excellent post & could not agree more

I have not spent a dime in some time now and I have no desire to spend any more

see nerfed troops build time and incoherence base time -% in obelisk and time build with maxxed obelisk and see who develops the game is also incompetent

i would totally disagree oh wait we got fortresses/sketches/the stupid offers that take advantage of who pay, now i totally agree

but trust me the game wont die bcs the people who complain about this are counted on fingers djmoody, gadheras and more (in forum) other reason is there are a lot of coiners (A) they play and pay then they realize their mistake and leave however new coiners are added (B) by the time (A) leave and after a while they realize the same thing and leave giving time for (C) coiners to jump in and such so this game wont die 

exxxe said:

i would totally disagree oh wait we got fortresses/sketches/the stupid offers that take advantage of who pay, now i totally agree

but trust me the game wont die bcs the people who complain about this are counted on fingers djmoody, gadheras and more (in forum) other reason is there are a lot of coiners (A) they play and pay then they realize their mistake and leave however new coiners are added (B) by the time (A) leave and after a while they realize the same thing and leave giving time for (C) coiners to jump in and such so this game wont die 

Thing is, as with most online games, very few of the players actually go visit forums and such. I'm quite sure if the Marshalls in the leagues around the game, did start rally their members to send them to forums to state their opinions about things, maybe would been more of an inpact. Most of the time you just see, "ah fk this" and people leave the game, give their accounts away to other players to increase the alt armies.

It's nothing wrong about want to get paid for your game/product, but regard the players as little else than cattle in the process is just bad. Take care of your customers, and the customers take care of you right?

inevitably.... think only of making sapphires traps

M'lords and ladies,

Please remember, it's not that the money being kept in a big safe. In the contrary! The money's meant to make those updates, and in order to keep those updates happening, Plarium needs their money.

Notice that the game has been growing a lot. A little more than 1 year ago, when I started playing, it wasn't as big as now, hence it didn't cost too much money. Even on a level up in that time, you'd get Sapphires! Unfortunately, that has been removed for probably the same reason as I wrote before. Plarium desires money, in order to keep the game running.

So think about it as giving a gift to them. Think that you're not just a Lord or Lady, but rather a hero for spending it on Stormfall, because it definitely helps Plarium!

Remember, though, that purchasing Sapphires is completely optional and thus if you prefer not to spend your money, then you'll have to obtain this in-game currency, which is worth real money, for free in a little more difficult way; earning them at Hamlets for example, which is completely logical in my eyes!

If you're uncertain about where to earn those Sapphires and how you can spend them wisely, check out this wiki article.

I'm sorry if this wasn't really helpful, I try my best to assist!

> SlopranoDark

the problem is that it does not deserve one penny so, sapphires are not additional but mandatory for all now, the game is unplayable, in every game they think a return (logically), but here come to fraudulent practice

think about giving a good game that brings in revenues  is very different that  think of a trap for revenues

you have to reflect on our not/actions and because the game takes you to avoid contact with others castles and do not spend

the game has grown? well in fact i read good feedback on the network...... many "thieves" or fake feedback "the best game" 

here is not facebook platform, is many different ppl

this new sketches option is an obvious money grab

it could be the straw that kills the game

I am seriously thinking of send all my resources to league members and dropping out

the number of saphires needed to buy sketches is ridiculous

but hey I see from the new offers since sketches were released

that for only $50 you can buy enough saphires to trade for sketches

it seems to be pay it or else piss off

I am leaning towards the last alternative

shame on you Plarium

Long version:

Plarium is on a charge for money.

This isn't the kind of money that pays the wages and puts bread on the table of the people work in the company, it's corporate greed, to make a fast buck.

There is zero respect for the customers playing the game. There is no desire to create new content to be played in game. Only content to be bought. Customers are fools to be sucked dry. This has been the the case now for about 9 months but it is coming to a head so violently, I am now posting.

I post with little hope that what I write will be understood by a developer that is just part of a blinkered industry that is slowly eating itself. But I post anyway holding on to a slither of hope. After all I have played and loved the game and invested hundreds if not thousands of hours into it.

