Is Elvenar Losing its Popularity?

[onebigscot]

I'm not sure what being happy in your FS has to do with loyalty.
Are you staying because you are happy or are you unhappy, but staying anyway?

I'm staying because I like the people in the FS.

If I was solely centered on getting blueprints, I would change groups.

I would like to get blueprints AND stay with my FS.

 

[HonuMoana]

This should have been how the game was done from the start. The first chapter should be all about learning how to do your city and learning the mechanics of the game, and then learning the tournament and fellowship stuff can come in chapter 2, and then the Spire in chapter 3. I have also felt that event access should wait until chapter 2, especially since quests involving the MA cannot be done right away in chapter 1, and then new players do not feel overwhelmed and decide to quit, rather than keep going. Also, for the first six months or so, fellowships and tournaments did not even exist in the game. And the stuff you are talking about has not been dropped, but is still in the testing phase, so not every new city since that was added has even had to complete those steps.

Curiously, in one of my recent starts, these techs were in place, and then suddenly evaporated before I could even get to chapter 2. I think I had already done the neighborly help one. Thus, my comment about this being rescinded. I guess for some reason they tried it out with my city and then dropped it. Sorta creepy actually.

I can see your side here, but I don't agree. This is because I think that having the freedom to help or not, join or not, is an essential part of fostering a game space where people help each other. Turning these things into a research creates the notion that they are just an optional part of the game. I don't think they are. I think it is the fundamental philosophy of the game, helping each other.

 

[Huor]

I started playing in February of this year and I'm having a great time. I'm still in the FS I started with in chapter 1 with a good bunch of folks. I couldn't see playing the game without being in an FS. You would be missing so much.

 

[Alram]

The best thing about Elvenar is that people can play it in so many different ways.

 

[Mykan]

If he can't finish the quests, then he's probably not very active. If he's not very active, then he will get moved to less active areas to make room for more active players in the better neighborhoods. If you're moved to a worse neighborhood, you'll probably play less because of your own unhappiness, hence, moved again to a worse neighborhood. Which of course, creates more unhappiness and less activity. (And yes, he could have prevented the moves, but I don't think he'd have been happy not being actively involved in any case.)

The game measures activity around logging in, not doing quests or other things. It won't move you to a bad area because it thinks your less active than someone else. Sometimes they clean up a bunch of inactives and move "new" people into those areas. It can take time to establish decent towns when this happens. Plus if they clear out enough towns often new towns turn up faster than relocated towns or you get unlucky and a relocated town is inactive.

With such neighbourhoods a fellowship is key and you can ignore the neighbourhood while it grows and changes.

I haven't been playing for long, but long enough to know that I will never see a blueprint. I joined a mid-range guild and I'm happy there. I've been recruited to leave a couple of times but I'm not leaving. So it feels to me like the Inno Devs don't value FS loyalty, its more important to score lot's of points because that's where the games rewards are.

That is really sad, the change to tournaments gifts blueprints to players now. Does no one else in your fellowship want a blueprint? I know fellowships with towns mostly in chapter 2-5 and they can do 10 chests regularly. Its actually why a family member quit the game as the challenege was taken away from them.

Regarding the OP, The game is ever changing and evolving anddifferent things appeal to different people. If a person does like the increasing difficulty or the changing building sizes, then one option is to just stop progressing in the tech tree. Pick a chapter you like the style, tech or other criteria and just sit there. Make the town the best town at that chapter, or choose to make it a specialist town (FA, tourny, spire, wonders, events, diamond farmer, whatever).

It really comes down to what is it a player finds interesting and focusing in that space, or alternately avoiding what is more difficult. For example if you only log once or twice a day you might be better to avoid reaching the decaying goods chapters. If events frustrate you then just ignore them. If tournaments are fun then focus on that, if tech tree is fun then work there.

 

[MagicPagan]

@Enevhar Aldarion 4k points seems like a lot. How many players on each server get 4k or more points?

There are three in one of the FS I'm in that currently has 19 members. We consistently take more than 10 tourney chests every week, are always silver just shy of gold in spire, have a slave driver for an AM, and I haven't had a single interaction with a FS member that hasn't been stellar. No one ever has to say to filter the Trader for our FS first when you look at trades, and we have a few people who are up after midnight (US) who are available to help out with trades and advice in the wee small hours.

Depending on where your top folks in your FS are in terms of competitiveness, 4K is not at all unusual.

 

[Darielle]

The game measures activity around logging in, not doing quests or other things. It won't move you to a bad area because it thinks your less active than someone else. Sometimes they clean up a bunch of inactives and move "new" people into those areas. It can take time to establish decent towns when this happens. Plus if they clear out enough towns often new towns turn up faster than relocated towns or you get unlucky and a relocated town is inactive.

With such neighbourhoods a fellowship is key and you can ignore the neighbourhood while it grows and changes.

I'm sorry if I wasn't clear. I didn't mean to imply in any way that quest performance was tied to Inno moving a city. I just meant that anyone who was so inactive that they couldn't finish quests might be inactive enough to get moved, particularly if they don't log on every week. Thanks for pointing that out so I could clarify.

