TCash and Regatta

[L&P Star 2]

It's obvious form posts throughout this section that excessive use of Tcash has really changed regatta. For many normal players, this has killed regatta. Though for a few big spenders it may add to the fun.

Regardless of whether you like it or not, it has definitely divided races into those who spend wads of Tcash and those who don't.

Those that don't spend Tcash often see little point to regatta now if they are forced to race alongside those who do. It's far from a level playing field.

So what do you think the answer is?

Here's some of my suggestions and what I'd like to see Playrix consider:

1) Deducting points for refreshing tasks on the board in assessing GLB scores

If someone dumps a task they already lose a point. Why not simply deduct a point as well for refreshing the board and "creating" a new task?

This would address coops spending loads of Tcash just refreshing the board, so tasks appear much quicker than coops who doesn't refresh. Would level the playing field on GLB a little at least

It would be very easy to collect refresh data in the statistics table, in addition to dump data

2) Some form of points deduction for use of TCash

In the same way points are deducted for dumping tasks, Playrix should deduct points for use of Tcash. This requires a bit of thought, as Tcash is used for many purposes, but the following should be feasible:

i) In the statistics table show how much Tcash a player has been spending (on certain items, not everything - see below), in the same way dumps are shown. Something simple like 1 point deducted for every 10 TCash spent in total for the coop

ii) Of course Playrix need to segregate Tcash for regatta purposes from Tcash for regatta. This isn't as difficult as it may seem though, and could even be done at a high level.
e.g Tcash that counts as a deduction is any TCash:

a) used to speed up a task. There may be some difficulty in splitting/identifying this, but why not just assume any Tcash used to speed up a production, bring a plane or train early, speed up a crop etc. i.e something that speeds a process up, but is not permanent

On the other hand it would specifically exclude items such as below in the account. If Playrix gets the exclusions right, what is left is mainly regatta related:

c) purchases of decorations
d) purchase of gems
e) purchase of materials
f) purchase of building upgrades etc
these tend to be permanent changes

Deducting points on GLB for Tcash spend would level the playing field

If suggestion 1) isn't implemented another way is to deduct points for Tcash used to refresh the board or speed up tasks - very easy. I prefer a simple deduction for a refresh, but this is another way based on Tcash

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Suggestions 1) and 2) above would address unfairness in GLB and may cause coops to reconsider

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But then there are still coops that speed race based on Tcash and don't care about GLB. So:

3) Create a Tcash league

Track Tcash spending in a coop in the statistics during regatta. As above exclude spending on permanent changes such as buildings, decorations, materials, upgrades etc, but include temporary/ process speed ups

Any coop spending over a certain amount of Tcash gets "promoted" to the Tcash league.

There they can race to their hearts content against other Tcash spenders, leaving normal players to compete on a more level playing field based on skill, not Tcash.

eg

Spend over Tcash 100 per racer on certain items during a race and you go into the Tcash league next race. You stay there all the time you spend over 100 Tcash per racer.

Spend less than TCash 100 per racer during the next race and you go back to your normal golden/ silver league etc

Surely that's more entertaining and challenging than competing against coops that don't spend

Playrix could also up the prizes for this league. That would seem fair given the amount being spent.

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Thoughts? / Suggestions? Other solutions to improve?

[Bessville]

Have you seen this thread on your travels, L&P? It's actually from the Wish List, so it's possible you might have missed it, but it's on topic for you after post#12 or so, I think. Thought you might be interested, anyway.

[L&P Star 2]

Thanks Bessville. No I hadn't seen it

Nerfing my zoo has given me more time on my hands, but not so much as I'd be looking thru page 21 on the wish list section of forums LOL

Yes you're right I was interested to read it - Although I confess I skipped the parts where it went off track about getting directions

Seems like a hot topic for a couple of weeks in August 2018, which died in September 2019

I'm not a big fan of resurrection old threads, but there's some decent stuff in it worth a read.

Shame nothing came of it.

I'd just add, that if anything it's got worse since August 2018.

There also wasn't much focus on the thread on of how exactly a solution would work in practice to level the playing fields

I differentiate between people who throw loads of Tcash at the game and people who don't, rather than those hitting 16@135 and those not.

I've also sat on both sides of the fence, as part of the original fun way, and then the throw Tcash at it to experiment and see.

What's very clear is:

- I can win frequently and easily throwing Tcash at a race, and can occasionally have a fun race against others doing the same.

- If I don't spend Tcash it's mathematically impossible to beat someone who does throw a lot of Tcash at it

- It can be done sustainably week in week out without buying Tcash. But it can't be done sustainably week in week out without spending Tcash. I've never bought any Tcash. Costs around 200 - 400 Tcash a race to come 1st but that can be earned back over the week

Let those who enjoy playing Tcash play off against those who enjoy playing Tcash. A best of the best for T-cashers.

