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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

Wednesday 3 October 2012

Five Step Plan

[As usual, all thoughts in this blog are mine and mine alone. They do not necessarily represent the views of the admins or members of Frontierville Express.]

In this post I'm going to try and split myself into two minds, the easy one, as a player, and the harder more serious one, putting myself into the mind of Zynga, the mind of a game developer or manager.

I know what WE want, but I don't know the business plan etc of Zynga, so I'm going to have to run on a few assumptions and guesswork, but hopefully I hit fairly close to the mark.

So, why am I doing this? Because there's a negativity over the game at the moment, we see that every release day, actually every day.

Don't get me wrong, I still love the game, I'd have to be insane to spend the time I do working a fanpage if I didn't. I also know we've had a lot of things lately go our way, smaller builds, smaller amounts of crafting, more homestead items... things have happened purely for OUR sakes.

I still think there's a lot of things to be positive about in the game, but I also think there's a few things that consistently appear when people are complaining, and need looking at.

So, because of this I've designed a five step plan I think could help the game. Am I arrogant enough to think this would make it the best in the world? No, course not, but doing any of these would, I think, enhance the fun of the game.

It won't be perfect for both sides because what we as players want, and what Zynga as a business want are different... but we'll see.

If you agree, please use the Like box, share it to friends, send it around... if I get enough likes maybe it'll help.


Step One: Players want to PLAY.

How annoying is the word "Buffering?"

There you are, on NetFlix or LoveFilm trying to watch a great movie and it st...ut...te...rs... and up comes the spinning circle and that word buffering.

Well, recently that's how the game has felt, especially loading. We're gamers, we want to game! Instead, each time we load we have to go through the gaming equivalent of previews before a movie. Popups about games, animals, Horseshoes, even forcing us to go to a build before we can even start playing the game.

Despite what people think these don't cause a big issue with loading times or performance, but they do harm the fun of gaming. By piling these on at the start you instantly break the enthusiasm of the players, we go into the game wanting to play, and then you stop us playing, you give us something that 99% of us just X out of.

Popups are never good things, forcing people to get through them when they're enthused enough to want to play the game? BAD strategy, both in gaming terms, and simple psychology. I see the reason for them, I really do. But why not slip them in through the game?

Have a think, do we REALLY need this popup? Will popping up the carnival games manager make people want to play carnival games or give them a negative feeling towards the feature? I think I know which.

Equally, Letters? Those annoying things with a yellow arrow over them. There is nothing that infuriates players quite as much as trying to get on and play the game just to see "Don't ya want your letter?"

Little garnishes like that are all well and good, the idea of the letters is quite cute... but making us click them before we can do what we WANT to do turns them from a cute bit of fluff into yet another annoyance "buffering" our game... just remove the "must click" aspect of them, let us play our game and then go click that later.

Step Two: Giving people what they want.

It used to be that the Barter Depot was the most misused phrase in the game, but these days the most disingenuous phrase is "Free Gifts".

Let me explain, Tomorrow is my sister's birthday. I've bought her something she wants and needs. If real life was like the game her birthday "gift" would have been something I wanted her to give me back for Christmas.

We don't really get to gift any more, it's just become a third method of requesting items and has become a race, who gets to ask first and get back what they need.

I understand that you need us to send free gifts for statistics, clicks etc, we get that. However, the current setup is excessively frustrating and again, takes away from the fun of the game. There's two things I think you can do to help this.

1) After 2-4 weeks, make free gift crops or animals available in the market for coins. We get at least one new free gift crop a week, standard players will always have to request something, and right now most players are stuck in the frustrating position of having to decide which they want, knowing they can't ask again until tomorrow.

They also know if they're a few missions behind, they're most likely to be "gifting" this crop to people who don't even want it. Giving someone something they don't want, that's not gifting.

2) We know those things that pop up in game are to make us gift. Problem is it's ALWAYS rubbish, breakfasts, crops we don't really need, broken things... Keep those gifting popups but make it something GOOD, remove the Level 100 limit from giving Dinners for example and put them in.

Gifting works best when we're giving people things we know they'll like. So make gifting really worth it with some great things to send that will make people happy.

Step Three: A few less rocks in the landslide.

OK, I'm just going to come out and say it. Why not try one release a week? There, it's in the open.

I see the problem that some folks, by fair means or foul, can get through a mission thread in a few days to a week.

But just think this way... Players with nothing to do can be distracted with favours, more school missions, more mastery... stuff that doesn't HAVE to be done but can be a filler.

Most players can't do the missions that quickly and overwhelming people just doesn't seem to make sense for business reasons, gameplay reasons, even just design reasons.

On the business side you want new players, you want to widen your interest base and from that, gain more marketing across Facebook. But instead of what used to happen, a drip feeding of missions in a story tree, new players, once they hit about level 15-20 become overwhelmed.

If, by that early stage, they're not emotionally invested (and there's every chance they wont be at that early level) it's very possible that they'll look at the massive mission list and just decide it's not worth it, in fact I'm worried for the future as I don't think I'd have fallen in love with FTV if it threw as much at me so early on as it does today.

