Beginning Of The End? Patron Currency NERFED TO THE GROUND!

[WhatZit]

Read it and weep:

https://www.codenameentertainment.com/?page=blog&post%5C_id=1589#blog

Replacing the exponential scaling of currency with linear scaling is not, by itself, a bad idea.

What IS bad, VERY VERY BAD, is that the multiplier for the linear scaling is completely lackluster and disrespectful of the player's time.

The "example" from the blog states that a z800 variant will now only award 4000 currency! That's not even 1 bloody chest!!!

It needs to be, at the very least, a x10 multiplier of the area goal (e.g. z800 = 8000 currency).

I can't see the game surviving if CNE continue to willfully and obviously push monetisation through the constant backpeddling of long-established game features, gaslighting us by claiming that they were actually "bugs" all along.

Every derogatory theory made about their greed following their lame "excuses" for Emergence 1 and Season 4 are turning out to be true.

EDIT: There was a stealth edit to the blog, presumably after CNE's monitors melted from the feedback.

It now says "For example, if the goal of a Patron Variant is to reach area 800 you will receive 9,600 Patron Currency as a reward instead of 65,700."

Much better than the Scroogey scab-fest that they had before.

EDIT 2: With the change going live, CNE have wisely decided to implement a non-linear scale which modestly escalates the currency multiplier as the target area increases, thereby factoring in the difficulty of higher variants.

In response to community outrage (which had greater exponents than the original patron rewards), CNE have included example tables in the new announcement to make things clear:

http://codenameentertainment.com/?page=idle_champions&post_id=1595#blog

Although they "forgot" to include the original rewards in their tables. A helpful redditor fixed that:

https://old.reddit.com/r/idlechampions/comments/175pvhg/comparison_patron_currency_pre_and_post_update/

Anyway, whether their scaling remains scabby or not, this is the sort of thing that CNE should have come up with in the first place. They especially should have demonstrated that the lower variants now award more currency than before!

Honestly, can CNE stop lighting fuses on thoughtless game changes, and then looking down the cannon barrel like Wile E Coyote when the shot doesn't go off?

[Derpykat5]

The general consensus is that the way it was wasn't good either, but this is way too much of an overcorrect.

There's no reason to do patron variants now except for completion's sake. And perks I guess, but those don't really do a whole lot, and then you've already got the hardest content in the game done so what's the point?

[SuperTim]

I could explain why this is not a good idea, but instead I'd like to talk about their reasoning:

In order to maintain the balance of the Patron system, a single Patron Variant completion should not award currency worth hundreds of Patron Chests.

So just to fix this one Patron Chests thing, the rest of the Patron Shop must become much more expensive too? I still need to buy many of the feats and skins in those shops but they will be exponentially more expensive from now on.

What also is very strange is that a "single Patron Variant" is usually hard, and very time intensive. (Still haven't done many of them. Because I still need more power, and usually that's at the end of a season.) These single variants also only rewards these things once and you can never do them again.

We realize this is a severe reduction in Patron Currency rewards, which is why we are giving notice ahead of time.

Yeah, 7 days of notice is very nice. Almost sounds generous. And only if you read the blog. Thanks for letting me know, OP!

----

It is Good News though, because I won't (and can't) change all my other real life plans to do any more Patron Variants. (hundreds of them to go but now i can just drop doing them. it was already hard to find time doing them during seasons and now theres no point doing them.)

I would probably be more disillusioned if I wasn't playing at least 5 other idle games right now.

[LostSoul]

Okay. Fine. Then remove the weekly cap from freeplay runs...

It's almost as if they don't want players to actually *GET* any patron chests, just so they can shoehorn the $$$ solution to gearing champions.

[kab_reg]

Originally posted by LostSoul:

It's almost as if they don't want players to actually *GET* any patron chests, just so they can shoehorn the $$$ solution to gearing champions.

That was obvious from the very beginning :(.

[DRIFTER]

I made and deleted a post about how this game has gone beyond the point of no return, mainly because I expected people replying negatively that i was too lazy to read and learn. Essentially, I asked, how do you make quick decisions on who to use and why, when the formulas keep changing (reworks / nerfs), aren't disclosed (laborious time-intensive testing), and the rewards don't respect your time. And then there's always a new champ, and a new set of variants, and event, and...

