excellent post & could not agree more

I have not spent a dime in some time now and I have no desire to spend any more

see nerfed troops build time and incoherence base time -% in obelisk and time build with maxxed obelisk and see who develops the game is also incompetent

Its a bit like overfishing..... and then one day, where did the fish go?`

i would totally disagree oh wait we got fortresses/sketches/the stupid offers that take advantage of who pay, now i totally agree

but trust me the game wont die bcs the people who complain about this are counted on fingers djmoody, gadheras and more (in forum) other reason is there are a lot of coiners (A) they play and pay then they realize their mistake and leave however new coiners are added (B) by the time (A) leave and after a while they realize the same thing and leave giving time for (C) coiners to jump in and such so this game wont die 

i think rather that many are not interested in the forum, a useless book.... so is my next step 

i think also after deep analysis, poor real pay ppl, 600+ team plarium with free sapphire, when found pay ppl all against and schedule game (tournaments and many other actions) are study for close the corner and use sapphires....

by their not/actions and update  confirm continuously

you study me but i study you... stay alerts Regards

exxxe said:

i would totally disagree oh wait we got fortresses/sketches/the stupid offers that take advantage of who pay, now i totally agree

but trust me the game wont die bcs the people who complain about this are counted on fingers djmoody, gadheras and more (in forum) other reason is there are a lot of coiners (A) they play and pay then they realize their mistake and leave however new coiners are added (B) by the time (A) leave and after a while they realize the same thing and leave giving time for (C) coiners to jump in and such so this game wont die 

Thing is, as with most online games, very few of the players actually go visit forums and such. I'm quite sure if the Marshalls in the leagues around the game, did start rally their members to send them to forums to state their opinions about things, maybe would been more of an inpact. Most of the time you just see, "ah fk this" and people leave the game, give their accounts away to other players to increase the alt armies.

It's nothing wrong about want to get paid for your game/product, but regard the players as little else than cattle in the process is just bad. Take care of your customers, and the customers take care of you right?

inevitably.... think only of making sapphires traps

M'lords and ladies,

Please remember, it's not that the money being kept in a big safe. In the contrary! The money's meant to make those updates, and in order to keep those updates happening, Plarium needs their money.

Notice that the game has been growing a lot. A little more than 1 year ago, when I started playing, it wasn't as big as now, hence it didn't cost too much money. Even on a level up in that time, you'd get Sapphires! Unfortunately, that has been removed for probably the same reason as I wrote before. Plarium desires money, in order to keep the game running.

So think about it as giving a gift to them. Think that you're not just a Lord or Lady, but rather a hero for spending it on Stormfall, because it definitely helps Plarium!

Remember, though, that purchasing Sapphires is completely optional and thus if you prefer not to spend your money, then you'll have to obtain this in-game currency, which is worth real money, for free in a little more difficult way; earning them at Hamlets for example, which is completely logical in my eyes!

If you're uncertain about where to earn those Sapphires and how you can spend them wisely, check out this wiki article.

I'm sorry if this wasn't really helpful, I try my best to assist!

> SlopranoDark

the problem is that it does not deserve one penny so, sapphires are not additional but mandatory for all now, the game is unplayable, in every game they think a return (logically), but here come to fraudulent practice

think about giving a good game that brings in revenues  is very different that  think of a trap for revenues

you have to reflect on our not/actions and because the game takes you to avoid contact with others castles and do not spend

the game has grown? well in fact i read good feedback on the network...... many "thieves" or fake feedback "the best game" 

here is not facebook platform, is many different ppl

SlopranoDark said:

M'lords and ladies,

Please remember, it's not that the money being kept in a big safe. In the contrary! The money's meant to make those updates, and in order to keep those updates happening, Plarium needs their money.

Notice that the game has been growing a lot. A little more than 1 year ago, when I started playing, it wasn't as big as now, hence it didn't cost too much money. Even on a level up in that time, you'd get Sapphires! Unfortunately, that has been removed for probably the same reason as I wrote before. Plarium desires money, in order to keep the game running.

