@ Riot - How to Revamp the RNG on the Rewards
**"On average you earn more than you would with the old system." **
Overall, I think many players would have some issues with the above statement. Since preseason started there have been a number of threads related to the replacement of Influence Points with Blue Essence- obviously the changes haven't had the effect Riot has desired. The switch to a leveling based rewards system (and a removal of the per game reward system) combined with capsules that give rewards based in RNG have had a polarizing effect on the playerbase: some like the change because on average they get more rewards based on charts, the others dislike the system because it does not do what it is intended to do- feel rewarding.
So, lets get down the brass tacks.
**Average: **adjective 1. Constituting the result obtained by adding together several amounts and then dividing this total by the number of amounts. Synonyms: mean, median, middle , medial.
"On average".
This mean that you have a 50% chance to earn the same as the old system or less, and a 50% chance to earn more... where ultimately you get less and more at an amount that winds out giving you just a little bit more than the old system. I think that this ^ is the main sticking point within the community - you get less until you get more, in which you'll then more than likely get less. Ultimately if you used to get 150 IP per game and you play 10 games to get a new level then you could open up your champion capsule and only find a champion shard (and potentially a duplicate) worth 450 BE. 1500 IP vs 450 BE? I think that many players would take the IP over the BE any day. Why is this?
One word: Consistency.
The grind, psychologically speaking, is much easier to stomach when you know exactly what you're getting for your efforts, and it's far more rewarding to see those numbers tick up (398 IP -> 780 IP -> 1523 IP -> etc, etc, etc) until you can get that next champion you've been wanting. The RNG of the new system ultimately adds a layer of unpleasantness when you could get either a champion shard or a random amount of Blue Essence. Combine the RNG with the fact that you could get 1 of 139 different champion shards (with higher worth shards being weighted differently more than likely) of various BE values it doesn't feel like you are able to work towards anything. This problem is compounded by the fact that duplicates are a distinct possibility.
Completely randomness combined with duplicates?
This doesn't feel very good from the player's standpoint, especially if you have the champion that you want but need Blue Essence. If you want Blue Essence you will ultimately have to disenchant champion shards, and destroying your hard work in order to get something else is counter-intuitive. This line of thinking also holds true for if you're new to the game and you got to play, let's just say Vayne, during the free week and now you want to buy her... but you disenchanted the shard you had for her so you could have the extra BE handy... just feels bad man.
I think that Riot could take a lesson from The Division's (failure of a) system and realize that grinding for random loot that you can get duplicates of is NOT fun or rewarding. So because of this failure they implemented a few changes that vastly improved the grind (but still didn't quite solve the problem) (This is idea number 3, btw.)
With this in mind I would like to propose a few changes:
1.) Remove duplicates from the pool- no one should have to see two 450 BE Nasus shards in their loot inventory.
2.) Give quests to try and get certain champions or champion types. For example:
- "Play 30 games as a Marksman and get a Marksman capsule".
- "Play 5 games as each champion type and receive two champion capsules". Missions like these reward new players by helping them try out different roles. It also encourages them to purchase other champions (lets say they're an ADC main and have never supported before) in order to try and get the rewards from the quest. Small things that can increase the feeling of accomplishment and further the player base.
3.) Allow players the option to earn champion shards from a specific type. For example, a top lane main wants to earn more champions to play with in top, so he selects "Vanguard & Juggernaut" or "Juggernaught & Diver" as the available pools of champion shards he can receive along with Blue Essence. It allows the player to choose from a smaller pool of champion shards, so they can earn shards they want, but still requires them to have the necessary BE to activate the shards. Make it so that players have the option to change their preferred rewards in between levels... and I think that you'll have a system in which players will be much happier.
Champion Leveling Capsules will have a 50% chance to unlock a champion shard or a Blue Essence reward.
Champion Shard Rewards: (Pick 2 Categories) (PS. Unsure if these are all of the official ones)
Burst Mage / Assassin / Marksman / Battlemage / Diver / Specialist / Enchanter / Skirmisher / Vanguard / Juggernaut / Warden
Blue Essence Rewards: **Small Blue Essence ** (150 - 300 BE; 50% with champ shard, 50% without) (Chance to earn: 25%) Medium Blue Essence (450 - 950 BE; 50% with champ shard; 50% without) _ (Chance to earn: 25%)_ Large Blue Essence (1050 - 1500 BE; 45% with champ shard; 55% without) _ (Chance to earn: 25%)_ **Massive Blue Essence **(2000 - 2500 BE; 35% with champ shard; 65% without) _ (Chance to earn: 15%)_ Epic Blue Essence ( 3000 - 4500 BE; 25% with champ shard; 75% without) _ (Chance to earn: 10%)_ Legendary Blue Essence (5000 - 5500 BE; 10% with champ shard; 90% without) _ (Chance to earn: 5%)_
This way players can work towards earning champion shards from two groups of champions they would wish to play as, or you could also section it off by role overall - support, marksman, jungle, top, and middle for newer players not certain with the lingo of the 12 different champion types listed above. This is especially frustrating for new players who want to start building up towards the 20 champions needed for ranked play but aren't able to work towards any of the champions they want (or the play style they want) because the grind for BE is far more daunting than the grind for IP was.
The key take away is to allow players the illusion that they have some sort of control over where they are ultimately going... as bad as it sounds. This is the best way to keep the RNG and the grind while still allowing players to feel like they have some say over their rewards.
Those are just my thoughts, but the system as it stands right now is far too polarizing to the community to survive.