First Age, Second Age, Third Age, why not just restart?

[Bullwinkle]

This game doesn't offer many opportunities for new or returning players to enter at the start of a new game. I would expect this game to just let a bunch of people run through First Age, declare a winner and start over.

At the end of a basketball game, they don't say "OK, from now on, free throws are worth double" and keep playing. At the end of a football game, they don't say "OK from now on, each team gets to use 2 more players" and keep playing. People pack up and go home and come back another day to play again.

The little time I have spent on worlds after the First Age, I often see few active players and get a general sense of decay and pointlessness. Am I missing something? I am returning after 18 months and don't feel inspired to join a world that is already well-established. I wish there were new worlds opening up more often.

[Feldo]

True. It's really dauting to see mighty princes everywhere when you're starting.

But I guess the choice was made because of the F2P model. People who invested money in the game are customers before they are players, and the editor might fear some actual revolt if true resets where made.
Looks like the game is bound to die because of its eco model... either by lack of new blood, or by anger in the old blood :D
That's a wild guess, I don't know the game very well and veteran players would know better.

[Strygald]

I'm hoping things will be better on the new ai server - the ai could take over most of the map at the beginning of each new age.. guess we will have to see.

[rugunac]

Since SHK is a F2P / F2W game

When game is restarted,

• if everything gets reset to 0 but Cards&Premiums&Tokens remain
  most of Customers would not pay money for the game because it wouldn't be necessary.
  
• if everything gets reset including paid items
  most of Customers would not pay money for the game because paid money would be for nothing in Customer's opinions.

[Bullwinkle]

Well, customers like me really aren't interested in playing on a well-established world as a new-comer. Pretty hard to sell things to people who don't even play the game. If they reset, I'd join up on a fresh world. That's their best chance of getting any more of my money.

[rugunac]

Originally posted by Bullwinkle:

Well, customers like me really aren't interested in playing on a well-established world as a new-comer. Pretty hard to sell things to people who don't even play the game. If they reset, I'd join up on a fresh world. That's their best chance of getting any more of my money.

...and you ask them to prefer your money than others'?

[Feldo]

Originally posted by uğrcnsyn:

...and you ask them to prefer your money than others'?

Isn't the player base shrinking?
(I don't know, but it would seem pretty logical given the model)

[rugunac]

Originally posted by Feldo:

Originally posted by uğrcnsyn:

...and you ask them to prefer your money than others'?

Isn't the player base shrinking?
(I don't know, but it would seem pretty logical given the model)

F2P / F2W base is shrinking. Paid customers base must be enough for FF, because they have been keeping the same Premium/Token/Card system for years.

[Strygald]

Originally posted by uğrcnsyn:

Originally posted by Feldo:

Isn't the player base shrinking?
(I don't know, but it would seem pretty logical given the model)

F2P / F2W base is shrinking. Paid customers base must be enough for FF, because they have been keeping the same Premium/Token/Card system for years.

Electronic Arts also kept the same P2W system for years with their game Lord of Ultima, and they had to finally close down all servers.

I think a major factor for them closing down their game was the cost of running so many worlds - they had around a hundred when I quit.

Now FF doesn't have so many but they are following the same trend of opening new worlds without ever closing any down(30 now?)... and their playerbase is much smaller than LoU was.

If they keep opening new worlds then at some point their paying customer base wont be enough to justify their operating costs.

[rugunac]

Originally posted by cloven0angel:

Originally posted by uğrcnsyn:

F2P / F2W base is shrinking. Paid customers base must be enough for FF, because they have been keeping the same Premium/Token/Card system for years.

Electronic Arts also kept the same P2W system for years with their game Lord of Ultima, and they had to finally close down all servers.

I think a major factor for them closing down their game was the cost of running so many worlds - they had around a hundred when I quit.

Now FF doesn't have so many but they are following the same trend of opening new worlds without ever closing any down(30 now?)... and their playerbase is much smaller than LoU was.

If they keep opening new worlds then at some point their paying customer base wont be enough to justify their operating costs.

It's bussiness. Game is listed as "Free" to play, it starts to stink from this point actually.

[Feldo]

Some games do it right. Magicka Wizard Wars for example, every thing you buy has a bonus/malus equilibrium.