ATTN Jon/NS: Suggested Changes to the Game (in General)

After the Rolling Bonus Thread I have several suggestions that would increase user base and fix several problems. Read the full paragraphs before posting to avoid making useless responses.

1: Halt Buttons allowing a player to halt the clock on their NCB or NUB for a period of up to 3 weeks/1 month. Many people hate the NCB because like most they realize that going on vacation for a week destroys even the best NCB runs. Perhaps make a limit of 3 uses for an NCB and 1 for an NUB.

2. Decrease BA costs: Running an NCB and even normal BA has become so expensive that is essentially prohibitive. Many have commented but essentially the NCB is useless unless you have no job, no life, and no vacation plans for six months. AND you have 10's of millions to blow on BA. ESPECIALLY given the cash decrease. I believe BA should cost at MOST half of what it does now.

3. Allow BA in different regen periods to accumulate more: It is ridiculous that to compete with an intention for the top the game requires a person in 10 ba regen to wake up every 5.33333 hours. Make it so that in 10 ba BA regenerates up to 250 (8.33333) hours. Basically decrease the cap so that total time is near 8 hours regardlesss for each regen period. CB'ers like normal people should be allowed sleep and someone mentioned that it's not "dedication" to wake up every 5.333 hours its called being a SLAVE to the game.

"essentially the NCB is useless unless"

you can get in the top fifty without spending any extra money on an ncb run. i wouldn't call that useless.

With marginal effort I will get to 2M MPR, higher than I got with any character since 1/1/05, I do not see it as useless...

Halt button: Come on, I mean CB has always been about those who sacrifice to win, think of the 10 min per BA refresh days you basically had to sleep in 3 hour shifts and I believe that at least some portion of that should always be in the game.

BA cost: That is negotiable, really up to Jon and NS, I do not mind were it is, mainly because I don't buy BA

Different BA Regen: See Halt Button...

Not trying to drag you down, it is always a good thing to suggest new additions to the game, this is just my $0.02...

The NCB is useless for those that really want to reach the top...unless as I stated you have a ton of money, unlimited time, almost no life, and barely sleep. That's a lot to ask of somebody ESPECIALLY considering a game like this should place more emphasis on rewarding those with good strategies as opposed to those who simply give up the most of their RL time.

good strategies can be copied too easily, if we all chose the same max rewarded strategy, it would still come down to dedication to pick a winner, no?

also, good strategies are rewarded more in the current system with both challenge bonuses down low as well and the fighting higher improved rewards when the challenge bonus dwindles.

i agree that BA costs should be reduced some what, but a halt button for the NCB and NUB is just a bad idea. Its just not fair for those who actually try to burn all their BA, honestly its just silly.

It's actually not unfair at all. The person who starts on the same day and the same BA as the next guy who takes 3 weeks off will be much better positioned than the guy who took three weeks off however the guy with the break wouldn't have wrecked his NCB. This isn't necessarily a solution about perfect 'fairness' as much as solution that encourages the MANY MANY people like myself who don't bother with new NCB's because I know that sometime in the following 6 months I will have to take a week or two off which essentially makes it not worthwhile to me.

IMO encouraging new NCB's and old/new players staying should take precedence over everything.

for most of my ncb, a weeks worth of fighting would equate to 100k to 150k mpr. that is if you totally missed everything. that is excluding the first few weeks where the ba is very important and can give you much higher growth.

with that being said, if you can plan an ncb when you will be around pretty solid for four weeks and not miss many weeks after that, you will do fine!

"1: Halt Buttons allowing a player to halt the clock on their NCB or NUB for a period of up to 3 weeks/1 month."

No. Kill the N*B altogether and implement wider BA regen rates that allow dedicated players to slowly and subtly climb the ranks with persistence and effort.

"2. Decrease BA costs:"

No. Unless we're talking across the board and not for the NCB, I oppose this. I oppose anything that makes it easier for N*Bs than it already is.

"3. Allow BA in different regen periods to accumulate more:"

I'm actually on the fence on this one. After widening the BA rates, larger caps would allow smaller characters to grow faster, but it would severely decrease competition.

The L to the B is making sense, have always liked the varied BA-accrual rate idea done for a sort of rolling bonus (based on work, though, not laziness). I've always been a fan of any bonus time being based completely on BA, not inflated rewards.

And dudemus, a LOT of people. including me, would not consider being Top 50 a "success". If I thought being 48th or 49th was awesome, I never would have touched the top, and very near the top, in CBs 1 and 2.

