Badge incentives

[cotesan]

Apart from my last posted suggestions about auras I do have one more. 
 

all the badges are nice and some offer some perks, but I would also suggest a bigger reward to encourage others to play content. 
 

Naturally people can play how they choose, but for those that do attain badges and grind through content, having some real incentive would be a nice touch. 
 

My suggestion is at certain badge milestones, whether amount (500, 1000 etc) or multiple difficult acquired accolades maybe giving players additional powers or better yet creating a new power pool for just this. 
 

my .02. Incoming

Edited November 2, 2022 by cotesan

[TheZag]

Im the first reply on 2 of your suggestions and im about to disagree.  I promise im not out to get you.

 

Badges are the incentive for badging.  Accolade powers are further incentive,  especially the endurance and HP boosting ones.  Sure there is room for new accolade powers in the future if they make sense but adding badging rewards just for the sake of badging seems redundant.

 

[cotesan]

Thanks again, but I believe differently like I posted. Badges as a reward for badging do not create as much incentive as could be. My suggestion also promotes dev content being played and additional powers / sets are a great way to add more variety. The accolade powers are a nice perk with small added benefits but that still leaves room for far greater rewards. Again my suggestion hurts no one from their playstyle and adds more by promoting content and additional and optional rewards. 

Edited November 2, 2022 by cotesan

[Greycat]

No introducing grind for powers, thanks.

 

The incentive to play content is the content. The incentive to play content is merit rewards. (And in some zones - like the Hollows, Faultline and Croatoa - a merit *bonus* reward for finishing all the zone's content.) The incentive for *some* people are badges.

 

Now, there are longer stories in game that go over several levels (not just the Kheldian/SOA arcs.) Small ones like Shauna Stockwell/Eagle Eye or Keith Nance/Jenny Adair, and longer, less obviously or more loosely linked ones that have been around since live. If you wanted to throw in a badge/accolade/merit reward for "investigating" those links across multiple contacts? That would be a way to reward and incentivize people for doing *content,* versus just "Well, I need three more hunt badges for some number of badge reward, time to kill a hundred of these guys and street sweep Perez for Skulls."

[Rudra]

The badges themselves were the incentive. They give characters options for titles. Some even grant minor benefits as accolades. Why do you want badges to have additional incentives? They were never playable content, they are rewards for accomplishing things in the game. So why do rewards need rewards to get the rewards?

Edited November 2, 2022 by Rudra
Edited to remove "count".

[cotesan]

Again, I appreciate your opinions on my suggestion. 
 

i still submit this suggestion being it would add much value, incentive and variety without effecting anyone’s playstyle by having optional benefits. Peace

Edited November 2, 2022 by cotesan

[Excraft]

17 minutes ago, cotesan said:

My suggestion also promotes dev content being played and additional powers / sets are a great way to add more variety.

 

This doesn't make any sense.  Quite a lot of the badges/accolades in the game are already earned by playing "dev" content.  As for your suggestion, no thank you.  Hard pass.

[Greycat]

3 minutes ago, cotesan said:

i still submit this suggestion being it would add much value, incentive and variety without effecting anyone’s playstyle by having optional benefits. Peace

 

Except it *would* affect others playstyles. Tying it to some amount of badges means they'd have to redirect from what they *like* doing - missions, RP, whatever, and PVP especially comes to mind - to grinding badges out to that level for that reward.

 

Frankly, it's no different from those games which had you pay an ever increasing amount to train up - sometimes on powers you already had and were just going to the next level on. It's one of the reasons I stopped playing the Old Republic MMO back in the day. I went from doing missions and doing story related things to "I need to grind out another million so I can go from 'Swing Lightsaber II" to 'Swing Lightsaber III'," and then I had OTHER powers I had to do that with to keep up with the content.  It sucked *all* the fun out of it. Aion? Same thing. It got to the point of grinding to get powers and just keep up.

 

[Rudra]

4 minutes ago, Greycat said:

 

Except it *would* affect others playstyles. Tying it to some amount of badges means they'd have to redirect from what they *like* doing - missions, RP, whatever, and PVP especially comes to mind - to grinding badges out to that level for that reward.

