Spiral Knights - My idea for how to make shadow keys not suck

My idea for how to make shadow keys not suck

30 replies [Last post]

Wed, 10/19/2011 - 12:07

Nicoya-Kitty

First off, make them non-destructable. That much should be obvious. Also make them reasonably uncommon so there's not a flood of them.

Add a "key ring" to the knight's loadout with one ring position for each of the shadow levels. Once a key is equipped to a given keyring slot, it's bound there and cannot be moved to a different slot or traded with other players. Alternately just have 4 shadow key variants specific to the levels, with the same bind on equip deal.

Each key has its own energy tank with a capacity of, say, 750. This energy tank can either refill at roughly the regular mist rate (to refill in about 7 days), or can be filled supplementally filled with the knight's regular mist or CE. The key must be filled to full energy capacity to be used, and the energy stored in the key can, of course, only be used for the key activation.

This would achieve the following goals:

Cash shop players would still pay through the nose in CE to grind the levels more frequently.
F2P players would actually have a chance of seeing the content sometime before the heat death of the universe.
Entering a shadow level would still be a special occasion, not just "another trip to see vanny".

Wed, 10/19/2011 - 13:15

New-Dusk

*Hugs Nicoya-Kitty* You sir,

*Hugs Nicoya-Kitty* You sir, are awesome.

Wed, 10/19/2011 - 13:22

Juances

Just one thing, what would happen if you somehow get multiple keys for the same level?
The only option would be to trade it or be able to stack it and obtain some bonus?

Wed, 10/19/2011 - 13:27

New-Dusk

Sell it on the AH. Profit.

Wed, 10/19/2011 - 13:36

Dirigible

...

Three Rings needs to implement this, or at least just make the keys able to be used indefinitely. This thread is a very good suggestion...It's a shame that you rarely see any sign from Three Rings in the Suggestions Forums, it's just a place to dump any complaints from players and ignore.

Wed, 10/19/2011 - 13:51

Nicoya-Kitty

@Juances you'd be able to

@Juances you'd be able to sell/trade it so long as it's unbound, ie before equipping it to your keyring.

Wed, 10/19/2011 - 13:56

Grittle

+1.5

you got me the moment you said " non-destructuble", makes me almost regreting to start a bidding war for a game face, but almost.

Wed, 10/19/2011 - 14:44

Happyapathy

much better then system they have now

Wed, 10/19/2011 - 15:22

Avihr

you've thought this one pretty well O,o! GJ

hopefully someone from OOO might see this.

Wed, 10/19/2011 - 17:35

Varja

GET THE ADMIN'S ATTENTION!!!

Wed, 10/19/2011 - 19:09

#10

Axellon

ANOTHER idea better than what OOO is doing

WOW, everyone has ideas that are so good about this.
Why, it's almost like any monkey thinking about the shadow keys in lockboxes system for FIVE FREAKING MINUTES would realize that it's a bad idea.

...I really need to calm down about this. I'm not even T3 yet. But with this mess coming out right after accessories, I feel like this game is going in too much of a gambley direction.

Wed, 10/19/2011 - 19:12

#11

Heavy-Duty

@Axellon

...started with bribes. Officially.

Wed, 10/19/2011 - 20:19

#12

Xainthejust

I really like this idea

I really like this idea Nicoya! It's fair for all players while still having that "pay for swifter content" quality. I feel that with this tactic: finding the keys in the lockboxes, at first is fair exchange. The one thing i disagree with is filling with the key with Mist Energy. That maybe a bit much at this stage of SK's life and should probably be filled by CE only.

Wed, 10/19/2011 - 21:16

#13

Leinhart

Hey........... That's a good

Hey...........

That's a good idea O_O

Thu, 10/20/2011 - 00:17

#14

Geregias

i like, such a better system.

Thu, 10/20/2011 - 12:13

#15

New-Dusk

We should promote

We should promote Nicoya-Kitty to GM, its official

Thu, 10/20/2011 - 12:39

#16

Nicoya-Kitty

@New-Dusk I'm not sure if I

@New-Dusk I'm not sure if I could take the tedium of warping a party through FSC for the 900th time after they shiver-glitch Vana into disappearing. Props to the GMs for everything they do.

Now, game developer; that title I could welcome...

Thu, 10/20/2011 - 13:01

#17

Grittle

nah even better ranger's

nah even better

ranger's pug
AKA: epik dual light saber flails wield lazer shooting eye pug with a loincloth.

mabey instead of ME for shadow keys, rename just "energy"

