Wider choices of weekly activities

[MsSmart]

Hi:

 

When I look at activities under the LFG, one can easily see 3 major categories Trials, Incarnates Trials, and Task Forces.

 

Usually weekly activities are either TFs or Trials, and nothing for incarnate level players with the exception of Apex and Tin Mage which are dispensed on the same week.

 

When I look at players, to include myself, you can break us from low level (we are progressing towards 50) and incarnate players (often progressing towards T4 abilities).

 

From the lower level side, often there is the pursuit for accolades, mainly Task Force Commander; while the incarnate you see a lot of TINPEX or APEMAGE for the salvage needed for T4s. Thus you see folks with drastically different needs at any given time.

 

So instead of having a monolithic set of weekly events, make it more diverse or encompassing. For example have on each weekly  a trial, an Incarnate Trial ( the salvage type drop is shifted up by one), and three TFs:  1) Always have a weekly that supports the Taskforce Commander accolade, 2) another to support incarnate level, and 3) lastly one that does the rest for variety.

 

So instead of having 2 weeklies to choose from, one would have 5 to choose from. Please consider that once I have completed my Taskforce Commander badge, I have no reason to do any of the accolade TFs "especially the super boring ones such as Synapse and Citadel" which the only way I would even consider doing them again to help others is by doubling the merits they award, and frankly Synapse is so boring and long, I don't do it even if doubled. But the consideration if you can make the task force commander TFs appealing to do, those players who needs good strong groups to do these TFs will have a chance of getting a good group with very experienced players in it. The trials, tend to be quick, but they merit award is so little, I just don't bother with them, unless I am after a badge, even when doubled, perhaps the rewards for trials should be raised to make it appealing to veteran players to want to play and help the new players. For those working on their incarnates having both Apex and Tin Mage dispensed as weekly in the same week, is just mean, and those players trying to get to their T4s need those who already got them to be willing to do these TFs to have solid groups.

 

Hugs

 

Sue

 

 

[Glacier Peak]

Are players unable to start TFs or Trials that aren't on the WST?

[Lazarillo]

Diversity works both ways.  If they double the number of TFs available as weeklies, then the ones that are out of favor when not in current in the rotation, will also fall out of favor when they are the Strike Targets, in favor of the easier/more lucrative stuff.  Keeping the number limited keeps the choices effective precisely because they're a focus.

[SeraphimKensai]

I wouldn't mind a weekly iTrial, where first time through for the week is a Very Rare. Perhaps it must be Master Of, or on a heightened difficulty?

[arcane]

1 hour ago, SeraphimKensai said:

I wouldn't mind a weekly iTrial, where first time through for the week is a Very Rare. Perhaps it must be Master Of, or on a heightened difficulty?

Make it a guaranteed Rare for most and only guaranteed VR for UG, but yes. It seems reasonable to have weekly incentives for other types of content.

[SeraphimKensai]

28 minutes ago, arcane said:

Make it a guaranteed Rare for most and only guaranteed VR for UG, but yes. It seems reasonable to have weekly incentives for other types of content.

So be it.

[Hyperstrike]

Do people have something against raids?

[Frozen Burn]

10 hours ago, SeraphimKensai said:

I wouldn't mind a weekly iTrial, where first time through for the week is a Very Rare. Perhaps it must be Master Of, or on a heightened difficulty?

 

9 hours ago, arcane said:

Make it a guaranteed Rare for most and only guaranteed VR for UG, but yes. It seems reasonable to have weekly incentives for other types of content.

 

Earning "Master of" badges in iTrials already awards random rare drops.  UG iTrial already guarantees a Rare or Very Rare upon completion, and Magisterium iTrial has an increased rate for dropping a Rare or Very Rare upon completion.  Obtaining other badge achievements in the iTrials also reward random incarnate component drops.

 

While I'm still on the fence about making one a weekly, there really isn't much gained here for it.  

 

There is also content in Dark Astoria that you can get incarnate component drops as well -- most people forget about the content there when they're trying to work up to T4.  

[Apparition]

2 hours ago, Hyperstrike said:

Do people have something against raids?

 

 

 

A lot of people find raids extremely boring.  Some find Hamidon raids boring, others find mothership raids boring, and yet others find both boring.  Personally, mothership raids are my favorite thing to do in the game, but some friends of mine find them extremely boring.  I myself am in the camp of finding Hamidon raids boring.  Once you've done a Hamidon raid with only five people with no temporary powers... meh.  I couldn't bring myself to do another Hamidon raid for over a year after that. 

