I think one of the things we have to do is be patient. I can't imagine 2.0 roll out went from idea to inception in a week, and we can't expect things to be fixed in a week. The open letter is a sign that good things are to come.
Many of us are on board with the no spending. The unification is something that I think is incredible. I hope the mods continue to be open with us regarding fixing the broken token economy. I don't expect an update daily but every so often.
Just like with any company dealing with the public it's important for the company to maintain a set of standards when talking/communicating with the public. So we may not hear what we want to hear, and it may sound like it's a "cookie cutter" response but understand they must maintain professionallity with us. We should do the same. What I mean by that is although @Shadowkeeper@Teeceezy represent the company, they are individual people just like us. We are frustrated with the company they represent, but should never be frustrated with them. Easier said than done for some but I hope my point comes across.
I thought to myself at times it could be possible they don't respond because if they do (as seen on the forums) we are quick to quote their words and use it against them. Sometimes causing even more conflict and issues. The important goal here it to continue to keep the lines of communication open. I have seen a surge in forum activity recently, so we are all empassioned about this game which is great but we must also be patient.
Seeing as to what can be fixed on the go and what requires an update I assume fixing something of this magnitutude requires an update. But before an update can be in place ideas need to be presented (not by us, we already did that) to whomever is in charge of making the big decisions. I believe this last week has been filled with brainstorming by NG since it's clearly unanimous regarding members how we feel about this token economy and other game related issues.
Patience is the only thing we have right now. Because if you are reading this, and haven't stopped playing (or even if you have stopped playing and still reading this) it means you love this game and want to see it be better.
| OG | NOC | USA | UK | CA | CQR | UC | RAD | ZEN |
But to stay on @mongo911 's topic, I think it's a decent statement but it obviously needs to be followed up with action. Now they need a bit of time and we will see if they deliver.
There were two things missing from the statement, however:
1) any mention of the demeaning job ads ( @Shadowkeeper had apologized for those earlier, but @Teeceezy should have repeated that).
2) any mention of the horrible youtubers and how that was kind of a kick in the bitch nuts to our content creators.
He obviously can t show up with a bag full of candies because the community threw a fit. But if they do not quickly correct the obvious holes they made in their ship they are going to sink for sure.
They had created a game where one would not mind spending. Game was being updated regularly and really fun. By creating these unreachable goals without Trump money, they just emphasize the fact that the merry-go-round has no end. My guess is many will find elsewhere to spend time and money. The irony would be to spend that time and money on a game they promoted through their videos...
good job, hope to see your (NG) actions to fix this great game.
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Heavy hitters onboard has probably made a real impact on the bottom line. They have got to even it out or risk loosing profits and players. Listiten to what the players want or lose money and interest in the game.
I would like to think I have been more than patient on multiple occasions even reminding others to be patient with NG but the response does help increase my optimism for balance but it also raises new concerns. I'm concerned with @Teeceezy response about no immediate changes. I haven't done many 15 radio calls in the last 2 weeks instead going with the 5 and special 10 option but it looks like too many 15 radio call results in 2 or 8 tokens results. If this is true this should be fixed as soon as logistically possible. The 15 call option should result in no fewer than the rare level and that seems it should coincide with 32 tokens.
I'm also concerned with how many updates we will have to go through before the bugs are fixed. I think I have seen Teeceezy comment that they do test updates but once things go live on such a large scale things that look fine can go wrong. With Murphy's law being part of every update NG should investigate all the leader traits and all gear traits and make sure they're working 100% properly and fix them as soon as logistically possible. NG has also told us there has been no change to radio drop rates, gold ticket drop rates, and rate of body shots on lower level walkers. While changes in radio drops, gold tickets, and body shots on lower level walkers may not be intentional, NG needs to look into the possibility that there have been unintentional changes caused by bugs or glitches.
NG rolled out 2 updates within 3 weeks of each other during holiday month. With that kind of productivity hopefully some of these issues that require immediate attention will get the immediate attention they need.
@Teeceezy Thanks for the reply, it is much needed. The update on the tokens is but a breath of fresh air. But only a breath. You have yet again failed to mention anything else but the token debacle. I'm ok with that if you start bucking up and making good. There is a plethora of incredible ideas that have been posted in the last week that could very easily be implemented quickly.