If Top Fifty is considered good enough, then do away with the bonus altogether. I swear to you, in 3 years I could reach the Top Fifty with no bonus whatsoever. Because on CB1 I did it in 1.5.

1.Halt Buttons allowing a player to halt the clock on their NCB or NUB for a period of up to 3 weeks/1 month.

I'm on the fence about this one. I'm currently running a NCB and I don't think I could take the suspense of being away from running it. The Competitiveness would be lost in a change like this. At the same point a break from it would be great if I could hit a pause button and know that I would not lose the time. Now if something that would do it for all N*B like say what the Clans have right now, no CPs on Sunday then I think it would work. No Fights/Growth on N*B Day once a Week/Month I dunno I'm not good with original ideas :/

2.Decrease BA costs: Running an NCB and even normal BA has become so expensive that is essentially prohibitive.

I have to agree. As I said I am running an NCB myself after week 3 (I have a diary of all the info) the BA Costs are insane 4-5Mil a week is a little much with the new change. You have one of 2 choices buy BA to stay competitive and have an optimal return for your time or just burn normal regen BA and shoot for mediocrity. The last option which not all have is the use of USD which is still expensive to use no matter the Ratio, which with this change I am sure will go up more.

LB I have to disagree with you on this NCB does NOT = Easy in any sense of the word. It is stressful, time consuming, causes loss of sleep, and is expensive as all get out to run with "Optimal" results. If you want to do the regular regen BA or only buy on Big Exp Times then you will "Only" hit the middle grounds. If you are aiming for the Top Ranks too bad unless you have saved for a long time in preparation or are pumping USD into it. Not everyone has the USD option it is therefore with the current CB economy, due to the recent change, unfair. Cut the Costs of the NCB BA by the same cut in the profit margin, 20% that would level it back out.

Furthermore I would make the NUBs do a partial pay for their BA say 10% or 20% or have it rolling to increase by MPR or Regen rate, personally I think that would help them to understand the concept of BA Acquisition and usher them towards actual game play after the NUB. It would also keep them from having the it should all be free attitude I have seen some of them have. Many stop and leave right after(or just before) their NUB finishes why because they get the slap in the face of I have to pay. Why when I should get it free is the attitude thrown back. In my honest opinion it fosters the wrong idea. This is just my thoughts on it take it or leave it.

3.Allow BA in different regen periods to accumulate more.

I dunno about this one either, I think LB/Suts idea would fit better. Competitiveness is Key in making CB addictive take that factor away and it will swim in the quagmire of stagnation and die.

"Because on CB1 I did it in 1.5."

sut man, i did it too and i was damned proud of it. what exactly is your point?

His point is that top 50 isn't that big a deal. Why do we have a bonus designed to catch us up if success is defined as "in the top 1/2 of the active players"?

The NUB does already pay for the bought ba. It is taking straight out of their bonus to money. In fact it takes up most of that bonus so what they are left with is only a slight increase somewhere on the level of 25% increase to money rewards.

Nem I know this, my point is they do not see it the way we do. We Click "Get More" and have to pay per BA "WE" see a price, they click "Get More" and it is a one button push to get it accumulated automatically, they do not "See" a price per BA. Because of this to them it "IS FREE", make it to where they see it is my point. Cut off this "Invisible Barrier" that only us "Vets" can see, the NUBs can hear us talk about it all day and still not truly get it. Give them their entire bonus on the same curve to be used with the BA Costs. If it was set per Regen Times or MPR(Rolling like we have) the % of cost for BA for them goes up in essence still free but they "SEE" it and understand it better. Plus they get to choose whether they want the CBD or the BA just like we do. Make it more like actual game play, and gear it to go more and more realistic so the "Drop-off" after the NUB is not so drastic to them. Bottom line take the veil off, I think this will cause a higher retention rate to occur.

The trouble with giving them a choice between CBD and buying their ba is that it will actually lower retention rates because of the incredible amount of CBD they will be pulling in and then likely selling for USD. It would be too tempting for most people.

Ok then do it strictly by a percentage this would solve that problem too.

If they are going to sell out they will do it anyway no matter what is done on this side of the equation. I sellout in 6 months is no better than a sellout in 2 months with the exception that we know sooner. I often know within the first few days of playing a game if I am going to sell out or not plain and simple. On the other hand I often know I will stay in a game within the first few days. Retention is relative to be honest.

