Beginners will also use Iron Age buildings while in the LMA (for example) or higher. Will have no GBs in Progressive Era. They'll place anything and be happy. They'll also play for a couple months and then quit permanently, without spending a dime. They aren't the target audience for Inno Games. Aside from padding their player base numbers, which will fluctuate based on many factors (like advertising), IG (and every other money making business) does not care for these players. They tolerate them.
I agree that crappy players who never figure out the game and eventually quit because they're crappy players who never figured out the game are not Inno's intended audience. Why then, are you arguing that Settlements need to be geared towards them?
I can comment on early game F2P because I was one. Not that you would know (not snark, you wouldn't know) but I didn't come into this game tossing out cash left and right, buying everything I could. Before I made it to the forums, I was just a typical terrible player. Even then, the events started racking up and special buildings were tossed at me left and right. I didn't struggle with the events at any point, even before the forums. Things may be slightly different now, almost a year later, but I was still in that position. I'm allowed to comment on what I experienced, and it wasn't my just shelling out money for everything and anything. I'm also only in Progressive Era. That's not late game at all.
You're right, I wouldn't know. Now that I do, it seems you and I have a similar frame of reference, although I've only spent diamonds to get a second ship, I've not spent for multiples of multiple event buildings as you have.
Before I started reading the forums, I was a marginal player. I lurked, read, learned, and improved my play, my city, and my understanding of the game for many months before I ever joined the forum or posted.
Of course it's a long term game. That's exactly my point. That the Settlements take too many play throughs, too much time to see the full prize. Most won't ever see it at all. Sure, you and I can see the destination ahead of us while Inno Games holds the carrot on a stick in front of us, but most players can't. They only see the carrot. If the carrot is small and measly, and held out for too long, they lose interest.
How is this even an argument? By your logic, Inno should never have released VF and should never release another age since most players who start the game won't ever see it.
First, you have no numbers to support your conjecture. Second, Inno's continued investment into the game and stellar profits tell me something different. Third, how is this even an argument?
You seem to forget the one thing you, me, and many others (that have never posted on the forum) have in common as typical F2P players. We figured out how to play the game, never found the game that difficult, and have been playing the game around a year. You think we're special? There's thousands of us who start the game every month. Inno's continued investment into the game and stellar profits prove that.
I understand you have your perspective, but do you think Inno would develop a major new part of the game that right out of the gate they know will take 15 times through and 9 months to complete if their internal data didn't indicate this was their primary user base?
Events are there for everyone to play and enjoy, and the main prize is available to all, maxed out. MoF and Ships, you got a full one, whichever you chose. They are attainable in a decent amount of time. 9-10 or more months for the max prize isn't that great, or even good. 15 times of completion is a lot.
Settlements are there for everyone to play and enjoy once plowing is unlocked at the end of the Iron Age (like PvP and RC mode). A fully maxed out Y Tree and Rune Stones are guaranteed to anyone who plays through the Vikings settlement enough times.
Making the argument that Settlements are not worth it for those who quit is not an argument. Nothing in FoE is worth it if you quit. I don't care about the wants and needs of folks who quit and as you said, neither does Inno. Why do you?
I guess I feel like, DESPITE THE FACT THAT I AM WILLING TO SPEND MONEY, that all players should be able to reasonably attain the prizes. I don't feel like these settlements have a reasonable time frame or reasonable completion requirement. 15 times is a lot.
Since all players can get all the prizes maxed out without diamonds, you can put your fears to rest. Unless you quit or decide to not do the Vikings the required 15 times, you're guaranteed to get the maxed out prizes. If you choose not to complete them,
YOU choose not to complete them.
This is, of course, my opinion. Obviously others feel differently, but I am not alone in my opinion. Read the beta feedback.
This says it all for me.
Beta players cry about EVERYTHING. They can't complete events, they think rewards are not good enough, they think quests are too hard to complete, you name it. The only use of beta is to gather info in advance. All the feedback from there are just laughable and pathetic.