Micro-building consolidation ideas...

[Xenosaur]

One of the most powerful ideas in the game was the advent of the micro-building. For example - Sentinel Output (L1 and L2) and Ritual flame, Tactician Tower, etc. You all know what I'm talking about.

I'd like Inno's gaming population and Inno to consider an idea that conceptually allows players with large volumes of these buildings, to "trade X quantity of them in" for a single building or something possibly a bit larger, with the added value (or a % of the added value) but as a single building.
Let me suggest one 1 example:

I have 98 Sentinel Outposts, Level 2. They're fabulous. Each one takes 1 square, needs no road connection, and give me 4% Red Defense.
what if I could, for every 10 (or N quantity) use a consolidation tool that would make a single building of X size (could be the same 1x1, or even 2x2, or 1x2, 2x1 etc....) and it could be "at par" for the same 40% Red defense, but if there is a "cost" for this trade, let's say it could be 3%, then it would be a building of X size (let's example it @ 2x2) yielding 37%

Final example:

10, 1x1, 4% sentinel outposts ---> consolidate tool ---> 1, 2x2 Sentinel consolidation yielding 37% Red Defense.

A consolidation kit (trade in kit) is a new concept, and could be an event reward, or any venue we have (GbG, event, Rival, Auction Dealer, etc)

Don't get hung up on the building size change or slightly lower net yield... the goal is to earn and use a new set of micro-building consolidating tools.

Inno can work out the detail much as they did when they gave everything a price and value in the Auction dealer. I'm looking to open the capability to trade in vast quantities of city items into more dense-packed buildings delivering some or all of the original size and/or power.

 

[Achaeus 1283 the Avenger]

I like this idea.

The downside would be if they were provided as fragments. We already have too many things as fragments.

 

[Ebeondi Asi]

I've already deleted 200+ Sentinel Outpost² in each of my three Cities (yes over 600 total) because it is not worth using Store Building on them. (plus I just do not have that many Store Buildings anyway)
The plus side is the items replacing the Sentinels are much better.!

 

[Pericles the Lion]

I'm saving up Cider Gardens. When I've gathered enough I will replace my SOs with them. Better attack boosts with only a small sacrifice in defense boost.

 

[Sharmon the Impaler]

I just blew away 240 SO2 and stuck down Cider Gardens , it's amazing what you miss when you don't pay attention lol

 

[Emberguard]

Could have potential. Would depend on the finer details on how it interacts with upgrading the building via levels and what else it's competing against for whether I'd ever use it.

 

[Sharmon the Impaler]

SO2 are defense on attack only and Ciders have no negatives and will give you a huge attack boost. I am just under 5800 now.

 

[Johnny B. Goode]

One of my favorite all-time posters on the Forum, @Algona, used to say, "be careful what you ask for." For example, if they did decide to do such a thing, they might decide to make a different "consolidation tool" for each specific building. Like Wishing Wells and Fountains of Youth each have their own specific Shrink Kit. Imagine a different Consolidation Tool for each "mini-building". And most likely mostly available only through fragments.

Speaking of Shrink Kits, they only reduce the size of the building by 33%, from 9 tiles to 6. You're suggesting reducing the size of the building by 60%. That seems excessive. I mean, I'd use them, but I don't think it's a good idea for the game as described.

 

[jaymoney23456]

I doubt that there would be consolidation of already tiny buildings-might be more shrinkage in the future but combining 1x1 buildings doesn't seem likely.

 

[Sharmon the Impaler]

One of my favorite all-time posters on the Forum, @Algona, used to say, "be careful what you ask for." For example, if they did decide to do such a thing, they might decide to make a different "consolidation tool" for each specific building. Like Wishing Wells and Fountains of Youth each have their own specific Shrink Kit. Imagine a different Consolidation Tool for each "mini-building". And most likely mostly available only through fragments.

Speaking of Shrink Kits, they only reduce the size of the building by 33%, from 9 tiles to 6. You're suggesting reducing the size of the building by 60%. That seems excessive. I mean, I'd use them, but I don't think it's a good idea for the game as described.

Can you imagine the diamond farm that can be made with 2X2 WW lol. Never need to buy diamonds again lol.

 

[jaymoney23456]

Can you imagine the diamond farm that can be made with 2X2 WW lol. Never need to buy diamonds again lol.

