The future looks bleak

I really enjoy MCOC, but right now it’s feeling off. It seems like it’s getting worse day by day. Every step Kabam takes forward, they go two steps back. Here are the problems I see right now:

1. Fix the AI 🤖

It’s getting worse every single day. Players can adapt to challenges, but when AI behaves in unpredictable, unnatural, or outright broken ways, it stops being fun and just becomes frustrating.

2. Too much content in too little time

It’s great to get new things, but cramming too much in at once and then going dry for a while doesn’t feel right.

Here’s what’s happening on August 13:
• Fintech Celebration Quest
• Act 8 Crucible with all Act 8 bosses (the only thing worth looking forward to)
• Mini-Crucible
• Statcast Relics going live after being delayed from August 8
• AQ Event starting on top of everything else
(Thanks to RichTheMan for the daily info)

All of that is landing on the same day. It’s like you’re daring us to have a life outside of MCOC. More is good, but too much in too little time isn’t.

3. Inconsistent content quality

I understand making new content is hard and not everything will land but when feedback is ignored, we end up with misses like Heart of Fire. New ideas are welcome but actually listening to the community before releasing something would go a long way. Do market research, ask us directly, and follow through on what the majority of players actually want.

4. Battlegrounds is becoming pay to win 💸

Battlegrounds is supposed to be competitive, but right now it’s about who has the deeper pockets, not who has more skill. The Human Torch offer for 36k units (~$1,200) is absurd. I spend a bit, but I’m not going to go broke chasing every new champion and counter each month. Let’s just say it would require more than my wallet can handle.

F2p players get hit even harder, matched against rosters stacked with rank 4 7* champions. (I only have one 🥹.) This is especially important when you’re turning it into a live competitive event like the Battle Brawl. Monetization will ruin this mode if it keeps going down this path. Or just fix the parameters around matchmaking.

There are ways to make it fair. Have separate modes like “only 2* allowed” or “only villains allowed at 4*” where all champions in that mode are automatically maxed or unranked for the fight. That way, it’s mostly skill and some RNG for character selection. This also gives collectors a chance to flex rare or limited time champs without spending to win.

5. Comparisons to other games

I know it’s not good to compare as different games offer different things but I’m going to do it anyway.

Call of Duty, League of Legends, and Fortnite keep competitive modes fair by balancing gear, stats, and matchmaking so skill is the main factor. When one roster massively outclasses another in MCOC, the outcome is obvious before the fight even starts.

Other games have failed by ignoring balance in pvp like Star Wars: Battlefront II faced huge backlash when its multiplayer became heavily pay-to-win and mobile games like Heroes Charge and Game of War died out because keeping up in pvp required constant spending.

I also play Warframe and the difference in communication is massive. They have dev streams, clear patch notes, and constantly update players on fixes. Warframe has a ton of content, a free battle pass, and you can reach the top without spending a penny. People spend because they enjoy it, not because they feel forced.

This is just how I see it. Maybe you agree, maybe you don’t, that’s fine.

Comments

CheeseMaster482

Gacha Games will never be competitive, BGs isn't competitive.

COD and Fortnite are competitive because money doesn't buy you any advantages. You can spend $5000 on a PC and still lose off drop. All guns deal the same damage, you can't buy any upgrades. Money will never buy you any stats to help you win. There's a reason why some people are stuck in Bronze with their $5000 PCs while the guy on his $500 PC is in Unreal/Crimson

In BGs you will never see a whale stuck in Plat or Diamond, they are literally guaranteed Uru even if they are bad just based off of their roster.

The only people who think BGs is competitive are mobile players that have never played an actual non P2W game before. Name one competitive game where the highest rank is based on how much money you spent? You literally can't.

The only time BGs is ever competitive is during Battlerealm Brawl since every player is given an account with access to every character already fully leveled. It's up to them to come up with a deck that takes into account the drafting feature to ensure they end up with the appropriate counters.

There is nothing to fix with BGs. It's only purpose is to be a place where spenders can justify dropping $500 on defenders.

ahmynuts

More like ManSoAIGeneratedPost

WhisperDARK

Community literally got accustomed to the terrible AI that there are no outrages as often anymore. Sure, "fix the AI" could be an unrealistic request for short term but I remember how it used to be 2 years ago and honestly it only got worse. I don't recall a single positive change but new issues are constantly added on top of the already problematic situation.

"AI light/special intercepts, AI can parry randomly, AI has insane reaction/recovery time" etc.

I ask everyone here, can anybody wholeheartedly claim that any of these issues got better even if slightly? Did the state of AI on any of these aspects improve? @World Eater has been begging for a simple bug fix for how long, over a year now I guess? Most recent response he got was that the bug wasn't consistently reproducible and wasn't priority though it affects champions like Ghost a lot and is easy to reproduce tbf.

Now that makes you wonder, "what are the priority bugs they work on?".

