Shorter build times - will developers consider?

[Guest]

This gets discussed a lot on other threads, but I don't recall a game official commenting.

Build times are so long that it would take about 5 or 10 years to complete a business strategy. That's too great a commitment to ask from recreational players managing imaginary assets. I assert to the developers that while your design theory is valid, your parameters are wrong. Build times should be reduced to about 40-50% of current values. This would leave the game qualitatively intact, but would let players get results from a more reasonable real life effort.

It would still take years to achieve their goals, just not 10 years. One reason why this is important is that "persistent" games usually aren't. They reset due to a variety of reasons: database corruption, redesign inconsistent with previous play, decline in donations, ... Let's allow players to build out in 2 or 3 years, then either continue to play for socialization, score and special features, or else just move on with their lives.

[Guest]

We could achieve a faster building by paying it with coins.
For example with 20 coins we could build 10% faster.

[Guest]

From 0m2 to 32767m2 for a building that expands at 1m2 per 15 minutes takes 341 days.(Less than one year.)
From 0m2 to 32767m2 for a building that expands at 1m2 per 30 minutes takes 683 days. (Less than two years.)

As you can see the expantion times really are not that long after all. I don't see the game taking 10 years to complete. Kapiland, the german version, started in July of 2005 and they already have many full expanded companies running. That is only 4 1/2 years. I don't think that is a very long time.

I think the problem is people these days. They expect to play and max a game in a few weeks or months and move on. I beleive they need to learn a little patience and perseverance for once.

[Guest]

This gets discussed a lot on other threads, but I don't recall a game official commenting.

Build times are so long that it would take about 5 or 10 years to complete a business strategy. That's too great a commitment to ask from recreational players managing imaginary assets. I assert to the developers that while your design theory is valid, your parameters are wrong. Build times should be reduced to about 40-50% of current values. This would leave the game qualitatively intact, but would let players get results from a more reasonable real life effort.

It would still take years to achieve their goals, just not 10 years. One reason why this is important is that "persistent" games usually aren't. They reset due to a variety of reasons: database corruption, redesign inconsistent with previous play, decline in donations, ... Let's allow players to build out in 2 or 3 years, then either continue to play for socialization, score and special features, or else just move on with their lives.

Building: Power plant
Expansion: 32747 m

[Guest]

We could achieve a faster building by paying it with coins.
For example with 20 coins we could build 10% faster.

I sure wouldn't pay 20 coins for 10% speed.

Then a power plant would be build in 21 months instead of 23...
Who cares???
I probably lose more when i just don't feel like bothering getting online when i know buildings are ready

[Guest]

We could achieve a faster building by paying it with coins.
For example with 20 coins we could build 10% faster.

That's fine with me, but it doesn't address the issue of retaining new players by giving them a reasonable career path. The internet is already limited to those who can afford access, and most of them can't pay any more. Only a handful of people can donate, and while they're important to the developers, they can't provide the critical mass of a successful game.

Do you think, by coincidence or excellent judgment, the parameters are perfect right now? Or, like every internet game, is KL in Beta, with features subject to review? Would 50% faster build times be worse than the present times? Isn't half an hour kind of a round number, selected loosely? Why not go back and reconsider that choice?

Unlike some suggestions rejected by developers, reducing building time would not qualitatively change the game.

[Guest]

From 0m2 to 32767m2 for a building that expands at 1m2 per 30 minutes takes 683 days. (Less than two years.)

Yeah, but what percentage of your buildings can be in expansion at any time? If half your buildings are in expansion, you could complete in less than 4 years. If 1/3 of your buildings are in expansion, it would take almost 6 years. For crying out loud, your life is going by while that happens.

I'm not asking for a qualitative change to KL, which I enjoy playing. I want the developers to consider contracting the time scale, so that the exact same game can be played in less time. It's unreasonable to expect thousands of players to devote big chunks of their lives to competing for bragging rights in an imaginary universe. Some people will do that, but I'm arguing that more players would be attracted to faster milestones.

[Guest]

Or, like every internet game, is KL in Beta, with features subject to review?

1. Not every game on the internet is in Beta.
2. I have not heard that word, Beta, once from any of the game officals around here. From what I can see with Upjers they develope a game completely and publish it. (That doesn't mean they don't change little things here and there like about any computer or internet game.)

Personaly, I don't think the times are too long as a game player. However, if I had developed the game I probably won't have made the expantion times as long as they are here.


Edit:

[Guest]

1. Not every game on the internet is in Beta.

I don't know about the philosophy of KL developers, specifically, but most internet games have to scramble to survive. If playership declines, they have to do something.