There's also the simple fact that you spend a LOT of time designing these features, and we don't really get to enjoy them. Not only do people just want to rush through them knowing another one is coming soon but each release now is greeted with negativity because people are feeling overwhelmed. That's not great for your publicity and your PR.

Give us one mission thread a week and then give the folks who do rush something else to occupy them. Better favour missions (less crafting heavy) or more mastery, things they can do but don't HAVE to be done.

Also think of threading more missions, the Mae/Birdie arc was ridiculous when you were finding out (SPOILER ALERT) that Birdie was innocent and they were making a Sheriff Academy, often before a player had even completed the set of missions introducing Mae.

If we're going to have a story like that, a full on cliffhangers and episodal story, have them spawn off the back of each other like the old days, limiting the amount of simultaneous missions while allowing players to go at their own pace.

Players would greet new missions with more positivity if they knew they wouldn't have to do them until AFTER they've cleared some out.

Honestly, I hear "no more missions!" enough that it's something to look at.

Also see my Open Letter To Zynga: http://andy.frontiervilleexpress.co.uk/2012/03/open-letter-to-zynga.html

Step Four: Shorter Shopping List

I am going to say something that's going to sound a bit nutty. Work with me.

When people complain about the amount of items needed, they're not complaining about the overall amount of items needed.

What they're complaining about is the amount of items needed PER thing, whatever it is they're building or crafting.

We want to feel like we're achieving things, and having to collect so many wall posts and direct requests to finish ONE mission or build becomes monotonous. By the 4th or 5th item we craft it just feels like a repetitive trudge.

If your metrics or stats say you want THIS many posts or clicks, then spread them out over more missions, at least then we'd feel like we're getting somewhere, not spending a week or two requesting the same item, over and over again with nothing to show for it.

You'd be laughed out of the room if you tried to sell a game that was based solely around clicking things on Facebook's wall, but that's what FTV has become, we spend 10 times as long NOT in the game "playing" it as we spend IN it.

I know you love a lot of wall posts and virals like that, it's what YOU want to get out of the game. But what if it's costing you players? Isn't 5 wall posts from 10 players better than 20 from 1?

Less requests would equal more players because it would make the game faster paced and more fun. More players equals a much wider spread for your marketing. Pioneer Trail is in danger of becoming insulated by missing out on new players, leaving you with just the current players, posting to the same set of current players, because all THEIR friends who don't play are sick of seeing 50 posts a day so have either hidden the game from their newsfeed or blocked it totally.

Of course on the subject of new players I'll repeat something I've said before. How many people will look at a wall full of requests, often with negative and depressing counters in the comment box (I've just seen one person posting and writing "only 55 to go!") and think, oh yeah, that's the game for me! I LOVE posting wall spam.

The amounts have been dropped from the previous heights of insanity where one single build required hundreds of items, but it's still too high to be fun.

As I'm already rambling enough I'll just leave a link to another over-long article on requesting and a few fix ideas here: http://andy.frontiervilleexpress.co.uk/2012/02/we-dont-want-no-charity.html

Step Five: Bigger Trolley

You knew it was coming, I knew it was coming, everyone reading knew it was coming.

Rationing is no fun, and what seemed, to begin with, to be a fairly generous gift allocation now hasn't changed in over two years, when the game itself has changed immeasurably.

When the game started and we had 50 clicks that was fine, a few mission requirements here, a few building bits there, for months we probably never hit 50 items we needed per day.

Now we're needing twice that many items just for one building requirement, and the restrictions that felt so generous 2 years ago feel so crushingly small now.

Let me plead the business case.

Most people don't continue to click after 50. Player after player are only getting one to two clicks on a post if it's something even a few days old, let alone the poor folks trying to catch up.

Giving people more clicks might still keep them being selfish and only clicking what they need, but at least it would get YOU more click statistics and more happy players. Happy players spend money, happy players get friends to play, happy begets happy...

We then come to the envelope, an even more unfair problem. By limiting the amount of items an envelope can hold you're making it a nightmare carnival game of luck to request items from neighbours.

After the first 50 gifts get through, BAM, nothing else. We only get to DR twice a day, most players will only take advantage of one of those... and you're standing there like a bouncer outside a busy nightclub saying however good we are, however much money we'll spend... the club is at it's limit and we can't get in.

Even worse, it's not that we can't get in until some leave, it's that we can't get in AT ALL and our request is dead. That item we need, one of far too many, we'll never get because 50 people got their first.

That, even more than clicks, is the cruellest cut, things we're sent, requests we make... poof, gone into the ether. This is a phrase often misused and often overused, but here I think it's apt;

It's just not fair.

I don't know who's placed the limits on the game, if it's Facebook, talk to them. But what we need, right now, is 100 clicks and far more envelope space, even to the point of infinite space, the current setup is unfair and frustrating. Limiting clicks I get, limiting gifts and DRs smacks of meanness.

See my ideas on how more clicks could be WORKED for, not just given: http://andy.frontiervilleexpress.co.uk/2012/09/clickety-click.html

The End

Right now your plan with Pioneer Trail seems far too skewed towards making life difficult for the people who are determined to finish missions in a few days. Well, they're only a small percentage, and in making it difficult for them, you make it impossible for standard players.

