lock in those lyrics..err...shields! (another shield thread)

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Hi all. I am not sure if this is an existing problem, or if my idea will actually solve anything. I’m just throwing it out there to hear some opinions. So, here it is.

One FREE shield that lasts from whenever you want it (even 2 minutes into an event) until the END of the event. It cannot be broken, and once it’s up, it’s up for the remainder of the event. The shield prevents points loss, but that’s about it.

Why?

Well, some people cannot play to the end of the event, even with the chosen times. Sometimes people are happy with their scores and want to ‘lock them in’ so they don’t lose them again. It gives people who don’t have HP the option of shielding if they wish to try it out.

But, won’t this give shield hoppers or those on top an advantage? Won’t everyone in top 10 just shield and make themselves invisible, and thus unbeatable? Nope. While you wouldn’t lose score as a result of this shield, you would still be visible to others. They would be able to target you, and thus, claim points for beating you. So, if you’re in the top tier, you’re still better off using regular shields anyways.

So why do this then, if the top tiers won’t use it?

There are many non-competitive/casual players out there…GASP! Really? Yeah. There are people who don’t go for the top 5-10 spots. There are people who play just because they enjoy the game… I know, right?

Anyways, I think this would allow those individuals who are in the middle/bottom tiers of competition to lock scores in once achieved.

So where could this be used?

Hmm… well, any PVP event would be fine. In order to score 500 points, say, and keep those points, you could do them in the first day or so, then lock in for the remainder of the event. No further checking shields or hopping. If you’re happy with your score, you lock it in. Also, I could think of a use for the shield simulator for those in the lower tiers, such as myself. Most hardcore players seem to play shield sim close to the end of a season. Some of us play throughout. In the last 2-5 days, however, the hardcore gamers tend to beat us down and lower our overall season score, one which we work hard to achieve. I’d like to be able to play simulator whenever I want and for however long I want. Once I’m happy with it, I could lock it in and say goodbye to it, without the worry of my score being decimated.

But D3 only does things that make them more money, so how would this work?

Well, yes and no. As much as I like to bash D3 about the high costs of HP or the ridiculous amount of actual money it takes to level a character, they haven’t always done things just for money. In many ways, they have improved the game, and people do appear to enjoy the end product, regardless of rants. In any case, I’m not sure if this would lose or gain them money. I think it would appeal to the casuals, however, which in itself is a gain (if not monetary, at least loyalty-wise). Anyways, this part is definitely debatable.

I’d like some input. I’m sorry about the length of the thread, I expected it to be a LOT shorter…

So, what do you think?

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Here is one thing that I know I have experienced…
The family is driving to Yosemite to go camping… it is Friday morning and a PVP just opened. I have 3 hours to put up the best score I can, but then my ‘best’ shield option is a 24-hour shield that will still expire with 36 hours left to go in that PVP. A good scarecrow team might be able to protect up to 600 points, but in the final 8 hours virtually any team will get hit regardless of the score.

It seems viable to want to say, “I’m done,” in the first 12 hours of a 60-hour PVP. I don’t think it needs to be free, but I also don’t think it should cost twice the price of a cosmic shield to lock in a ‘final’ shield.

This shield would be fundamentally different from the existing shield types in that it cannot be broken. This isn’t a shield I am buying in order to take a break and go see a movie, or sleep (or that I intend to break in an hour to ladder again). The unbreakable nature of this shield should diminish its cost because of its radically diminished tactical value; I have sacrificed my ability to break the shield (or allow it to expire) and play again. These are all the points I can have in this event.

I think there should be a countdown on it though. Say in a typical 60-hour PVP, after 36 hours are up and you would be able to just buy a cosmic shield then maybe this shield goes away? Or if it doesn’t go away maybe it diminishes in cost commensurate to the amount of time remaining? Something like:

24 < x < 60 hours remaining: price 75HP
8 < x <= 24 hours remaining: price 200HP
3 < x <= 8 hours remaining: price 100HP
x <= 3 hours remaining: just buy a standard 3 hour shield.

I benchmarked the shield at 75HP for the first 36 hours in an event because points are low. Your score was hard fought. But your score is also very likely to be eclipsed by a lot of players (I have never seen someone get to 1300 in the first 12 hours of a PVP), so your placement is not guaranteed.

Once you are within the window of time where a regular shield could cover you then the price I pegged it at 2/3 of the value of what a regular shield would cost. Maybe that number is too high, but it does still provide a discounted shield in exchange for agreeing not to come back to the event.

For an option that effectively balances greed with ease of implementation:
The simplest change that accomplishes this would require only 1 change to the existing shields: in a standard 60 hour PVP, make the cosmic shield last 60 hours. Then you could just buy that shield at any point in the event and “be done”. It would be expensive, but it would get the job done; allowing me to protect a push made in the opening 6 hours of an event for the duration. I don’t like this option because it doesn’t include the flavor of being unbreakable, or get the implied discount as a side-effect… so focus on the first chunk of this reply