Hello,
The Starforce system is basically the main source of damage you can get when you try to push mid and late game content, but you simply end up saving your meso for a while (probably a few weeks to months) just to see no actuall progression after a starforce session. You end up burning all your meso in literally minutes and on average you are back to where you started, and if not, the progress you've made is probably not enough to compensate for the time spent.
You would assume, the the average player usually spends a few hours a day (at best) or few hours a week trying to enjoy the game, push content, become stronger, enjoy the community etc. However, in reality you feel frustrated that you've made no progress at all after saving a couple of bilions of mesos and doing a starforce session. Lets say an average player has a 9 to 5 job, has a relationship (a wife, kids, gf/bf, etc), other hobbies, you can squeeze in a few hours a week doing bosses, leveling up, trying to save as much meso as you can for a starforce session (usually in an event) just so go right back to the starting point where you have to wait a few weeks all over again.
In other words, I spend a huge amount of time in the game "investing" in mesos, and after a few weeks maybe months, the return on my investment is nothing in less then 99% of the time. The actual return on my investment is that I have to spend the same amount of time (or more) again to get the same results, which makes no sense. At this point why would I spend these few hours at all? I assume the average player either give up and quit the game, or in the case he does not quit he either go back to save more meso to begin with or give up using the starforce system. In theory you could save meso for a year or two then simply do everything at once - then the progress in the game is minial during that time, the amount of enjoyment goes down and you probably end up quitting anyway. (also you miss out on getting better items to starforce during that time so the loop continues)
I am not saying the system should be removed, I understand there has to be a "risk" involved, but you have to include some way for the player to feel that his investment is worth the time. If you improve the system in a way that compensates the players their luck wasn't in their favor would mean that if you invest time using the system your investment was worth it, doesn't matter if you "win" or if you "lose". Then the players would want to keep investing the same amount of time again, or even more.
For example, one way you already use in other systems, could be to let the player spend more mesos to not lose his progress. With potential cubes you allow to use the old potential if the new one is not something I want, why not with Starforce? This also applies to other systems like the Flames system. Replace the "safeguard" mechanism, with a more expensive starforcing option that doesn't destroy your item or pushes the amount of stars on the item back by one star upon failure. (or even two options, one for breaking the item, and one for saving the amount of stars)
Outside the game in our daily life, if you work daily and save up your money for a few years, then invest in something that in a few minutes will set you back to where you started you will most likely not make the same investment again. You will keep working daily investing in something different or not make the investment in the first place doing something else with your saved money.
Best,
Ido
Comments
i'am now at 9k legion after a year and 20 days gameplay
a friend who work was going at like half my speed(potentially become my wife in a near futur)....but she want me to change my lifestyle first i believe(wants me to get a job and put some order in my life)...hasn't play in some month
but ya...get those bosses mules and the mesos will flow in rly hard....also gear up ALL your alts in AbsoLab gear to 17 stars(increase legion coins generation greatly)
the hard part is getting it rolling rly...afterward the gain come fast....once you got 5 bosses mules thats where its gonna get rly rly fast income