Gameplay Improvements Part 2: Heroes Academy and Challenges

[Enhawk]

Now, I am aware that I have suggested this before, but I’d say that Heroes Academy could be a place from where to access Daily Challenges, Space Race and Weekly Challenges, and other special “handicap” challenges that give you a certain amount of keys on completion.

Now, for reasons unknown, people reeaally don’t want to move challenges to a certain place. Which is just a lazy reason to hold on to their work from home lifestyles.

But, if it’s still there to stay, I’d suggest not awarding any of the keys collected in game, because people make more keys from just playing the mission than the whole leaderboard put together.

Increasing the rewards and not spawning keys in-mission provides an actual incentive to win other than just seeing your name on the leaderboard.

Now: Challenge Missions.

Sample Mission for comparision:

1x6,Difficulty level 23-45%
Waves:
Pulsating Grid
Interdimensional Portals
Chicken Square Dancing(CI3)
The Chicken Wobble
Egg Billiards
King of Crabs

BX-9 Mjolnir, Ion Blaster-FP7, 1 Dimensional Phase-Out, 5 Mine Bombs, Virtuoso,

*Accessible from Heroes Academy(only).
*Doesn’t spawn keys.
*Award keys based on score.
*More rewarding missions are tier-restricted.
*Often have handicaps as part of the mission.
*Usually makes you somehow utilize all resources given to you. For example, you might get an extra hard wave of Pulsating Grid that Ion Blaster is next to useless against, and proper timing of the special weapons given can help you clear the wave.
*Medals award keys based on difficulty.
Wave based-1 key each(you actually get a lot of them)
Mission based-7-12 keys each.
*Can only be attempted once.

Now the next part of the Heroes Academy functionality: Mission Assignments.(Not to be confused with squadron assignments.)

Going to the Heroes Academy, you will get assigned some missions(some 6-12)in your constellation to clear, a mix of hard and easy, and many game modes. On completion, you will be awarded some 50+ keys based on how difficult it is. There is no cap on the key reward given, and will usually be slightly more than the keys obtained while playing those missions.

And that’s about it.

What do you think?

• Is good.
• Is bad(list below).
• Don’t care.
• Conflicted opinion.

Just closed the poll because the top result is simply legendary.

Opened for reassessment by the community.

Edit 2: fixed atrocious comma placement and some spelling.

[Kylo-Hen]

I’m actually fully in the “move missions to academy” camp. Makes space travel like, actually, purposeful, means that you might not always have the same competitors every day (in case someone is in the wrong area) and avoids cluttering inbox (which is a bigger deal than you think - when I first signed up I was like “woaaaah double digit emails already wait they’re all comps how do I delete I can’t oh wait they clear auto when I sign out nvm” )

I also like the idea of having missions assigned that are then scattered about the constellation and give an increased reward.

Only thing is that if this is done maybe there should be a (small) buff to the keys awarded in the daily so that it balances out the extra fuel costs needed to get there and doesn’t make them obsolete.

[kokokokos]

@Kylo-Hen

and avoids cluttering inbox (which is a bigger deal than you think)

Finally someone that agrees.

---

As of this idea. I have some words:

@Enhawk

Increasing the rewards and not spawning keys in-mission provides an actual incentive to win other than just seeing your name on the leaderboard.

This is great.

@Enhawk

people reeaally don’t want to move challenges to a certain place

We had this fight before and it didn’t end well. Because you know, changing the location of challenges prevents people from playing them. The only good argument that they used in my Colosseum topic was that some players won’t have the keys to fly to the system with challenges place. (and mail filters, but it doesn’t help with traveling)

[Kylo-Hen]

@kokokokos

Because you know, changing the location of challenges prevents people from playing them.

Good.

I know that sounds mean, but challenges where literally the best CI players in the world are winning should not be the first thing a new player sees when they enter CIU (which they currently are). They should be hidden somewhere less immediate.

I say this not to exclude newbies from these events, but actually for their benefit - new players never like to be told how much worse they are than everyone else, and it’s probably healthy for them to get their feet wet and start enjoying the game before being told “Hey, look at all the insane high scores you’ll never get LOL!!!”.

Plus not making challenges easily accessible whittles down the competition to the people who are really trying. It’s a win-win-win in my opinion.

Also:

@kokokokos

@Enhawk

Increasing the rewards and not spawning keys in-mission provides an actual incentive to win other than just seeing your name on the leaderboard.

This is great.

Just wanted to third this because otherwise they just kind of feel like regular missions with trivial rewards rather than an actual competition where being competitive is, y’know, the actual point.