Capital Games TeamThis is absurd.
"The core problem is that Relics don't have a scalable system component promoting and rewarding investment."
Your whole point is simply not true. That is what stats are for. You say you can't because "The value that players receive from their prior investment and upcoming investment goals changes." You will have this exact same problem with Relic Delta but over a much larger scale. Your other "potential options" are full of issues too. "Players eventually have enough resources to take the entire roster to R9." Who? The end game players who have spent 10 years building everything and the Whales that spend thousands of dollars? With the rate of Marquees coming out, there is absolutely no way your regular F2P will reach that point in any surmountable time period. " R10 exists with no new content to support it." Did you not just say everyone will have R9, so why not give them something else to chase? And, why is there no new content to support it? Make content for it. Make the stats worth chasing. Add more tiers to TW brackets. Add another raid crate. Add a new TB Planet. This clearly isn't an issue if you are implementing R10 anyways. I think the real explanation is obvious though. This new system does not "requir(e) bandwidth from developers to balance and maintain bespoke bonuses." You do not have to balance the game because the Whales will simply be in the best position.