Easiest fix for Arena collusion/shard-chart

"Graives;c-1549097" wrote:

"leef;c-1549063" wrote:
I can assure you that 99% of the players have an easier time in arean than players on shardchats that compete for top ranks.
Being on a shardchat doesn't magically result in a top rank each day. That's just misconception. You still need to grind to get as high as you can. If you can't reach the top ranks, there's litterally no benefit in being on a shard chat.
The big difference between top ranks and low ranks is that the difference in pay-out is quite large, while the difference in rank is quite small. If you get drop from #110 to #180 it's not a big deal, if you get drop from #1 to #11 you're getting 300 crystals less. Not because of the grind, but because people are attacking you last minute. That's why people are on shardchats.

Obviously, but I didn't say it easier or harder, just that those people would have to play the same as the other 99%.

It's not the same, it's never going to be the same. Even on a shard without cooperation (if it exists), playing for top ranks is entirely different than not playing for top ranks. So what you want is impossible.

But it seems like you are saying that coming up with a way to remove the potential benefit of shard-chatting would actually make it easier for shard-chatters to play the game? They could just ... play their nodes like the rest of us and hope for the best?

That's not what i'm saying at all. I'm saying that even with cooperation it takes way more effort and/or a better team to get top5 consistandly than it takes to get top100 consistandly.

But I guess it's how you define "easier." Is "easier" having a guaranteed crystal advantage to upgrade gear faster and SIM nodes more quickly than the other guy?

There is no guaranteed crystals advantage, if for some reason you can't reach top ranks, the shard chat isn't going to guarantee sith. No matter what you think of shardchats, those crystals are still earned and not just handed out because you're on a shardchat.

Is it easier to hold the ... say... #4 spot if you have a team of 10 people dedicated to knocking down any outsiders who might challenge you? I mean... it's all relative and subjective. If I make it to rank 100, or 50, or 20, or whatever, nobody is there to keep someone from sniping that spot other than me. Trust me, people still attack you last minute at 100 and 50 and any other milestone.

It's definately easier to maintain #4 if a team of 10 people are dedicated to knocking down any outsiders who might challenge you. I do not think there are many shardchats out there that have a group of 10 players (or players at all) dedicated to protect pay-outs throughout the day though. Personally i'm not a fan of that kind of behaviour either. I'm however a big fan of not messing with eachothers pay-out. Taking #2 instead of spiping #1 from #5 for example, working together that way is just beneficial for both and hurts no one.
Obviously you can still get sniped for the top50 and top100, but lets not pretent that it's remotely the same as in the top10.

I did agree with xeynx above that the crystals were part of the problem -- I should clarify that I mean the payout disparity between the ranks.

Ha ! common ground ! Without the disparity there woud be less sniping, so less need for shardchats. I just dislike sniping. Shardchats make that aspect more "managable". I'm all for competition, but when you reach a certain point the only way to improve/maintain your rank is by being online at the right time and do the whole locking/sniping dance. Not something that i consider to be fun, neither do i consider it to be a suitable way to determine rank. It's just lame, but that's a personal opinion.