Hi everyone!I’ve been a Galaxy of Heroes player for almost two years now, playing consistently every day. I’m a grind account—typically not caring how long it takes me to grow, generally being very patient about my progress, although I do still occasionally spring for lower-cost Hyperdrive bundles that propel me towards my goal. This is my first time posting on the forums, because EA and Disney have just ticked me off that much with these latest updates which, to me, smacks of corporate greed trying to wring more money out of people. I’m curious about your thoughts—what are the pros of this latest update, what are the cons of this latest update, how does this update contrast with previous updates that perhaps also felt like money-grabs, etc. I encourage you to leave a comment and answer the following:Do you think this update is good overall, bad overall, or a blend? For you, what aspects are good and what aspects are bad?Are you considering leaving this game due to this update? Why or why not? Any additional thoughts or comparisons with previous updates? I appreciate you all. This game has become a part of my daily routine, but I feel as though it’s now going to take me three times as long to achieve anything. I almost deleted it this morning, but thought I’d check in with the community first to see your impressions. Thanks so much in advance. UPDATE: CG_Meathead , here’s a solid start to a growing, comprehensive list of all the issues introduced with these latest updates. I really hope you take these frustrations seriously and consider some of the solutions that have been suggested.If you’re actually trying to create a more positive, free-to-play experience as you’ve suggested, you are not succeeding with this latest update. You don’t have to sacrifice free-to-play options that allow us to grow in order to provide pay-to-play products.

It's very poor makes you spend money to complete tasks you didn't have to before, it kills f2p, I will stop playing this game shortly after 6 years, they have destroyed it for me, good riddance

This update is bad overall.It’s less effort to get the daily activities done for the people who don’t play as frequently. It’s ruined galactic challenges.Yes I am very likely to leave this game soonI just unlocked Bane only a few weeks ago, and with him I was able to consistently beat the hardest tiers of each galactic challenge, meaning I could typically get the 110+ crates each challenge. However, this new system has not only destroyed the value of the rewards, it’s also made it incredibly difficult now to get omicrons without spending money (and I refuse to give EA that satisfaction). I’m about to go from getting 4 omicrons in 1 week to getting 1 omicron in 4 weeks. 5. This would have been fine if they had just reworked the marquee system, but this unnecessary involvement with galactic challenge has ruined this game for me. I spent months grinding for Bane and my work feels pointless now.

Do you think this update is good overall, bad overall, or a blend? blend but leaning towards "bad".For you, what aspects are good and what aspects are bad?Good: adds a lot of new achievements/goals.Bad: pay-to-play. I spent 12k crystals on the "1 time purchase", spent some time clearing through achievements, and then realized I can't even claim them. This doesn't "entice" me to purchase, it depresses and makes me NOT want to bother playing or putting effort into it. Are you considering leaving this game due to this update? Yes.Why or why not? I know I'm not a big spender but the new features, requirements around purchasing shards, requirements around purchasing the pass (which I would already say is pricey)...I know I've not been the target audience for most packs since I started playing in 2017, but at least then I could just purchase something now and then and still feel like I could compete. With these new changes it feels like if I am not able/willing to buy the new marquee characters AND pay for the pass I might as well just stop playing.Any additional thoughts or comparisons with previous updates? Conquests pass system I think was a better balance of pay vs free - as a minimal "pay" player I was able to experience the content and get most of the rewards - just slower. I could max crate or gold crate the first 3, and purchase shards with conquest energy, and get the secondary shards in the next conquest round and still unlock the characters within a competitive time period.

That’s the sense I’m getting as well. I’m hoping with enough comments and voiced frustrations, EA will reconsider some of these paywalls.

I appreciate you—and yes, it’s definitely difficult not to feel bitter about the Galactic Crate Challenges—they were one of my greatest sources of resources, and I also personally loved trying to complete all 4 feats on as many tiers as possible. Now with a paywall on half the feats that’s no longer a possibility. I’m sorry you’re feeling the effort you put forth for Bane has been undone. I’m getting the sense a lot of people are feeling very similarly—like the rewards of years of patient and consistent effort is being greatly diminished or even undone entirely.

