33 réponses à ce sujet

[Cryos_Feron]

the RNG store is mentioned in many threads - and I think it is important enough to deserve its own (new) thread.

 

Sometimes I read things like:

If the Andromeda MP has the same troll store - I won't play that game.

 

I sporadically replied to statements like that but such things get buried if the thread originally has another topic.

 

 

Seriously, after carefully thinking about the alternatives I think that RNG is the only possibility for a MP game of that caliber -

but I would like to speak about HOW it exacty should be like. (DEFINITELY not like DAI's store).

 

Or please prove me wrong and maybe even give concrete alternatives -

I'd honestly be glad if someone could.

 

 

 

Main reason for me to favour RNG is that it has to cover players that have played 10 hours,

as well as 1000 hours, holding up the long-term motivation.

 

 

Please imagine what would have happened if you could have bought your favourite weapon directly - even if it came at

a very high price.

 

ALso,  think of all those weapons that you have tried just because you have received them - and later grew on you.

Maybe it is similar to the challenges that make you try new things of which many later turn out to be great alternatives.

 

 

btw, I am not that stupid NOT to realize that for EA the RNG's purpose rather are microtransactions.

 

But I believe that EA is wrong and in reality it even goes the other way round:

I have never bought any single thing with real-life money and this will NEVER change.... unless I'd be sure to get the very thing I want.

 

DAI - RNG store is actually the worst example and shows the biggest mistake developers could have ever made if they wanted

to encourange microtransactions.   I don't have exact figures though - I can only speak from my own experience and feelings:

Hell would have frozen solid if I was to buy something there.

 

 

The bottom line is:

My suggestion would be an RNG-store - HOWEVER with the possibility to directly pick and buy consumables.

 

Other suggestions were made to pair RNG with the completed challenges somehow. This really sounded interesting!

[filippopotame]

Well it's true that the random feature was a powerfull urge to play at the beggining, but now that I have everything maxed out (and i'm over 1000 hours) I keep playing with perhaps more motivatiion. I still have so many things to do. I more or less discover a new bug everyday and try to exploit it. I still try out new builds, try to use new weapons etc. And I've got so many solos to do ! If the main thing that keeps people playing the game is the RNG store it means the game is bad.

 

IMHO the best store would be like that : 

• Randomly unlocked characters and weapons
• Upgrades of weapons and characters skins are CHOSEN (you decide if you want to buy a new level like in the solo)
• Equipment is also bought directly (you won't get 255 cryo ammo IV and no warp rounds)

We could keep pure random packs for the random-addicts or those who feel random rewards make you try new things that you wouldn't have played If you had chosen yourself.

[Saikyo_McRyu]

I'm going to cite a store that was broken by the devs but could have been more of a success: Homerun Battle 2 by COM2US. Yes, this is a mobile app. (=ﾟωﾟ)ﾉ...The store includes ingame currency (goldballs) players can win in small increments and a big store full of various upgrades which can be purchased with goldballs. The best equipment requires hours and hours of gameplay, but patience will eventually be rewarded. Overall this system works well. Or it would have, because COMU2S, with visions of diamond-studded swimming pools in their heads, introduced a second currency, stars, which can only be acquired in any decent amount with cold hard cash. And of course many desirable upgrades, including the most powerful ones, can ONLY be purchased with stars. So basically they took a fun little game with a decent store tied to merit and threw a massive pay-to-win wrench into the gears.

Two points from this:

ME3MP has pay-to-win too - if you feel like buying enough biovar points. Of course I've never heard of anyone crazy enough to do that, since the RNG store would make it an exercise in frustration. So in that respect the store does create an immense obstacle to people willing to blow tons of money to maybe, maybe win at a game. That's the biggest argument for keeping it, though some improvements to at least put credits toward a certain category of equipment (ammo, buffs, debuffs, common or rare weapons, etc.) or abilities would probably make it a lot more palatable.

Could the RNG be totally done away with? I think it could, but only if EA wasn't involved. Because EA would insist on some sort of way to entice people to buy points, and without RNG there will always be that guy ready to whip out the Amex and buy hisself a Carrier X from day 1.

