Frontier Coin Shop Update - Alexander Eddie Debut!

[Sponholz]

Sparton, I Like you man, I really do, I know you are doing your job and, to be honest, you are indeed good at calming most people down here on the forum.

But...

The price is too damn high, I can understand all that you said, and still, the price is too high, I mean there is a LOT of things to be bought with Frontier now, 5x Liliths = 700 x 5 = 3500 Frontier Coins, plus 2500 from Alexander = 6000.

Ok I know we don't have to buy everything, I got it, but again, this is a game about collecting characters (sadly the only "new" content we get every and each month), and using myself as example, who plays daily, by the time I get 2500 FC, I am pretty damn sure another character will be available there, making the "Long term" commitment a perpetual one.

We are almost at the 5th month of the year, 4 full months have passed, 1/3 of the year gone... and I will just leave this here for you:

Legacy of the Beast State of the Nation 2018

And I must ask: Only Relics (which I still think were rushed, but whatever) was delivered, with so many promises made on that post, do you really think NF will deliver what was promised for 2018? If you ask me, I would say, hell no.

...Cmdr. Ed. Out!

[Nicko]

Sparton,

NF is lucky to have you on board - I see many of your points – well articulated as always. Your frustration came through in the last post; not in a bad way – but an authentic way – and authenticity is always good. It’s appreciated.

But obviously there are a good amount of frustrated players, and I think a lot of it has to do with sequencing, communication, and new content – or lack thereof.

Quite frankly I’m surprised you didn’t see this backlash coming. As soon as the opportunity to earn Alexander with Frontier coins was posted - combined with the soul packs - my friends and I said – “uh oh”.

When the Beast event came out – a toon that is probably the most desired, most legendary character in the Maiden collective (second only to Eddie) – everyone was obviously targeting him. Yes, there was a free way to get him – but it was a lot of work for that small amount of souls – and with the drop rates the odds were slim – and then shouts of “pay to win” come about because there was also the opportunity to buy souls. And of course more souls = more chances to win, but JJJ got TWO Beasts with a tiny number of souls – and I know one player who spent north of 10,000 Ironite and didn’t get him. So my point is while it wasn’t truly pay to win – even 10,000+ Ironite couldn’t buy him – it appeared that way at first glance.

Then – without any notice – all of a sudden Alexander comes out days after – without a Facebook promo or other notice – it compounded the situation. Yes, active players can earn FC (especially during the awesome Lilith and Allied Soldier type events) regularly – and some have a stockpile – but the focus for many was on those soul packs. Yet again – depending on the lens with one views this - it appeared as “pay to win” was rearing it’s ugly head. Again, as you pointed out - this is not the case. Time will earn him. But that will take a LONG time for many players.

My own thoughts on this? First, I think these issues are mainly issues for collectionists. Carlos, Fallen Angel, Kamuz, and every other top player will do just as well with or without The Beast and Alexander. New toons are fun – but neither of these are big difference makers. Everyone needs to keep that in mind. Second, the proximity of two super-desirable toons released back to back - with an increased (or guaranteed) chance of getting them by shelling out dollars for souls or soul packs – was just awful sequencing. Live and learn – but I don’t think it’s difficult to see how it created a sour taste for many players. You made good points on the individual merits of each event – but the sequencing bombed in the context of today’s playing environment.

And what is that environment? It’s the main issue here – the recurrent theme - and that’s lack of new content. I think if these had been nestled within new content – a different reaction would have been had. But when the only new thing going on in the game is the opportunity to add new toons – with an opportunity to accelerate that via purchases – the p2w theme will rear it’s head. Is it true? Ask Carlos - of course not – it’s “pay to accelerate the process of collecting all toons” – but owning The Beast and Alexander will not matter in the arena. That requires two Beasts

I see your perspective on wanting to get Gauntlet right before beta. Release it too soon and the forums will light up with rants about bugs. But wait too long and your player base may be too far gone. When Slauki tapers off that’s an ominous sign. Night City and Silent Planet are SOON as in an acronym – Seriously Overpromised Obviously Never. Are these ever coming?

To wrap up, as I’ve said before we all make our own choices in life. We know what this game is about in it’s current state and it’s our choice to participate and to spend resources – both time and money. Any one of us can just walk away. But no one here wants that - we all want this better – so even though being a developer requires some pretty thick skin – I don’t think it’s difficult to see where the sentiments on this thread are coming from – and learn from them moving forward.

[Sponholz]

Well said Nicko, I guess we are on the same page regarding the worries about the game.

I always said that If I didn't liked LotB I woudn't spend a LOT of my time reading and replying here.

... Cmdr. Ed. Out!