I also post with experience, I have already seen a developer, of a similar RTS MMO game, go all out cynical cash cow and the game was dead within 2 years, zero customers left.

I could write a small book about the sapphire only updates of the last 9 months but I will call as evidence just one area of today's updates. But this area is so heinous on it's own is stands evidence as the death of the game.

Sketches

These represent the end of the need to raid.

Don't bother playing the game anymore. If you are addicted/stupid/manipulated enough just tripple your castle resource production to the point that 24/7 troop production is assured. What does this take... nothing you can do it right now immediately with enough cash.

Why will this kill the game?

They have just allowed people to buy there way to the end game. You can now buy your way to not having to play the game each day. This isn't even good business sense in the long run because without content these people will literally stop playing and move on from the game. You take short term money to turn your biggest spending customers into ex-customers in the long term.

For the rest of the player base, it just unbalanced the game to the most ridiculous level. Pay to win player logs in for 2 mins and achieves what might make take you 2/3hrs to achieve. It's way over the line of common sense. It will leave people cold. No one wants to play a game which is so unbalanced they can't hope to compete.

I bet a load of sketches will be bought in the short term. I bet the team will be slapping themselves on the back for their cunning and success. In two years time when the game is dead..... well you will just move onto another job I guess, there is no love for this game so will anyone at Plarium even care?.

Seemingly Plarium won't know what a valued customer is until we are all gone, turned cold by cynical, short termist, money grabbing.

Lords and Ladies, thank you for all your comments, they will be considered. I assure you that we thoroughly analyze the effect of every feature that we implement into the game. As I said our main goal is the evolution of the game and we do everything possible to make it more enjoyable and comfortable for players.

As I already said, every player chooses different strategy for the game. You may decide to use only those features that fit your strategy. Sapphires that you earn in the game may be used in a way that you prefer.

they still ask always for more money, i not spend another euro so :), earn sapphires  in tournaments and weekly rank ohh yes, Plarium you can see how are they made, a regular normal players can not even trying respecting Rules, this game will become only for big pay vs plarium team (alts vs alts)

jumy said:

when you understand not to make fun of your clients probably you will grow !!!!!!!

how many beautiful words, if you want to have a list of at least 100 alts, the problem that many are  Plarium team and not block them, in different ways but the whole game is connected to the usual league.... what do you say?

how can an idiot like me see clearly and plarium not? your game is to give this fake entertainment?

Greetings. Please refer all issues about multiple accounts to our Support Team. Unfortunately, we are not authorized to make any decisions concerning them. Only our Support Team can investigate those accounts and take measures.

I understand that you want to see some actions, but unfortunately, I am unable to help in this case.

mrfreezzzz said:

SlopranoDark said:

M'lords and ladies,

Please remember, it's not that the money being kept in a big safe. In the contrary! The money's meant to make those updates, and in order to keep those updates happening, Plarium needs their money.

in 2015, plarium generated a gross revenue of over $100 million. spreaded over 7 games, that's $14 million per game. or, $1.2 million per month, per game.

a total of 600 employees, that's 85 employees per game. let's assume they're decently paid, that'd be an average of $3000 per month per employee. for 85 employees, that'd be $260000 per month. multiply that by 2, to cover charges, taxes and such. it comes to a total of $520000 per month. out of $1.2 million, that still leaves $500000 per month. 

even taking in consideration the CEO, CFO, and all the VPs salary, there's still plenty of money to update the game, as you say, without systematically looting players, with updates that are nothing but money grabbers.

remember that overall people are smart, not dumb. 

remember that most of your customers are grownups, and not kids who don't know much, or at all, about business and company finances

and bare in mind that in a vast community of players, chances are some of them are in the internet field as well, some might even run software or gaming business

so please, stop taking us for idiots.

If you look at wages and such in places like Ukraine, where they got some of the biz, Im quite sure, that wages rather low there. 