I think many of us seem to be falling into the "keep RNG with modifications" category. As mentioned by Cryos_Feron and filippopotame, greater control over purchasing consumables seems to be a good place to start, and I generating credit rewards for completed challenges would be a good way to encourage players to L2P instead of looking for ways to game the system.

[Tonymac]

The RNG store is bad.  I play for fun, not for unlocks.  ME3 MP is fun, that's why I still play it from time to time.  Designing it to take XXXX hours of play to get all of the items is bad design.  Plenty of people maxed their manifests and continued to play.  

 

To support the longevity of the game, you need Dev support.  By support I mean weekend ops and new maps.  I enjoyed the ME3 MP more back in the day when we had weekend ops and all of that stuff.  I know that devsupport costs money, and that they needed the team for other adventures - but it was fun to have them around.

 

If I pony up the creds, I want the items - not the chance to get an item.  One is a store, the other is a lottery.  

[PatrickBateman]

It's an important point brought up here as it certainly have a major impact on the game.

In general I don't mind the MEMP RNG store at all, I think it's fine. The DAMP store on the other hand as the OP points out is plain out terrible.

I think there is also a bit to much focus on "maxed manifests", you don't really need a maxed manifest for enjoying all the game have to offer.

I will say though that the main problem as I see it is that MEMP have to many guns with UR status (some of them really should have been rare cards instead. BPP/Spitfire anyone?)

With less UR guns it would have been a much faster and less frustrating process to unlock the things you want (none wants an Eagle or a BPP card while the Carrier still isn't maxed out etc).

[Catastrophy]

The RNG store had its part in rousing my interest in the MP game mode, there is denying in that for me. Having unlocked all stuff a good while ago I still play it, because it is good on its own.

 

One of the major things that made me interested however wasn't the guns - it was the characters and exploring their builds and abilities. I guess this could have worked out entirely without RNG, releasing characters one by one over time, but still - the reward scheme is a force that makes players stick to a game and that is not a bad thing, for MP always needs a decent player base.

 

But how exactly to integrate reward and progress into MP I have no idea. That's a science on its own and its a wage well earned for designers who do it right.

[DisturbedPsic0]

No. Reading your title has made my day worse. I'll try and show you the light. 

 

1) It keeps people interested in the game - False!

It keeps people saying "Wow, I wish I could be playing with that right now", and then getting pissed off when they don't get it. One things I've learned about people in this world is that if something isn't easy or obvious, the bulk of the people will quit. Case in point, I have a friend who played 9 hours, and is in the top 40% of N7 rank. The very vast majority of people who played this game didn't play for very long.

 

2) It keeps it exciting, I never know what I'm going to get - False!

It was exciting at the beginning, when there were 6 UR weapons and no UR characters, and no gear, and less items overall. It got so watered down it got absurd. Also, without a pack that guarantees UR's, you're stuck after 200+ hours of needing nothing but UR, and getting loads of cryo ammo instead. After you max out your rare items, it truly becomes a grind, since you're not getting an upgrade every pack like you used to. Then the wonder and excitement wears off extremely fast.

 

3) People would just buy the good weapons and nothing else - False!

Put a level cap on it then. Besides, if people had credits piling up, you don't think they would buy other guns? Maybe make guns available after you're unlocked the gun "below" it. For example, guns would unlock for sale in this order Common->Uncommon->Rare->UR. Once you purchase all commons, you can then purchase uncommons in that guns category. So if you really really want the Harrier, you have to buy all of the Common, Uncommon, and Rare assault rifles before it. And then maybe you can level guns up by using them or by completing challenges in addition to "buying" more levels for them. 

 

4) It adds to the longevity of the game - False!

This is similar to number 1. But it doesn't add any motivation. Motivation comes from a clearly defined goal, and a controllable way to reach it. If players don't see progress, or at least see the illusion that they can control the progress, they will get frustrated and quit (see point 1). I have friends with 300+ hours into MP and they don't even have some UR unlocked. That's insane. Most people don't have that kind of time to put into a game, especially if they don't have control over what they get. It took me 845 hours to max my manifest, which is close to average. That's not right. Think about it, that's almost 2 1/2 hours a night for a whole year.