I'm not asking that everything gets changed, I'm not asking for unrealistic demands like many players, no missions, no requesting, that's not going to happen.

Hopefully what I'm asking for is compromise.

Or just, ya know... let me run the game for a month ;) *shrug*



Further reading: A few articles on gaming aspects...

Horseshoes and prices: http://andy.frontiervilleexpress.co.uk/2011/12/lots-of-little-pies-or-one-big-one.html

http://andy.frontiervilleexpress.co.uk/2012/08/the-bother-of-business.html

Missions: http://andy.frontiervilleexpress.co.uk/2012/07/misfortunes-of-missions.html

Prize Animals: http://andy.frontiervilleexpress.co.uk/2012/08/booby-prize-animals.html

92 comments:

  1. Well said Andy, you hit all the nails on the head. The only other issue are more and more people are cheating to get the missions finished, which leaves some of us with less and less friends because we do not cheat. Hopefully Zynga listen to you!!

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    1. I agree Eileen, some of the groups I'm in won't allow anyone to play if they are connected to the cheating game sites, and they hunt them down and announce it.

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  2. You're a genius Andy. keep up the good work.

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  3. Andy, I could not have said this any better. Thanks and I do hope zynga listens to you. I currently have 55"unfinished" missions :( I am about to just stop playing Frontierville...it is getting more like work, less like fun. Thanks for posting this and again, I do hope zynga reads and listens!!!!

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    1. i did however stop playing a couple weeks ago..(same with alot of my neighbors) i have played for over 2 years ..just cant keep up on it anymore.. I would go back if they let everyone catch up because we all know once you get behind you will not catch up because if someone doesnt need something they wont click on it..so stop the mission for a while and like Andy said give the busy bodies something to do. And 1 more thing we should be able to decide when and what missions we want to do...

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  4. Totally agree with what you've said here Andy. I can only hope Zynga gets it and does something about the issues you've raised on our behalf, cheers.

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  5. I have one example where I needed 27 to finish the task but could only hold 18. Now I'm begging for the last 4 that I need and no one else is posting it.

    I agree with this post. I used to think that 10 missions was a lot now I have over 90.

    I'm ready to decide if I will continue to play or not.

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  6. I'm soooo behind you on the stupid popups and "Don't you want your letter". The rest would be wonderful but those two particularly annoy me! Well said Andy. Let's hope Zynga can read!

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  7. So many people have dropped out of the game I, 3/4 of my neighbors have left, look for cheaters to be my friends because they at least click my posts! :/ Great Job Andy!

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  8. Well said Andy
    For the folks who are in facebook every day,we are working thw home page as well as gifting,still not getting anywhere,peope not giveing but asking for gifts,that doesn t help either.KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK

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  9. Fully agree. Hope they action this soon.

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  10. AMEN to all the above! Thanks for getting it out in the open for all of us!

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  11. Thank you Andy, I have lost so many neighbors who have left the game because of all the issues you stated. I hope Zynga listens and finally can say and mean," A great Game just got better". Thanks again for stating our case so well!!!

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  12. omg that would be pure heaven im a player from day one and have been close to insanity a few times please please zynga read this

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  13. Well put!

    I also don't need to see the animated 'storylines' when you complete or start a mission. The Flash player slows everything down and stalls the system, you think the game has hung (yet again) and just as you are about to do another 'Refresh' after waiting half a minute, the wide-screen animation kicks in and you can't stop it. I don't need to see it and an option to switch it off would be appreciated!

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    1. well said....now if only Zynga would read and act on it we would all be happy

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  14. I agree whole heartedly. They hav e made it to hard to play anymore and alot of people have quit the game. It isn't getting easier just harder and to many missions at once is frustrating and impossible to complete. We do need to be able to get more gifts from feed page 50 is not enough. I won't buy horseshoes so to get many of the crops is slow and almost impossible. Thanks for voicing many of our own opions on the game.

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  15. Andy, this is what players have been saying for so.......long, but not in such a nice way as you have laid it out. I agree with all 5 steps exactly. I have in my forum signature: "A happy player is a player that stays and plays, A unhappy or mad player just deletes the game." My real problem with Zynga is they have known all of this for a very long time and everything you have said they have been told and it's been ignored. I have played this game since day 1 and I have spend plenty of hard cash on the game but I am one of those players that has been thinking real hard and serious on quitting. I loved more then anything Step5. You are right and I never really looked at it that way. We never did have as much to do way back and not the 2 mission/building a week is such over the top that we all feel so over loaded. It makes the game like work or a chore not a fun game anymore. So have Zynga seen what you wrote? I hope so but like I said it;s what the majority have been saying for a very long time. Well said Andy, well said.

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  16. I like what you said Andy, all of this is true. When I started playing one small group of missions looked like alot, now I have 5 pages. The thing I want most is more clicks per day but clearing up some of the other things would also be helpful.

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  17. A Great and well thought out plan of action and agree with all of you points. Now I hope Zynga pays attention to the straight forward and reasonable thinking that has gone into the suggestions you have made. If more time was spent on fixing what is wrong than creating more problems with each new mission release the happier we all would be and more likely to recommend this game to new players..thus increasing the player base it's fine to publish millions of players but how many are really playing.