[Laserbow]

17 hours ago, MsSmart said:

...Please consider that once I have completed my Taskforce Commander badge, I have no reason to do any of the accolade TFs...

 

No reason. Apart from:

- XP

- Merits

- Influence, Salvage, Incarnate components if you're 50, and extra Notices if it's a WST

- Camaraderie and banter with other players

- Enjoyment of actually playing the game and doing content

 

But these are reasons often overlooked by players whose only goal is the constant strive to always be advancing their character to the next step on an arbitrary ladder. Grind for more components. Maximize further progression! Get T4 in every slot! Must maximize numbers. Fun? What does that profit me?

[UltraAlt]

19 hours ago, MsSmart said:

From the lower level side, often there is the pursuit for accolades, mainly Task Force Commander; while the incarnate you see a lot of TINPEX or APEMAGE for the salvage needed for T4s. Thus you see folks with drastically different needs at any given time.

 

I think you have a point there.

Incarnate players are already going to want to play these for the salvage needed for T4.

Since there already an incentive for these, there is no need to bog down the WST with them.

 

19 hours ago, MsSmart said:

I have no reason to do any of the accolade TFs

 

19 hours ago, MsSmart said:

I would even consider doing them again to help others is by doubling the merits they award

 

And I assume that is why the double merits are there >> so that you will team with others at lower levels.

 

The incentive is already built-in for TINPEX or APEMAGE + lower level characters can not play it.

I don't see any reason why these should need to be double-merits.

 

Players make a good amount of loot for adventuring above level 50. Level 50+ can most probably get merits from buying cards packs with inf from running any door mission (or arc) faster than they can from a task force if they are on a full team.

As stated, the advantage of TINPEX/APEMAGE is the T4 incarnate salvage.

[MsSmart]

On 1/5/2022 at 12:41 PM, Glacier Peak said:

Are players unable to start TFs or Trials that aren't on the WST?

Any player can in the norm start any TF as long as they qualify (in fact this is not a problem), but that is not the issue I am addressing, the problem is the difficulty to form a group of 8 to do the TF you need for instance to satisfy an accolade.

[MsSmart]

9 hours ago, Laserbow said:

No reason. Apart from:

- XP

- Merits

- Influence, Salvage, Incarnate components if you're 50, and extra Notices if it's a WST

- Camaraderie and banter with other players

- Enjoyment of actually playing the game and doing content

 

But these are reasons often overlooked by players whose only goal is the constant strive to always be advancing their character to the next step on an arbitrary ladder. Grind for more components. Maximize further progression! Get T4 in every slot! Must maximize numbers. Fun? What does that profit me?

 

Lets take a look at your statement...

 

I am already an incarnate, so mmm....

 

The xp for a Positron, its a joke, the influence is a joke, for they are set to reward you as if you were a level 15, and that is not even chump change to a 50.

Outside of TIN APEX, there are no other TF sources for incarnate mats (there are a few DA missions I believe), but if I am all T4d, what is the point?

Camaraderie, etc you got a point, but frankly I would rather do content and stuff that rewards me for my achievement, that is as a t4d Incarnate, not really excited about having camaraderie in a kinder garden mission. If I worked hard to have a DPS that hits like a howitzer, why would I want to play Positron and have the DPS of a sling shot? and not even have half of the powers I worked so hard to develop and slot?

 

Your last statement does make sense, I mostly see this for one of my weakness, I am an ALT-O-Holic. Giggles, thus as I progress them, I really enjoy having a weekly to assist me with forming groups to do critical TFs towards an accolade, and then get those T4s.... That said, there is nothing to say, I am not enjoying the content, camaraderie, and what not while I progress. As of lately, forming groups in my time zone and when I can actually play, is getting increasingly difficult.

 

Sue

[MsSmart]

15 hours ago, Apparition said:

 

 

 

A lot of people find raids extremely boring.  Some find Hamidon raids boring, others find mothership raids boring, and yet others find both boring.  Personally, mothership raids are my favorite thing to do in the game, but some friends of mine find them extremely boring.  I myself am in the camp of finding Hamidon raids boring.  Once you've done a Hamidon raid with only five people with no temporary powers... meh.  I couldn't bring myself to do another Hamidon raid for over a year after that. 