 

I'll finish with this, if you don't give players the control over what they can get, or at least the illusion of control, they will leave. Mass Effect MP is far and away the best mp experience I've ever had, which is why I think so many people have stuck around this long. If it wasn't as fun to play, we all would have followed the other impatient people out the door a long time ago. If they added a pack that guarantees an UR, that would be a step in the right direction. But I like the ideas I've suggested above. I want to be able to level up the weapons I want, when I want. I want to be able to refill certain amps when I want. What's the downside? Player A will only use shotguns? Oh no! The player is having fun and using weapons they enjoy! How terrible! The player paid their money for the game, they should be allowed to play it how they want. Too many people have lost sight of the fact that these are video games. We play games to have fun. It's not meant to be a second job. Random is random, and random is stupid. 

[larsdt]

So how long should it take to max your manifest? Once you have unlocked the TGI/AIU/Reegar X etc.you can just cheese your way through the games and stop there.

 

Maxing the UR's goes hand in hand with getting proficient with all characters. I think it took me 250h to max out the rares, which gave me plenty of options in build/kit setup. At that time I was comfortable playing 1/4 of all the characters. Maxed UR's would not have changed that.

 

You need to invest a lot of hours in this game to "master" it. Players willing to spend that amount of time will eventually have a maxed manifest.

[PatrickBateman]

No. Reading your title has made my day worse. I'll try and show you the light.

1) It keeps people interested in the game - False!
It keeps people saying "Wow, I wish I could be playing with that right now", and then getting pissed off when they don't get it. One things I've learned about people in this world is that if something isn't easy or obvious, the bulk of the people will quit. Case in point, I have a friend who played 9 hours, and is in the top 40% of N7 rank. The very vast majority of people who played this game didn't play for very long.

2) It keeps it exciting, I never know what I'm going to get - False!
It was exciting at the beginning, when there were 6 UR weapons and no UR characters, and no gear, and less items overall. It got so watered down it got absurd. Also, without a pack that guarantees UR's, you're stuck after 200+ hours of needing nothing but UR, and getting loads of cryo ammo instead. After you max out your rare items, it truly becomes a grind, since you're not getting an upgrade every pack like you used to. Then the wonder and excitement wears off extremely fast.

3) People would just buy the good weapons and nothing else - False!
Put a level cap on it then. Besides, if people had credits piling up, you don't think they would buy other guns? Maybe make guns available after you're unlocked the gun "below" it. For example, guns would unlock for sale in this order Common->Uncommon->Rare->UR. Once you purchase all commons, you can then purchase uncommons in that guns category. So if you really really want the Harrier, you have to buy all of the Common, Uncommon, and Rare assault rifles before it. And then maybe you can level guns up by using them or by completing challenges in addition to "buying" more levels for them.

4) It adds to the longevity of the game - False!
This is similar to number 1. But it doesn't add any motivation. Motivation comes from a clearly defined goal, and a controllable way to reach it. If players don't see progress, or at least see the illusion that they can control the progress, they will get frustrated and quit (see point 1). I have friends with 300+ hours into MP and they don't even have some UR unlocked. That's insane. Most people don't have that kind of time to put into a game, especially if they don't have control over what they get. It took me 845 hours to max my manifest, which is close to average. That's not right. Think about it, that's almost 2 1/2 hours a night for a whole year.

I'll finish with this, if you don't give players the control over what they can get, or at least the illusion of control, they will leave. Mass Effect MP is far and away the best mp experience I've ever had, which is why I think so many people have stuck around this long. If it wasn't as fun to play, we all would have followed the other impatient people out the door a long time ago. If they added a pack that guarantees an UR, that would be a step in the right direction. But I like the ideas I've suggested above. I want to be able to level up the weapons I want, when I want. I want to be able to refill certain amps when I want. What's the downside? Player A will only use shotguns? Oh no! The player is having fun and using weapons they enjoy! How terrible! The player paid their money for the game, they should be allowed to play it how they want. Too many people have lost sight of the fact that these are video games. We play games to have fun. It's not meant to be a second job. Random is random, and random is stupid.

