Why ALERTS are barely worth doing and need a major overhaul.

[Xekrin]

This isn't just about the recent obvious nerf to Kavat codes being only x5, though we will get to that.  It is about all alerts.

Let's try and break it down.  Credits alerts are terrible.  Let's start with those.  They are just awful amounts.  We get more credits doing a normal mission to rank up gear or clear a node than we get on even the highest planet alerts.

Mission types aren't taken into consideration at all.  A capture mission alert, arguably the easiest and fast alert awards the exact same amount as survivals or excavations.  It isn't even about the difficulty, it is about time spent. 300 polymer?  If I see that on an exterm mission or capture, I might do it if I'm really bored.  If I see that on a defense?  Hell no.

Rarity of resource isn't taken into consideration either. 1 neurode for 10 minutes of survival on Eris?  I get 2 or 3 just running earth captures while kubrow egg farming.  It is almost as bad as getting a single rare resource as a daily login reward, except at least those require no effort, just logging in.  Can't argue with free (I've tried) but for the same reward we must spend more time and effort in timed missions for a single solitary neural sensor.  Yipee.

I also see alerts for cosmetics than I do for anything else other than credits.  Which is quite odd to me since we literally only need one brokk hammer skin or whatever it is.  Gettinig duplicates DOES NOTHING FOR US, we have no reason to get repeats of "Limbo Magrite Helmet" (that alert just popped up), yet helmets are beyond common, far more common than actual resources.

Now we have the wonderful addition of kavat genetic codes.  Awesome, new content recently added, hard to farm (opinionated yes) so its a nice change to see this.  What's this?  We get 10! Awesome!  Just like the Kubrow egg alerts (which amazingly stack despite the carry restrictions when farming them) we now have a guaranteed amount required to incubate a kavat from an alert.  It may be rare but when it happens, hurray.

<pointless rant>

Look, Kavat alert x10! Let's do this!  What?! Only 1??? Let's report this on the forums asap!  Okay reported, response from DE says it'll be addressed after the weekend.  That's cool.  Alright, new update, kavat alerts addressed as promised, quantity changed to "Intended amount", oh wait it says 5, why does it say 5, didn't the original update promise 10?  How confusing!!!

</pointless rant>

---

Alerts are a letdown "to me" and various others on DC chat, a few in my clan and alliance and various random people whom I've seen discontent on various forum posts and in region chat occasionally once in a while, so not everyone though... save perhaps new players, and assuredly they will start to feel the disappointment very quickly.  Eventually those 10k credit alerts on level 30+ planets won't be very meaningful to them when they start amassing credits in 6 digit figures.

I and several others have already and constantly posted suggestions on possible buffs to alerts.  From straight up increasing quantities to applying multipliers to mission types and planet difficulty so that different combinations would result in varying rewards granted.

I hope beyond almost all reason that our requests, suggestions, disappointments and outright outrage hasn't gone unnoticed.  When will we see some substantial changes to how Alerts work?  Something needs to change. 

Also, where in the bleeping bleep are the treasury ship alerts? 50k credits was literally the only credit alert I actually scrambled to do, it was rare and nice and now its gone???

 

Edited December 6, 2016 by Xekrin
Better?

[Troll_Logic]

You're look at this from a perspective of a veteran player.  Many new players are doing the smaller alerts.

[Xekrin]

1 minute ago, Troll_Logic said:

You're look at this from a perspective of a veteran player.  Many new players are doing the smaller alerts.

3 minutes ago, Xekrin said:

Alerts are a letdown to mostly everyone save perhaps new players

Fully aware.

[Troll_Logic]

18 minutes ago, Xekrin said:

Fully aware.

For you the alerts may be barely worth doing, but for new players they are worth doing.  Not sure why you are complaining about alerts.  You realize that if they make the alerts a whole lot better, then there isn't any graduation from the alerts.  If the alerts generally aren't worth doing then you're probably past them in the game.

[MystMan]

There is kinda a valid reason for some to acquire multiple helmets of the same type: arcanes.

You can put different arcanes on the same helmet type so you get to keep your favorite look.
Originally you couldn't craft the same helmet twice, after arcanes now we can.

[Darksinger]

Heh I forgot that those Arcanes even existed... then again compared to the original Arcanes, then they are pretty cheap.

[Xekrin]

1 hour ago, Troll_Logic said:

For you the alerts may be barely worth doing, but for new players they are worth doing.

