Balancing looting and Collecting

[Storm]

Hi Everyone

I have been getting a LOT of feedback from users that the way the game is set with BOTS is unbalanced now and I am in process of working this out.

So I wanna chat to all of you and give you some insight from our side what we find and get some ideas and opinions about this.

Problem identified: The key issue here is to bring looting amounts made by level 1/2/3/4 players in line/close to being the same, on average, with what collectors can make. this way, no one of the 2 can be at disadvantage.

So, what this means is that, as example:

- If a level 4 player collects with a sub and makes 2 trillion avg over 10 days, we would want the amount of loot that is floating around in the game to be the same for a player with that sub. Right now level 4 looters are making well in excess of that amount and it is creating an unbalance. It is also not helping guys who support and spend on extra credits.


Problem identified: Another problem is that free and small players will feel hurt if we reduce the number and frequency of BOTS but its got to be done, the game balance advantage of bots is too much. But on the other side, also, not much skill is needed with current BOT setup to get loot.

Here is what we what we want to do:

- All bots release over 10 days in random cities at random times [right now it happens in first 24 hours and they replenish every 3 hours]

- No replenishing of BOTs - If they start at 2 bill they wont replenish, we will provide variable start up cash, according to make it match with average collect making totals

- Provide more BOTs: We will INCREASE the amount of bots , since they wont replenish and make it inline and balance it with collect amounts. players will just loot DOWN the BOT nets all round


ok so where we need your input is as follows:

Point 1 - Please can you all comment on this in general and let me know what you think about it [Please note we will NOT remove the BOTs, we want players to loot but we want it to be more skill based and balanced to what the rest of the game can make in game cash]

Point 2 - Please can you provide us with some accurate collecting figures averages for all levels? We will need to do a clear comparison and provide the right amount of looting


Thanks and please try to stick to topic, we will remove any spam and off topic points

Maximus= so i guess i should say something worthy then what does it matter whether or not you match collects of lvl4 using only subs during round and not credits??

Plus ontop of that say its just lvl4 sub no credits they need to build to atleast day mark 4 or 3 which would give them 1.6mill opps then last three or four days collect right. At 20k turns i thibk they get 220bill each collect , did you take into factor they may have to kill or loot as well? I think you guys should have took my idea and allowed bots to randomly hit families and shit and combined it with this idea as well

[Turtle]

I agree with the fact that bots needed to be brought into line with what collectors can collect but I don't like the idea of looting bots down with them not replenishing. If your a collector who wants to do the occasional looting per round you won't be able to range the bots because of the amount of ops you have. Instead collectors will just build, log off and come back on to build and collect like was the case before the bots were introduced.

I like the idea of bots being introduced throughout the round because it does add some staregy and a bit of luck. Will the times be random each round? I think it would be counterproductive to have them introduced at the same times each round, it should vary and be unpredictable if you decide to go with this.

I also think one of the main problems is that some rounds many players loot. Other rounds not so many. What needs to be done is looting needs to be monitored per round. On rounds when more people are looting you should introduce more bots. On rounds when people are not you should introduce less. That way it should work out that the most active get the loot but everyone can get a peice of the cash and balance it out with what collectors can collect.

I see what your trying to do but getting a perfect balance is going to be hard.

One thing I think can work is if you reintroduce bots with a higher net with dus, which collectors can hit. And they should be dropped at random through the round. But introduce far less. Just so it also gives collectors the opportunity to loot and keeps them active. Also I would have the bots rearm ever toth. So if s free players wants to hit them they will have to add turns to do so which should balance it out and also give collectors something else to do.

[Turtle]

I also think by doing what your suggesting you will have to raise op hits again because more and more level 4s will be building ops which will leave them open to hits once they lose dus. I don't want to see opp hits get expensive again as they do add another element into the game.

I think thats cool but i disagree with rearming them every toh bc as always free players only get a max build of 2500k turns yes won turns help but not for long sooner than later won turns will go quickly nc they will have to build with won turns and use won turns to hit it will make the bot hits only for sub players only at so.e point.

Maybe introduce bots that are armed for sub players and low lvl net bots for free player if im a free player with won turns right. So every 16 hours i get 2500 turns, now lets say i have 20k turns if the bots rearm every toh at 50k dus i gotta spend 5k turns plus another 1k just for looting withing few hours won turns gone and poof no looting for me now, but if we introduce bots specifically for sub players say at 5bill or 6 bill net right. Arm them at 50 or 100k dus and for free players 2.5 bill net at 20k dus that may ne better

I agree with the fact that bots needed to be brought into line with what collectors can collect but I don't like the idea of looting bots down with them not replenishing. If your a collector who wants to do the occasional looting per round you won't be able to range the bots because of the amount of ops you have. Instead collectors will just build, log off and come back on to build and collect like was the case before the bots were introduced.

I like the idea of bots being introduced throughout the round because it does add some staregy and a bit of luck. Will the times be random each round? I think it would be counterproductive to have them introduced at the same times each round, it should vary and be unpredictable if you decide to go with this.

I also think one of the main problems is that some rounds many players loot. Other rounds not so many. What needs to be done is looting needs to be monitored per round. On rounds when more people are looting you should introduce more bots. On rounds when people are not you should introduce less. That way it should work out that the most active get the loot but everyone can get a peice of the cash and balance it out with what collectors can collect.

I see what your trying to do but getting a perfect balance is going to be hard.

One thing I think can work is if you reintroduce bots with a higher net with dus, which collectors can hit. And they should be dropped at random through the round. But introduce far less. Just so it also gives collectors the opportunity to loot and keeps them active. Also I would have the bots rearm ever toth. So if s free players wants to hit them they will have to add turns to do so which should balance it out and also give collectors something else to do.

