Bro...lol, I spent 1k before t4 existed. I get you. Believe me when I say I speak from a position of caring deeply about Kaw. I do. Very likely I'm smaller than most in this thread...other than Xtreme, the wee midget. That said, it's not just you or me that feels it's too much...that said, it is our duty as caretakers of the game to make it better in our image. The Negativity needs to stop. Solutions oriented and real, positive ideas. It's YOUR community. Pull it in a direction, or watch it crumble. If you want to slowly slink away, so be it, if not, bring real suggestions here. If they get traction, more power to you, and effect change in the game. Don't wait for someone else to do it for you.
I just think it's too late. This isn't my first time speaking out about this either. I made suggestions, made suggestions, sent feedback, sent feedback. All to no avail. I just think it's past the tipping point.
There are still ways to fight bigger players. There is always a mountain to climb... Example: many players don't carry def pots anymore. Why? Waste of cash....oh really? Wait wait wait...hold the phone. I'm going to amass over a trillion in allies. (Yes...not that much now, but really, do standard haunts for a month and call me). And I'm just gonna let you take a trillion or two for funsies....because I don't even think pots will make a difference. I had 3.6Trillion in pots at one point...they make a difference. In an expanding player-base, you can actually build a real new clan of folks if you have the drive. I've actually done that. I've also been part of multiple rebuilding efforts in a Great War clan, and met folks from all over. Those efforts are useless without a solid base of new players, which atm, is at an all time low. The ally market depreciates with an influx of new players, and balance can only exist with new talent present. That wc ballyhoo's every new player should be vollied is a sham. You watch a new player a bit with others of their ilk, see what they do, advise them, then volley, but instant gratification is paramount of late, so throw caution to the wind! Volley everyone to 10b! Folks, a bit of self-restraint...at 10k they've just downloaded the app... Bit of a rant there, but let's move forward with solutions.
The truth is that there is no more need of teachers or a clan basis in KaW. Those that do teach will only teach rudimentary skills and they will be foiled by those clans advertising HTE. Most new players will not want to learn basic mechanics, of which few now know less than before, or are impatient to grow and will move away from those that have the patience to teach them to greater heights. The emphasis now is to spend to grow or rely on others to do the same to further one own agenda. The overall feel has gone from a clan first mentality to a more mercenary one.
KaW has definitely changed over the years. And as cliche as it sounds, it has remained the same. The changes tend to be superficial. New builds, new land, new eb. Players have to buy more to get more. As a business it makes sense for ATA to focus on the financial aspect. KaW is not a charity. It was not developed purely to provide platform for gamers. It is ultimately a business. It used to make money through nobs for gold and crystals. HTE seems to be a brilliant money spinner. Promos, events are all designed for us to buy nobs for seal or crystals. They serve ATA's business needs. Fantastic. But ATA's financial pursuit has not come with greater customer retention or satisfaction. New design, new look, new features and new events that demands payment do not translate to an improved experience. Gaining new customers is more costly than retaining existing ones. KaW is actually an interesting political study. ATA creates within the KaW universe different classes, ideologies, perspectives. They perpetuate the idea that there will always be the have and the have nots. It is capitalism gone crazy. Kaw will keep losing players. And pay more to attract new ones. Many of us have stayed despite the weakness and its continued spiral. Some left and come back because of old friends and families. I do not expect ATA to be loyal to its players. We are digits and potential revenue. They provide a gaming experience with the expectation of making money. And in this, I see many Kawers who used to be dedicated to this game changing to other games. Other MMOs are getting into ATA's space. Given there is no expectation of loyalty from ATA, they cannot expect loyalty from players too. ATA will probably be squeezed out when another company provides a much better experience. It is only a matter of time. Lets see how long they can sustain this model.
We can't fix it. As much as us old timers wanted to believe it was our game...it never was. ATA didn't listen when they could have to many excellent suggestions. I have no reason to believe they will start now.
I noticed many new players stops playing. Older players leaving due to upgrades & new eb. Some leaves as the game have change the context of warring..become eb warriors...especially those who loves to war..OSW. I myself have lost interest in the game...unload on eb ...thats it...found a new game Kingdomwar...which is more exciting..0ed opponent after they build...war with your legions ...well thats how its goes...Too long in a game makes you bored
The only way to fix it is by us players stepping up and all helping the new players who join on our own. We can be hopeful that the devs will step up and work with us anymore.
With the new load screen and app store screenshots there is at least a bit of hope. potential new players will download kaw faster than with the current screenshots. Now devs need to start fixing other addressed problems, like wars, hit range etc. Then kaw will grow again.
A few quick suggestions: 1) Tiered leaderboards and "bot" allies. Create leaderboards for LL complete, HL, HF, etc. or equivalent lands unlocked. Give smalls and mids a strength board to strive for as well. Add some "bot" (npc whatever you want to call them) at a base cost at each tier. Engineer them so they do not stack ally bonus at the next tier or beyond "x" amount within a tier to curb inflation and exploitation. 2) Tier event rewards based on lands unlocked. This will encourage competition amongst small to mids which dont currently have a chance. 3) Increase nob and/or xtal drops, seal/horn drops. Not a ridiculous amount. Just a smidge. Folks love freebies. 4) Advertise. Enough said. Plenty on that already 5) Add some ebs in each tier that hit back. Make em hard to beat and make the rewards worth it. This will encourage clan loyalty and participation. 6) I've too much going on in RL to commit to this and am currently in an osw I'm not about to step out of, but perhaps some vets can put together a foster a noob alliance and really take some new players under their wings. Just a thought. There are others I'll add later. RL calls.
I still fully believe that the "New Player Spell" should come with "max ally plunder" Most players quit because they can't keep an ally, so I feel that in 2 weeks, players with Max plunder would be able build and save enough gold to find a decent ally and move on in this game. I honestly think that simple change would help keep players in the game who are first starting.
How about build rewards? Go high land land complete get a small reward, finish building there? Get another token for effort. Same for HF & Abyssal
MAybe hte and the promos are the devs end game plan, grab as much cash now for a game that is slowly going south to get as much cash as possible. For every new player that joins theirs like 5 6 7 8 alts created by other players for trash talking banking bombs... Whatever the reason be. This game is dying you can see it from the lack of activity in event participation and wars. I wonder how top LB will take it when they log on one if these days to find out that kaw has secretly closed :lol: :lol: all that money spent on hte for nothing.
It is weird watching people invest so much time and money to build up such strong kingdoms to only hit ebs that a kingdom my size can hit. I got one attack building and eq, i can hit every eb just fine. Would make sense if these folks were defending/attacking other kingdoms.... I dunno, maybe its just me. But whats the point in big stats? Ebs arent gonna one day decide to start hitting you back.
I'm assuming no one knows what the Kaw revenues are. So this game could be growing in absolute dollars. However, I would argue that the sustainability of this growth is in jeopardy. Hte. Then hte w promo. More expensive lands and buildings etc. There is a loyal fan base , but I'm guessing that group is dwindling. And let's face it, for wouldbe new players, this interface is crap vs other games out there. What keeps many of here is the longstanding relationships. So when another company comes up with a better game while maintaining strong chat and the ability to seek (or target) others, then KAw could be done. My humble two pence.