Boards›Gameplay

The community feels the IP system as it stands is harming the game

Laviosah·3/20/2015, 1:57:37 AM·158 votes·8,007 views
When the next champion is released, you need over 1 million IP to unlock everything without spending money. * /r/leagueoflegends

The fact that you need 8418 hours of consecutive (without breaks or q time) to earn everything without spending real money is, to be frank, disgusting. The amount of pure content added to the game has both made the ip prices of things too much and made ip gains FAR too little, especially for newer players. As of right now there is a thread linked in this post to reddit with 1677 upvotes in 11 hours. Thats 153 people an hour intentionally logging into the site to tell you this is unacceptable. This isn't even the first time something like this has come been posted and recieved large attention, it is however the first time that the numbers have been done to the exact. 996,855 IP to unlock everything. 350 days worth of the players lives.

To get rid of the elephant in the room, lets look at this from a business perspective. Happy players spend more, especially when they are waiting to get, say, a skin for a champion they don't own yet. They want that skin so they arent gonna spend the rp they buy on the champion, they are gonna wait until they can finally unlock it to spend the money on rp. Obviously I don't have exact numbers on how many people do this but I would assume most. The simple fact that it does happen should be a red flag that the income being made is also hurt by this.

If I am wrong on this I implore a rioter to tell me why, or to answer on reddit, because as it stands people are extremely unhappy with the current system and not only its unfairness to long term players but new players as well.

edit: I am going to include @Meddler because if I understand the boards correctly it will notify him of this post, I just want any form of riot response so I understand where they stand on this.

212 Comments

JustMyBassCannon3/20/2015, 3:04:33 AM58 votes

This isn't Pokémon, you don't need to unlock all of the content in the game.

The only unfair IP costs right now are Runes, which are one of the two archaic, unchanged systems that Riot needs to redesign.

Sailor Mint3/20/2015, 2:46:24 AM22 votes
  • Assuming you play and win a single 20 min Intermediate Co-op game per day, you'll gain 69350IP per year. That's enough to get a 6300 champion every ~33 days.
  • The oldest 6300 champion gets reduced to 4800 every release and another sub-6300 champion gets reduced every three releases. More info.
  • With the assumption that we get six releases and eight price drops per year, the current rate of inflation is 26100IP per year.
  • If you bought every new champion on release, it would leave you with 43250IP to catch up on older champions.

The actual issue is how IP requirements are frontloaded. You don't need really need to own that many champions, but you need/are expected to have a solid rune page setup as soon as you hit level 30 (~25k+ IP). That's a lot of IP for a fresh 30, and non-tier 3 runes do not feel like a fair solution.

Daily Bonus (150IP) * 365 Days = 54750IP
20 min SR Co-op vs AI (40IP) * 365 Days = 14600IP
Total: 69350IP

Releases: 6300 * 6 = 37800
Reductions: (6300-4800) * 6 + (1350-450) * 2 = 11700
Releases - Reductions: 37800 - 11700 = 26100
This is assuming a 1350 champion gets reduced to 450 every three releases.

ValyrianBlade3/20/2015, 2:11:31 AM22 votes

First, I want to note that I have to assume that figure is including purchasing every rune in the game 9 times each, which frankly should never happen and is never intended to happen. What's more relevant to this would be to look at the IP cost of purchasing every CHAMPION in the game (excluding the 3 you can get for free) as well as possibly several rune pages (remembering you can get them at 2 for 1) and the runes to fill them out (probably safe to just assume it costs around 50-100K IP).

Which, second, is still WAAAAY too much. As someone who hasn't even played for a year yet, it's ridiculous. Ignore the trying to buy every champion, simply learning what each champion does was incredibly hard. By the time you actually learn all of the champions to a basic degree, you realize how many you want to buy and you aren't anywhere close to getting any of those since you need to save for runes and rune pages, etc... and can buy a few champions but nothing like the diversity you see high quality players have in their pool. Especially when most of these top tier champions cost 6300ip and it takes weeks sometimes to save that much.

