2013-03-13, 12:18 AM
KhainiWest Wrote:Well, they could come out with an additional system that doesnt stack with potential but is slightly worse than potential and is available all in game. Kind of an ingame counter where you can get the power of potential without the $$, but where potential offers a 10-15% power difference, vs the 500% we're dealing now.
That'd more or less perpetuate the problem currently faced. A system such as that would be antiquated by comparison to Cash Shop potential, in my opinion at least. Sure, it'd help out some of the lower-tier players who don't have the money or resources to get ridiculous cubed equipment, but they'd still feel the frustration of just not being as good as NX-users.
Instead, building upon your idea, a more alternative system could be implemented. They could use the storyline, much like they did with Glimmerman and his equipment, to introduce a competitive mechanism to potential. Black Market Potential, to throw out a cheesy name. If anyone here played Deus Ex: Invisible War, there were the regular Biomods as well as Black Market ones. Same principle.
Instead of stats, give them significant benefits in terms of bossing or training, such as instant-kill probabilities, serious experience or meso yields (not those faux bonuses you get from Inner Ability), or any number of other options. There are ways to build a system that can mimic potential without directly screwing the people who've invested in it, while reinvigorating disenfranchised players who've fallen off due to the impossible power standards.
Of course, as a means of accommodating their business model, this would need to take time. Lack of flexibility would make the system useless, whereas too much would cause NX-buyers to flip their shit. What this would effectively accomplish is say, "Hey, you can take the harder route for some equivocal or better stats, or you can take the easy way out with cubes." Yes, that's kind of where they think their system is now, but as it currently stands it's entirely one-sided and broken. The odds need to be adjusted significantly, there needs to be a way of "cubing" for the non-NX system that doesn't rely on completely ludicrous chances (better chances of getting beneficial bonuses, for example, depending on class), and, again for the sake of securing their business model, the systems should not be able to be used together. Algorithmic tailoring could allow this way of doing things to be much more beneficial to players, thereby encouraging them to play more and spend more money.
Yes, I see that this would be just as easily extorted as the current system, but the key would be keeping these "Black Market" cubes out of the Cash Shop--complete separation of the two is absolutely necessary. Further, they could impose sharing only within one's account or something like that. Sure, it'd be inconvenient, but if a player is able to substantiate their own equipment by way of gameplay, there would be no need to allow trading. It would allow CS Potential to remain relevant while introducing an alternative.
Shame it'd never happen.