Suggestion: 3250 Favour: unlock hard/elite for TR1/2+

[wax_on_wax_off]

Problem: Legendary characters (regardless of account type) need access to the full potential of the Bravery bonus to make it worthwhile enough to level and hence maximise revenue from XP pots, adventure packs and true hearts of wood.
Solution: Detailed below.

Caveat: Hard access only isn't an option as in 99% of situations it would give better XP/minute to run N*7, H, E. Elite access gives ~5% XP advantage in most situations.

Having followed the off topic discussion in the other thread I wanted to submit an idea inspired by the below Developer comments:

Well, as it happens we won't be giving everyone the ability to open on Elite, so it remains a VIP perk for the time being.

We are looking into letting characters who TR get access though - as someone suggested earlier in this thread.

Madfloyd since you wanted to help TRs get xp easier than having to run so many normal difficulties all the time why dont you allow all TRs (only TR), premium included, to be able to open on elite.

Great suggestion.

Solution to the specific issue of multiple TR'd characters being restricted (by time) to patterns of N*7/H/E runs which is boring and causes burn outs:

3250 Favour Reward: Heroes Access. This gives access to an exclusive shop.
Included items:
Heroes Bell of Admission
Cost: 10 TP, 1 Epic Dungeon Token, 50,000 platinum.
Charges: 100
Function: Allows a Hero character (34 point build) to access a quest on Hard
Announce your presence to your enemies and strike fear into them!

Legendary Gong of Admission
Cost: 25 TP, 3 Epic Dungeon Token, 100,000 platinum.
Charges: 100
Function: Allows a Legendary character (36 point build) to access a quest on Elite
Announce your presence to your enemies and strike fear into them!

Other items could be included as well (perhaps ones that VIPs will value too).

An alternative structure for ongoing costs is to only allow access if there is a current Bravery Streak. Therefore, if a TR ever goes into a quest on normal then they will lose their access until they can get access to some hard/elite quests an alternate way (the access could even be keyed to the type of bravery bonus but this might be excessive).

The idea with these 2 items/streak req. and with the favour requirement is to maximise the hurdles involved in getting this access which has been exclusive to VIP up to now. Hopefully, with such a high water favour requirement and small, ongoing costs most players will still prefer to be VIP. However, it is important that Turbine caters for all of its different audiences in a fair way.

What does everyone think?

[sirgog]

Reasonable idea.

I'd simplify it though - 3000 = server-wide Hard unlock on all toons; 4000 = server-wide Elite unlock on all toons.

[Unreliable]

Reasonable idea.

I'd simplify it though - 3000 = server-wide Hard unlock on all toons; 4000 = server-wide Elite unlock on all toons.

Can you even get 4000 favor?

Even with the new quests I believe the cap is around 3900?

[bando]

This is a good idea. My suggestion would be only to allow favor access to hard though, and not elite (VIP's need to keep some perks. Especially with the U11 bravery bonuses, this would be a nice reason to get around to finishing up Threnal

[sirgog]

Can you even get 4000 favor?

Even with the new quests I believe the cap is around 3900?

That's fine - one more big update or two small packs, and we are there.

Program and announce it now, but make clear "This can't be achieved... yet."

Just like Suppressed Power items released with no way to unsuppress them.

[blkcat1028]

Good idea. +1

[Musouka]

Well... all the favor unlocks are stuff even VIPs need to do to get their rewards, aside from spending their TP on them.

So I see the next big favor unlock being something that VIPs don't already get. Perhaps the new class will be the next big milestone for favor unlock.

[Ugumagre]

Well, there is some dissent here... I think also the VIP should have some perks (and from next week on I am no VIP anymore). Regular income is an important thing for Turbine, I guess.


http://forums.ddo.com/showthread.php?t=274550


so:
/not signed

[PLUGintoTHEpowerLINE]

I can agree with keeping this simple:

3250 favor -- unlock "hard" for all toons on the server.
Nice for premiums, and if you're a crazy enough SOB to grind 3250 favor without paying anything, you *deserve* that perk ;-)

[bobbryan2]

Not a huge fan of a 4000 favor level... requiring future updates just to finally get to take part in a perk that's being released now.

That sort of design philosophy always seems to backfire. Like the 60% of ToD rings that still serve no purpose... whereas you're lacking ones that do.

