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Andy's Workshop


Game chat and stories along with some articles probably for the more geeky among us,
all written by me, Andy.

Click here for my Frontierville Addiction Therapy Guide

Tuesday 20 March 2012

Seeing The Diamond In The Coal

You know what saddens me most about the current state of the game?

Over the last six months or so I think we've had some great new features, the Emporium and Ranch spring to mind as innovative new items that helped out and weren't overly onerous to build, I don't mind making the building/crafting effort when the end product is useful and furthers the game.

Effort for reward is fun, it's when the effort doesn't really further anything along I tend to find issue. The Debris Generator and Irrigation Station are examples of things I don't mind building. Yesterday's badly misnamed Barter Depot, much less so.

Also, Prospect Falls, a divisive area to be sure, but that was to be expected. If you treat the falls like the main game and attack it with gusto it may prove to be frustrating, but I think many folks have taken it as a diversion, a 10 minute break from the homestead, and enjoyed it more as a result.

I think we've been inundated so much that many folks have almost been institutionalised into needing to rush because of the fear of more stuff coming, but the Falls are a gentler prospect, to be taken at a slower pace so were always going to be a love/hate split.

Whatever your feelings I think it's fair to say the art department have again created a beautiful area, and we are getting something much different, much more interactive than previous expansions.

But, right now we're getting too much stuff to easily get an objective view of what's appearing.

Even when we get good mission threads (and there have been fun ones now and then) it becomes hard to see the the enjoyment in them when the first thought is "oh Christ... More?!"

So, I think we need to start taking each set on their own merits, and thinking about the game accordingly.

We need to start concentrating on the diamond, and ignoring the coal.

Me? I'm going to be ignoring Rekindling, Get Rich and the Barter Depot. Instead I'll be doing the baby naming, the Falls and the Prospecting Tales.

From now on I'm going to take a picky view of my gaming. I'm going to pretend every new thread is the first I've had in a while, see it objectively and make a choice.

Will I enjoy this?

Yes - I'll do it.
No - I'll ignore it.

It's a liberating thought, we only need to do what we want to do.



As a bit of blatant self promotion, if you haven't already, please read THIS and if you agree, share. Perhaps it might make a difference.

9 comments:

  1. Totally agree with you. Far to much going on with no real rewards. Fed up of asking for neighbours help. I think we need missions that focus on our land that we can do ourselves x x

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    1. I agree. I ask and ask and get nowhere. Seriously thinking of just deleting the entire program. I would much rather work at reaching my own goals with an occasional neighbor request. The requests need to follow the same path as visiting neighbor land. Not every single mission. With the restrictions on requests of neighbors you can't do anything without lots of frustration. So much for a mindless game to relax in the evening! huggggggssssssss

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    2. Totally agree I feel like I'm begging all the time, I used to look forward to new missions now I see them and groan - not another - there is no time to play the game as its ask ask ask and not do anything on our own homestead. Timed myself the other day all I did was put out my requests - on the feed and from neighbours and it took half an hour - ridiculous!! xxx

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  2. It would be nice to have most of the missions depending on what you can do. Some people play but not on a regular basis and do not contribute to their neighbors! Its sad because its a good game.

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  3. I enjoy Prospect Falls, a nice slow pace to the game, of course im not to the build 40 buildings part! The homestead is getting too much! I dont mind having one major mission on my homestead and maybe a few timed missions at the same time but one major mission after the other is overkill. Just when we think that things cnt get worse Zynga proves us wrong!! Dont know if they are trying to please the people who use horseshoes to complete the missions or the people who use the cheats but they are forgetting that the majority of their players are casual players who are here to enjoy the game but unfortunately it has become more like work instead of play!

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  4. Totally agree. In fact I still haven't done the bandstand, the stallion series, the gold rush or the wikiwah healing series. Don't plan to do the barter depot, unless I haven't got anything else to do. I didn't build the poker table until I had to to do another mission. The train is also on the back burner. That's the only way to do this game.

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    1. Oh, and I stopped doing timed missions long ago. Don't have time when I'm busy trying to do the regular missions. Same for the bulletin board.

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  5. Heh, I love the game, but the way zynga works is that they allways start game "easy" and get people hooked, then they add more and more, just to get rid of the player who dont pay and buy stuff with real money etc(if you just play, you are just wasting resourses by going to the forums and plaaplaa). Just need to pay some money and you can do all the missions that you want, many games have monthly fee, allthou in zynga games its ridiculously high, considering what you get.

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