It certainly isn't the bug where you had to restart the game to get the crystals you got from a calendar which took many months to be fixed.

Not the one where you couldn't see the drafts of a battlegrounds match from your match history either. In fact, it got fixed just this update after yet again many months!

Did you know that some people still can't rotate their screen no matter how much they tilt their phones while the game is open? This one has been going on for over a year now but turns out its not their priority.

The game crashes in battlegrounds still exist, the bug where your first champion is autodrafted before you even get to see your options still exists etc. but I guess there's no time for those when new ones get added every update and take priority over the already existing ones.

We keep repeating like parrots that "whales are keeping the game alive". Maybe its not as one sided as it seems when whales fund the game so effectively that Kabam allows themselves to ignore such problems and the community sentiment for so long? Doesn't mean that we should burn the whales but their actions don't affect us as net positive if you think about it. There are no excuses at this point, if you're gonna boast about your financial stability and success then maybe you should show some accountability when you face valid criticism instead of going silent like almost every time?

But then again there's unfortunately a ftp shaming going on in the forums so my last paragraph might be taken out of context and get me nuked by the whale glorifiers. Those people will be the same ones criticising Kabam for every breath they take though cause that's just the way it goes. (I'm a low to moderate spender btw so please don't come up to me with "You do nothing for the game so opinion rejected", ty 🙏)

Herbal_Taxman

What an amazing thread. Seriously, great work guys.

WayWorn2525

Like the old cliche, things don't last forever, that includes this game.
With all the issues going on, enjoy it (as much as possible) before the servers are shut down (for whatever future reasons) for good! 😁

Beta3000

If you only have one R4 then you need to stop writing essays on the forum and go do some content.
You clearly haven't done 99% of the new important stuff but are talking about the game "going dry for a while. "
The game ain't dry for you, little child.

M_A_D_D_Y

I get where you’re coming from, and I actually agree with a lot of your points. But the games you mentioned—COD, Fortnite, etc.—have a much bigger audience and way higher revenue streams, which gives them the resources to focus on purely competitive, skill-based modes without worrying about monetization as much.

With a smaller player base like MCOC, the revenue is naturally more limited, so the devs tend to prioritize features that provide consistent income rather than modes that don’t directly benefit them financially. They also have to cover ongoing expenses and keep the game sustainable

So yeah, I get the frustration, but from a business standpoint, it’s hard for a game with a smaller audience to fully replicate the competitive structure of huge titles that don’t rely on monetized progression.

M_A_D_D_Y

In a game like this, F2P players do contribute by keeping the game active and providing an audience, which in turn motivates spenders to spend. But the reality is that the bulk of the financial support—and therefore the survival of the game—comes from spenders and content creators. Without them, there’s no money to keep the servers running or fund updates.

GroundedWisdom

I was beginning to wonder when the doomsday posts were going to show up again.
This game isn't planning on going anywhere anytime soon. This is one of the longest-running games of its kind, and I certainly consider it the most complex.
However, this is still a mobile game, and it will always have certain limitations. Comparing it to games like CoD and Fortnite is obsolete. Different platforms, audiences, mechanics, companies, too many differences to consider it a reasonable comparison.
Some people just fall out of love with this game and get bored. It's totally fine, it happens all time. Others will still play, and some will pick it up for the first time. It's not a foreboding sign.

WhisperDARK

I don't think anybody here actually cares about the well-being of Kabam and their success and longevity as a company. Good for them and their future spenders I guess but what about me, what about him, what about her? I don't want Kabam to succeed, I want to enjoy the game I play. Surely they are both intertwined but that's besides the point. Why would I care about their excitement for the future if I'm losing mine today? You may think and feel for the company but I don't, I only wish them success as long as they deliver what I want from them and that's what a healthy individual does throughout their entire life. Its not a matter of entitlement either, there is no emotional bond between me and a company in the first place. You repeat what they say as well, game is going nowhere with their stable income and growth. I'm just expecting to see some of their resources invested towards fixing issues me and many who think alike find harmful for their gaming experience since if else our joy will slowly fade away and we'll eventually disappear with someone else to take our place. You might not care about the individuals and approach these issues mechanically like a company would but I don't. I think for myself and for those who share my thoughts. I frankly wouldn't care if a game I no longer enjoy lives or dies and that's what anyone with some self-respect would do. And its only natural if I question a company with this much success for their decisions whether they take it into heart or not.

Problem is not that the game seems to be dying to us since there's no way we can tell. Its the fact that the game we used to love is dying and its only understandable if we voice our concerns with hopes to be heard.

Like Mordo sp1 missing in RoL for example. How the hell does that happen, they can't even dex?!