Can someone fill me in on what the guild council is and what @SlickRick has to do with everything?
I still don't buy it. Something tells me they are just stalling the community (token availability in no immediate future) and trying to sneak out of it. I bet two Daryl tokens that the token system will NOT be changed in the future. There might be more ways to earn tokens but it'll come for the price as other drop rates will be decreased. I don't believe in NG - not the mods on this forum - really caring for this outrage. I will be the first to show credit and apologize if they do, but I doubt it.
Also consider, this open letter was written after many of us had complained that there was none.
At this point I do want to say that I pity every mod here. I don't know if you are NG employees or not. But you're the ones getting all the bashing (also from me) while the people who decided this shit are probably on vacation on Bora Bora. So don't take it too personally and make sure the right people get to know how the community thinks about it.
From what we've gathered, you do like the Heroes and the ability to progress them along with survivors, but the availability of the tokens can feel scarce
@Teeceezy You mentioned the hero tokens, but the survivor tokens are a big issue also. All tokens are an issue, IMO
Better than nothing but more of the same. I respect that all these guys are just doing their job and I know in any FTP you should expect all the 'pay walls' and 'pressure walls'. Fix the token system as best you can. Please stop the contempt for the community and the user review process(speculating). I know they started with CPW but this isn't the Wild West so try shaking things up and add some ethics into the decision making process.
@Teeceezy You mentioned the hero tokens, but the survivor tokens are a big issue also. All tokens are an issue, IMO
From what we've gathered, you do like the Heroes and the ability to progress them along with survivors, but the availability of the tokens can feel scarce
This is what I (apparently unsuccessfully) attempted to imply.
@teeceezy From my point of view, token availability isn't itself a major issue, only that the total tokens one might be able to collect are divided into so many different buckets.
In my testing for survivor rarity using single radio calls, I conducted about 500 single radio calls (and collected input from others for an additional 250). Each radio was averaging about 4 tokens, so in total that was 3000 tokens which is a fairly substantial raw number. However, those 3000 tokens were about evenly divided across the 6 survivor classes and thus represented only 500 to each type allowing 2 upgrades per survivor type. While this is excellent for strengthening the entire bench, most people use smaller teams of survivors 3-6 different ones as their primary and would be more inclined to put their tokens into Hunters and Warriors as an example to strengthen their primary team members.
It gets a little better when using 15 radio calls since you have better control over directing which class those tokens go into, but it does feel a bit rigged. By that I mean that it would be foolish to turn down 128 scout tokens in favor of 32 hunter tokens in the grand scheme of things, but if hunter is the class that I really want to upgrade, what to do?
In a system that was already one of scarcity, the 2.0 update added an additional 8 types of collectible tokens with the promise of additional heroes and thus additional token types yet to come. If all things are equal, I now have a 1 in 14 chance of any particular card representing the class or hero I wish to upgrade when I do a 15 radio call with the same trade off decisions. With the possibility of getting 2 and 8 hero tokens on this call it further dilutes the ability to collect them in the numbers desired.
The ask from many here on the forum is a simplification of the token system by combining the various token types from 14 down to 2, Survivor and Hero. Doing so would allow the X number of total tokens a player might accumulate to go into their favorite survivor versus being distributed across so many different options. Yes, it would greatly accelerate the advancement of individual survivors or heroes, but it would not reduce the need for radios in the long term.
If NG feels that the complexity of token collecting is a key part of the business plan, perhaps a middle ground solution could be possible. Instead of reducing from 14 (plus more to come) types of tokens to 2 types (survivor and hero) it could be reduced to 4 types (Survivor Melee, Survivor Ranged, Hero Melee, Hero Ranged) though I know there are many who think even 2 types is too many and want it to be a single upgrade token system making it more like a simple currency such as gold or trade goods.
Yes, there are people asking for more ways to get greater numbers of tokens, I've seen plenty of that. But again, my opinion is that token availability in general isn't as much a problem as the diversity of token types. I hope this long blob of text sets out the reasoning well enough.
Thanks, and good luck during the storm!
