Almost everyone complains about replay badges being bad for the game, but I never see an answer on how to remove them and still make the devs money. We know the devs have the tech to change your % chance of a rare drop on the fly (bad loot limiter). First thing needed : no more loot locks. Second thing needed : low % of rare drops. Third change replay badgers into an increase to the % of rare drops. I see 3 positive things for the game outta this: nobody will feel that gear is locked behind a pay wall (for the people that never spend replays). If you are willing to spend time in the game you can grind for whatever you want. For the people that use replays nothing really changes for them they just get a chance for more rare drops than the ones that don't, just as it is on live now. #2 more things to do mean more people on, and for longer times. I see thread after thread about how dcuo is dieing, maybe this will help keep the players we have and bring back the ones we lost to the idea that this game is just a cash grab. #3 the devs will like this one, replay badges can be spent in different degrees depending on what you want, not limited by what type of content it is. For example of how this could work. Numbers are completely made up, and the devs can adjust them to the actual way they need to be. Say your rare loot chance is 3% with a 1% for elite/OP/iconic. If you spend 12 replays it increases to 3.5% with a .5% increase to elite/ OP/iconic. If you spend 29 replays the increases are 5% and 1.5%. If you spend 87 replays the increases are 10% with a 3%. This could actually get people to spend replays on solos (if any iconic are ever added to them) seasonal (someone looking for the boo belt?)duos, alerts and raids. Not just the way people normally spam replays on raids ( although this will still happen). Now I didn't cover marks... marks are still locked but don't worry you can still unlock them for a small fee. 4 replays unlock marks in a solo. 7 for a duo. 18 for alerts and say 33 for raids. These are just my ideas (and truthfully I saw someone post something similar but don't remember who it was) to try and keep the people we already have playing more and at longer stretches. With the possibility on getting some of the people we lost back. Still make the devs money so this game can grow. Thanks for reading.
Replay Badges aren't a cancer to the game on their own. It's how they are utilised which damages the game. Content, especially Elite content, is noticeably much easier and a lot shorter than it used to be, because a long, difficult instance isn't one which people will want to replay on the daily basis. Especially not Alerts which unlock daily. I found this to be the case in DLC11 with the League Hall alert. The Final Boss fight was really tough. Really fun, but I'd had my fix for the day once I ran it the first time. With content being shorter and easier, there's less enthusiasm from the hardcore player base, who will eventually be the ones holding up the game as the casual player numbers reduce thanks to vastly superior games being released over time. Overall, as the player smartens up and notices trends as outlined above, it's hard to convince the player that the devs aren't just looking to extra replay badge money from everyone. Once they have that stigma, whether it's true or not, the game suffers immensely due to perception. It's hard to form your own opinion when everyone's telling you the devs are only after your money and don't care about you. Replay Badges would work harmoniously with a non-random gear progression system. Best gear, vendor gear being one option. R&D gear being another option. Using replay badges would speed up the time it takes to get all your gear, but it wouldn't feel forced or essential to progression, like it does now. They'd become a player-friendly product and the community wouldn't hate what they stand for as much. As for your idea, I don't like it. It's quite possibly the worst idea for players that I've ever read regarding the usage of replay badges. It does absolutely nothing to resolve the situation and problems that people have with progression and merely screws the players over, because there's no guarantee at the end of it and paying more merely decreases the likelihood you'll not get anything useful that you need.
Replay badges are the to be used at the discretion of the player, if a player wants to spend many of 'em to replay content that shouldn't be a problem to anyone but for them. That being said, the rat-race is real and a player wanting to get the best gear will do what it takes to get it fast because in the end of day, the game has been so focused on making sure the player believes that CR is all that matters, people will run content over and over to get it (specially since the unlocking for other people besides yourself has started and the whole market of selling replays for in-game cash has been established) I don't see how your idea of lowering drop rate and using replays to increase it would be any different than what it is now, especially if spending the replay isn't any guarantee that you will without a doubt get a rare drop, if a player can spend half the replays to increase their chances what's stopping them from running content over and over and spending the replays just as much, if not more because with the lower cost you get to run even more than you normally would, and like Torikumu said, content being shorter and easier makes it even more viable for a player to spend just as much A player that isn't bothered by taking a while longer to get gear (even if they do spend the occasional replay) isn't going to suddenly start chain running content (bc you'd have to run even more if you plan on seeing rare drop w/o spending replays and who wants to run something that has a very low chance of drop AND you don't get marks for it? so you spend even more to unlock that as well) and the player that do chain runs content would continue to do so with the replay drop rate increase and possibly get gear even faster than they would otherwise so it solves nothing but make it even more of a pay to win?
I have never understood this argument about replays being bad for the game. I dont use replays at all for content, I do use the free ones from membership to unlock some feats on alts but that is about it. Yet Ive never been kicked from a group for low CR or performance issues. Never not finished a raid because I didnt have full elite sets. The main point im saying is other peoples CR does not effect YOU! You dont need max CR to finish or unlock anything so how is someone else spending extra money on the game for NO added perks a destrument to the game?
Im all for it and posted sth similar in another thread already. Sorry for lazy quote Another compromise could be to keep replays in their current form but add a small chance for drops even when you are lootlocked. Would increase replayability drastically for non Replay users.
TESO!!!!!!! I love this game. Dcuo too of course but I'm tired of the loot lock as well. I'm not loot lock in Teso. Even the dungeon scale at your level. WOW!
I made a thread where I posted several ways of making more money for the game and while only slightly reducing the use of replay badges, which is all I truly believe needs to be done. It's on the main page still if you're interested
