Some will say it doesn't matter.
Doesn't matter that it doesn't.
Just going to mention -- as an illustration of what goes on in one of your players' mind -- that I won't participate in today's Rival (unannounced I believe, unless I missed something). I'll do the first few quests that I can do, but will stop at probably 10 or so. Probably won't take part in the next one either. It's got to a point when you've finally tired me enough, InnoGames. It will save me diamonds (I used some last time, too see what it was like), so my gain and your loss, wallet feedback that supposedly doesn't work and all. It will save me some time.
And, this time, I will use it to ponder whether I will spend any bought diamonds any more in the game. I've done it plenty of times before, I'm okay with it, I like supporting businesses that bring me something (even just some light fun). Bought even passes, expansions, event currencies, the lot. I was waiting to see whether I'd spend this event, maybe just the pass this time, to get the extra rewards and avatars (this cosmetic things where you could earn easy money by allowing players to buy some from past events, but you never implemented that did you...). Maybe even buy enough currency to get to gold league and get that big pretty building you designed with +100/+100 red stats. Who knows...?
Now I'm just tired of being milked dry as a cow.
It was getting obvious before, for maybe a year now, and it's become way too obvious.
And it's not even done in a respectful way where you try and cater for your players by actually informing them.
Guess I'm just another of the ones saying it, and it doesn't matter much for some people, but I do believe it does matter. I have a thriving city I like. I liked seeing it grow on the basis of how much I invested myself in the different aspects of the game. I've finally reached VF where the buildings are so well-designed, with colours, and lights everywhere! I remember being jealous of my guildies when I arrived in the game, because their town hall was so nice. And it is. Same way I saw one of the avatars of SAT last year and thought 'oh well, let's just start ageing up again'. It's just the little things sometimes, the little things done with care.
I would have loved Rival to become one other part of the game where I could finesse my way into (like with the first one focused on GE, I remember posting about it, maybe in this very thread). Like GE5 was something to get used to, not that bad in the end.
Now I'm telling my young/new guildies to not invest themselves too much. It's just not worth it, they will lose real money for a company that will just ask them more, and more often. For less everytime. I've read about the next Rivals on Beta. It scares me how far you think you can go just, yeah, milking people. It means you have no clue where you're going. And that's sad. I'm also sad for the hours I spent on something that was well-thought, enticing in a funny way. Mostly I'm sad for the cosy little world that I built step by step, and that I'm seeing going nowhere. Well, that's life I suppose.
Bad rep is bad rep. You do you, InnoGames. I'll do myself a favour and play like my tired old/more ancient guildies who I don't see much anymore: without spending first, and then maybe very casually until I stop and don't bother to even do the GE that I easily can do because what's the point.
Here was some feedback.
