Friend Visit Payouts

PhoenicianSn wrote:
I'm not sure about the veracity of the claims that the issue caused severe instability either; I have not read anything to date, and within the parameters of my research, that corroborates these statements. Although, that does not necessarily mean that the problem didn't exist or didn't contribute to client crashes and server instability as claimed. The only issue I had read causing severe instability to the point of consistency with client and server crashing is the problem with the Silent Bob character.

Regardless of either position, I am happy that the subject presents a good topic of discussion and to experience contributions tendering both sides of the argument. Some people have offered great insight with their position, even those who have offered a meager two word conclusion. Without question, each person subjectively enjoys different aspects of the game, and it is interesting to learn of each individual's experience.

For me, part of my enjoyment was aiming to increase my friend base as a result of the increasing payouts with each visit. Now, although I do visit friends daily to vandalize their buildings in an effort to contribute towards each friend's maintenance of the respective trait relative to that action with their Conformity Meter, the process does not feel as rewarding with the lack of any holiday patch rewards.

Nevertheless, I greatly appreciate everyone's contributions! Keep 'me coming!

Has anybody ever told you that you "type" like a lawyer?

Ooo....that was hard to read! I kind of gave up half way through it, sorry but it just reads too much like some dissertation or thesis.

The friend bonus - the cause of much debate on this forum. Some even threw fits, deleted all their friends, and left the forum over it. What a mess. I was glad to see it go away. I'm on the side that believes it caused server instability and just because it didn't seem to affect a couple? Not conclusive enough evidence for me.

So I voted no (although I didn't agree with the way it was worded).

I do not want to see it return.

I'd like to see bonus multiplier applied, but not all glitchy.

Lsleong wrote:
I used the glitch a few times, but it was too much work. Don't really mind that it's gone. I do think EA should apply our individual premium bonus multiplier to when we visit neighbors.

That would be cool.

lissarv68 wrote:
Has anybody ever told you that you "type" like a lawyer?

Ooo....that was hard to read! I kind of gave up half way through it, sorry but it just reads too much like some dissertation or thesis.

The friend bonus - the cause of much debate on this forum. Some even threw fits, deleted all their friends, and left the forum over it. What a mess. I was glad to see it go away. I'm on the side that believes it caused server instability and just because it didn't seem to affect a couple? Not conclusive enough evidence for me.

So I voted no (although I didn't agree with the way it was worded).

I do not want to see it return.

Not enough "conclusive evidence" on either side it seems.

By the way, I write like a lawyer only to offset my speech, which is parallel to neighborhoods of Section 8 housing in de-industrialized urban zones. We all balance out one way or the other.

PhoenicianSn wrote:

lissarv68 wrote:
Has anybody ever told you that you "type" like a lawyer?

Ooo....that was hard to read! I kind of gave up half way through it, sorry but it just reads too much like some dissertation or thesis.

The friend bonus - the cause of much debate on this forum. Some even threw fits, deleted all their friends, and left the forum over it. What a mess. I was glad to see it go away. I'm on the side that believes it caused server instability and just because it didn't seem to affect a couple? Not conclusive enough evidence for me.

So I voted no (although I didn't agree with the way it was worded).

I do not want to see it return.

Not enough "conclusive evidence" on either side it seems.

By the way, I write like a lawyer only to offset my speech, which is parallel to neighborhoods of Section 8 housing in de-industrialized urban zones. We all balance out one way or the other.

LOL I knew it. You sound very intelligent in your posts. That's not a bad thing but it may cause some to skim past it because they want a fast read.

I think the friend bonus thing was such a topic of contention that it's probably best that it stays away. You were not around for the epic fights over it.

Thanks for the compliments about my writing. I happen to be an attorney by trade, so good guess. I understand both sides of the argument, and completely appreciate the fact that a glitch affecting players enjoyment of the game serves as a sufficient basis for people to be against the reimplementation of the code should it risk a similar redundancy.

However, as they say, there is "more than one way to skin a cat". In spirit of that statement, code could still be implemented to satisfy these opposing concerns about the payouts.

EA could simply increase the payouts all together based on the players total friend base. Whereas, instead of reimplementing complex code gradually increasing payouts with each visit, the payout for each unit would be a variable flat rate based on the total friend count of each player. By example, one page of friends nets "x", two pages of friends nets, "y", so on and so forth. That is a lot cleaner code structure than implementing a multiplier with each progressive unit return. Since the code defines the payments based on the users total friend count, the payouts are simpler eliminating complex code that may result in server and client instability while satisfying players who desire these rewards.

By these means, people are incentivized to add friends to their count, over and above the singular benefit of netting more frequent holiday rewards. While, the earlier purported "glitchy" code is not reinstated risking a replay of the earlier problem.

That is a much simpler code to implement, and reduces or minimizes the risk of the problematic hacking that the earlier code and players experienced. As I said, there is more than one way to make things work as a happy medium to satisfy everyone.