What is driving people away from FoE?

[OakbrookChick]

This was posted in our guild forum this morning:

"Thanks for letting me hang out with you guys for the past couple of months, but between GE, GBG, QI and the all-too-frequent events, this game takes too long now. I keep staying up way too late playing. I think I need to take a break from the game "

It is the FIFTH post like this that I've seen in the 2 guilds I'm currently in, over the past week, and just like several others I've seen in the past couple of months. And this player didn't even mention cultural settlements, or the really hated time-wasters like visiting taverns, miserable army management ability, and more.

INNO, you better take notice!! This is the same reason that I have put some of my own cities into mothballs, and I'm considering leaving the game for exactly this same reason. It's tedious, too much wargame, and way too many, too long, too frequent events!

Think about people who would like to play more cities, which means spending more diamonds, which means more money for you, INNO, but simply cannot because even one city becomes too time-consuming with boring repetitious same-old, same-old actions day after day after day. It's no wonder you are desperate for players when you drive them away like this.

There are a lot of things you could do to improve the game and simultaneously improve your income, but you aren't talking to the right people to figure that out.

 

[Ebeondi Asi]

I play three full time equal Titan Era City/Worlds and yes it is getting harder to do.
(If I had know how much the work would grow I would never have started so many cities.. bit now I would have a very hard time giving up any of the three as the work load increases. Though I may have to in the future?) For now it is still do-able. (For example I did up into level 4 GE today in two worlds already, and on the third did all 80 due to competition concerns. No problem)

On the other side is the fact it is Spring. Many players actually have real lives. The game always slows down a bit in Summer with players doing real life stuff... and picks back up maybe a week or two after Schools start in the Fall.

 

[The Lady Redneck]

It's tedious, too much wargame, and way too many, too long, too frequent events!

I agree with this except for the "too much wargame". For me It is because there is no real wargame at all left in FoE. Just endless clicking against game bot armies. or farming between guilds. The game is called Forge of Empires. not Build a pretty City. You cannot build an Empire without going to war against opposing forces that are trying to do the same thing. And the only real war aspect has been removed. So all that is left is a hotch potch of basically unrelated mini games.

At one time I actually ran 16 active cities quite happily. And could do so without spending anything unless I really wanted to make sure of getting the main new Event building (There were only 4 - 5 Events per year). All of which were looked forward to and talked about. But like most multi world players I have cut back. Now having only one main city that I really play in, plus 1 diamond farm in a guild with little to No Demands, which takes little time to do and a small city in Beta. Which again takes little time.

Events and other aspects of the game are now heralded with "Oh heck!! Not another one!!!!" or "OH No!! We got to go through this AGAIN!!".

 

[Pericles the Lion]

This is all about FOMO (fear of missing out). There is no requirement to participate in all aspects of the game. It's an all-you-can-eat buffet but that doesn't mean that a player has to eat everything. If the game is becoming too time intensive then cut back. It's a simple fix. The issue is that players fear that cutting back will result in them falling behind. Instead, they want INNO to dial back the level of intensity so that they can participate less but not lose out.

 

[Xenosaur]

Yes - FOMO and rationalization about how this game's VL priority trumps what other things go on in RL.

It's also about the psychology of compulsion - or OCD. Whether it's a shopping issue in RL, or neatness issue (you must come into FoE to address all the flashing incidents...) to keep your cityspace clean.., the game has been designed in subtle and not so subtle ways to have you here as much as possible.
Playing now as a veteran has meant you've at least once, taken out your mobile device at the dinner table with your family, to do a collection. Or run up to your bedroom with a faux excuse to use your bathroom while going to your PC to deal with some game issue of "importance".

What else? Lots of things:

1) Stayed up WAY too late to ensure you made Gold or Silver league in an event
2) Set an alarm for an early morning rise to help your "guildmates" in GbG
3) changed a Doctor appt to play FoE...!!

This list can get very long how the game has changed and is changing each of us.

