Release notes for v22:
- If an alliance is joined after the titan has already spawned the loot from that titan is reduced.
dear devs, why are you punishing us for mercing?
8 Likes
Full rewards to those that fought the titan from start to finish.
Lessen/no rewards to mercs from gaining rewards from multiple alliances.
I am not a merc fan so some will definitely not agree to what I say but I think an alliance should be rewarded for what they are and not with the addition of hired help.
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I understand that rewards are reduced for mercs, not for the whole alliance.
Loot tier depends on damage done so rewards should be better for those who had more flags to use. On the other hand, one person can use multiple flasks and will get better rewards. And this is fine, but mercing isn’t?
What do you mean by “hire”? It’s not a paid job. If we’re letting our titan go, why can’t I help other people? Isn’t the sense of community to help each other?
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How does the game distinguish between an actual recruitment and a Merc?
Also how do you distinguish between a Merc and a friend visiting from sister alliance?
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The war on mercs is silly. I’ve gotten to know and visit people through mercing and for many, it keeps them playing. Reducing loot for all mercs simply punishes the all the alliances that can’t just constantly roll through every Titan without passing. Also, now I can’t hop down to a training alliance to assist them with gameplay without being even further punished than I already am. I think this new update needs to seriously be reconsidered.
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This is probably the sentence:
If an alliance is joined after the titan has already spawned the loot from that titan is reduced.
I see how this can in interpreted in two ways.
Either: The entire alliance gets reduced loot, or the player that joined receives reduced loot.
@Petri Do you know which one is true? My guess is that only the player that joined will receive reduced loot?
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Only Merc loot is affected, if you were in the alliance from start to finish you still get the loot. Do I understand correctly?
Hmm either way yes this sucks for Mercs. Won’t affect me, but it seems like they want everyone to be in an alliance 
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Indulge me while I talk to myself
I get why devs want to curb mercs.
People will quit, that’s all.
I understand that some people actually complain about mercs.
You can’t please everyone. If alliances don’t like it, they should raise cup limits to get in.
The developers created a game to be conducive to cooperative play within alliances.
They should not force an ideal or squelch an activity that has spawned organically through the course of gameplay.
Why why why would they do this (cue handwringing)
- Force alliances to consolidate or strengthen
- Force weaker alliance members to spend money to keep up with bigger titans
- Force weaker alliance members to spend money to get new heroes
- Theoretically keep people in alliances longer
But really, it’s just money
maybe I’m wrong. All I know is that I hotly disagree with SG’s choice.
Edit After further review, it looks like the new functionality is the reason for the choice. If all they are refusing to do is give out titan parts to mercs, I think that will be fine. If it is reduced further than that, perhaps we need to have this discussion continue.
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Yes, it is only the player that joined after Titan has spawned, who will receive the reduced loot.
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" * If an alliance is joined after the titan has already spawned the loot from that titan is reduced."
Why was this needed, SG?
I’ve never been a regular merc, but I do like visiting friends in alliances besides my home alliance some times.
What is worse for me and my alliance is that we are an alliance family, currently four alliances. So any time somebody moves within the family, we get hit by that it too.
The game already has a titan chest timer, and a reduced loot timer, and already have the bonus 4* item and emblems from rare titans taken away from people mercing – Unless you are super careful, your loot mercing is reduced to what you get for a pass titan … and even if you are super careful, it is going to be somewhat less than just killing titans in the same alliance.
How is further discouragement needed when mercing is already noticeably worse than than staying in a home alliance?
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Someone has already tagged @petri for clarification here
https://forum.smallgiantgames.com/t/why-devs-punish-mercing/112696/5
But yes, I agree. Whatever the interpretation, what is the motivation for the rule change? Do SG not like alliance families? Does it cost them money somehow? I don’t understand.
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It’s because of SG stupid new method of getting Titan parts. They method allowed mercs to super abuse the system.
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Personally, I believe most game manufacturers do not endorse alliance families as they shift balances. Most of us have 30 people to kill a Titan with… y’all have 150. You have to know this isn’t the design 
One could argue that these families effect war as well, since people move around frequently. War scores are never accurate.
I don’t think the “family” argument will get you far in this debate.
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True we have 100 people in our family, but we’re fighting 5 titans at different levels all at once. While leaders may move once a month or so, suggesting that alliance families bounce 150 players through an alliance to hit one titan is patently absurd.
Most families are about sharing experience, otherwise the top players huddle at one end and the noobs are left to work out the game themselves.
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Merged, thanks! 
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I don’t understand that tbh. You don’t like mercing? Then don’t do that. And there’s no need to modify cups limit, no mercs won’t join if you don’t ask them to do so in global chat or e.g. line room.
Mercing doesn’t hurt anyone. If you don’t do that, there’s no punishment. Isn’t it simple?
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I won’t mention any names… but I recently left a family that shifts players daily. Depending on who has the biggest (or rare) Titan, timers and hitters.
They then shift again once the kill is calculated in their score.
YOU may not abuse the system, but others do. Wholeheartedly!
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It is frustrating. I truly feel that SG made the choice to break something that many people enjoy.
I really don’t care if an alliance family “abuses the system” honestly. They’re really trying to prevent those people from getting their 3500th battle manual and other assorted crap loot?
Are we worried that titan counters are artificially inflating?
If SG is going to discourage mercs, they could at least make titan chests great again. Right now I feel like they’re the exact same as the raid and the monster chests, and this should not be.
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What @JonahTheBard said, 'tho we have 4 titans and ~100 people … and I’d also add that I played in a single alliance for my first six months, was a co-lead, and ultimately the reason my alliance broke up and I had to move was because we needed to split up into a family of alliances–during that time period, half the alliance had grown to where they should be killing 10*-12* titans and were ready to do so … and the other half wasn’t ready and was (effectively) holding them back, but were ready to kill 7*-9* titans.
If we had been able to split into two alliances at those two levels, we could have stayed together as part of a bigger community, instead of splitting up and flying off in different directions.
My current alliance is at the top … and we really can’t keep killing 12* titans very well if people go away for a couple days and don’t hit … but they ARE family, and I would hate if they had to leave us when something in real life came up for a few days or a week…
Take a look at all the top alliances in the game – Right now I’m drawing a blank to think of a top alliance that ISN’T in a family!
To each their own. Certainly not calling anyone out, just opening the discussion to what’s actually occurring. Those rose colored glasses get smudgy sometimes
1 Like