Era-Trolls . . . do you hate such play?

[Thomas Covenent]

Interesting thoughts here. I'm not really concerned in the slightest about plundering etc, just looking after new players so they don't quit before they have a chance to learn the game. Perhaps something very simple such as moving the PvP tech to EMA would do it, I don't know. Attacking and plundering isn't the issue, expert players driving away new players and damaging revenue is the issue.

The loudest whiners are just Scrubs - there is no helping those lost souls.

Most players who get hit by plunderers will typically do one or more of;
1. Ask their guild for advice/help to stop the plundering
2. Ask advice on the forums to help stop the plundering
3. Build up more resources than the few plunderer/s can make off with
4. Simply learn to collect on time
etc, etc...

When I started playing, it was before the current 'hood system was in place, so my tiny little BA -> IA town was being murderised by Colonial to even a Future era players!
Instead of whining and calling the other players names, I instead asked my fellow guildmates how to curtail this. I found a better guild too, once I realised that my first guild was mostly a damn graveyard...
...I stayed put instead of just racing ahead and built some GB's of my own. I worked hard at the events to get better buildings, and then I learned about heavy questing -> plunder-proofing your city.

Now? I'm a much bigger fish in a small pond, camping out and enjoying constant Top 5 rankings in my 'hoods.
If someone takes issue with me plundering them, then (if they're nice about it), I'll offer help & advice to them.
But if they're mean & start name calling, then I'll just happily continue to plunder them.

Oh, and Agent as well, he is an issue, but so far no one has managed to come up with a workable fix.

Oh boy, if you can't deal with our favourite comedian, then please, stay away from actual forums like 4chan where actual Trolls will have their fun.

 

[Giskler]

"Camping causes colon cancer." ~Abraham Lincon

 

[DeletedUser]

I Attacking and plundering isn't the issue, expert players driving away new players and damaging revenue is the issue..

I don't believe that this actually happens and that the whole issue has been blown up out of all proportion. Anecdote is not evidence, whining is not evidence, Noobs crying "Oh me miserum" is not evidence. Get your head down and play to the best of your abilities is the only answer to doing well in the Game and the Devil take the hindmost!

 

[DeletedUser110327]

I would be interested in knowing the percentages of verbal abuse in the ages that plundered people live in. I have no idea, but I would suspect it is something like 80% Iron Age and EMA, 20% HMA and LMA, and basically silent beyond that. If my presumptions are correct, and all future revenue comes through the Iron Age, then experts plundering new players in the Iron Age is without doubt damaging revenue.

I also suspect (read 'know beyond all doubt' Agent) that new players who are bullied by expert players quit. New players who are attacked by other new players they can actually attack back enjoy the experience and make friends and become valuable long term players in the game.

I shant tread into Novus Ordo Stick it up your Rectum territory, but whereas promoting bullying may be amusing to some, allowing it in the Iron Age does negatively affect revenue.

 

[Cursedveggie]

I get some, but not many whinging messages for attacking in EMA (don't plunder) and nothing in OF where I do plunder. I guess by then most have learnt that it makes little difference especially in the later ages

 

[Ati2]

I think I only ever got one message. And I didn't even plunder him. Someone else did, and there's no telling who it was if I attacked him, too. But the message was polite, I explained HC to him, and probably convinced him to build one soon.

 

[Giskler]

Oh boy, I get to bring up the "I quit" messages I've gotten! They are such sweet memories, I cherish them fondly.

 

[Agent327]

I would be interested in knowing the percentages of verbal abuse in the ages that plundered people live in.

All people, plundered or not live in the 21st century.

I have no idea, but I would suspect it is something like 80% Iron Age and EMA, 20% HMA and LMA, and basically silent beyond that. If my presumptions are correct, and all future revenue comes through the Iron Age, then experts plundering new players in the Iron Age is without doubt damaging revenue.

So all the great advise you have for Inno just comes from presumptions? Shouldn't it be based on facts George?

https://www.pocketgamer.biz/interview/66138/innogames-on-the-evolution-of-forge-of-empires/

https://www.mmofacts.com/top/browser-mmos/active-players

I also suspect (read 'know beyond all doubt' Agent) that new players who are bullied by expert players quit. New players who are attacked by other new players they can actually attack back enjoy the experience and make friends and become valuable long term players in the game.

You don't know anything George. You just pretend you do.

I shant tread into Novus Ordo Stick it up your Rectum territory, but whereas promoting bullying may be amusing to some, allowing it in the Iron Age does negatively affect revenue.

Show us the numbers George. You must have them, so share them.

 

[Dead-Eye]

Oh boy, I get to bring up the "I quit" messages I've gotten! They are such sweet memories, I cherish them fondly.

I love love letters!

