CrazyWizard
Shaman
Ah I just saw this part: This is very surprising! I am playing EN3 exclusively, the youngest little backwater of the ENs. And we have I think 7 FS that get gold (maybe not all of them every week, but still). I always assumed EN1 and EN2 should have far more grown up FS capable of this!
At least for tourneys I know that EN1 used to be far ahead in tourney scores to us (until this week anyway). I guess I assumed the same for the spire...
That might be the issue,
You should see what kind of tricks I employ to keep playing the spire
Thats 37/40 active ensorcelled spells, just so I can handle the coins for it. (and have some spares for upgrades)
and having massive production of goods so I can acctually afford the spire.
700+ wonderlevels and most premium expansions hurt a lot! (missing 8, but already got the premium for 1 more)
I do not agree with this statement, because it depends on the strategy of individual player and design of the city. This game is really primitive and multiple features are based on numbers (no need to spend months playing in order to understand how it works; actually, many games have similar elements).
Theoretical example: FS gets 10 chests, every player in FS contributes equal amount of points and stops as soon as 10 chests goal is reached. The amount of troops required to do this can be easily produced without any time boosts. So spire is redundant feature in this scenario.
I do spire 3 maps and know very well the costs. With the amount of PPs given in the spire (every week I get few of them - most common award), one cannot expect that player will spend months and months doing, say, dwarves chapter. So yes, diamonds are used to buy blueprints, if player decides to do so. Again, it depends on individual strategy.
Finally, repetitive, routine tasks like weekly spire, tournaments, endless events pushing development of the city into the last place (I am not talking about the players in the last chapters) is not the form of entertainment I like. Same applies to the time required.
I will repeat once again, map 3 in the spire is way too expensive to do, even taking into consideration potential rewards for gold medal. I would advocate to make this stage easier and decrease the amount of the points to reach the gold medal, so that FS could achieve it when one or two players are not available. Implying that only those who are lurking here every day can do tournaments 10 chests and/or spire gold will not generate more interest, for players like I it will have completely opposite effect. In a way I would like to see the spire similar to the tournaments, e.g. allowing players to play wihtout pressure and without penalizing whole team. For those who have too much time on their hands, there can be always another layer of rewards - extra ranking points. Everybody is happy then
We had the exact same comment when the tournaments started, look where it's now and how many fellowships are able to turn to 10 chest atm.
That said the spire is quite a bit more difficult. but the potential rewards are "better" as it's the only place to get premium consistently.
Just like last time it takes time for people of similar mind to flock together. with the added difficulty that wishing wells were still abundand when the spire came out, making it more "difficult" to change peoples mind, before you got them with just 2 harvests a day, but now you actually have to to something for it.
Just give it enough time, and the spire might become the next tournament, it took the tournaments 2 years to get to the participation level we see today. the spire is only a few months old.
And if you cannot wait that long, find a fellowship who already got you desired target.
lowering the bar just to fit your needs at a particular time is not the solution.