Bear Witness: Where we are going now.

Marvel Puzzle Quest MPQ General Discussion
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So I have been watching the direction of the game. At first I wanted to call out and bring the what I see happening to the eyes of the developers in hopes that they did want to retain and grow their veteran player base. I had hoped that their goals for monetization would match my own ideas of what would be acceptable, but that is not the direction they are going. Now I feel like I am bearing witness. I have refrained from a lot of the dialogue on the forums lately as I really feel like I am watching the metamorphosis of the game to match the designers end goals.

The thing that I really feared would happen seems to be coming to pass; the Veteran population is starting to leave because the game is really very different than it was when we started. The vision and direction we hoped for became totally focused on monetization, and the model they are using for monetization is frustration rather than progression. A lot of the frustration and uncertainty we are seeing on the forums are the intermediates wondering why the Veterans are leaving, while dealing with the challenges of the game and what it takes to transition to 3*.

I am of the growing opinion that the veteran population cannot go quickly, or quietly enough for the development team. I think the aspects of the game that we grew to love are antithesis to the direction they are chasing. I would imagine the biggest regrets the development team has is that they ever allowed the game to be playable all day long through the use of healing. I think they really want to be closer to the “Other” F2P games where you use up your allotted energy, they you have to pay for health packs to continue.

I am sad to see the likes of TheLadder and Davecazz go, they were serious contributors to the culture of the game and aided the player base greatly. They also spent tons of money on the game. I know we have seen quite a few others leave the game as well, announcing their retirement.

Many of our Mods are no longer playing, we lost Emeryt and Entropic is on the fence, while guys like aaronschmiz are chomping at the bit to help, but are still not through the process. We really do need new mod blood to clear the spam quickly, I really do not want to see Riggy get killed trying to hold the fort.

Biggest Problem Now: (for those who remain)
Peoples rosters have matured, there really is not much of a separation between the veterans and the newer players. Once you have 2 141s, you are viable for top rankings of PVP. The problem now is, dude, it sucks to have to fight a wall of 141 from 0-1100 points. It is not that it is too hard to do, it is that it takes too damned long and its not fun.

Sharding plays a factor in this, but it is less of a problem than the saturation is.

Just going to throw this out there. Who you see over and over again in PVP is less an indicator of their power and more of an indicator of their availability.

Punisher is not Overpowered, he is easily available.

Classic Magneto is dangerous but not so much that it matters. He is easy to kill in PVP. Considering the power of recently released characters I think we are wasting resources nerfing characters.

Hulk is a lot more dangerous that people give credit for.

None of the 3* teams are unbeatable, just some are better than others, especially when paired with the right team member. I use Patch and Cmags when climbing because they kill fast, They win just about zero defensive wins though, so I switch to a different combination when I get up high.

So, now I am playing Brave Frontiers because it is fun. Their monetization is pretty clear and the game is complex, they give out currency like crazy and it is fun to spend money on the game. Get this…

You can get a 3-5* character for $5 if you want to do the random chance for it, that is right, an entire usable character for $5, not 1/13th of a character, but a whole viable usable character. Who woulda thought?

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Emeryt is still playing, or someone else is posting with his account.

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I’m with you. For the most part the game has stopped being ‘fun’ for me in that the opportunity costs have gotten way to high and there are simply other more efficient means of entertainment.

BUT, I am at this point morbidly curious as to what will happen next. Stress on morbidly.

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He isnt a mod any longer though. (pretty sure he left all his alliances from his sigs etc.)

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Muhahahaa i converted you to the dark side of Brave Frontier icon_e_smile.gif
now everyone else must follow.

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wait…theladder retired?!

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Yeah! Where’ve you been? icon_lol.gif

https://forums.505go.com/discussion/8990

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Not to forget how recently you’re pretty much forced to shield early on if you’ve made a headstart in PvP. Remember the times when there was no need to because you wouldn’t get hit more than you could retaliate or regain, and you wouldn’t lose quite so many points in one go?

About the monetization, I really have to agree. I’ve spent some money on the game too, but I’ve quit buying cover packs because chances of getting the desired character are just way too small now, and the packs are far too expensive IMHO.

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there was a party with balloons and cake.
and as the sun set on the welshman, we whispered,

our home is our world, our life
our hope is our world, our life

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He’s actually still in the ScAvengers because we asked him really nicely. Any rumors about threatening his family and friends are of course complete fabrication.

Also, I am still wondering what that bear witnessed, because at no point in the OP was he allowed to speak. Thread title is false advertising.

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Yes, it’s too much of a chore playing the game right now. I’m actually staggered I hung on so long, I think loyalty to my alliance must have been the prime factor. The game is like a second job, I ended up feeling like I had to play, rather than want to play. I literally cannot think of an element of the game right now that is any fun, so I’m out on that basis.

Clint, I concur that the developers probably couldn’t give two stuffs about the departure of the likes of Dave, myself and other long time players/spenders. I’m equally glad that they will not be getting another penny from me. The metrics of this game offered huge potential, but sadly the direction they have taken it to date is miles away from anything enjoyable. Almost strikes me that its a bunch of kids, playing around with the game like some sort of school project.

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I have also been here since around October, so i’ll respond too.

Cool kids come and go, personally I have never been a fan of highschool popularity contests. Perhaps it does make the game more fun for others, kind of like how people still buy the National Inquirer.

Biggest Problem Now: (for those who remain)
Peoples rosters have matured, there really is not much of a separation between the veterans and the newer players. Once you have 2 141s, you are viable for top rankings of PVP. The problem now is, dude, it sucks to have to fight a wall of 141 from 0-1100 points. It is not that it is too hard to do, it is that it takes too damned long and its not fun.