Personaly, I don't think the times are too long as a game player. However, if I had developed the game I probably won't have made the expantion times as long as they are here. :?

Good for you, that's my point. The choice was arbitrary and is subject to feedback. I think we could attract more new players with shorter build times, and I don't think donations would decline.

[Guest]

Good for you, that's my point. The choice was arbitrary and is subject to feedback. I think we could attract more new players with shorter build times, and I don't think donations would decline.

Once again.
On current servers they definatly won't change the building time.


And looking at the succes of the games i see no reason for them to change that in future games.

Shorter building times = end of game sooner = people quitting earlier = no more revenues



It might be annoying to wait so long, but that will only increase the gratitude when its done

[Guest]

Ok , i didn't read what any of you said so this might have already been said i would probably take you about 2 years to start making a big enough income to start expanding buildings to max, and that might take 3 years. So for 5 years you go on your computer for half an hour a day and play a game. Thats seems pretty reasonable to me. I would not want it to take only 1-2 years to play the game because i enjoy talking to people about the game even more than just playing it and i think if they were going to change the expanding time they would make them longer be for they made them shorter

P.S. I think the game owner would rather us pay 2 euros a month for 5 years rather than 2 years (referring to VIP)

[Guest]

Thanks for the responses, but all four of you are billionaires. My thesis is that new and intermediate players would benefit from shorter build times. New guys aren't represented here, so I'm speaking directly to the developers on their behalf.

I've made a lot of suggestions, with almost unanimously negative responses, but that doesn't mean my ideas are bad. We've got a sort of aristocracy on this board, where advanced players shout down any calls for change. But 1000 newbies are worth more to the developers than one billionaire. They just can't find their way to the board to say what they'd like.

[Guest]

I can see what you are saying Straw Man. You just need to keep in mind most of us play, or used to play, other versions of Kapilands. (German, French, etc.) I, and others that have done the same, understand what it is to be a small company just as much as you. I have started a company 5 times on different Kapilands servers. Just because my realm 1 and 2 companies are Billionaires doesn't mean I don't understand the struggle to begin.

With every new company you learn how to maximize your profites and growth. That makes the game go by much faster making a suggestion like this seem unneeded.

Do you understand that?

[Guest]

Thanks for the responses, but all four of you are billionaires. My thesis is that new and intermediate players would benefit from shorter build times. New guys aren't represented here, so I'm speaking directly to the developers on their behalf.

I've made a lot of suggestions, with almost unanimously negative responses, but that doesn't mean my ideas are bad. We've got a sort of aristocracy on this board, where advanced players shout down any calls for change. But 1000 newbies are worth more to the developers than one billionaire. They just can't find their way to the board to say what they'd like.

And again, they clearly stated they wouldn't change things like that in a running game.
Nothing to do with who is suggesting or opposing it.


I know some people started buying a lot of coins and managed to grow real fast because of that, but i know i'm not one of them.
So like Azer i've had that stage and i managed to outgrow that.


Why can't you just accept it won't change and just adapt to it???
Isn't that the meaning of a game, adapt your strat to the game and make the best of it??

The thing you seem to be trying to achieve here is like going to the casino, betting on 15 on the roulette and start complaining about not getting a price when its 16 cuz its so very close to the number you bet on.
This game is using these building times and thats part of the game and its succes, but you are in a hurry so the game should just adapt to your wishes.

Like written in another thread.
You got a great idea for a new format:

General Changes
Please do not suggest ideas which will change the complete sense of the game. If you have any detailed idea of a brand new game then you can write this proposal to Zbombe who will forward it to the developers.

^^ write the proposal to Zbombe and maybe they will construct a new game using your ideas.



I wonder how often we need to explain this before you manage to understand??

[Guest]

Like written in another thread.
You got a great idea for a new format:

General Changes
Please do not suggest ideas which will change the complete sense of the game. If you have any detailed idea of a brand new game then you can write this proposal to Zbombe who will forward it to the developers.

^^ write the proposal to Zbombe and maybe they will construct a new game using your ideas.

I get that and wouldn't suggest a game altering feature, except maybe as a new version for another server. Shorter build times would be a quantitative rather than a qualitative change. The game would be exactly the same, just shorter. Suppose the original, arbitrary choice for mine build time had been an hour, rather than half an hour. Would that be okay with you?

If the developers state clearly that they won't consider reducing build times, then I'll drop the idea, but so far, I've only heard from billionaires. No offense, but I don't care what you want, only what I want and what would be good for the disenfranchised hoi polloi whose interests I advocate. Lots of people are more important to the developers than a few people.