Discussion News from Beta (may contain spoilers!)

[Pauly7]

I see that today's daily prize is Dr Freakenspleen, and before that we had the Scream of Halloween, the Daunting Pumpkins and Windmill of Evil. All those prizes where (grand) prizes of previous Halloween mini-events and players had to complete the events to get them. And IMO they should be unique buildings and not something one can have a whole field of if he/chooses. I absolutely don't mind they are back so that people who didn't play that event can also have one (I had never had the Scream, so I'm glad to see it), but they should be amongst the grand prizes, between artifacts instead of the 3 runes and other similar filler prizes. That way everyone could have 1 but not have entire rows of Freakenspleens or Screams. It really devalues those original buildings and the effort we've put into getting them.

I agree completely. I wanted a Frankenspleen in my Beta city (couldn't get one), but one of the first things I thought is that I might now want to delete it from my city in Live because it will become one of those commonplace buildings.

 

[Alcaro]

I used today all lightning thingies I had (almost 2 big packages) and didn't get the daily. I got coins instants, KPs, military instants and pretty much that's it. Disappointing.
The chances to get the daily are so low that makes the event really annoying.

 

[Hekata]

Oh wow then they must have nerfed the Scream of Halloween because it was awesome culture.

It's 7800/7800 at chapter 15, I don't think it was nerfed.

 

[Hekata]

I agree completely. I wanted a Frankenspleen in my Beta city (couldn't get one), but one of the first things I thought is that I might now want to delete it from my city in Live because it will become one of those commonplace buildings.

I like all those buildings so I won't be deleting them form my city, but it's really silly to make something that was a grand prize a simple daily prize a year later. Offering them as grand prizes instead of the instants we now have would be a perfect solution IMO, everyone could get one and they would actuality be worth the name "grand prize" unlike the instants.

 

[CrazyWizard]

Scream was not a pretty building, the pumpkin monster(the other event building from that event) was awesome.

I forgot the name, but it was one of the best looking buildings

 

[Hekata]

Scream was not a pretty building, the pumpkin monster(the other event building from that event) was awesome.

I forgot the name, but it was one of the best looking buildings

That's a matter of personal preference, I guess. I like the Scream because it has Munch's Screaming Man on it and it's sort of a little lake, and I find the Daunting Pumpkins (I think that's the monster you mention?) to be just ok-ish.

 

[CrazyWizard]

That's a matter of personal preference, I guess. I like the Scream because it has Munch's Screaming Man on it and it's sort of a little lake, and I find the Daunting Pumpkins (I think that's the monster you mention?) to be just ok-ish.

Maybe it's a reference to something english. But I remember it as parts of it being as flat as paper.

 

[Hekata]

Maybe it's a reference to something english. But I remember it as parts of it being as flat as paper.

The whole buildings is a reference to Edvard Munch's painting The Scream. You have the screaming man at the front and if some parts look flat as paper maybe it's also to make it look like a painting? Idk, I haven't seen it live yet, but this pic of it looks cool

 

[CrazyWizard]

See I knew I did not get the reference

I was indeed referring to that paper man.

 

[Sir Derf]

I agree completely. I wanted a Frankenspleen in my Beta city (couldn't get one), but one of the first things I thought is that I might now want to delete it from my city in Live because it will become one of those commonplace buildings.

Elvenar Hipster...

 

[Pauly7]

I like all those buildings so I won't be deleting them form my city, but it's really silly to make something that was a grand prize a simple daily prize a year later. Offering them as grand prizes instead of the instants we now have would be a perfect solution IMO, everyone could get one and they would actuality be worth the name "grand prize" unlike the instants.

Yep, I hate the devaluing of past prizes. In the past some people spent a lot of money trying to get the Cozy Farm, because that was back when there were three grand prizes and the third was almost mathematically impossible to reach without spending diamonds... Then a year or two later it appears as some daily prize that people could get a bunch of. If you're one of the people that had spent the money then that could be really annoying.

 

[CrazyWizard]

Yep, I hate the devaluing of past prizes. In the past some people spent a lot of money trying to get the Cozy Farm, because that was back when there were three grand prizes and the third was almost mathematically impossible to reach without spending diamonds... Then a year or two later it appears as some daily prize that people could get a bunch of. If you're one of the people that had spent the money then that could be really annoying.

On the other hand we are talking about buildings some for as long ago as 4 years? {first halloween event)
As I noticed and some have stated it looks like it's really hard to get daily prizes. if thats the case I like it even more.

I always found it silly you walked away with a few dozen buildings, how crazy and how much whining have we seen from whiners with 20 venars that the prizes all sucked because they coud not compare to there 20 venars III.

 

[Hekata]

As I noticed and some have stated it looks like it's really hard to get daily prizes. if that's the case I like it even more.

Maybe if getting the daily prizes was hard because it required some real effort put into it like fighting 20 provinces or some other task that depends on players activity then it would make sense. Here it's based purely on luck. And some players have wasted all their currency trying and failing to get the one daily prize they wanted. I really don't see what's to like about it. With tournaments being so nerfed, hard and uninteresting now, at least events should be fun.

 

[CrazyWizard]

Maybe if getting the daily prizes was hard because it required some real effort put into it like fighting 20 provinces or some other task that depends on players activity then it would make sense. Here it's based purely on luck. And some players have wasted all their currency trying and failing to get the one daily prize they wanted. I really don't see what's to like about it. With tournaments being so nerfed, hard and uninteresting now, at least events should be fun.

