Has battlegrounds killed MCOC?

Been wanting to post this for a while. I know lots of the try hards will object, so this question is geared more towards the casual player.

Personally, I don’t like the mode. I have a big roster, but like to play this game as a stress reliever as opposed to a stress inducer. The AI lately has been atrocious and in a mode like BGs where you’ll lose if you get combo’d it just sucks and isn’t fun.

Comments

BringPopcorn

So.. a single optional mode in the game killed the game?....

Ourobøros

You play to stress relief, and don't like playing Bg.... What's the doubt here?

ahmynuts

You're not forced to play bgs. Just ignore it if it stresses you out...

MrSakuragi

Many think it saved the game…

Nightheart

Bg is what saved the game

GalactikDonut

i also do not like bg that much, but i’m glad it’s in the game for those that do. it’s stilly to say a game mode you don’t personally enjoy has “killed” the game

altavista

So.. a single optional mode in the game killed the game?....

I dont agree with OP that it is killing the game, but that doesn’t mean that I think BGs is unequivocally a positive, optional thing.

It is optional, but that doesn’t negate its (non-optional) impact on the rest of the game.

First - Pre-BG, one could ignore competitive modes (Eg. AW) and still obtain 100% of what is available in game. You might not be opening as many crystals as regular AW participants, but it is not common to lock unique rewards (aside from Ultron) to optional modes.

Post-BG, one misses out on Deathless pieces, Nightcrawler pieces, etc. Again, the content and reward are optional, but you can’t discount that fact that you can no longer obtain 100% of what is availabile in game without doing this “optional” content. It is a paradigm shift, regardless of whether players like it or not (and can be seen by how Kabam is also locking Ultron and Sparky behind Raid and Challenges - this reflects a difference in Kabam’s philosophy).

Second - new champions seem to be designed with BGs in mind. Whether their purpose is to be a meta defender or a burst damage god, the design philosophy for champions has changed to reflect this ‘optional” content. This affects all other areas of the game. One could argue that Kabam has always done this but its just using BG terminology since its a good reference point, but even Kabam’s admission of releasing too many meta defenders in a short time period, reflects that champions are now being designed with BG in their mind.

WinterFields

It's actually why I still play. I have no reason otherwise to pursue and rank up champs. I've done all the story quests and only play war casually

Hickdog27

I love the comments but when the best store in the game is BGs, do you not feel forced to play it?

So many of the new champs are BG focused, some even get a BG ramp up bonus in their kit.

I understand the “don’t play it” logic, but am I wrong in thinking that BG is the mode the devs want us playing? And that that is where the game is ultimately going?

Hickdog27

Also didn’t mean for the original post to be so negative. “Killing the game” was a bit dramatic. It was moreso an observation that the new champs, rewards, etc., are all pushing us to a mode that many (myself as it applies to this post) don’t find enjoyable or find counter to the main reason they started playing and/or spending on the game.

JT_Supreme

Bg was the best thing for the games longevity

ahmynuts

I love the comments but when the best store in the game is BGs, do you not feel forced to play it?

So many of the new champs are BG focused, some even get a BG ramp up bonus in their kit.

I understand the “don’t play it” logic, but am I wrong in thinking that BG is the mode the devs want us playing? And that that is where the game is ultimately going?

It's the most competitive game mode, of course the devs want us to play it because that's where games thrive the most and last the longest. Just because it has the best store in the game doesn't mean you have to play it. You're just choosing a less stressful experience which also means you arent getting the rewards associated with what you have given up

startropics

if anything it saved it

Hickdog27

Appreciate the counters and insight. Great community as always. I’ll just focus on the areas of the game I enjoy going forward.

Errang

@Hickdog27 its understandable that you don’t like BGs; it’s been stated several times that this is a big shift from the norm — usually, you beat the AI, you win; but now you need to beat the AI faster than someone else. It is a big shift from the ~7 years of something else.

Not sure if I’d agree with everyone saying BGs saved the game; but it definitely extended its life. Simply put, you need 30 champs, instead of the usual 11 (5 for story, 3 for AQ and 3 for AW). Thats why champs were getting locked from AQ/AW, so we were forced to rank more than 5 champs.

At the end of the day, we need some incentive to collect and rank up champs; and we’re at a point where they prolly can’t create enough content to justify those champs and rank ups without BGs.

klobberintyme

Been wanting to post this for a while. I know lots of the try hards will object, so this question is geared more towards the casual player.

Personally, I don’t like the mode. I have a big roster, but like to play this game as a stress reliever as opposed to a stress inducer. The AI lately has been atrocious and in a mode like BGs where you’ll lose if you get combo’d it just sucks and isn’t fun.

I personally don't touch the mode as i have 30 non-contiguous minutes that i can play in a day, however:

1) BGs keep the high-end/end game contingent engaged. They are what funds the game in between events. Even if metrics boils it down to just 4k users, those users account for a disproportionate amount of revenue.
2) casuals are only useful for their potential to become more than casual. It's why streamers tout paid subs numbers in earnings calls, not total (casual/freeloader) subs.

Wu_Bangerz23

Been wanting to post this for a while. I know lots of the try hards will object, so this question is geared more towards the casual player.

Personally, I don’t like the mode. I have a big roster, but like to play this game as a stress reliever as opposed to a stress inducer. The AI lately has been atrocious and in a mode like BGs where you’ll lose if you get combo’d it just sucks and isn’t fun.