M'lords and ladies,

Please remember, it's not that the money being kept in a big safe. In the contrary! The money's meant to make those updates, and in order to keep those updates happening, Plarium needs their money.

Notice that the game has been growing a lot. A little more than 1 year ago, when I started playing, it wasn't as big as now, hence it didn't cost too much money. Even on a level up in that time, you'd get Sapphires! Unfortunately, that has been removed for probably the same reason as I wrote before. Plarium desires money, in order to keep the game running.

So think about it as giving a gift to them. Think that you're not just a Lord or Lady, but rather a hero for spending it on Stormfall, because it definitely helps Plarium!

Remember, though, that purchasing Sapphires is completely optional and thus if you prefer not to spend your money, then you'll have to obtain this in-game currency, which is worth real money, for free in a little more difficult way; earning them at Hamlets for example, which is completely logical in my eyes!

If you're uncertain about where to earn those Sapphires and how you can spend them wisely, check out this wiki article.

I'm sorry if this wasn't really helpful, I try my best to assist!

> SlopranoDark

Aleksandra Miroshyna said:

ThatGuy said:

I can understand the need to make money; free to play is not free to create, nor is it free to host, maintain, update, etc.  I get that.  However, I've been watching the price tag get higher and higher.  

Others have already listed the problems with the game's current course.  I've been watching the trends and all I can say about it is what I've been seeing are the same issues that have killed other games:

Lord, first of all I want to assure you that we have a professional analytic team and they are investigating each and every little change in the game to make sure that this change doesn't have a negative side effect. They are always watching the feedback from players along with the game logs that show the activity of the players and popularity of all updates among players. 

1) High quit rate/lots of alts - More and more players are leaving the game. Alts, which are against the rules, are rampant. I think there are more alts than active players. Plarium's enforcement is so bad that players openly boast that their castles are defended by out of league alt accts. 2) Alt abuse - Related to point 1, there are a ton of alts, which by itself may not be a bad thing, but those alts are getting used/abused for unfair advantage. Often they are used as troop mills for tournament points or to defend main's castle with out of league troops (unfair advantage in challenges since out of league troops garner no points).

You are right, Lord, alt accounts are against our rules. We do everything possible to prevent the advantages of usage of alt accounts. We would appreciate if you could help us and report suspicious accounts to our Support team.

3) Rewards for $ disproportionate vs playing the game - Pay to win/pay for advantage is a viable model. It may not always be fair, but if the balance is done right, it doesn't kill the game and can still provide fun for all, no matter how much you spend. Making it so that if one spends enough $, playing the game isn't even necessary is dangerous. That makes the top spenders get bored if all they have to do is log in, reap rewards, then go do something else and it marginalizes lesser spenders...as others have already pointed out.

It is possible to play the game without purchasing Sapphires. I agree that it is hard to compete with players who receive some advantages with Sapphires, but there are still a lot of possibilities to earn Sapphires and other rewards. This way requires more attention to the game. Also, one of the most important parts in the game is Leagues. A good League can give you the advantages that will help you become a strong player.

4) Troop Production too slow - Yes, I know Plarium makes a ton of $ selling troops. The problem is that it takes way too long to recover from big losses. It makes many players very risk averse since it costs way too much to buy back or even revive troops and it also drives players from the game.  

Troops production was considered and balanced when the game was created. Also, if we increase it, it won't change the situation in whole, because the total proportion of Troops will be the same. Let me explain: if right now you have 200 Troops while your opponent has 400, after the increasing of production, you would create 400 Troops. But since your opponent's production increased too, he would have 800 Troops.

5) Poor support - There are lots of bugs in the game. Vanishing troops, paid items that don't work like they should, boosts that are consumed without actually doing anything, killer lag, etc. Submit a ticket and you'll get a response, often either promising to look into it or claiming devs already know about it. They may ask for proof, such as battle reports. After you jump through all the hoops, submit all the proof they ask for, you sit back and wait for comp for whatever was lost. The comp never materializes. The troops/resources/sapphires/items are never replaced. They just collect the data and ignore you. This is not a good way to treat customers, especially in a game that relies on optional spending for profit. Since I have no faith in Plarium to make good, I spend very little real money on the game. Why should I pay for overpriced digital "property" that can be stolen at any moment without recourse and which has no warranty should it fail to function as intended?  