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  18. great article. I hope that PTB listens.

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  19. You must have read my mind! When I first started playing one of the reasons I chose the game was because Farmville was getting ridiculous with all the new farms and those neighbors were encouraging me to 'crossover' because it was fun but not as demanding. At LEAST 100 return gift clicks would be nice, but why not more? Finally you mentioned we could only DR twice a day. What is DR? Thanks for taking the time to help us as it is and cudos to you if this letter is considered!

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    1. I think it's the direct request that is sent to a particular friend/s & no one else can send you only the person/s you send it directly to and they have to accept it to send to you

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  20. Awesome and well said, Just when i was getting ready to quit the game i just might hang in there to see if things change.

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  21. I totally agree with everything you said!!!!

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  22. Bravo!! Thanks for being a great voice for us. :-)

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  23. Nice job! Now if they will consider and change it. Also, If they would just change this repeat missions. We are really hating that. Thanks for all the help you give us.

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  24. and for those of us that can play MOST days but not everyday it is frustrating to come back after a few days and have 2 new buildings and 3 new missions to do wen we already have 6 buildings to finish and 30 missions that we CAN'T finish because eiher the ones that still play are beyond that or there just aren't enough neighbors anymore. SO i hope zynga listens to you and makes the game fun again! it's not FUN now like when it first started! THANKS Andy! you're the best!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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  25. You are right Andy, I had to stop playing for over a year because my game would not load, and when i came back so much had changed and most people had either the same problem and were no longer playing or just feed up not being able to rely on the game to work r load and that they cannot get help from neighbors, i used to visit all my neighbors so did everyone else when i first started playing, but now it takes to long to load my neighbors farm and i am spending to much time just sitting there waiting, so this is also why we don't visit and help our neighbors anymore. I used to love coming to my game and seeing all my neighbors busy on my farm, i am lucky if i see one a week now.

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  26. You hit the nail on the head yet again Andy! Hope Zynga listens to you because they haven't been listening to all of us. It's getting very frustrating playing this game and all the joy has been sucked out of it.

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  27. Amen to everything you said!!!!! Would also like for them to add a delete mission option. I have several of those repeatable missions that I refuse to do at the end of my list. Would love to get rid of them. Would love to delete all the partner missions too. When you are behind you can never get a partner to help you catch up! Hope Zynga listens to you! Half of my friends no longer play and if Zynga doesn't do something soon this game will be obsolete!

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  28. Hi Andy - Thanks and I really hope ZYNGA will listen to you - as I am at level 200 and seriously thinking of quitting the game. It has turned into work and no fun - I have removed my like from the game and my timeline page. If they would only wake up and listen. Thanks again and Have a good day or evening!!

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  29. Totally SUPPORT yr ideas Andy. Definitely NEED at least 100 clicks. VERY, VERY IRRITATING with all d pop-ups & the "letter" interupting our game. If ZYNGA Doesn't DO something FAST,Im sure there'll be More & More players leaving the game. AS of now,I know of quite a few ppl leaving the game already. So plsssss ZYNGA,WAke Up & Do something Fast b4 All d ppl leaving. TY :)

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  30. Brenda Bowling Wigsmoen3 October 2012 at 17:33

    I agree completely with all 5 points. I started the game at the beginning, and soon quit Farmville because it had become so overwhelming and not fun anymore. Unfortunately, PT is becoming the same way. ALL of the neighbors I had for the first year have quit, and more are leaving everyday. Which makes these constant new missions even harder to finish. I am so far behind, I do think of quitting often myself. I don't want to, but I can't get the items I need, and refuse to spend more money. If Zinga doesn't listen, the game is doomed. When I played Farmville, almost everyone I knew on Facebook played too. Now, no one I know still plays it. Pioneer Trail is heading the same way.

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  31. Another aggravation is all the people that have left the game and are still on our request list when asking for items we need. I have to scroll down my list of neighbors forever before I get a player who is actually playing the game. I wrote them on this and nothing they can do. Really!!! I think not. Thanks Andy for all your help, you've said what we all feel about this game.

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  32. i am just tired of loading this game 50 plus times a day. Just put our gifts in our inventory and let us go on. Would like to make my own stuff instead of begging all day WHEN I can ask.

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  33. Andy~ I always agree with you on your "Letters", they are exactly what I am thinking! The game is not fun anymore, you can't help your neighbors, as you have to be selective on what you click for your own missions! And when I do run out of clicks, you bet I go help those I know are behind in the game! I have some neighbors trying to finish stuff from last Christmas, and I am talking the village not the Snowman!! Some of my neighbors just finished Halloween town~ It is time for Zynga to step up to the plate and make changes to this game~ or they will loose me and many more of my neighbors!
    You do a great thing here Andy, for all players!! If they don't listen to you, what makes us think they will listen to our suggestion? I have been suggesting things everyday, haven't seen one appear yet~ I have played since day 1 and at this rate I don't see myself playing much longer!
    Once again Andy~ Thank you for everything you do and try to do for us the player!!

