Tactical Alert: Too Much Grind, Too Little Reward.

[Cpl_Facehugger]

I really like the idea behind the tactical alerts. I also fairly liked the mission themselves - they encouraged me to think about my builds and try some melee only runs with frames that usually languish in the armory. In this respect, I think they're a success. Not a perfect success, but decent.

However, there's one overwhelming problem with them: The rewards suck for the effort you put in. Killing 100/200 of these hyenas that, if you're lucky, you'll get 10 of per run, while highly weakened? Okay. Fair enough. Challenge, challenge. Gotta get that challenge. If you're lucky you'll get it done in 20 runs. If not, well, you can expect it to take a lot more than that, because sometimes you'll get 2 or 3 hyena spawns per mission. This is a fair amount of grind. But hey, I don't necessarily mind. Most games, when you strip away the fluff, are grinding engines underneath. And in Warfarm, I'm a Gradivus top 100 vet, so I'm no stranger to grind.

But doing it for a three day credit booster? And then doing it again for a badge that looks cool except for the ugly number on it and takes up the slot my shiny animated quantum badge uses? Bleh, I had to force myself to complete it just because I wanted to see how the badge looked, but I don't think I'll be doing this again. The rewards are just too weak for me to want to do this in the future.

Now, one idea I had while playing it is to give out a random rare mod at the end of each tac alert mission, ala nightmare mode. This way, the player will always feel like they're getting something of value for their time.

Alternatively, you could keep the rewards as they are, but give the players at the end the ability to *choose* a rare mod to go along with their credit booster. I know I'd definitely grind a demi-event like this if I knew I had a 100% chance to get a crimson dervish or gleaming talon, both of which elude me to this day.

The main issue here is that while the Tactical Alerts are decently challenging, they don't provide sufficient reward consummate with their challenge, thus encouraging players to not bother with them except out of completionist reasons. If anything, they see the grind you're asking for and the reward you're offering and go "nope."

Edited August 23, 2014 by Cpl_Facehugger

[xethier]

In the future, I would hope to see stance mods, kubrow mods, possibly unique kubrow templates and other hard-to-attain items given as rewards.

I agree, however, that the effort-to-reward ratio for this event was not that great... nowhere near as bad as gradivus, but still not great.

[DeejayPwny]

Remember. This is content, not an event. These missions are going to be a thing forever (cycled around like normal alerts.) if I read it correctly, then you can only get the reward once per cycle. In other words, you can get these rewards whenever the alert pops up.

[PeanutMonster]

You can save up to two days (or was it a three-day booster?) of credit grinding with that booster. Getting that booster takes less than an hour. It's definitely worth it.

Edited August 23, 2014 by PeanutMonster

[xethier]

Remember. This is content, not an event. These missions are going to be a thing forever (cycled around like normal alerts.) if I read it correctly, then you can only get the reward once per cycle. In other words, you can get these rewards whenever the alert pops up.

 

i'd argue that this currently 3 day alert is an event, heralding the implementation of these new mission types.

[Archistopheles]

i'd argue that this currently 3 day alert is an event, heralding the implementation of these new mission types.

This was my interpretation as well.

[noveltyhero]

In the future, I would hope to see stance mods, kubrow mods, possibly unique kubrow templates and other hard-to-attain items given as rewards.

I agree, however, that the effort-to-reward ratio for this event was not that great... nowhere near as bad as gradivus, but still not great.

Hopefully nothing will be as bad as Gradivus ever again, many brain cells were lost :'(

[Cpl_Facehugger]

Remember. This is content, not an event. These missions are going to be a thing forever (cycled around like normal alerts.) if I read it correctly, then you can only get the reward once per cycle. In other words, you can get these rewards whenever the alert pops up.

Yeah, but that doesn't change anything though. It's a lot of grind for a pitiful reward. It'll end up being like credit alerts now - nobody does them because the reward is garbage.

[taiiat]

Remember. This is content, not an event.

and content needs to feel worth playing. 

 

 

You can save credit grinding with that booster

the people that would need to 'Grind' Credits are also players that wouldn't even be able to reach a Conclave of 700.

[Mak_Gohae]

This is a test run for this type of missions.

Not everything needs to give you some super cool thing on top of the fact that, you know, you dont have to do it. 

[Archistopheles]

the people that would need to 'Grind' Credits are also players that wouldn't even be able to reach a Conclave of 700.

What about fat cats like me who are trying to store enough credits to outright buy a solar rail for a week or two with their name plastered all over it?

[xkillo32]

i just wanna see the last set of status mods

 

 

the people that would need to 'Grind' Credits are also players that wouldn't even be able to reach a Conclave of 700.

 

not true

i am still in need in credits at mastery rank 10

Edited August 23, 2014 by xkillo32

[taiiat]

What about fat cats like me who are trying to store enough credits to outright buy a solar rail for a week or two with their name plastered all over it?

well, i'm sure you're more than capable of playing the game. since that's the only requirement to get Credits.

i'm also sure you can handle yourself just fine, otherwise i've been misjudging you.

 

i am still in need in credits at mastery rank 10

i've been drowning in Credits for... about a year. there's so many ways to get large amounts of Credits, so many Missions to play, and your Credit requirements for upgrading Mods and building things severely tapers off after, yno, you've already done that.

 

my Foundry is normally running at all times building random things just incase i need them, and until recently i'd upgrade extra copies of Mods with trash cards (so Credit expensive) quite often.

and still drowning in Credits. without playing Credit Alerts, Dark Sectors, or Void Missions very often.

 

there's no reason why anyone should be starving for Credits, once you get established in the game, and you're at ~midgame, your income and expenditure are about even at worst. 

 

 

the only possible way i can see people starving for Credits is if they're spending them on as many things as possible, but not wishing to play the game.

my Credits are largely collected from playing on the Solar Map - the least effective method of acquiring them, AFAIK. and i still have Millions that i can't use up even if i try.

 

i have a strong sense of business, i know how to balance my checkbook. my Resources in every game are always piling up. i use them when i have reason to, and don't when i don't. so things pile up.

it's an automatic process, far as i'm concerned.

Edited August 23, 2014 by taiiat

[DeejayPwny]

As a simple point, this has been the ONLY tactical event. You have seen ONE reward on the tables. Judging the entire system off of one "bad" reward is like judging an entire trading card game off of one stupid card, it doesn't work.

[fatpig84]

Honestly we won't know.

 

Right now the 1st 2 were boosters which are plat items.

What if the next one is a potato ?

 

I am dead sure no one will complain about the grind ever :/

But I certainly don't mind another tertiary reward.