Poll on New Updates | EA Forums

Cymru8888
Seasoned Novice
2 months ago
It's very poor makes you spend money to complete tasks you didn't have to before, it kills f2p, I will stop playing this game shortly after 6 years, they have destroyed it for me, good riddance
- TheRobConnolly
  Seasoned Adventurer
  2 months ago
  That’s the sense I’m getting as well. I’m hoping with enough comments and voiced frustrations, EA will reconsider some of these paywalls.
  - sarisse
    Seasoned Novice
    2 months ago
    we are getting for free the equivalent of 4 max chest and 4 max-1 chest.....which wouldn't be good before for those who could regularlymax GC....but now it's paywalled CG_Meathead are you sure this update is geared toward free player ?
    the eipsode pass to get more reward is consistent with the conquest so not a surprise, the double paywalling of the GC ? that's not ok(episode pass + up to 7 star marquee...and don't tell me i need a bit of luck with the pack).
    So please at least tell us you won't do that with the other GC.....that would go toward being decent.
Marrok279
Seasoned Newcomer
2 months ago
This update is bad overall.
It’s less effort to get the daily activities done for the people who don’t play as frequently. It’s ruined galactic challenges.
Yes I am very likely to leave this game soon
I just unlocked Bane only a few weeks ago, and with him I was able to consistently beat the hardest tiers of each galactic challenge, meaning I could typically get the 110+ crates each challenge. However, this new system has not only destroyed the value of the rewards, it’s also made it incredibly difficult now to get omicrons without spending money (and I refuse to give EA that satisfaction). I’m about to go from getting 4 omicrons in 1 week to getting 1 omicron in 4 weeks.
5. This would have been fine if they had just reworked the marquee system, but this unnecessary involvement with galactic challenge has ruined this game for me. I spent months grinding for Bane and my work feels pointless now.
- TheRobConnolly
  Seasoned Adventurer
  2 months ago
  I appreciate you—and yes, it’s definitely difficult not to feel bitter about the Galactic Crate Challenges—they were one of my greatest sources of resources, and I also personally loved trying to complete all 4 feats on as many tiers as possible. Now with a paywall on half the feats that’s no longer a possibility. I’m sorry you’re feeling the effort you put forth for Bane has been undone. I’m getting the sense a lot of people are feeling very similarly—like the rewards of years of patient and consistent effort is being greatly diminished or even undone entirely.
- 0b1xpfzljmgn
  Seasoned Newcomer
  2 months ago
  Not pointless Marrok! The game was fun and I got a lot of enjoyment out of it over the years. Now though...as you stated with the reworked GC system, I am in the same boat.
  I think it now means that no amount of skill or strategy can overcome people who pay. Before, you could pay and be good, or you could actually be good and succeed. Now, there is no way for parity between groups. The likely effect will be less players, most of which pay for episode passes and such, and then the game will die because it wont be fun with such a limited number of players/guilds.
  I think the price point is just too high. $40/month for a mobile game? and if you get the Marquee player during the episode where you can earn the rewards, what is like $200/month? Get real! It can only mean they are trying to kill the game so they can shut it down.
  - mykdapet
    Rising Traveler
    29 days ago
    There really never was that parity to begin with. If someone can come in and fork out thousands in a month and pick up 8 GLs - a free player who starts at the same time won't be able to catch up to them for several YEARS. That is a problem. Even free players who started day 1 and have earned all the GL's for example get every new character slower which these days puts you farther behind as the new toons are overpowered. Vader, for example, is supposed to be one of the most powerful characters to have ever existed in the timeline. Yet, he's probably not in the top 50 strongest toons. But, whatever.
    The part that bothers me most about the pay stuff is that the game is WAY into the black. They could break even the next 5 years and still be in the black. It's just a reflection of the times I guess that profit must always go up and up and up. God forbid it hold steady or maybe decline a but, but still be healthy. Can't have that.
Abillister83
Seasoned Newcomer
2 months ago
Do you think this update is good overall, bad overall, or a blend?
blend but leaning towards "bad".
For you, what aspects are good and what aspects are bad?
Good: adds a lot of new achievements/goals.
Bad: pay-to-play. I spent 12k crystals on the "1 time purchase", spent some time clearing through achievements, and then realized I can't even claim them. This doesn't "entice" me to purchase, it depresses and makes me NOT want to bother playing or putting effort into it.

