Unfavorable trading environment

[mucksterme]

Many 10 chest fellowships are more focused on competition and push new players too hard.

Of course people are different and therefore so are FS'.
But my experience is that ten chests FS' are more about achievement than competition.
My current FS has a 1000 point minimum and gets ten chests every week.
But they also work together in every part of the game.

Now on the other hand. I think some of the groups who shoot for #1 in Adventures or now go for Top of the Spire like having their names on display for all to admire.

We have a three hundred point minimum on the tourney for participants, which is extremely low for anyone except a chapter 1-2 player, and yet we still have a few people who consistently come up short.

I'm with Minmax on this. Dump them. It will take some work recruiting until you get a decent group of like minded people. But it will be worth it in the end.
By all mean, go to that discussion Dar linked and try some of those tips to get people interested. There are some people that have to be dragged to the tourny ( or spire ) but once they see the benefits they get hooked.
My advice. Try inducement but set a deadline. " We will start enforcing the 300 point rule ( June 1 )"
And then if you still have leeches get rid of them.
Because they really are leeches.
They get a measly thirty points then sit there and suck up the benefits of other's hard work.

 

[samidodamage]

once they see the benefits they get hooked.

A couple other mages and I were talking about this and came to the conclusion we're like drug dealers: get them young, feed them goods, get them hooked, lol!

 

[Darielle]

Of course people are different and therefore so are FS'.
But my experience is that ten chests FS' are more about achievement than competition.
My current FS has a 1000 point minimum and gets ten chests every week.
But they also work together in every part of the game.

Now on the other hand. I think some of the groups who shoot for #1 in Adventures or now go for Top of the Spire like having their names on display for all to admire.




I'm with Minmax on this. Dump them. It will take some work recruiting until you get a decent group of like minded people. But it will be worth it in the end.
By all mean, go to that discussion Dar linked and try some of those tips to get people interested. There are some people that have to be dragged to the tourny ( or spire ) but once they see the benefits they get hooked.
My advice. Try inducement but set a deadline. " We will start enforcing the 300 point rule ( June 1 )"
And then if you still have leeches get rid of them.
Because they really are leeches.
They get a measly thirty points then sit there and suck up the benefits of other's hard work.

Yeah, we do kick out the 30 pointers. That happened in my last fellowship too. We had one who always did 30 points, but it was a group that didn't care about tourneys so we let them stay. Here, we don't. And as far as the spire goes, you are so right on that .... I thought I hated the spire. I resisted it for a long time, but now, I love getting to the lab. Once you see the benefits of it, you don't want to stop.

The fellowship I'm currently in has come a long, long way in the past year. What started out with 2 people and little in the way of score has grown in a matter of 14 months to around 90th overall. We're going to be in the top 50 this year for sure, with how many good people have come in just in the last 2 months or so. One more good player will be arriving towards the end of this month, and perhaps 2. I'm sure the AM will weed out the ones who don't perform. She's good in her role. Overall, I'm happy here.

 

[Darielle]

@Darielle
Take a look at this old thread:https://us.forum.elvenar.com/index.php?threads/casual-tournament-participation-strategy.7882/
This could give you some ideas of how to motivate some of your cities to do more. DM me if you're interested and I'll go dig up some tourney motivation FS emails I've sent over the years to help folks see the benefits of doing more. Skyeland II just became a 10chest/wk FS in Nov 2019. For about a year before that we were doing 10 chests every 4th week; 6-8 chests on off weeks. That FS is just an average FS with average requirements (visit x3/wk; score change every 2 wks, fair trades) and is not geared to 'daily' players, has no requirements for 'boosted only' builds, no requirements for FA participation, no minimum for tourney (our AM encourages folks to do one province to get in on the group chests).
And, yes, I should have been clear that 1600pts is not hard for players who use a combination of fighting/catering. While it's never 'easy', part of the challenge of the game is building in a way that provides the resources you need for the things you want to do. I maintain that folks who say 'it's too hard' really don't want to do it. They like the *idea* of getting all those benefits, but aren't willing to put in the work. That brand new Ch2 player (not just a new city) that just joined us (in my Derp city, not Skyeland)? 1350pts this week and never asked for unfair trades for goods (we will do that to help the littles as they grow). A mix of fight/cater is crucial at that level.
The game is not designed for players who choose not to use all the resources they have access to. I know because I was one of those players in the beginning. Combat was foreign to me; did not even train troops for several chapters except for quests, didn't level up the military bldgs, etc. While I like a challenge, that method was hard! It took me learning from this thread:Combat 101 Then, of course, I had to play catch-up on developing my military buildings/troops. It was a lot of work, but well worth it.