It's subjective in the end, some people like it and some don't - but it's hard to deny the success and the fact that 4 years after release quite a lot of people still play and enjoy it.

RNG in itself isn't that bad imo. I can run a parallel here to the most successful online game ever World of Warcraft (sorry MEMP but WoW is the best game I've ever played). In the WoW raids and dungeons the loot drops also came off random drop tables, and then when something dropped you really wanted there were several other people competing for that same drop (especially in the 25 man and 40 man raids), you could go through the same raid week after week after week until the next tier raid was launched without getting the loot you wanted, and still a ton of people kept doing it (and still do I suppose).

So I don't think RNG from that perspective is that bad, and in MEMP if you play long enough you get everything there is (there are plenty of games where that isn't the case and still people keep playing it).

Highly subjective, there is no right or wrong answer here.

[DisturbedPsic0]

It's subjective in the end, some people like it and some don't - but it's hard to deny the success and the fact that 4 years after release quite a lot of people still play and enjoy it.

RNG in itself isn't that bad imo. I can run a parallel here to the most successful online game ever World of Warcraft (sorry MEMP but WoW is the best game I've ever played). In the WoW raids and dungeons the loot drops also came off random drop tables, and then when something dropped you really wanted there were several other people competing for that same drop (especially in the 25 man and 40 man raids), you could go through the same raid week after week after week until the next tier raid was launched without getting the loot you wanted, and still a ton of people kept doing it (and still do I suppose).

So I don't think RNG from that perspective is that bad, and in MEMP if you play long enough you get everything there is (there are plenty of games where that isn't the case and still people keep playing it).

Highly subjective, there is no right or wrong answer here.

I still play the original Halo and KOTOR, and they are much older than ME3MP. I'm not going to assume people still play this game because of the RNG store. In fact, I'd wager to say they still play it in spite of the RNG store. They still play it because it's fun. I'm all for the player having control over what they get and how they use it, not for senseless grinding, which is why I don't play MMO's. There are very few things I hate with a passion in video game (they're games after all and don't affect my life in any meaningful way), but the RNG store is something I do hate with a passion. The sole idea of it irritates me. And the fact that EA had the stones to add microtransactions to a system that doesn't guarantee you get something is laughable at best, and criminal at worst.

[ROBOTICSUPERMAN]

I would like to keep the rng with 1 slight tweak. That the longer you play the game, the better your chances of getting something in a pack. Eg after playing a 100 hours, your chance increases by 1%. And increases every 100 hours.

[PatrickBateman]

I still play the original Halo and KOTOR, and they are much older than ME3MP. I'm not going to assume people still play this game because of the RNG store. In fact, I'd wager to say they still play it in spite of the RNG store. They still play it because it's fun. I'm all for the player having control over what they get and how they use it, not for senseless grinding, which is why I don't play MMO's. There are very few things I hate with a passion in video game (they're games after all and don't affect my life in any meaningful way), but the RNG store is something I do hate with a passion. The sole idea of it irritates me. And the fact that EA had the stones to add microtransactions to a system that doesn't guarantee you get something is laughable at best, and criminal at worst.

Yeah, buying the packs with real money is totally pointless, the chance of getting what you want that way is smaller than becoming a millionaire in the lottery, but none is forced to buy anything after all....

[Salarian Master Race]

RNG itself I am fine with.  It promotes diversity and prevents people from, as mentioned above, buying Harrier/Reegar/Black Widow X from Day 1.  Encourages you to experiment with weapons and kits you might not have played.  It is good for the early life of the game.

 

Here's where it starts to fall apart.  As time goes on, it simply becomes more and more frustrating.  Excess Ammo of one Type when you have only a few dozen of another, days or weeks without getting a single UR drop, Character Training for kits at max level, Explosive Ammo which is flat out broken and should have been removed, etc.  Perhaps simply adding one higher tier of Packs, at a dramatically increased cost but guaranteeing an Ultra Rare drop, would have alleviated much of the frustration.  Or acquiring a weapon is RNG, but once acquired, you can upgrade it directly for substantial credit investment (in addition to RNG upgrades of course).  Or having a separate "Ammo Drop" in packs which doesn't take up the same space as a potential Weapon Drop.