Are you considering leaving this game due to this update?
Yes.
Why or why not?
I know I'm not a big spender but the new features, requirements around purchasing shards, requirements around purchasing the pass (which I would already say is pricey)...I know I've not been the target audience for most packs since I started playing in 2017, but at least then I could just purchase something now and then and still feel like I could compete. With these new changes it feels like if I am not able/willing to buy the new marquee characters AND pay for the pass I might as well just stop playing.
Any additional thoughts or comparisons with previous updates?
Conquests pass system I think was a better balance of pay vs free - as a minimal "pay" player I was able to experience the content and get most of the rewards - just slower. I could max crate or gold crate the first 3, and purchase shards with conquest energy, and get the secondary shards in the next conquest round and still unlock the characters within a competitive time period.
- JinxZod
  Seasoned Rookie
  2 months ago
  I am on a similar line of thinking. One easy fix that would go a long ways is hiding the feats or quests that you cannot complete if you do not have the shards or episode pass as in your screen shot. If or when you achieve that goal, then those extra feats should unlock, otherwise keep hidden. It feels bad seeing feats sitting there we have done but cannot collect. I personally rather not see them.
  Emotionally it feels bad for players even if the end rewards may be similar or even better. Visually they could do something to improve that.
  - MasterSeedy
    Rising Ace
    2 months ago
    I agree with you that feats you can't collect are clutter and encourage bad feelings on the part of players.
    The problem for us is that I think that CG is hoping to encourage bad feelings among players with the goal of them hating staring at those feats so much that we'll pay to unlock them.
    I am not the best person to comment on the psychology of generating $1B from a game's players. While people consistently point out how horrible this approach to the game is, CG keeps making money and the servers stay lit. So maybe it does generate more revenue than it loses?
    I can't say that it's a bad money decision. But I can say it's a terrible game decision in that anything that makes a game less fun tends to ruin the point of playing. We're not here because we have to be.
    And while not everyone pays (and not everyone has to pay), it's crucial for game health to have a pool of FtP participants. If no one is FtP, then paying doesn't get you any advantage, because everyone else is paying too. And if paying doesn't buy you an advantage, then why pay?
    Therefore there need to be people like me who make positive contributions to the community other than spending $$ (I did give some back when I first started, but I prefer purchase games not subscription games and gave them what I thought it would be worth to me to buy a game like this, then stopped spending forever). Their work, then, has to be a balance between the things that psychologically prime spenders to spend and the things that psychologically prime FTP to feel bad and thus stop playing.
    To be perfectly honest, the people who are going to quit from this update are very unlikely to comment here. They play because it's fun and quit when it stops being fun without much worry about "investment". We'll never know why they stopped, really. (Not most of them.) We have to take a best guess at what will really cause people to leave, based on how those of us feel who play primarily because of the fun of the game, but are also invested in the game for whatever reason and thus stick around longer than short term problems last. For me it's the people in my guild and Discord's 50 Shards. We help each other, and even when the game feels terrible, I don't want to lose touch with those people.
    So far all the worst things have expired (or I've stopped caring) before it was enough to drive me away from my friends. So I can -- having stuck through bad things -- fairly comment on those things that make the game less fun, but I can't be certain that these are the exact reasons that others' left.
    Personally I hate the UI with the fire of a thousand suns because of the relentless, non-stop popup windows that hide useful information. But I don't hate everything about this update. I'll need a couple more weeks to decide how I really feel. And, honestly, with the cluttered UI and constant popups, I might not even know how I feel about the rest of it until those things are gone, because they are so obtrusive and problematic.
- TheRobConnolly
  Seasoned Adventurer
  2 months ago
  I appreciate your input—very detailed. The fact that you paid 12k in crystals and can’t collect your rewards—what the heck? That’s even more ludicrous than I at first thought. If I’m understanding that screen shot correctly, is it saying you need to have a certain amount of shards in order to collect the rewards on the achievement you already completed?
  I agree with you—Conquest is definitely a better balance of free-to-play and pay-to-play. This update was allegedly made for free-to-play but it certainly doesn’t feel that way.
  In retrospect though, I don’t recall if they ever specified that this update was to help free-to-play players achieve their goals or to hinder free-to-play players. It may actually be the aim to drive them away.
  - mykdapet
    Rising Traveler
    29 days ago
    A little clarity....12K crystals was for 13 packs of Huyang shards, no?
    So, between the free 55 and say getting 100 from the pack, that's 155. The 12k was the price for 100 shards, not to gain full access to the character tree. There is like 7 tiers of rewards under the character path for Huyang and completing feats gets you completions of different things. Some require more than 155 shards to collect.
    Is that a problem? Yes. Absolutely, but the 12K was for shards not total tree access. The huge problem there is you are forced to spend to complete the tree. If you get lucky and pull enough shards in the pack to 7 star, you can do it. But short of that, cash is the the only way to do, which is wrong. Dangling those other achievements in your face showing how many more shards you need to go is just crass advertising. Look how close! spend spend spend to get that next level. It is literally up there with free drinks, extra oxygen, and no windows in casino's to keep the players gambling.
    WIth a game so far into profit, it's a massively pathetic as well to stoop this low.
- DrVoodooAUS
  Rising Rookie
  29 days ago
  These pass are not just pricey, they are over the top. I could buy 6 streaming services a month for one pass. Even WOW is only 13 a month
8uyyo96fldad
Seasoned Newcomer
2 months ago
Do you think this update is good overall, bad overall, or a blend?
*Overall bad. It's alienating a significant portion of the player base and locking rewards we were already getting behind a stupid **bleep** pay to open wall. Now 2/4 of the GC rewards are locked behind pay walls? What the **bleep** CG?
For you, what aspects are good and what aspects are bad?
*New quest system isn't inherently bad, and could be a lot of fun. I just know CG is going to lock a lot of quests behind paywalls such as conquest pass, or having the newest character at x shards / stars 🤮 that is horrible
Are you considering leaving this game due to this update?
*Honestly, yea.
Why or why not?
*I wasn't until I saw the GC today that fully confirmed how locked everything is behind real money, and not even creative effort as it used to be
Any additional thoughts or comparisons with previous updates?
- TheRobConnolly
  Seasoned Adventurer
  2 months ago
  Thanks for your feedback!—yeah, I think “alienating” is an excellent choice of words. They claimed this update was for free-to-play players, but I’m definitely not getting that feeling. That bit especially about requiring new marquee characters to be at certain shard levels/stars just to complete a feat or just to claim rewards on already completed quests is freakin’ ridiculous.
unbeatabledeeds3
Seasoned Newcomer
2 months ago
Do you think this update is good overall, bad overall, or a blend?
It sure looks and FEELS bad right out of the gate.

