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More equity for caterers please

Hi
I've been playing for a while now. Must be nearly two years - if not longer. One of the things that attracted me to the game was its flexibility, there were so many different ways to play. I'd tried a few games before and dropped them because I don't really enjoy battle-type games. They bore me.
However, as I progress I note this game becomes progressively more biased against caterers. I have had to leave a couple of fellowships - darned good fellowships too, where I was happy - because I just could not keep up with the tourney minimums they needed every week. I tried fighting. I hated it, it made the game feel like a dreary, overly-time-consuming chore. (Please note this is a subjective opinion I know a lot of players love kicking butt, but I also know there will be others out there who, like me, loathe it.)
There is a lot out there to support those who fight, lots of enchantments, lots of AWs - but very, very little for those who do not fight and tend to cater instead when they want to support their FS in tourneys.
Can we have a bit more consideration and equity from the devs please? I am not dissing those who fight - far from it they should get lots of AWs and consideration - but could the rest of us have a bit more equity and help too please? We also buy diamonds from time to time and invest time, energy and money in playing. So some help in attaining a more even playing ground would be appreciated.

Thanks
Helena
 

RainbowElvira

Sorcerer
Can we have a bit more consideration and equity from the devs please?

I loved that too. Alas, they're going the opposite way. In the higher chapters, you have to fight, whether you want to or not. If you cater, you deprive yourself from just about everything (KP, runes, enchantments).

Moreover, I'm watching the introduction of the Royal Restoration spell with growing concern, it is too early to say something definite yet. Better prepare to do some less city building and severely more fighting. It's no longer about good tournament participation - it's 10 chests every week or nothing :(
 

Heymrdiedier

Enchanter
I think this game is allready based very much around caterers? if you dont fight, that means you dont need armories and a lot of the wonders don't help you at all. You also save a lot of space by not needing that much workshops to keep your barracks running.
You could just use that extra space to get more manufactories, build sets that give a lot of goods etc.
The way i see it, its actually a lot easier for caterers then fighters?
what are the minimum a FS sets, cant be more then 1600 (your fair share), that means 6 provincies to max lvl, or 8 provincies to 5 stars, or ....
That shouldnt be costing that much resources that your city cant handle it, that is if you only do catering and ignore the fighting part.

1 note tho, if you researched the option troopsize you're screwed, we asked many times to do something about that, but maybe thats for 2021 :)

theres only so few wonders that help your city produce more, get all those and try to max them, the fact that you can ignore all fighting wonders is a real space saver.
 
Regrettably, I am screwed. I need amories for Orcs. I need the Orcs to win provinces. Also a lot of the games ask for train xxx units etc so it is not as simple as just not having those facilities. I already have well over the amount fighters have of manus. AW wise I have blooming trader, prosperity towers and mountain halls. I play every day. Checking in at least twice, setting the city up at least twice, more at weekends. The fellowships in question only wanted 1000 a week - not a massive ask. But after a few weeks it bankrupted me. Even bunging in extra enchantments. I would hope with that kind of play you should be able to cater 1000 per week in a tourney and have enough left over to build a bit when you can. But no, you can't. Trust me I am not just moaning for the sake of it I have really tried to make it work - but I am not going to be logging in four or five time a day.
If I had not researched squad size upgrades I would not be able to complete provinces on the map.
If the game is really going to go more and more to the fighter among us I am wondering if I should just cut my losses and look for another game (suggestions welcome).
 

RainbowElvira

Sorcerer
When I started playing, I lost almost every battle. So I stopped fighting altogether in chapter 2. I negotiated provinces and catered the tournaments. My barracks was several chapters behind. Everything was fine.

Around chapter 8, I found that catering got more and more expensive and I switched to a combination of catering and fighting in tournaments. I could afford less and less catering and went all military. With the migration to tournament fighting, my score ever went up.

In my experience, catering is not an option in late game - at least if you aim at a score beyond 500 - 1000 points. Every squad size upgrade hurts your tournament performance. I suggest to skip all optional ones and negotiate your way through the world map provinces. Chapters 12, 13 and 14 each come with 3 mandatory squad size upgrades, so prepare yourself to score less near the end.

I wished to believe that Elvenar was a city builder game (outstandingly beautiful and enjoyable), and that tournaments provides you with stuff you need to develop your city. Right now, I have the impression that Elvenar is just another fighting game (and not a great one at that, to say the least) with some optional city building.
 