 

There are ways to tweak the ME3MP store, without going DAIMP mode which is probably the worst store not counting mobile games.

[Mgamerz]

At the very least I feel like using real money should increase your chances. Or spending more in game credits should put better odds. RNG makes the grind take a long time but it also keeps the 100%ers around longer too. It's a double edged machete.

[sabreracer]

Other than not unlocking the Lancer until I had everything but BBP, Spitfire and Venom maxed out I didn't have a big issue with the store.  However I was fairly lucky (maxed out by 880 hours)

 

I'd like to offer the Warframe marketplace as one that works.  

 

1) EVERY non-cosmetic is available without paying real money.

 

2) Weapons etc can be researched or blueprints bought with credits ( mission rewards like here).  Then they are built with resources gathered from missions.  Except Primes which are made from components awarded at the end of certain missions (random drops)

 

3) If you don't want to wait you can buy them outright but for quite high cash money they are still base level and need to be ranked up just as if they had been built, you are rewarded with a Catalyst and a slot to keep them.  You need to buy inventory room to store weapons and frames or else you are limited to just a couple of each however slots are not expensive.

 

4) Stuff can be traded/sold between players (not everything)

 

5) Drops are from a random pool but the pool is known so if you want X you play Y

 

It isn't pay to win but pay for convenience, but the game is free to play so they have to have some way to generate money.

 

It isn't perfect and the grind for the latest Prime stuff is very real but in the end you don't have to pay unless you want to.  

 

 

Moving to ME:A

 

Say you could drop the cash on a Claymore if you didn't want to wait for lady luck.

 

Claymore 1 costs $5

Claymore 2 costs $10

etc

 

But you must have 1 before you can get 2 just like in ME3 not like DAMP where you drop a Sulievan on day one and not use anything else until 6 months later when there is finally something better. 

[Loufi]

To sum up my position : I'm OK to grind on to unlock characters and weapons, but I want a full control over the consumables I buy.

 

Now more precisely, I want  a grinding based on challenges completion rather than credits. In this system, you start with the equivalent of common weapons and characters in ME3 but, after successfully using them (scoring x points with the weapon, or extracting y times with the character, for instance), you unlock the uncommon weapon / character of the same category, and so on. This could makes sense from a story point of view : soldiers who prove their value on the battlefield progressively receive better equipment. 

 

Completing a match still gives credits, but they can be used only to buy consumables. This is potentially a way to reduce leeching : if you don't contribute much to the game, you aren't rewarded much. The possible drawback is of course to encourage scorewhoring : so Bioware would need to find a way to also reward teamwork, for example by giving a credit bonus for revives. We see here how the perfect system is hard to find ; solving a problem can create an other one...

 

Of course, all of this is viewed from a player perspective : we would need the inside economic data from Bioware to have a more meaningful opinion. I mean that the goal of EA is of course to maximize the revenue they get from micro-transactions, and thus they need to give enough incentives to people to buy packs with real money. Packs with consumables only would certainly not give those incentives, so Bioware would probably need to keep something from the present system : packs with both consumables and a chance to unlock ultra-rare stuff. I also have in mind that modifying the store system can potentially affect the whole economic model of the game over its course : if EA gets less money from microtransactions, will that mean less DLCs ? Or charged DLCs ? I would like a longer support for the next game, not a shorter one...

[DarkOrgasm]

Aerial bombardment of the store is not available, sweep the area for other information, hack the router if possible to insure successful of your weapons

[TheNightSlasher]

Eh, I don't necessarily hate the concept of RNG but I'd like to see better implementation.

 

RNG with some sort of feedback would be nice. For example, every pack without a UR will increase the drop rate of a UR in the next. And if you go 5 PSP or so without a UR unlock, the 6th one is guaranteed to have a UR card. And when you get a UR, the drop rate counter will reset to its default value. 

