Dev Discussion Update: Time Capsules, Quarks, and Costs

Please, there's still time to put the stealth material and the other unreleased things in the market. 5700 qwarks "down" to 4000 doesn't make me feel any better.

Here is a summary of why Time Capsules (and now the inclusion of Quarks) do not feel like they have added value to the game in their current state (and have left a bitter taste in the mouth of many players, even causing some to leave).

There are 52 unique items in each Time Capsule that must be acquired to accomplish all game progression (feat points) associated with that particular Time Capsule. These are as follows: 3 complete collections of 12 collections each, 8 emblems, and 8 gear pieces. If a member was to open Time Capsules just using the Stabilizers from running the event every day, and somehow managed to not get any repeats opening Time Capsules, it would take them 130 days to finish getting all of the items from just one time capsule. That's over 18 weeks. By that time, two more Time Capsules would have launched. But we know you are likely to get duplicates, so it would really take even longer. So even as a member, you have to either buy Stabilizers or play the Broker game to not fall behind on this avenue of progression.

Now for the addition of Quarks. On the face it's mostly a good system. Sure we asked and were initially told it would be a way to work towards the rewards in the Time Capsules that weren't dropping, but it sounds like that could still happen. There is a catch with the Quarks that some people might not have caught yet, though. So you're sitting there opening Time Capsules getting new items and Quarks from opening the main capsules, but then you get a duplicate in a sub capsule. Previously you would have sold it on the Broker for however much it went for, but now you have the option for more Quarks. If too many people take that option, Broker prices for Time Capsule pieces will go up. And if you can't afford the Broker prices, you just have to open more Time Capsules yourself. This leads to, you guessed it, more Stabilizer sales.

As has been said previously, remove feats from Time Capsules and the Time and Space vendor item. Also, it would be best to normalize the amount of Quarks received from the main capsule to a set amount. Bad RNG plagues this game, we don't need another source of RNG in the game. Time capsules and this new vendor should only be about cosmetics, there should not be any character progression tied to anything in these. Make these changes, and I'm sure you will see a much happier player base (at least in regards to these items).

You may also want to keep an eye on the Broker to see if keeping Quarks in the sub capsules has any negative consequences for the player base as a whole.

4000 quarks?

Just how long are we expected to grind on this stuff for Devs?

When I heard this system, I thought it was supposed to reduce the "Aw Shucks" feeling you get from capsules, but you can't even spend a good chunk of your currency until you go through multiple capsules.

It's one thing to not get the desired or even new item from a Time Capsule; but the replacement item you could get is too expensive to buy. This isn't reducing the"Aw Shucks" feeling, it's actually made it worse.

Read the patch notes, just......."lol" is all I can say at this point. Anything above 1000 on that vendor is a crime....

Facts!

People were making it to end game quickly and sucking at it looooong before Time Capsules were a thing. Fact. TC gear is just another way to speed up the process, but nowhere near as fast as you claim (you can't get to end game on TC gear alone...not in any kind of reasonable amount of time).

Except RealTegan is saying you could get to end game with just the gear alone without playing the game. Try bumping your cr with nothing but the TC gear...and doing nothing else. See how fast you get there....and how much it would ultimately cost you.

I agree, like if these are a bonus according to Mepps, why make it feel like a grind to achieve these bonus items

It is possible. The TC gear maxes out at end game. Yeah, it would cost a lot of money. The devs are counting on that. That is my whole point.

It maxes out at end game, but the cr increase is small...so the cr climb would be a slow crawl requiring a LOT of gear at great expense. The general noob would not be doing that, and any whale that could afford to would still run content to get to end game faster with an assist from TC gear. TC gear alone would take a long time to get to end game.

So you see my point, but don't think it matters. That's fine. I accept that.

I'm tired of this topic anyway, and I'll be off looking for a better game to play instead of lurking on the forum for a bit. I've said my piece, and I have a feeling based on the ridiculously small reduction in the vendor item that was just announced that everything I've written is going to be ignored anyway. So I'm done for now. I don't feel like wasting more emotional energy on this game. I loved it - I could still love it again - but right now it's no longer worth the effort.

Id like to also point out that asking a question, asking if we can see some #s is not feeling entitled to seeing those #s. If i felt entitled to seeing the #s i would have demanded to see them and i clearly didnt do that. I asked. Common sense not being too common i guess does ring true on these forums.

I also saw it said somewhere the crafting kit for 300 quarks has value because it would take too long to grind those mats yourself. Huh? 1st of all u can walk up to the broker and buy 2 stacks of complex for roughly a million dollars of ingame cash. Ive made 50 million dollars in 1 day on this game so making a million is not tough to do. Saying that crafting kit has value because it takes to long to grind mats is just silly.