LOL raids are an awesome source of just about everything but salvage, in fact I used to run Hami raids in Everlasting....

 

Sue

[MsSmart]

7 hours ago, UltraAlt said:

 

I think you have a point there.

Incarnate players are already going to want to play these for the salvage needed for T4.

Since there already an incentive for these, there is no need to bog down the WST with them.

 

 

 

And I assume that is why the double merits are there >> so that you will team with others at lower levels.

 

The incentive is already built-in for TINPEX or APEMAGE + lower level characters can not play it.

I don't see any reason why these should need to be double-merits.

 

Players make a good amount of loot for adventuring above level 50. Level 50+ can most probably get merits from buying cards packs with inf from running any door mission (or arc) faster than they can from a task force if they are on a full team.

As stated, the advantage of TINPEX/APEMAGE is the T4 incarnate salvage.

Your observations are quite astute and usually on the mark.

 

But the problem, I am currently experiencing is the ability to get an 8 person team going, say within 20 minutes of waiting. Maybe its the times, I can play that is the problem, but I have found that usually if I need a TF that for whatever reason is a weekly, I can form a group of 8 faster and have less issues with folks just giving up after a long wait. That is why I seek more across the board week events, to assist team forming for whatever objective you may be pursuing.

 

Sue

[SeraphimKensai]

10 minutes ago, MsSmart said:

Sue

I've teamed with you multiple times using various alts on TFs.

[Aurora_Girl]

3 hours ago, SeraphimKensai said:

I've teamed with you multiple times using various alts on TFs.

 

I'm so sorry. 

[UltraAlt]

On 1/6/2022 at 4:46 PM, MsSmart said:

But the problem, I am currently experiencing is the ability to get an 8 person team going, say within 20 minutes of waiting. Maybe its the times, I can play that is the problem, but I have found that usually if I need a TF that for whatever reason is a weekly, I can form a group of 8 faster and have less issues with folks just giving up after a long wait. That is why I seek more across the board week events, to assist team forming for whatever objective you may be pursuing.

 

Well, I have two things on that.

 

Does it really have that same impact on the level 50 task forces as it does on the lower level task forces?

I am assuming that it will be more likely that people will jump alts to play the task force multiple-times (by playing multiple characters) when they are WST. So that may have an impact.

 

You don't need 8 to run a task force.

Usually at least 5 is enough to complete most of the task forces that I've run on.

I think I even did a Moonfire with 3 or 4 and ended up completing it with 2 on the team.

 

 

[Teirusu]

What I'd like to see, is some system of weekly or daily story-arc focus.

 

We already have the Who Will Die? and Pandora's Box as arcs loaded into the LFG window, right?  If a bunch of the older arcs could be added into it and operate like taskforces, then a weekly or daily system could be setup around those for players to additionally choose from.

[MsSmart]

On 1/6/2022 at 7:51 PM, Aurora_Girl said:

 

I'm so sorry. 

 

Have I adventured with you in the past?  I only play in Everlasting.

 

 

Sue

[Frogmuscle]

Where do you find the weekly TF for double merits, on the forums?

[Glacier Peak]

58 minutes ago, Frogmuscle said:

Where do you find the weekly TF for double merits, on the forums?

The forum calendar, sort by week for Weekly Strike Target and you'll see the entries each week:

 

https://forums.homecomingservers.com/calendar/27-weekly-strike-targets/week/2022-04-03/

[RCU7115]

On 1/5/2022 at 9:53 PM, Frozen Burn said:

 

 

Earning "Master of" badges in iTrials already awards random rare drops.  UG iTrial already guarantees a Rare or Very Rare upon completion, and Magisterium iTrial has an increased rate for dropping a Rare or Very Rare upon completion.  Obtaining other badge achievements in the iTrials also reward random incarnate component drops.

 

While I'm still on the fence about making one a weekly, there really isn't much gained here for it.  

 

There is also content in Dark Astoria that you can get incarnate component drops as well -- most people forget about the content there when they're trying to work up to T4.  

I agree with the DA Heather Townsend's arc can be run in 15 minutes on average for the random salvage drop.

[The_Warpact]

Personally, I think the Shadow Shard TFs should be co-op and brought up to incarnate levels.