Hello,
First off - this is the first time I'm posting here, but that doesn't mean I'm "new."
I’ve been playing Candy Crush for a damn long time. And before that, I played Bubble Witch Saga. The first one, not BWS 2. I spent a lot of money on BWS 1, really a lot, but that was okay.
At some point, there was a special offer: you could buy unlimited lives (for a lifetime) for a certain amount of real money. Well, the "for a lifetime" thing was … special, because BWS 1 didn't last much longer. Some of the things you bought with real money in BWS 1 could be carried over into BWS 2 - but not the unlimited lives.
I was not amused, as the saying goes, and since I didn't find the gameplay of BWS 2 nearly as good as BWS 1, I switched to Candy Crush.
After that experience, I wasn't nearly as generous with my money. But I still spent some.
However, as it became increasingly clear that "hard level" meant nothing more than "too few moves" and not "challenging considerations to clear the board," I became increasingly unwilling to spend money.
Then I guess I just take forever to pass a level sometimes. I accept being on Level 19K+ and still constantly being shown beginner tooltips. I accept that all sorts of tips steal valuable time when you have a time-limited booster. And of course, I can 100% understand that the developers want to earn money. After all, they don't live on thin air and love, just like the rest of us. Completely fine.
I put up with all of this because, for reasons I increasingly can't even figure out myself, I still enjoy the game. Because I can look past the fact that some decisions clearly have nothing to do with gameplay, and certainly nothing to do with player satisfaction, and because I can even look past the fact that things like game theory and psychologically sound reward systems are obviously no longer found in the designers’ manuals - or perhaps they forgot to teach the AI such things.
Especially the matter of "rewarding." The satisfaction of finally mastering a difficult level. The AI doesn't know that. It also knows nothing about frustration.
But what really, really, really drives me up the wall now is this complete illogic that's spreading.
Yeah, yeah, we get it - boosters are becoming rarer or getting nerfed so people spend more money. Yeah, yeah, we get it - certain mechanics are completely abolished so people spend more money.
But what the heck possessed you with these new chocolate box tasks?
Let's just look at it with common sense: Why does a player need boosters in Candy Crush (as in any game)? Right. To progress. And how do you progress in Candy Crush? Right. By completing a level.
So I need boosters, and possibly Gold for extra moves, to pass a new level. Especially when the "hard" levels are now designed in a way that you simply cannot beat them without certain boosters or extra moves. You really CAN'T beat them. Because the AI consistently and with absolute sleepwalking certainty drops the most unfavorable combination of candies. And please, don't try to tell me otherwise.
Okay, I have absolutely no problem if it takes a long time to get enough Gold Bars from the chocolate boxes to buy extra moves. But... How the heck am I supposed to try to get a reward that I need to pass a level, when the task I have to solve for it consists of completing a new level? Or collecting something in new levels? Find the damn flaw!
Guys, do you realize, has anyone ever told you, that there are people whose wallets are much looser when they choose to open them voluntarily, and not when they are forced to?
Yes, I know that what I'm writing will never truly reach the devs. So why did I still bother? Well, for one, because I just needed to vent.
And for another, because maybe I’m speaking for the soul of someone else out there...
So no hard feelings, dear Devs. I'd like to say: Keep up the good job - but instead, I'd rather say: Back to the roots, because you did a better job back then.
Can't you somehow manage the balancing act of earning money while your game still remains fun? Yes, it's possible. I know from experience...