I'm overwhelmed, I'm shutting down. I enjoy simple numbers-go-up games but Idle Champs requires a PhD. No wonder so few players have--or ever will--complete the latest variants or even touch witchlight for that matter. I wish we could file a formal complaint to get valve to restrict their access in adding achievements so myself and probably quite a few others can put the game out to pasture for good.

[Hecate]

Next step, they'll probably reduce the amount of tokens you can get from bounty contracts or even remove bounty contracts from gold chest drop "to balance things".

[Heinz]

I believe giving this game negative reviews will dissuade them from implementing this nerf, it truly is the only way to punish such devs. Especially after they enticed all the new comers from the success of bg3, only to rugpull after the event is over.

[Sapwn]

thats an odd decision,

they said they wanted players to engage more with variants, but i honestly dont see how this will help

Originally posted by Hecate:

Next step, they'll probably reduce the amount of tokens you can get from bounty contracts or even remove bounty contracts from gold chest drop "to balance things".

lets hope not too soon, i have almost 1 year of contracts saved for either kent or virgirl (havent decided yet)

[Clash]

I've never liked the nerf bat, but this is more like a nerf sledge hammer. I started this game near the beginning of season 2. I have a PC running this game 24/7 with a main party and 3 background parties. I've worked a lot to get max blessings in all campaigns, unlock a lot of champions, and get up into T8 and T9 of patron perks. I still have a little ways to go to complete T8 and T9 perks.

I recently started working on those hard patron variants to equip my champions. Sometimes getting stuck on the very last level, trying every potion, core, champion, champion position, champion perk to complete, and still not being able to clear it. Sometimes I can spend the time on three different high level patron variants and fail. With the current rewards, I don't mind failing and trying again. With the new rewards, I'm sure I will not bother. What made it worth the effort was the influence AND the currency. I felt like I actually had a chance to get my champions equipped.

I have purchased each season pass. This nerf has me seriously considering not getting the next season, and shutting down that PC. Maybe that's a good thing, it will save me $50 a year, plus a little on the electric bill.

[CODESTA147]

I mean, is this really a surprise? Monetised games will always go looking for more money which makes designs and systems broken and limited on purpose only to make sure that you pay in order to get the "unbroken" system. I'm just glad I pretty much have no use for the currency as a free to play player as I only really want the modron chests now, I've already looted a couple adventures in witchlight that gave 200-300 chests.

[GazimoEnthra]

This is more than enough reason to never play this game again. This absolutely destroys the quality of the game and makes it unplayable for new players.

[carl.wear]

This kind of nerf is why I refuse to spend money on a free to play pay to win game. No point spending money only to have greedy developers change the goalposts on you. Better to save money up and make a one off purchase of a good game that doesn't force you to spend more money to 'win".

[rble]

New player here, recently purchased my second season pass (albeit reluctantly), but this has sealed the deal for me. Will be quitting the game for good now, actually somewhat happy, although I can't get my money and time back, at least going forward I won't need to spend any more of it. THANKS CNE! :D

[Darkpoetry]

First, you work your ass off to somehow win these variants. A decent reward as compensation in prospect. And now something like this? With the downgrade, the complete motivation to invest time in many Patreon variants disappears. Thank you for nothing.

[🍃gͮaͥnͬjͥaͩsͥ💨]

We were in the process of writing a glowing review with a sort of beginners guide like diary since 1st started playing just a few weeks ago but fuq that for right now. Had even bought the season pass since liked the game enough to support it... if this update happens we will never buy anything to support this game/devs/publisher again + we will instead write a flaming review as these variants are difficult as it is. Nerfing the rewards coupled with how long it takes just to get the reputation is not just ludicrous its plain painstakingly not fun. This def marks the last "free 2 play" game that will ever get 💸 as really 💤 of 💩 like this happening in games esp under the guise of "balance". There are plenty of other balance issues in games like this n they need the focus on there. Ex. How the majority of familiars are in cash shop instead of earned in game. The amount of useful potions (speed + click esp) that drop vs the less useful (health). The amount of gold dropped from silver chests compared to actual gear. (getting 2 gold cards out of 3 is redic considering we need gear + item lvls to successfully clear quests/pass walls where as gold can be farmed every lvl + has buffs/potiions/etc). The amount of gold chests that drop vs silver. Theres more but really not in the mood to list them all here considering.