 

Weapons amps should have similar feedback. If I'm using shotguns way more than snipers, then the shotgun drop rate should be increased when I buy packs. Same thing for ammo. Oh and there should be a cap of 255 on all in-game consumables. 

 

Personally, I'd hate a store where I can buy whatever URs I want. I'd be happy if the time for completing the manifest is ~200 hrs.

[Mgamerz]

Aerial bombardment of the store is not available, sweep the area for other information, hack the router if possible to insure successful of your weapons

HACK THR CORE!

[bauzabauza]

 

Main reason for me to favour RNG is that it has to cover players that have played 10 hours,

as well as 1000 hours, holding up the long-term motivation.

 

Please imagine what would have happened if you could have bought your favourite weapon directly - even if it came at

a very high price.

 

ALso,  think of all those weapons that you have tried just because you have received them - and later grew on you.

Maybe it is similar to the challenges that make you try new things of which many later turn out to be great alternatives.

 

The bottom line is:

My suggestion would be an RNG-store - HOWEVER with the possibility to directly pick and buy consumables.

 

Other suggestions were made to pair RNG with the completed challenges somehow. This really sounded interesting!

 

 

I do not share your opinion, I take 800hrs to finish the inventory with all UR and i spent 1850hrs playing the game just becuse is a good game and i find friends to play games for more than 1050hrs, for me RNG system is a tedious way to get you money, the challenge system is good becuase if want earn an achievement with that crappy weapon, well you'll have to get it and use it, and not spend hundreds hrs trying to get that crappy weapon

[sabreracer]

I would like to keep the rng with 1 slight tweak. That the longer you play the game, the better your chances of getting something in a pack. Eg after playing a 100 hours, your chance increases by 1%. And increases every 100 hours.

 

Ohh missed this before.

 

This did get implemented into the DAMP store near the end.

 

Chests opened/Gold spent in store adds to your loot score

 

Depending on the "Bucket" you have filled determines the chances of better loot.

 

So for example Tier 1 you get mostly level 1-6, Tier 2 level 2-8 etc.

 

You can still pull a high level @ T1 but it's something like 1% whereas @ T7 it's 10% (just making numbers up here)

[larsdt]

Maybe it's the diminishing return that frustrates. With a new manifest, just about anything you buy is good.

[Cryos_Feron]

No. Reading your title has made my day worse. I'll try and show you the light. 

 

Well, your reply did NOT make my day worse.  Maybe my OP did not sound like it, but I am thankful for counter arguments and thoughts.

And basically I agree with many of your points.

 

My main point is that people just shout and complain about RNG without really thinking about possible alternatives and thinking these alternatives through to the end.

It seems obvious that you are not one of these people.

 

 

1) It keeps people interested in the game - False!

It keeps people saying "Wow, I wish I could be playing with that right now", and then getting pissed off when they don't get it. One things I've learned about people in this world is that if something isn't easy or obvious, the bulk of the people will quit. Case in point, I have a friend who played 9 hours, and is in the top 40% of N7 rank. The very vast majority of people who played this game didn't play for very long.

 

I wasn't even thinking of those who don't even stay longer than 9 hours.
 

2) It keeps it exciting, I never know what I'm going to get - False!

It was exciting at the beginning, when there were 6 UR weapons and no UR characters, and no gear, and less items overall. It got so watered down it got absurd. Also, without a pack that guarantees UR's, you're stuck after 200+ hours of needing nothing but UR, and getting loads of cryo ammo instead. After you max out your rare items, it truly becomes a grind, since you're not getting an upgrade every pack like you used to. Then the wonder and excitement wears off extremely fast.

 

I am a good example for someone who enjoys the pure gameplay. I keep playing and have fun - even after having maxed all weapons
and I am with you: the game itself should be worth playing.  Actually this is another thing that distinguishes it from DAI where you just "press buttons" and walk through tube-levels.

 

However, grinding for new gear has been really fun! Especially before I started grinding for only the UR's - but even from then it wasn't too bad either because unlike DAI you don't get duplicates and I always knew that I was working towards something. In fact, it was nice that even after 1000 hours there were new upgrades I could get.

