Post by Brendone » Wed Oct 24, 2012 11:51 am
I'd like to respond to some of your points directly:I say all this, for a few reasons:
- Though new to the game, I am at the top end of all worlds I play in and know enough to be making suggestions, in my opinion
- As a business owner, I understand PlayMesh's true goal - profit - it's not to bring us a great game - its profit - the game just happens to be the medium - the sooner all understand how the world works, the easier it is to have adult discussions about such matters
- As a paying member, I think I have earned the right to make suggestions that involve the money side of the game
I think anyone can suggest anything. I have spent a little in the game but not much. The only reason most people play or want to play, is because it is something free and accessible. If this game had to cost money, just to play, most would join other free games that exist, and those that didn't leave because of the money, would leave because of so few players. I am also normally at the top of the worlds I play in, and I believe I have stimulated the playmesh economy through my gameplay (I know I have caused over 20 truces personally, and many more than that if I can count the guild wars I've directed) not to mention others trying to compete with activity. Time=Money and I invest time in my gameplay and guild to get ahead, money spending directly doesn't make some players better, you need the free players there to make it fun and competitive too.So enough BS about myself and all that jazz. Here are my suggestions—first off, I suggest a completely different business model altogether based off of three choices:
- Free play (plus option to buy amulets)
- Monthly Fee (9.99/month which gives you 500 gold which can be used for a VERY limited number of things I will list in a moment) (plus option to buy amulets)
- Monthly Fee (14.99/month which gives you NO gold, but a number of amulets equal to the current number for that price) (plus option to buy additional amulets)
The way it works now, people can pay as much as they want to get whatever amount they want, why limit people to 500 gold a month? Or what would the purpose be, except to limit the game to people who can spend 10/ a month on what was free? Why 15 a month for a gambling sub-game that is primarily meant to be an incentive to players to play daily?Next my reason for this drastic change:
- If all things were honest, the number of truly active players that play more than just a few days is relatively low compared to the "world" populations and there are legitimate reasons for this with the most important one being that people see "free" games as the biggest rip-off out there - face it, most people can't afford to spend $1,000 a week like myself (and in all honestly, I can't "justify" it either, lol)
- People flock to games like "WoW" and the monthly fee because they can "justify paying the cost of a movie and popcorn for an entire month of entertainment - there is no way you can justify paying what it takes to really get ahead in "free" games and those games tend to loose players overtime rather than gain new blood - I mean people that really stick around for the long haul.
I don't see how this free game is a ripoff? In world 25 I was rank 1 for a long time, and hadn't spent anything on gold. I know other players who do spend money on the game, to save the time I spend farming they buy resource enhancers, etc. People can spend whatever they want on the game, but they are still just as vulnerable and maybe even more likely to be a target for it too. If I want to spend the price of a movie on this I will, but I'd rather take my wife on a date and play this for free in spare time.Here are the items I would suggest could be purchased ONLY with gold and can not be gambled for (this would drive the monthly fee because these are really valuable items:
- Resource boosters
- Instant Resource Trade
- Truce
- Combat Medic
- Loot Thirst
- Prestige
- Queue Extender
That's already how it is.
Here are the items that would ONLY be available via the amulet gambling (this would drive the desire to gamble):
- Speed Ups in these in increments: 15 min, 30 min, 1 hour, 2.5 hours, 4 hours, 8 hours, 16 hours
- Bulk resources in these increments: 100 of each resources, 500 of each resource, 1,000 of each resource, 5,000 of each resource, 10,000 of each resource
There is no reason to drive a desire to gamble. People either have it or they don't, and I think the wheel of fortune is meant more for rewarding players with a random prize for playing every day (I think the prizes should be improved though or scaled up as time passes, after the first couple weeks they prizes are pretty lame).Here are things I think should TOTALLY be removed from purchase or gamble, but be given as rewards for winning competitions:
- Ability to purchase resources directly
- Instant Spy
- Reveal Incoming Troops
Purchasing resources directly does give players and advantage at the beginning of the world, but by time the world is advanced, no one will ever use it (6000/res an hour plus resource booster is a lot cheaper then 25 gold for 1000 of each), so no point in getting it as a reward.
Instant spy and reveal are pretty unbalanced, and I think there should be a way to counter them. Either be able to block instant spy the same way as scouting, or get a report saying you were instant spied, etc.
Also, I really think it is currently very unfair for people like myself to be able to "buy" my success when very talented, experienced "free" players just can't keep up. That develops bitterness towards a game in my opinion.
Speak for yourself, I enjoy the challenge, and seek the target of money-players as time progresses. The players are rarely bitter towards the game, but sometimes towards players, which only encourages competition.Lastly, I hope that my suggestions begin a healthy dialogue that would sprout even better ideas than my own!While I truly think some of my ideas are valid, I do acknowledge that I am extremely high on opiates from my EXTREMELY major back surgery, so if any of my writing didn't make sense, please forgive me, but I am very, VERY foggy, lol.Semper Fidelis!