DeadFamily Guild Elder, a Top 20 Global Guild
The Undying Suvivalist--Founding Member and Prezident of the Empty Memorial Club
2725 Deadly Missions Completed Prior to the End of The Deadly Era
Nightmare Club Member--All 14 Episodes of Story Complete on Nightmare Mode (lvl 19 survivors)
I really do hope that ngo fixes the game economy as was stated because as I have mentioned several times not to be a pain in the ass but because I literally have seen other games fall apart because the people running it thought it was just a game so there was no need to apply real life economic models while developing or altering it. This is a mistake because who wants to play a game where it takes so much time, in game resources and RL money to move further within it that it's completely stagnant and frustrating?
Content providers where treated very poorly and I honestly do hope that A. ngo does something to make amends and mend fences with them and B. treating people like crap does not become another disturbing trend that ngo will continue to exhibit in the future.
Lastly I would just like to say thank you to @Teeceezy, @Shadowkeeper and others who have decided to step out in front of this one, apologize and promise that work will be done to resolve the issues here. Since actions speak louder than words I sincerely hope that whatever gets decided can heal both the game and the community.
If the focus on each call type is the minimum rarity a simple solution would be to give 3 options across the board to any call type.
If using 1 radio guaranteed a minimum of a 1 star survivor but we got 3 to choose from it would be better able to pick the type we want
If using 5 radios guaranteed a minimum of a 2 star survivor but we got 3 to choose from it would be better able to pick the type we ant
We already get 3 choices with a 15 radio call. I feel adding 3 choices to every call type can help people pick the tokens we want for a more specific survivor type and would be more in line with people's goals. If we choose 1 radio call we already expect to get a 1 star survivor. It'd be nice to get one for a survivor type of our choice.
| OG | NOC | USA | UK | CA | CQR | UC | RAD | ZEN |
It was a nice statement, and it's good that they finally reached out and acknowledged some issues. I guess it's hard to be politically correct and say anything about how we've been made to feel like cash producing lab rats. But I hope this is a step in the right direction.
I'd like to say with all sincerity that I appreciate your letter posted earlier today, and that I don't believe that most people (myself included) feel that you and @Shadowkeeper are responsible for the issues that have been exposed with 2.0. That being said, both of you are really our contact so unfortunately you have to deal with the fallout.
I'd like to address a couple of items that you had laid out in your letter.
From what we've gathered, you do like the Heroes and the ability to progress them along with survivors, but the availability of the tokens can feel scarce. Conversations are being held to find solutions to this economy imbalance, however we can't promise any immediate changes. We can, however, assure you that this issue is not being taken lightly and is currently a top priority.
Heroes are cool, I'll grant you that. Hero's with working traits would be even better. I think the real crux of the issue is with Tokens. The sheer volume of different classes has quite literally made them scarce. This isn't a perception vs reality thing. It's literally true. There is a very real shortage of tokens, coupled with the fact that a 15 radio pull can result in a 1 or 2 star Hero being drawn. That is problematic because the 15 radio pull is advertised as "*** Or More" (*=Star). There is no explanation that Hero's can be less. Simplistically this is false advertising. It's a bit more nuanced, but you are not providing what the consumer is expecting. It needs to be fixed.
Another issue that has risen is the recent nerfing of the Silenced trait. We reserve the right to make balance changes in-game, and in this situation the Silenced trait stacking with Daryl's leader trait proved to be too much in order for gameplay to not be weighted in favour of players with that combination of traits. We do acknowledge that communication on our side was completely lacking, and for this we do offer our sincerest apologies.
I again appreciate your apologies. And again, I do not think that you are personally responsible for the problem. However, with this recent move NG has moved crossed over consumer protection laws in the UK, and I'm also reviewing US regulations (some of which varies by State and local jurisdiction). The issue is NOT that NG has the right to balance, it's the fact that the consumer was not educated about the nerfing nor given any options after nerfing until considerable public pressure was exerted in the forums. Additionally the response has been limited to those consumers that understand that they have been affected and are proactive in requesting restitution.
Digital Content is as described-Traders will need to accurately describe the content and the content must match the description supplied Pre Contract Information- Traders will need to include in the contract the main characteristics, functionality and compatibility of the Digital Content in advance of purchase Digital Content in advance of purchase
Without belaboring the point, the item was sold for $$ and within 1 week the content was negatively reduced w/out any communication. I would urge NG and it's content creators to tread more carefully moving forward.