Only issue would be the time it takes to get enough WW if you don't already have them in diamond farm cities

 

[PJS299]

Only issue would be the time it takes to get enough WW if you don't already have them in diamond farm cities

Going through that right now

 

[Sharmon the Impaler]

Only issue would be the time it takes to get enough WW if you don't already have them in diamond farm cities

I was referring to the case If you already had a large diamond farm and a lot of WW in storage. You would have an Inno lottery ticket.

 

[Sharmon the Impaler]

This is what I have so far. A diamond farm is 4-5 years away for me lol.

 

[Xenosaur]

OK, try this on for size...

You know that cave? right near the Auction Dealer?




Of course you do. I've waited for 4 or 5 years for Inno to do something fun with that, and it might go like this (don't get hung up on these numbers, they're extremely rough cut as an example):
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Click on the cave entrance and you're inside the cave, talking to the FoE Trade Mystic...

Mystic: How can I help you?

Xenosaur: I have 98 level 2 Sentinel Outposts. I want to consolidate them. What's your deal to do that?
Mystic: I have 3 offers for you to review to consolidate that specific item, pick one:

1. ---> 4 buildings, each 3x3 and each 95% Red Shield, transaction cost: 200 diamonds.
2. ===> 2 buildings, each 4x4 and each 175% Red Shield, transaction cost: 400 diamonds.
3. ≡≡≡> 1 building, 5x5 and 340% Red Shield, transaction cost: 600 diamonds.

Which do you like?
Xenosaur: Oh come on now Mystic - you can do better than that! I'm trading in nearly 100 of these things! I have a coupon too!
Mystic: Hmmmm, well, I've called Corporate office, and they said that's the best they can do. Sorry. No deals today from them. HOWEVER, I am in a generous mood. How about this....
For 100 diamonds now, I might be able to coax out a better deal but NO PROMISES. You'd have a 50/50 chance to make your 3 deals slightly better. For 200 diamonds, we could INCREASE your odds of a better deal, moving to 60% chance of being slightly better/40% the same.. Wanna take that chance?


Xenosaur: No thanks on the sweetening. Ok, well maybe next time on the sweetener opportunity... For NOW - I'd like the deal as is: deal 2.
Mystic: I will remove 98 sentinel outposts in your city, and place 2, 4x4 buildings with 175% Red Shield that doesn't need a road connection, in your inventory. I will deduct 400 diamonds from your account. Is this transaction acceptable?

Xenosaur: Yes.

Mystic: Transaction complete. Come visit again soon!

_______________________

Now - let's look at the strategic benefits to both parties (players and Inno) (other than the tactical stuff, above)

1) Instant (new) revenue source from diamonds.
2) Relieves pressure and resets equations for land use. Main benefit for Inno: Creates opportunity to SELL more event buildings now that the clutter is cleared. Players so used to cramped over-stuffed cities have some breathing room for new things, which they WILL BUY because nature abhors a vacuum (and empty city squares are a vacuum).
SO this will encourage players (veteran players. especially...) to spend until they refill their cities back to capacity. I have a sense this could be long-term beneficial or both.

Players get more room to grow and they will buy to grow, Inno get a better opportunity to sell to fill the void/consolidation space.

 

[Pericles the Lion]

Only issue would be the time it takes to get enough WW if you don't already have them in diamond farm cities

Even with nearly eliminating WWs from event it remains possible to build a WW farm. It just takes persistence. I started 4 WW farms about 30 months ago and have collected a combined total of 337 WWs/FoYs in that time. Nothing like what was possible before 2021 but not bad and enough to keep me from buying diamonds.

 

[Xenosaur]

Even with nearly eliminating WWs from event it remains possible to build a WW farm. It just takes persistence. I started 4 WW farms about 30 months ago and have collected a combined total of 337 WWs/FoYs in that time. Nothing like what was possible before 2021 but not bad and enough to keep me from buying diamonds.

Interestingly... (surprisingly?) I did receive Wishing Wells and Shrink kits as prizes in this last event. I was all set to go with your premise, because you're mostly correct. A clear dearth in recent years, to counteract the bounty we got very used to.