[wax_on_wax_off]

Reasonable idea.

I'd simplify it though - 3000 = server-wide Hard unlock on all toons; 4000 = server-wide Elite unlock on all toons.

Though it'd be great to potentially have basically all the perks of VIP on a free/premium account I don't see that it is fair.

The option should definitely be restricted to TR'd characters as that is where the issue lies. There isn't any reason for a first life character to need an elite unlock due to ease of leveling and if it is just for the novelty of the challenge then do some toon swapping (if in a group) or buy an elite unlock (if a determined soloer).

However, avid TR'ers need some options to break up the monotony of N*7, H, E. These are who the option is for and who it should be restricted to. Constant character swapping or buying unlocks isnt reasonable to due time and efficiency concerns.

As an update to possible variations I'd say that it should all be given at 3250 favour. Give something more interesting for 4000 favour (particularly something useful for VIPs too).

Additionally, perhaps make it cost a few epic dungeon token fragments per unlock. Perhaps 1 epic dungeon token + 10k plat gives 10 to 30 hard/elite dungeon open tokens. Set it up as a vendor.

How many epic dungeon tokens would a TR2 need I wonder to level up efficiently at various cost structures?

[R0cksteady]

/anti sign

I'd much prefer to keep it a VIP perk.

[xandariant]

Reasonable idea.

I'd simplify it though - 3000 = server-wide Hard unlock on all toons; 4000 = server-wide Elite unlock on all toons.

/signed
Very good idea!
And VIPs now will get it without favor - that would make it good option!

[Arwitch]

/signed

[Angelz_Fire]

Not signed, simply because those that are vip and gain the favor it is useless!
Favor rewards should grant something useful with that amount of favor due to the time involved!

[Lemanchot]

Theorically it's a great idea. In practice, totally not. The different rewards you get by favor favorize F2P players, Premium and VIP players. I, as a premium player who spent around 130 bucks on DDO, do believe we don't deserve to have acess to such options. You want it?! Pay for it.

You paid your acess for the packs already which you TP and more than decent rewards why would they favorize Premium Players for an option clearly made for VIP. It doesn't make sense at all to me.

[wax_on_wax_off]

No, no, no!

Not for all toons!

The point of this suggestion is to address the specific issue of the TR experience for 2nd and subsequent lives.

It bares no relevance for first life characters who can easily level to 20 with very little repetition of quests if that is the priority. For those exceptions that exist (wanting a challenge etc) it is a fine alternative for premium/free players to get an opener or pay for a hard/elite unlock.

VIPs should maintain the perk of being able to unlock hard/elite on first life characters (and elite on hero characters).

However, a TR'd character currently is locked into the monotony of N*7/H/E. Bravery bonuses in U11 are being introduced to address this issue but it isn't accessible to premium/free accounts. Character swapping or paying for unlocks isn't a worthwhile alternative for a TR due to the costly repetition.

For TR's the possibility to play with bravery bonuses encourages a greater variety of quests which will encourage those free/premium players to buy more adventure packs. Additionally, those TR's will be more likely to encourage other players to come with them on their broader adventures which will encourage the numerous tag alongs to buy more adventure packs too.

Overall, this idea would earn money for turbine as people who TR buy more adventure packs to take advantage of bravery bonuses, tag alongs will buy more adventure packs and guest passes and anyone who wants to TR will buy more adventure packs to unlock the 3250 favour reward to unlock the hard/elite unlock.

The loss of some proportion of the player base who is VIP exclusively to unlock hard/elite quests for their TR's will be negligible I imagine.

[Lavek]

so I spent all the cash to buy every adventure pack

now I have to pay TP to be able to use something they put in game to help me get xp, its more like pay to win for me, if they want to break monotony for the TRs they should make it available to them for free

[Bodic]

since favor is for everyone and you want to limit you request to something only to benefit a small group of people and you want exclude the other two groups.

So for VIP ONLY 3500 favor then give me a +4 tome of my choice.

and you can have your unlocks for premium only.

[brian14]

I can agree with keeping this simple:

3250 favor -- unlock "hard" for all toons on the server.

/signed

OP's idea is good, but this is even better

Nice for premiums, and if you're a crazy enough SOB to grind 3250 favor without paying anything, you *deserve* that perk ;-)

3250 favor on F2P?? How on Earth is it even possible?