It's lame though for someone throwing Tcash at it week after week to want to compete against people that have no chance of beating them. OK for a first few times it's fun winning.

After that it's the equivalent of sticking someone with a motorboat in a race with someone with a swan pedalo boat LOL

I think the solutions above offer ways to

1) level the playing field by penalising excessive usage of Tcash.

2) create a superleague based on resource

after that leave it up to skill

[_DD_]

Seems like a hot topic for a couple of weeks in August 2018, which died in September 2019

As we have January 2019 now, I doubt it.

But the suggestion has been made several times, to have an extra league for those spending tcash.
btw, I wonder, with these other suggestions, just as with your suggestion, L&P, how anyone could think Playrix would be interested in any way of NOT supporting Tcash spent, and more of it...

[Bessville]

It may have come up depending on which words you used to search with - but yeah, this stuff is splattered about pretty liberally because so many conversations that start out one way end up at some variation of this.

It's not one single issue, I don't think. There are those who choose to spend real money on TCash. I can't imagine Playrix doing anything to discourage that. Then there are those who mostly win it via heli ads (that we don't all get - so there's another inequality) and other in-game means. Maybe that could be 'equalised' a bit more effectively? Then there are the teams who use the 'hot slot' tactic to reduce their dump rate, which also reduces their spend on refreshing tasks as a side effect. That's a whole other thing, and reducing the potential for spending by anyone trying to keep up arguably just shoves the fairness-gap somewhere else. And then there are my personal favourites, the Interseasonal hoppers. Some of them may use their tcash winnings to race with, if they even need to with all their boosters and coupons and upgrades etc.

Oh, and cheaters. I assume they exist, though I know no specifics.

I've probably missed some other points, and I don't have a solution to propose. But it's just so complicated, I'm not surprised We-the-Forum haven't reached a unified conclusion to put to Playrix.

[L&P Star 2]

LOL thanks for pointing that out DD . I like to be forward looking, but yes Sep 2019 is a bit of a stretch

[Ashdust]

We've been discussing this in our co-op, you're absolutely right Bess, the issue is how to resolve it...

One idea we had similar to your T cash league L & P was for a pay to enter "Platinum League". And remove the GLB from the lower Gold League. Not sure it is possible, but it may be simpler to administer than one where you have to track every T cash purchase and it wouldn't lose Playrix any revenue. Which we know is important.

[_DD_]

LOL thanks for pointing that out DD . I like to be forward looking,

thought you'd like it, and again, nicely explained, lol!

[L&P Star 2]

We've been discussing this in our co-op, you're absolutely right Bess, the issue is how to resolve it...

One idea we had similar to your T cash league L & P was for a pay to enter "Platinum League". And remove the GLB from the lower Gold League. Not sure it is possible, but it may be simpler to administer than one where you have to track every T cash purchase and it wouldn't lose Playrix any revenue. Which we know is important.

Yes, that would be simple. A platinum/diamond, call it whatever league, is worth considering. Your suggestion improves some things, even if not everything. Personally I'd also like to still have a GLB for non-Tcash racers in addition though.

Key is to attract and move Tcash big spenders into a league by themselves, so others have a more level playing field.

The way you describe it though, Gold just effectively becomes the new Silver (Gold now 2nd tier), and Platinum becomes the new Gold (top tier), so really only an extra tier/ league level has been added.
The one benefit of the extra tier is that silver gets 7 chests, but gold 9.

The pay to enter aspect then becomes the only real change in structure, in that you now have to pay to be in the top Tier.

This might attract some wanting to be global top. Giving 11 chests to that Platinum tier may also add some more incentive to enter.

But Tcash players can be split into two:
1) Those wanting to be global top GLB
2) Those that don't care about GLB and just want to win races.

(Then of course there's the hybrids, which in my view is where the real skill might be: those wanting to optimise both)

Just adding Platinum addresses partly the first but not the second group. We would still have those wanting to win races with loads of Tcash competing against non-Tcash players.

Also that structure is really just demoting everyone who doesn't want to spend Tcash into second tier, without any GLB.

It adds a little seeing where your coop is on the GLB even if you're not a big cash spender. It would be nice to retain that. It just needs to differentiate between Tcash big spenders and not.

[Ashdust]

L & P I knew we were oversimplifying it, but there has to be some sort of middle ground, can't figure it out though without making things far more complicated...probably the reason it hasn't been changed by Playrix yet.

The problem with the GLB is if it is there people will want to be top, with or without rewards, so will spend T cash to achieve this. Which means you will need some way to limit T cash spending like you suggest and that doesn't benefit Playrix.

It's beyond my brain power to work out.