3. Lastly, the entire issue of probability and chance in nearly all aspects of the game need to be more clearly outlined. For goodness sake, casino's by law in every jurisdiction provide all of the odds to ensure consumers can make an educated decision upon playing a particular game. With NG, we have zero clarity on what the odds are for radio drops, what spending our radios will do, box drops, if picking crates after a mission is scripted or chance (and what the odds are). And it certainly doesn't help perceptions when radio drops seem to be less and magically bundle after bundle are appearing for the very scarce resource of radios.
I think a crafty attorney could make a legal argument that NG in fact is running a gambling operation. I don't mind games of chance. I do mind feeling that the deck is stacked against me, and that even if I do pay....that in the background an algorithm is determining how often I can have a reward withheld and continue to play (and pay).
4. Solution - Clarity and time and a promise that moving forward, nerfing of purchased gear will be clearly outlined PRIOR to such nerfing, and that consumers that have purchased such gear are clearly and proactively offered compensation. (Especially w/in 30 days of such purchase). To do otherwise in my opinion is to engage in fraud and deception.
@TroubleMan I don't know if this detracts from your legal argument or not, but in playing the game you have entered a contract with NG in which you agreed to their terms of service. Included in that (in all caps) is the following:
NOTWITHSTANDING ANYTHING TO THE CONTRARY IN THESE TERMS, YOU ACKNOWLEDGE AND AGREE THAT YOU SHALL HAVE NO OWNERSHIP OR OTHER PROPERTY INTEREST IN THE USER ACCOUNT, AND YOU FURTHER ACKNOWLEDGE AND AGREE THAT ALL RIGHTS IN AND TO THE USER ACCOUNT ARE AND SHALL FOREVER BE OWNED BY AND INURE TO THE BENEFIT OF NEXT GAMES. YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO RIGHT OR TITLE IN OR TO ANY CONTENT THAT APPEARS IN THE SERVICE, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION THE VIRTUAL ITEMS (INLCUDING CURRENCY) APPEARING OR ORIGINATING IN ANY NEXT GAMES GAME, WHETHER EARNED IN A GAME OR PURCHASED FROM NEXT GAMES, OR ANY OTHER ATTRIBUTES ASSOCIATED WITH A USER ACCOUNT OR STORED ON THE SERVICE.
All of that still does not give ngo the right to practice blatant fraud. To sell somebody something one week that you know will become obsolete the next without warning them is fraud. I don't care who owns what. Especially if the seller is running the whole show and gets to decide how quickly something becomes obsolete.
@TroubleMan I don't know if this detracts from your legal argument or not, but in playing the game you have entered a contract with NG in which you agreed to their terms of service. Included in that (in all caps) is the following: http://www.nextgames.com/terms-use/
NextGames cannot superseded consumer protections afforded in various countries. They may try to control it, but the fact remains that they may not defraud consumers - regardless of what they bury in their TOS.
Also, I'm not denying that NG has the right to change in-game purchases. However, the fact that it was done under the cover of night, no notice, or recourse speaks at the very least to the lack of ethics in the accounting and design department.
If they need to make a change....fine. But don't bury it, and only react when the forum explodes (and then only to those that figure out how to file a complaint).
@TroubleMan I don't know if this detracts from your legal argument or not, but in playing the game you have entered a contract with NG in which you agreed to their terms of service. Included in that (in all caps) is the following:
Also: "We may manage, regulate, modify, control or eliminate Virtual Items at any time in our sole discretion, with or without notice. If we exercise such rights, we will have no liability to you or any third party."
Comments
Now I have a theory that @lmfgunnut is the CEO. Hey @lmfgunnut fix the tokens!
Check out the DMZ guild. We're recruiting. Here.
Check out the DMZ guild. We're recruiting. Here.
I give up...
Sigh...
Any guess who might " now " be on my list, ( in 2017 )
Many of us are on board with the no spending. The unification is something that I think is incredible. I hope the mods continue to be open with us regarding fixing the broken token economy. I don't expect an update daily but every so often.