 

[Sharmon the Impaler]

This is all about FOMO (fear of missing out). There is no requirement to participate in all aspects of the game. It's an all-you-can-eat buffet but that doesn't mean that a player has to eat everything. If the game is becoming too time intensive then cut back. It's a simple fix. The issue is that players fear that cutting back will result in them falling behind. Instead, they want INNO to dial back the level of intensity so that they can participate less but not lose out.

Inno is making that harder by mixing up rewards for different sections. Don't like GBG but like QI ? Too bad the QI combat boosts come from GBG and GE.

 

[jaymoney23456]

The GbG changes are disliked by many and are driving some players I know away from the game and making many others dislike GbG greatly.

 

[Graviton]

I play three full time equal Titan Era City/Worlds and yes it is getting harder to do.
(If I had know how much the work would grow I would never have started so many cities.. bit now I would have a very hard time giving up any of the three as the work load increases. Though I may have to in the future?) For now it is still do-able. (For example I did up into level 4 GE today in two worlds already, and on the third did all 80 due to competition concerns. No problem)

On the other side is the fact it is Spring. Many players actually have real lives. The game always slows down a bit in Summer with players doing real life stuff... and picks back up maybe a week or two after Schools start in the Fall.

These are my sentiments as well. I'm down to 5 cities from the 7 I played for years and I've decided to skip this event in all of them. I agree with @Pericles the Lion that the game has become a buffet that we can (for the most part) pick and choose from, but the overall time sink has steadily increased, even in Event games. I'm in the process of converting two of my cities to diamond farms, so the time required for those is decreasing, but even keeping three full cities going and keeping up with RL is becoming a chore. Like @Ebeondi Asi I'm loathe to ditch any of them but it may come to that.

 

[Johnny B. Goode]

This is all about FOMO (fear of missing out). There is no requirement to participate in all aspects of the game. It's an all-you-can-eat buffet but that doesn't mean that a player has to eat everything. If the game is becoming too time intensive then cut back. It's a simple fix. The issue is that players fear that cutting back will result in them falling behind. Instead, they want INNO to dial back the level of intensity so that they can participate less but not lose out.

No, it's not FOMO. Not for most players, I'm betting. Many players, even going back to when there was only GvG and GE, regularly choose not to participate in the various features of the game. The problem is really that Inno has gotten away from being a city building game with the one (GvG) war aspect and occasional events. It is now only nominally a city building game, with multiple war aspects that are just scattershot attempts to keep players glued to the game, and endless events with precious little time in between. There's no cohesion to the game anymore. The inter-connectedness that they're trying to simulate with the boosts for one feature being attainable only in a different feature means that to "succeed" you have to participate in all of them. But that's not really inter-connectedness, merely a click-grab, which in Inno's eyes means more money. What we want is a game that is fun, not tedious. Features that we want to do, not have to do just so we can have a boost for another feature. There is very little fun in FoE anymore. That's part of why I don't join any active guilds, because then I would have to meet their requirements. And that would mean joining the hours a day click-fest, which I will not do.

No, it's not FOMO. It's INNO.

 

[Sharmon the Impaler]

No, it's not FOMO. Not for most players, I'm betting. Many players, even going back to when there was only GvG and GE, regularly choose not to participate in the various features of the game. The problem is really that Inno has gotten away from being a city building game with the one (GvG) war aspect and occasional events. It is now only nominally a city building game, with multiple war aspects that are just scattershot attempts to keep players glued to the game, and endless events with precious little time in between. There's no cohesion to the game anymore. The inter-connectedness that they're trying to simulate with the boosts for one feature being attainable only in a different feature means that to "succeed" you have to participate in all of them. But that's not really inter-connectedness, merely a click-grab, which in Inno's eyes means more money. What we want is a game that is fun, not tedious. Features that we want to do, not have to do just so we can have a boost for another feature. There is very little fun in FoE anymore. That's part of why I don't join any active guilds, because then I would have to meet their requirements. And that would mean joining the hours a day click-fest, which I will not do.

No, it's not FOMO. It's INNO.

Perfectly stated and nothing to add.