 

[Laochra]

I started playing July of 2017, after watching hubby play for a bit. I got intrigued & proceeded to start 7 cities almost all at once. (LOL)
I have since retired all but 2 of them & still enjoy being a part of them. Some of the veterans have left the game for various reasons-many due to RL circumstances. It does not seem as if there are as many new players as there used to be, and some don't stick around for long before giving up the game. I miss the comradery we used to have with the long term members, but we still have fun & are like family, even though we aren't very aggressive with our tourneys & Spire play.

 

[Darielle]

And while the number is small, there are still quite a few active players who refuse to ever join a fellowship, or who make their own fellowship of one, and are perfectly happy with the game and how they play it.

I have one of those in my neighborhood. Over the last 2 years, I've invited him twice, but he says he's perfectly happy on his own. He is a late chapter player (a bit ahead of me, anyway). The very first neighbor who helped me when I was a raw newbie, and still gifting every day.

 

[shimmerfly]

I agree @Enevhar Aldarion
I have a lot of RL stuff that I have no control over so I opted to play solo. I would never want to be the one to hold back a FS because I can't alway play consistently. I have come to enjoy not having to "answer" to anyone or disappoint them. I have great neighbors so that makes it easier. And I come here for the "fellowship".
I think the new player would be better off learning the game for the first few chapters and not be coerced to join a FS quite so much.
I've read some posts that make you feel like your crazy for playing alone. To each their own.
Personnaly I like the challenges it brings.

 

[Alram]

I would never want to be the one to hold back a FS because I can't alway play consistently.

That makes sense.
What does not make sense is people trying to shame others into joining or staying in a fellowship that is going to hold them back, forever.

 

[Gkyr]

Short answer: yes.

 

[Deborah M]

I have no idea what has changed for new players but it seems to me new people are not sticking with the game. I have had my Fellowship set to direct join for a long time now. We have some good members who joined very small and have grown well. BUT, recently it has just been a revolving door of new players joining and not even playing longer than a few days it seems. While I'm doing the grind of this completely boring chapter, I decided I don't need this aggravation for the time being. I finally had to set the Fellowship to Apply.

 

[Aritra]

I agree @Enevhar Aldarion
I have a lot of RL stuff that I have no control over so I opted to play solo. I would never want to be the one to hold back a FS because I can't alway play consistently. I have come to enjoy not having to "answer" to anyone or disappoint them. I have great neighbors so that makes it easier. And I come here for the "fellowship".
I think the new player would be better off learning the game for the first few chapters and not be coerced to join a FS quite so much.
I've read some posts that make you feel like your crazy for playing alone. To each their own.
Personnaly I like the challenges it brings.

I did end up joining fellowships (I have two cities now) but I didn't appreciate the pressure beforehand from many members in the forum upon learning I was in chapter five and playing solo (gasp!!). I am glad the game itself does not pressure or force FS participation, especially in the beginning of the game. I did what I wanted and would not have appreciated being told what to do (I still don't, to a degree, lol, still refusing to build some things because "it told me to"). One of the great things about this game is that there is virtually no "wrong" way to play (despite what some players would have you think as they try to tell you their way is the way).

It seems some use the drop-out rate as evidence toward the need for the game to be more direct in what to do, which I have difficult time understanding because I did not encounter anything unclear that interfered with my success. (The exception to this is the barracks: as a cater-only player, I have zero need for barracks and that is one building that is presented as important but you cannot sell it once you realize it's not for you. Not building it was the only thing I would have done differently if I knew then what I knew later, and so my second city has none. The only interference it created was monopolizing space that I would rather have used for buildings that actually benefited my city.) My impression is that a common reason for quitting early is simply frustration after discovering the game isn't what they thought it would be.

After I joined the forum, I got a ton of FS invites and questions about why I wasn't interested in FS (in addition to pressuring comments in the forum). It was one thing to have made it that far without having experienced fellowships, but another for me to resist and repeatedly turn down offers. This seemed incomprehensible to many. There was one player who reached out who didn't give me a hard time about it. They asked questions but didn't argue with me about my choices. They were willing to offer advice and answer questions even though they had no "obligation," no ties to me since I wasn't part of the FS. (Thanks @Henroo, I'll never forget it) Eventually, I joined the fellowship they were in and I've been glad for the benefits. I did have access to tourney and FA since I had created a solo-FS for myself, but as a solo player, I couldn't get far with those (designed for group contribution) so couldn't effectively benefit from them. I was always grateful for your support @shimmerfly when I was solo (as a fellow solo player) and resisting the pressure to do things a certain way (I still do things my way, lol---"keep it square!" they keep saying--ha!). I got some raised eyebrows about many of my choices and appreciated the members who supported me anyway (@Iyapo1 and others). After a few months, everyone backed off from trying to persuade me and let me be. I still support any player's choice to play solo. I had zero complaints during that time. I am realizing now (unless I have misunderstood) that one of the differences between us was availability/frequency. I am very active (like, log-in several times a day); If I was not able to log in dependably (varying/unpredictable RL), my gameplay rhythm and tempo would likely be very different and I'd probably still be satisfied and happy to play solo.

