Nef Vs. Alad: Here's The Real Problem With Reward Balance.

[Trylobyte]

Yeah, yeah, we've all heard the complaints, the reasonings, the justifications behind why the rewards between Nef and Alad are skewed.  But I see a big problem with it that I think DE doesn't really realize, and I'm going to outline it here in parts.

 

1)  Most players don't really care who wins.  There are people who are gung-ho in favor of one side or the other for either lore or loot reasons, but they are not the majority.  Most players are indifferent about the conflict since as long as they stick with a side for four runs, they get the weapon anyway.

 

2)  Of the players who do care, one side started with significantly more supporters.  That's the people who support Alad.  Whenever the rewards are close, Alad crushes it.  This means that, all things being equal, Nef is always going to be behind.

 

3)  There's a growing perception that DE is rigging the draw by giving Nef better rewards.  Whether it's an automated system that DE designed or DE setting the rewards themselves, Nef has had equal or better rewards than Alad every single round so far.  It's easy to see who this perception would be in place - DE sets the rewards and the rewards massively favor Nef.

 

What happens, then, when we combine all three of these elements into a big pot and stir?  Allow me to relate my personal experience.

 

I support Alad for lore reasons.  I actually want the Dera Vandal more than the Karak Wraith, but I like Alad's character and want to help him out a bit.  I also think that stealing the data then using it is an objectively smarter decision than just blowing it up.  But I was an idiot for siding with Alad.  If I'd sided with Nef, I'd be more than three times wealthier, and not only that but I'd also be winning.  With the score tied and Nef set to take the lead because of yet another imbalanced reward set (50K credits during a double-credit weekend?  Really?  I can farm that in 20 minutes solo) I'm starting to think I was a complete dumbass for supporting Alad.  Compared to a Nef supporter, or even a mercenary, I now have uncommon cores to their rare cores (and fewer of them) and credits to their potatoes (if I hadn't turned on Alad for those).  Further, I'm quickly losing any motivation to stay the path and fight for the victory I want since I'm under the impression that DE can and will skew the results by exploiting the huge number of players who just don't care.  I know they're just trying to stir up drama, but their intervention is so heavy-handed and blatant that it's killing it for me.  I suspect that they'll get whatever solution they've already planned for, that the invested players are powerless to stop it (no matter who they side with) in the face of the mercenary hordes, and that I really shouldn't even care at this point.  Why fight against what's inevitable when you can cash out and make a killing instead?

 

Far from building my investment in this conflict, the current reward balance issues are killing my investment and my motivation to continue participating.  I think a lot of early Alad supporters feel the same way.  DE, you have a chance to pull this back from the brink.  Don't screw it up.

Edited May 15, 2015 by Trylobyte

[Knightmare047]

The score is 8-8 now I believe. And the current round going in Nef's favor. We'll wait and see if Alad's gonna step up his game when Nef leads by one.

[Nermesis]

100% agree with you Trylobyte

[arsyadpower]

during the time nef givin 25 rare RC i see around 97% for him and the rest to alad.

 

mean 97% dont care and 3% care...

[Ordel]

Eh. They're just trying to draw out the event. People sided with Alad. DE's response is to skew the rewards towards Nef. And they kept going with the same pattern, as we see now. 20 U5 fusion cores vs 50k creds.

[fatpig84]

The score is 8-8 now I believe. And the current round going in Nef's favor. We'll wait and see if Alad's gonna step up his game when Nef leads by one.

 

Wrong it won't.

 

This is exactly the same as Gravidus.

Corpus side in the end, had more taters than the Grineer side.

 

And they were the losers.

However, they were only given a BP for the Brakk.

 

So it kinda evens out.

You get better rewards, but you have to pay for the slot and at least use a tater for the Brakk.

But for this event. Nope.

Edited May 15, 2015 by fatpig84

[EversorMetus]

Sigh... Logic is, if you are losing a war, you would try to out pay the other dude to gain support. It's very normal logic common sense free market *insert more words here* whatever etc etc. Why is this so difficult to understand?

[tutzdes]

Same for me. I can't support Nef because it would ruin my gaming experience and immersion. Seeing Nef supporters and "mercenaries" getting better rewards all the way makes me feel cheated.

 

I'm ALREADY quite disappointed and even if the system is automated it is wrong. IDK how making a lot of players feel bad from playing is good for the game.