Abspain101

Nah that's not what a healthy individual does that is what a self centered entitled baby does I only wish them success as long as they deliver what i want from them that right there is entitlement that's like saying I only love my significant other as long as they do what I want them to do that's not healthy that's being entitled if you are not enjoying the game do like hundreds of ppl do take a break but don't mix up your entitlement with how a healthy person views things

M_A_D_D_Y

I get what you’re saying about just wanting to have fun without worrying about Kabam’s bottom line, but let’s be real — if Kabam isn’t making money, there’s no game for us to complain about in the first place. It’s kinda like saying, “I don’t care if the restaurant makes money, I just want my food.” Sounds good… until the place shuts down and you’re stuck with instant noodles.

And yeah, no one’s asking you to feel all warm and fuzzy about Kabam like they’re family, but pretending their business reality doesn’t affect us is like saying you don’t care if the plane company stays in business while you’re mid-flight. We’re all kinda in it together whether we like it or not.

Also, if playing the game is giving you that much frustration and it’s clear you’re just getting angry then maybe it’s time to uninstall, cool off, and find something that doesn’t spike your blood pressure.

I’m with you that they need to fix bugs and improve the experience, no argument there. But ignoring the money side completely is just asking for the game to fade away even faster.

WhisperDARK

Wow, just wow. Imagine comparing a company to your significant other. Sure, go ahead with your emotional bond with Kabam. Hope they notice someday. Even Polyanna would fail to make sense of such a romantic idea haha

Abspain101

No you said that is what a healthy individual does throughout their whole life so yes it makes perfect sense in comparing the 2

WhisperDARK

Didn't I make it clear? "I wish success to them as long as they deliver". I meant that as long as they're doing their best to keep me engaged I would support them whether it be financially or something else. But I wouldn't literally keep funding them after I leave the game, why would I care at that point? I didn't claim to be as frustrated as my comment may have seemed, that's just an impression I must have mistakenly gave. I'm not ignoring the money side, I'm just claiming that I see no reason to support financially when the game is steering away from the things that made it enjoyable for me in the first place.

WhisperDARK

Sure if that's what you wanna believe. Won't waste time convincing you, such seemingly rude expressions clearly affect you too much but I won't go and try to word it softly just so you don't get mad. Unfortunate that its bothering you so much but I can't help with that

jdschw

I'm not sure that the screen rotation issue is actually a bug. I actually think they *fixed* a bug and people got confused.

I usually have screen rotation locked on my phone, meaning it normally won't rotate. For a long time, mcoc would rotate anyway and ignore this setting.

At some point, they fixed it so mcoc actually respects the setting. This means mcoc won't normally rotate, but if i unlock screen rotation on my phone, mcoc will rotate.

I suspect that people who think this is a bug actually (knowingly or unknowingly) have the rotation locked in their phone settings, and they're just used to mcoc rotating anyway, and it no longer does that.

WhisperDARK

Iirc I used to be able to rotate the screen without unlocking screen rotation but maybe I'm mistaken, its been such a long time that I forgot about it. Cool to know that it at least works with screen rotation unlocked though, thank you for the clarification.

Asher1_1

u need to have better glass to see in the positive way
1. i don't mind ai in other modes ( only in Bgs i mind the ai - as getting outdrafted u have to race which has nothing to do with ai other factor force)
2. many content is good thing - u don't need to do them one day it's a whole month content
3. no idea what are u yapping - kabam need to make money
4. it's somewhat whales but top whales(19-20 R4) don't even that good in Bgs - it's the midlevel whales (12-13 R4) who are good at the game by spending more time playing . what u are seeing some descently spend & don't play much they get carried by there deck by beating free2play players.(solution is keep the gap pay=2x of free2play r4 )
5. (5 r4 for free2play then make pay as 10 r4 max not 13-14 r4 )

6. other games comparison is ass - pushing updates every month with new characters & new quest every month so much unique characters - your most games all characters are not unique -not unique ability -not unique character model

Suckmysigma

Bottom line the game has gotten a tad to greedy for what it offers P2W people and F2Ps are both important to maintaining the game. Also I hate the entire concept of BGs like why can’t I just 1v1 the enemy? Why do I have to fight a glitchy over buffed OP champ in 2 minutes? The idea was cool but the execution was awful

KTPrimal

Nah you missed hard. Your comparison is crazy. Almost every analogy used in this community are big misses and not comparable.

The_0wenpus

This game is much to far in to change its pricing structure to an equal advantage. If the pay-to-win elements bother you, they will never change and are a problem with the base game design rather than the "direction" of the game team.

JESUSCHRIST

Don't compare apples with oranges

If anyone is looking for 100% skill based game den go play other games and win in E Sports competition with their attractive prize pool

Like League of Legends, Street Fighter etc

Players who complain about pay to win aren't exactly winning E Sports championship in other games, you are just making excuses for your lack of skills

I know bcos I played and watched purely skill based game, champion level players play the game full time as their career, there's no way you can compete with them based on skills bcos you can't invest as much time as them in the game

Losers give excuses, winners give everything

Sundance_2099

Loshersh whine about their besht. Winnersh go home and bang the Prom Queen!
- Sean Connery, The Rock, 1996 (bowdlerised for strong language)