I don't need or use WW (or FoY's) in my main city, but as we've all learned, DO NOT Auction DEALER anything these days, lest you might be begging INNO to return it.

Clearly - WW/FOY fall into that value proposition now, and while I used to delete tons of them, I"m not doing that anymore.

Here's where I found them in the most recent LIVE event. If you cleared the board of all gems, it came up as the "clearing prize", multiple times for me. Also a shrink kit was offered there too.

So well hidden? Yes. But to your point not mainstream or overt anymore.

 

[Pericles the Lion]

Interesting... (surprising?) I did receive Wishing Wells and Shrink kits as prizes in this last event. I was all set to go with your premise, because you're mostly correct. A clear dearth in recent years, to counteract the bounty we got very used to.

I don't need or use WW (or FoY's) in my main city, but as we've all learned, DO NOT Auction DEALER anything these days, lest you might be begging INNO to return it.

Clearly - WW/FOY fall into that value proposition now, and while I used to delete tons of them, I"m not doing that anymore.

Here's where I found them in the most recent LIVE event. If you cleared the board of all gems, it came up as the "clearing prize", multiple times for me. Also a shrink kit was offered there too.

So well hidden? Yes. But to your point not mainstream or overt anymore.

Yes, I got a couple WWs as rewards for clearing boards in the last event. I think that this was the first time in a couple of years that complete WWs have been offered. Frags, here and there but not complete buildings. Like you, I'm not selling buildings in the AD but I doubt that INNO will buff WWs. Not after going to great lengths to cut down on the number that we can collect.

 

[Johnny B. Goode]

(don't get hung up on these numbers,

Sorry, but if you're ignoring the potential issues with how Inno might implement such an idea, then the numbers are the only thing worth talking about. And your numbers are ridiculous.

Existing Shrink Kits (as I mentioned earlier) only reduce Wishing Wells and Fountains of Youth in size by 33%. Your original post suggested a reduction in size of 60%. Now you're suggesting reductions in size ranging from 63-74%. All of your suggestions are huge deviations from the pattern established by the existing Shrink Kits. And at a ridiculously low Diamond cost, easily paid by anyone with even one Diamond farm. Maybe even by those without a Diamond farm. This is just a bad idea for the game.

Now let's talk about the huge boost numbers that your proposed replacement buildings have. 340% attacking defense boost in a 5x5? Wow. Just wow. Does any existing building even come close to that? You should drop this idea before you go further off the deep end.

 

[Xenosaur]

@Johnny B. Goode ,
I am not going to do deep math designing this. While I am capable of doing it, I don't have the deep data and relationships Inno would have to design this to their specs and costs/returns. An Inno exec will "range bound" the size reduction and yield reductions a trade can fall into, after they do their DEEP ACCOUNTING for acceptable limits. NOT ME.

As well, I also didn't say it pertained to EVERY item a city can make (like WW/FoY). Some things would be excluded. I don't work for the company and it's their job to embrace the "big picture" of what the benefits and costs are.

When we told Inno our city inventories were full of junk and we'd like to sell the stuff, we didn't cost account what each piece would sell for or could be bought for in the AUCTION DEALER. THEY DID THAT to their own metrics.

I was trying to frame a conceptual idea first - a kit or process to consolidate LOTS of micro-buildings.

Maybe my example numbers are not to where you think they should be to represent final valuations. I agree. They're EXAMPLES!! I called that out twice - DON'T get hung up on the numbers. This wasn't a cost accounting exercise. This was a conceptualization of a new idea to get people to think about a feature of the game, and where the numbers might be, not to use what number I gave as a the "final" placements.

The benefits of this idea could have financial impact to the company. SO many player's cities are tumbleweeds in this game, especially now. They race UP the era ladder ONLY for land, because they don't know how to pace themselves or manage their growth.


This was an idea (is an idea) to add a new vector to growth. Package and consolidate like items, and take reductions in size and possibly efficiency, in the converted unit, for added space to put MORE UNITS.

That means potentially MORE sales for INNO in the biggest revenue generator they have - events. More land available will allow people to spend that 15 or 24 dollars more easily - and that's hard cash for the company.

I'm surprised you chose to dwell on the minutia of the math as your argument. I called it out twice to not get hung up on the actual numbers I used to present the CONCEPT of the idea.

And that's exactly what you chose to do....