Bugs are a reality of development on a live platform, and our developers do aim to fix such bugs as quickly as possible. When we update the game we attempt to minimize bugs prior to release - but with a game of this size and complexity it will never be perfect. We ask for your patience and understanding on this point.

Support team always try to investigate the issue with the game logs, but if you faced an issue in the game, the details that you may send to them are very important since they may help us find and resolve the issue. However, if the bug is confirmed and the Troops/Resources/Sapphires/Items were lost due to this bug, Support team will replace them. 

when you understand not to make fun of your clients probably you will grow !!!!!!!

how many beautiful words, if you want to have a list of at least 100 alts, the problem that many are  Plarium team and not block them, in different ways but the whole game is connected to the usual league.... what do you say?

how can an idiot like me see clearly and plarium not? your game is to give this fake entertainment?

@Aleksandra

The point about troop production time, is not your opponent get x more than you, but the speed you can recover yourself to do something worth the while again. Because as it is, there is players that is sitting on millions uppon millions of troops more than me already. Unit production time is all about recovery after fatality.

Just make players that now spend on units, spend on resource to make units, and rather have unit production more or less instant, how hard can that be? Then people that want to spend can do that, and those that prefer to raid and get resources elsewhere do that.

ThatGuy said:

I can understand the need to make money; free to play is not free to create, nor is it free to host, maintain, update, etc.  I get that.  However, I've been watching the price tag get higher and higher.  

Others have already listed the problems with the game's current course.  I've been watching the trends and all I can say about it is what I've been seeing are the same issues that have killed other games:

Lord, first of all I want to assure you that we have a professional analytic team and they are investigating each and every little change in the game to make sure that this change doesn't have a negative side effect. They are always watching the feedback from players along with the game logs that show the activity of the players and popularity of all updates among players. 

1) High quit rate/lots of alts - More and more players are leaving the game. Alts, which are against the rules, are rampant. I think there are more alts than active players. Plarium's enforcement is so bad that players openly boast that their castles are defended by out of league alt accts. 2) Alt abuse - Related to point 1, there are a ton of alts, which by itself may not be a bad thing, but those alts are getting used/abused for unfair advantage. Often they are used as troop mills for tournament points or to defend main's castle with out of league troops (unfair advantage in challenges since out of league troops garner no points).

You are right, Lord, alt accounts are against our rules. We do everything possible to prevent the advantages of usage of alt accounts. We would appreciate if you could help us and report suspicious accounts to our Support team.

3) Rewards for $ disproportionate vs playing the game - Pay to win/pay for advantage is a viable model. It may not always be fair, but if the balance is done right, it doesn't kill the game and can still provide fun for all, no matter how much you spend. Making it so that if one spends enough $, playing the game isn't even necessary is dangerous. That makes the top spenders get bored if all they have to do is log in, reap rewards, then go do something else and it marginalizes lesser spenders...as others have already pointed out.

It is possible to play the game without purchasing Sapphires. I agree that it is hard to compete with players who receive some advantages with Sapphires, but there are still a lot of possibilities to earn Sapphires and other rewards. This way requires more attention to the game. Also, one of the most important parts in the game is Leagues. A good League can give you the advantages that will help you become a strong player.

4) Troop Production too slow - Yes, I know Plarium makes a ton of $ selling troops. The problem is that it takes way too long to recover from big losses. It makes many players very risk averse since it costs way too much to buy back or even revive troops and it also drives players from the game.  

Troops production was considered and balanced when the game was created. Also, if we increase it, it won't change the situation in whole, because the total proportion of Troops will be the same. Let me explain: if right now you have 200 Troops while your opponent has 400, after the increasing of production, you would create 400 Troops. But since your opponent's production increased too, he would have 800 Troops.