Thu, 10/20/2011 - 13:42

#18

Crazywave

Shadow Keys

Shadow Keys are wrong from the get go... because its not fair to pay your way to see the new monsters in the actual game... if Teir 4 The Core Ever Opens, i see that three rings will make them only available using real money or just make up a excuse and put a key and sell them or make them rear.
i think if Three Rings make new areas for the game to be upgrade or make the SK world bigger, i think it should be free to adventure and explore like every level in clockworks, im playing since Beta and im like crazy to see the new Levels since i was 4 stars in beta and during and after preview event and now that i have the chance i need to pay my way in... this is wrong and a bad starting business with real players like me that love SK and Love playing SK since Beta, making teir 4 or AKA 23 and beyond available only using a key is Super Wrong! i have bean waiting since beta for this expansion and now i cant go true because i loser key or need to pay my way true is Bad! for my point of View This is a Super FAIL!
if Three Rings intended that the Core and Beyond is only available using a Shadowkey, the key should be for ever bound to you and you could use it as many times you like, not make it destructible one time use only... this is a waste of CE and Crowns, i stop playing World of Warcraft because of this Cr@p they started free and then cool and fun and then everything was costing money and loads of it, sow move on and close my account and started looking for a new home and saw this grate game MMO RPG that was superb in every way that i could play for free, meet new players and have fun and the only thing i need to buy with real money was energy to keep on playing it and that was Spiral Knights.... and now look, SK is starting to look like world of Warcraft, everything is stating to cost money and that's not fair for Loyal Players Since Beta that LOVE SK like me that waste real money on the game.
i just Hope i dont have to move on.... because i love this game!

Fri, 10/21/2011 - 06:57

#19

Vokster

Great idea.

I think this system would work a lot better than the current one. In-fact, I think most systems players have come up with are better than the current, "We want all your money" approach.

Fri, 10/21/2011 - 09:43

#20

Lionaira

+Infinity

My name is Lio and I wholeheartedly support this idea o.o.. Implement... soon as possible please.

Fri, 10/21/2011 - 21:38

#21

Omird

I can definitely get behind this prospective setup. Its a strong compromise.

Fri, 10/21/2011 - 23:23

#22

Round-Shinigami

"its not fair to pay your way

"its not fair to pay your way to see the new monsters in the actual game"
Ever heard of paid DLCs? Its the latest hype in game business world - you buy map packs, civilizations, scenarios, quests, item sets ect for a game that you already own.

Don't like it? Don't play (buy) it.

Tue, 11/01/2011 - 17:00

#23

Orangeo

That means people could milk

That means people could milk levels upon obtaining the permenant key. So crowns go up for already rich players, CE goes up due to crown surplus, and new players won't stay in the game becuase new gear is too difficult to make.
Debates on class warfare, poverty issues, industry regulation. Hmm, sounds like the USA...

Tue, 11/01/2011 - 20:11

#24

Marazo

Why does everyone assume ur

Why does everyone assume ur gonna get 100k crowns from one run of Shadow FSC?
Ive only done it on testing but you rack in just a little more than normal FSC also, its not like they're easy, curse zombies, slag guards, and fixed exploits...what a nightmare....

Wed, 11/02/2011 - 12:32

#25

Orangeo

"Why does everyone assume ur

"Why does everyone assume ur gonna get 100k crowns from one run of Shadow FSC?"
Uhm, celestial ore from ice queen is on auction for 100k cr.

Wed, 11/02/2011 - 20:16

#26

Autofire

Personally, I think you

Personally, I think you should need to repair the key after one use with a alchemy machine using, say, 800 or even 1000 energy. Also, after something like 5 uses, the key loses it shadow energy forever. Then you might be able to polish it* and it would become a silver key.

This way, some guy can't just buy 20k CE and then grind the shadow lairs until he runs out of CE. And you could even use the post shadow key (that is now made into a silver key) and try for another chance at a lock box.

*for less energy than buying a silver key, to make it useful.

Wed, 11/02/2011 - 21:07

#27

Frostythepyro

I could get behind the ops

I could get behind the ops post, a slow recharge on the key so you could go on a venture "free" (after obtaining the key in the first place) about once every week or maybe two weeks. Such a change would however require that each player have a key instead of just the one with the key.

As to orangeo, the cost of celestial ore will continue to drop as more and more people go to shadow lairs, just like it has with nightmare manes (which are at about 55k iirc), right up unto whatever the stabiliazation point is. If the ops sugestion goes live, the value will stabalize MUCH quicker, and probly at a lower price than it does right now.

Thu, 11/03/2011 - 13:06

#28

Orangeo

"Personally, I think you

"Personally, I think you should need to repair the key after one use with a alchemy machine using, say, 800 or even 1000 energy. "
That's kinda cool. Though then you could just have one guy keep his key (unless you also impliment max use number), and no one else would have keys. People would get mooched. If you did that, and I'm in complete suppourt, you would have to make it so everyone needed their own key. Divide the price of a single key by four of course though. Making them turn into silver keys seems awkward, yet storyline wise (can't get a good word) it does kinda make sense.

+1 for autofire

"If the ops sugestion goes live, the value will stabalize MUCH quicker, and probly at a lower price than it does right now."
Yhea, it probabaly will stabalize, my point is that you will always be able to make a profit off of shadow lairs. But the OP's suggestion wouldn't really stabalize it, just tank it completely.

Thu, 11/03/2011 - 15:10

#29

Altos

What Dark Ritual?

Random Cameraguy: Hey Mishka do you like Nicoya's idea
Mishka:mmmhhhmmm(translated into i wuvs it)
Altos:Dogs dont lie people ^ ^

Thu, 11/03/2011 - 16:30

#30

Orangeo

Even if they did put

Even if they did put permenant keys, they would cost 12000 CE, or more. Then CE will really spike.

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My idea for how to make shadow keys not suck