Friends Limits

[joesoap]

if you have loads of inactives on your friend list then they arent aiding you or sitting in your tavern or taking/posting trades so something is broke, peronally i would rather have 30 people that helped me than 60 that didnt

 

[DeletedUser111337]

You can still mot/ppl for coin which is needed to buy FP. It's saved my butt so many times, hence I don't add all my guildies as friends because it creates a bigger network. It just makes no sense. Nobody can explain it. Just fix the problem Inno... maybe people would want to play more if you fix bugs that limit game play.

I saw a video Inno games made about joining and leaving guilds to mot/pop to get ahead. Who has the time and dedication to do that? If they just fix a small problem, every player could have a better experience without animosity. eg, imagine if someone kept plundering you, if you added them as a friend they can't intentionally or unintentionally bully you anymore. Do you think newbies that get plundered a lot would stay if they are looking for a nice game to play?

Does. Not. Make. Sense.

I was directed here by support. So I hope the devs can see the problem here. I can't contribute to past guildie's gb because they are not a neighbour, friend or guildie anymore. Both of us have reached the 80 limit. Then he got frustrated that people were posting in the group message who wasn't his friend. Yes it is a problem going unnoticed!

-1 to new tech allowing extra invites. it wouldn't reinforce the 'social' nature of the friends bar
+1 to the idea (another thread I think) that tavern boost with certain qualifying criteria (eg you max out your table and other boosts) or quest reward in certain circumstances would allow you to issue an invite even though over 80 invited

In my view the 80/140 limit whilst very frustrating does force you to think about turning over your friendship and to work with people. Rather than cut friends wholesale I've taken to reaching out to them to get them to aid etc... Being limited to only accepting an invite forces players to be social to get an invite... a good think in my mind. Also the 80/140 limit is a restraint on maxing out the benefit thus leading to lengthening the game so I don't think Inno will be in a hurry to change it

Agree with tavern boost idea as it's linked but why make it so hard for noobs, just let them have friends... a friend got me into a great guild and that's how I stayed. I only want to connect with more newbies and get them into the game, but it's stifling.

Disagree with forcing people to socialise. Most people have their own lives and play quietly sometimes as an escape. It's only over years of playing the game that they get to know each other - take a leaf from RL (real life), not you personally - Inno Games.

You want a game to thrive? You provide freedom of choice and police less. Innovate more. People don't burn out from stress. It motivates them to do what they can.

Hopefully that's enough logic to bring to light the problems associated with this little "rule" they made in the game probably since inception that's never been reviewed. Wake up please...

Another unique thing about this game is that I love the videos they make. That's extra effort to make it fun and friendly.

 

[DeletedUser110131]

They are on everyday so why should they have to go to the trouble of inviting me and being nice to someone that may disappear tomorrow?

It's not that they don't want to "go to the trouble". The simple truth is that they can't invite you, because they're far above the invite limit, and rarely have enough inactive friends to kick.

If you had invited them while you still could, they might have accepted, for three reasons:
- The reason why they don't have very many inactive friends to kick, is because they kick and replace inactives regularly, so they usually have some open slots.
- They're high era, and can't send invites themselves, and neither can other experienced players. While they'd much rather have experienced friends, that's not an option. I suspect this is Inno's reasoning behind the 80/140 limit; it forces experienced players to accept invites from n00bs.
- Believe it or not, high era players are occasionally (or even often) looking for low era goods. If they're in a guild consisting exclusively or mainly of high era players, the only possible source for low era goods are friend trades.

The fact that you didn't utilize your 80 limit to the max, is your mistake. I'll get back to problems and mistakes, farther down.

By the way I have not hit my 140 and half of my friends are inactive so I'm getting a raw end of the deal. How is this the gamer's problem?

Games are supposed to create problems and hindrances for players, and there's supposed to be negative effects when you don't solve those problems well. In fact, that's pretty much the entire point of games. For solving this particular problem, there are good strategies available. As this is a strategy game, such problems are entirely intentional.