 

[shimmerfly]

@Aritra
Thanks for the support! You explain it more eloquently (and I did read it : )
I ddn't come to the forum until I had played for quite a while. ( my neighborhood was barren and I was bored).
I read for quite a few weeks before I ever commented
That's when I learned you could start your own, and I could do tourneys.
Anyway, I'm short on words but appreciate your post. Sounds familiar.
I'm only missing out on the FA and Blue prints. The FA is not a big dea to me. I obviously don't
play for status of any kind.
Edited for: I do still enjoy the game!

 

[Tauriel Dragonwood]

@ed1960
My neighbor is up to the Woodelves chapter. Players in his world trade unfairly and don’t help out by picking up his trades or aiding his city. Elvenar can be a daily grind if you have no one to trade with. His city has been moved several times but, from what he says, the game devs keep putting him in an inactive world. Seeing so many players that have left the game makes him think Elvenar is not worth playing anymore. He thinks he needs to spend diamonds now to advance but I don’t think that’s true.

Wish I could visit your city to see how it’s set up. I haven’ t seen Easy provinces for years. Can you tell me what chapter you’re up to, how many armories you have and what level they are? Any advice to help make battles possible in the provinces again, instead of using up all resources negotiating, would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Tauriel Dragonwood]

@Aritra You gave excellent advice. Thank you so much for taking the time and answering my question.

 

[Tauriel Dragonwood]

@juniperknome
Thank you for your advice. We could use something similar to the Reconstruction Mode Forge of Empires has for temporarily storing buildings to help rearrange your city. It is so easy to use. That’s great news that after Chapter 10 the overscouting penalty is gone.

In the Spire, I fight mostly and convince when it’s a two-wave battle. The Spire, in my opinion, has nicer rewards. Besides spell fragments and combining catalysts, I have won a Magic Residence, Teleportation Enchantments and Instants to evolve buildings.

If you can reach the level that is blocked by a huge blue door, the Spire will reward you 50 diamonds for getting that far. But you'll have to wait 9 hours for the guards to find the key to unlock it.

 

[Tauriel Dragonwood]

If he can't finish the quests, then he's probably not very active. If he's not very active, then he will get moved to less active areas to make room for more active players in the better neighborhoods. If you're moved to a worse neighborhood, you'll probably play less because of your own unhappiness, hence, moved again to a worse neighborhood. Which of course, creates more unhappiness and less activity. (And yes, he could have prevented the moves, but I don't think he'd have been happy not being actively involved in any case.)

So bottom line to me is, if you only play Elvenar once in a while, you probably won't be happy here. You won't form the bonds needed to feel like you belong here. If you play daily and keep progressing, with like-minded fellowship members, you'll get addicted and love the game, even if you don't love everything the devs do. Heaven knows I don't love all that the devs do ... some of it drives me nuts. But nevertheless, I do love the game and wouldn't think of skipping even a day. (I'd probably have withdrawal symptoms if I tried.)

My neighbor is active but if you have the “Allow Automatic Movement to Better Position” box checked in Settings, you will be moved whether active or not. He was wondering why he was being moved and found out about this feature from the Support Team. He enjoys Elvenar but is wondering if it’s going to be a grind every day to play, which takes a lot of the enjoyment out of the game.

 

[Tauriel Dragonwood]

This game has a beautiful, but sometimes tedious complexity. It is slow-paced, but the possibilities are many and varied. I don't think most players have even plumbed the depths of what you can do with your city here.

However, all this beautiful complexity comes at a price. From time-to-time, I start a new city just to fully understand what it is like for the beginner players lately. The complexity has clearly trickled down to the beginning of the game. I think starting out is now quite challenging, much more so than in the past. You are assisted by the quests quite well, but a complete newbie won't understand the connections that make the completion of those quests most beneficial.

Finally, one of the absolute worst things was done for the noobs recently. Briefly, you could not perform Neighborly Help until you completed a tech in the first chapter, and (as if that wasn't bad enough) you also couldn't join a fellowship until completing a tech to start Chapter II. I could not believe this was instituted. It completely flies in the face of what I think this game is all about, helping others. No, instead you had to do all the other stuff, for yourself only, and then gradually be exposed to other possibilities after getting into this individual only groove. I am so glad the devs saw the error of their ways and dropped all that BS. It was ugly.

I digress, but I do think this factor is involved here. I am betting hard that we saw a whole host of noobs drop the game in a hurry because of this matter, and thus the rescinding on that nonsense. Let's hope we never see something like that again. I also think we are experiencing the long-term implications of this obvious error. Lots of folks who could have started the game happily and still be playing us are now elsewhere.

HonuMoana, I also started a new city to see why new players were quitting so early and I agree with you. There is also a problem when new players try to complete a quest to gain relics. They head for the Tournament but can only complete 4 encounters, then need to wait 16 hours for the Tournament to refresh. The repetitive quest in this event to “Solve Encounters and/or Solve Spire Encounters” is difficult if they face Hard Provinces. If that's not bad enough, they cannot solve spire encounters until they reach Chapter 3 to unlock the Spire of Eternity. Many of my co-workers quit before they even reached Chapter 3.