User blog:PolishW/What I'd Like for Dokkan Battle

I've been playing Dokkan for a year now, and I'd be lying if I said my enthusiasm hasn't faded a bit. Not to the point where I'd quit (I'd need another really good mobile game to fill the spare time), but it has me thinking about all the different things I think would spice up Dokkan enough to keep me invested for years to come.

Most of these have probably been discussed already, nor am I likely the first person to come up with any of these ideas, but I'll list them anyways just to collect my thoughts. So here are 10 ideas to hopefully make Dokkan better (insert clickbait title):

1. Translation Fixes - This is a very minor one, but it's very difficult for me as a player to feel like the global translation team cares about the game when characters' names are so ignorantly translated. "Coora" is probably the most infamous example, but if the translation team knew anything about the Dragon Ball series (or even just read the wiki) mis-translations wouldn't be an issue. As a programmer I know how annoying it can be to do a Find/Replace for every instance of "Coora" in the code, but I think it's better than continuing to build on bad translations as if nothing is off.

2. More Unique Links - Currently, links do one of four things: give a static attack boost, give a percentage attack boost, give ki, or some combination of the three (there might be some obscure link skill I'm forgetting that does something else, but if there is it's definitely not common enough to be practically used). I think the lack of link skills has shaped the meta quite a bit, giving rise to "optimal teams" such as the ones made on our tier list. If more unique link skills were added, it would diversify how different teams play, which could make archetypes that usually aren't that useful (such as Z Fighter characters) usable again. Some examples could be: And these are just links that use existing mechanics. If there was say, a certain fusion dance link, it could cause a fusion transformation if the two characters are next to each other in a rotation (with a chance of it making a failure character as well). Or perhaps a link skill that changes the types of the card for that round (TEQ->INT, INT->PHY, etc). Needless to say, link skills aren't nearly as diverse and interesting as they could be.
 * A link that adds/increases stun chance
 * A rare link that makes super attacks seal (when normally they wouldn't)
 * DEF boost links/tank links (would really change how people decide to order their 3 fighters to survive attacks)
 * Links that add evasion, crit, or additional attack chances

3. Fleshed out Hidden Potential System - Orb grinding aside, my biggest complaint about the HP system is the lack of diversity in it. Every character has the same exact tree structure, the only things that changes being the exact value of the stats they gain and the exact combination of additional attack/crit/evade they can get. The universal rule of "bottom right is best, followed by upper left" gets rather stagnant I think. When I remember reading about the system for the first time, I recall it advertising something along the lines of "make your characters unique" but my characters most definitely do not feel unique, just more powerful than they were before the system. It's a lot of design work to individualize the trees for hundreds of characters so I don't expect it to ever happen, but I would've liked a potential system that had irreversible choices and paths that are blocked when another is chosen and nodes that could add/remove links or alter their leader/passive skills.

4. Alternate Gods/Neo-Gods - There's no debate that the god leads are the hands down most useful cards in the game, and it's immediately apparent that the meta shapes around them. The tier list is a prime example of this, with a lot of units becoming better or worse due to their ability to link with the god lead and its supports. What I would like, as someone who enjoys building unique teams, is alternate god leads. OP characters with the same leader skills as the existing gods, but different links and passives. Again, it's something I don't think would ever happen, but I'd spend so much time in the Dokkan Team Builder if I had 2 or 3 choices per god/neo god lead.

5. Baba Shop Expansion - The recent update on global helped address this issue, but Baba's shop doesn't do a good job of preventing item dry spells. What I mean is being stuck not being able to awaken characters because you don't have certain common medals, or not having a particular type of training item. I think this sort of ties to Dokkan's underlying currency imbalance, where a lot of players will have too much zeni or Baba Points and no way to convert between the two. Again, the additional slots added to the shop helped a lot, but I don't see any reason why normal items and medals can't be available in unlimited amount, with the rarer items and medals being on a rotation as they currently are.

6. Daily Summons - This is a big one, and another that'll never happen, but in all honesty I think the rates in Dokkan are so bad that giving players 5 stones/1 ticket a day would barely put a dent in revenue, even more so if it's like the current global celebration and has its own banner. Dokkan has no shortage of events to keep players busy, but I feel as though a lot of newer players drop out once DS start becoming scarce and summons become a once-every-few-months kind of ritual. Summoning in any game such as Dokkan is the most satisfying experience (and it's designed that way), so a lot of players duck out once they hit the insurmountable pay wall. Daily summons, even on a banner such as the friend point banner, would at least help keep players' rosters fresh enough to want to continue despite not getting DS very often.