[PerthEddie]

Just want to try another spin on this. As some of you know I am a casual player these days and don't play the game every day. I should know this but I can't remember but is the only way to get Frontier Coins is by opening Eternal Souls? If it is then how is a casual player who doesn't play Arena supposed to get this character? The only way I can see is to buy 2 of the expensive store packs. So, do I pay $200 to get this new Eddie or, keep my money in my pocket, wait until October and spend half that amount on Red Dead Recemption 2 for my PS4 and get loads more fun with that? Sorry NF - you lose :-/

[Yup]

Perth, you also get FC via Trooper and Lilith souls. So you can buy the 50 per week trooper frags with trooper badges... then once a month get a trooper soul and subsequently 100 FC. Of course, that's 2 years of time before you have 2500FC that way. And it assume you don't want to spend FC on anything else, existing or the next 2500FC toon to be released.

I feel, they are pricing things for the people who have been playing for 2 years and have been at the top of the arena for a year or more. My strong impression is, Devs aren't pricing content for the bulk of users, only a select few with stockpiles.. same thing they did with Relics. Reward 1-5% of players.. forget the other 95-99%.

[Nicko]

Perth, you also get FC via Trooper and Lilith souls. So you can buy the 50 per week trooper frags with trooper badges... then once a month get a trooper soul and subsequently 100 FC. Of course, that's 2 years of time before you have 2500FC that way. And it assume you don't want to spend FC on anything else, existing or the next 2500FC toon to be released.

I feel, they are pricing things for the people who have been playing for 2 years and have been at the top of the arena for a year or more. My strong impression is, Devs aren't pricing content for the bulk of users, only a select few with stockpiles.. same thing they did with Relics. Reward 1-5% of players.. forget the other 95-99%.

I see this as different from relics - and I would agree with you that relics favor the long term player. Those players had a stockpile of IC and the purchase of relics directly improves arena performance.

Frontier coins, however, are a fairly new addition so a lot of players right now are on equal ground. And most of the toons that can help in the arena like Lilith are achievable after a reasonable amount of consistent playing. Alexander may be considered the new exception - he'll take forever.

It does beg a question though - this game is ftp - but also has to stay in business - and that means making a profit. If the same benefits were extended to those who choose to not pay for just a little more effort - why would anyone choose to pay? They have to extend a fairly significant benefit to those who support the game financially. I get it. As I mentioned both the Beast and Alexander are elective - you can play and be just as competitive in PvP without them.

The model may not me to everyone's liking because things can be considered pretty expensive and I've seen it argued NF would come out better with more reasonable prices because more players would then purchase items and support the game. That may or may not be true - I'm sure NF has business specialists that consider all that and price accordingly. But ultimately they do have to make it worthwhile for those who keep the game in business.

[Mercifal]

Looking at the horrendously high price of Alexander Eddie, I'm starting to suspect that NF has some sort of idea or plan for getting Frontier Coins. Maybe it will be a reward for the gauntlet, maybe they'll open the Silent Planet, who knows.

[Yup]

I think I read a study someplace regarding Angry Birds.. and how less than 5% of players ever spend a penny... but that 5% made them millionaires.. so....

The thing with FC.. is that if you had all the Eternals last year... got the Troopers shortly after their release months ago.. you've had nothing to do with FC up until the Liliths. If you got good drops during the soul event or frag events, you may not have needed FC to get any Liliths.. I only need to buy 1 Lilith with FC. So it's not difficult for long term players to quickly gain a stockpile of special in-game currency.

I kind of feel the pricing structure is based upon those stockpiles, not the average player. That's where I think there's a disconnect. Sparton specifically posted that "many players have over 1000 FC". I don't know how many "many" is.. but I wonder how that "many" relates to players overall as in 1% of players? 5%? 10%? 50%?

[ill]

Happy to pass my crown over to Alexander. Feel free to add me to your trooper list if you want to take him for a test drive: ill-5347. Thanks Sparton, Kaz and crew for the addition. As always we appreciate all of your hard work. Also, I'm happy to provide support towards future investment in new content. Yes, I share frustration against the RNG. I would put my lack of luck up against just about anyone...but that's ok realizing I don't need every new character immediately to enjoy the game. Personally as a working professional an afternoon's pay every so often is worth the countless hours of entertainment. I'm also thankful to all my friends here on the forum who I've learned various strategies to enhance my game playing ability. Keep up the great work!

[edsel]

Buying entertainment is something we all do at various levels. I appreciate all the work NF does. 200 dollar Eddie? Not today, but I do spend 10/month for ironite daily pack to have enough for events to run through the night to collect fragments like the recent soldier one. Back in 1986 I spent 5-10 dollars in quarters feeding the original hack and slash dungeon crawl video game called the Gauntlet (while listening to Maiden of course!). This one was very similar to Legacy, and when your player ran low on health you could put in more quarters to continue playing. The players, up to four at once in the arcade version, select among four playable fantasy-based characters: Thor, a Warrior; Merlin, a Wizard; Thyra, a Valkyrie; or Questor, an Elf. Each character has his or her own unique strength and weaknesses. For example, the Warrior is strongest in hand-to-hand combat, the Wizard has the most powerful magic, the Valkyrie has the best armor and the Elf is the fastest in movement. Killing enemy ghosts and "death", collecting potions, keys, upgrading skills

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7mMJio2MO6w