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  34. Andy, you are eloquent and brilliant in your complaints, solutions, and ideas! I agree with everything you have discussed. I hope Zynga will actually listen and do something about these issues, but I will not hold my breath. I have made some of these same complaints, and suggestions to Zynga, but to no avail. Maybe with this fan page, they might pay more attention. We can only hope. Thank you Andy, you are a great advocate for many frustrated, upset, and fed up players!! Keep up the great work.

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  35. What is a DR? And by envelopes, I am not sure I know what that is either. Can you give more details to both questions? Thank you very much.

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  36. Sue Flanagan,,,,,,,Well, I'm addicted to the game but agree with all that's been said. You either have to be "obsessed" like me (catch all 4+ posting times and gift/send DR every 12 hours) AND have well over 150 ACTIVE neighbours OR you just plod along, getting further and further behind and begging non stop. I want the CHEAT BOTS to be stopped and SERIOUS penalties for those that use them. I'm SICK & TIRED of deleting new neighbours for either using them or allowing lots of their neighbours to use them. The old gifting / DR method was the best. The 50 limit envelope is ridiculous if you're sending to someone like me who has over 200 neighbours and is on a different time to most of them. I dread to think how many are "lost" when I'm asleep or go out. I like most of the missions and the new boosts are fantastic....proving they do listen at times BUT we need NEW mastery missions for trees, animals & crops, continuing missions like the flowershop missions in the sheriff's office (keep solving mysteries)new things to craft in the barter depots (the barter mystery boxes are full of rubbish but I craft them for something to do), add new recipes to the bakeries and the brick oven, let us craft wearable outfits in the tailor shop for all our family.....I've lots of ideas but I think they should all be done via crafting ON OUR OWN HOMESTEAD and at our leisure, to gap fill when bored. There should be "penalties" for the partnerships when the animal belongs to person A but let person B (who's only trying to help) do all the work (If it goes to the maximum time allowed).....they should get NOTHING except 50XP and 50 coins! But yes, having friends who struggle, I do agree with you Andy. The ONLY reason we should not receive a DR or a gift is that the recipient doesn't send it! NOT through this horrible envelope system. I can't imagine not playing ever again but I'm seeing other stalwart players giving up :( I hope Zynga will listen!

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  37. God, I hope Zynga listens to you, Andy!!! I've been playing faithfully since day one, and for a while I was so excited and proud to see the number of likes on the game rising and rising every day!!! The last few months, however, that number has been steadily going down. You'd think they'd notice that and do something about it, before the game crashes for good. Why on earth would they accept something failing right in front of their eyes? PEOPLE ARE QUITTING LEFT AND RIGHT!!!! And they put up with that!!! That's OK??!! Zynga really needs to consider their player's loyalties, because right now it seems they're simply greedy and deaf.

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  38. Thank you Andy - I agree with you about everything.
    Idea: I would like to suggest that Zynga go and visit some other game-makers games. Even some of the other Zynga games, have better ways to handle some of these things. Try looking "In-House" for solutions that have already been "invented" to solve some of these issues. Just a thought...

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  39. Thank you very much Andy, for you have summarized pretty much of what most of us find very annoying....hopefully they will listen to you...(wishing) and fingers crossed...your the best...have a great day

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  40. Thanks Andy; as usual you're spot on with your critique. I've played Frontierville almost since the beginning, with a six-month break while I tried to get a life in the real world. When I came back and it had became Pioneer Trail, I quite enjoyed working through all the missions I'd missed and caught up with a great deal of effort. With the two new missions a week it's been hard, but now I have caught up it's still a struggle to keep up. And I've finally decided to quit permanently.

    That was a really hard decision, because I always really enjoyed the game, but I found that I was spending between 5 and 8 hours every day just to do everything I needed to fulfil the missions and maintain the homestead, and that's just too much! I found that I was making more and more excuses to my partner for spending time on the computer - I even sometimes came down in the middle of the night to complete some missions! I used to neglect other jobs in the house because of this damn game. I even dreamed about it on a regular basis!

    So, enough is enough. From now on, I'll just play the odd game of Words With Friends, and though I know I'll miss Pioneer Trail, I think I'll be able to lead a more productive life without it.

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  41. Thank you, Andy, for saying so brilliantly what so many PT fans are feeling. I like the game or I would have quit long ago. I agree that we need a minimum of 100 clicks. The demands take away the fun of playing. It is tedious. Strategy hardly works with constant missions popping up. I just went on vacation and came back to a nightmare of missions to catch up on.: Leatherworks, show dogs, and animal habitat, plus 3 unfinished missions. We can't help our neighbors as much as we would like because of the limitation on our clicks. We have to collect what we need, or we would never finish our missions. I help others after I use up my clicks which doesn't take long. I see posts from long-time players daily who are discouraged and ready to quit. I hope that developers will listen to you and work to make this a game and not a version of "Groundhog Day."

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  42. Thank you for saying this for us! I for one is ready to quit. I cannot finish old missions and refuse to start new ones. Then you cannot get help because everyone needs thier 50 clicks for themselves. I still try. Getting to had. I am seriouly thinking of stopping this game. Farmville run me off and it seems I have another I will be ending soon. Hopefully changes will be made before I quit! Thanks for speaking for us!

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  43. Thanks Andy hopefully the will here us all now.LOL Yeah right Imagine that. The game feels more like a job now than a game.we need more people like you on our side.