[harryverderchki]

This does need some consideration. I don't believe in the monitoring and trying to balance the game just for the sake of balancing the game. So my comments are geared at getting more people in the game. You know like real people. Not guys making entire families. This should be kept in mind when making any changes. So the balance in the game should be how to keep the players that are active motivated to stay because they generate the energy in the game and actually drive the game despite how much they get looting. Remember its hard work and hours of looting that actually get the money flowing into the game not just the bot itself. Its unfortunate that some have resorted to unfair tools to assist in this part of the game. I think all you have to do is actually move the bots from city to city randomly. If someone goes to hit a bot that moves you get fucked up and freeze for 3 minutes.

Random would be better but would it make a difference. How many looters that are hardcore is there? A handful?? These players will be there every hour almost anyway. Sure random will help but I have seen when the hardcore looters are sleeping no one is looting.

Hard work should reap benefits. The new player that comes on that will stay in the game will try and make a name for themselves by doing more work by and large. These are the players we want in the game. The person that logs in once every two days and hits build once or twice and fucks off before even reading the union/ family board or even checks in to see if they can put some money in the bank is not someone that is going to stay and play the game.

Part of the reason for some of the hard workers to leave in the game was due to the transfer on and allowed in family/ union. I think that some rounds this should be turned off so that some of the hard workers can show what they can do and sometimes go solo. This alone will affect the structure and success of the family/ union. I remember when Mits was in our family/union, everyone kind of depended on him to get pretty much all or most of the cash in bank. You have to keep guys like that motivated whereever they are and at times let them actually show what they can do on their own. The level 1 looting gold used to mean something. Now you have many of the level ones trying to get killing by just building and hoping they don't get hit. There is too many of these and not enough actual looters.

Turtle brings up a good point about the subs getting bigger targets. I think this is a good idea. Risk/ Reward make the prize big enough but make it have to put a dent in their dus to get the prize risking that their ops get fucked up and the rest of their dus taken.

We don't have to keep dumbing the game down to attract new players. The formula to attract new players is kind of simple.

a) welcome environment
b) keep the forums interesting
c) fun social atmosphere
d) competitive game play
e) reward hard working players

some new things to try would be ..

1) if you going to have a random bot .. make one of them a free sub bot. Maybe a free player hits it, tries it and wants to buy one sometimes.

2) dont dumb down the game by making the rewards for non working families almost get the same as the family/union above them.

3) make some other awards up for players that have been around and known in the game for a while. We had the ambassador to the game award we voted on. We should do number of these and have maybe a different one come up once per month or every other month. ambassador, best strategic player, fastest mouse trigger, hardest worker, most active, best supporter, laziest, best new player (after 3 months)

4) Maybe have an option where if you do want to play solo you start off with 1000 dollars, can't get transfers, if you loot the same 5 players for over 50% of your bank after day 6 and 8 you go back to 10000 dollars. If a level 4 hits you they blow up.

[AssKickeR]

Agree with the ramdom thing. It was my suggestion before to combat "cheaters" in looting. That way, autobots looters cannot be programmed. Just please remove the attacking limit.

[Turtle]

I think thats cool but i disagree with rearming them every toh bc as always free players only get a max build of 2500k turns yes won turns help but not for long sooner than later won turns will go quickly nc they will have to build with won turns and use won turns to hit it will make the bot hits only for sub players only at so.e point.

Maybe introduce bots that are armed for sub players and low lvl net bots for free player if im a free player with won turns right. So every 16 hours i get 2500 turns, now lets say i have 20k turns if the bots rearm every toh at 50k dus i gotta spend 5k turns plus another 1k just for looting withing few hours won turns gone and poof no looting for me now, but if we introduce bots specifically for sub players say at 5bill or 6 bill net right. Arm them at 50 or 100k dus and for free players 2.5 bill net at 20k dus that may ne better

The whole point of arming them is so only sub players can hit them. So they to have to get active if they want that extra loot. Free players could always build dus to do it but it wont really be worth it.

[Turtle]

I like what Harry has to say

[the-reel-deel]

Nobody is stopping the collectors with subs from looting, it's their choice not to come on for toh's. Going from what the bots used to be like and how shit it already seems coming down from that, if you're reducing it even further then activity on this game is going to drop dramatically.

[LOPOV]

Nobody is stopping the collectors with subs from looting, it's their choice not to come on for toh's. Going from what the bots used to be like and how shit it already seems coming down from that, if you're reducing it even further then activity on this game is going to drop dramatically.

Are u calling attacking bots activity ?

[blink]

Bots are dumb.

How about fixing the weird text formatting of messages and family board posts? EZPZ

Also fix the stupid
, long chain
letters
with
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.

[hard_knocks]

Problem 1: I'm not sure if bringing looted cash in line with level 4 collectors is the right way to solve the poblem.. A good looter spends many hours online doing what he needs to do to get as much cash as possible for his family / Union. In my opinion, it really would not be fair for a collector to login every 16 hours for 5 minutes and collect the same amount of cash that a looter had collected over the last 16 hours. If a looter is spending (for example) 8 hours online looting, then he should have an advantage over the collector that logs in for five minutes every 16 hours and makes one collect

Problem 2: This may be a good solution but will be even more of a problem (then it is now) when using the global ranks for OP/DU attacks. The globals will be cluttered with pages and pages of bots, making it very difficult to find real players to attack.

[RetiredButBack]

1 mill in whores n 99,999 turns brought me likw 1.3 trill

Alot of good ideas here only problem how do we take all this and put them together and make it work although im sure staff will talk it over with the coder anyways i like thess ideas but understand the difficulties in trying to make ot work lets hope they get it working soon