Reading another thread, I just had a crazy thought:

I'm honestly not interested in the lockbox ships, or the other junk that falls from the boxes. I am, however, interested in items in the Lobi store. So I'm generally opening boxes for the crystals.

Rather than buying Master Keys to open lockboxes with a random number of Lobi Crystals, would it be better if you could just buy crystals directly in the C-store? Essentially, you'd just be exchanging one currency for another, but at a fixed exchange rate.

I too would be all for this . It'd have to be pretty low reward though per Zen and that would also cause a flame war but still something like a guaranteed 10 Lobi per 110 zen or something would be super nice. I just want the time ship escort and not the science one but Im tired of opening boxes and getting 2 to 15 lobi per box .

I'm also thinking they could offer bundles, like they do with Zen -- the larger bundle you buy, the more "bonus" crystals you get.

Aim higher. You already get a guaranteed amount per Zen every time you use a master key, so don't expect any exchange rate to be equal to or less than the existing rates from lock boxes. If you want to set an exchange rate you are going to be disappointed to find it's closer to 100+ zen per lobi.

Probably the reason you don't see that is because Lobi ends up being cheaper in lock boxes than through a flat out exchange rate. In fact, what you are doing with the master key is essentially what you are suggesting, purchasing an allotment of Lobi (with a little prize thrown into the box as well).

i like this idea alot i open lockboxes mainly for the crystals to buy fun items such as the whip and in time upgrade my tholion ice gun the xii has like 180 200 basic attack and about 350 secondary attack i only seen it once so might be off a little plus i'm science officer so it probably be more powerful for a tact. but it would be much better to buy the lobi for me anyway but it sometimes is nice to win a ship well only ones that i want are mirror anyway could buy off exchange but is a lil nice to win something you wanted maybe even make the lobi crystals into a currency type thing so theres no crystal in my inventory and just in a way like ec dilithium latinum ect is stored too

That is what they currently do. The only thing a lockbox guarantees you to get is 4 lobi crystals. Everything beyond the 4 lobi are just bonus items that you might, or might not, get. In practical terms when you buy a key you are doing so to get 4 lobi. Anything else you get is just bonus that has nothing to do with the keys. That is why lockboxes are not gambling: because all you are really buying are 4 lobi.

stf is your real nick perhaps Dakan and your latest project is not with Cryptic but on Kickstarter?
That wouldn't surprise me.

I'm not falling for the key/box fraud, please add LCs to the C-Store. I'll buy. Thanks.

I have no idea what you are talking about here. My nickname is STF because my initials are STF, and 65 is the year I was born. The only other handle I ever used on the forum was Klingon_Kal; and that was changed to STF with the new forum and the binding of accounts.

Good for you! Welcome to the world of free will. Do not buy anything you do not want to buy! I will do likewise. But that does not change the fact that you buy a key from the c-store that allows you to get 4 lobi. That process is already in the c-store.

You're playing Cryptic's game, you're #1 fan and you don't know who is Cryptic's co-founder?
Nor what's he been up to lately? What happened to google? Just type Dakan and Cryptic.

Honestly, I'm surprised.

Free will? Not the fraud. Ongoing fraud to be precise... Riiiight.

Are you stupid or something? I am not anyone's #1 fan. I hardly even play STO. I was simply making an observation that you buy a key from the c-store and that key gives you 4 lobi. Effectively each $1.25 spent on keys is equal to getting 4 lobi. Whether they charge you $1.25 for 4 lobi in the c-store or make you buy a key for $1.25 it still equates out to the same thing: 4 lobi earned. The only thing the lockboxes offer is an incentive that you might get something in addition to the 4 lobi.

Would you be happier if you could just buy 4 lobi for $1.25 in the c-store and never had a chance at anything else? Good for you. I would rather know I am getting 4 lobi, and have a chance at something else too.