Thank you everyone for your feedback. It seems like I will be playing on an ongoing background of diminishing returns. As I am not prepared to spend my time or money on a game that does not suit my play I have decided to stop playing. Thank you again everyone. x

Now quit, on both accounts, thank you to everyone who has helped me both here, and in the game. x
 
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DeletedUser4517

Guest
I hear you Helena, and I had a similar experience Rainbow! I'm sorry you decided to quit Helena :( I always catered tournies and wondered how people got so many provinces. I was low on goods after 10 provinces. Then I tried (auto) fighting again to test it out and it is so much easier in the tourney, and completed so many more provinces. Late game it just seems like you have to go for a military style city, as catering is way too expensive. I've had to build troop AWs now to help my military now as our FS is going to continually do 10 chests every few weeks. I agree that there needs to be a bit more consideration towards the non-fighters, as this game WAS advertised as a "play-your-way", but has been definitely biased (at least in the weekly Tournies, although the FS Adventures maybe are tipped more in the favor of caterers, but those are few and far between) towards fighting in these later chapters, which is a shame for those of us who don't care for it, much like Helena.
 

DeletedUser5976

Guest
I think it is a delicate balance. As making catering cheaper would also benefit those of us who fight, but need to cater a few provinces in between that are not possible to win on auto. So fighters would also profit from those changes. But catering AW suggested by @alsael might be the way to go.
 

DeletedUser6967

Guest
I plan to never fight, no matter what, it just destroys the game for me
 

Pauly7

Magus
I am not sure what the problem with fighting is... and I don't mean to say that to be inflammatory or to not understand other people's ways of wishing to play the game.

What I mean to say is, I fight in tournaments, because you are right... it is much more costly to produce the required goods to cater them, especially the further you progress through the game. However, I never manually fight. I only ever press auto-fight because I don't have time (and I don't know how anyone has time) to sit through 5 minutes or whatever of combat per encounter.

So... what I am driving at.... why would the mechanism of auto-fight ruin the game for you? Is it literally because it uses the word "fight" and the pacifist in you doesn't want to be that kind of a player? If yes then I can understand that - I have lots of weird story-lines going on in my head - but if no, then why not just pretend like you're catering because it isn't a lot more taxing than that.
 

DeletedUser4517

Guest
I can't speak for others, but as for myself it's not an issue of "fights" vs. other terminology. It's a matter of specialization. If my city is specialized to produce goods (in a game advertised as "play-your-way" not as a battle-type game mind you), then why is that specialization penalized in in-game events more than the fighting-style of playing? While I have also adapted to the fighting-style recently, it is not my preferred way to do things. Is it easier for the tournies right now? Yes, definitely yes. But why is it that way, when it's supposed to be balanced to the way you play? I'd rather not fill my city with military AWs and buildings that take up space from manufactories as my preferred way of playing, just because it is tipped in the favor of those that like to fight, but that is what I am currently doing. If the Devs want to come outright and say that tournies are meant to fight, or you will have an advantage with fighting in them great! i can deal with that and adapt! But as of right now it's supposed to be balanced, and right now it is heavily tipped in favor of fighters, troop-producers, and military AWs, and against those who would rather try to produce goods to further their points in weekly tournaments.
 

Pauly7

Magus
The trouble is that from the get-go Inno described how this game was going to be and that it was all about choices and it being non-linear and "play your way", etc, etc. None of it was true, however. They want you to play the game the EXACT way that they want you to play it. Nothing is non-linear. I feel your pain, though, because I am personally in a fight to play the game my own way, but in another aspect for another reason.

All you have to do it look at the storyline quests to know that the devs are trying to make everyone play in a very specific style which leads to very similar looking cities with very similar outcomes for all. It's a shame because this game could be so much more if there were real choices. Don't get me wrong, I still love it, but yeah we have to work hard and penalise ourselves if we wish to play it in our own ways.
 

DeletedUser4517

Guest
Yes I agree with that @Pauly7 , most end-game cities look shockingly similar. It's the illusion of choice really....but it never hurts to try to make your issues heard! And perhaps be at least looked at quickly by the Devs so they know that players do have issues (or may even leave the game in Helena's example) and at least maybe try to remedy them. An AW (in the other thread) seems like an easy and quick fix to be able to help balance this a bit more. Do I expect it? No. But I do hope that at least the Devs will see that not all players wish to be fighters, and will start to think about this in future chapters. :)
 

Pauly7

Magus
Yes, you are quite right and my original comments were, I guess, just from my perspective who doesn't mind tournament fighting.

I have my own little passive crusade which leads to me doing not a lot except to occasionally bring it up and throw comments into the forum. My own one is to do with the same idea of lack of choice, but more linked to how a city can be developed and how players are penalised for making their cities look nicer... I won't get into that much now and risk hijacking a thread, but I understand the desire to bring these things up, despite there not being confidence in any change.
 
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