Cool! Thank you; I'll check them out.

Right now we are averaging 6 chests per week but with a push week on steel tourneys. I was thrilled to get my first blueprint on the first steel push week. I think we could go for two push weeks ... don't know what an "easier" one is other than steel. I know scrolls are insanely hard for most of us; it won't be that one. But anyway, thank you for the link.

Wow, Chapter two player getting 1350 ... that's awesome. That shows they are really trying. I'd rather have a chapter 2 member who tries than a chapter 10 who just sits there any day.

 

[Darielle]

Here is some unsolicited advice for you. Just kick them out. Or change the rules to remove the minimum requirements. But you need to do at least one of those things. Right now the rules are not real as you're not enforcing them, and you're going to lose good players who actually pull their weight, and see free-loaders getting a pass. It is much better to say "we got 20K points with just 10 players", than to say "we're full, and we only got 20K points". But if tournament points are not important for your FS, then just drop these from the requirements so people who care about it won't be misled and be disappointed.

Yeah, the tourney is one of the reasons I joined this fellowship ... it is important to me. And I agree, we need to drop the ones who won't get the minimum. A warning is good, but letting it slide forever is not.

 

[Alpha Lyrae]

I maintain that folks who say 'it's too hard' really don't want to do it. They like the *idea* of getting all those benefits, but aren't willing to put in the work.

I agree. I have 2 Chapter III cities that I'm playing right now. Both reached and/or exceeded 1,000 points this past week in the tourney, fighting all the way. I'm still able to grow my city and play the Spire (fighting and diplomacy) to through the first level. I don't think it's difficult, but does require that I'm in the game a lot. I set my goods at 3 hr productions and workshops at 1 hr productions when I can in these two cities.

I will say that I value the tournaments because of my 10 chest fellowship. One can quickly see the benefits when your FS consistently hits that mark. I'm starting to feel that way about the Spire, with careful planning.

Back on topic... tournament rewards are just another benefit of joining a good Fellowship. To the OP, your trading woes will be gone with a good FS! If you can find one with a good mix of ranked players (meaning, some further along in the game, some new and some in between), then you may find a member or 2 willing to set you up for some unfair trades. This will stock your goods so you don't have to stress about production to meet quests, move through the beginning chapters, etc.

 

[Jiali]

I like to trade, but I find myself in a rather hostile trade environment

Hey Cynthia, I joined late... So much good advice above. I noticed you're on Sinya Arda like me. I'm in an awesome FS and we could use a teammate like you! A player like yourself, who works so hard in the tourneys should never have to worry about trading! (everyone - please don't beat me up for the self-serving commentary)

We've got a pretty active group. Not 10 chests but always 5-6. No pressure, just friendly and active. We also do pretty well in the fellowship adventures. We've also got a pretty good KP swap going. I think you'll be much happier with us

Look up "Elvenar Rebellion" in-game. Drop a note to one of the mages. We've got some room for you. I'd love to see you on our team!

 

[Cynthia de Luz]

Thank you for the terrific invite! Are you looking for particular boosted goods in your FS? I see that the wise advisors speak of strategically placing oneself into a FS that needs the resources one can provide. Your FS sounds like one I might fit well into, as long as I am assured of good strong trade lines that I can complement well. Again, my appreciate the invitation! CdL

 

[Darielle]

Thank you for the terrific invite! Are you looking for particular boosted goods in your FS? I see that the wise advisors speak of strategically placing oneself into a FS that needs the resources one can provide. Your FS sounds like one I might fit well into, as long as I am assured of good strong trade lines that I can complement well. Again, my appreciate the invitation! CdL

From what I see on Elvenstats, Cynthia, Elvenar Rebellion's needed boosts are marble, scrolls, gems and crystal. If you have at least one of those, you could be an asset to that group. I noticed you have marble, crystal and elixir ... my group, Thornwood, needs those items, too. Check out both fellowships on elvenstats.com and then choose what is right for you. Both Elvenar Rebellion and Thornwood have assets, and I won't try to sway you either way, in all fairness to Jiali, since he asked first.

 

[Jiali]

Cynthia,
Our group picks up almost all trades pretty quickly, nothing really sits in the trader for too long. Cross trades take a little longer but 3 star trades tend to expedite those. I'd definitely choose a FS that is low on the goods you produce. Tourney bonuses, FA and spire activity will also get you growing pretty fast!

Darielle has it right! Our stats show we are lower in marble, scrolls, gems and crystal. You've got 2 of 3 and I personally always need elixir.

The choice is yours. Isn't it great to have choices?

