Feedback for Guild Expedition.. Level 5

[CDmark]

I use a wired Razer Viper Mini

I use a wired logitech Cheapo de Mini-bucks, takes a licking and keeps on clicking.
Note: it has been tested by my 6 year old and it is not waterproof but slime does wipe off easily and it adheres nicely to both water and oil based paints.

 

[Pericles the Lion]

Feedback for GE L5 season 4:

Guild A: D1K 39 members, 21 attempted L5, 10 completed
B: D1K 58 members, 32 attempted L5, 24 completed
C: D1K 65 members, 39 attempted L5, 26 completed
D: Plat 75 members, 5 attempted L5, 1 completed (this guild has no GE requirement)
E: Plat 49 members, 4 attempted L5, 0 completed (this guild has no GE requirement)

 

[Johnny B. Goode]

So here's how I would have introduced defending army boosts to GE.
Level1: Leave the way it was.
Level2: Introduce defending army boosts for player's army, at either the old level 1 or old level 2 numbers.
Level3: Same as it was before.
Level4: Defending army boosts for player's army, at either old level 3 or old level 4 numbers.
Level5: Attacking army boosts at same level as current level 5 numbers.
Future level6: Defending army boosts progressing from level 5 boost numbers.
That would have eliminated all of my objections to it...well, except for the nerfed rewards on levels 1-4.
But, of course, Inno doesn't really ask players for advice, and they pretty much ignore any feedback other than a virtual riot.

 

[DoubleJ]

So here's how I would have introduced defending army boosts to GE.
Level1: Leave the way it was.
Level2: Introduce defending army boosts for player's army, at either the old level 1 or old level 2 numbers.
Level3: Same as it was before.
Level4: Defending army boosts for player's army, at either old level 3 or old level 4 numbers.
Level5: Attacking army boosts at same level as current level 5 numbers.
Future level6: Defending army boosts progressing from level 5 boost numbers.
That would have eliminated all of my objections to it...well, except for the nerfed rewards on levels 1-4.
But, of course, Inno doesn't really ask players for advice, and they pretty much ignore any feedback other than a virtual riot.

I still don't like the hybridized way of making red and blue in the same event, and as you mention the screwed up rewards. As compared to what we have now, one idea would have been to leave GE exactly as it was, but on reset day let the player choose which "track" to open. Either a "defending their city track" like GE5 purports to be but for all 5 levels, or "invading the natives track" as we have now with a 5th level of red boost. The prize structure for red could be exactly the same, but with some more diamonds and whatnot for level 5, and the blue could be exactly what they gave us. So players could choose if diamonds and sanity or portraits and fragments were more important and play accordingly.

 

[Angel.]

I will not participate in GE5. My reasons are many, as others have posted. Since GE5, FoE ratings have dropped to 1 of 5 stars. That says a lot. I'm avoiding buying diamonds because I anticipate getting a 2 weeks notice saying they're shutting the game down some time in the future.

dont think it ge5 but did not help eaither it the ads an all the use less frags

 

[Xenosaur]

I still don't like the hybridized way of making red and blue in the same event, and as you mention the screwed up rewards. As compared to what we have now, one idea would have been to leave GE exactly as it was, but on reset day let the player choose which "track" to open. Either a "defending their city track" like GE5 purports to be but for all 5 levels, or "invading the natives track" as we have now with a 5th level of red boost. The prize structure for red could be exactly the same, but with some more diamonds and whatnot for level 5, and the blue could be exactly what they gave us. So players could choose if diamonds and sanity or portraits and fragments were more important and play accordingly.

Well, I"m in the same camp on this since it was announced in beta. It's designed now as a disjointed BOLT-ON to GE level 4 - and I don't believe we should be crossing the streams (Ghostbuster's reference) in level 5 to a new paradigm using defense boost. @Johnny B. Goode idea is a type of FoE strategic expression I was hoping for (a buildable integration strategy vs just a SHOCK level added...) , and it's good to see I'm not alone in espousing this same TYPE of idea. @Friggin Unexpected Jeff - your idea as well has more merit than what was released.