How did my quoted response to your original 'new player' reply not resolve this.  My wording is quite specific, I mentioned mostly everyone and new players pretty plainly.

I complain because I wish to.  Also, its feedback, my feedback and of course it will reflect my opinions being my feedback.  How do you not get that?  If a new player wishes to express their glee and joy over the alert system, they are by all means welcome to do so.

Take care Troll.

[Flirk2]

2 hours ago, Troll_Logic said:

For you the alerts may be barely worth doing, but for new players they are worth doing.  Not sure why you are complaining about alerts.  You realize that if they make the alerts a whole lot better, then there isn't any graduation from the alerts.  If the alerts generally aren't worth doing then you're probably past them in the game.

1) A player new enough to need those credit alerts.... can't finish 3/4 of them. And won't go for about half of those that he can finish. Why? Because a 10k credit mobile defense on Sedna, for example, or 10 minutes survival for a neural sensor on Eris are not only beyond the gear that new player has, but also are locked behind 3 or 4 boss fights and junctions.

So no, for a new player a 300 polymer bundle defense alert on Sedna (or even Saturn, come to think of it) is not something that player needs, wants or can use.

It's like that Lith fissure that appeared on Mot (a t4 void, no less, and right after an interception node as well) when SotR was just put in.

2) There should be no graduation from alerts, or there should be alert notification filters. Because Lotus is always telling us about alerts that give nothing we need popping up to the point of getting totally ignored.

I don't understand why the starting quest gives you a mission to gather resources, were resource cashes are better than any level alert for those resources? Why is there no such mission in game? Even as an alert?

P. S. Oh, and did you know that during the first few quests dedicated resource containers spawn as if in the void? You can walk away with 2 or 3 argon crystals and 5-10 control modules from Vor's Prize now...

 

Edited December 6, 2016 by Flirk2

[UltimateGrr]

38 minutes ago, Flirk2 said:

P. S. Oh, and did you know that during the first few quests dedicated resource containers spawn as if in the void? You can walk away with 2 or 3 argon crystals and 5-10 control modules from Vor's Prize now...

Can confirm.  I was helping my sister and her friends run Vor's prize and saw the Argon drops.  Busted a gut laughing.

Space mom took exception though, and we got hit by Shadow Stalker on Earth, Zanuka Hunter (I've had this death mark for 2+ years.  First time I ever saw it) on Venus, and the G3 on Mercury.  We got Despair, Detron BP and 1 part, and some trash mods, so not all was bad.

[Coaa]

I kinda feel the same about invasions. Do 3 defense / survival missions for a single mutagen mass? Heck no - that's over 30 minutes of work for almost nothing. Maybe when it eventually pops 3 of them, but even then I typically only touch the quick ones like exterminate.

I'm not a new player by any means but even when I was new and desperate for the things I think I only ever did 1 set of the survival / def ones because more times then not something would come up before I finished all 3 and I just ended up wasting my time anyway.

[SuzyPop]

3 hours ago, Xekrin said:

Alerts are a letdown to mostly everyone

Thank you, Xekrin, for speaking for everyone. Criticism is one thing, but these are more like the rants of an entitled brat.

If Warframe was in VR, and if VR headsets had Smell-O-Vision, I would think I was in the ocean because your salt is so strong.

[Angrados]

5 minutes ago, SuzyPop said:

Thank you, Xekrin, for speaking for everyone. Criticism is one thing, but these are more like the rants of an entitled brat.

If Warframe was in VR, and if VR headsets had Smell-O-Vision, I would think I was in the ocean because your salt is so strong.

On its face this sounds like you're salty about his salt. Care to get into it a little more as to why you disagree?

[Xekrin]

17 minutes ago, SuzyPop said:

Thank you, Xekrin, for speaking for everyone

Said mostly, but fine, its just me.  Didn't realize you and every single other player except me was pleased with the alerts.  My bad . 

Except I know it isn't just me, so there's that.  I will edit the OP to reflect phrasing that pleases the masses.

Does this reiteration appease your precious ego?

Edited December 7, 2016 by Xekrin

[(PSN)dA_BLoK_iS_hOt]

If there were resources bundles together, I might think about doing them. I noticed when Endo first dropped on PS4, there were countless alerts for 80 endo. I thought, cool for there to be a lot of alert but..... It is only 80 endo. I noticed that the amount was raised from 80 endo to 150 endo, assuming because people were not running them. Still i think to myself.. It is only 150 endo (chump change.) If it is an alert for a capture then fine, quick an easy, but the same reward for an interception, survival, defense..... Nope, I pass. Same to be said for nitain alerts. I only run the capture ones. It's no point in wasting extra time on a single reward. 

