Face of the Franchise is a disaster

[smales72]

It's over for FTP players. There's only so long you can go either grinding up to higher levels or creating artificial themes to stay entertained.

Now if Tournament wasn't so disjointed and an obvious add on it might be more fun. Like PT was an add on to the base game, tourney is horribly implemented. Could it be more convoluted to organize lineups and not to mention sign in.

I echo others in the non whale spending category that it's too labor intensive. I might just build another SimGolf course.

[lindholmes]

As an FTP player, I have always seen this as competing against myself for the most part, trying to strengthen my team faster than the league around it - which has mostly been do-able, this year and last year. These rewards may make it tougher, but probably not too much, because the already rich (and way better than me) are getting better (and remaining way better than me) and everyone else is more or less staying the same. So the FOTF doesn't diminish my interest or enjoyment too much, just shifts my focus more toward packs and away from the auction house.

That said, it seems an easy olive branch to throw to FTP and light spending players would be to improve and enhance the tournament system, as @smales72 says above. And without a total overhaul of the interface and structure, it would be great if we could enter, say, 5 tournament teams instead of 3. With the increased impact of packs, that would benefit the people who invest a lot of time, rather than those who only invest a lot of money.

[Coriolanus]

given how much money is being spent by people buying cards, would it not maybe make sense to increase the "pay-out" rates of the packs?

it's generally not like those whales are buying packs, so this would be a really simple way to help THE VAST MAJORITY of teams.

I mean, you might say, "what will that do to the market for talent" but it seems pretty clear they aren't the least bit concerned what they do to the AH ("you're the ones paying those prices") isn't that the least they can do for the grinders?

[neugey]

I saw the super-inflation coming a mile away. Last weekend I took some time to buy some of the silver/gold Non-Live players whose ratings I liked, presuming they weren't already crazy over-priced (ex. Boggs), so I could at least have them for tournaments.

In the back of my mind, I do wonder if we are starting to reach a point though where we need two different PT universes - one that is 100% FTP and another for the teams that have bought PP. One way or another, it is starting to feel the game needs a little more emphasis on the strategic play and a little less on the arms race.

[lindholmes]

Originally Posted by neugey

One way or another, it is starting to feel the game needs a little more emphasis on the strategic play and a little less on the arms race.

I think tournaments is the solution here - but potentially looking at tournaments that are more like entire (quick?) seasons, where you put together a 1625 or 1750 team and play 162 games and get various rewards depending on where you finish. Minimizes randomness, maximizes attention to detail, rewards those who invest time more than those who invest money. With no salary restrictions in PT, that would be a way to give the "small-market" teams an opportunity to compete.

[dkgo]

Originally Posted by neugey

I saw the super-inflation coming a mile away. Last weekend I took some time to buy some of the silver/gold Non-Live players whose ratings I liked, presuming they weren't already crazy over-priced (ex. Boggs), so I could at least have them for tournaments.

In the back of my mind, I do wonder if we are starting to reach a point though where we need two different PT universes - one that is 100% FTP and another for the teams that have bought PP. One way or another, it is starting to feel the game needs a little more emphasis on the strategic play and a little less on the arms race.

Obviously never going to happen, but even if it did casual F2P players will get crushed by people who know how to dominate the market side of the game, including skilled former paying players, and you will be back to square one.

[X3NEIZE]

Not every team is meant to have every card.... personally I love the new FOTF, I feel it should be harder actually for how OP those cards are.

F2P teams already have some of the best cards in the game, which was not the case in OOTP 20.

[professor ape]

Originally Posted by DonMattingly

Exactly what the guy is pointing to at the beginning of this scene:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q1a36V737qk

And I thought they'd stopped the Canadian Devil. No, he just transferred to the OOTP marketing department.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HdY3--zZ_jg

I was wondering if anyone would post the South Park episode. The dynamic we are seeing is going to happen with any and every game that allows you to purchase points or candy or Canadough or whatever the currency is. There will always be a small group of people who are willing to spend a ton of money. There is zero point getting upset about it. Try this to feel better. For every team that has a lineup of players who cost 500K in the AH, think of it as money to fund another request that we have for development of next year’s release. Mo’ money = Mo’ resources.

Oh, and Markus has poured two decades of his life into the game. If anyone deserves to make some coin, it is him.

[steamrollers]

Originally Posted by X3NEIZE

Not every team is meant to have every card.... personally I love the new FOTF, I feel it should be harder actually for how OP those cards are.

F2P teams already have some of the best cards in the game, which was not the case in OOTP 20.

It seemed F2P teams had a lot of the best cards in the game last year as well, I mean some people have insane pack luck regardless of what version of PT it is and even without it lots of teams were still able to acquire them without much trouble. And 20 was way easier for F2P teams to compete at the highest level last year, there is no denying the fact of the matter that the gap has widened significantly. I had no problem winning multiple perfect titles last year, this year barring some pulls like a Gwynn or Speaker I have virtually no chance.



That's fine though, they have built this version of PT to cater to whales the most and it's an understandable business decision. We don't see their books but you have to imagine they are not worried in the least about the common player as their moves have made that very clear. The great thing about OOTP is the main game is still endless amounts of fun and the stuff they have done on that end this year with things like the dream bracket teams just makes it even better.