I opted for a 2nd venue (GE clone) for defense as well. We could have 2 types of GE, one pure RED and one pure BLUE.

 

[honey55]

Just like nothing that you have said proves that it is a bad feature. "Good" or "Bad" are subjective terms. It's up to each individual player to decide for themselves if GE5 is good for them, or not. I think that it is good, you disagree. Maybe we just leave it at that? I'm not trying to convince you, or the other naysayers, of anything. My purpose here is to provide INNO with feedback on my actual experiences.

In my opinion if a feature costs more than it gives, uses defence when we're attacking, and uses attack gbgs when we're supposedly defending it is not a good feature. If any of those statements are not true, show me. I understand that you probably don't agree those facts don't make it a bad feature. That's where we disagree. On the other hand to say many doing it makes it a good feature makes no sense to me. Many people do lots of things that aren't good, like eating too much junk, taking drugs etc... The majority of peole doing something doesnt prove much. I'm doing it myself even though i don't think it's a good feature but i certainly won't spend real money to do it. Perhaps in time blue boosts will be used for other features, making it make more sense to use city space for blue defence buildings. If I've added correctly I've used 143 tiles for blue defence not counting roads for 2 of them. I didn't count event buildings such as the Athlon Abbey or the Bear mountain. I did count the Basil. My boosts are now 408/795, not nearly high enough. In my inventory i only found 4 event buildings i could have placed instead needing 4 roads and taking 84 tiles. Ididn't count sets as i dislike them too much to place, though i do still have the harvest barn set placed. What i would have been willing to place only give 85 goods and 41 fps. I dont know how many fps the FT would provide. I also believe event buildings coming up give enough to place even without blue boosts. So if i dont care to increase my red boosts which are 2192/1987, than so far adding blue boosts costs mainly adding some diamond expansions which i would have done anyway eventually. Of course at this point ge5 still cost more than it gives as i had to negotiate the last 4. Also using so many blue boosts are not sustainable unless i get my blue boosts up high enough i can go thru them slower or get more as rewards. Time will tell.

 

[CDmark]

OK, just looking at my city and thinking, what is my first step to adding GE5 buildings? I have those winter trains. I checked the top 5 in my guild, city and X world, over 80% have the Charcoal Express standalone with the front of the train touching the road, SAJM 26% RED Attack.
So, I got my etch a sketch out, a L3 FE, 15% RED A and D, 2 serpent spikes 30% BLUE A and D, 3 Greater Ritual flames, 21% BLUE A and D and one L2 Tact 4% Blue A (like the cherry on top of a banana split). Losing 11% Red attack for a 15% Red defense gain, I look at as a tradeoff, same color.

Druid Temple, 5x4, 28% Red D becomes 2-L3 FS and 2 spikes, 30% Red A and D, 30% Blue A and D. Really like this one.

Not selling snake oil, that is 6 MONTHS of GE5. 4 full events for possible additional BLUE A/D via event buildings which have equivalent or better RED attributes. In wildlife, PR L9 has red and blue attack, both good numbers too. Next event has Trading Post L9 has some red A, good red D and good blue A.

SO, when you want to estimate how many goods it is going to take, just using the above 6 months and its improvements on the Blue team (note: I am not affecting the red team), your weekly cost X 26, GEL4 diamonds equal zero for 117% blue A and D with 2 more event buildings with ??? stats. Gold level would get you 143%.
NOTE: Would use potions to even the event building Blue A, these are SAJM numbers, so for different eras, the event buildings will give less but less is needed as the opponent has less too (but they still got a lot)

This is how I am looking at buildings in my city and my costs. Yes it takes goods and time but for the train, I gain BLUE with a RED tradeoff. For the Druid Temple, gain RED and BLUE. The brutal part for SAJM (the other higher eras too), very high numbers for opponents.