The number of champions is simply WAY too high. I'm shocked they're still releasing more. I mean, they have that feedback survey with one of the questions asking if there are too many champions. They've released 7 champions since the first time I filled that out. I'm sure that question showed up because it was a legitimate concern and players are answering yes, and they keep releasing more. Then after that, the cost of those champions is too high. The discount rate is NOT FAIR. Seriously, every THIRD release they discount ONE champion from the 4800, 3150, or 1350 slot (as well as one from 6300 to 4800 each release). At minimum, they should be discounting one champion from EACH price point on EACH champion release. So each additional champion release would increase the cost of ALL champions by only 450IP in total. Instead, we're collecting a gigantic pool of champions at 4800IP which is only going to expand until Riot changes their policy.

Riot won't change their income by doing this. Old champions aren't a huge source of income. Unless they are. Maybe players are the problem - buying champions for RP. Old champions that cost too much. Maybe it's mostly smurfs buying the champions they main. I don't know. They do have champion sales though, so I figure that must be the reason.

Strawberrycocoa3/20/2015, 2:04:22 AM17 votes

I'm pretty sure they bank on, "fuck it, i want it now" to help drive RP sales.

That being said, making champions easier to get wouldn't kill them. As is the release schedules are so long, only the super casual once-every-week-or-so players won't have 7800 ready when a new champion is released. And for as popular as the game is, and how often they get new players trickling in, redcing the accessibility ceiling of the Champion Pool a bit wouldn't hurt.

Kwon Ri Sae3/20/2015, 2:21:23 AM12 votes

Quite honestly, I don't think the purpose is to own every piece of content in the game, which is why is seems impossible for those playing for less than a few years.

In ranked, you only need 16 champs, so just buy the 450s and a few of your favorite "mains."

Other than that, have fun playing the champs you own, and master them, rather then play 5 games with them and demanding that you need to buy a new champion.

InivtesPreeze3/20/2015, 12:57:09 PM11 votes

Remember when Riot said, "not every champion will be 6300 ip"?

I remember.

Now they're even more than that. Greedy liars.

Saianna3/20/2015, 8:51:13 AM10 votes

Lower IP prices of champs/runes = OK or Increase IP gains = OK

Champions for free = NO

SeductiveGrandpa3/20/2015, 5:06:48 AM8 votes

....Uhh...i'm stupid and all but I can usually grasp the concept of things like this but I really don't get what you're annoyed about here... You're mad at the game for making you spend time in it to earn IP to unlock further things instead of it just starting up all free or something? I feel this was more of a "look I have people to support me so whatever i'm talking about makes sense" rather then a well-detailed post on why this is a problem.

I find this system perfectly fair, I play their game for a while, earn some IP, and unlock a champion that I play and the cycle keeps going. How do I explain this in words? Its a game, you shouldn't expect to be able to unlock every feature in the game within 3 or 4 days if thats what you're saying here...Somebody please elaborate to me what this person is saying for a better understanding of why hes bugged?

Duke Anax3/20/2015, 6:58:39 PM7 votes

Just wanna leave this here:

I am currently not spending RP on skins, because I'm waiting for IP to get the champs I need to buy skins.

Also I'm not getting IP for champs any time soon, because I still need some IP for runes.

AtheosisX3/20/2015, 2:57:31 PM4 votes

I'm always fascinated by players who actually argue for being charged more for things. Lots of people in this thread are a bit crazy if you ask me. It takes something like 50 hours to get enough IP to buy a 6300 IP champ. Only a nut would argue that that's reasonable. And please spare me the "just spend real money on it" line. With the real money prices in this game you could spend thousands of dollars and not have everything. No game is worth that kind of investment. For whatever reason gamers have allowed themselves to be more and more monetarily exploited over the past 6 or 7 years, and I really don't understand why.

D rok3/21/2015, 5:55:41 AM4 votes

I actually love the IP system. I think it's brilliant. In a free to play game, it creates a progression model that has held me for over 2 years. I still don't own all of the champions (I have around 70 I think), and I love the feeling when I finally get enough to get a new champion and learn them better.

