Any chance we could have maybe 2-3 exclusive cosmetic items for the weave leaderboards, and every month the monthly leaderboard resets and award the top groups in each weave with 1 of the cosmetics for each member of said group each randomly from the pool for the weaves? It need not be unique cosmetics for each weave, maybe just a pool that functions for the whole thing.
The reason I suggest this is I think it would be somewhat cool and exciting to compete for some exclusive cosmetics each month. If it works out, it might remain interesting if there where more added to this pool over time, and a mechanic in place to prevent repeats.
One more thought on this, what if for each member of the leading group in each weave who somehow manages to collect the entire pool that exists at the time of awarding the cosmetic, provides randomly to a member of the next group down the leaderboard for that month of that weave, one of the cosmetics.
I think it would weigh too heavily against the players who just aren’t quite as talented (myself included, which probably speaks enough about me being biased).
While this would be a huge badge of honor to receive (considering how talented a lot of our players are!) I really dislike that sort of system. It means that the value of the cosmetics is then massive (due to limited number of them existing at any time) but spending development hours on a part of the game that only 500 people can enjoy is sorta brutal.
If the best 10 teams get the cosmetic with, let’s say, the 25 best teams really trying their best… you will end up with those 25 teams trading out who wins it (some due to luck, some due to skill, etc). The next 25 might sometimes step into that top 10, but rarely at best because they have to beat out 16 teams who score better on average.
But, in total, let’s say there’s 10,000 teams (probably a pretty sizable underestimate) but none of them can beat the top 25 teams… even if it was awarded to the top 100 teams, it’d exclude anyone who isn’t a natural at gaming/Vermintide.
This is all, of course, IMHO! I’m not an expert by any means and I do hope that, if people like the idea, that they are welcome to enjoy it!
If it’s alright, I’d like to add an addendum to that: I’m usually so caught up in myself that I don’t take the time to address the positives of someone’s point, and I’m working on that.
My personal opinions aside, I think it could spark some serious competition to get a cosmetic associated with the Weave. In turn, this could make a huge portion of the teams even more determined to improve! That’s always a great move and I think it would be widely accepted.
The only other thing to consider would be development time and effort. Depending on how nice they are (and to be valued at all they’d have to be pretty awesome), it could take time that FatShark is not willing to spend without compensation.
Those are some valid points. I admit it might not have a widespread impact, and we may get stuck with certain teams winning quite a bit over time. Part of my thought behind the idea is that some people are drawn to competitions like this and it may draw more people into the game who like this kind of thing. I think it might also incentivize players introducing their friends to the game and trying to win some of the cosmetics with people they know. Or even incentivize players to make more connections with people who join their games, creating more communication, friendships, and more importantly, giving some players more reason to dip their toes back in occassionally because they have more friends who play the game. Admittedly, I’m probably painting a rosier picture of how I think it would turn out than it may in fact turn out being.
Though, I think, if I remember correctly, there was a theory that differentiated people who play games into 4 categories,
Killers : interfere with the functioning of the game world or the play experience of other players
Achievers : accumulate status tokens by beating the rules-based challenges of the game world
Explorers : discover the systems governing the operation of the game world
Socializers : form relationships with other players by telling stories within the game world
Of these 4 categories, a system that adds competition to a leaderboard system for unique cosmetics may draw in people who would qualify 1) as achievers, it’s something few people would have and they would want it, 2) as socializers, who may make new friends and groups to compete. Though, I’m not sure how it would impact the other 2 categories. I understand it may not be for everyone, but I thought it was worth mentioning.