My goal, beat E12, nego the last 4, 4200 goods a week max, 20 diamonds. Both of my worlds I can beat E11, so anyone in Modern or Colonial, here are my stats to give you some numbers
ME BLUE 287A/235D-potions to make 285D, tanks + 7 Rogues
CA BLUE 215A/175D-potions to make 215D, champs + 7 Rogues most of the time
E11 I use the attack fort + 30 more D potion in both worlds
will probably beat E12 with the temple and forts it has
Once I can get E12 done, more SBC and touch ups so I may not need forts, I don't see the need to make anymore forced changes (like adding SBC, DC = no deal, will get Virgo BPs but don't plan to plant) to beat E13. The % changes for the opponent E13 to 16 are drastic (for everyone), not worth the effort when I can just nego. This is where I am drawing the line. If I beat E13 in 6 months, whoopee, E14 is worse, this is where I don't see the value to keep poking and prodding my city.

 

[Flynn013]

I skimmed over some of this thread so if its already been mentioned, sorry I missed it.

You don't have to play level 5 of GE or level 4 or 1 or 2 or 3. If it's bothering you that much simply don't play it.
I know someone will whine "what about the diamond nerf" so I say to that, it is what it is, and you get what you get.
It's INNOs game and they can do what they want with it.

No, I don't work for INNO, I'm just a player who doesn't think I'm owed something from a free to play game.

 

[Johnny B. Goode]

I skimmed over some of this thread so if its already been mentioned, sorry I missed it.

You don't have to play level 5 of GE or level 4 or 1 or 2 or 3. If it's bothering you that much simply don't play it.
I know someone will whine "what about the diamond nerf" so I say to that, it is what it is, and you get what you get.
It's INNOs game and they can do what they want with it.

No, I don't work for INNO, I'm just a player who doesn't think I'm owed something from a free to play game.

Yeah, except that this is a feedback thread. So there's that. And make no mistake, I won't be playing GE5 for quite some time, if ever.

 

[Kranyar the Mysterious]

Your colorful prose reminds me of the Dr. Seuss story "Green Eggs and Ham". Instead of characterizing L5 as a "turd sandwich" perhaps you should suck it up and give it a try. Hear that sound? It's the sound of Virgos, SBCs, and Krakens going up in all of the servers. It seems that the initial uproar over L5 is fading. Soon, it appears, the voices of opposition will fade into obscurity - just like they did with the abort limit.

You keep saying that there are all of these Virgo's SBC's, and Krakens going up in all of the servers, but looking through twelve 1.9,1.93, and 1.95 threads on 4 worlds I couldn't find a single Virgo or SBC being worked in the last 60 days, which lines up with what I previously noted I see in my neighborhood. There are some Krakens, but from my experience there are always Krakens being worked. So where are all these new Virgo's and SBC's?

In my worlds I agree that any uproar is gone, and from what I can tell that can mostly be chalked up to the vast majority of players simply deciding to either skip GE5 completely, or just do a couple of fights in GE5 and not worry about the rest.

 

[Pericles the Lion]

You keep saying that there are all of these Virgo's SBC's, and Krakens going up in all of the servers, but looking through twelve 1.9,1.93, and 1.95 threads on 4 worlds I couldn't find a single Virgo or SBC being worked in the last 60 days, which lines up with what I previously noted I see in my neighborhood. There are some Krakens, but from my experience there are always Krakens being worked. So where are all these new Virgo's and SBC's?

In my worlds I agree that any uproar is gone, and from what I can tell that can mostly be chalked up to the vast majority of players simply deciding to either skip GE5 completely, or just do a couple of fights in GE5 and not worry about the rest.

