The update issue isn't the rewards...
Players on these forums stating that F2P players are getting the same (or better) rewards as pre-update aren't wrong, the maths has been done and (mostly) bears that out - though there may be varianc...
Forum Discussion
Well said! I like the (justified) criticism AND the practical solutions, whether they were your idea or someone else's. Kudos for the problem solving solutions.
There were things I was really looking forward to in this update, and things I was skeptical of. Having seen the implementation of it, I'm left feeling mostly disappointed. I'm not a huge spender, maybe a guppy, maybe a clown fish, but I do invest in the game, mostly because when someone makes a product that I'm enjoying I feel they deserve something for that products development. And hey, it helps me progress in my goals too.
Having seen the implementation of the update, I can honestly say that at this moment the only thing I appreciate about it now is the fact that all energy counts towards tickets. As an officer, I appreciate not worrying about people getting their tickets. If CG fulfills their promise of the Simmable events, that will be another thing that I'll be extremely grateful for.. but since Contraband Cargo wasn't simmable, I have no confidence in the others being so, and this leads towards that disappointed.
CG said this update was developed with F2P in mind. As such, I decided to play this ET as a F2P player. The results I'm left feeling is that of complete disappointment in my progress. I've accomplished everything I can towards the ET, but having only hit a few early milestones so far, it just feels like I'm not making progress, not getting the same rewards. I get it, the math says I will by the end. But the daily/weekly progression we've been so used to for 9 years isn't there anymore. Instead I have glaring accomplished feats waiting to be claimed locked behind a pay wall that stares at you every time you open your Quests menu. Again it could be psychological, but it feels like you're losing rewards you've gotten for free in the past. And not only does it feel like I'm not getting the rewards I used to get for free, but now I have to keep a close eye on the ET store to buy the remaining rewards that used to just be rewarded or delivered to my inbox. This is not a good feeling!
Another thing, it's minor, I know, but I used to like collecting my energies individually instead of collectively at once. I used to keep an eye on my timers and collect so as not to waste minutes if I was collecting energy that would put me over 144. Also, something that SHOULD be adjusted; when bonus energy is available, we should see how much time we have left to collect it before it expires. We used to have that before the update. We don't now. If I'm busy (at work or watching the kids), I should be able to see how much time I have left to collect instead of trying to mentally count or remember when it's going to end. That was a poor decision to take that out of the game.
All-in-all, this has been a disappointing update. I wanted to be hopeful for it with the promise of all energy counting towards tickets and simmable events, but the overall implementation of this update just feels bad. Everyday feels like if I didn't pay for the ET then I'm quickly falling behind. I like the solutions that the OP offered and I think it would go a long way in making progress and possibly redirecting this wayward ship. I hope CG is taking input from their player base...
