As you know by now, Clash of Clans (Free) is getting a huge update very soon, the Town Hall 11 update, that should change the way the game’s played quite dramatically. This past week Supercell has been slowly unveiling the various changes the update will bring, among them changes to shields, trophies, base defense and much more. Some changes have been greeted with applause by some while other changes have been met with reactions ranging from skepticism to nihilism; in other words, the expected range of reactions to such a big update. Jonas, a Clash of Clans developer, gave an interview today in an attempt to clarify some of the changes, explain the thinking behind some others, and in general provide more details to the community about where Supercell wants the game to go. As you can imagine, this was a very interesting Q&A.
Jonas said that they are aware that the changes might confuse players who aren’t the kind that goes on reddit and forums, but because the update is primarily aimed at making the game easier to play, he hopes that players won’t be too shocked at the changes. They’ve been trying to make the changes as clear as possible – which is why they’ve been talking about it constantly – and have even made some changes to the coming update based on player feedback. To the question why do this update at all, he said the way the Town Hall shields work now has made players want to ‘vanish’ to protect their base. The developers want a game that makes all players happy playing it, so this update is the start of a long-term effort to make the game better.
Then, they got into discussing the issue of farming (many feel that farming will pretty much die after the update). Jonas said they want to continue supporting this ‘casual’ way of playing the game and says that farming isn’t going to change as much as people think it will. The conversation then moved into the issue of Personal Break changes, which Jonas admits it’s so complicated that even developers had a hard time grasping it. Even when he tries to break it down, the explanation is still too complicated to be honest. The Q&A goes into trophies, defense bonuses, arranged wars, the future of Clan Wars, and much more. So, a very interesting 30 minutes if you are a fan of the game.
Timestamps:
1:00 – Reasons behind changes
7:50 – Farming
12:25 – Personal Breaks
15:50 – More on Defense Bonus
16:50 – Trophy Pushers
21:15 – Defenseless Bases
24:35 – Clan Wars
Actually got it earlier in the year via a UK Starbucks promotion. Glad I didn't pay. So over hyped.
That is exactly the attitude that will keep mobile gaming hamstrung. In literally every other industry you'd be glad you only spent 4 dollars on something you didn't like that much. In mobile gaming, however, somehow 4 dollars is some outrageous price that developers are insulting you by asking for. Never mind how much people pay to upgrade their phones every year, or (since you mention it) how much they spend at Starbucks every day.
I'm never glad to pay money on something I don't like. People not wanting to spend money on things they don't like really isn't a problem.
I agree with you, and personally i am happy to support mobile game developers: every week i buy the new games i like.
Anyway i don't like that games i paid 5 € at launch go free/discount the next month (example: geometry wars 3). Now we know that a game will become free, or will have a discount within 6 months and I do not find it fair to those who decided to buy the game at full price.
I completely understand why there are many people that instead of buying the game (and providing support to developers) expect to have everything for free... becouse they can! The problem is the policy of apple or developer, not people who expect to have the free games.
Same here. In this particular case, I understand that they are trying to boost sales of expansion, but this approach hurts small business quite a lot. Hardens position of other indies with small premium games. I usually do not support such a dev. But what to do with this Dev. I really enjoyed monument valley.
Nope, this game is too good. It's OK to play zen games + levels to help charity = full Dev support.
I never had a problem with games eventually getting a deep discount or going free. If it was worth playing, it was worth supporting. The Bible also has a story touching on that... lessee... in Matthew 20 (no matter where you stand on the Bible, the principle's the same).
On the other hand, I'm with the first poster, re: spending even a piddling $4 for something I don't believe was worth it (I'm not one of those who thought the game was too short -- I didn't enjoy it at all, and quit after 20 minutes or so). I'd much rather play a demo, spend some amount of money if it's worth it to me, and then -- the only reason I care about discounts or promotions is to help me convince other people to buy it also.
What's wrong if somebody say that it's not a game he/she likes.
That's not what I said. What I said was wrong is the attitude towards pricing that exists in mobile gaming. It has already made for a highly unhealthy industry.
Maby i read your reply wrong,but at the point of an unhealthy industry it's all lies in the fact that it works for them and the customer knows that games they paid full price at a certain point become "so called" F2P your always get a point where you bought something and find out that a week later it is €50 cheaper,it's fucked up but it's a fact of live.
Uh...what?
Uh... what? What is your point?
My point is that I have absolutely no idea what you said.
What is not to understand?this discussion is going nowhere we are seeing things completely different but that's oke.
What is not to understand is what you wrote. It doesn't make sense. Rewrite it in a way that I can read it and I may reply to it. But right now I have no idea what I'd be replying to.
why isn't it making sense so I try to
say it in other words.but this can go on forever quote "I said was wrong is the attitude towards pricing that exists in mobile gaming"so I reply that this attitude toward pricing is something you can't dictate sometimes things are not logical or explainable they are what they are.
Agree. The game is getting boring way too fast.
I did pay and I also thought it was over-hyped. Nice graphics, but it felt like more of a novelty/trinket than an actual game.
Ditto (except in the US). I got the game appreciated it's beautiful visuals, but deleted it very quickly because it just didn't grab me. If I had a free-to-try option and actually liked it, I'd have paid for it like I've done with other games.
For the first time?
I never bought mine but i have it ._. It must have been free at some other point because i never paid for my copy
Yeah, I think there was a Starbucks promo at one point, as someone in the comments here pointed out. Technically, this is the first time it's been free in the App Store itself, but I'll take the 'L' on this one. Starbucks Japan doesn't do those cool App promos.
They also gave away free promo codes on these boards to pretty much anyone who asked.
Yes!
I already owned it but i love this game so much that I shared it with literally 20 people so far.
Funny how they make things free after everyone and there grandma already bought it, seems like there trying to reignite interest in the game again...smooth stealth move.