 

[Dominator - X]

This was posted in our guild forum this morning:

"Thanks for letting me hang out with you guys for the past couple of months, but between GE, GBG, QI and the all-too-frequent events, this game takes too long now. I keep staying up way too late playing. I think I need to take a break from the game "

It is the FIFTH post like this that I've seen in the 2 guilds I'm currently in, over the past week, and just like several others I've seen in the past couple of months. And this player didn't even mention cultural settlements, or the really hated time-wasters like visiting taverns, miserable army management ability, and more.

INNO, you better take notice!! This is the same reason that I have put some of my own cities into mothballs, and I'm considering leaving the game for exactly this same reason. It's tedious, too much wargame, and way too many, too long, too frequent events!

Think about people who would like to play more cities, which means spending more diamonds, which means more money for you, INNO, but simply cannot because even one city becomes too time-consuming with boring repetitious same-old, same-old actions day after day after day. It's no wonder you are desperate for players when you drive them away like this.

There are a lot of things you could do to improve the game and simultaneously improve your income, but you aren't talking to the right people to figure that out.

I agree with some of this. One of INNO's numerous mistakes, IMO, is instead of making what they have created more interesting, they just keep adding more and more features to the game. As I am going through the current event and various other parts of the game, I catch myself just mind numbingly clicking... clicking... clicking. Very little mind-active strategizing or much thinking at all. Just a bunch of clicking. And to be competitive, we have to keep clicking. And clicking.

I like to solve problems. Or at least put forth effort doing so. There aren't too many "problems" worth solving in this game anymore. Aside from launch day, and a few races from time to time, GBG has become monotonous and boring. Adding defense boost requirements may neither hurt nor help. It may hurt those who do not have much, but at least that will challenge them and give them something to work on. For those who are stacked, not so much. GE is still enjoyable. I don't know why, but I still enjoy it. Adding more levels may or may not be good. We will have to see what they actually do there. QI has not turned out to be half as bad as many of the Beta members stated. And it really has not taken much time to work it. A little bit challenging at first, trying to learn and make sense of it. However, the problem is that they added this to what are already very busy activities. I know this would not go over for most, but I could see them alternating guild events. GBG for 2 weeks and then QI for 2 weeks etc. (both with the 3 days off) GE being a constant from week to week. Instead, they constantly overlap one another, along with events and daily city stuff, they just consume so much time.

So, I can understand why many are burning out. This should be a game that we enjoy playing rather then what seems to feel more like a job. A mind numbing job.

 

[Outlaw Dread]

a hotch potch of basically unrelated mini games.

exactly

 

[Mik the Maker]

My wife left the game a week ago. Was just too repetitive she said. She’s now playing Candy Crush on her phone. Repetitive? Yeah. Way too much repetitive battle clicking is giving me GBG Elbow. I shut down my second city a while back, though the Halloween event is what did me in.

Yes, there are waaay too many events now. Like Google Doodles, there is indeed precious little time to just focus on the city (how about some better tools, hey?). And this new version of the card game, despite a valid attempt at art, is egregious. But it forces us on the wheel.

Yes, the gerbil wheel is in effect, as if you sit out of this event you will not get new redonk battle stat buildings and potions, and so you may soon not be able to compete well in GbG/GE/QI anymore, because that attrition has suddenly become redonk.

More strategy would be more better. How about manual battle gives 10 points? Negotiations give 5? What if attrition were to lower a bit every hour, like we gain FP and GE encounters, etc?

Oh, and add a little [www] button for buildings, etc., that opens the wiki for more details.

 

[OakbrookChick]

This is all about FOMO (fear of missing out). There is no requirement to participate in all aspects of the game. It's an all-you-can-eat buffet but that doesn't mean that a player has to eat everything. If the game is becoming too time intensive then cut back. It's a simple fix. The issue is that players fear that cutting back will result in them falling behind. Instead, they want INNO to dial back the level of intensity so that they can participate less but not lose out.

