All Transformers are now WEAK! V 1.10.5.4

[Hunter_Elite]

Wow, I just created an account here, so I could see if someone else noticed how weak the bots were/are, but hey, I am not the only one. They got so weak that it made me sick to my stomach to play with them. Yes the Towers are killable, but their firepower is also stronger, besides, they shots are impossible to dodge if you are already dodging the monolits (or whatever you call the things that fall on the road and try to smash you). I’ve sent a couple messages to Rovio, but they finally told me to come here to talk about that, since apparently the developers “occasionally” read our comments. Well, Mister Developer, that update, oh, sorry, that DOWNGRADE, was the worst I’ve ever seen in any game I’ve ever played, simply because it’s the first time im my gamer life that someone makes their characters weaker.

[Optimus_Pig]

@blasphemy

“oh, sorry, that DOWNGRADE, was the worst I’ve ever seen in any game I’ve ever played, simply because it’s the first time im my gamer life that someone makes their characters weaker.”

To be fair, nerfing isn’t that uncommon in online gaming. Especially in FTP models, weakening a character encourages people to buy upgrades. It wasn’t until late in 2015 that the accessories actually started providing stat boosts. Prior to that, they just made TFs look good.

Now that the accessories actually do something, Rovio is looking to monetize.

[nancy]

The Galvatrons’ are completely useless also….even with the most powerful and “expensive” accessories you can “buy” for them. And what about poor Starscream? It’s so wrong to ruin a game so many have invested time and money to enjoy and get kicked in the head instead.

[Hunter_Elite]

@optimuspig They shouldn’t be common then, specially in a free game, if they wanted our money, they shouldn’t have made a free game. Now what’s the point of doing a free game, if you are going to get greedy, and basically force people to buy stuff, otherwise they don’t have enough fire power?

[Optimus_Pig]

@blasphemy

It’s only free in that you can download and play the basic version.

Keep in mind that even with the basic version:

– you have access to 29 out of the 33 TFs that have been released to date.
– there’s no requirement to own a single accessory in order to play. They’re totally optional
– there’s no requirement to spend gems, and in fact it’s not that difficult to accumulate 50-100 gems for free every day

Is it the game noticeable more difficult without gems and accessories? Absolutely, I’m not denying that. But it’s not impossible. And at no time is anyone forcing us to play the game.

It’s a different business model, and its the one that’s most prevalent nowadays. Part of that is because consumers are largely unwilling to pay upfront for an app, or to pay enough that the developers can actually make a profit.

[Hunter_Elite]

@optimuspig

You can prove your point, but there’s no way in hell someone will convince me that this “downgrade” was a good thing.

[Hunter_Elite]

@optimuspig
It may encourage some people to play more, or buy upgrades, but it also may encourage people, like me, to just give up on the game, after spending, not hours, not days, but months, upgrading the bots and stuff, so that Rovio make them look like Lv3 again in a blink of an eye.

[Optimus_Pig]

@blasphemy

As I mentioned in another thread, have you ever heard of the 90/10 rule? Well that’s pretty much the case with game apps: ~90% of revenues from in-game purchases come from ~10% of the player-base.

Rovio’s (and other app developers’) bread and butter is from the “whales” (that’s an old casino industry term) who are willing to spend large amounts of cash on in-game purchases for whatever reason. Any additional revenue, whether it be from the occasional small purchase by the other 90% of players, or from ad revenues from watching the videos, is simply gravy.

So for Rovio, their current mission is to add new features that encourage players to spend money. And if that means alienating a chunk of the non-paying player-base, then so be it.

Do I like it? No. Do I understand it? Yes.

[Hunter_Elite]

@optimuspig

So, I’m still right to call them greedy.

[Optimus_Pig]

@blasphemy

“So, I’m still right to call them greedy.”

If you consider making enough money to pay their employees and suppliers, and having enough left over to pay their shareholders a reasonable return on investment “greedy”, then sure.

Keep in mind that Rovio actually laid off a chunk of their staff in 2014.

Edit: and an even larger layoff was announced in 2015.