 

[Drumpy]

I hit a point where I hadn't had a trade in over a week and they were all heavy 3 Star tradess. Even though I had "inherited" the Archmage position I had to leave a slowly dying FS. I had managed to recruit 3 new member's but I just could not cotinue without trades....

 

[Darielle]

I hit a point where I hadn't had a trade in over a week and they were all heavy 3 Star tradess. Even though I had "inherited" the Archmage position I had to leave a slowly dying FS. I had managed to recruit 3 new member's but I just could not cotinue without trades....

The AM from my former group had to disband the group. It happens, but it turned out for the best. I hope you found something that suited you better, Drumpy.

 

[StrongJean]

What about new players that just started and putting a great effort into building their city? Where do they join a fs were they can enjoy the game, grow, and build without pressure? I have been visiting every day without any return with only 2 visits. Everybody started this game at one time from the beginning? I left my old game that I have played for 8 years and reached to top level. Gave all my resources to help others especially the low level players but, on the other hand hardly received any resources in return out of 75 neighbors maybe 3 or 4 left me resources I needed. After 15 days of playing this game, I still have to learn a lot and research what some of the stuff means and how to use it. I am in a fs that only has one other member that is way less advanced than I am. I am looking for a fs that is good for beginners were everybody really helps each other to move ahead. Just saying

 

[StrongJean]

received only 2 visits I mean lol

 

[Jiali]

@StrongJean What world are you in?
I can't seem to find you on elvenstats or in-game

 

[Cynthia de Luz]

@StrongJean - When I started this post, I was perplexed by the poor trading environment I found myself in. My FS was not very lively, my neighbors were pretty much out of my league or inert, so I was wondering what I must do to make life better for my town. Luckily, I was able to make contact with Jiali, who guided me to a better FS that I now am SO HAPPY to be in. It’s the difference between night and day now - the new FS is so much more exciting. One thing I did find out is that I can’t see as much if I search on my mobîle device - using your PC interface to research and find a suitable FS is much better. You see so many more selections. Use ElvenStats to do your research into the FSs you might be interested in, look for complementary boosted goods and a relatively high number of members, because odds are better to get some very engaged players in there with you. Don’t be afraid to challenge yourself, and ask questions, because there are so many helpful people in this game!

 

[StrongJean]

@StrongJean - When I started this post, I was perplexed by the poor trading environment I found myself in. My FS was not very lively, my neighbors were pretty much out of my league or inert, so I was wondering what I must do to make life better for my town. Luckily, I was able to make contact with Jiali, who guided me to a better FS that I now am SO HAPPY to be in. It’s the difference between night and day now - the new FS is so much more exciting. One thing I did find out is that I can’t see as much if I search on my mobîle device - using your PC interface to research and find a suitable FS is much better. You see so many more selections. Use ElvenStats to do your research into the FSs you might be interested in, look for complementary boosted goods and a relatively high number of members, because odds are better to get some very engaged players in there with you. Don’t be afraid to challenge yourself, and ask questions, because there are so many helpful people in this game!

Thank you for responding to my post and yes, I have noticed that a lot of people will help here in this forum which is great!! My FS has only 2 members but I joint right from the beginning because I thought I had to. And, you are right I have to challenge myself however, there is so much I still have to learn of the basics. I am very active in this game because first of all I like it a lot and second, this is my relaxation from my testing profession as a therapist working with the troubled youths therefore, I really have to take my mind off a testing day lol. Thanks again for your input really very much appreciated Stay safe!

 

[Jiali]

...I now am SO HAPPY to be in. ...

Pats self on the back

All kidding aside, It's awesome to have you on our team!

 

[DeletedUser13102]

Due to the conditions of Trading at the Sentient tier 3 level I have decided to stop playing this game. It is no longer fun because the people trade for profit all the time. Nothing wrong with that it just is no longer fun. The game requires a lot of sentient tier 3 goods that one can not manufacture at a rate to stay ahead of the decay rate and trades go unanswered because people want 1.5 time what is and even trade. I guess people who stay in this game turn greedy.

 

[mucksterme]

Due to the conditions of Trading at the Sentient tier 3 level I have decided to stop playing this game. It is no longer fun because the people trade for profit all the time. Nothing wrong with that it just is no longer fun. The game requires a lot of sentient tier 3 goods that one can not manufacture at a rate to stay ahead of the decay rate and trades go unanswered because people want 1.5 time what is and even trade. I guess people who stay in this game turn greedy.

I've never understood people posting bad sentinent trades since they are server wide.
If there are no good trades available, I never have trouble getting my own trades picked up.