Why did BB lower the explorer eggs find rates??

[Urd123]

i got the 3200 mark- i didnt buy gems did participate in events in the past and bought the event rewards like lucky explorers etc - so it is doable

saving gems from weekly reward and after lvl 50 the coins- will get you gems as well to buy more explorers or other items- over time

So the goals are achievable and for rewards to be tiered is no big deal imo- esp as the end reward is hardly game breaking- the 40 settlers and the satisfaction to achieved lvl 6 are in no way unbalancing to the game

all the real good rewards from the event (from a game play perspective) are perfectly achievable by 99% of the population if they applied themselves in a smart way

and in the end- if gem buying gets you to that same level- so be it- the game needs to be funded-

TBH- most people complaining about the egg house could have done better than the ones hunting for lvl 6 by getting to lvl 5 and selling their excess eggs in TO and buy nobles from the proceeds - their extra population would be bigger than breaking the back over getting to lvl 6 on the egg basket

So keep looking at the rewards in perspective instead of soap boxing for "equal rights" to in game rewards- Equal rights to in game rewards means in the long run no game- what is the point if you can never really make a difference between players

I do agree however- that making a change to the game mechanics in mid event on something that impacts the event is just plain stupid- It will always feel like the nerf bat being swung - intentionally or not. This will distract people from the event and tends to create negative emotions. If same change was made 2 weeks before or a week after event started- most people will not have noticed this effect nor complain about it

And yea the fix to explorers did have an impact in amounts of eggs collected- it might have been the right thing to do but the wrong timing. Also: we will never know if the figure of 3200 eggs was formed based on the (bugged) amounts returned by explorers or on the correct amounts - If it was the first- then the numbers should have been corrected as well when the fix went in- alas i don;t see such corrections being made retroactively (if applicable)

Well then you would have had to have been in the game for a long time to meet the mark. I only started in december 2014, so I like many others did not have the chance to get explorers in other ways than from tavern and by using gems in the shop, and then you cant make the mark.

[topgearfan]

some from the special starter vouchers that circulated a few years back

is this correct? i thought there werent any explorers in those?

[Brayarg]

is this correct? i thought there werent any explorers in those?

I believe 21 is the max, 11 from merchant 3 from tavern and 5 from major events, tbh the other 2 I'm not sure on, anyone step in with this info?

[Qualan]

yea was the BHG that was in em- used some gems for explorers though- it was a few years back :P

anyway- if you started in dec 2014 and havent spent a ton of gems on getting up to speed- then you'd be hard pressed to do well in any event. Which is kinda to be expected - events aren't geared towards the lowest common denominator - if they would do that- they might as well just send u an in game mail with all rewards and tell you to not bother participating. The purpose is that you get some achievements and some rewards from the event and the nature of rewards is, the ones doing better (for whatever reason) get better rewards - in this case the lvl 6 upgrade

I also pointed out that this 'reward" is more a bragging right than a game breaking difference. The extra population is in no way game breaking

the real rewards from the event- MMA etc are gettable for someone that started recently in game - if they applied themselves in game and/or get help from guild mates in pushing em along - nothing different from any other event really

[Ozzymandeus]

I believe 21 is the max, 11 from merchant 3 from tavern and 5 from major events, tbh the other 2 I'm not sure on, anyone step in with this info?

AFAIK maximum is as follows:

3 Normal Explorers (from the Tavern)
3 Lucky Explorers (1 from merchant, 2 from World Cup 2014)
3 Experienced Explorers (1 from Easter 2014, 2 from Easter 2013)
12 Savage Scouts (from Merchant - previous limited offer included 2 additional Scouts)

[Scrielle]

The problem is: Who is missing the point?

Let's use an example.

In event 1, Longterm player got all rewards. 2 Explorers, Veteran, MMA.
In event 1, New player did not participate.
LT advantage: 2 Explorers, Vet, MMA.


In event 2, So, BB makes the event challenging enough for longterm players.
Longterm player got all rewards. Veteran, MMA, MoD, Easter Residence Lv6, 2 Floaties.
In event 2, New player got seriously challenged. Received Veteran, Easter Residence Lv4.
LT advantage: 2 Explorers, Vet, 2x MMA, MoD, 200 population.

In event 3, Longterm player wants a challenge having an advantage of 2 Explorers, Vet, 2x MMA, MoD, 400 population over Newer player.
So, BB makes the event challenging enough for longterm players.
Regardless, they receive another Veteran, MMA, MoD, Easter Residence Lv6, 2 Floaties.
In event 3, New player got seriously challenged. Received Veteran, Easter Residence Lv4.
LT advantage: 2 Explorers, Vet, 3x MMA, 2x MoD, 600 population.

After 5 years, LT player will have an advantage of some 10 Generals and 2000 population over a player who started merely 1 year later than they did.
Now, LT player is still complaining that events are too easy while new players are brickwalled.

What do you think players who have started just 10 months ago feel - in comparison, when LT players mow through everything at ease?
Yes, your argument is "I don't care. It's good when the Rich get Richer and the rest get left behind in the dust. It's good to have someone to look up to (whose level you cannot ever achieve because of purchase limits)."

