Why the game persists in bias and punishment towards long term advanced players is unjustifiable.
Well, I am the last to support this, but I'm guessing that we both know that the reason is : "because money", as it almost always is, these days, in successful mobile games. If you're a late-gamer - i.e. in the category of player which is the least likely still to be paying (whether or not they once did; loyalty isn't worth any money, sadly) - you're also in the 'most expensive to maintain' player category, too, since you'll be: (a) generally savvy (and so not likely to fall for any of the usual high-pressure spending 'incentives' which newbies don't see for what they are); (b) also unlike newbs, likely to be aware of how the 2020 Formula works, and thus also unlikely to over-develop your City to the point of [unwittingly] over-spending on in-game Resources; (c) likely to expect good-quality upcoming high-level content (the most expensive element of most games like this),
and; (d) vocal about all of the above - whether here, in-game, or, most importantly to Inno, in wider-access arenas such as Social Meeja, Play Store, etc.
And so, within the now-prevalent corporate strategy of revenue-generation from constantly replaced, shorter-term new players (the 'revolving-door' concept about which I've bored on elsewhere, so I won't do it yet again here!), as now relied upon by many mobile games as their primary revenue source, you're not a
statistically good bet when it comes to bringing in the pennies... even though
some longer-term players [but far fewer than in the heyday of 'whale'-type players funding almost everyone else] consistently spend a LOT - and good luck to them, says I!
I have read a lot of posts and so-called reasons for their doing so, but being successful in the game shouldn't mean they can place their boot on your neck.
Now THERE's a well-stated opinion after my own heart! But I'm sure you know that already, as I think you read at least some of my rambles?
But all the above said - I love nothing more than to theorise about where Inno is taking this game (who'da thunk? Haha)... and I personally believe that those of us who are already quite well into the Guest Races, at the moment, will largely be left alone by Inno, despite the very major changes being made to the early game, which are squarely aimed at anyone starting a new City (as will become immediately apparent once those changes fully go live, after the evidently very extensive ongoing A/B Testing - probably more like A-Z Testing, in fact, with a whole host of slightly different initial setups being offered to many sub-sets of new players - which is another habit of modern mobile games which I very much don't admire).
I've also said elsewhere that Elvenar, with its close-to-unique provenance and its less-than-standard target playerbase, really doesn't fit well into the 'revolving-door' strategy, and Inno are far more shrewd than most mobile gaming companies, too, and thus aren't - in my opinion - likely to cut their own throats, as many similar companies do, in what amounts to a race for ONLY those new, green, and often [small-ish] spending-compliant players who have become the bread and butter of the mobile gaming industry these days. As such, I very much doubt whether Inno will push any of us long-termers very hard, so I think we - unfair though this is - will end up with a far more pleasant and lower-pressure gaming experience in Elvenar than those (especially genuine newbies) who start new Cities in future.
Futhermore, and despite the significant alterations the game has seen over the past year or even two, I
don't think it likely that [any more]
major changes to the core existing mid-to-end-game will be put in place, either alongside or after the early-game changes are formally implemented; I think Inno knows that doing so would be highly counter-productive in many ways. After all, why drive away [many of] those who still MIGHT spend a fair bit on unpredictable niceties of their own choice, within or outwith Inno's revenue strategies - and who will also, of course, keep building their admirable and enviable large Cities for the newbies to try to emulate? And to be a BIT less cynical, the same long-term players are also the very players who have always underpinned Inno's uncommon longevity - in a world of predominantly short-to-mid-term companies which really don't mind being 'here today, gone in 5-10 years', if a decent level of earnings can be acquired during that time.
And so, in my opinion, and on top of the strategic and financial advantages of retaining active 'paradigm' large/late-Citiy players for early-gamers to envy and/or emulate, I believe that despite my sometimes apparently hostile stance towards Inno, they
do still care about the quality of their games - certainly those which have a long pre-mobile history in the PC/browser world - whether or not Inno's 'proud of game quality' camp is slowly shrinking in favour of the 'cash is king' camp - and even though, yes, they're pretty keen on maximising the readies, too; which business
isn't, after all, in a market as ferociously competitive - and potentially lucrative - as mobile gaming has - and will further - become?
Largely for these reasons, then, plus a few more which I won't introduce into this already overly lengthy post, I myself anticipate a
relatively relaxed, low-stress, and still-pleasant in-game future for those of us who
aren't starting the game anew, as of about now, and/or - importantly - who
aren't planning to enter into strong competition with smaller, newer Cities which (until they, too, reach the mid-game), will have major competitive advantages by [Inno's] design. Obvious example: although [new] specialist 'Tourney/Spire-killing' Cities are, it seems, being pushed quite a way forward from Ch.III to around Ch.VI (via a strong attempt by Inno at limiting/over-stretching their Resources and narrowly standardising their builds), they'll still be able to out-score [most] later, larger, Cities which are, again by Inno's [later] design, heavily disadvantaged by the 2020 Spire/Tourney Formula.
And on THAT note... er, sorry! I appear yet again to have re-hashed several of the same well-worn arguments I've so often rehearsed here, near enough, even though there was really no need, this time, for more than a couple of lines of text. It really IS a bad, but long-term, habit of mine.
Therefore, if anyone HAS actually read through some or all of this long waffle - many thanks for your admirable determination...!
[Minor edits for the inevitable typos... /sigh]