 

Frankly, it's no different from those games which had you pay an ever increasing amount to train up - sometimes on powers you already had and were just going to the next level on. It's one of the reasons I stopped playing the Old Republic MMO back in the day. I went from doing missions and doing story related things to "I need to grind out another million so I can go from 'Swing Lightsaber II" to 'Swing Lightsaber III'," and then I had OTHER powers I had to do that with to keep up with the content.  It sucked *all* the fun out of it. Aion? Same thing. It got to the point of grinding to get powers and just keep up.

 

*has horrific flashbacks to WoW and the 1 gold required for the level 5 character to get a level 5 power, when mobs were dropping coppers and it taking 10,000 coppers to get 1 gold*

 

Yeah, let's not do anything like that in CoX please.

[EmperorSteele]

I certainly wouldn't mind some harder-to-get or milestone badges coming with a tangible perk, but I have to agree with the general sentiment that the badges are ALREADY the rewards gained from doing whatever it is that granted them.

 

Then again, the game could always use more carrots. And I don't see an issue with RPers or Base Builders or AE makers missing out on a milestone badge that gives +5% damage since they're not doing anything that requires that bonus anyway. Anyone else is probably well on their way to having that many badges anyway. Not a big deal, IMO.

[Indystruck]

There used to be all kinds of stuff locked behind badges, didn't really bother me. Epaulettes, roman armor, weapons, etc.

 

I'd be OK with it.

[Greycat]

47 minutes ago, EmperorSteele said:

And I don't see an issue with RPers or Base Builders or AE makers missing out on a milestone badge that gives +5% damage since they're not doing anything that requires that bonus anyway.

 

... you realize base builders, RPers and AE makers *also* play the rest of the content, right? People don't just do one thing and one thing alone?

[JasperStone]

What @Greycat said.

...

all of it.

 

I will add as a badger ... (not that kind of badger)

It is the reward in itself.

Some are pretty hard to get

 

[EmperorSteele]

@Greycat Well yeah, except YOU said:

 

5 hours ago, Greycat said:

 

Except it *would* affect others playstyles. Tying it to some amount of badges means they'd have to redirect from what they *like* doing - missions, RP, whatever, and PVP especially comes to mind - to grinding badges out to that level for that reward.

 

So, I mean, which is it: do people only like to do the one thing, or are they willing and able to engage in other content?

 

[Rudra]

4 minutes ago, EmperorSteele said:

@Greycat Well yeah, except YOU said:

 

 

So, I mean, which is it: do people only like to do the one thing, or are they willing and able to engage in other content?

 

I think the point @Greycat is making is that players play the content, and they make bases, and they spend time RP'ing with each other, and they spend time PvP'ing with each other, and they spend time making AE arcs. And that taking a reward system, and layering a reward system on top of that will drive more focus on getting the rewards for getting rewards rather than spending time doing other things in the game as well. That's my take on it at least.

 

Edit: This part is not what I think @Greycat is saying, this part is just me: We get badges for doing specific arcs. We get badges for doing TFs and SFs and trials. We get badges for defeating <insert number> foes of a given type. We get badges for getting badges. And all those badges are recognition of having accomplished something in the game. So in order to get the badges, you have to play the content. They are already a reward for playing the content. What is the point of a reward system for the reward system?

Edited November 2, 2022 by Rudra

[Greycat]

1 hour ago, EmperorSteele said:

@Greycat Well yeah, except YOU said:

 

 

So, I mean, which is it: do people only like to do the one thing, or are they willing and able to engage in other content?

 

 

Where did I ever say "People only like to do one thing?" Let me save you the time: I didn't.

 

What I *said* was that people would have to go from doing the other things they like - and gave examples - to go grind out badges for the reward - a reward which, from the OP's description, would have direct gameplay effects.

[EmperorSteele]

Ah, but that's the beauty: they DON'T "have" to! They can just keep doing whatever they're doing. No one HAS to have every reward in the game. We're not all pathologically driven to seek out every last scrap of... whatever. This would just be a nice little cherry on top for people who are completionists. At least, that's how I read it.

 

And since there's already plenty of badges that do this already -and I don't see calls to revoke this reward structure- I don't see the issue with adding more.

 

But, trust me, I do kinda get where you're coming from. As much as I'm all for badges and adding secondary rewards to certain milestones, I almost never go out of my way to earn them outside of my main badger. Pain in the butt!

[biostem]

The problem with attaching rewards to badges is that people will go to a wiki, copy-paste the location of them, then go and get them with no further interest in the lore or circumstances surrounding said badge(s).  It should be organic and a "cool" thing, but the more reward you attach to such a thing, the more you incentivize people taking the path of least resistance.

