I wasn't able to play DUST for real world reasons from Thursday until Monday morning. Having plugged in a 7-day Omega Active Implant to take advantage of the triple skill point cap, I was a bit worried. Here's why:
The first time I participated in Triple SP Week, it was purely three times your normal SP with three times the cap. That led to an insane amount of people AFK'ing and making a stupid amount of skill points. I'm not too ashamed to admit I "worked on my sniper technique" as I was new to the game and wanted to skill up without spending too much isk.
The second time I participated in the event it was horrific. CCP's solution to the AFK'ers was to triple the cap, while doubling the amount of SP derives from warpoints (WP) in a given match. Now, I have a talent for whoring WP when I want to. My main build is Gallente logi and I carry advanced uplinks, nanohives, and a cheap repper when I am running around solo. I also have a fitting with six uplinks (four deployed at a time) in case my side is getting trounced and I want to capitalize on the rout. Needless to say, I'm usually at or near the top of the scoreboard in public matches. That being said, in that triple SP week I was getting less than double the SP (more like 50% more) than what I usually received. This led to an insane amount of grinding without reaching my cap. I actually stopped playing DUST for a week or so due to burnout. Don't worry, I still performed my log-ins for the 6k SP.
This time around, I think CCP got it right. In the weeks prior to this, I was getting my cap in 3-4 days without issue. It helps that I play nightly with my alliance and get a bunch of SP without thinking about it, but it usually comes down to one "intense" day of playing, one moderate day, and then a game here and there. When I loaded up the PS3 for my day off on Monday, I was shocked at how fast the SP was flowing. Most games I was getting over twice the normal SP. That's because the SP derives from WP was five times the normal amount. Time in game is still the main driver, especially in the longer game modes. However, I really noticed the difference in Ambush. That game mode (often shunned due to newbs v proto-stompers happens way too often) usually serves best for isk-grinding versus SP acquisition. However, WP becomes a bigger factor in these shorter matches and I was getting over triple the SP from what I normally would in this mode,. Granted, it was hit or miss with SP payouts ranging from 2k to 10k depending on who was in the match.
So I wound up making cap, receiving six weeks worth of SP due to the Omega Implant. I'm all set to add a second full prototype suit to my arsenal when the new patch is deployed. I may even have enough to go proto-heavy by then. I had a lot of fun burning down some of my A-1 Heavy Frames over the past two days, making the grind so much more enjoyable. Speaking of which, I may put up a guide on how I whore warpoints. Maybe not, too many concubines spoils the soup as the saying goes.
Anyway, I can't wait for the patch and will be posting about how I plan on spending my 2.5 mil+ SP's when I make a decision. So Kudos to CCP for listening to player feedback and rewarding those actually play the game right and support their teammates. Even those who do it just for the bling.
No comments:
Post a Comment