The problem is that you cannot duck GE or you can't be in a guild. You can duck GbG, but guild members still make you feel unwelcome because they are doing all the work and you still get benefits. You can duck events, but you do get left behind quickly if you don't do at least some of them. And you can duck QI and ignore all the pleas from guildmates to please help out so they can get better scores, too.

In other words, the PRESSURE is there to do all the things, whether you really have time or not.

I started six cities, and I'm now down to 2, and wishing I had only one. I'm starting to wish I had none. And I do occasionally buy diamonds, so INNO has already lost out on income from 4 cities that I used to support, and soon will lose out on all the rest.

 

[OakbrookChick]

What we want is a game that is fun, not tedious. Features that we want to do, not have to do just so we can have a boost for another feature. There is very little fun in FoE anymore.

Bingo!!! That is exactly what I feel. There are so many tedious and repetitious tasks that the fun stuff gets buried!

And no one is even mentioning Cultural Settlements which is still another time-killer that might be more fun if I could find time to do more. I haven't even tried Polynesia yet, even though I would love to, because there is just way, way too much other stuff that feels like it needs to be done first.

 

[Pericles the Lion]

The problem is that you cannot duck GE or you can't be in a guild. You can duck GbG, but guild members still make you feel unwelcome because they are doing all the work and you still get benefits. You can duck events, but you do get left behind quickly if you don't do at least some of them. And you can duck QI and ignore all the pleas from guildmates to please help out so they can get better scores, too.

In other words, the PRESSURE is there to do all the things, whether you really have time or not.

I started six cities, and I'm now down to 2, and wishing I had only one. I'm starting to wish I had none. And I do occasionally buy diamonds, so INNO has already lost out on income from 4 cities that I used to support, and soon will lose out on all the rest.

Sure you can. There are lots of guilds that have zero requirements for GE/GBG/QI. The "pressure" that you are feeling is self-imposed.

 

[Just An Observer]

FoE is a game meant to be played by people with genius IQ's, lots of time and plenty of money. So is Magic The Gathering. The difference between the two communities is that Magic is mostly gamers who want to be immersed in the game while FoE draws from the general population, in which gamers are a tiny minority.

That is one perspective from this side of the screen. The other is the public perception of the pandemic. "Life is back to normal!" is what most people think. That alone would put a dent in the amount of people available to play.

FoE rewards those who put in the time, effort and $$$. The game has many facets. I enjoy them too! If there was a problem area that I see, it is poor customer service where the paying customer pays well and gets third rate responsiveness. Do business that way in a non-metro area and I guarantee you will see that business go broke. Be customer-centric!

There are some good points from other posters here as well. The reasons people give up the game are many. Nice to see the subject discussed. Whether INNO pays attention or not, who knows?

 

[Dominator - X]

FoE is a game meant to be played by people with genius IQ's

Now it all makes sense as to why I struggle with this game...

 

[OakbrookChick]

There are lots of guilds that have zero requirements for GE/GBG/QI. The "pressure" that you are feeling is self-imposed.

It's not self-imposed, it means that if I want to languish in a poor guild and have little opportunity for the FUN stuff, I don't have to do much, that's true. But then why bother to play? If I want to have fun, grow, enjoy the other people, and build a nice city, then a decent guild is needed, and that's where the pressure starts. So far, I'm able to ignore calls for more and more attention, more and more time, more and more everything, but when I'm hearing the same story from so many directions, including people literally quitting FoE for exactly this reason, it seems right to raise the issue.

 

[jaymoney23456]

I

It's not self-imposed, it means that if I want to languish in a poor guild and have little opportunity for the FUN stuff, I don't have to do much, that's true. But then why bother to play? If I want to have fun, grow, enjoy the other people, and build a nice city, then a decent guild is needed, and that's where the pressure starts. So far, I'm able to ignore calls for more and more attention, more and more time, more and more everything, but when I'm hearing the same story from so many directions, including people literally quitting FoE for exactly this reason, it seems right to raise the issue.

I would have to agree. Being in a lackadaisical guild with no requirements is not fun, as that means that few if any players will be on to chat and you cannot get anywhere in many of the areas that help grow your city.