Reached a point where I don't know if I can keep playing TSO :(

I have been playing TSO for around 3-4 weeks now and I'm really loving a lot about the game: the great community, the dynamic economy and a bunch of other things. But, I've reached a point where I have realized that I HAVE to pay real money to progress in the game, the dreaded BHG/vet general paywall.
The thing is that I have enjoyed every minute of the game and I really want to keep playing it, but Im not planning to spend any money on it and it really bums me out that I have to "pay up" to get an essential part of the game to progress in the game.

About the events, they simply have ridiculous prices. So they just look like a pipe dream to me or an outstanding effort to get just a game resource that is practically obligatory to advance in the game.

Im really hoping someone can tell me a reason to keep playing the game as a free player, because I dont see one :(

Hya, there are many players, on all of the worlds, who are level 50 or close to it who haven't spent a penny on the game. Save the gems from achievements, do lots of lost skull, tropical sun, horseback, do dark priests and give the lootspot to a friend for killing the hard bits, etc etc. The game is meant to be slow so don't feel compelled to either spend rl money or to quit.

hello skyclap, I dont spend real money either and I dont have a fast gen too. if you keep making gc on TO, you will probably enjoy TSO more.
I've been doing hundreds or thousands trades and so close to my fist fast gen: a major general. so everything is still possible without spending real cash

Do not look at this current event as an event, it is not! It is aimed at high lvl players getting rid of old resources ready for the new and improved proper events. The next real event will be halloween, where you can get a grim gen (which is a fancy looking bhg) and do so by collecting resources from explorers, adventures, collectables etc. This is free to do, lots of fun and even a low level player is able to get something from the event. By halloween you will certainly be in a position to get yourself a free general. You can also get a free veteran gen in the easter event. I am a player who does not spend cash on this game, and i got all my generals from events, or saving free gems. My first grim and vet were free from events. So hold on, you will get there, this is a game of years, not weeks :)

I got to level 50 in about 6 months or so and only THEN did I think to myself ` I need to buy a gem pit ! ` ; at which point I paid rl cash when we had a triple gem offer - best thing I ever did in TSO. I wish I had bought in a lot earlier though... So basically gems or no gems the game is still playable and fun and as mentioned above if no gem player it helps to use the market a lot !

Also, I highly recommend joining a good guild. They will help you re the various approaches to take to securing advancement (and generals in the game) as they have been there before. Also, whilst not a reason to join a guild, many of the better guilds go out of their way to help lower level players to get the nice goodies during the proper events. In my mind those people that benefit from being in a guild are the ones that become active members and show support (even if its just a little chat and swapping of buffs).
Whatever you decide, yes this is a slow game, but it can also be richly fulfilling. Many call it an interactive screensaver as you do a few battles, wait ages for recovery, maybe dip a toe into trade (there is good profit for in-game items to be to be made) and then spend most of you time chatting in G1 or Guild Chat.

Yup, another non-gem buying playere here. It took me 3 years to get to lvl 50 but that was becoz I too my time :). Focus your attention to building a strong map and play all the real events once or twice and you'll have a nice set of generals. Save up your gems from log on rewards, leveling, and achievements to buy the veteran gen or the MMA> Really it can be done but it does require some patience. Enjoy the community, find yourself a helpfull guild and hang in there :)

Allright, thanks for all those replies. Yeah, I think I maybe got a little ahead of myself wanting to get a special gen this early?
Its just that when I get to the level that I could do adv like RB and the like, Ill be unable to efficiently do them like a lot of my guild mates... and all I hear is RB ls swap this and BK ls swap that, but I guess its going to take a very long time before I can participate in those, where really the best profit in the game is. But I guess thats just way in the future.

Anyways, again, thanks for the replies :)

As others have said a good guild can help, they tend to swap loot spots between each other, it takes time to get stuff in game but the really good thing is the events make it so that you can get items you would take ages to save gems for.

The only gems I've bought were the special starter pack during one of those +100% sales. €10 for 8k gems; I'd recommend this if you can swing it (get a MMA). I attained level 50 in just about a year, have more than enough generals, and make enough gems to satisfy any purchase desires without paying a cent of real money more.

I'm going to sound redundant but pretty much every comment has been bang-on. You don't need to buy gems. They certainly help but not required. There are a lot of built-in rewards that will give you gems if you look/wait for them, and when you hit certain levels you get even more. The biggest thing is patience.