But I'll admit that something needs to be changed there in terms of the UR's.

About the consumables:  I already wrote that it definitely should be possible to buy them directly without RNG.
 

 

 

3) People would just buy the good weapons and nothing else - False!

Put a level cap on it then. Besides, if people had credits piling up, you don't think they would buy other guns? Maybe make guns available after you're unlocked the gun "below" it. For example, guns would unlock for sale in this order Common->Uncommon->Rare->UR. Once you purchase all commons, you can then purchase uncommons in that guns category. So if you really really want the Harrier, you have to buy all of the Common, Uncommon, and Rare assault rifles before it. And then maybe you can level guns up by using them or by completing challenges in addition to "buying" more levels for them. 

 

Agreed - there has to be some kind of "obstacle".  then it might be ok to directly buy things.  But still the variety of your used weapons would be way smaller at the end then. I am quite sure of that.

So RNG (without duplicates) still is the best solution for me - even though I speak from experience and would have given my all for a BW upgrade back then ;-)

 

 

4) It adds to the longevity of the game - False!

This is similar to number 1. But it doesn't add any motivation. Motivation comes from a clearly defined goal, and a controllable way to reach it. If players don't see progress, or at least see the illusion that they can control the progress, they will get frustrated and quit (see point 1). I have friends with 300+ hours into MP and they don't even have some UR unlocked. That's insane. Most people don't have that kind of time to put into a game, especially if they don't have control over what they get. It took me 845 hours to max my manifest, which is close to average. That's not right. Think about it, that's almost 2 1/2 hours a night for a whole year.

 

I already replied to that point above.  

 

I consider grinding for new things only a part of the overall-fun.  BUT IT CLEARLY IS A PART.

And for some people this part is bigger than for others.    For some this is the thing they need to get hooked on a game.
 

 

I'll finish with this, if you don't give players the control over what they can get, or at least the illusion of control, they will leave. Mass Effect MP is far and away the best mp experience I've ever had, which is why I think so many people have stuck around this long. If it wasn't as fun to play, we all would have followed the other impatient people out the door a long time ago. If they added a pack that guarantees an UR, that would be a step in the right direction. But I like the ideas I've suggested above. I want to be able to level up the weapons I want, when I want. I want to be able to refill certain amps when I want. What's the downside? Player A will only use shotguns? Oh no! The player is having fun and using weapons they enjoy! How terrible! The player paid their money for the game, they should be allowed to play it how they want. Too many people have lost sight of the fact that these are video games. We play games to have fun. It's not meant to be a second job. Random is random, and random is stupid. 

 

I already replied to that and agree to many aspects.

Just that much:  I never used Shotguns for like 1000 hours.  Shortage of Sniper/Pistol amps and getting rid of my 255 Shotgun-Amps brought me to loving shotguns today.
 

Anyways, of course consumables MUST be possible to be bought directly.

 

 

 

And not even 100 Marauder-Ellbows can convince me to ever put real money into a RNG lottery ;-)     Sorry EA

It is just that I see the advantages of RNG - ..... RNG that must be modified according to many suggestions I have read here.
 

[darth_3lmo]

Timely topic, with lots of good ideas. I wish ME3 didn't have such a short active-support lifetime; then some of these ideas might actually end up being implemented.

 

But as several have noted, the joke is on EA: I too am in the "won't pay real-world $ for RNG lottery tickets" camp. If we must put up with a 100% RNG-based store, at least this one incentivizes playing the actual game more than it incentivizes simply plonking down cash.

 

But having said that, can you even imagine a grocery store that sold only plain brown boxes of food, with the cheaper boxes labeled "Basic Food Items, Unspecified" and more expensive boxes labeled "Food, with the possibility of one steak! (May instead just contain a bunch of stuff you're allergic to)" ?

[ROBOTICSUPERMAN]

You can still pull a high level @ T1 but it's something like 1% whereas @ T7 it's 10% (just making numbers up here)

It's fine, statistics are made up all the time,

40% of all people know that.