[Disruptor]

I think they could add a few more badge related accolades/powers especially since the badge total has increased. When I say a few I mean 2 or 3 at most, also I think they should be a combination of specific badges similarly to existing accolades and not a total number of badges like 100 or 500 like I saw suggested earlier. Making it a handful of badges is reasonable for most players and characters regardless of level ( yes there are a few exceptions) but making it 100, 200 and 500 or whatever is too much.

 

Example 

 

Regenerator

Defeat 100 Trolls bosses

Hydra Stomper

Complete the Death from Below Sewer Trial

 

On the Shoulders of Giants

Kallisti Wharf

and the Digger History Badge

 

gives you a small self heal power 10% or 15% on long cooldown like 10 minutes. Something to that extent, another possible passive/stat boosting accolade for a diff set of badges could be a small Endurance Reduction bonus like 2.5%. Honestly I like the idea of  accolades you can earn through low level content to help you along your way that at a max lvl will likely be less useful.

[Rudra]

40 minutes ago, EmperorSteele said:

Ah, but that's the beauty: they DON'T "have" to! They can just keep doing whatever they're doing. No one HAS to have every reward in the game. We're not all pathologically driven to seek out every last scrap of... whatever. This would just be a nice little cherry on top for people who are completionists. At least, that's how I read it.

 

And since there's already plenty of badges that do this already -and I don't see calls to revoke this reward structure- I don't see the issue with adding more.

 

But, trust me, I do kinda get where you're coming from. As much as I'm all for badges and adding secondary rewards to certain milestones, I almost never go out of my way to earn them outside of my main badger. Pain in the butt!

The problem I see in your argument goes back to the OP's

 

7 hours ago, cotesan said:

My suggestion also promotes dev content being played

 Except that the badges already promote playing the dev content. You can't earn story arc badges in AE. I don't even think you can earn defeat credit in AE. The only badges I know you can earn in AE are the AE specific badges. So in order to get any non-level linked badges (that aren't AE) is by playing the dev content. That is the only way to earn the accolades and their buffs. That is the only way to earn specific titles.

 

The OP argues that badges already grant perks, but wants more on top of that. And those perks are going to be tied to how many badges the character earns. And badge count rewards are already there in the form of badge count badges. The OP isn't talking about new accolades, (s)he is talking about getting powers from having accumulated x number of badges.

 

9 hours ago, cotesan said:

My suggestion is at certain badge milestones, whether amount (500, 1000 etc) or multiple difficult acquired accolades maybe giving players additional powers or better yet creating a new power pool for just this. 

Straight from the OP. One of the suggestions is that if you get difficult to acquire accolade badges, you get an additional power. Which would be on top of the accolade powers those accolades already give, depending on the accolade. Or a new power pool you can't access until you get x number of badges, so good luck getting anything from that pool early on unless you respec into it.

 

Badges are their own reward. Because they are rewards for having accomplished a set task in the game. Accolade badges also award a minor buff to the character. Within limits, I don't expect a great outcry and gnashing of teeth if more accolade powers are suggested. As long as they aren't more of the accolade buffs we already get. However, the OP is about placing rewards on getting rewards. Which doesn't make sense.

[Glacier Peak]

Getting a reward for getting a reward?

[cotesan]

a few suggestions—

1. New accolade minor perks, endurance discounts, damage bonuses, to hit etc. maybe by accumulating certain accolades or harder badges like tarnished star, forged by fire… Something like that.

 

2. New pool powerset “valor”. With powers available at 500, 1000 & 1500 milestones. Real powers.
 

Like said multiple times already. This has no detrimental effect on anyone’s playstyle and only adds incentive to play and explore content. My vote and suggestion. 

Edited November 3, 2022 by cotesan

[biostem]

How about special powers for players with very few badges.

[UltraAlt]

13 hours ago, cotesan said:

having some real incentive would be a nice touch.

 

There is one.

 

[Zeraphia]

I don't know if I'd tie this directly to badging itself, but I would like the devs to try to expand the list of existing costume types and branch out to more unique costumes of iconic characters for "funny RP impersonation" purposes. Or... even objects... As possible rewards for completing specific storylines as a token in addition to the badge. I'm not going to list specifics here but I'll leave the idea to what people should interpret it as.