I mean, you can look at the numbers and say "you need to play for 8000 hours in order to get everything!" or you can realize that the entire game is free, and provides you with over 8000 hours of progression-based gameplay without stagnation.

Though I'll agree that runes are way overpriced. It's really difficult to accrue enough IP for runes as a beginner. And I don't think people get the same progressive feeling when getting runes. It's more of a "whew... glad I never have to buy runes again..." feeling.

Otherwise though, I love the IP system.

ActuallyArrow3/20/2015, 5:53:45 PM4 votes

They are kind of thinking of methods to give us more IP. The most current one being the "Party Rewards System", which they are considering adding into the game. Of course, this is not a good method for people who don't have friends who play the game (or don't want to).

The current IP system really only works for the people who can play it longer than most. For those of us in college or working (or both), we are lucky enough to get 2 games in a day. And unless you win at least 1 game a day, you wouldn't be making much progress.

Of course, if you have a job you can just buy the champs. But honestly, who wants to spend $10ish on a champ you could literally get for free? I'd rather spend my money on skins, wards, icons, etc. But not champions.

Celeste Benal3/20/2015, 9:08:02 PM4 votes

The cost of tier 3 runes is too damn high!

FourVsFive3/21/2015, 9:03:37 PM3 votes

I kinda wish runes were cheaper... like 50% cheaper that be nice..

McKendry23/20/2015, 3:27:46 PM3 votes

Here's a novel idea. I don't think it's outrageous. Riot might lose a bit of money on it but god this would have made me so much happier once I hit 30 and then the climb to get all the champs began.

Everytime you hit a 10 level milestone, let the player pick out a champion they want for free. and at level 30 let them pick out a few.

1.) this would encourage players to work towards their level, rather than making the whole ordeal and agonizing process of grinding for IP. IP will obviously just come with the leveling up 2.) Whenever you level up, give the player something like... 1000 IP. Like a big Goodjob you leveled up. You're making progress, here have a bonus. 3.) improve the overall IP gains. 76 IP per game is outrageously low considering the total IP needed for all champs.

howdoIspellmynam3/20/2015, 10:17:21 PM3 votes

Can Rito games just increase the amount of IP recieved?

The Chain Warder3/20/2015, 11:06:56 PM3 votes

Increasing post-game IP rewards is really what this game needs. Back when LoL was released, 60 IP per game was acceptable. But now that so much new content is being added, 60 IP per game is hardly sufficient to get yourself on good ground. It's just not fair that everything costs so much and the earned IP isn't scaling up with it.

People don't want to spend RP on champions; they want to spend it on skins. But if they don't have enough IP to buy the champions they want, they won't be spending RP on skins they want for those particular champions.

Consider a hypothetical situation. Let's say I like Zed, and played him whenever he was on a free week, but I'm not particularly great at him. Because of this, I haven't gotten around to buying him yet. Once I do have enough IP, I hesitate to buy him because 6300 IP takes so long to earn. If I had him, I would very much like to play him with the Shockblade skin, because, let's say I hated his Classic skin (although his Classic skin is really cool, so Zed was probably a bad example, but we'll roll with it). However, I'm a support main, so I decide to buy Thresh instead because I seemed to have consistent results when I'd play him during free weeks. I like Thresh's Classic skin, so I don't spend RP on a skin. Then I take another eternity to make 6300 IP, and may choose to buy someone else over Zed the next time I obtain the amount again.

Riot would actually be missing out on my money. I think Riot is afraid of losing profits when the reality is that they could possibly even make money faster if they just made it easier to gain IP. People would be able to expand their champion pool faster, which would make them want to buy more skins.

ladention3/21/2015, 12:39:23 AM3 votes

I Know that stuff doesn't need to be too cheap, and I understand champion costs. What i don't understand is rune costs, as people with runes have a REAL advantage over people without them.

1999 01 173/20/2015, 9:32:47 PM1 votes

you don't need to earn everything

I have 35,000 ip sitting around doing nothing because there's nothing I want to buy

4262873/20/2015, 2:53:47 PM1 votes

Dont worry guys, the solution is that if you have more than 1 person grinding you have a chance at getting some extra ip.