5) Poor support - There are lots of bugs in the game. Vanishing troops, paid items that don't work like they should, boosts that are consumed without actually doing anything, killer lag, etc. Submit a ticket and you'll get a response, often either promising to look into it or claiming devs already know about it. They may ask for proof, such as battle reports. After you jump through all the hoops, submit all the proof they ask for, you sit back and wait for comp for whatever was lost. The comp never materializes. The troops/resources/sapphires/items are never replaced. They just collect the data and ignore you. This is not a good way to treat customers, especially in a game that relies on optional spending for profit. Since I have no faith in Plarium to make good, I spend very little real money on the game. Why should I pay for overpriced digital "property" that can be stolen at any moment without recourse and which has no warranty should it fail to function as intended?  

Bugs are a reality of development on a live platform, and our developers do aim to fix such bugs as quickly as possible. When we update the game we attempt to minimize bugs prior to release - but with a game of this size and complexity it will never be perfect. We ask for your patience and understanding on this point.

Support team always try to investigate the issue with the game logs, but if you faced an issue in the game, the details that you may send to them are very important since they may help us find and resolve the issue. However, if the bug is confirmed and the Troops/Resources/Sapphires/Items were lost due to this bug, Support team will replace them. 

you ever seen a alts blocked ? plarium destroys by itself

removing step 1) and this game is dead, now giving up but any regular player realizes how is impossible to play in these conditions, you need spy and a minimum of organization, other no, use alts

some evidence is seen in the "new" server, same people but with other names

add point 

6) need a clean game, never thought that someone can see your troops? only randomness are bonuses (crystal and +% bonus)

-------------------------

a strategy game where everything seems fake and nothing is random,  alts not need strategy only trap

plarium on his side with his bug shows seriousness and competence, just say one BG, the mystery of bgs is revealed

A BUG 

in a war strategic game=false flag

I can understand the need to make money; free to play is not free to create, nor is it free to host, maintain, update, etc.  I get that.  However, I've been watching the price tag get higher and higher.  

Others have already listed the problems with the game's current course.  I've been watching the trends and all I can say about it is what I've been seeing are the same issues that have killed other games:

1) High quit rate/lots of alts - More and more players are leaving the game.  Alts, which are against the rules, are rampant.  I think there are more alts than active players.  Plarium's enforcement is so bad that players openly boast that their castles are defended by out of league alt accts.  

2) Alt abuse - Related to point 1, there are a ton of alts, which by itself may not be a bad thing, but those alts are getting used/abused for unfair advantage.  Often they are used as troop mills for tournament points or to defend main's castle with out of league troops (unfair advantage in challenges since out of league troops garner no points).

3) Rewards for $ disproportionate vs playing the game - Pay to win/pay for advantage is a viable model.  It may not always be fair, but if the balance is done right, it doesn't kill the game and can still provide fun for all, no matter how much you spend.  Making it so that if one spends enough $, playing the game isn't even necessary is dangerous.  That makes the top spenders get bored if all they have to do is log in, reap rewards, then go do something else and it marginalizes lesser spenders...as others have already pointed out.

4) Troop Production too slow - Yes, I know Plarium makes a ton of $ selling troops.  The problem is that it takes way too long to recover from big losses.  It makes many players very risk averse since it costs way too much to buy back or even revive troops and it also drives players from the game.  

5) Poor support - There are lots of bugs in the game.  Vanishing troops, paid items that don't work like they should, boosts that are consumed without actually doing anything, killer lag, etc.  Submit a ticket and you'll get a response, often either promising to look into it or claiming devs already know about it.  They may ask for proof, such as battle reports.  After you jump through all the hoops, submit all the proof they ask for, you sit back and wait for comp for whatever was lost. The comp never materializes.  The troops/resources/sapphires/items are never replaced.  They just collect the data and ignore you.  This is not a good way to treat customers, especially in a game that relies on optional spending for profit.  Since I have no faith in Plarium to make good, I spend very little real money on the game.  Why should I pay for overpriced digital "property" that can be stolen at any moment without recourse and which has no warranty should it fail to function as intended?