Just like with any company dealing with the public it's important for the company to maintain a set of standards when talking/communicating with the public. So we may not hear what we want to hear, and it may sound like it's a "cookie cutter" response but understand they must maintain professionallity with us. We should do the same. What I mean by that is although @Shadowkeeper @Teeceezy represent the company, they are individual people just like us. We are frustrated with the company they represent, but should never be frustrated with them. Easier said than done for some but I hope my point comes across.
I thought to myself at times it could be possible they don't respond because if they do (as seen on the forums) we are quick to quote their words and use it against them. Sometimes causing even more conflict and issues. The important goal here it to continue to keep the lines of communication open. I have seen a surge in forum activity recently, so we are all empassioned about this game which is great but we must also be patient.
Seeing as to what can be fixed on the go and what requires an update I assume fixing something of this magnitutude requires an update. But before an update can be in place ideas need to be presented (not by us, we already did that) to whomever is in charge of making the big decisions. I believe this last week has been filled with brainstorming by NG since it's clearly unanimous regarding members how we feel about this token economy and other game related issues.
Patience is the only thing we have right now. Because if you are reading this, and haven't stopped playing (or even if you have stopped playing and still reading this) it means you love this game and want to see it be better.
MAVERICK'S 1 Million Star Club | OG | USA | NOC
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There were two things missing from the statement, however:
1) any mention of the demeaning job ads ( @Shadowkeeper had apologized for those earlier, but @Teeceezy should have repeated that).
2) any mention of the horrible youtubers and how that was kind of a kick in the bitch nuts to our content creators.
Check out the DMZ guild. We're recruiting. Here.
They had created a game where one would not mind spending. Game was being updated regularly and really fun. By creating these unreachable goals without Trump money, they just emphasize the fact that the merry-go-round has no end. My guess is many will find elsewhere to spend time and money. The irony would be to spend that time and money on a game they promoted through their
videos...
Stay strong. Not a single dime coming from me.
good job, hope to see your (NG) actions to fix this great game.
We bring the fun back! Game Tips and Videos! Common interest non-game related chats too!
Everyone is Welcome!
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I'm also concerned with how many updates we will have to go through before the bugs are fixed. I think I have seen Teeceezy comment that they do test updates but once things go live on such a large scale things that look fine can go wrong. With Murphy's law being part of every update NG should investigate all the leader traits and all gear traits and make sure they're working 100% properly and fix them as soon as logistically possible. NG has also told us there has been no change to radio drop rates, gold ticket drop rates, and rate of body shots on lower level walkers. While changes in radio drops, gold tickets, and body shots on lower level walkers may not be intentional, NG needs to look into the possibility that there have been unintentional changes caused by bugs or glitches.
NG rolled out 2 updates within 3 weeks of each other during holiday month. With that kind of productivity hopefully some of these issues that require immediate attention will get the immediate attention they need.
Can someone fill me in on what the guild council is and what @SlickRick has to do with everything?
Also consider, this open letter was written after many of us had complained that there was none.
At this point I do want to say that I pity every mod here. I don't know if you are NG employees or not. But you're the ones getting all the bashing (also from me) while the people who decided this shit are probably on vacation on Bora Bora. So don't take it too personally and make sure the right people get to know how the community thinks about it.
I'll expand more after I read it again and have access to my desktop.
@Teeceezy
You mentioned the hero tokens, but the survivor tokens are a big issue also.
All tokens are an issue, IMO
This is what I (apparently unsuccessfully) attempted to imply.
In my testing for survivor rarity using single radio calls, I conducted about 500 single radio calls (and collected input from others for an additional 250). Each radio was averaging about 4 tokens, so in total that was 3000 tokens which is a fairly substantial raw number. However, those 3000 tokens were about evenly divided across the 6 survivor classes and thus represented only 500 to each type allowing 2 upgrades per survivor type. While this is excellent for strengthening the entire bench, most people use smaller teams of survivors 3-6 different ones as their primary and would be more inclined to put their tokens into Hunters and Warriors as an example to strengthen their primary team members.
It gets a little better when using 15 radio calls since you have better control over directing which class those tokens go into, but it does feel a bit rigged. By that I mean that it would be foolish to turn down 128 scout tokens in favor of 32 hunter tokens in the grand scheme of things, but if hunter is the class that I really want to upgrade, what to do?
