Idea: How to completely separate competitive and fun races

People keep complaining about the event schedule.

"Not enough events in my time zone!"
"I hate turbo!"
"Give us more BLAMT!"
"I love Descent!"
"Where are the 1 hour solo races?!"
"Lethal is a joke!"
"Too many races! Only no-lifers can compete!"

This post presents an idea. It is not a 100% polished idea (more like a brainstorm in my head), but it might inspire to improvements.

The problem is that there are increasingly many different race types and durations as well as time zones and player preferences. Assuming that more and more race types are going to be introduced in the future, each one of us will experience longer between our favourite race type/mod/length.

The Idea:

I suggest a better separation of fun and competitive races by doing the following:

- Decide once and for all which mods and combinations of mods should cause a race to be a "fun race" rather than competitive race and make a list somewhere where new as well as old players can easily find it. It is pretty confusing as it is now.

- Make all fun race leagues "24 hour open leagues" with a certain max play time per character. For example: 1 hour BLAMT should be open for 24 hours but no character should be allowed to have a /played of more than 60 minutes.

- A player may create more than one character in a fun race league.

- Prizes / reward points for fun races should be completely different from competitive races.

- Competitive races should award reward points and demis (current format).

- The rewards of fun races should be such that no competitive player would ever feel that it is needed to play them in order to compete on the ladder or to obtain the race reward alternate art unique items. Perhaps a few (very few) reward points based on easy level brackets, perhaps only random draw alternate art items with one random draw ticket per player level.


Pros:

- As fun races will no longer take time slots, there will be more time slots open to classic competitive race types such as 1 hour solo, 135 minute solo, 1 hour Descent (I consider it competitive).

- More time slots open to signature races.

- More time slots for competitive and signature races makes it easier to make a more even distribution of the different competitive race types across the different time zones.

- Less waiting time between your personal favourite special race type, be it BLAMT, Immolation Lethal, or Rogue Turbo Descent, because one fun league can be run every 24 hours.

- No real benefit from playing fun races and thus no need for the competitive player who seeks reward points (for climbing the ladder or for receiving certain rewards) to play them. This might always end up revealing which fun modes are not in the people's interest (through low attendance).

- The "live race feel" is intact in all races where it really matters: The competitive ones.


Purpose:

The overall purpose is to give each player more race leagues of the types he or she likes. This is achieved for players who like the competitive races the most, for players who like competitive races and one or two specific crazy leagues, and also for players who just like weird mod combinations. Finally, this is achieved for everyone regardless of time zones.

You may ask: "Why should I participate in the 1 hour turbo immolation league (which is open for 24 hours)??" The answer: Because you think it is fun and want to prove your skills within such a crazy league, or maybe this particular crazy league. While you may not be able to beat the top racers in the competitive races, you might still be the real king of Mexican BLAMT. If none of this applies, there is no reason for you to play it.




As stated in the beginning of this post, the above idea is not polished. Comments, ideas and downsides (that I have failed to see) are very welcome.

No matter what, I hope the suggestions above can serve as inspiration.

Thanks for reading!
/ The Insane

"

"Not enough events in my time zone!"

I bitch about the interesting races not being in my time zone.

I suggest kick this stupid Competive/Signature/Fun idea at all.

The only players crying that there were too many demigods were no lifers who didn't win demigods in Blamt etc. Also how can a demigod loose Value if 80% go to the same people?

I can't say I like BLAMT oder LATIF but I won most demis in those modes. But I still prefer them over Endless ledge and Descent.

"

- Make all fun race leagues "24 hour open leagues" with a certain max play time per character. For example: 1 hour BLAMT should be open for 24 hours but no character should be allowed to have a /played of more than 60 minutes.

This works for solo but what about party races where experienced racers grind stuff and trade good stuff for a last record run?

"

- Less waiting time between your personal favourite special race type, be it BLAMT, Immolation Lethal, or Rogue Turbo Descent, because one fun league can be run every 24 hours.

This isn't true because if there will be 24h slots the devs will decrease the amount of races.



Your suggestion in seperation is also bad.

Immolation becomes trivial after level 11 so that can be removed as competive.

Descentchests are crap and the mobs/alchrolling not fixed making it a fest of randomness

Ancestral barely affects gameplay so it might be competive as well.

Lethal might be a competive mode. The problem with lethal is rather that it forces you to play ranged because melee is unplayable.
My hate isn't lethal. It's Lethal+ some mod.

Lethal Turbo prevents everybody from progressing past brutus unless you bug him.

Lethal Ancestral has got offscreen DD Totems which are especially stupid in Turbo

Blood Magic makes the game even easier for some builds for the others it could be competive but the main issue is the spellcost here.