For you, what aspects are good and what aspects are bad?
More simming is great. Never having to do another Galactic Legend Rey battle (or whatever those are called after Conquests) is great. A new store with additional opportunities to buy omicrons is great. Everything else is bad.

Are you considering leaving this game due to this update?
Yes. I would have quit this morning if I weren't in a guild that I love.

Why or why not?
I understand that battle passes like this are often a necessary evil for gatcha games. Devs gotta get paid to keep the game going. That's fine. Gating things behind paywalls are a necessary evil for gatcha games. That's fine. Getting notifications and being forced to look at quests that I cannot complete without paying, that's not fine. That's awful. That is a very **bleep** user experience. It does not make me in any way want to spend. If anything, it's having the opposite effect. I truly do not understand how this made it through an entire team where everyone said, "Yeah. People are going to like this."

Any additional thoughts or comparisons with previous updates?
Whether or not the rewards ultimately end up being the same as they were previously is immaterial at this point. CG doesn't have a great track record with that (which is not unique to CG. A lot of gatcha game devs pull this **bleep**). What matters is just how bad of a user experience this is. This and the removal of an assault battle every month does not inspire confidence. I was going to buy two of the new lightspeed bundles coming out - I'm not now, since I don't know if I'll even stick with this game in the coming weeks.

I don't really have any good comparisons to weigh it against in terms of previous updates.
- TheRobConnolly
  Seasoned Adventurer
  2 months ago
  All valid points, for sure. I was also contemplating purchasing another lightspeed bundle this month, but after this update? Nah.
  
