Honestly... i would have thought it would be better to announce this idea, and then give one last 9 week tourney cycle the way it is. Allowing everyone that one final attempt to gain a specific relic if they wished... and then change it over to the new style.
**This.**
Most of us who plan ahead likely already had something in mind for our strategy for the next several weeks. The next two are boosted weeks for me in Elcysandir, and I'm not yet at 700% boost for those two goods. I had planned on getting to 700% on gems next week. I am forever in need of T3 goods, and I trade for my non-boosted, like we're encouraged to do by the game. Repeatedly. As in every time one of those helpful hints comes up, it seems I have a 50% chance of seeing the "Did you know? Produce your boosted goods and trade for your non-boosted goods." 'tip'.
I had also planned on getting to 700% in marble the following week. I have 15 gems provinces and 13 marble open. I had planned on using a lot of resources in order to get two more marble this week and next (because all of my provinces are "very hard" since I'm overscouted by choice). So, now, with this new system, I will only get 36 gems relics (using helya's screens), plus whatever comes in the FS chests at the end. So, instead of enjoying a boost in my goods production as the tourney goes along and being able to increase my trades, I will now only go from 566% to 601% by the end of the tourney. If this had been announced and players given an entire cycle to accustom themselves to the changes, I would have reached 700% on gems at province 11, round 4. (Yes, I do my best to do all 6 rounds in every province I have open.)
It's worse for marble. Yes, yes, I will get some marble relics in this coming week in the gems tournament. 38 of them, to be exact, which will take me from 610% to 636%,
not counting any relics I use for leveling up my AWs. If I didn't use a single one for AWs, the following week in the marble tourney, I would get enough to go up to 661%. If the current system had been allowed to stand for another cycle, I would have hit 700% at province 12, round 3 (provided I'd opened the two more I'd planned to open; if not, it would have been province 5, round 4). So, now, instead of counting on that excess to carry me through AW upgrades, I have to sacrifice my meager CCs to craft relics whenever they show up in the MA for my boosted goods - which I hadn't been doing since I'd been crafting MMMs, UUUs, ELRs, the new bases, and lots and lots of time boosts.
Yes, I make exclusively CCs in my MA. My MA is at level 4, so it takes 10-1/2 hours to make one. Yes, I climb the Spire. The RNG, as mentioned in another thread, seems to loathe me. (Yes, I know others go through this as well.) I very rarely seem to get the CCs out of the 1st chest in each area, or the blue bonus chests. I actually cheer when I do get them, it's that seldom an occurrence. (If you just pictured someone sitting at their computer clapping after clicking on a chest, you're not far off.)
@helya, if there's one thing I would take back to the developers about this new "feature", it's the lack of notification. This is a long-term strategy game. It's not a five hour marathon on the PS4. When something this big comes along that causes one's strategy for obtaining necessary game items to be completely wrecked, it frustrates players. I haven't even been with the game long enough to
get well and truly frustrated, and I'm admittedly rather miffed about the change.
Still, thanks for at least the little head's up we did get. I at least was able to notify my FS about this thread so they know about the coming changes and aren't blindsided next week.
And I did eat the sour green grapes that came mixed with my sweet red grapes I bought at the grocer. They were very tart. I suppose if I can swallow those while making a face, I can swallow these and grimace just as well. But if you could pass along that bit about a bit more notice being nice, I'd appreciate it.