It depends on how you look at it.

If you come from the standpoint of getting 20 venars is easy I understand that each event is underwhelming.

If you come from nothing and then look at the events they are quite fun as they give you something extra. something you did not have before.

One of the reason the current events are lackluster is not just the fact that the buildings are not as spicy as before. but also because we get so many of them. we get so many of them that on each event you need a something new and better to be relevant.

If buildings are "rare" and limited, gaining one is so much more fun, and it stays more fun for a longer period.
When you get as many as in the past, it's more a game of "how many" and getting one more or less does no longer create this "yes" moment.

Therefore for a long term strategy I like limiting prizes as this way they stay more relevant (and it's easier to keep and maintain them as you have less) they should have done that in the first place.

Limiting the prizes also alows them to be "spicier" as you cannot make your town depend on them on a whim.

 

[Pauly7]

If buildings are "rare" and limited, gaining one is so much more fun, and it stays more fun for a longer period.
When you get as many as in the past, it's more a game of "how many" and getting one more or less does no longer create this "yes" moment.

Therefore for a long term strategy I like limiting prizes as this way they stay more relevant (and it's easier to keep and maintain them as you have less) they should have done that in the first place.

Limiting the prizes also alows them to be "spicier" as you cannot make your town depend on them on a whim.

I agree with all this. (Also, I'm not sure if you and @Hekata are actually disagreeing.) The point is, though, these difficult to win prizes should all be really worth winning. Then I would happily sign up. I would go one step further and say that the quest list could be a challenge to get through if you didn't know whether you were going to win the prize at the end.

As you say, there are different ways to look at it. Sometimes people want the events to just be easy fun with good rewards to detract from the stress of other things like tournaments. I get that too. I really don't like the idea that people can win 20 Venar's Rocks though... plus I still don't like the devaluing of old grand prizes.

They should make all the "new" prizes really good and quite challenging to get a hold of. Then, if they're recycling old prizes they should leave the great ones out of it, but just make it really easy to win a bunch of mediocre prizes that some people may just want in their city for decoration. Maybe that would be the best of both worlds.

 

[Hekata]

It depends on how you look at it.

If you come from the standpoint of getting 20 venars is easy I understand that each event is underwhelming.

If you come from nothing and then look at the events they are quite fun as they give you something extra. something you did not have before.

One of the reason the current events are lackluster is not just the fact that the buildings are not as spicy as before. but also because we get so many of them. we get so many of them that on each event you need a something new and better to be relevant.

If buildings are "rare" and limited, gaining one is so much more fun, and it stays more fun for a longer period.
When you get as many as in the past, it's more a game of "how many" and getting one more or less does no longer create this "yes" moment.

Therefore for a long term strategy I like limiting prizes as this way they stay more relevant (and it's easier to keep and maintain them as you have less) they should have done that in the first place.

Limiting the prizes also alows them to be "spicier" as you cannot make your town depend on them on a whim.

I guess that depends on the type of players one is. I was never one to go after 20 of anything, I don't see the point of it. I do however like to be able to get all the different event buildings I need/like. That's the fun part of the event, not collecting workshop production endlessly.
I also very much dislike the fact that for the exact same effort (finishing all the event quest) players will end up with very different amounts of prizes. Some very unlucky will have 2 dailies some very lucky 20. That's why I have always preferred mini-events. We all do the same and get the same.
You have written on quite a few occasions that what you dislike about the new tournaments it's that players at the same point in the game will have drastic differences in how big their SS is. This is the same principal. Players doing the same event and the same quests ending up with very different amounts of bounty. Except in the case of tournaments you could do something to reduce that difference: sell some Aws, and in case of this event there is nothing you can do. It's all just luck now.

 

[Hekata]

They should make all the "new" prizes really good and quite challenging to get a hold of.

As I said in my previous post, there is nothing challenging if it relies on luck. And that's the case of this event. If the events were: "complete x difficult task and get this great prize" then yes, I agree. But "complete x tasks for the remote chance ti get this daily" I don't agree. It's not a challenge, it's luck.

 

[Sir Derf]

Here it's based purely on luck.

Well, maybe heavily on luck, but I quibble on the "purely" modifier. I'd like to point out that this event includes more actual skill? Intelligence? I guess I'll just call it "agency".

You've got the same effort involved in getting the currency, by quest and by pickup as before. And you end up with the random output from a chest you have decided to pick. But, think about what is taking place in the middle.

In previous events, your strategy was determinable ahead of time and your single decision was completely could have been performed by a robot. Now, you decide how best to search the map. And, that decision has to be constantly adjusted based on the upcoming obstacles, you can't really have a pre-planned strategy. You decide how to spend your currency, whether to buy individually or in bundles. And, even when presented a randomly picked chest, you can decide whether to spend it clear to open, or whether to pass on by.

Yes, you still are at the mercy of the randomizer for picking which chest shows up, and for what you get out of a picked chest, but there is a lot more variability on the overall outcome based on your actual choices.

 

[Lelanya]

Scream was not a pretty building, the pumpkin monster(the other event building from that event) was awesome.

I forgot the name, but it was one of the best looking buildings

Daunting Pumpkins

 

[Pauly7]

Daunting Pumpkins is up in this event too... Just pure culture.