Zesaric, on 24 February 2015 - 01:57 PM, said:
First of all it has to be said that it's great to have challenges in MWO so players reap rewards according to what they achieve. A constant cycle of challenge and reward is what keeps players motivated and thus a game alive and active. So thanks to PGI for doing this!
However, reading through all the player feedback it becomes obvious that the challenges in the current format are perceived by most players as a burden rather than fun (quote from in-game chat: "I'd rather go to the dentist and have all my teeth pulled than doing this kind of challenge again").
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I believe this is due to the following aspects:
1) This challenge format rewards luck more than skill
In solo queue, no amount of player skill can compensate if you're not lucky enough to be on a winning team. Means the win requirement should not be part of any challenge.
2) Effort which isn't rewarded creates frustration
A player could possibly play several hours constantly racking up high damage, assists and kills and still not earn a point because his team doesn't win. Or he could significantly contribute to the teams success by spotting, narcing, capping, etc. and still not get a point because he doesn't get a kill. Heck, one player even posted in-game that he is frustrated because he had games where he scored 5-6 kills but no assists as he was shredding the opposition... 
3) These challenges shift game style from teamwork to selfish play
During challenges, everyone just tries to meet the given criteria instead of trying to play as a team. Best example is when a short-range weapon ECM Hellbringer on Alpine Peaks announced at drop that he'll solo charge into the enemy right away to hopefully get his kill and assist, hoping that the team will go on to win the game without him... 
4) Challenge criteria are not doable in a reasonable amount of time
Everyone knows that goals which are not attainable are a source of frustration rather than motivation. Now as I believe MWO derives its main funds from players who have jobs and enough money to constantly buy mechs and accessories, it should be possible for these players to complete challenges despite their real-life responsibilities. Currently this is not the case as has been pointed several times in this thread already.
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Now while these are a lot of issues in the current challenge format, the solution to all these problems is very simple:
1) Don't use single aspects (like kills, wins, etc.) as criteria but instead use a number which currently is the best representation of a player's contribution to the team: The match score! This way everybody will do their best to make sure the own is team is successful.
2) Don't use threshold values which decided between a green tick and a red cross (like "if you have a match score of 50 or above you get one point - if not, you'll get zero points!"). Instead, just add up the match score from each game and award prizes once a certain total value has been reached (i.e. similar to how the XP system works). This way, every match brings the player closer towards earning the next prize and thus will motivate to go on.
3) Make the prize tiers as such that an average player can achieve the highest tier after 12 hours of play on a weekend. Typically people with family (like myself) can play Friday/Saturday/Sunday evening say 4 hours each. This amounts to the 12 hours I mentioned.
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To conclude this, I want to point out that I don't make these suggestions because I didn't manage to get all rewards. Actually, despite having a job and a family I want to spend time with, I did manage to get the 50 points and the camo.
However, to be honest it wasn't really fun and I'm convinced it would be so much more fun for almost everybody in the community if the format was changed to what I proposed above.
So PGI please take these thoughts into consideration - and thanks again for providing us with the great game that MWO is.
So well put. First off, I'm not complaining, but merely pointing out that I didn't even get started until Sunday afternoon due to my crazy work schedule. When I read that because of a hot fix on Friday the challenge was extended another day I thought I had a fighting chance. Turns out I didn't due to many reasons: the sheer luck of being on a team that was rolled 12-2 (that happened several times - nothing like looking up at the score and seeing it's already 7-0), getting 2-4 kills + 2-4 assists and
still losing the match, getting a win, 7 assists, but
0 kills (
), doing top damage for both teams plus getting at least one kill and one assist but losing the match 12-11 or 12-10.
I was playing late last night (Monday night) and still only had a total of 10 points with < 10 hours remaining. I finally turned to my wife, threw up my hands and said I'm done. I already have a Raven 3L but was hoping for the Champion verson.
Ah well...for those of you that persevered and met the various tiers of this challenge, congrats to you. For those of you that fought but just didn't have the time or luck to get what you were hoping for, I understand your feelings.
21
all good.