I stand by what I posted. On the 5 worlds that I play, SBCs (and to a lesser extent Virgos, Krakens, and Star Gazers) are being built and levelled by a lot of players. Likewise, participation in GE5 is strong in the Diamond level guilds, less so in the Platinum ones.

Edit: I just checked my SAJM neighborhood of 74 players. I found 30 SBCs ranging from Level 5 to Level 119 with an average level of 57. I also found 11 Deals ranging from Level 8 to Level 100 with an average level of 52.

 

[DreadfulCadillac]

You keep saying that there are all of these Virgo's SBC's, and Krakens going up in all of the servers, but looking through twelve 1.9,1.93, and 1.95 threads on 4 worlds I couldn't find a single Virgo or SBC being worked in the last 60 days, which lines up with what I previously noted I see in my neighborhood. There are some Krakens, but from my experience there are always Krakens being worked. So where are all these new Virgo's and SBC's?

In my worlds I agree that any uproar is gone, and from what I can tell that can mostly be chalked up to the vast majority of players simply deciding to either skip GE5 completely, or just do a couple of fights in GE5 and not worry about the rest.

My damn near entire guild has been leveling their SBCs - then again I'm in an elite guild. #2 guy in the server (in my guild) is leveling his, as are several other higher up players (and middle players)

I'm not though. I'm on my seed vault grind [insert triumph emoji]

 

[Kranyar the Mysterious]

Well, maybe it is a thing within specific guilds. The threads I was looking at were global 1.9x threads, and it hasn't been a thing within any of my guilds.

 

[Johnny B. Goode]

The feeling I'm getting from these posts is that the Diamond guilds are embracing GE5 to some extent, and lower guilds are not. Which is pretty par for the course. Diamond guilds love GBG, lower guilds do not. My question to Inno would be, "Do you want to have a game with just your top players, or do you want the rest of us to stick around?" Keep on the path you're going and it will be obvious that the first choice is your answer. I've been playing for 8 years, and I'm about done with this ridiculous path they're on.

 

[Notorious RHG]

I'd been leaning toward deleting my TOR. This sealed the deal and now I've got a TOR sized hole in my city to fill with useful stuff.

 

[Dursland]

I'd been leaning toward deleting my TOR. This sealed the deal and now I've got a TOR sized hole in my city to fill with useful stuff.

Why? ToR is better than ever with GE rewards nerfed. It's the only way to get sale-able terrace farms, rogue hideouts, skywatches etc right away from relics instead of fragments.

Not to mention the 20fp/100fp + goods you get once in a while. I have mine at level 100 in Zorskog and it pays out like crazy. I'd never delete it lol.

 

[DreadfulCadillac]

Why? ToR is better than ever with GE rewards nerfed. It's the only way to get sale-able terrace farms, rogue hideouts, skywatches etc right away from relics instead of fragments.

Not to mention the 20fp/100fp + goods you get once in a while. I have mine at level 100 in Zorskog and it pays out like crazy. I'd never delete it lol.

And with GE5, that's 16 more chances that the TOR has to activate - a bit silly to delete it imo

 

[DoubleJ]

And with GE5, that's 16 more chances that the TOR has to activate - a bit silly to delete it imo

The main benefit to the ToR for high level players is filling their AD. That hasn't been a problem for me with all the junk we get nowadays. Basically every daily event reward is sellable, and most of the GE rewards are as well.

 

[DoubleJ]

The feeling I'm getting from these posts is that the Diamond guilds are embracing GE5 to some extent, and lower guilds are not. Which is pretty par for the course. Diamond guilds love GBG, lower guilds do not. My question to Inno would be, "Do you want to have a game with just your top players, or do you want the rest of us to stick around?" Keep on the path you're going and it will be obvious that the first choice is your answer. I've been playing for 8 years, and I'm about done with this ridiculous path they're on.

The top players won't stick around without the F2P players. There's no point in spending money to be better than everyone when everyone is spending just as much as you. If spending money ceases to have benefit, people won't do it