No Projetiles and no melee damage could be highly competive races with further restrictions.
Imagine a race where you only could use traps.

Multishot could be a highly competive mode, especially if you add something like must kill unique monster to progress because it would kill skipping and hailrake, ambrosia/amarissa with multishot aren't trivial.

Endless ledge is basically like Descent. I consider it was total randomness.

There is also a mode like 50% projetile speed or 200% projectile speed.

The big issue is that Quarl and Neonspyder listened to somebody who didn't do a single race after complaint got fulfilled.



Now we have a shitty unbalanced shedule and competive/fun races are totally random.


Imo all races should rewards demigods. It's only natural that players being good at rushtype races aren't automatically good in BLAMT like races.

I don't like them but I still think they should reward racers who are good in those modes.

On the other hand I get really bored with races starting from act1 and level 1.
A race starting at level 32 in cruel would be far more interesting.

Descent was a right idea but poorly executed such as resist and coral rings being given out too late instead 2 areas earlier. Mob seeds being totally unbalanced etc.

EL is even worse because it reduces the amount of builds to cleave roa and FP + luck in areas.

You get an area with elem weakness and much elemental damage early on or a knockback fest and you die. This is even more stupid than lethal because you have no control.

I think there is already a lack of incentive to race, lowering the reward points and other rewards for fun races would just lower that incentive even further, even for those just looking for fun races.
Also the 24 hour open with a time limit format kinda takes away from the thrill of directly competing with people.

They need to have more 24 hour open special races, with no rewards, that let people play around and practice (like turbo, lethal, endless ledge etc).

"

Hilbert wrote:

Spoiler

"

- Make all fun race leagues "24 hour open leagues" with a certain max play time per character. For example: 1 hour BLAMT should be open for 24 hours but no character should be allowed to have a /played of more than 60 minutes.

This works for solo but what about party races where experienced racers grind stuff and trade good stuff for a last record run?

They would just have to coordinate and play at the same time, just as they need to now. The only difference is that in the suggested format is that they can choose themselves when to do it. In the current format they would only have the race's time slot to do it in. Trading between parties is not very feasible though but I don't think that this is an issue.

"

Hilbert wrote:

"

- Less waiting time between your personal favourite special race type, be it BLAMT, Immolation Lethal, or Rogue Turbo Descent, because one fun league can be run every 24 hours.

This isn't true because if there will be 24h slots the devs will decrease the amount of races.

The idea was that the 24h open fun race leagues would overlap the competitive races. The time slots should only be used for competitive races. Thus, there would be more time slots for these.

"

Hilbert wrote:

Your suggestion in seperation is also bad.

That was just my suggestion and is indeed very subjective. Not the main point of my post. I see competitive races as those that are closest to normal gameplay. Again, just my opinion, not the main point.

"

boof wrote:

I think there is already a lack of incentive to race, lowering the reward points and other rewards for fun races would just lower that incentive even further, even for those just looking for fun races.

You might be right.

"

boof wrote:

Also the 24 hour open with a time limit format kinda takes away from the thrill of directly competing with people.

Agree. And this has been one of the main good reasons not to do it. That is why I would never suggest 24h leauges for competitive races.

"

They would just have to coordinate and play at the same time, just as they need to now. The only difference is that in the suggested format is that they can choose themselves when to do it. In the current format they would only have the race's time slot to do it in. Trading between parties is not very feasible though but I don't think that this is an issue.

Sorry but have you seen more complicated race parties?
There are 2 full no lifer parties and then there are parties of 3-4.
It will only result in no lifer abusing.

They gonna create multiaccounts to grind gear for level 12/18 and mule it on other multi accounts so they can finish a perfect run.

"

The idea was that the 24h open fun race leagues would overlap the competitive races. The time slots should only be used for competitive races. Thus, there would be more time slots for these.

No it won't. GGG claims that the races are set up to be selective. In S2 it was the case.
In S3 it's more "do or die" but GGG still claims they are selective and you shouldn't be able to do all races.
Adding 24h slots means everybody can participate in every race increasing the amount of races for the average racer which is a good thing but because of GGG Policy the total amount will be decreased.


I think Blamt Latif could be a highly competive format if there would be changes such as every character receives a bow/wand + gem from the beginning and gem rewards are modified.

I won't like the mode but it would be far more competive than it is now which is nothing but either go witch/ranger or run as many characters possible to find with a ranged attack.

"

Hilbert wrote:

Sorry but have you seen more complicated race parties?
There are 2 full no lifer parties and then there are parties of 3-4.
It will only result in no lifer abusing.

They gonna create multiaccounts to grind gear for level 12/18 and mule it on other multi accounts so they can finish a perfect run.

Look who escaped from his wardens again.