 

[Thomas Covenent]

I would be interested in knowing the percentages of verbal abuse in the ages that plundered people live in. I have no idea, but I would suspect it is something like 80% Iron Age and EMA, 20% HMA and LMA, and basically silent beyond that. If my presumptions are correct, and all future revenue comes through the Iron Age, then experts plundering new players in the Iron Age is without doubt damaging revenue.

I also suspect (read 'know beyond all doubt' Agent) that new players who are bullied by expert players quit. New players who are attacked by other new players they can actually attack back enjoy the experience and make friends and become valuable long term players in the game.

I shant tread into Novus Ordo Stick it up your Rectum territory, but whereas promoting bullying may be amusing to some, allowing it in the Iron Age does negatively affect revenue.

No, it is not.
The majority of revenue comes from events. And players will spend diamonds (and real money!) based on what benefits the main event prizes can give.

ALL players, regardless of their in-game progress, will spend $$$ if/when an event comes along that offers highly desired prizes.
In fact, it's much more likely that it's the mid to end game players who are more likely to spend big vs. the new IA/EMA players who still have insanely limited building space...

Also, each new age is an instant influx of cash, since ALL the big players will chase the new GB's if they're good...
Maybe not so much with the Mars age, as those GB's are generally poo-pooed upon, but trust me, people spent silly amounts of diamonds in the early days of Virtual Future to get Lv.70-80+ TA's & HC's within a week.
(yes, Lv.80+ Arcs helped, but not to get things THAT insanely quick!)

 

[Ati2]

people spent silly amounts of diamonds in the early days of Virtual Future to get Lv.70-80+ TA's & HC's within a week.
(yes, Lv.80+ Arcs helped, but not to get things THAT insanely quick!)

I still disagree with this. The sooner you get the new GBs up, the more FPs you save. Other people will pour FPs into it just to get prints. We're not talking about the usual x1.9, we're talking about dozens or more of full levels. And that saves a lot of time. You could spend diamonds to get these FPs, but that would cost way more than what the blueprints cost.

 

[Thomas Covenent]

I still disagree with this. The sooner you get the new GBs up, the more FPs you save. Other people will pour FPs into it just to get prints. We're not talking about the usual x1.9, we're talking about dozens or more of full levels. And that saves a lot of time. You could spend diamonds to get these FPs, but that would cost way more than what the blueprints cost.

The initial GB's have to come from somewhere though, and THAT is through mass diamond spending.

1. When a new age & it's GB's are released, the only way to get the very first BP is via polivating!

2. Once that happens, then (typically) the other 8 required bp's come from just spending the 1600 dias to fill out the set.

3. Now that one lonely player has 9 levels handing out bp's. (though not every reward will initially reward bp's)
BUT!
Literally everyone and their mother is chasing this currently very limited source of bp's Thus, it's harder to simply 'win' a full set ones self, as even with a Lv80+ Arc, up to Lv.10 can still only yield 6 max bp's. (and irrc, that's only on Lv's 8-10 AND only for claiming 1st spot!)
Hence, many/most players in the initial rush will still have a hole or two (or more!) to completing their own initial set of 9 bp's, which means, a few hundred more dias per initial rush player.

4. Once the initial couple new GB's hit Lv.10, they now need a full set of bp's for each additional level.
And again, even with Lv.80+ Arcs, during the first few days there simply aren't enough of each new GB to satisfy demands!
Thus, those initial players end up needing to spend a few hundred more dias each to fill out holes in potentially each new level they want to unlock.


So yes, during the first week or two of a new GB release/s, there is a nice juicy influx of diamonds as players across ALL servers are chasing down the newest hottness...
I know when VF hit for example, a half dozen or so of my fellow guildies spent $30 or so for a diamond pack to help push them through acquiring their initial full bp set for TA + HC.
Now multiply that by hundreds of players across dozens of servers and you get instant income.

 

[Ati2]

So yes, during the first week or two of a new GB release/s, there is a nice juicy influx of diamonds as players across ALL servers are chasing down the newest hottness...
I know when VF hit for example, a half dozen or so of my fellow guildies spent $30 or so for a diamond pack to help push them through acquiring their initial full bp set for TA + HC.
Now multiply that by hundreds of players across dozens of servers and you get instant income.

Exactly.

Would Inno want to stop this income by limiting GBs? Most likely not.

 

[Giskler]

So yes, during the first week or two of a new GB release/s, there is a nice juicy influx of diamonds as players across ALL servers are chasing down the newest hottness...
I know when VF hit for example, a half dozen or so of my fellow guildies spent $30 or so for a diamond pack to help push them through acquiring their initial full bp set for TA + HC.
Now multiply that by hundreds of players across dozens of servers and you get instant income.

Except when they design garbage like the SAM GBs. Swing and a miss.

 

[Emberguard]

early days of Virtual Future to get Lv.70-80+ TA's & HC's within a week.
(yes, Lv.80+ Arcs helped, but not to get things THAT insanely quick!)

