Returning Players Should just auto-quit
I had been gone for four years. I paid a lot of money into the game when I first played--too much probably which I own and take responsibility for.
I came back to see what the game is like, and enjoy it in a different way, however, in my opinion, the game is more hostile to returning players than to any other sort of player--which makes zero sense to me. If CG/EA want account buying to remain against EULA, and not the de facto best way to enter into their game, they really should look at the returning player experience very closely.
Here is a list of absurd challenges that has me thinking quit immediately:
--GAC. Returning from a pre-GL period of the game, makes GAC literally hopeless. GLs are a year away, maybe more for an f2p or dolphin type. Having an old roster puts you at a high enough GP level where you will face GL characters every single match. Broken, not fun, time to quit.
--Fleet Arena. Zero crystal income possible. Sure, sure, i get it, you should not be allowed to climb right back to the top. Fine, fine, allow returning players to join a new fleet arena or something. Why stick around if I can't make any crystals daily? Broken, not fun, time to quit
--No way to get to Relic 8. With an older roster, no guilds doing any endgame content want you at all. Without the ability to get to Relic 8 and 9 for GL or top fleets, this is a multi-year grind to rejoin the game. (Even more broken when it comes to Conquest and the bonkers buffs the teams have. You really need Relic 8 and 9 here) Broken, not fun, time to quit
--While away, many new characters were released--duh, of course. However, the way the relic system is setup, it's a choice for players to farm EITHER, gear to relic, OR, shards for characters. For a returning player, this is a terrible choice to force upon them. For players who have persisted, it's a fine/great choice. Returning player, Broken, not fun, time to quit.
--Access to the g12+ pieces is been nerfed into the ground so hard it's insane (I used to get so much out of Sith Raid in the old days it was insane.. Again, see above, can't get into guild doing Krayt, so you have no access to the t3 tokens, AND, you need to use some of those tokens for shards. Again, I see how this system works well for the persisting players, but for returning players: Broken, not fun, time to quit.
--Kyrotech--Similar to the choice/no-choice above for other items. If you've been with the game for ages, the choice to Relic a character vs. gear up a new toon at g9 using Kyro is a meaningful choice, for a returning player, it's misery on top of misery. The overall access to kyro is so low it's broken stupid. Perhaps this is better if you have the T3 currency, or, you know, can actually get currency from GAC (see above, GAC is busted as crap for returning players), so again, Broken, not fun, time to quit.
I don't know if CG/EA really care about returning players at all, but the Hyrperspeed Bundle really only seems good for new players, and those recent light speed bundles were ok for returning players, I got a few relic toons out of those, but Raddus and Finalizer? pfft, months, AND, they will help me not at all in my fleet shard from years ago which all have Leviathan and Profundity.
The current model looks like: Old players? Cool, we love you guys, game is designed for you mostly. New Players? Eh, sure, here are some catchup mechanisms. Returning players? just delete and go away.
Sad really. Still enjoy the game overall, but the systems are still punishing and the on-ramps aren't there.
I came back to see what the game is like, and enjoy it in a different way, however, in my opinion, the game is more hostile to returning players than to any other sort of player--which makes zero sense to me. If CG/EA want account buying to remain against EULA, and not the de facto best way to enter into their game, they really should look at the returning player experience very closely.
Here is a list of absurd challenges that has me thinking quit immediately:
--GAC. Returning from a pre-GL period of the game, makes GAC literally hopeless. GLs are a year away, maybe more for an f2p or dolphin type. Having an old roster puts you at a high enough GP level where you will face GL characters every single match. Broken, not fun, time to quit.
--Fleet Arena. Zero crystal income possible. Sure, sure, i get it, you should not be allowed to climb right back to the top. Fine, fine, allow returning players to join a new fleet arena or something. Why stick around if I can't make any crystals daily? Broken, not fun, time to quit
--No way to get to Relic 8. With an older roster, no guilds doing any endgame content want you at all. Without the ability to get to Relic 8 and 9 for GL or top fleets, this is a multi-year grind to rejoin the game. (Even more broken when it comes to Conquest and the bonkers buffs the teams have. You really need Relic 8 and 9 here) Broken, not fun, time to quit
--While away, many new characters were released--duh, of course. However, the way the relic system is setup, it's a choice for players to farm EITHER, gear to relic, OR, shards for characters. For a returning player, this is a terrible choice to force upon them. For players who have persisted, it's a fine/great choice. Returning player, Broken, not fun, time to quit.
--Access to the g12+ pieces is been nerfed into the ground so hard it's insane (I used to get so much out of Sith Raid in the old days it was insane.. Again, see above, can't get into guild doing Krayt, so you have no access to the t3 tokens, AND, you need to use some of those tokens for shards. Again, I see how this system works well for the persisting players, but for returning players: Broken, not fun, time to quit.
--Kyrotech--Similar to the choice/no-choice above for other items. If you've been with the game for ages, the choice to Relic a character vs. gear up a new toon at g9 using Kyro is a meaningful choice, for a returning player, it's misery on top of misery. The overall access to kyro is so low it's broken stupid. Perhaps this is better if you have the T3 currency, or, you know, can actually get currency from GAC (see above, GAC is busted as crap for returning players), so again, Broken, not fun, time to quit.
I don't know if CG/EA really care about returning players at all, but the Hyrperspeed Bundle really only seems good for new players, and those recent light speed bundles were ok for returning players, I got a few relic toons out of those, but Raddus and Finalizer? pfft, months, AND, they will help me not at all in my fleet shard from years ago which all have Leviathan and Profundity.
The current model looks like: Old players? Cool, we love you guys, game is designed for you mostly. New Players? Eh, sure, here are some catchup mechanisms. Returning players? just delete and go away.
Sad really. Still enjoy the game overall, but the systems are still punishing and the on-ramps aren't there.