7. An Elder Kai for the Dupe System - I can barely pull these Dokkan festival cards once, much less 5 times. Considering how long the orb grind is already, I think an elder kai-like card that opens one path in the hidden potential system would make the system more tolerable for a lot of players.

8. More Farmable Supers - Of all the grinds this game has, farmable super attacks is probably my favorite. For some reason, just seeing the little +1 next to the super attack makes me forget how many times I had to run the level just to get one copy. Considering how picky they are about distributing Elder Kais (which I never understood), more farmable supers essentially equates to more F2P units, which helps retain players who don't pay for premium cards.

9. Item Roulettes - For a game that is has heavily based in gambling theory as Dokkan is, I'm surprised there isn't any kind of item roulette in the game. The login bonus is like a roulette in a way (though there may be a pattern, I don't care enough to pay attention), but an actual roulette that chooses between several items as your login bonus seems like a better system than whatever boring formula drives the existing one. The login bonuses definitely need revisited, which is apparent since Bandai has to juice up every event with login bonuses to encourage attendance (wouldn't have to do that if they were already enticed to log in in the first place).

10. Less Strict Modding Policies - This one is controversial. Heck, I might end up shunned off the wiki simply for mentioning it, but I truly believe that the Dokkan devs need to focus more on game development than community moderation. Now, before you start typing that angry comment, I do think competition in Dokkan should remain fair. When it comes to WT and the speed run levels (or any level where rewards are distributed for those who complete it fastest), I think no mods should be permitted in the interest of fairness. I also believe that if the mod/hack in question costs Bandai money (as stone duping did awhile back) they have every right to stop it and ban those responsible.

My case for gameplay mods (more health, more attack, etc) is that these mods cost Bandai a very insignificant portion of sales. The only sales they would lose are the DS someone would use on a continue (assuming they choose to use a stone, and purchase more afterwards). Considering most long term players are the ones investing money into the game, I think mods are a way for a number of players (myself included) to get past the massive pay wall and difficulty spike that happens a few months in. By using a mod that say, gives my team twice as much health, it opens up levels I originally would not have been able to complete (usually due to not being lucky enough to summon that ONE character needed to field a workable team for the event), and thus keeps me more invested and more likely to spend (which I do rather frequently).

Another common argument I hear against the use of mods is that "it's not fair" for one player to use a mod to attain items another can't obtain legitimately. I would agree with you, if Dokkan were a competition. Only bits and pieces of Dokkan are competitive, and I have (and always will) believe that players have a right to mod single player experiences as much as they desire, so long as it isn't to the detriment of the devs or other players. A modded player earning the medals to awaken SSB Vegito does not hurt other players (as a matter of fact they actually help those on their friends list).

Furthermore, even if every level in Dokkan was a competition (which it is in a way now that the timers are everywhere), you could argue that the competition already caters to those who spend more money, throwing out whatever semblance of "fairness" that existing in the first place. If I were participating in a competitive foot race, and there were people who paid money to get a headstart, I don't think I would be very concerned about the guy with robo legs ruining the "integrity" of the competition.

To be honest, mods primarily function as a rebalancing of existing game values (like having more health of more attack) so there really wouldn't be a need for them if the difficulty spike wasn't so harsh, or if players had another way besides paying or sheer luck to overcome the difficulty spike.

'''KEEP THE MOD DISCUSSION HERE OR DON'T DISCUSS THEM AT ALL. Regardless if you approve or disapprove of mods, do NOT spread the discussion elsewhere as I know that's something the admins don't want anywhere else (for good reason). I only included the mention of mods since it was relevant to my original topic of ways I'd like to see Dokkan improved. I followed up with the rant/defense because I assume someone will be triggered by the mention of mods and I'd have to type it all out anyways.'''

In conclusion, mods or no mods, we're all here because we like DBZ and we like Dokkan. Hopefully some of these suggestions come to pass down the line, but even if they don't I can still see myself playing this game for quite awhile. Feel free to share your opinions on my suggestions, and of course, your own suggestions for Dokkan. Bandai may not be known for taking direct feedback from players, but it doesn't hurt to dream :)