Now if these items were bundles together, let's say:

Bundle Alert: 300 polymer, 1,500 circuits, 150 Endo. Level 20-25 Grineer. Survival. 46 minutes remaining. 

More people might just consider doing it. Not saying that I would but I would agree with OP. The alert rewards have been too mediocre for a long long time. 

[(PSN)dA_BLoK_iS_hOt]

1 hour ago, Coaa said:

I kinda feel the same about invasions. Do 3 defense / survival missions for a single mutagen mass? Heck no - that's over 30 minutes of work for almost nothing. Maybe when it eventually pops 3 of them, but even then I typically only touch the quick ones like exterminate.

I'm not a new player by any means but even when I was new and desperate for the things I think I only ever did 1 set of the survival / def ones because more times then not something would come up before I finished all 3 and I just ended up wasting my time anyway.

This and you do not get the mutagen mass reward as soon as you complete the 3 missions. 

[Xzorn]

From my experience Alerts haven't really been worth doing since March 2013.

I did a few alerts when I first started playing this game and after that I only did helmet / potato alerts.

It's still like that and I'm pretty sure they've paid attention to alerts multiple times since then. They obviously just don't want Alerts to be a functional part of the game long term and instead want them for new players only. Not sure why. It's entirely possible to have spanning level ranges and therefor rewards, they just refuse to do it and so I refuse to pay them much attention.

It's a shame because for all the talk of dynamic game play and diverse mission / tile sets. One of the many answers has been here this whole time.

[Troll_Logic]

4 hours ago, Xekrin said:

How did my quoted response to your original 'new player' reply not resolve this.  My wording is quite specific, I mentioned mostly everyone and new players pretty plainly.

I complain because I wish to.  Also, its feedback, my feedback and of course it will reflect my opinions being my feedback.  How do you not get that?  If a new player wishes to express their glee and joy over the alert system, they are by all means welcome to do so.

Take care Troll.

You seem to understand for your convenience in rushing to reply, but don't want to really understand.  The alerts are not for veteran players.  Other parts of the game are for veterans.  It's like a skier complaining that the bunny hill isn't challenging anymore. The alerts for veteran players are known as "events."

Oh, and I think it's precious that you keep going back and editing your original message to match closer to your replies to me.

[Xekrin]

1 hour ago, Troll_Logic said:

The alerts are not for veteran players.  Other parts of the game are for veterans.  It's like a skier complaining that the bunny hill isn't challenging anymore. The alerts for veteran players are known as "events."

Where does it say this?  If its writ somewhere then I'll accept it and move on, otherwise I disagree.

1 hour ago, Troll_Logic said:

Oh, and I think it's precious that you keep going back and editing your original message to match closer to your replies to me.

Which part?

[LuckyCharm]

Besides forma and catalysts and helmets, i can't say i've done any other alerts in years. Just haven't needed that extra 3k credits when I get 10x that per run of any high level mission (usually on the planet those alerts are actually on) However I do think there needs to be more alerts actually based for newer players in areas they can actually reach without a party. Since vet's like me won't run the alerts so they're unlikely to be paired with us

[Xekrin]

2 hours ago, (PS4)dA_BLoK_iS_hOt said:

Bundle Alert: 300 polymer, 1,500 circuits, 150 Endo. Level 20-25 Grineer. Survival. 46 minutes remaining. 

Never considered that, nice idea.  I honestly was just thinking 3 nitain here, 5 neurodes there type of thing, but this could at least shake things up a bit.

[Spacetronaut]

I understand the sense of uselessness from the credit alerts. 2k to 5k for Capture? Totally pointless. Might be a lot for a new player literally JUST starting the game, but chancea are that new player doesn't have the mission node unlocked yet.

 

However, I do appreciate the immense repeat cosmetics drops. Working two jobs myself, I can understand that I can't be playing 24/7. I'm still collecting helmets I haven't had already, and I've been playing since Day 1 of the Open Beta release. (Granted a LOT of new helmets have been added since then, but still.)

 

Here's an idea: Somehow make it so the minor rewards and cosmetic alerts occupy the lower-levelled planets. Make the high-tier rewards, such as the Treasury ship you mentioned, occupy higher-levelled planets.