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  44. I agree with all that you say but feel that for the future viability of the game the 3 most VITAL thing the management has to address is to remove the limits on the gift centre and increase the number of clicks to 100 per day. The third essential is to reinstate/and or provide "live support" to ALL players. The fact that some people have had "live" removed from them with no explanation as to why is definitely unfair. It is especially unfair because the impression has been given that people only have themselves to blame if they lost it. The unfairness of this is staggering. I know there are some people who look on "support" as a first resort, but the majority should never be made to suffer for the minority. Email as an alternative is fine but when emails are consistently ignored is NOT good business practice. In a game where "glitches" are norm, good and even-handed support is vital.

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  45. A game is not a game if it feels like work! Good job!

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  46. Now take this article and fire it off to Zynga directly...per email...if you can. I almost feel a Zynga Picket coming on with my neighbors because of the exact things you mentioned. Good Job Andy as ever....well clicked.

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  47. Andy, A well written, well though out case for those of us that actually want to PLAY this game.
    As it stands it's a case of 'go into game, ask for stuff on wall, leave game', that's is all it is, it is not fun anymore

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  48. I've played now for 18 months, playing everyday, i'm getting sick of all these missions. most of my friends no longer play and it takes me forever to complete most things. Like a mug i've even joined the vip package, I'm getting close to jacking it in.

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  49. Thank you Andy for stating what we all have been feeling. I have been playing from the beginning and have lost over half of my good neighbors. I noticed them leaving after the chili missions that required so much stuff. I have thought about quitting myself several times, even stopped for 10 days but missed all my friends and I finally caught back up. I feel that we do need more clicks. One evening I used 25 of my
    clicks just trying to finish one mission. Once again, thank you for saying what we all have been saying and wishing all this time.

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  50. amen to that i have more missions than i can finish i think they need to release 1 new mission every 2weeks and these repeatable should be every 2 months but when they release repeatables no new missions while we are working on repeatable missions

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  51. I totally agree with everything you said Andy and endorse it wholeheartedly.

    I'd like to add something for consideration. It makes a huge difference to the ease of playing depending on which time zone you're in. It's easier if you are in the US because when new missions are released lots of people can click for the new items and send the relevant gifts etc, but such is the pace of the game that by the time we wake up in the UK the next morning, the wall posts have been clicked and used up and we have to wait for our US neighbours to wake up and start playing (in our afternoon). We're lucky if we can find enough players who are looking for the same items we are, and we have to rely on the much fewer numbers of European players to try to help us out. We are forever more in a catch-up situation, and the more missions there are, with more demands to be made, the further behind we are falling just because of the disparity with the time zone. As you said, it's not fair!!

    My own personal bug-bear is the raising of "champion" animals. I thought Zynga would have got the message when fewer people completed the sheep than did the pigs, and fewer again for the bulls. But to add the horses and then the dogs is pure madness. I've given up on them and have shoved them down to the bottom of my mission list as I don't intend to even try to complete them. If my neighbours ask me to pal up with them I do do, but I don't start them on my own. It's just a step too far.

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  52. Very well said and I must agree Ellen. People are cheating more then ever now. It is so annoying when you have a new friend, to find out they are using you to cheat. Its not until you open your envelope and see that person has nearly used up your allocation. This leaves your true friends not get the requests they've sent returned. Therefore I am now quite reluctant to take on new neighbours, but beacause so many are dropping out this leaves me very limited to what I can request. Hopefully if Zynga takes note this would reduce the need for cheating. I think even dedicated players are getting quite fed up with the game, it needs to change

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  53. well said Andy thank you...hope this DOES help

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  54. I'm on a limited income, I end up spending money on horseshoes trying to catch up and it's getting me no where and I can't afford it any more. I get so tired of begging for stuff I need to complete a mission or a stage within a mission. I'm not the only one, several players have voiced the same complaint.

    I've been playing these games for some time now and have gotten so frustrated. I've gotten so far behind it's unbelievable. I have 5+ pages of of stages to complete I have become very overwhelmed and I can't seem to be able to get the help I need. some of the missions I am still working on are back when Hank and Fanny got married and had the twins. I'm still working on them. I really upsets me when you have to repeat a mission over and over and over. For what purpose?? To win some stupid gift you not only don't want but have no use for. My inventory is full of stuff I wont use, the only reason I keep it is just in case it might be needed in a future mission that I'm unaware of at the moment. It just isn't fun any more.

    I use to enjoy Frontierville and Farmville but not so much any more. Farmville has to many story lines I can't keep up. I reasently started playing Farmville 2 and I like it, I think it's cute but I'm already getting weary. Frontierville has to many missions popping up before I have a chance to complete the ones I'm working on. That's why I have so many incomplete missions.......People don't want to send what I need to complete buildings, (very frustrating).

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  55. Thank you so much for giving all us players a voice! I agree with all your steps and sincerely hope Zynga listens. Like so many posts above, I so used to enjoy playing this game but now it seems more like work. Half of my neighbors no longer play and I'm real hesitant to add people that I don't know (or that one of my friends know), so request are never being honored. And that "free gift" thing, is just a joke.
    Thanks again, I know you spend a lot of time helping all of us.