In a system that was already one of scarcity, the 2.0 update added an additional 8 types of collectible tokens with the promise of additional heroes and thus additional token types yet to come. If all things are equal, I now have a 1 in 14 chance of any particular card representing the class or hero I wish to upgrade when I do a 15 radio call with the same trade off decisions. With the possibility of getting 2 and 8 hero tokens on this call it further dilutes the ability to collect them in the numbers desired.
The ask from many here on the forum is a simplification of the token system by combining the various token types from 14 down to 2, Survivor and Hero. Doing so would allow the X number of total tokens a player might accumulate to go into their favorite survivor versus being distributed across so many different options. Yes, it would greatly accelerate the advancement of individual survivors or heroes, but it would not reduce the need for radios in the long term.
If NG feels that the complexity of token collecting is a key part of the business plan, perhaps a middle ground solution could be possible. Instead of reducing from 14 (plus more to come) types of tokens to 2 types (survivor and hero) it could be reduced to 4 types (Survivor Melee, Survivor Ranged, Hero Melee, Hero Ranged) though I know there are many who think even 2 types is too many and want it to be a single upgrade token system making it more like a simple currency such as gold or trade goods.
Yes, there are people asking for more ways to get greater numbers of tokens, I've seen plenty of that. But again, my opinion is that token availability in general isn't as much a problem as the diversity of token types. I hope this long blob of text sets out the reasoning well enough.
Thanks, and good luck during the storm!
The Undying Suvivalist--Founding Member and Prezident of the Empty Memorial Club
2725 Deadly Missions Completed Prior to the End of The Deadly Era
Nightmare Club Member--All 14 Episodes of Story Complete on Nightmare Mode (lvl 19 survivors)
http://forums.nextgames.com/walkingdead/discussion/13497/open-letter-to-the-community#latest
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Analyze This with ALF4reals | v1 | v2 | v3 |
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Freemium... the "mium" is latin for 'not really'
@LadyAquila
The Undying Suvivalist--Founding Member and Prezident of the Empty Memorial Club
2725 Deadly Missions Completed Prior to the End of The Deadly Era
Nightmare Club Member--All 14 Episodes of Story Complete on Nightmare Mode (lvl 19 survivors)
Content providers where treated very poorly and I honestly do hope that A. ngo does something to make amends and mend fences with them and B. treating people like crap does not become another disturbing trend that ngo will continue to exhibit in the future.
Lastly I would just like to say thank you to @Teeceezy, @Shadowkeeper and others who have decided to step out in front of this one, apologize and promise that work will be done to resolve the issues here. Since actions speak louder than words I sincerely hope that whatever gets decided can heal both the game and the community.
If using 1 radio guaranteed a minimum of a 1 star survivor but we got 3 to choose from it would be better able to pick the type we want
If using 5 radios guaranteed a minimum of a 2 star survivor but we got 3 to choose from it would be better able to pick the type we ant
We already get 3 choices with a 15 radio call. I feel adding 3 choices to every call type can help people pick the tokens we want for a more specific survivor type and would be more in line with people's goals. If we choose 1 radio call we already expect to get a 1 star survivor. It'd be nice to get one for a survivor type of our choice.
MAVERICK'S 1 Million Star Club | OG | USA | NOC
Analyze This with ALF4reals | v1 | v2 | v3 |
| My YouTube Videos | My 1st Interview | Best Analogy Award!! |
Freemium... the "mium" is latin for 'not really'
It was a nice statement, and it's good that they finally reached out and acknowledged some issues. I guess it's hard to be politically correct and say anything about how we've been made to feel like cash producing lab rats. But I hope this is a step in the right direction.
I'd like to say with all sincerity that I appreciate your letter posted earlier today, and that I don't believe that most people (myself included) feel that you and @Shadowkeeper are responsible for the issues that have been exposed with 2.0. That being said, both of you are really our contact so unfortunately you have to deal with the fallout.
I'd like to address a couple of items that you had laid out in your letter.
1. Heroes are cool, I'll grant you that. Hero's with working traits would be even better. I think the real crux of the issue is with Tokens. The sheer volume of different classes has quite literally made them scarce. This isn't a perception vs reality thing. It's literally true. There is a very real shortage of tokens, coupled with the fact that a 15 radio pull can result in a 1 or 2 star Hero being drawn. That is problematic because the 15 radio pull is advertised as "*** Or More" (*=Star). There is no explanation that Hero's can be less. Simplistically this is false advertising. It's a bit more nuanced, but you are not providing what the consumer is expecting. It needs to be fixed.
