As requested...
So what are the players concerns and complaints and which changes can be made that are of actual benefit to the players; that will make things more fair and balanced in general; that will also keep the game fun, interesting and challenging; and which Plarium can make that are both cost affordable and effective for Plarium to implement into the game?
One such area, and one I would personally like to see changes made so to benefit the game, the Players and Plarium, is the issue of what all has been made available for one to buy and which drastically affects and alters game play as far as the reduced need for proper planning, diplomacy, tactics and strategy as well as balance. Among which are the number and type of various boosts with which one can now buy and use to instantly, unrealistically and magically do almost anything.
Now it has been argued that these were added to the game by both Plarium and at the requests of various Players to allow for newer and lower level Players in the game the chance to better survive against and to compete with the more experienced and higher level Players, and thus making the game supposedly more fair while also more interesting and challenging.
None of which has occurred imo and as a result has only served to further increase the imbalance in the game and between Players. As the problem in adding and making any such items available in the attempt to make things more fair and balanced for any one Player, is that all such items by default are then available to all Players.
One example of this is the 50% Off/Def instant boost for 7 days for $10.00. Which besides serving to create a totally unfair advantage for some Players and adding only further imbalance into the game, has for many Players effectively turned an otherwise Free game to play into one that requires them to now Pay to Play the game. In which to simply attempt to protect and keep what one, their fellow members and their Coa have already earned and achieved, and against every single Player and/or Coa in the game wishing to spend $10,00 on a whim and on any given day. They must themselves purchase the 50% Off/Def boost every single week and at the cost of $40 a month in order to do so.
Below are listed the existing such boosts and imo what can easily be done for the long term benefit of the Players, Plarium and the game itself.
Offense and Defense +50% boost for 7 days:
Remove it entirely from the game for the reasons given above.
City Defense +10% and 20% boost for 4 hours:
Remove them entirely or at least change so they can only be obtained as a reward from various events and missions.
Emporium Gatherer 25% and 50% boost for 24 hours:
Of no real use, value and simply occupying game space so remove them entirely.
Ghost Army 2x reported unit numbers for 8 hours or 1 day:
Of no real use, value and simply occupying game space so remove them entirely.
Experience +50% Booster for 8 or 24 hours:
Either remove them entirely or at least change so they can only be obtained as a reward from various events and missions.
Full Protection for 8 or 24 hours:
Either remove them entirely or at least change so that a Player while using and under Full Protection cannot siege, raid or liberate (attack) anyone or anything themselves.
Spy Protection for 1 or 3 days:
Either remove them entirely or at least change so that a Player while using and under Spy Protection cannot Spy/Scout) anyone or anything else themselves.
Offense Enhancer booster of 10% or 20% for 4 hours:
Either remove them entirely or at least change so they can only be obtained as a reward from various events and missions.
Defense Enhancer booster of 10% to 20% for 4 hours:
Either remove them entirely or at least change so they can only be obtained as a reward from various events and missions.
Position Discovery to uncover 20 new positions:
Remove entirely as this only benefits the experienced Persian Position Player while hurting the inexperienced Persian Position Player.
Auto Unit Hider for 4 or 8 hours:
Either remove them entirely or at least change so they can only be obtained as a reward from various events and missions.
Instant Recall:
Either remove them entirely or at least change so they can only be obtained as a reward from various events and missions.
Quests Refresher for Individual, Divine and Dominion Quests:
Either remove them entirely or at least change so they can only be obtained as a reward from various events and missions.
Grain Consumption Reduction of -25% or -50% for 1 day or 3 days:
Remove entirely.
Resource Production boosters of +25% for 1 or 3 days:
Remove entirely.
Pool of Fidelity instant and specific relocation of city:
Remove entirely.
Pool of Fate instant but random relocation of city:
Of no real use, value and simply occupying game space so remove them entirely
Coalition Capital Pool: instant relocation of capital:
Remove entirely.
Hidden Paths for boosting travel time by -25% -50%:
Remove entirely.
Universal Boosts from 1 - 30 minutes and 1 hour - 1 day:
Either remove them entirely or at least change so they can only be obtained as a reward from various events and missions.
Dominion Activators and Dominion Points:
Leave, but increase the number of Dominion Points one can earn from various and missions which has been greatly reduced.
Elixir Mystery Chests and Caduceus:
Leave, but reduce the costs of Caduceus’s as far too expensive for most Players and/or at least allow for extra Caduceus to be gifted/traded to other Players or sold.
Scroll Cypher to redistribute scroll application:
Leave, but reduce costs as too expensive for the new and inexperienced Player who needs them the most to correct allocation mistakes.
Token for upgrading Hall of Xenia:
Leave, but reduce costs to purchase as too expensive and as no one has that many friends to ask to join the game in order to do so for free.
Declined. We can't remove the Items listed above. They were developed to improve the gaming process. We are also not planning to make drastic changes to those Items mechanics or cost. This is a part of our game balance.