So think about it as giving a gift to them. Think that you're not just a Lord or Lady, but rather a hero for spending it on Stormfall, because it definitely helps Plarium!

Remember, though, that purchasing Sapphires is completely optional and thus if you prefer not to spend your money, then you'll have to obtain this in-game currency, which is worth real money, for free in a little more difficult way; earning them at Hamlets for example, which is completely logical in my eyes!

If you're uncertain about where to earn those Sapphires and how you can spend them wisely, check out this wiki article.

I'm sorry if this wasn't really helpful, I try my best to assist!

> SlopranoDark

Honestly we wouldn't know. Because Plarium doesn't release any stats and metrics. How many players logged into this game (on this server) within like last week? Its easy to pull such data from their database. How many players over 5 months playing and so on. You say the game is growing, but dead and abandoned castles that litters the map does not equal growth.

I got a bot line above me and beneath me on the map, the most interaction in my part of the sandbox is people raiding and using these as fifes. I got several Russian alt castles around me that is just used to make units to act as feeders for pvp tournies and such. They been there since I started play this game. And please don't ask me to report this, because nothing happens with this no matter how many times it get reported. 

As for where money being keept, I wouldn't know. I do know a healthy business does use the income to cover bills, wages, overhead and so on. Problem with Stormfall how it come across for many players now, is what is consideded the level of greed of Plarium. 

In a more or less healthy enviroment the players get offered a choice between spend to speed things up or grind with their time and effort. In Stormfall the grind aspect is more or less not here at all. The rewards you can get from events and tournaments takes months and years to get you anywhere. 

Although this new dragon thing was kinda neat, the cost of 150 sapphires to go again after one fight seemed a bit high, consider you get slowed down by the training time of the dragon arts anyways. The biggest beef with the last update is the sketches cost way to much. Even a older player that have maxed out their buildings and have little to spend on in that regard find this quite extreme. 4500 worth of sapphires to upgrade market one level, does that sound even reasonable to you? How long does it take the average player to grind for 4500 sapphires in this game if they going to earn it through tournaments?

Players (me included) is inclined to spend money when we feel we get our moneys worth. Feeling like being a cash cow to get milked have the opposite effect. Plarium need players to spend, but they do need the players to actually be there to spend too. I find myself play this game less and less. I guess I'm reaching the end of my cycle -) The number ONE thing in this game to do is.. WAIT, and people in general think their time is valuable. 

Lords and Ladies, first of all I would like to say that I appreciate your feedback and that you took your time to write it.

You all are very experienced players and I'm sure you know that even though our game based on free-to-play model, there are some limitations. We would love to make everything in the game free, unfortunately this is not possible. If we want to develop and support the game further, certain features must have cost a value. Without this, we would not be able to keep the game running and growing for all players. Of course such features should bring players some advantages otherwise why else would they invest in the game? These are facts of the free-to-play model.

I assure you that we have no intention of destroying the game. We want Stormfall to continue growing and evolving.

As I already mentioned, we should release some features that can be opened with Sapphires. However, we always give all players possible ways to earn Sapphires that can be used for these features. Apart from this, we release free features very often. Not a while ago we added into the game a great option for Leagues - League Fortresses. With the last update we released the Dragon. Every player can use them for free as well as almost all posibilities in the game.

If you are playing without purchasing Sapphires, the development of your Castle and the growth of your army may be slower, but if you are active in the game and learn game mechanics, you may reach top players. For sure, our game mechanics is not very easy to understand, your game skills mean a lot for your future success. But you shouldn't learn them alone. We've created this forum not only for collecting the feedback from you, but also for the communication between players.

sorry if i feel robbed, i spend many for upgrade my buildings and now cost 1/10, in this game you can spend all but not going anywhere, just spend again and again vs free sapphire ppl

I spend for entertainment? the feedback is zero entertainment (not usable)=pay for nothing

an example for children, if you buy a car and in return receive a tricycle what do you do?

1- rebuy from the same seller 300 tricycles feeling you idiot (plarium feedback)

2- changes salesman 

3- you try to exploit your investment consciously and not spend another

choose your option .... 1-2 or 3? if you choose 1 gift a tricycle

Aleksandra Miroshyna said:

Lords and Ladies, first of all I would like to say that I appreciate your feedback and that you took your time to write it.