Let’s hope they find a new system to solve this issue. One thing everyone can concede is that they have been experimenting with it, meaning they are trying.

Sharding plays a factor in this, but it is less of a problem than the saturation is.

I agree 100% Everyone went into a frenzy about sharding, but honestly I think people just wanted to be mad at something. Sharding is only a slight effect, however players will blame the system when it is actually bad luck. Kind of like conspiracy theories on RNG in game.

Punisher is not Overpowered, he is easily available.

Punisher is slightly above average at best, but clearly not overpowered. I’m not sure how availability correlates to his power though, when he is given out more often does his stats increase? icon_e_wink.gif

Classic Magneto is dangerous but not so much that it matters. He is easy to kill in PVP. Considering the power of recently released characters I think we are wasting resources nerfing characters.

It’s true he is awful at defense, but he can deliver tons of damage cheap while seizing control of a board. He is overpowered, and I want him nerfed even though I have him maxed and I am leveling him. Lets hope that the nerf makes him fall in line at around Lazy Thors usefulness, and they don’t go overboard again. He is a pretty big staple in the Marvel universe.

Hulk is a lot more dangerous that people give credit for.

Hulks crazy health and black make him anti-strike tile and annoying when using abilities. Without Spidey an easy victory against him is no longer assured.

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There is a fair chance of misinterpretation, even if I chose the wrong word and said Bare Witness, then we would just be naked while watching. The bright side… no wallet while naked.

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This x100. Nerfing without any semblance of balance might simply create a next-man-up environment. And in a game where the next man up has become the new, lazy characters, PvP is at risk for becoming Pay-2-Sniff-Top100.

Late-game meta has stagnated and the game is at a crossroads. Perhaps the Devs underestimated the power of Marvel + PQ filling their servers with max 141s so quickly. Or perhaps veteran player attrition has been baked into their design goals from the beginning. If the Devs truly intend to address the late-game issues, they have an unenviable, difficult task that might involve completely retooling progression and gameplay. So it’s understandable that they would choose the easy way out and try to extract as much value from the new player as possible

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TheUnwiseOne claims to always be naked and watching… I don’t know.

I agree with a lot of your points, Clint, but I’m also not entirely sure that the direction that the developers have chosen is the only problem. Particularly your comparison with Brave Frontier, about getting a complete, fully functioning character for $5. I have pondered this exact situation myself. The way covers and powers have existed since the beginning kind of precludes a $5 complete character. It would take a major system overhaul to allow for something like that. Not to mention the design of another couple hundred characters before the two games were on even footing in that regard. I’m not sure they could create a similar situation in mpq even if they wanted to.

As far as punisher being the most available character, I’m not sure that is true, but if it is not true it should be. I have stated repeatedly in the forums that Punisher ought to be the first three star character everyone levels, due to the nature of his powers. He is the absolute ‘starter’ character, well rounded and easy to play, perfect for learning how to use abilities.

While I’m not a great fan of everything the devs have done with my favorite phone game, I tend to think most of the stiff people complain about is more a legacy of imperfect starting conditions (which weren’t obvious with the small character pool and player base) than it is the decisions that have since been made. As a matter of fact, I don’t doubt that they wish they could go back in time and change some of their initial design decisions most days.

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I for one am sad but relieved but mostly sad that theladder retired…semi retired. I faced his team a few times and holy shit. that…that’s not cool man. ouch. but in a respectful in awe kinda way.

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I think he was saying you see a lot of maxed punisher not because he’s overpowered but because anyone playing for 90 days give or take could have maxed him out easily while most other characters outside lazy cap and weirdly ragnarok, have been harder to come by. Anyway agree with your sentiment and wonder to myself daily how much longer I’m willing to wait and see if things get better. If not for my pretty awesome alliance I’d probably be long gone.

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cough

On a tangentially related note, here is a link some people may find useful: How to request a refund on App Store purchases

From what I understand, making a good enough case, such as deep dissatisfaction with the app in question, will generally get you your money back.

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First year calculus at its finest, which I would assume some (indeed; MOST) of the staff of this game have taken.

JimBob offers a product at the cost of Y dollars. If he lowers the cost of Y by Z dollars, he will sell Q more units.

After how many cost reductions of Z will he maximize the value of Y.

At one point, another Marvel game offered a survey. I’d participate in a survey to let you know exactly what you are doing wrong (AND RIGHT) with this game.

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My interest in this game has been steadily decreasing as time goes by. PvEs were the first casualty; I can no longer be assed to do much more than get progression rewards and a moderately healthy point total for the alliance.

The Lazy characters have been disappointing. Storm in particular sucked; I was really interested to see what kind of neat 3* version of her powers they could come up with. I was hoping for a version of mistress of the elements, but the complete 1* kit is a bit much.

And PvPs are getting frustrating too. I’ve only once broken 1100, and that was by accident during Kyipgate. My roster is improving, but there’s always the same wall at around 900 points where you can’t fight faster than you’re hit. I’m starting to see MMR hell, too - I forgot to tank before the Magneto event, and I opened my very first batch of first-round 141s. I had to tank my entire roster just to start seeing level 85s again.

Right now, I’m only really holding on out of a certain irrational stubbornness and the desire to see how it feels to play with characters like The Hood and Nick Fury. I’ve stopped spending money on the game, though. I’ll spend money on a game because I’m having fun with it, but I’ll be damned if I’ll be irritated into it.