Hello again! For this strategy, I'm going to talk about Ego, and why it's very important (and possible) to keep Ego at 0% when doing missions.
Here's the game's definition of Ego:
Pretty similar to real life, eh? Anyway, it's very important to keep ego AS LOW AS POSSIBLE in order to maximize the amount of STARBITS gained from a mission. Let's take this case comparison for example. I will be using the Saturday Headline mission as the base for both cases.
Case #1:
Do take note that Ego is also gained from missions, so keep an eye out before you click on that juicy Play button!
Total Skill: 3876 (including music lessons)
Since 3824 < 3881, my total Ego = 0%
Saturday Headline mission reward: 350-1474 STARBITS
Case #2:
To present an increase, I just finished a Saturday Headline mission and removed my unsold cards from the market to increase my Fans (more on this later).
I kept my skill level the same as the earlier case.
Since 4834 > 3881, my total Ego = 19%
I still haven't experimented on a fixed calculation for the Total Ego%, and it's not given in the FAQ. Not sure if it's a secret, but I've tried the general chat in the discord but my search powers are still that of a padawan. In any case, the 19% Ego reduced my MAXIMUM reward by 19% as well.
Saturday Headline mission reward: 350-1200 STARBITS
Now, there might not be much difference in the average reward you get, but if you're farming constantly (like me), then it will definitely hurt your efficiency in farming STARBITS! Although my Fans : Skill ratio I feel are still on newbie levels, but this could hurt your overall gain in the long run! A 19% reduction of rewards in ALL MISSIONS will take its toll over time.
"Ok, so how do I fix it?"
The easiest solution is buying high Skill cards. In my first Rising Star Guide, I discussed some of the cards that would be helpful in increasing your skill level, which totally negates the effects of Ego. Some of these cards include Rare (read: expensive) cards like Lewis and Remy, and Common Cards like Brodie and Gabe.
Another less expensive solution is to check your card collection and see if you can put some of the cards that have a high Fans statistic on the market. You can put them on the market for a ridiculously high price so that no one would buy it, and you could always remove it from the market when you need them. On the other hand, if they do sell, then you've just made a huge profit.
"I'm F2P only and I don't have any of these cards!"
No worries! The game allows you do perform Music Lessons to naturally (and permanently) increase your Skill statistic!
Now just to quickly discuss the Music Lesson missions - you DO NOT gain any STARBITS for completing these missions (like in real life, you have to "pay" for them). However, you do gain XP and a permanent increase in your overall Skill.
One of the ways to increase the amount of Skill gained by music lessons is by holding instruments of that type (This information is on the FAQ, under "Ego"). For example the more different types of guitars you have, the better your Skill gain for a "Guitar Lesson".
Final Thoughts
I think that the Ego System is a great way to balance the game, and at the same time, add a level of strategy to what kind of cards you would want to collect. As a low-budget player, most of the cards that have a high fan count are in the marketplace, while I slowly build my Skill stat to be deserving of those fans. And once your fan count is high enough, you'll get better rewards overall, even if you're still doing Illegal Busking!
Let me know in the comments if you have any questions about the game, or if there are any further strategy guides like this you want me to discuss! I love Rising Star, and I really think there is a LOT of depth and strategy behind the simplistic gameplay appearance.
If you haven't started your journey to becoming a Rising Star, click here to start FOR FREE! I can also send some cards to you to get you started!
See you all next time,