Oh I think you’d be surprised. I was in the middle of watching that go on in Noarsil and those that had high lvl’d TAs and HCs were sniping all the top spots for massive amounts of FPs. But those are also the players who are normally selling goods and sniping positions for profit

I could be wrong of course as I haven’t got the figures but I’m sure it’s more likely they bought the first set after getting the first BP and then sniped like a hawk then it is to have spent a lot of diamonds after that first set beyond an odd missing BP here or there

 

[Emberguard]

1. When a new age & it's GB's are released, the only way to get the very first BP is via polivating!

Polivating + GE + RQs + Shrine of Inspiration + (now) Emissaries + Altar of whatever it was called

 

[Ati2]

Oh I think you’d be surprised. I was in the middle of watching that go on in Noarsil and those that had high lvl’d TAs and HCs were sniping all the top spots for massive amounts of FPs. But those are also the players who are normally selling goods and sniping positions for profit

I was already around for the TA launch, but that GB didn't excite me. HC on the other hand... Phew, I blew quite a few thousand FPs to get as many prints as I could on day one.

Someone from the guild mentioned that he saw me on every single GB in all the threads he had access to.

I sat out these last two; they weren't interesting enough for me. Although I did eventually build the Star Gazer, but it's not a priority building.

 

[DeletedUser]

I would be interested in knowing the percentages of verbal abuse in the ages that plundered people live in. I have no idea, but I would suspect it is something like 80% Iron Age and EMA, 20% HMA and LMA, and basically silent beyond that. If my presumptions are correct, and all future revenue comes through the Iron Age, then experts plundering new players in the Iron Age is without doubt damaging revenue.

I also suspect (read 'know beyond all doubt' Agent) that new players who are bullied by expert players quit. New players who are attacked by other new players they can actually attack back enjoy the experience and make friends and become valuable long term players in the game.

I shant tread into Novus Ordo Stick it up your Rectum territory, but whereas promoting bullying may be amusing to some, allowing it in the Iron Age does negatively affect revenue.

Do you really believe that there are rapacious hordes of "expert players" camping in the Iron Age to do the dastardly deeds you claim occur? Just because you jump on the band-wagon and raise the shibboleth of "Lost Revenue" that somehow lends credence to your nonsense? Ooh, beware the "Expert Players" in the Iron Age...they're all going to get you...ooh! Whatever will we do? Twaddle.

You know, you come across as a real "Geezer" and that's OK coz I'm a "Geezer" too except I'm all Rick and you're just another Jerry.

 

[DeletedUser112017]

The initial GB's have to come from somewhere though, and THAT is through mass diamond spending.

1. When a new age & it's GB's are released, the only way to get the very first BP is via polivating!

2. Once that happens, then (typically) the other 8 required bp's come from just spending the 1600 dias to fill out the set.

3. Now that one lonely player has 9 levels handing out bp's. (though not every reward will initially reward bp's)
BUT!
Literally everyone and their mother is chasing this currently very limited source of bp's Thus, it's harder to simply 'win' a full set ones self, as even with a Lv80+ Arc, up to Lv.10 can still only yield 6 max bp's. (and irrc, that's only on Lv's 8-10 AND only for claiming 1st spot!)
Hence, many/most players in the initial rush will still have a hole or two (or more!) to completing their own initial set of 9 bp's, which means, a few hundred more dias per initial rush player.

4. Once the initial couple new GB's hit Lv.10, they now need a full set of bp's for each additional level.
And again, even with Lv.80+ Arcs, during the first few days there simply aren't enough of each new GB to satisfy demands!
Thus, those initial players end up needing to spend a few hundred more dias each to fill out holes in potentially each new level they want to unlock.


So yes, during the first week or two of a new GB release/s, there is a nice juicy influx of diamonds as players across ALL servers are chasing down the newest hottness...
I know when VF hit for example, a half dozen or so of my fellow guildies spent $30 or so for a diamond pack to help push them through acquiring their initial full bp set for TA + HC.
Now multiply that by hundreds of players across dozens of servers and you get instant income.

I was one of the fastest players to raise HC and TA on East Nagach, with only spending diamonds on initial BPs. After that I got them up to high level in a matter of days by a simple rule:
a) I had a deal with 2 more players and we were switching #1 and #2 positions on each other GB from level 0, locking a spot for a loss, that provided us enough BPs to get those GBs up without any additional BPs purchases
b) spots 3-5 were taken by randoms, all were locking for those BPs

a) meant we lost some FPs by locking spots for a loss, but b) worked in our way saving thousands we'd otherwise have to spend if we'd leveled it the "usual way" as the only thing we had to do was mostly just fill in small amount of FPs that were needed after #5 was locked.

 

[Dead-Eye]

coz I'm a "Geezer" too

Like the bloke down the Spoons with the flat cap and red nose who can't pronounce the letter H?