We have done our best to make a game where players have the option to purchase items if they so wish,
but don’t have too. This is why the core game play mechanics aren’t energy gated and never will be
First thing I would like to say, is that this is not directed at you, or any of the devs, but this statement is something that bothers me greatly. I am not blaming your team as I have come to the conclusion that comments such as these are probably crafted to save face by your other business partners.
The problem with this statement is that with raids and invasions, a guild has to do them or they forgo the orbs, which eventually lets them unlock zuul or the other uses, thus having a valuable resource that is a gamble in themselves to obtain. Aside from the orbs, the troops are only useful in these events, and that assumes they are useful to begin with. The random troop pulls are ok, depending on the kingdom or type, but not too effective in getting good troops which is not too bad if someone is missing lower rarity troops. Ingots are a move in making the shop tiers more worth it, but I feel it is a band aid compared to a real fix.
Raids in particular is boring and time consuming but yields far less rewards. 55 gems, 30 diamonds and a few event keys are pretty abysmal. The orbs are the only thing worth it unless you get a growth orb. The issue I have is that for guilds that can regularly complete the various tiers, the lesser items are basically useless. If someone DID need the souls and gold, there are better options that are quicker, less difficult, and way more fun. The battle system needs to be changed as it is unfair at higher levels but the rewards I feel realistically are not helpful enough for those that can complete them, and are a bit too difficult for those that could really use it.
Bounties and class events are the only current game modes with energy systems/shop tiers that don’t impact the core gameplay experience. They are solo and not doing them doesn’t hurt your guild. If one opts out, they don’t lose anything. What they do show is a desire to get up on the leaderboard for the coveted orbs as the ascension orbs are that vital to crafting zuul or ascending the hard to obtain troops.
Making various events that impact stats, guild interaction, and player’s collections IS affecting the core gameplay aspect and where with the sole exceptions of gnomes, every single addition has been in some way affected by these energy gated game modes. This recent series of actions is a shift from the core values described many times in years past. If every single thing obtained from these new energy based game modes was cosmetic, or the rewards were easier to obtain with other methods. then this claim would hold water. I may not have to swipe my credit card to play pvp or rent a boat for a day to do explore, but telling me these games modes which revolved around energy systems have not become a core element of the game is not right. You are basically spitting in my face and telling me its moisturizer. I remember when it was said that there would be no energy systems period but that has changed and when classes have become more vital but the fee remains, it went from a “we left it in as a disincentive to constantly change classes” to a “we left it in as changing it is too hard”. When older game features are utilized to be abused in a similar fashion as these gated events, well that IS reason to be suspicious about future changes to other core game elements.
Once again, I am not blaming you or anyone on your team in particular, but I highly dislike this statement used as a blanket statement as it feels extremely dishonest to me. Perhaps in coming updates, huge updates and fixes are coming but as of this current update, this statement seems further from the truth.
Was it “worth” it? Eh, maybe not, objectively speaking, but it was fun, it greatly increased my enjoyment of the game, got me closer to VIP 5 and it really upped my earnings from PvP for a while, so hard to put an objective value on it. I have no regrets.