Unless u are only logging in once a week for about 15 mins or something like that. And imo thats part of the problem, people who barely log on but when they do they wanna throw their wallet at the screen. Instead of running content its let me pull out my credit card and buy everything i can

And i see the smoke mat was reduced to 4000 marks? lol Devs that 5100 # should have been cut in half at least. Not surprised tho. Tells me the resplendent cache will still be around 10k quarks. Keep milking those whales daybreak while driving other players away.

I can't believe I'm saying this but as much as it annoys me, I'll be sticking with the RNG and getting what's inside the sub capsule.
Duplicates or not, I'm just not gonna sit there and stomach those vendor prices; even if one of them has a "feat" to it.


Thanks dev team, you've somehow managed to get me to despise a new feature in less than a week. Hi quark vendor, and goodbye quark vendor.

I see the point. The point is it can be done.

4000...?

What's the minimum we can get? 10? So we would have to open 400 boxes? At $1 a box...

If I tried to do it the free way and somehow managed to log in every day. Key every 3 days. 400*3=1200 days.

When do you actually think this is going to work?! Eff this new system. I'm with Jacob. I didn't know that I could hate something in this game so quickly.

The aura dropped from a cost of $500 to $400?!?!?!

Wow. This is so disgusting...

Tripling down on that "awww shucks" feeling.

"Aw shucks, I didn't get what I wanted from the TC!"

"Aw shucks, the thing I wanted from the TC isn't even on the vendor!"

"AW SHUCKS, LOOK AT THE PRICES OF THE NEW STUFF! DAYBREAK IS DRUNK!"

Oh my god, I don't even know where I want to begin after reading this and everyone's replies.

I do not understand why feats keep getting placed in time capsules and even the new vendor which should not have any feats at all in any shape way or form. If you have an item that is popular enough, they will sell without the added pay-to-win feats. I will use the first capsule as an example.

The Lantern Emblems. The community was asking for them like crazy. Even without the feats they would have been just as popular. Booster bundles sold well and there were no feats for the original Plasmic, Nimbus, Smoke, etc... or all the recolored versions that were basically dipped in a rainbow for their colors (or PAX Easter Egg Dye, not sure which).

The Quark currency has a lot of potential, but if it is mis-managed and turned into an extension of the feat parade at the outrageous prices you list it is not an optional choice, it becomes mandatory and thereby ruins it.

We always ask for marketplace items. Put these rare items in there and see how they sell. Not badly bedazzled clothing.
Not bundles of furniture I can get in game. Put the rare items in there. After all these years I cannot fathom how the marketplace is a barren void in terms of what it could have been. And I use "been" as past tense as Daybreak has shown they will not do anything of the sort to improve the mp (if it will not make them $$, it will not get done is the current mantra, correct?) as it's biggest sellers were (are?) Replays and Stabilizers. Nothing cosmetic regarding wardrobes for our toons has been done for ages other than the Bombshell items (SJ's hair pack does not count). Nothing original like the weapons. It all goes into capsules now, holding everyone hostage to unfavorable gods of RNG.

This game is turning into such a money-grabbing nightmarish neverending grind that I find it funny you say the new vendor will be "expanding in many ways over the years". We have new(ish) content that drops and while it is buggier than it needs to be there are still feats requiring an insane amount of grind. (generator mods) And that grind follows AF3 and its grind (equip and gen mods), AOJ and its horrible grind (more equip and gen mods). And guess what now we only have two months until the next dlc? Which will have equipment mods to grind at insane levels since nothing is getting easier. Throw in a new seasonal with more gear (not styles....gear) that will take longer to get along with new base items and such. To where you have to grind that out like crazy, while still doing any of the previous dlcs you may not have for feats that are now the benchmark because SP matters.

"Years" may not be valid at the rate people are walking away.
There are those of us that will support the game the best way we can, but this is getting out of control.

To me this game is starting to look like:

• new dlc....be prepared to spend $. (replays)
• seasonal ....be prepared to spend $ (seasonal marks)
• event ....be prepared to spend $ (replays)
• new capsule....be prepared to spend $ (bling)
• "optional" bling vendor....be prepared to spend lots more $ (shinier bling)

Rotate, rinse, repeat.......

With new reveals that show "new shiny shiny sparkle sparkle" that may or may not work when it goes live, that may look awesome on male toons and completely hideous on female ones, that may require a second or third mortgage to beat those RNG devils.......it gets hard to take what we are told at face value and it feels more like we are just getting smoke blown up our, well you know.

I am wearing down from this grind and yes, this all is my opinion. But the game is getting to be no longer any fun. And when I hear league members (the 300 sp ones) state they may be leaving as a result of this constant grind it makes me really question all of this as well.

I know you are in the middle here as Community Manager Mepps, but all I see is more and more players getting frustrated and disillusioned.

FTFY

If money isn't an issue then hitting 30 and opening time capsules till your top CR isn't a problem and actually it's easier and cheaper to do it now with the quarks vendor.