[Ionus]

I'm personally interested in how people react when Nef gains the lead and Alad starts dropping better battle pay.

I smell hypocrisy.

[DopingMD]

lol yea,50k got no chance vs 20 cores

[Kostadin]

you have a point about the rewards how come Neffy gives 25 Rare cores while alad 50k

[HornedRat]

Considering Anyo will take the lead, I heavily expect Alad to be giving out better rewards while Anyo going back to 50k credits standard. Pretty sure that the rewards will almost always be better on the loosing side, that's just how the reward system is supposed to work imo.

[tutzdes]

during the time nef givin 25 rare RC i see around 97% for him and the rest to alad.

 

mean 97% dont care and 3% care...

It always finishes at 100% vs 0%, so the percentage doesn't show the supporters distribution. Winning side gets a little more "votes", not 100% community support.

[DJ_Vauban]

I will only be really &!$$ed if Nef wins BECAUSE of his rewards

 

And by winning I mean winning this whole event and not just one battle

Edited May 15, 2015 by DJ_Vauban

[Odik]

MYBAD

need glasses :3

Edited May 15, 2015 by Odik

[fatpig84]

Salad leading now (abit) and i expect potatoes vs 1 credit next XDDDDDDD

 

Nope it is 54% to Nef now.

[Djangofett]

Sigh... Logic is, if you are losing a war, you would try to out pay the other dude to gain support. It's very normal logic common sense free market *insert more words here* whatever etc etc. Why is this so difficult to understand?

Except for the fact Alad isnt doing so.

[Odik]

Nope it is 54% to Nef now.

 

MYBAD

need glasses :3

Im curious how DE would jestify this if Nef will be a winner ?

Edited May 15, 2015 by Odik

[Archistopheles]

Considering Anyo will take the lead, I heavily expect Alad to be giving out better rewards while Anyo going back to 50k credits standard. Pretty sure that the rewards will almost always be better on the loosing side, that's just how the reward system is supposed to work imo.

Ba-da-bingo ^

[GreyEnneract]

It's fine to make the loser offer higher rewards to try and keep it balanced, but putting a potato up against credits is ludicrous.

[Nagasadri]

This guy sums it up pretty well.

I want the Karak (because, lets be honest, light guns that don't even cause explosions are kinda underwhelming and Torgue would be disapointed as hell if Nef was to win) and i also want to find a cure for the infestation, but i'm also completely broke on fusion cores since there's now way to farm them effectively compared to the amount of platinium and rare mods added recently.

And here i am, looking at all the Neffies swimming in rare cores while i just fuse my duplicate mods and millions of credits to get a fraction of a level on uncommon mods...


I think i may burn out of Warframe again for a while since you can't see your progress unless you sell your soul and your real life for it.

Edited May 15, 2015 by Nagasadri

[tutzdes]

Sigh... Logic is, if you are losing a war, you would try to out pay the other dude to gain support. It's very normal logic common sense free market *insert more words here* whatever etc etc. Why is this so difficult to understand?

Real sides of this war are both Tenno and by the end "losing side" will get more potatoes, r5s and the same gun. Logic.

[WingedCrusade]

AAAARGH!!! I will not be swayed! I am *getting* that cure. Nef's just a 'religious' scammer with some ulterior motive behind this involving credits and profit, whereas even if Alad has his own (which I'm sure there is), we now have a cure available to infestation, and since we've come in and put him down multiple (continuity wise twice) times already, we can do it again.

Edited May 15, 2015 by WingedCrusade

[Kuestenjung]

 Nef has had equal or better rewards than Alad every single round so far.  

 

That´s not true, Alad offered at least 2 times better rewards. 20 U5 cores are better then 50k credits, imo.

[Lost_Cartographer]

"You have loyalty issues, Tenno..."

 

I supported Nef once, and that was for the potato, because a new weapon is coming up.  From here on, it's Alad V, though since the majority determine the victor, it's almost a situation where we might as well just favor the more rewarding side until maybe the last day of the event.

 

Though just as people don't care about either character, they probably also imagine they won't be using either the Karak Wraith or Dera Vandal for long before going back to their Soma's and Boltor's, unless either is somehow god tier.  They just have a preference if they had to pick, but that preference pales in comparison to getting 25 rare cores or another potato RIGHT FRIGGIN' NOW.