  And yeah, game developers have bills to pay, but as of 2023 the revenue for this game was around 90 million—they don’t have to make it harder for free-to-play players to grow and have fun in order to give pay-to-play players more options on products to purchase. That’s a choice that they’re making. Their revenue plummeted from 154 million in 2017 to 90 million last year. Hopefully there will be enough of a dip in their revenue moving forward that they reconsider punishing free-to-play players.
  Again, CG_Meathead you don’t have to restrict free-to-play growth in order to provide pay-to-play options.
  - nmkevlb397zs
    Rising Adventurer
    2 months ago
    I think that's what's driving this. You're the only other person I've seen post revenue numbers besides myself. At the end of Q2, this year was on track to be the lowest revenues since launch. I think this update was driven by board and exec concern over the diminishing revenues, and to a lesser extent shareholder concern (remember EA is a publicly traded company, which is why you can easily find this revenue data).
    I think this is MEANT to be a cash grab, but as bad as they are at masking these revenue pushes as "for the players" (who are you really kidding, c'mon), this is their worst foible yet. It's CLEARLY not a QOL thing, this is obviously a push for revenues before the close of Q4. My guess is there will be internal discussions over ditching the app if the revenue numbers don't come up.
    I think it's correct of the playerbase to be suspicious of this, and stop spending. It also provides some needed irony to all of this, because the stupidity of this company decision is going to halt spending rather than increase it.
    The other piece of irony is that of all the products I've seen on the market anywhere, there is a rather vocal and rabid userbase for this app. Many companies spend countless dollars on market research, while EA has gotten all they could handle (and more) for free, by way of these forums and the reddit sub. If they just took the time to digest what people are saying, and cater to the customer, they would have a much more successful app. People literally tell EA what they're willing to pay for, and are completely ignored. It's just a bad company. "Too big to fail" is the only reason they're still here, and of course they have all those sports games people played for many years (maybe still do, but I only know EA from the console sports games back in the 90s... I had never come across them again until this app). Stick to Madden, guys, you don't seem to belong in the mobile app market.
PainOfDemise
Seasoned Rookie
2 months ago
It's bad overall since it puts a paywall on certain things that didn't have a paywall before. It's less friendly to F2P players and just everyone in general. I was excited for the update until I got to really see it now and it's way more of a cash grab than I originally thought. I'm not consider leaving, but I will be spending less money than I was before. I don't consider myself a whale, but I'm no where near F2P either. With this update, it makes me want to go F2P with how desperate it makes them look to get money.
- TheRobConnolly
  Seasoned Adventurer
  2 months ago
  Exactly—I drop money on occasion, but with this update, I’m likely not going to spend another penny because of how much they’ve hindered free-to-play growth. Making it more difficult to grow without spending money doesn’t incentivize me to pay more money. It incentivizes me to never give another dime as a matter of principle.
Commander459
Seasoned Newcomer
2 months ago
Good: simming, raid tickets, dailies
Bad: Everything else. The new pricing structure is a racket and I'm fed up with being a money miner for EA stock holders.
They butchered F2P and it's nightmarish following the complexity of paths and achievements. Overall its a total bummer of an update and brings into question my desire to play any more after 8yrs of daily play. When CG talk about quality of life improvements they have to be joking. This game doesn't support quality of life at all and these changes haven't improved anything QOL, in fact they have deepened the peril and my advice to anyone looking for a mobile (or PC) game would be not to get involved whatever you do.
All the months of hype about big QOL changes and we get this? What an insult. What a racket. Coercive and manipulative game design.
- TheRobConnolly
  Seasoned Adventurer
  2 months ago
  “Coercive and manipulative” is spot on. I’m also fond of the description “predatory” that I’ve seen floating around. However, my all-time favorite description of this path that CG_Meathead is on has been “outright darkside.”
  - nmkevlb397zs
    Rising Adventurer
    2 months ago
    You can't blame the community manager for executive decisions at the company. It's like the way people on reddit constantly call out the devs... Coders are not driving these top-level decisions, guys. This is a publicly traded company run by a board and executive team. No one writing code 10 hours a day has anything to do with this other than coding what they've been instructed to code.
itsall4theglory
Seasoned Novice
2 months ago
Blend
Good: simming, raid tickets, dailies..
Bad: everything else
Been wanting to quit since Rise of the Relics TB and Datacons. Only reason I've stayed is a combination of the sunk cost fallacy, my guild, and conquest is f2p (kinda)
With this update, quitting seems like the right thing to do for me personally. The game only makes me angry anymore aside from dunking on accounts in GAC that have tons of datacons.
CG does not care about the players. The audacity to say that this was for f2p is mind blowing. They're catering to their big spenders in every way possible. It is a business after all. And a mobile gacha game. We the players need to come to terms with that fact and stop deluding ourselves that it will ever be anything more. Video game developers across the board are prioritizing short-term gains over quality. As the saying goes, "They just don't make 'em like they used to."
- TheRobConnolly
  Seasoned Adventurer
  2 months ago
  I’m with you. Especially with that claim it was meant for those players that are free-to-play. I hear that and I think:
  Because now half the accomplishments are “pay us money.”
  