You all are very experienced players and I'm sure you know that even though our game based on free-to-play model, there are some limitations. We would love to make everything in the game free, unfortunately this is not possible. If we want to develop and support the game further, certain features must have cost a value. Without this, we would not be able to keep the game running and growing for all players. Of course such features should bring players some advantages otherwise why else would they invest in the game? These are facts of the free-to-play model.

No one is objecting to the fact Plarium need players to spend to keep afloat. What players object to is how it is done and how it affect the sandbox we all play in. Can you honestly say 4500 sapphires just to increase ONE leve of the market is reasonable? Then think about all the other buildings that can be increased in levels as well ?

When I look at what I got available to spend on games and entertainment as whole. I have to consider value I get for my money. Can you honestly say Plarium is competive in this regard? Like, if I see a game for sale on steam that might offer 15-20h of fun, would I rather buy that than one level of a building in Stormfall?

Wouldn't lower prices with more players spending, be more worth it than few players spend a lot? With players spending money they get invested into the game and get harder to leave. The entry barrier into Stormfall is just to high a climb in addition to everything takes way to long time.

We (at least I) are not asking for everything free, just asking for things to be more reasonable its a big difference. Must successfull p2p games, is the ones where what you spend on affect for most parts vanity and boosts, not buying yourself to victory.

Long version:

Plarium is on a charge for money.

This isn't the kind of money that pays the wages and puts bread on the table of the people work in the company, it's corporate greed, to make a fast buck.

There is zero respect for the customers playing the game. There is no desire to create new content to be played in game. Only content to be bought. Customers are fools to be sucked dry. This has been the the case now for about 9 months but it is coming to a head so violently, I am now posting.

I post with little hope that what I write will be understood by a developer that is just part of a blinkered industry that is slowly eating itself. But I post anyway holding on to a slither of hope. After all I have played and loved the game and invested hundreds if not thousands of hours into it.

I also post with experience, I have already seen a developer, of a similar RTS MMO game, go all out cynical cash cow and the game was dead within 2 years, zero customers left.

I could write a small book about the sapphire only updates of the last 9 months but I will call as evidence just one area of today's updates. But this area is so heinous on it's own is stands evidence as the death of the game.

Sketches

These represent the end of the need to raid.

Don't bother playing the game anymore. If you are addicted/stupid/manipulated enough just tripple your castle resource production to the point that 24/7 troop production is assured. What does this take... nothing you can do it right now immediately with enough cash.

Why will this kill the game?

They have just allowed people to buy there way to the end game. You can now buy your way to not having to play the game each day. This isn't even good business sense in the long run because without content these people will literally stop playing and move on from the game. You take short term money to turn your biggest spending customers into ex-customers in the long term.

For the rest of the player base, it just unbalanced the game to the most ridiculous level. Pay to win player logs in for 2 mins and achieves what might make take you 2/3hrs to achieve. It's way over the line of common sense. It will leave people cold. No one wants to play a game which is so unbalanced they can't hope to compete.

I bet a load of sketches will be bought in the short term. I bet the team will be slapping themselves on the back for their cunning and success. In two years time when the game is dead..... well you will just move onto another job I guess, there is no love for this game so will anyone at Plarium even care?.

Seemingly Plarium won't know what a valued customer is until we are all gone, turned cold by cynical, short termist, money grabbing.

this new sketches option is an obvious money grab

it could be the straw that kills the game

I am seriously thinking of send all my resources to league members and dropping out

the number of saphires needed to buy sketches is ridiculous

but hey I see from the new offers since sketches were released

that for only $50 you can buy enough saphires to trade for sketches

it seems to be pay it or else piss off

I am leaning towards the last alternative

shame on you Plarium

Long version:

Plarium is on a charge for money.

This isn't the kind of money that pays the wages and puts bread on the table of the people work in the company, it's corporate greed, to make a fast buck.

