Re-examining the rewards on GPQ

Objective
To discuss and suggest possible loot items to be added to the Guild Party Quest (GPQ) bonus stage.

The case for implementation (and the narrative thus far)
After the introduction of Amoria PQ (APQ), Onyx Apples were removed from the bonus stage of GPQ. The apples were originally added as a stopgap measure in an attempt to deal with the issue of the Vote2Win marriages.

Previously, I also wagered that from my empirical interactions with others, people have found the addition of apples to GPQ a pleasant addition - serving as a great incentive to invite more people to partake in GPQ. I also shared that GPQ was inherently more open to participation as compared to the newer APQ, as it did not have a marriage criteria attached more to it.

I also stated my belief that it was worth assessing the (prior) implementation on Apples on its own merits, and that it can be much more than just a fix, which was the original implementation intention. My points are:

1. "GPQ requires cooperation, teamwork, and prowess to complete in a timely manner - and it rewards participants for their effort (unlike marriage)"
2. "[GPQ is] not exactly spammable on an individual basis, unlike marriages where one can intermarry with two mules"
3. "the drop rate of apples from GPQ was already well balanced (not very frequent) and seeing the apple pop out of the box has always been pleasant to me, as a player"

To that, Kimmy replied:

I am encouraged that we can entertain the possibility of future additions to GPQ, despite the current removal of apples. As such, I hope to spearhead the following discussion as to how we can brainstorm a proper and befitting addition to GPQ rewards.

What should be added
Before delving into this section proper, I believe that it is wise for us to evaluate what would constitute a "fair and equitable reward". I have thought of three possible grounds for evaluation:

1. The reward should be something which people would like to have
2. The reward can be traded
3. The reward is worth coming back for again and again

Justifications

I anticipate point 2 to draw some flak. But I strongly believe in this point as I believe that the rewards should be usable by all. By that meaning, individuals should be able to benefit from the reward regardless of their level, be it level 25 or level 125.

Suggestions
I've tried to brainstorm about this with my alliance (thanks likey and RICEDUCK), and one possible suggestion would be to consider the implementation of more scrolls. I haven't thought this through properly, but i'm just putting it out there for more ideas to be thrown out.

Please suggest other possible items to be added! Let's discuss the feasibility of doing so!

In addition, the following were also suggested...

Final words
I spent a lot of time composing this write-up as GPQ has really brought my guild (SweetDream) together over this communal activity. I hope that my recommendations and the ensuing discussion would breathe much life into this often-overlooked gem of a PQ, in that more people would eventually take part in GPQ.

References
Prior discussion when APQ went live at https://forum.maplelegends.com/inde...ed-maintenance-june-2-2018.21773/#post-161324

Edits
(my failed attempts at trying to tag the users mentioned, sorry guys!)

 

Thanks everyone for the great responses and feedback (nubjulez Krauser94 Gang dumbledore Lionheart Stow ). Apologies for the late response as I was collecting my thoughts on this issue.

I personally agree with most others in saying that there isn't much harm in adding/enhancing GPQ rewards with things such as scrolls. While a chair is nice to have, it unfortunately might not have as much "replay" value enticing players to keep running GPQ, as compared to items which can be traded by all. As for the token system, that sounds really really interesting! I'm thinking of something along the lines of events which we had; where one can trade in puffs for varying rewards? Might be a bit too complicated though for a GPQ - hence I really like the relative simplicity and ease of application (easy for the GM team to implement) of the first solution proposed.

As for some of us who thinks that the rewards are currently enough and that we shouldn't be GPQing just for rewards - as virtuous as it would be for us to GPQ out of the desire to have fun together, the reality is unfortunately not near to this ideal. I have found it hard to get my guildies to run GPQ, and many people now prefer to run APQ due to the rewards. The premise of this discussion would therefore have to consider; what is the role of the "carrot-and-stick" in a game? I contend that it would be almost impossible to get people to run any collective activity (i.e. training together, PQing, etc.) if the reward does not outweigh that of other activities (e.g. grinding, sitting in FM and talking with friends, etc.). It is important to analyse gamer behaviour in the context of their daily activities; where other than playing ML, we have our work/study lives, and social lives. This means that players have only a limited amount of time to play ML on a daily basis, and they are forced to make decisions that would maximise utility.

In response, one could possibly say that the definition of "maximising utility" could very much be the innate desire to PQ together. A big however would throw a spanner into this chain of thought, as we players have already been conditioned to desire more out of our PQs. Now, there is nothing wrong with desiring more out of our time spent playing PQs, as this simply represents development and growth of a game. However with every action eliciting a equal and opposite reaction, there will always be pushback to any decision that is being made. As such, having some form of rewards to take the place of apples would be consistent in the continued goal to enhance GPQ and the game, overall.