Player Disks | Feature Pitch

PawpsicleSticks · February 25, 2020, 3:00am

For a while now, I’ve had an idea for a new feature. I’ve edited together a few screenshots as a proof of concept, so there shouldn’t be a huge amount of reading.

First, Best Friends. Players can request to become Best Friends with another player as long as neither of them are Best Friends with someone else.

A player’s Best Friend (and Player Disk, if they have one) is shown in their profile when you tap on them in chat. This display can be toggled on and off in options.
Player Disk Display-2

Now, the interesting bit: how Best Friends benefit from each other. Namely, Best Friend Campaigns and, as titled, Player Disks.

Best Friend Campaigns are a series of 8 Challenges that track both players. When complete, each player is able to choose an effect for their disk, and equip it.

Player Disks function entirely outside of battle, giving players an extra boost to things like gold or disk power income. Other bonuses could include increased Guild Influence collection, reduced skill costs, or increased caps for all stamina types.

Instead of using Disk Power to raise the level of the disk, it uses the other player’s Team Level. Stars are added the traditional way using memories, which are available from completing challenges and rarely from the Memory Shop.

PROS:

Helps provide relief for those who are always running out of resources, while still offering enticing rewards and something to do for those who aren’t
Adds more content without increasing the time it takes to play
Encourages making friends and socializing, which improves player retention
Players are pressured to raise their Team Level to help each other
Player disk memories seem like something PB would enjoy giving out in contests

CONS:

PB may make Player Memories difficult to acquire, and then sell them in deals
Best Friends that are many levels apart could upset the balance for both players, giving one huge bonuses and next to nothing for the other.
(However, this could easily be fixed by adding a limit to the level difference between each player and their disk. For example, a level 100 player only receiving the effects of a level 120 disk despite having a level 150 Best Friend.)
Properly scaling challenges for two players could be difficult.

Thanks for reading! If you have any questions, feel free to ask.

EDIT: I fixed up the wording, and got rid of a few typos.

Filadae_Djaq · February 25, 2020, 3:16am

This is a good idea. But there is another issue: this will likely push players to go to social media and make friends, but then there are some who’s parents won’t let them talk in global chat, leaving their child introverted. There are also some who have access to the chat, but are introverted enough to ignore the chats. There are some players people who will want to friend others (like in people from the forums) but they are out of their server, and the player already may have too much progress in their main server.

Also, what if they are unfriended? What will happen to the disk? And what if the disk was too powered up. How will you know how some disks benefit the player there are too many players to count alone?

Another thing, what if one thinks that a player is their best friend, but find out you are not your best friend’s best friend? This could cause some social issues…

These are my only claims against the idea. If is amazing, but this could cause some social problems.

TherMasterStitch · February 25, 2020, 3:23am

I like it! Looks fun and very interesting!

The only downside I see is that everyone will be fighting to be Best Friends with me!
https://data.whicdn.com/images/72062800/original.gif

PawpsicleSticks · February 25, 2020, 3:32am

A wise choice, given Global’s track record. However, guildmates can still be friended outside of global, and are likely to be a wiser choice anyways.
This is also part of the reason why I put emphasis on disks being irrelevant to battle, as no one should be at a disadvantage because they don’t have one.

I would imagine that the Memories would be refunded, and the players would have to redo the Best Friend Campaign with their new Best Friends.

I’m not entirely sure what you’re asking here? Resources like Gold tend to benefit everyone, and in the rare case they don’t, the players can simply choose the disk that’s right for them.

The players can work something out over it, whether they leave the old Best Friend and get a new disk together or just go with it. If someone is truly offended over it, then that’s probably a toxic relationship.

Filadae_Djaq · February 25, 2020, 4:09am

Then PB will be able to control the effects and the amount of them for each disk, and the effects could be pretty low

Champion_David · February 25, 2020, 4:13am

I like this idea alot! Having a best friend option would be.such fun, though I didn’t see it there, I think it would be alot of fun if the best friends also were able to make special trades if they max out their friendship. This would allow them to give each other items, perhaps chips, tokens, and maybe raid tickets.

As far as problems, Being limited only to one kind sucks. I would prefer it was limited to two, like all heroes in game, but that is just something small.

I would also hope this feature came with a special way for the two friends to play together, I know about challenges, but like mayne some special Heist or something.

TherMasterStitch · February 25, 2020, 7:19am

What if we could do an Inner Circle type thing?

Like say there’s Player A, B, and C.

PA is Best Friends with PB. PB is BF with PC. And PC is BF with PA. Since they’re all connected and friends they’re in the same inner circle. And being in an inner circle gives benefits.

Like better rewards?

Or if a Best Friend disk reward is different for every player then being in an inner circle allows a player to get rewards from their own BF disk and from another inner circle player’s disk.

Idk if that made sense or would work but it’s just a thought and would make the concept more complex

Pipsqueak · March 5, 2021, 5:55pm

Hmm I never saw this, it sounds like a fun idea

(intentional revival)