Either way I believe fostering the right idea is key in retaining NUBs that actually want to play this game. With the NUB the way it is now most feel like it is a front, and honestly it is. Working towards actual gameplay should be the aim. As it is now the aim seems to be "Here you go little guy." for 6 Months. Then BAM! ok your grown get out in the the "Real" CB world! For some that is just too drastic of a change and not a fair showing of, or giving justice to the real game. I understand the need for the NUB System and I agree with the original idea, I simply think it needs to be tweaked.

I have to apologize to Fatil1ty I believe I have inadvertently hijacked his Thread.

"His point is that top 50 isn't that big a deal. Why do we have a bonus designed to catch us up if success is defined as "in the top 1/2 of the active players"?"

i really never meant for people to think the top 50 was success or that this is the pinnacle for n*b's. the op said that the ncb was worthless though unless you spent tons of money.

i was pointing out that an ncb spending no extra money could get in the top fifty and i do not feel that is worthless. you can also spend and get higher.

each player will have to define success for themselves, but we cannot use one persons definition and then say that everything else is worthless though.

"LB I have to disagree with you on this NCB does NOT = Easy in any sense of the word."

Yes, it is easier to climb the ranks. The N*B is a handout, plain and simple. It requires no more work than normal growth characters. You just always surpass us with the same amount of effort.

I sort of have to possibly lean on the LB side of things.
Even without buying BA, playing a NCB virtually assures one of passing any character they have that is not currently in the top 50, if played with a modicum of effort.

and yet ranger... they may pass many people but lets put it in perspective. When you came back and started playing and put your eyes on the prize of being near the top what is the method you took...ya that's right buy someones char. Why?

because 10's of millions of CBD, sleepless nights, and slavery for sixth months is NOT worth the character you will get in the end. I ran a considerably well done NCB and honestly I doubt I would do it again except out of boredom. It is too expensive, and far too demanding with such a premium on not missing BA.

The only purpose I really see in the NCB is for rapid tat growth. Outside of that is highly ineffective in it's current form.

All those who cry about the NCB being a handout: Give me a break!! You can make one just as easily as anybody else and yet you don't do so for many of the same reasons I listed above. So when I suggest solutions to several problems don't crush those ideas think a little bigger and what would increase the number of people trying NCB's (which is one of the biggest attractions of this game). The race for the top is probably the most fun in-game aspect and yet fails so horribly at offering reasonable chances at actually achieving succes (outside of cumminity).

Ok,

Let us go through your solutions to the NCB:

1: Halt Buttons, NO freaking way.

NWO never had a halt button, Koy never had a halt button. If you want to get to the top, put in the dedication that PoisoN and others put in for 4+ years. IF anything, I would at most possibly allow 1 halt for 1 week.

2: Yes, agree to a point. However others do have a point in that your paying for that extra xp. Like PoisoN did all his 4+ years. But.. if you want cheaper NCB BA costs, then it has to come from somewhere. Less CB earned? Less drop rate? I have no real idea, but you are paying for the xp your getting and have to.

3: Yes and no. We do not want to make it too easy and yet not too hard. The 10 BA regeneration zone is only till about 120k MPR. Something a dedicated NCB can do, storing up 1600 BA, in 2-3 days. I can live with them waking up every 5 hours for 3 days. The next zone is obtained at 510k MPR. 2-3 weeks. O well, suck it up if you want to maximize all your BA for that long. Before there was the 6 BA regeneration, you got 7 BA per 10 minutes!!!. Figure that out. And yet the top players got most their BA in. You want to make it too easy now?

But the NCB is far far easier to play/run if you have a character not in the 6 regeneration zone. Without buying BA you can get there with some dedication.

The reasons I did not run a NCB are my own, but you have gotten most of them.

Char's like Koy and Players like Poison should not be reason enough to discourage the game from receiving new members and keeping more members.

In my opinion bringing new characters in and keeping them once there NUB's are done is far more important than the past sacrifices of ANY user.

I say ANY suggestion that is created to serve that purpose while still being fair and respectful to all should be built in.

Poison while being the longest serving and probably most admired user is still only 1 user. Keeping 10's of NUB's and attracting new ones is more imporatnt.

Yes,

Let us alienate the vets by letting new players have it very easy to get to the top. <---- Sarcasm if you did not notice.

The vets are the bread and butter of CB. I want new players to come and play, but not by new watered down rules.

I think a rolling bonus applicable after the NUB/NCB is over would be a just solution. Effects vets and newer players alike.

It would even effect PoisoN.

Or we could just give everyone who asks a 4M MPR character with 250M NW worth of items. That would certainly keep new players interested and likely keep a few from leaving. <--- more sarcasm.