2. I again appreciate your apologies. And again, I do not think that you are personally responsible for the problem. However, with this recent move NG has moved crossed over consumer protection laws in the UK, and I'm also reviewing US regulations (some of which varies by State and local jurisdiction). The issue is NOT that NG has the right to balance, it's the fact that the consumer was not educated about the nerfing nor given any options after nerfing until considerable public pressure was exerted in the forums. Additionally the response has been limited to those consumers that understand that they have been affected and are proactive in requesting restitution.
According to UK law as of 10/15/2015 digital content is protected and consumers are afforded more protections on content that they have paid for.
http://www.ness-ses.com/digital-content-and-consumer-law/
Digital Content is as described-Traders will need to accurately describe the content and the content must match the description supplied
Pre Contract Information- Traders will need to include in the contract the main characteristics, functionality and compatibility of the Digital Content in advance of purchase Digital Content in advance of purchase
Without belaboring the point, the item was sold for $$ and within 1 week the content was negatively reduced w/out any communication. I would urge NG and it's content creators to tread more carefully moving forward.
3. Lastly, the entire issue of probability and chance in nearly all aspects of the game need to be more clearly outlined. For goodness sake, casino's by law in every jurisdiction provide all of the odds to ensure consumers can make an educated decision upon playing a particular game. With NG, we have zero clarity on what the odds are for radio drops, what spending our radios will do, box drops, if picking crates after a mission is scripted or chance (and what the odds are). And it certainly doesn't help perceptions when radio drops seem to be less and magically bundle after bundle are appearing for the very scarce resource of radios.
I think a crafty attorney could make a legal argument that NG in fact is running a gambling operation. I don't mind games of chance. I do mind feeling that the deck is stacked against me, and that even if I do pay....that in the background an algorithm is determining how often I can have a reward withheld and continue to play (and pay).
4. Solution - Clarity and time and a promise that moving forward, nerfing of purchased gear will be clearly outlined PRIOR to such nerfing, and that consumers that have purchased such gear are clearly and proactively offered compensation. (Especially w/in 30 days of such purchase). To do otherwise in my opinion is to engage in fraud and deception.
Thank you for your time.
NOTWITHSTANDING ANYTHING TO THE CONTRARY IN THESE TERMS, YOU ACKNOWLEDGE AND AGREE THAT YOU SHALL HAVE NO OWNERSHIP OR OTHER PROPERTY INTEREST IN THE USER ACCOUNT, AND YOU FURTHER ACKNOWLEDGE AND AGREE THAT ALL RIGHTS IN AND TO THE USER ACCOUNT ARE AND SHALL FOREVER BE OWNED BY AND INURE TO THE BENEFIT OF NEXT GAMES. YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO RIGHT OR TITLE IN OR TO ANY CONTENT THAT APPEARS IN THE SERVICE, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION THE VIRTUAL ITEMS (INLCUDING CURRENCY) APPEARING OR ORIGINATING IN ANY NEXT GAMES GAME, WHETHER EARNED IN A GAME OR PURCHASED FROM NEXT GAMES, OR ANY OTHER ATTRIBUTES ASSOCIATED WITH A USER ACCOUNT OR STORED ON THE SERVICE.
http://www.nextgames.com/terms-use/
The Undying Suvivalist--Founding Member and Prezident of the Empty Memorial Club
2725 Deadly Missions Completed Prior to the End of The Deadly Era
Nightmare Club Member--All 14 Episodes of Story Complete on Nightmare Mode (lvl 19 survivors)
All of that still does not give ngo the right to practice blatant fraud. To sell somebody something one week that you know will become obsolete the next without warning them is fraud. I don't care who owns what. Especially if the seller is running the whole show and gets to decide how quickly something becomes obsolete.
Also, I'm not denying that NG has the right to change in-game purchases. However, the fact that it was done under the cover of night, no notice, or recourse speaks at the very least to the lack of ethics in the accounting and design department.
If they need to make a change....fine. But don't bury it, and only react when the forum explodes (and then only to those that figure out how to file a complaint).