I'll agree with most others here you don't need to buy gems but I'll give fair warning the game is a terrible grind without them these days, most of the stuff lower players can make in abundance are pretty worthless and all the high-end stuff takes an age to accumulate through production or a fortune to buy with gold coins. That being said racing to 50 is fairly pointless, join a good guild and enjoy the company and companionship.

It used to be gear all your assets towards the Easter event for a free general or two but who knows if that will hold true next year, good luck in whatever you decide.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Bluesavanah

racing to 50 is fairly pointless, join a good guild and enjoy the company and companionship.

---

Exactly.

Without gems there wouldn't be a game, they have to pay for everything some way. So chipping in for a game you spend so many hours playing by buying them once in a while isn't all that bad. Just think about how little you actually end up spending for all those hours of entertainment, even if you buy everything gems has to offer!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by SkyClap

Allright, thanks for all those replies. Yeah, I think I maybe got a little ahead of myself wanting to get a special gen this early?
Its just that when I get to the level that I could do adv like RB and the like, Ill be unable to efficiently do them like a lot of my guild mates... and all I hear is RB ls swap this and BK ls swap that, but I guess its going to take a very long time before I can participate in those, where really the best profit in the game is. But I guess thats just way in the future.

Anyways, again, thanks for the replies :)

---

Usually lootspots require to bring you a general with 1 recruit. Most players want a fast gen, but I don't always need that and would have patience for lower levels to bring a normal gen because they just haven't gotten as far yet. And I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one.
You could always ask in trade yourself, if someone knows in advance a slow gen will come, they can invite you a little earlier.

RE = FISHSLICE

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by fishslice

...a good guild....// ... many of the better guilds ....

---

Again you are 100% correct/perfect in your answer towards the nicely intersting question posted in this thread.
Just a small detail about guilds [cfr what does the guild stand for ] and finding the correct suitable guild ==> only luck and time can bring a settler into the correct guild. I do not know the number of guilds on this server, but sure I know that most of them only have 1 point of comfort which is the daily guild quest - all other issues are out of their comfort-zone. - A test of a guild cost about 01 week time +3days penalty included [cool-down time x2 ] indeed dear friendly settler it is a slow game.

I bought gems maybe once or twice in the 3 years I play this game so far. It's a game I like and a sort of game I would buy if it was in a store. So didn't mind spending money on it to equal buying a game in a store. But I won't do it anymore. I specifically did it for the veteran but that was way back when there were no better gens available. If you don't mind spending a little money you could wait for a 2x offer and buy some gems.
Currently I'd advise you to take it easy. Plenty of events can reward gens (for event resources) and at some points you can buy major for beans, which you'll earn by doing FT's (and selling the ls for beans to go faster)
Also, choose mma over veteran. Major can carry 20 more units than vet but other than that they are completely the same. Mma is a better gen to buy.

And another thing :) You will always need LOTS of recruits so it wouldn't hurt to already make that production go as fast as you can. Then it doesn't matter you'll lose more because you don't have a fancy gen to use for blocks and you'll have more time saving up those gems. They come pretty fast. As you get to higher levels more gems will be rewarded for quests.

You will eventually reach the point where you won't care much for the Vet general and want the Major General (which is only obtainable without gems) or an MMA (which is available during the easter event for egg). (In reality, two of the best generals are available without gems!)

After playing here for several years I can say:
The use of gems is not for getting a competitive edge or game progress, but for minimizing time sink.

If you are willing to put in a lot of time for tedium (mines, fields, etc.) or just progress slower (spend more time building resources and swapping them for needed buildings rather than buying), then you negate the need for gems.

If on the other hand you want to avoid tedium or progress faster Gems can be helpful (endless copper mines, buying a lot of silos/watermills, etc.)

Now, obviously, BB would love you to buy gems. But the game is pretty well balanced that you don't need to :)

I've been playing since closed beta and never have used gems to progress. Just a lot of patience

I normally don't write much, but just wanted to chime this in:
Today, I bought my 5th Gem Pit.

I am lv51 and the only gems I have obtained are from Weekly Login and Quest /Achievement Rewards.

It is possible to get up to 200k Gems without investing a single cent into this game. I will probably have my 10th Gem Pit by December - and then I'll be going for the yummy stuff.