Progression is good.
It is a type of gameplay mechanic that I actually like. But:
We do not have a progression mechanic.
We have a penalty system. Handicap.
Whether it is substantially significant or not it doesn’t matter.
If beginners see it exists, they will be put off the second they go on a losing streak without a deeper understanding of why.
They will blame the game as imbalanced and pay2win even though it *may* not be as bad as they think it is.
A better alternative in serving up progression is variation or choice.
Instead of weak modules becoming stronger,
you replace it with basic modules that offer new functionality when upgraded
Instead of weak ships that is replaced by stronger ones
you offer basic ships with the option to unlock different variants
Instead of tiers
You can replace it with game lobbies
module example:
basic shield = boost shield 5%
shield unlock 1 = +10 to all shield resistances; penalty shield size
shield unlock 2 = 20% shield size boost; penalty energy regen
shield unlock 3 = Individual Resistances can now be equipped
ship example:
basic Kris ECM = base stats with 2 Shield slots
ship unlock 1 = same as Kris but ECM module range +50%, +1 Engine -1 Shield
ship unlock 2 = same as Kris but ECM module effects +50% +1 Capacitor -1 Shield
ship unlock 3 = +7% Weapon damage, +20% Crit chance, -33% spread and 20% laser overheat +1 Hull -1 Shield
Game lobby example:
Arcade = Basic ships and modules only, no squads
Expert = No ship restrictions, squad queue
Sector Conquest = End game ships only, corporation squads only queue
This does several things:
1. Variety not Penalty
Current philosophy is you play at a penalty and progress through the game to fix that handicap
You change this to a choice system. The more you progress, the wider your choices are on how to play the game.
This can be applied to modules, ships and even game lobbies.
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Veterans are rewarded for their loyalty ie. more choices
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Casuals are not stuck in no man’s land in mid game ie. no bad ships or modules
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Beginners are not penalized WHILE learning ie. less choices to confound them, tutored gameplay at a measured pace.
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Incentive to progress is still retained ie. the next unlock has the potential to make you a better player
Players will still Grind AND Pay you to grind because we like unlocking things. This time however, we do it happily
2. No Power brackets
Tiers is an unnecessary game mechanic. It does not need to exist.
In-fact tier based games are hampered by it more than it does them good.
What is the purpose of tiers ?
I dont play War Thunder or World of Tanks. Explain to me why tiers should even be there ? What good does it do ?
Without tiers your server population multiplies
Powerbrackets is an artifact from old RPG games that made money from scheduled content releases.
Income is generated as players grind for rare drops. They do that for a chance at a worthwhile loot drop. Worthwhile for devs normally meant power items.
This was bad game design. The longer someone plays, the stronger he gets. Over time you end up having players who are too strong for the majority of the server.
Thus tier brackets was born.
It is a band-aid solution to a flawed philosophy.
For a studio to design their game from scratch and VOLUNTARILY choose to incorporate tiers is mind boggling. You do not have powerbracket problems and consciously gave yourself one.
I can only assume it was a financial decision. Stargem wasn’t sure how well their game can generate income and followed a trending game in Russia, World of Tanks.
3. Community
Our old T2-T3 split was Star Conflict’s golden age.
Player base was split into an effective division.
Those who play casually or is still learning fly T2
Pro gamers and corp squads challenge each other in T3
T1 was a beginner lobby that people move out of naturally.
What we lacked back then was a purpose for clan vs clan.
It wasn’t the tiers that made the relationship great. It was how well the different gamer types were managed in-game. T4 and T5 ruined it because that created game lobbies that does not serve a purpose. Sector Conquest is a success in terms of game design in my eyes because it provided a much needed avenue for an important segment of the community. Corp squads. But we paid the price in a diluted and unnecessary divide of the majority. The casuals, solo pugs, learners and corp regulars now cannot rally together into groupings that made sense anymore.
Social order was disrupted.
It is a big deal but no one is talking about it. Instead we waste our breath arguing why people still populate T3 which is to me a byproduct of a broken up social order.