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  56. I couldn't say it any better, I really hope they listen to you!!

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  57. Superb !!!! I agree 100%

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  58. Really well said, hope they listen it would make the game so much more fun. I have so many old missions I cant compete it is getting boring.

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  59. Well Said mate, this would be fab if Zynga actually listen and help, unfortunately i don´t think they will. I have lost all interest in the game now, i still log in and send my requests, but thats my limit, i have even gone on to Farmville 2, something i thought i would never do. I will hang around for a little while longer, but maybe will end up saying goodbye as well as most of my friends have. :(

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  60. Andy,
    THANK YOU!! I have been on the Trail for almost 2 years. And finally someone is seeing let alone saying something that makes sense!! If Zynga would make the compromise, we might have happier players. And more players. I have NO time for other games as PT has become a full time job. Not so fun anymore. But I refuse to let down my neighbors. I will plod along until I can't anymore. I am close to leaving something that I used to love. I would like to spend a little time in my real garden instead of hunting all day or night for the multitude of junk we need for mission impossibles.

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  61. How I wish Andy was running the show. Everything said here is exactly how I feel. I've lost so many neighbours over this past year that I've lost count. I get new neighbours but they don't last long either once they see all the crazy missions. I've sent several letters to Zynga with the same ideas that Andy has but they don't listen. I left and finally blocked Cafe World for the very reasons stated in Andy's post and I've come close to doing the same with PT several times. I don't know how much longer I will be playing this game either unless they make some very serious changes. Thanks Andy for expressing my sentiments so well.

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  62. I quit playing FTV, mostly because it was getting to be too much....I have a full-time job and when I come home from work each day and sit to play it was just too much for 1 hour....now if they possibly put FTV on Zynga.com, where I play Hidden chronicles, getting clicks becomes much easier and more enjoyable....I don't understand why they don't put that on Zynga.com like the rest of the games....asking then does not become such a chore.. just my opinion. ;-)

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  63. I'm just wondering if the reason they don't really improve the game is that if you start the game, then you are considered 1 player in the stats. If that is true then all players, active and inactive, are counted as players when they put out their numbers and there appear to be a lot of players when only 25 percent are actively playing the game. I agree with Andy with all he says. Zynga could also do a little more with cleaning up the homestead. I could use a building for all rideable animals. I also have some animals (raccoons are 1 example) that can't be stored. Why they can't go to the animal hospital is beyond me. Another thing that could be improved is using things that regular players Should have a ton of wood. What happens when you get to 1 million wood? Does the counter go back to 0 or will you keep the million? Maybe wood should be used as some sort of bartering tool in the game to get other things to complete missions. Wood was important back in those days so it would be a valuable bartering tool. Food for thought.

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  64. couldn't agree with you more Andy. there are very few that go over 50. We do need more of them that do. I always try to do over 50 because I am usually out of rewards in 2 hours. This game IS fun and I think that if we didn't have to ask for so many things to do 1 things it would be even MORE fun.

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  65. THANKS ANDY! I HOPE ZYNGA LISTENS! I HAVE LOST SO MANY OF MY FRIENDS AND NEIGHBORS I AM ALSO ABOUT TO QUIT BUT AM HOLDING OUT IN HOPES THEY WILL MAKE CHANGES BECAUSE I DO LOVE THE GAME :)

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  66. Thanks for saying what we all have been wanting Zynga to hear Andy. I have been playing this game for 3 years and it used to be fun. But in this past year I have become more and more frustrated by missions I can't finish because a new one comes along in the middle of one I'm working on and after awhile it all becomes overwhelming and makes me want to pull my hair out. It isn't fun anymore, it feels too much like hard work. I have been thinking more and more lately of quitting PioneerVille, I have even walked away from it a few times, but come back hoping they will listen to us!

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  67. I agree 100% with you. I would also suggest that we have a lot of coins and we are continuing building them up and there really isn't much that we can use them for because they want horseshoes for everything.
    Just like the new crops that come out instead of putting them on the free gift page put them in the market and let us use our coins.We also need Brass and Steel ready Boosts and we should be able to buy them with coins not horseshoes.Just Food For Thought Also.

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  68. I don't think they listen to us. I agree with all you've said. i also agree with the poster that said they add cheaters so they can get clicks. too many are leaving so cheaters actually help me, at least i get clicks. isn't that what we all need? farmville has unlimited envelope and wall clicks, isn't that a zynga game? why can't they make this one like that. well said!!! hope they listen.

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  69. I agree with you on everything you wrote!!cheers!! I hope Zynga will get it and change things.Thank you Andy, good job!!

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  70. I agree with everything you said. I don't know how people with jobs and kids can even play this game anymore. I'm retired and not kidding when I say I could spend every minute of every day working on things and not getting finished. The slow loading, the popups I don't want or need, having to refresh and reload constantly. I did quit playing for about three weeks because I was taking my brother-in-law to chemo and radiation treatments. We're through with that now and I'm playing again but almost ashamed that I'm so stupid. Thanks for your hard work in putting this together -- I sure hope Zynga listens!