  There’s talk of a month-of-December boycott. Do you think something like that would have an effect? I’m typically cynical about the effectiveness of communal organization, but I am generally optimistic about one of the (two) things that seems to actually promote change: hitting them in their wallets.
  - itsall4theglory
    Seasoned Novice
    2 months ago
    It could work if the "hit" was significant enough but you'll never convince the whales to stop whaling.
MaxBane83
Seasoned Novice
2 months ago
- Do you think this update is good overall, bad overall, or a blend?
This update is not bad per se.
- For you, what aspects are good and what aspects are bad?
I like the achievements system and the whole episode progress bar mechanics. It would be pretty good indeed, if it were not for all the cash grab implied everywhere. I can live with the Extra Rewards Track with the Episode Pass but, you need the pass to unlock half the achievements AND you need the shards to unlock the other half PLUS you need the pass to complete the challenges. Seriously that's too much greed. That's a stab not only to F2P but also to casual spenders.
- Are you considering leaving this game due to this update?
It is too early to answer this question.
- Why or why not?
Again, it is too early.
- Any additional thoughts or comparisons with previous updates?
In terms of game mechanics is one of the best I've seen to date but, at the same time, it is the most greedy I have ever seen in any game I have ever played.
- TheRobConnolly
  Seasoned Adventurer
  2 months ago
  I appreciate you—I’m still working through the game mechanics and deciding what I’m enjoying vs. not enjoying. That’s partly why I created this thread—to hopefully have more positive aspects pointed out to me that are being overshadowed by my frustrations at the increased pay-to-play aspects.
uklem
New Rookie
2 months ago
1. Do you think this update is good overall, bad overall, or a blend?
There are a few goods but this update still leave a bad taste
2. For you, what aspects are good and what aspects are bad?
GOOD :
Sims are the first good that came to mind.
There might be others but I can't remember them with all the bads.
BAD :
The diminution of the feeling of accomplishment with how much reminder there is that if you don't pay you can't finish anything.
The destruction of the GC. Why didn't you just add 2 new bonus feats for the whale and then distributed the point through the 4 previous ones? Why didn't you add the crates to the Episode Shop so we could buy them? Were you so afraid that your players would see that after each GC they won't be able to buy what they earned before?
The overwhelming UI change just so you can frustrate us with hom much we can't do!!
3. Are you considering leaving this game due to this update?
Not now, but the thought is here when it wasn't before.
4. Why or why not?
If I feel more frustration than enjoyment when I am lauching the game then I will know that it is the last day for me. You clearly took away any joy I had with GCs. Now let's see if the joy I have left survive your greed.
The end of this Episode will be a make it or break it day for me. I planned to try the Episode Pass in december and hoped for an Inquisitorious LSB (Just a dream I know) but at this moment any spending has been put on hold anniversary or not.
5. Any additional thoughts or comparisons with previous updates?
I am wating the end of this Episode, but I hope that there will be some communication from CG part. And for all that is holy please be it true communication and not some bu....it anouncement where they tell us how exited they are about the player's reaction and they are monitoring everything.
- 9316cda23d97c1c6
  Seasoned Newcomer
  2 months ago
  THIS
  GC was one of my favorite parts of the game and it's pretty much ruined. The change was completely unnecessary. Just add a few paid challenges for the episode track if that's what you're going to do.
  I don't know if it will kill the game for me, but I'm definitely playing less.
- gufu21
  Rising Adventurer
  2 months ago
  "The overwhelming UI change just so you can frustrate us with hom much we can't do!!"
  
  So true. It's that EVERYWHERE I look they're rubbing in my face how much I can't do unless I pay up. They even have the gall to show me fancy UI of quests ticking off just to tell me I can't even claim them without paying.
- DrZeppersTTV
  Rising Rookie
  2 months ago
  “The diminution of the feeling of accomplishment with how much reminder there is that if you don't pay you can't finish anything.”
  You read my mind…