I don't find it odd. Ten times more money shouldn't give you 10 times more benefits.

I've played another game where spending over $200-$300 a year would be highly inefficient, with almost negligible benefits. The players love it, as it is a real strategy game, not pay-to-win like Plarium's games. I would still be playing that one, if I had enough free time for it.

A bigger problem of Plarium's games is, IMO, is the constant influx of glitches (anyone ever heard of QA?), the super-slow client )that get slower as you build and - especially - spend more), etc.

I was considering to buy some rubies yesterday when the game crashed on me. Twice. Do you think I bought any after that?

That's my point. If you spend - say - $30 per week (3 x $10 pack), you get some benefits. When you start spending 5 times more (buying 3 x $50 packs), you're not getting 5 times more benefits. You get less. That's what I meant.

My suggestion to anyone wanting to play with rubies: have restraint. Stick to the $10 specials. If you're above that, buy your own specials several weeks in a row, stock up, then stop buying for 2-3 months, until your offers drop down. With some restraint and brains, one can play quite pleasantly with just those $10 specials.

And if you want to just occasionally buy rubies, those $10 specials drop to under $8 when you don't buy long enough. Then get 3 of them and wait until your offer drops again.

Remember: one big purchase and you'll have expensive offers for over a month.

Another tip: always have a stock of rubies. That way, when you splat, you're not forced to buy at any price. Spend what you have and then slowly restock, never buying more expensive than you usually do.

I agree with Crowbar.. wait and choose discounted pack carefully with patience

I only spend rubies on permanent features.. Upgrades, haven defense etc..

The cost to buy troops is unbearable, unless you earn rubies and still I would those for permanent features
they can't kill your level 5 fortifications but troops can be lost.
you raid resources to build troops for free...

I have tracked the offers closely for 18 months so I understand the view that Plarium is biting hand that feeds them.
I do believe that they could make more money as they are selling a virtual product.. so why be stingy with products
but on other hand it does "even the playing field" a little..
if the rich guy wants to beat up the poor guys it is good they have to pay more and get less for the $$
So I have mixed emotions on that subject.

 I for one would have spent a lot more money that I shouldn't 
so perhaps I should thank Plarium for saving me from myself ROFLMAO

I never bought any of the normal 3 packages..
 I watched the special discounted packages.
don't be fooled by 50% vs 60% vs 70% vs 80% vs 90% discount packages

I have seen discounted packs 50%@ $10 that is better than a 60% pack @ $10 

I defy any explanations for that 
except A fool and his money are soon parted

BTW.. I have been waiting for 8 months for the last deal I bought to come up again.

it was 90% off $200 pack  with 2 purchases.. it used to come up every 6 months
I passed one up during the year before last purchase when I stopped spending money in protest for various reasons
and it is obvious that won't come again..
I passed up smaller packages that gave same ratio of purchase power..

that was during the Xmas holidays cause I was waiting for my other deal

I felt my hand was being bit and my intelligence insulted..
I  wondered why it seemed Plarium bites the hands that feeds them..
but as i pointed out above.. I kind of get it now.. they were just saving me from myself  lol

I have to think their are plenty of people with disposable cash that do not need to control spending
after all it is their business model and the company was sold for major bucks.
That's the money that pays the bills
not my old $5 a week budget..
which was supposed to be $260 yearly

one time in heat of battle I spent my years budget in a day.. lol.. it was not worth it..
But that is where the money comes from, impulse buying under imagined stress  :-D

you can not argue with plarium success.. you can only keep your eyes open and pay attention to realities
Yarr Play on

Buy Haven Defense for lifetime value

Cigneous said:

don't be fooled by 50% vs 60% vs 70% vs 80% vs 90% discount packages

I have seen discounted packs 50%@ $10 that is better than a 60% pack @ $10

This cannot be emphasised enough. Those percentages are meaningless, because they don't account for "free" rubies.

Instead, compute how many rubies you get per $1. I never - ever! - buy under 1k rubies (plus extra stuff) per $1.

Those who want to do more math, see how much rubies is the extra stuff really worth. That means: a) look only the stuff that you'd find useful (who cares if they give us barrels or scouting protection or decoy army or...?); and b) take only half of the normal units' prices, only 70% of the etchings' prices, etc., because that's the price for which you'd buy that stuff during the global discounts.

But, generally, number of rubies / price in dollars > 1000 is, IMO, a decent and simple to compute criterion.