Bugs, sure; time commitment, totally get it; Steam being the red headed stepchild, you’re in the minority but have a valid gripe. But if you’ve been around for 3 years and don’t know when new characters get added to tokens, and if you still haven’t made peace with the rate new characters are released, posting about it in a Retirement Rant is pretty absurd.
I agree they aren’t chasing this new venom… however many whales are “completionists” and collectors. So regardless of what comes out next, they want to have it and max it out. It doesn’t help them one bit in the long run, but they must have it. Because once you have every character in the game and max them all out, what is the point in playing any longer?
The collectors, like pokemon, gotta catch em all.
but this does not bother me. As I mentioned earlier, what bothers me is that with this new venom being released, it will become even more difficult for me to cover-up my peggy, red hulk, ice man, etc. It is hard enough to swim upstream, but somehow the current is only getting stronger in the wrong direction.
Interestingly enough I have been contemplating the same myself.
After 630ish days I’m Struggling to find time to commit to the game.
I’m sick of rehashed characters and I’m bored by the repetition in pve (my main arena of play)
I’ve sunk a fair bit into the game and I used to be excited about even a top 50 finish now I am just playing a node to sit in the lowest of rewards
Not to mention as the leader of an alliance I feel I’m letting them all down
Just wanted to say I understand
He was talking about both, actually. “not only…but also.” My point was, given the game isn’t designed to be “completed,” the release pace has always been pretty regular and is unlikely to slow down. I mean, pray God it doesn’t speed up, but it is as it was as it ever shall be, in all likelihood. That was my point.
And, I mean, that’s a thing that’s literally true for all tiers. When 3* were first available, each new 3* release was not only 13 new covers “needed,” but a dilution of the pool. For 5*, the same is true. If and when 6* roll around, the same will be true for THAT, as well. As long as new character releases are a thing, pool dilution isn’t far behind.
Also, I was responding in the context of, in his words, “what finally broke my back for good.” In no way am I looking to minimize his (or anybody else’s) concerns on the character release front. Just pointing out that in a free-to-play game like this, that’s not a new complaint, and come the eventual heat death of the universe, it will still be a complaint.
I’d also point out that I’ve long been vocal about needing better 4* cover flow, swimming against the “covers are fine, what we REALLY need is ISO!” current. So I feel him keenly on both the issue of dilution and “welp that’s ANOTHER character that’ll take me forever to get to a usable state.” But I also feel like there’s been some pretty significant improvement on that front since 4* became a thing, too.
Pretty much all I play is PVE, DDQ, and, when the spirit drives me, up to somewhere between 300 and 575 in PVP. I’ve never felt the remotest urge to push for the 4* cover in PVP events. Where I get my 4* covers these days is PVE progression, Legendary Tokens from the Crashes I can win, LTs from the Command Points I earn, the scheduled daily resupplies, and every once in a great while, a Heroic/Taco token taking pity on me.
But you know what? It isn’t all that long ago that the first three of those five avenues weren’t even a thing. If I got a 4* cover, it was either a scheduled reward or from a Taco/Heroic, period.
I know it feels like you’re forever running on ice, but there have been improvements. More can, and should, be done. Without question. But things have gotten better.
The point, and maybe I’m just not very good at expressing it, is that this is not new to the 4* game, and that this complaint has been uttered before for other tiers; past history, and recent changes, suggest that the 4* tier is not going to face this bottleneck forever.
At no point did he say these things were STRANGE, but that they are enough to have made him quit now.
Technically, one of his complaints WAS about Stra…oh never mind. 
It’s very clear other players aren’t thrilled with the game entirely either but are too invested to do anything but defend their sunken time.
It’s evident when no one explains why the things they are defending are needed or shouldn’t change, just that it’s the way they’ve always been.
I think maybe here we have a case of shoe-on-the-other-foot. I never said things shouldn’t change, just that given the need to keep whales happy, this is the business model they’ve chosen; we’ve seen how that curve operates in the past, and we’re starting to see that curve come in to play at the 4* tier now. Several months of #thestruggleisreal during the early days of the next tier past, and once that next tier past rounds into form, it becomes easier to get going on the tier with which one previously struggled.
3* was like that, once. Difficult to get characters decently covered unless you whaled one way or another, and now (especially on mobile with the introduction of Intercepts feeding additional HP for roster spots), you can roster and cover 3* characters with reasonable alacrity.
4* isn’t there yet, but as I posted earlier, it’s more accessible now than it’s ever been.
Hear hear.
The first two responses made me feel embarrassed to be part of this community.
Hi Grrwaaa,
I know I’ve only been here for a few days, but it’s sad to see you go. Putting aside some of the frustrations the game might bring for you, we ultimately want the game to benefit and add to your life, not take away from or replace it.
Blahahah summed it up pretty well. The next level in the Story will still be here be it a day or a year later, but your children’s school play…your niece’s piano recital…your anniversary with your significant other, those moments come and go.
Enjoy the time you spend with your family, and treasure it. If after all that, you find yourself with some time left, then maybe come back and say hi. But don’t feel pressured to have to stay and play and miss out on those moments with your family.
Thanks for your support all of these years, and we wish you nothing but the best!
Cheers,
Brigby
Wow Brigby… just wow!!!
What a terrific post!!!