Am I supposed to swindle my friend list under 80?

It's not "swindling" to kick inactive friends. If anyone is being a swindler, it's the one who doesn't aid. That's the one who receives without giving. Kicking a swindler is perfectly reasonable. In a month, I run two to three checks on my friends list, each time checking a full week. If someone is inactive for two out of three weeks, I conclude that they're not merely on vacation or otherwise temporarily cut off, but are either inconsiderate, or have left the game permanently without emptying their friends list first. Thus, I kick them.

The good news for you, is that, as they're inactive, you can kick half your friends list, without having to feel bad about it. That will, at a minimum, bring you down to 60 friends, which will allow you to issue 20+ invites. Try to issue a few invites to every era above you. Players in higher eras have proved themselves to be consistently and conscientiously playing the game, meaning they will aid and visit. In addition, having some friends from each era is a good way to trade for high era goods, just like it's a way for them to trade down. As I've already mentioned, they also have little choice but to accept invites from lower eras.

Beware, though: They'll kick you, if you're inactive. However, many are fairly content with three to four aidings and tavern visits in a week. Some are even as lenient as me, and won't kick you unless you're completely inactive.

You're right that there is room for some changes, though. I would suggest:
- Showing who invited whom.
- Showing which friends have been inactive. Say an icon each for one week, two weeks, and one month.
- Being able to regain invite powers by kicking invited friends, and, if so, being able to complete the 80 invitations even when having over 80 friends.
- Some way of getting additional invites (exceeding the 80 limit, but not the 140 limit).

The two first shouldn't affect the game balance at all. The two last may have some effect, but within what's acceptable, in my opinion.

 

[DeletedUser111337]

"Dwindle" down to 80 friends, not swindle. I thought 1 letter typo was not enough to comment again.

Strategy? Let players figure out the strat. Forcing? Just makes people frustrated and angry. Poor excuse for a strat! If higher levels want lower level goods they can go and invite noobs, if they want to put up with it.

Suggestions:
1) 140 friend limit, up to 10 invites and they can sit there in a list until you delete, just like in guild invites. They sit there forever until you delete.
2)I'm not deleting my friend list from 120 to 60. Already gave my reason above. I feel like I'm repeating myself. Coin = FP emergency.
3) show more profile detail:
- how long since last login,
- friend invitation list that allows to delete invitation,
- Era of player,
- my own list of GB instead of going into each individually.

Time spent arguing over the cons of this stupid rule is quite ridiculous IMHO. There are no pros. End of story.

Einrikr - please realise how condescending your statement of "the good news for you is" directly replying to my comment. I'll be the judge of good news to me. That was not good news.

Those high levels that are all high and mighty far above their invite limit who rarely have inactive friends? They are forced to accept newbie invites if they want lower era goods? Sounds like such a fun environment of prentiousness and warm fuzzy feelings... wow never played a freemium with such amazing being to aspire to LMAO!

Ok sorry for being mean, but I'm just being completely honest. Truth hurts sometimes. This should be fixed. But we're not in a perfect world are we? So I'm not paying Inno another cent.

Many have found that deleting their inactive friends is a great way to get rid of the problem of having inactive friends.

Also: What do people think about an extra tech in each age to research giving +5/+10 friends.

Hi Forum Moderator

I was directed to this page from support. So I hope you pass on all the cons I have listed above to the Devs to enhance everyone's gaming experience. I've:
- outlined issues,
- 2 examples of the issues it has created going unnoticed
- given suggestions
- rebutted at any sort of "challenge" to my side of the argument

"Sorry you can't have this person as a friend because you have an 80 friend limit that nobody told you about" = Being pushed/shoved from behind, nobody told you that was coming but they knew about it.

 

[DeletedUser109475]

I've never hit the 80 mark on any world yet so have invites left and usually find some visitors have nothing to aid. My main is only 63 friends and fully aided everyday. Lower eras take note, flower tubs and a city full of decorations suck aid away from your coin/goods buildings like nothing else on earth.