There is zero respect for the customers playing the game. There is no desire to create new content to be played in game. Only content to be bought. Customers are fools to be sucked dry. This has been the the case now for about 9 months but it is coming to a head so violently, I am now posting.

I post with little hope that what I write will be understood by a developer that is just part of a blinkered industry that is slowly eating itself. But I post anyway holding on to a slither of hope. After all I have played and loved the game and invested hundreds if not thousands of hours into it.

I also post with experience, I have already seen a developer, of a similar RTS MMO game, go all out cynical cash cow and the game was dead within 2 years, zero customers left.

I could write a small book about the sapphire only updates of the last 9 months but I will call as evidence just one area of today's updates. But this area is so heinous on it's own is stands evidence as the death of the game.

Sketches

These represent the end of the need to raid.

Don't bother playing the game anymore. If you are addicted/stupid/manipulated enough just tripple your castle resource production to the point that 24/7 troop production is assured. What does this take... nothing you can do it right now immediately with enough cash.

Why will this kill the game?

They have just allowed people to buy there way to the end game. You can now buy your way to not having to play the game each day. This isn't even good business sense in the long run because without content these people will literally stop playing and move on from the game. You take short term money to turn your biggest spending customers into ex-customers in the long term.

For the rest of the player base, it just unbalanced the game to the most ridiculous level. Pay to win player logs in for 2 mins and achieves what might make take you 2/3hrs to achieve. It's way over the line of common sense. It will leave people cold. No one wants to play a game which is so unbalanced they can't hope to compete.

I bet a load of sketches will be bought in the short term. I bet the team will be slapping themselves on the back for their cunning and success. In two years time when the game is dead..... well you will just move onto another job I guess, there is no love for this game so will anyone at Plarium even care?.

Seemingly Plarium won't know what a valued customer is until we are all gone, turned cold by cynical, short termist, money grabbing.

@Aleksandra, 

Here is the basic concept for any business in regards to making money, and you can ask any of the accounting guys, in fact ask Serge. 

It is typically referred to on any business model as a "get keep grow" To begin with

• Get refers to the initial startup and or obtaining more customers, this is generally achieved through advertising/word of mouth/media/contest + events
• Keep refers specifically to providing your current customers things to keep them interested and engaged, this can include things such as regular updates / forum contests / outreach+loyalty programs
• Grow refers to referrals, up-selling, further brand development, expanding your channels and mixing things up to keep the current customers happy

The issue comes directly from the fact that Plarium's games are always online, which means that at any moment the game servers could close down and people would be out of pocket....If I was to spend $4k on something I would want some form of insurance or guarantee. Not to mention do you know how much that is, that is the price of a car in some countries. It isn't "micro"transactions

The game is becoming too expensive for a vast majority of the community and the vast majority that do or use to spend money don't want to anymore because the strategic advantage isn't there anymore. I'm going to go out on a limb here and make an assumption that a large portion of Plarium's in-game funding don't go anywhere near the items such as auto-catacomb, but instead go into units/revival and maybe boosts. So why did a community based update need to have such a giant price tag attached to it (referring to sketches). I have defended Plarium many times, but I could only do so because my defense was subjective, it was never objective... I can't think of a major game update that was objectively better, I guess the resource slider could be considered but it is 1 update from 100.

The argument that Plarium has to make money is getting kind of old because it is getting to a stage where you will literally suffocate yourself because everyone wants to leave/not spend money.... You saw first hand the amount of hate Shawna and yourself had to suffer with the BGs the other day

I may not be in the moderator groups anymore but I still have all the previous chat logs and I can quote word for word what the intent of the CM changes was.... So if you truly care about the game and the community, listen to the community and the moderators because the only times I see anything go in the communities way is when there is a massive sapphire attachment to it.   

@MEHNSLAYER

Problem as I see it now, is that they might have dug the hole deep enough to not get out off. The relations with the players is at an all time low. New players joining the game get hit by a wall of neagativity from older players. Older players looking for new games to play, and once they do they bring fellow players with them onto those games. Its like a train of dominos picking up speed. 

We hear about how Plarium got people in charge running the numbers and make decisions based on them, and all is fine. Things not fine by a mile :/