To a minor extent this contributes to more people leaving the game.
Significantly - the newer players who find themselves mixed in battles that they cannot comprehend as clueless neebies fight against organized veterans.
Giving incentives to veterans to tier up is a smart band-aid but it is still what it is. A short term solution to a flawed philosophy.
Incentives to play T4 and up is to Star Conflict what Tiers was to old RPG games. A new mistake fixing an old one. It will bring positive results which unfortunately will only confuse Stargem into continuing that mistake.
Casuals leave because peripheral game elements do not suit them. The complex stuff. The unfairness.
On steam screenshots we see space ships. lasers. explosions.
First timers jump into the game and discover they get exactly what is advertised.
Space shoot 'em up
They are surprised to see how well teamplay is integrated into the game
Then delight when they understand different classes and roles are not aesthetics but actually bring REAL impact on gameplay
After 2 weeks … they then face their first real disappointment.
The need to understand technical aspects of game mechanics.
For sci-fi geeks we love it.
For the majority of the world who just want to blow stuff up it is an obstacle
A significant obstacle because ship fittings and different ship ranks and passive bonuses are NOT WHAT THEY SIGNED UP FOR
Casuals saw the pictures and they came for the pew pew.
Now they find out they have to understand game science to play fairly
They then find out there is a huge GRIND that is associated in order to play fairly.
Now there a 2 things they don’t like being FORCED upon them.
Geek science + Grind … just so they can continue to pew pew with others on a level playing field.
They did not ask for this. They do not get a choice whether they want to participate in this or not.
Game design is DICTATING player’s gameplay too strict.
Casuals quit.
People leave because they cannot fight fairly
People feel they are not successful because of gear, ship ranks and tiers.
These are common complaints by people who do not understand the game in its’ entirety.
They will blame module quality
useless ships on the ship tree
mixed tiers or bad matchmaking
and distract attention from much needed balancing towards player created meta at the competitive level.
People who decide to give the game a chance eventually leave because they cannot commit to the grind.
Grinding is not optional. It is the status quo.
You will play at a penalty until you have served your time to the service of LeGrind
People are rational and make rational decisions
Our options right now is - how much can you endure before you become competitive ?
Since there are no hard data on that people fumble about at their own personal pace
And everyone has different thresholds.
Those who cannot commit to what LeGrind demands … quits
Apparently the average threshold is lower than is currently being asked for for modules but ship leveling is too fast.
Veterans leave for more subjective reasons but no less important.
Quality of games
Purpose for being here
Competition
Community
If Stargem want people to still talk about and play Star Conflict in the year 2020 … they need to revise their game philosophy.
What I’m proposing is to revert from a World of Tank clone and more towards a DOTA2 approach.
Where you have 100’s of ships all balanced to one another yet each one bringing something unique with them
That you can still monetize using the Grind system but you need to rethink what and why the Grind is for.
Rather than making it a necessary requirement, use the Grind as a means to widen player options instead.
And that involves removing tiers … which also has the plus point of fixing player type distribution an easier task.
Removing module quality while you’re at it and you then have the ability to simplify ship fittings on first impression but at the same time add depth as people unlock stuff using a new and smarter ship+module tech tree.
I’ll end this huge rant with review quotations of another sci-fi F2P game. it may not relate directly with SCon but hints at what game reviewers look at and will no doubt rate SCon upon launch.
Game shows that piloting doesn’t have to be a complex task, and it gets players straight into the action. But we’d urge them to concentrate on the game; with poor matchmaking, few maps, overly simple game modes and a limited free game, players might not stick around. And that would be a shame. It’s a fun diversion, to be sure, but with its less-than-extensive customization options, absurd reliance on grinding to incentivize microtransactions, and limited variation in actual gameplay, it probably isn’t worth a monetary investment.
I’ll save on how a DOTA2 type ship and module system could look like for Star Conflict and how you could monetize that fairly for a later day. Doubt that anyone is interested anyway.