I'd say I'm a casual....maybe a little more than casual but don't really spend much if anything.....in an alliance that no longer does anything above running aw and aq just for basic rewards. If it was a job I'd say I'm retired but working part time.....ANNNND BG, if anything, has saved this game for many. It's why I log in daily....do a few fights...it's one piece of "content" that never runs out and has an endless pool of rewards.....best game mode IMO in YEARS , maybe ever.....and it is completely optional so complaining about it sounds like complaining just to complain

Wu_Bangerz23

And I'm not saying OP is complaining. All your comments and questions were respectfully articulated and even when someone disagreed you didn't start an internet fight. Very rare in today's gaming forum world

Rayven5220

"Personally, I don’t like the mode. I have a big roster, but like to play this game as a stress reliever as opposed to a stress inducer."

So don't play it....

How the hell is it killing the game because YOU don't like it?

Build

Battlegrounds didn't kill it. First ten+ seasons were a blast. Kabam's compulsions to build a pita defender every month, that mostly whales end up with, is hurting BGs. It's a war of attrition, who has more OP defenders usually wins. Defenders are a need. However, the brakes need to be pumped.

I used to spend frequently on this game. Stuff like this piling up with the numerous other problems, is causing me to not support the devs as I used to. I still spend here and there. But until this game approaches the prestige it once had I won't return to that level of spending.

I have been wanting to say, but have held in fear I'm misremembering..... some time ago, some sort of director position was changed. As well as some of (or all?) the teams working directly on the game. Old "man in charge" was moved to a new project. This is almost the exact time the offers went up in cost, input fell apart, lag became such a issue, things went invisible, AI went to pot, etc etc etc etc etc etc

Kabam is a company, with shareholders, I understand this. A company needs to keep developing new projects to stay afloat, and needs income. I definitely understand giving the whales something to buy. But companies that neglect the things that have made them what they are often falter.

I wish Kabam, in its entirety, good luck.

KDoggg2017

I love the comments but when the best store in the game is BGs, do you not feel forced to play it?

So many of the new champs are BG focused, some even get a BG ramp up bonus in their kit.

I understand the “don’t play it” logic, but am I wrong in thinking that BG is the mode the devs want us playing? And that that is where the game is ultimately going?

I've never felt forced to do anything in this game. I have no fear of missing out on rewards. I don't care who has a better roster than mine.
I play whatever mode appeals to me that day.

Rudolph_Raindeer

Yes

Magrailothos

Been wanting to post this for a while. I know lots of the try hards will object, so this question is geared more towards the casual player.

Personally, I don’t like the mode. I have a big roster, but like to play this game as a stress reliever as opposed to a stress inducer. The AI lately has been atrocious and in a mode like BGs where you’ll lose if you get combo’d it just sucks and isn’t fun.
I personally don't touch the mode as i have 30 non-contiguous minutes that i can play in a day, however:

1) BGs keep the high-end/end game contingent engaged. They are what funds the game in between events. Even if metrics boils it down to just 4k users, those users account for a disproportionate amount of revenue.
2) casuals are only useful for their potential to become more than casual. It's why streamers tout paid subs numbers in earnings calls, not total (casual/freeloader) subs.

Largely true; although given their large numbers, casuals have two more uses:
1 - they provide spenders/more dedicated players with opponents who can be beaten
2 - they build, maintain and spread information and hype (i.e. the community) about the game.

I'm not a fan of BGs; but I can see the appeal, and how much it's helped the game. It's just a shame that the somewhat rigid time commitments (solid bursts of time where you can't pause your phone or put it down) makes it off-putting or inaccessible to those of us fitting MCOC around lots of real life commitments. As you say, non-contiguous time doesn't allow you to play BGs effectively.

That was what was always my problem with Incursions, until they developed the solo mode.

Dab_west

the reason champs are designed for bgs in mind is because thats where people really care how good a champion is, no new champ is really designed for questing cause u can do questing with anyone. Nobody these days would bat an eye at a new ramp up character that takes several fights to complete their ramp

unknown

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GMAX77

Personally, I don’t like the mode..

Fair enough. Not to sound like a smart you know what, but if one mode is not enjoyable play the others. Arena could provide the stress relief that you are looking for. (Out of respect I will not list all the modes, but to push the point I will say there are multiple and they each provide a different "something" for the casual player)

SandeepS

I'm stuck at the 5 wins in a row tier... Can't get past that. If it was 3 like the others I'd be more motivated but that puts me off. Once you're past that it's more fun as it doesn't matter as much if you lose

Warlockjr

bgs are just ok.It depends on the node. I'm ok with this node but my deck isn't the greatest compared to all the other diamond 4 players with 7 r5s and im over here with 1 and only 6 7*s. Its not hard, i'm just not playing till the season is over then next season ill start at an easy place.

WinterFields

bgs are just ok.It depends on the node. I'm ok with this node but my deck isn't the greatest compared to all the other diamond 4 players with 7 r5s and im over here with 1 and only 6 7*s. Its not hard, i'm just not playing till the season is over then next season ill start at an easy place.

BG definitely favors endgame players. If you still have story content to do, that should be the priority. Once you become an endgame player though, it gives you something to do

Zuro

bgs are just ok.It depends on the node. I'm ok with this node but my deck isn't the greatest compared to all the other diamond 4 players with 7 r5s and im over here with 1 and only 6 7*s. Its not hard, i'm just not playing till the season is over then next season ill start at an easy place.
BG definitely favors endgame players. If you still have story content to do, that should be the priority. Once you become an endgame player though, it gives you something to do

Literally every game mode favors endgame players because that's the point, the greater your account the greater the rewards.