I am curious about a solution from your side:
How do you want to keep a challenge for longterm players without creating a continuously increasing power gap?
In my opinion, the only solution of doing that is by putting in achievements that are not related to power-increasing rewards.
For instance, the World Cup Trophy was a good example for a solution: Does not break the power balance, but permits you to show off.

To me it is obvious but creates more work for the Ubisoft people.... implement different tiers in the same way that guild quests work... or is that TOO obvious.

[ATHTHEMANIAC]

i wonder if all the gem buyers would have the same opinion if they got a new job 6 month before xmas...come xmas worked as hard as everyone else t achieve the firms xmas goals....but when it come to the bonus's got less then the employees who had been there 1,2 or 3 yrs ?... i bet not.....its like boo hoo hoo i have spent £100 on this game have got all the things gems can buy with all the advantages that it brings but this other player who not bought gems has same achievement thats so so so unfair ......
as for gem buyers getting maximum rewards....they already get that...in gem bought buildings (better economy) and prem time bonus's (extra loot)...which is the reason why they bought gem's in the 1st place to gain an advantage to make the game easier...so again i ask what more do they want for thier money?? not satisfied with buildings and prem bonus's they want things no non gem'ers can get ?....
how much of an achievement it is to "win" say a marathon if i drive the whole course except the last 100 yrds...
in the next events are we going to hear....i spent £500 so i should get more achievements then the £100 spender ??? are achievements goner be linked to how much money you can throw around ??...

[Urd123]

i wonder if all the gem buyers would have the same opinion if they got a new job 6 month before xmas...come xmas worked as hard as everyone else t achieve the firms xmas goals....but when it come to the bonus's got less then the employees who had been there 1,2 or 3 yrs ?... i bet not.....its like boo hoo hoo i have spent £100 on this game have got all the things gems can buy with all the advantages that it brings but this other player who not bought gems has same achievement thats so so so unfair ......
as for gem buyers getting maximum rewards....they already get that...in gem bought buildings (better economy) and prem time bonus's (extra loot)...which is the reason why they bought gem's in the 1st place to gain an advantage to make the game easier...so again i ask what more do they want for thier money?? not satisfied with buildings and prem bonus's they want things no non gem'ers can get ?....
how much of an achievement it is to "win" say a marathon if i drive the whole course except the last 100 yrds...
in the next events are we going to hear....i spent £500 so i should get more achievements then the £100 spender ??? are achievements goner be linked to how much money you can throw around ??...

I do spent gems, but I still don't think it is fair. It is not a game this way, just a way to measure how long you have been playing and how much you are willing to spent.
And still even if I did spent enough to get all explorers I could, I am not sure if it would be enough for a player who has only been playing a few month.

As I said above, make some achievements that takes effort and commitment instead.
In the long run a game you can pay to win, is boring and people will stop and find something else to do.

[Qualan]

bottom line is- you cant please all

events that cater for the lowest common denominator are not events anymore- just a hand out - people will lose a lot of interest fast
events that cater to the top end are equally as pointless as everyone else will sign off in like day 2 of event

So the optimal solution will have to be somewhere in between

I think BB isn;t far off on the optimal for the event

So what if not everyone can reach all achievements - the end result is marginal in rewards and hence only in the mind- All meaningful rewards can be gotten by 95%+ of the population-

I didn't manage to finishthe pvp achievements- mostly cause i didn't fancy doing em, i didn't manage all the adventure ones- mostly cause i didn't need em

Others worked hard to complete all- that was their goal on event

others worked for lvl 5 and said the rest was not worth the effort and worked on the egg rewards instead and got 2 or 3 generals for their efforts

the analogy of the marathon can be applied here as well...


Some go with the pro's and their goal is finish all content (very hard core/gems spenders/old skool players etc)
Some are in it to finish the course- in this case get enough achievement points to get a lvl 6 upgrade
Others are in it to try to finish and their satisfaction is mostly how far they got into the course and in what time. Those ones would be t4or t4 egg basket upgrades

No one would actually suggest to halve the marathon so the current non finishers can finish it as well - esp when they took up serious running like 2 months ago ....

Achievements have no impact on the game and advantages you have in game, they are just an "award" or merit badge - the whole point of those is that some are hard or impossible to get in certain circumstances- if they persist with the achievements on events system- you can see your improvement compared to previous events by the number of achievements more you have reached in a future event

I don't think anyone is saying tie event achievements to money spent- but i think most want achievements to have some challenge in em- which means some achievements cant be reached by a part of the population - as far as i have seen- ALL current achievements can be met by people who have not spent a single penny on the game- as long as they have invested enough playtime in it. So in that respect the game is still not pay to win or pay to play. Paying does make it easier ofc- but is is still not a needed attribute to get the event rewards that are worthwhile getting

[Urd123]

I did not get the achievement for the expeditions either, as I decided that they are a waste of time.

What I think is wrong is to make achievements that require you to have been playing the game for years, or that are a measure of the amount of gems you use. None of these can be a challenge.
First one just exclude new players, which is not very encouraging for them to stay in the game. Other is just a measure of how much you are willing to spent on the game.