Lord Hosch
[u]I'd like to respond to some of your points directly:[/u]
I say all this, for a few reasons:
[list]
[*]Though new to the game, I am at the top end of all worlds I play in and know enough to be making suggestions, in my opinion
[*]As a business owner, I understand PlayMesh's true goal - profit - it's not to bring us a great game - its profit - the game just happens to be the medium - the sooner all understand how the world works, the easier it is to have adult discussions about such matters
[*]As a paying member, I think I have earned the right to make suggestions that involve the money side of the game[/list]
[u]I think anyone can suggest anything. I have spent a little in the game but not much. The only reason most people play or want to play, is because it is something free and accessible. If this game had to cost money, just to play, most would join other free games that exist, and those that didn't leave because of the money, would leave because of so few players. I am also normally at the top of the worlds I play in, and I believe I have stimulated the playmesh economy through my gameplay (I know I have caused over 20 truces personally, and many more than that if I can count the guild wars I've directed) not to mention others trying to compete with activity. Time=Money and I invest time in my gameplay and guild to get ahead, money spending directly doesn't make some players better, you need the free players there to make it fun and competitive too.[/u]
So enough BS about myself and all that jazz. Here are my suggestions—first off, I suggest a completely different business model altogether based off of three choices:
[list]
[*]Free play (plus option to buy amulets)
[*]Monthly Fee (9.99/month which gives you 500 gold which can be used for a VERY limited number of things I will list in a moment) (plus option to buy amulets)
[*]Monthly Fee (14.99/month which gives you NO gold, but a number of amulets equal to the current number for that price) (plus option to buy additional amulets)[/list]
[u]The way it works now, people can pay as much as they want to get whatever amount they want, why limit people to 500 gold a month? Or what would the purpose be, except to limit the game to people who can spend 10/ a month on what was free? Why 15 a month for a gambling sub-game that is primarily meant to be an incentive to players to play daily?[/u]
Next my reason for this drastic change:
[list]
[*]If all things were honest, the number of truly active players that play more than just a few days is relatively low compared to the "world" populations and there are legitimate reasons for this with the most important one being that people see "free" games as the biggest rip-off out there - face it, most people can't afford to spend $1,000 a week like myself (and in all honestly, I can't "justify" it either, lol)
[*]People flock to games like "WoW" and the monthly fee because they can "justify paying the cost of a movie and popcorn for an entire month of entertainment - there is no way you can justify paying what it takes to really get ahead in "free" games and those games tend to loose players overtime rather than gain new blood - I mean people that really stick around for the long haul.[/list]
[u]I don't see how this free game is a ripoff? In world 25 I was rank 1 for a long time, and hadn't spent anything on gold. I know other players who do spend money on the game, to save the time I spend farming they buy resource enhancers, etc. People can spend whatever they want on the game, but they are still just as vulnerable and maybe even more likely to be a target for it too. If I want to spend the price of a movie on this I will, but I'd rather take my wife on a date and play this for free in spare time.[/u]
Here are the items I would suggest could be purchased ONLY with gold and can not be gambled for (this would drive the monthly fee because these are really valuable items:
[list]
[*]Resource boosters
[*]Instant Resource Trade
[*]Truce
[*]Combat Medic
[*]Loot Thirst
[*]Prestige
[*]Queue Extender[/list]
[u]
That's already how it is.
[/u]
Here are the items that would ONLY be available via the amulet gambling (this would drive the desire to gamble):
[list]
[*]Speed Ups in these in increments: 15 min, 30 min, 1 hour, 2.5 hours, 4 hours, 8 hours, 16 hours
[*]Bulk resources in these increments: 100 of each resources, 500 of each resource, 1,000 of each resource, 5,000 of each resource, 10,000 of each resource[/list]
[u]There is no reason to drive a desire to gamble. People either have it or they don't, and I think the wheel of fortune is meant more for rewarding players with a random prize for playing every day (I think the prizes should be improved though or scaled up as time passes, after the first couple weeks they prizes are pretty lame).[/u]
Here are things I think should TOTALLY be removed from purchase or gamble, but be given as rewards for winning competitions:
[list]
[*]Ability to purchase resources directly
[*]Instant Spy
[*] Reveal Incoming Troops[/list]
[u]Purchasing resources directly does give players and advantage at the beginning of the world, but by time the world is advanced, no one will ever use it (6000/res an hour plus resource booster is a lot cheaper then 25 gold for 1000 of each), so no point in getting it as a reward.
Instant spy and reveal are pretty unbalanced, and I think there should be a way to counter them. Either be able to block instant spy the same way as scouting, or get a report saying you were instant spied, etc.[/u]
[b]
Also, I really think it is currently very unfair for people like myself to be able to "buy" my success when very talented, experienced "free" players just can't keep up. That develops bitterness towards a game in my opinion.
[/b]
[u]Speak for yourself, I enjoy the challenge, and seek the target of money-players as time progresses. The players are rarely bitter towards the game, but sometimes towards players, which only encourages competition.[/u]
[b]Lastly, I hope that my suggestions begin a healthy dialogue that would sprout even better ideas than my own![/b]
[i]While I truly think some of my ideas are valid, I do acknowledge that I am extremely high on opiates from my EXTREMELY major back surgery, so if any of my writing didn't make sense, please forgive me, but I am very, VERY foggy, lol.[/i]
Semper Fidelis!
Lord Hosch