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  71. well said i love the mission! BUT I have one or two issues...lol to many things to request and all the new crops are all hs ?? also my rejuvenation plant is busted has been for 2 months i cant get any help with it...lol I love the article! keep up the good work :)

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  72. Totally agree with you Andy. I love this game, but it's become too stressful, just getting further and further behind. (I quit Farmville, and other games because they became too much, and I rarely played them.)I had made up my mind last night to quit playing,maybe I'll stick with it a little longer to see if Zynga listens. If not I'll be quitting.I hate letting my neighbors down, but that's the way it is. Thanks for all your hard work and insight of both sides.

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  73. God Bless You Andy for being PT's Advocate!! You are so good at putting your thoughts down in words...using humor and kindness! I SO enjoy reading what you write...and wish we could MEET ALL OF YOU at the Express! Not just you, but ALL the gang are wonderful and such a great help to us all! Hugs and Blessings and a HUGE THANK YOU!! Jeannie L. :)

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  74. Andy as usual well thought out and well spoken. So many are leaving the game because of all the things you just addressed. Yes this is a game BUT it is not fun when we have so many complex missions set on us at one time. Some people can only play once or twice a day, others are on the game all day long. Those that can only get on once a day cannot possibly stay ahead on all the missions so they get further and further behind... pretty soon they give up and quit the game that they so used to enjoy. There has to be a happy middle ground so all can enjoy the game that we all enjoyed so much in the beginning

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  75. I agree. When the game first came out I suggested doing away with the repetitive pop-ups after a period of time. HA HA HA

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  76. well done, the game is becoming more and more overwhelming, I've spent hours in one day trying to complete missions without any success and I have to reduce that time and get on with the real life. Very anxiety producing. Takes weeks, weeks, to complete a mission, sometimes months. That's no fun. There are 2 pages of missions in my box that i won't get done. And, I WON'T pay for any horseshoes or other stuff, I am not spending real money. In a very short period of time, I would be bankrupt. Another thing that is annoying is not being able to request any more than one item from a mission on the feed. Sometimes there are 3 items to request on the feed, but can only request one, that really slows the game down.

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  77. well said andy.. and thank you for putting up with us players coming to you with our gripes, moans, and messages.. you are what helps most players as we have somewhere to go to for some sensible common sense help ..

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  78. THANK YOU Andy.....awesome statement and what so many of us hard core players think every time we enter the game and see a new mission :(. I can only pray that ZYNGA takes your suggestions to heart and does something to revive the game.

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  79. Exactly what I think every time I play. With so many missions undone and I have been playing since it began. Why would anyone choose to do something that makes them feel overwhelmed?

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  80. good one andy hope it works

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  81. Please Please Please Zygna, Listen to Andy....He has all of our views printed out in black and white, and mighty strong reasoning to justify the unfairness of all of the issues stated. I cant even begin to count how many have just given up this week alone, what on earth were you thinking 182 charcoals, does any one actually do the math before conjuring up these crafting projects! I loathe to find out whats in part V of the pumpkin carving mission!

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  82. Great ideas. Personally, I would like to see more timed missions come back for those who don't have many open missions and want a little more to do. Those who are already overwhelmed can ignore them. Another idea would be to up the XP to go through the other places on the World Map - if you are caught up on your homestead you could go back and redo the trail. (Some of us are redoing it anyway, but it would be nice to get more XP each time through as a reward. That would be easy enough to program in; it only takes a counter and a multiplier.) A third idea is that even if the counter on the clicks stop at 50, that a player could earn 10,000 bonus XP or a horseshoe if they clicked on 50 extra within that same 24 hour day just to help others out. That might encourage some of those who stop at 50 to continue one. Shrug. Just some ideas.

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  83. Another thing that would really help.......would be to up the click limit to 10 on some of these requests like the 264 tongs needed for the smokehouse mission. Right now you can only request 20 per day, and even if you used all your 50 clicks every day for them it would take 3 days to get them all. If you only need 15 of something 5 isn't bad...but anything over 30 should have at least 10.

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  84. Most certainly agree with you Andy! Hopefully Zynga and/or Facebook will take this seriously and make improvements!

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  85. ANDY I adore you !!! This has been one of your best reads since I became familiar with you. I am going to oass this on and hope my neighbors do also. Thanks so much !!

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  86. andy i do hope they listen to you as i have lost many friends that play game because of the issues you have just mentioned and i wont play with anybody using a 3rd app as i class it as cheating

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  87. GREAT IDEAS but I don't see it happening. There is Pioneer Bonus that is an app. that was designed to help players and the Gift App Also from FACEBOOK. It helps me help others even if I don't play like I used to. I finally had to give up when it started to affect my health in an adverse way. I still try and play but when my BP goes up and IF you are ever hospitalized and unable to play for a few weeks then you are left with a lot of unfinished and new missions with no help from tech support it begins to be such a pain in the tookus that you finally just give up. I still try and help my friends but this is getting so much worse and the people who still are playing are going to have to do it without my help if this stuff keeps up and besides that, I can't get help to catch up by my Neighbors anyway. So why try? I do agree that GAMER'S UNITE is cheating.
    Happy Hoping that Zynga listens and helps those who need it. YOUR ideas would certainly help with the whole situation!

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