 potatoes or I might get none! 

 

You keep saying its not fair, and you're right RNG is fair to no one because it is a cold hearted evil machine, I have the same chance as everyone else! (Provided we play the same amount)

[Casardis]

snip

 

First of all, not sure why you said "your system" since I'm not the one who made the OP.

 

Secondly, I agree that OP's token system isn't the best one, so on that, I stand corrected by your reply. All I wanted to point out is that there IS a problem with the current Invasion system in both how it handles rare rewards, and how monotonous the grinding of them are.

 

A few tweaks to invasions, and changing missions types for them, as well as chances to have multi-staged unique missions where doing a single one would be enough instead of grinding 5 times the same mission would be preferable to me, but that's besides the point here of course.

 

Edited March 31, 2014 by Casardis

[Suupa-Kistu]

Another thing is that the number of invasions/infestations has been lesser lately in general, credits or otherwise, and this has been a little bit disappointing for those of us who play fairly frequently and have the chart done. Void hunting is always there (especially with the horrible drop tables) but invasions are the only way to get Zanuka and the G3 to appear. I still have yet to see Zanuka's hunter form even if I've been battling a whole lot of Corpus, and the G3 are the only reasonable way to get Natural Talent with how unfun the new gamemode is as it stands. Less invasions is simply less fun for everyone.