[Hunter_Elite]

@optimuspig

Then they shouldn’t have made the game free!!! Have you seen the selling of Grand Theft Auto 5? Have you seen how many DLCs they made for free? That’s the point! I am against this “buy this so we can survive” stuff, specially when the game is for free. Like you said, they are not forcing us to buy anything, but it is cool to have every character in the game. I actually bought Nemesis Prime, and I would have bought Rodimus if I had the chance (which I haven’t because the game was being a B, so I had to play it offline while Rodimus was available). But I’m against it! They should make a Ultimate version of the game or something, paid, with all the things one can possibly have, and don’t charge for anything else after that, characters, accessories, anything. Just like a Season Pass. I am against the downgrade that kinda force us to buy content, so we can be powerful again. But I am not against paid content that actually increase the fun, the entertainment, the joy of playing the game (which was NOT the case). Got it?

[Optimus_Pig]

“Got it?”

Not really, no:

“That’s the point! I am against this “buy this so we can survive” stuff, specially when the game is for free. Like you said, they are not forcing us to buy anything, but it is cool to have every character in the game. I actually bought Nemesis Prime, and I would have bought Rodimus if I had the chance … But I’m against it!”

If you’re so against their business model, then why are you supporting it? Inconsistencies like that don’t support your case, and in fact strengthen Rovio’s.

Anyway, that’s all I’m going to say about this. All I’m doing is providing a rational explanation for why things are the way they are. If you think I’m defending Rovio, that’s not my intention. But it is what it is. The way I see it, you have the following options available to you:

1. play the game, but stop spending cash on it
2. play the game, and continue spending cash on it
3. quit the game entirely

Also, if you feel strongly about what Rovio’s doing, then you should complain to them directly. Maybe they’ll care. Maybe they won’t. But arguing about it here isn’t going to catalyze change.

[Hunter_Elite]

@optimuspig

Really didn’t eh. Ok, let me see if I make myself more clear now: They made new characters, with new powers and stuff, that would be fun to play, really, a good reason to actually spend money on the game. After that, they release an “update” that makes all our bots weaker, so that we are pretty much obligated to buy items in order to make them stronger again, not for fun, not for entertainment, just to make them stronger again, which we didn’t, we spent the last year just playing the game without upgrading any robot. Seriously, if you didn’t get this now, you will not get it at all.
And btw, it may not be your intention to defend Rovio, but that’s what you are doing. In times like this, we should unite as players, and see if we can find a solution together, maybe make them fix the game, back the way it was, not argue about some stupid thing like we are doing right now, what are our points, it doesn’t matter, they don’t care anyway.

[Optimus_Pig]

@blasphemy

“Seriously, if you didn’t get this now, you will not get it at all.”

*SHRUG*

“In times like this, we should unite as players, and see if we can find a solution together”

You’re brand new to ABN, so I’ll excuse you for having missed this topic of mine from last year:

VIDEO BOYCOTT (closed)

So tell me, what have you done lately, other than b!tch and moan?

[Hunter_Elite]

@optimuspig

B!tch and moan?! You are funny AF. Do you know why I’m new here? Because I usually contacted Rovio about any problem I was having. But lately, they were having so many problems, that they suggested me to come here, where developers “may” read my messages. Do you know the menu in the Professor Pig Lab, where you can see all your Energonicons? I suggested it, and I have the proof, in my email. My first message on this topic, in case you missed it, was not replying to you, I wasn’t talking to you at all, I just left it there, so “maybe” a developer could read it sometime. You answered me, I thought it was polite to answer you back, apparently I made a huge mistake. I feel like we are having a discussion here, and I really don’t have the energy for that. For what I read in your closed topic, we are actually on the same side, we just don’t know that yet. “O inimigo do meu inimigo é meu amigo.” We just need to come to terms.

[Optimus_Pig]

It’s an open forum. You ought to be ready for people to reply to you, whether you’re asking them to do so or not.

There’s nothing I’ve said that’s untrue. It just may not be what you want to hear.

Ta.

[Hunter_Elite]

@optimuspig

And to be honest, I think I may have joined the boycott without knowing about it. I remember when the videos were caming before every mission and stuff. And even with an internet connection, I began to play it offline so I couldn’t even see them.

[Francis Crawford]

@paul13,

A tip specifically on balloon pigs:

Hitting the string, the balloon, or the pig itself kills at different speeds. The string is very weak.

[sheepybach]

Very true but at the time they had dropped the power so low on ABT that it was nearly impossible to kill them during the comp.