Let's Talk About Pre-Crafting (2.0)
I'd like to open a discussion about an issue that has remained neglected over the past few weeks despite justifiable outcry from the community: pre-crafting 2.0
This issue traces its inception to the horrendously sloppy mod update of July 12 (manual) / July 13 (automatic), when the game's fifth progression system was formally introduced. This update allowed players to acquire mods through battles and challenges at an inexplicably high drop rate of 100%. By investing a great deal of crystals in cantina refills, many players were easily able to stockpile enough 5 dot health mods to outfit an entire arena squad and perhaps many other toons in their roster as well.
Within a few days, however, the dev team decided to respond to player criticism (aimed mostly at balance issues) by rolling out a non sequitur of an update which massively nerfed the mod drop rate and even introduced 3 dot and 4 dot mods into the possible rewards for T3 challenges. What is more, they decided to 'flatten' the level curve on mod leveling essentially making it much more likely that mods will cost many more credits to level up. These announced changes created the brief window in which pre-crafting 2.0 took place, when players capitalized on the 100% drop rate and cheaper mod leveling for as along as they could before the new update drastically changed these mechanics and opened a rift between the haves and the have-nots. This was nothing less than an officially sanctioned exploit allowing certain players to glean an unfair advantage before the window closed on the rest of the unwitting or unwilling player base.
Now, some might argue that the balance readjustments subsequently made to mods has offset the broader impact of pre-crafting 2.0, as mods are not as devastatingly powerful as they once were. Nevertheless, those who pre-crafted a large stock of 5 dot health mods still enjoy a significant advantage. To illustrate, they are much more likely to have acquired one or more arrows with speed primary, triangles with crit damage primary, or pluses with potency primary, not to mention the credits saved with the cheaper leveling cost. With 5 dot rarity, these bonuses at level 15 can be huge, and give the precrafters much more versatility in customizing powerful and effective squads in the arena and in rancor raids.
Pre-crafting 2.0 is not something that should be dismissed or ignored. The last time pre-crafting happened with raid gear, the devs downplayed its impact by giving us statistics about the frequency at which it had occurred along with the average number of items pre-crafted. I would like to see some statistics on how many 5 dot health mods were farmed by the player base during the 100% drop window. A simple histogram would be ideal, as it would show differences in the number of mods acquired along with what proportion of the player base is represented at each interval.
Along with making this information public, the issue must also be addressed in a real way which actually benefits the players- simply allowing us to purchase 5 dot mods from mod shipments at extortionary prices does not fix the issue. At the very least, I would like to see 3 and 4 dot mods taken out of T3 mod challenges and for the drop rate to be somewhere around 40%. Cantina energy is scarce, and spending 100 of it for an average of 4 high rarity mods (which still might not be the ideal ones you are looking for) seems absolutely fair. Furthermore, the chance for lucky rolls on mod leveling should be increased- if not returned to its original level. I could abide the current cost if mods had been introduced as an end-game feature after we had already hit the final level cap, but since they were introduced this early on they should not come with such a steep price tag.
Let's be honest, the mod drop rate should never have been 100% to begin with, and I wouldn't dream of asking to return it that high. But we should still reasonably expect to acquire something of value when spending large quantities of cantina energy. Repeatedly coming up empty-handed is the kind of disheartening outcome that ultimately hurts the longevity of this game that we all love. I believe that having an open, transparent conversation about the issue of pre-crafting 2.0 and making some player-oriented changes like the ones proposed here could go a long way toward showing goodwill to veteran players and restoring our faith in the development team. We truly do not want to be hesitant in supporting this game financially; if your love for this game and its players shines through in subsequent updates, I guarantee we will be more than happy to reciprocate.
@CG_JohnSalera @EA_Jesse @CG_NotReallyAJedi
This issue traces its inception to the horrendously sloppy mod update of July 12 (manual) / July 13 (automatic), when the game's fifth progression system was formally introduced. This update allowed players to acquire mods through battles and challenges at an inexplicably high drop rate of 100%. By investing a great deal of crystals in cantina refills, many players were easily able to stockpile enough 5 dot health mods to outfit an entire arena squad and perhaps many other toons in their roster as well.
Within a few days, however, the dev team decided to respond to player criticism (aimed mostly at balance issues) by rolling out a non sequitur of an update which massively nerfed the mod drop rate and even introduced 3 dot and 4 dot mods into the possible rewards for T3 challenges. What is more, they decided to 'flatten' the level curve on mod leveling essentially making it much more likely that mods will cost many more credits to level up. These announced changes created the brief window in which pre-crafting 2.0 took place, when players capitalized on the 100% drop rate and cheaper mod leveling for as along as they could before the new update drastically changed these mechanics and opened a rift between the haves and the have-nots. This was nothing less than an officially sanctioned exploit allowing certain players to glean an unfair advantage before the window closed on the rest of the unwitting or unwilling player base.
Now, some might argue that the balance readjustments subsequently made to mods has offset the broader impact of pre-crafting 2.0, as mods are not as devastatingly powerful as they once were. Nevertheless, those who pre-crafted a large stock of 5 dot health mods still enjoy a significant advantage. To illustrate, they are much more likely to have acquired one or more arrows with speed primary, triangles with crit damage primary, or pluses with potency primary, not to mention the credits saved with the cheaper leveling cost. With 5 dot rarity, these bonuses at level 15 can be huge, and give the precrafters much more versatility in customizing powerful and effective squads in the arena and in rancor raids.
Pre-crafting 2.0 is not something that should be dismissed or ignored. The last time pre-crafting happened with raid gear, the devs downplayed its impact by giving us statistics about the frequency at which it had occurred along with the average number of items pre-crafted. I would like to see some statistics on how many 5 dot health mods were farmed by the player base during the 100% drop window. A simple histogram would be ideal, as it would show differences in the number of mods acquired along with what proportion of the player base is represented at each interval.
Along with making this information public, the issue must also be addressed in a real way which actually benefits the players- simply allowing us to purchase 5 dot mods from mod shipments at extortionary prices does not fix the issue. At the very least, I would like to see 3 and 4 dot mods taken out of T3 mod challenges and for the drop rate to be somewhere around 40%. Cantina energy is scarce, and spending 100 of it for an average of 4 high rarity mods (which still might not be the ideal ones you are looking for) seems absolutely fair. Furthermore, the chance for lucky rolls on mod leveling should be increased- if not returned to its original level. I could abide the current cost if mods had been introduced as an end-game feature after we had already hit the final level cap, but since they were introduced this early on they should not come with such a steep price tag.
Let's be honest, the mod drop rate should never have been 100% to begin with, and I wouldn't dream of asking to return it that high. But we should still reasonably expect to acquire something of value when spending large quantities of cantina energy. Repeatedly coming up empty-handed is the kind of disheartening outcome that ultimately hurts the longevity of this game that we all love. I believe that having an open, transparent conversation about the issue of pre-crafting 2.0 and making some player-oriented changes like the ones proposed here could go a long way toward showing goodwill to veteran players and restoring our faith in the development team. We truly do not want to be hesitant in supporting this game financially; if your love for this game and its players shines through in subsequent updates, I guarantee we will be more than happy to reciprocate.
@CG_JohnSalera @EA_Jesse @CG_NotReallyAJedi
