Yes, the Arc did improve the game... That much power can have negative effects as well but be you farmer or fighter, rich or free player, if you build it, it shaves TIME off your gaming experience reaching high levels of this game. What's more important than your time...?
Your comments (here and elsewhere) fail to address the key problem — as I clearly stated in the very first sentence of my original post:
It seems rather clear that the Arc has been a tool to increase the disparity of wealth in the game.
Perhaps you think that an increased disparity of wealth is of such little importance that it merits no consideration. I would strongly disagree. Nobody is disputing that the Arc makes Forge Point acquisition take less time. The issue is that the fundamental mechanism of the Arc allows
some players to save
much more time than others.
It's an exponential power GB.
Yes, and the exponential function is one where the rate of increase is directly proportional to the existing quantity. In other words, the greater your wealth already is, the faster it will rise.
for players using the Arc as a focal point of their game versus those that don't...the opportunity is there for all if they but choose it.
The opportunity is
not the same for all. The greater the existing wealth, the easier it is to acquire that 90 percent contribution boost. For poor players (those with few FP resources), the only way to reach those heights is to buy diamonds ...
I can't speak to other factors but I can say introducing Arc has definitely directly increased diamond sales - as I've seen numerous people pay the nearly $160 worth of diamonds to buy the goods for it and build it.
... or to rely on the FoE equivalent of
noblesse oblige:
If I am leveling my own GB I can ask an ARC player to help me level my GB.
While that strategy may seem fine for a while, it is ultimately unreliable for obvious reasons. It is human nature for any social group with power to be interested in maintaining their position of power — especially when the reward for being competitive is greater than it is for being cooperative. Such is the case with Forge of Empires. Very few players are interested in helping an opposing player to acquire the tools (such as a high contribution boost) to compete with them. What may seem like generosity is actually disguised self-interest — especially when the Arc allows a supposed philanthropist to benefit so handsomely. Once the threat of competition (from the unfortunate FP beggar) outweighs the
capital gains, then the contributions quickly evaporate. I have seen this scenario many times.
.