[Coriolanus]

Originally Posted by professor ape

I was wondering if anyone would post the South Park episode. The dynamic we are seeing is going to happen with any and every game that allows you to purchase points or candy or Canadough or whatever the currency is. There will always be a small group of people who are willing to spend a ton of money. There is zero point getting upset about it. Try this to feel better. For every team that has a lineup of players who cost 500K in the AH, think of it as money to fund another request that we have for development of next year’s release. Mo’ money = Mo’ resources.

Oh, and Markus has poured two decades of his life into the game. If anyone deserves to make some coin, it is him.

"this game is for the paying few. Lump it or leave" doesn't seem like a welcoming sales policy, but they can do how they choose.

I do think I will go back to buying OOTP every 2-4 yrs like I used to. PT promise is mostly a merry-go-round. That's fine for those who don't mind going round & round, but I'd like to get somewhere.

[steamrollers]

Originally Posted by Coriolanus

"this game is for the paying few. Lump it or leave" doesn't seem like a welcoming sales policy, but they can do how they choose.

Exactly.



I guess there is no point in getting upset but the problem is ever since the internet has been around there have been infinite number of pay games that have come and gone when decisions are made without the whole community in mind. The whales may fund things but without the massive majority which is the regular low spending players games fail, they have throughout history so yes they probably should be listening. That is why lots of people are frustrated, we all want to see this portion of the game succeed long term but worst case scenario there is always the outstanding main game to fall back on

[Orcin]

Originally Posted by steamrollers

That's fine though, they have built this version of PT to cater to whales the most and it's an understandable business decision. We don't see their books but you have to imagine they are not worried in the least about the common player as their moves have made that very clear.

I don't think this is fair. A couple of weeks ago, the complaint was that every player (ftp included) had easy access to the same over-powered cards. It seems to me that the live mission design was a gift to "common players", allowing them to compete at the levels below diamond with just a bit of time and effort. I was bored by the cookie cutter teams too, but I don't think it is fair to say that OOTP did not make an effort to keep the game interesting for ftp customers.

[professor ape]

Originally Posted by Orcin

I don't think this is fair. A couple of weeks ago, the complaint was that every player (ftp included) had easy access to the same over-powered cards. It seems to me that the live mission design was a gift to "common players", allowing them to compete at the levels below diamond with just a bit of time and effort. I was bored by the cookie cutter teams too, but I don't think it is fair to say that OOTP did not make an effort to keep the game interesting for ftp customers.

Well said Orcin.

[Torgonius]

Originally Posted by dkgo

Sounds like people should just start opening packs then...

31 packs, 1 card closer to completing a mission. 185 mid-sized bites taken from what's left of my cold, dead soul.

About 15 new copies of Cole Tucker to join the 22 I already had.

[fartmasterflex]

[Marleigh]

Originally Posted by X3NEIZE

Not every team is meant to have every card.... personally I love the new FOTF, I feel it should be harder actually for how OP those cards are.

F2P teams already have some of the best cards in the game, which was not the case in OOTP 20.

Everybody doesn't want to own every card. I am happy having theme teams that i can work to upgrades to that theme, but that has basically been stopped as every player for those theme teams has been increased in price but my generation of PP stays the same. I have 5 teams but only play tournaments on one of those teams as it becomes far too much like a second job to do more than that.

I was trying to avoid the live SE meta but in the end that's the only way i'll progress my theme teams, selling everyone off, buying live SEs and adding some lower end SEs with the extra coins i have left, it's boring, it's cookie cutter, it's one of the most complained about things on these forums but it's now going to be even worse as low end upgrades have pretty much disappeared. That's even without mentioning the effect on tournament team prices.

For the vast majority of players the game got less fun and less diverse because OOTP are on the path of power creep in order to attract paying players

Last night there was a player in the auction channel giving advice on how to play the market, the obvious problem with that advice was that he had spent $1500 on PP when he started playing OOTP.

[Marleigh]

Originally Posted by Orcin

I don't think this is fair. A couple of weeks ago, the complaint was that every player (ftp included) had easy access to the same over-powered cards. It seems to me that the live mission design was a gift to "common players", allowing them to compete at the levels below diamond with just a bit of time and effort. I was bored by the cookie cutter teams too, but I don't think it is fair to say that OOTP did not make an effort to keep the game interesting for ftp customers.

Live mission SEs just became the de facto team for even longer now.

The live missions were doable by a F2P player within 2 weeks of starting your team, I've done it in that time frame twice. For F2P players the game stalls at silver/gold as passive PP generation dries up. It wouldn't shock me if a lot of new players stopped playing the game 6-7 weeks after starting (once they reached silver+) as the game becomes an obvious time/money sink at that point

[X3NEIZE]

Originally Posted by Orcin

I don't think this is fair. A couple of weeks ago, the complaint was that every player (ftp included) had easy access to the same over-powered cards. It seems to me that the live mission design was a gift to "common players", allowing them to compete at the levels below diamond with just a bit of time and effort. I was bored by the cookie cutter teams too, but I don't think it is fair to say that OOTP did not make an effort to keep the game interesting for ftp customers.

Orcin for president!!.... seriously, aside from being a massive upgrade to Trump, he seems to be the voice of reason in these forums....

[Westheim]

...and then the 50-item auction house limit forked me in the bum...

[Marleigh]

I preferred the team missions giving out players last year than packs this year