Help...A must read for players and moderators.

bigdaddy1

 I re- posted and removed caps as to show I wasn't yelling...Currently playing Candy Crush Soda,on level 835,and I haven't received option to watch advertisement video for boosters/lives etc.. for around at least the past 100+ levels. Nor any bonus spins!! The reply I get,and I've read from others asking is that "random" People are chose as part of a "group study",to remove those bonus videos. Which makes absolutely no sense! Personally, Is it actually punishment for not making cash $$ purchases? My next question --, is this "Study", the removal of my "watch video advertisement for boosters" And my "Bonus spins* permanently gone for the remaining duration of my game? My understanding is that the King company is paid by companies to advertise their product,yet many players don't have the ability to view these videos for bonuses due to what's explained as " being part of a study".  So, is it permanent punishment f9r no cash purchases or will my option to watch videos be returned ? Thanx for any replies by players and moderators.

candysodacrusher

@bigdaddy1 I feel your pain. I also have ads come and go and none for quite some time now.  I have no information other than what I’ve read on these boards, and what I have gleaned from reading the business news about Activision stock.  Given that, what I have to say is purely my opinion and some speculation on my part.  

There are several things that are usually mentioned about King in the quarterly stock reports:  MAUs (monthly active users), revenue (from the in-game micro transactions and ads), and the average amount of playing time users spend per day in the games.  My thinking is that a lot of the changes we are seeing in the game recently are efforts to maximize each of those and experimentation (data analysis/collection) to see what is most effective.

The generousity with the ability to earn blocks of unlimited lives and the timed boosters both work to increase playing time.  Rainbow Road and the episode races both play to that also, as does Bubblegum Hill.

The team events—peer pressure to increase MAUs?—in addition to an effort to make the game more social, as was explained in another post on the Mr. Toffee board.  Making the games more “interactive” was also mentioned in an article I read several months ago.  

The elimination of the quests and the significant reduction of boosters that can’t created in game (lollipops, double fish, hand switches), seem to be an effort to increase the percent of players making micro transactions—buying boosters.

So why have have the ads gone away?  No idea, other than what we have been told about testing different features on different platforms. 

The next earnings report is due in early August.  Should be interesting reading.

bigdaddy1

Interesting reply. And your time is much appreciated. Thanks for the effort you put forth with your insight. I reckon my frustration comes from enjoying the 700+ levels of having the option,from the very beginning of playing,to choose whether or not to take time viewing ads for much appreciated boosters to get through tough levels,suddenly ripped away,with what appears now after well over 100 levels that they aren't returning. And I'm still somewhat curious if the companies whom pay for those ads are aware of exactly how the King company decides to distribute the services they think they are paying for are aired.For instance,in the contract, I wonder if it says they may or may not give the ability for each player to view their products,pending on  spontaneous tests apparently given at any random point in the game, to remove that option from certain players to pacify the specific needs/ desires of the games owners.

Angeleyes101

😎 👍

bigdaddy1

Angel 👼eyes 👀-- alligator food

Angeleyes101

❤😛🐊

candysodacrusher

bigdaddy1 said:

Interesting reply. And your time is much appreciated. Thanks for the effort you put forth with your insight. 

You are welcome.  When they took away the quests and replaced them with Mr.Toffee, I was not a happy camper and started looking up info to see if I could figure out what was going on.  That’s also how I ended up finding this discussion board.  

_Elsa_

Hi guys, @bigdaddy1, welcome to our community.  I never, ever had the videos that you are talking about.  Not always are these tests going on.  I am not sure why these things are not rolled out to everyone but I really and truly love the way @candysodacrusher wrote everything above.  Thank you @candysodacrusher!  I am going to hold on to what you wrote for future use here in the community.  Please keep us updated on things like this!

So here is what the community managers have to say about these events: 

https://community.king.com/en/blog/discussion/234706/when-can-i-get-my-events#latest

@Angeleyes101, welcome to our community. 

I would also like to take a moment to offer all of you a message for all newbies to learn more about our community which you can find here.  We always run contests so be sure to do them for a chance to win gold bars.

@candysodacrusher, since I see that you are becoming very active in the community, you might want to help me spread the word about the newbies message to learn more about our community.

candysodacrusher

Thank you @Elsa for your kind words.  

The link you shared about the appearing and disappearing features was interesting.  I noticed that it was originally posted several years ago and then edited in January.  It’s an excellent explanation of the technical reasons behind appearing and disappearing features.  I’ve been playing this game since it was first available and to be perfectly honest, I never really noticed what I would assume to be testing of features until the past several months.  For example, I never saw ads until a few months ago and they have come and gone several times in that time frame.  That leads me to believe that the testing of features we are currently experiencing is based on business as well as technical decisions/issues. That’s fine, as King is first and foremost a business, however, as a player, I find it frustrating at times.

_Elsa_

I hear you @candysodacrusher!  I can empathize with everyone who writes here because I play the games too.

Xarly

Hi all,

Sorry for the delay, been sick for some days but thankfully I'm recovering well now.

To try and answer your question as well as possible, @bigdaddy1, we do run tests here and there that make features sometimes be available and sometimes not. The fact that you are not a payer is not a reason for not having ads at the moment, I can tell you that. Sometimes (and as we have many tests and features it's hard to keep up with each and every one of these) the test groups can be shuffled, which can lead to some people losing a feature and others getting it.

Now, (and this is something that the Community has raised) I understand (and even agree) that from a human and quality standpoint this is far from ideal. As @candysodacrusher says (and by the way, I personally love the way you express yourself and your thoughts), different metrics come into play when working on the maintenance of a game. I cannot disclose any internal information, obviously, but these are, in a bigger picture, the ways that things go, both in Soda and in mobile games in general.

King is (and this Community is a vivid example of it) actively trying to be more and more player focused and have your feedback and perceptions constantly in mind when implementing things. This is obviously a road we need to drive together, Community and Game and a road where I am sure there will be bumps here and there. It's my job (along with others within my department) to guarantee that your word comes through and to keep helping the studios to build a game of your taste (which is a very difficult thing to do when literally hundreds of millions of players play them).

The intention and attitude from the team is there, that I can guarantee and to me that is the most important element. Your feedback is important, so please keep sending it my way and I'll do my best to make sure the team's aware of it.

Cheers,
Xarly