Reflections on reflect...

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I don't want to read another thread about reflect and how fair or unfair it is so I'm not going put people through reading another one. This post is not truly about that topic. No, its really about something deeper.
If you haven't seen or heard by now, the latest wandering boss has some crazy hp. And the thing is kabam easily could have kept it around the same as other wandering bosses or even have its hp reduced so that all could get a better chance at winning the card. Instead they went in the other direction which seems to favor players who have the reflect combo. Hmmmmm.... It got me thinking, maybe kabam wants all players to eventually get that perk. And maybe they are making a point by giving such a benefit first to the players who paid for it and then later to the rest. The combo is very close to becoming totally free with some grinding. The only missing part is a 5* which sooner or later may appear in the summon pool and/or as an easier to gain might reward. So its like maybe they do want all to gain certain benefits, and maybe kabam does care for a balanced game, but maybe they just have a priority system.... But then I thought, what does kabam really want?
Does it really want a fair and competitive game? Well based on my experiences with them and the tone of many of the posts on these forums, I thought about it and it just became apparent to me- kabam doesn't care for the players or the game itself.
No, kabam just wants three thing, and when I say kabam I mean in general, not all the designers or social reps/gms who are passionate about what they do. Those three things are our time, our money and our compliments. And when you really look at it, thats fine because thats how some businesses operate. (I'm not saying its the right way but many businesses get very rich while bypassing the whole customer satisfaction thing). But what I want to say is that even though this app is just a game, it is not a game to kabam. It is way more than that and they are never going to stop wanting that commitment from players. Soon another feature, another combo, another bonus will become available that will give another advantage to players. And its like, if you're not willing to maintain your commitment to them then you will "fall behind" everyone. But its just a game. And if you are willing to make that commitment then do your thing and enjoy yourself. Just do not allow this game to become more than that. I think its important for players to keep sight of that all. If this app is becoming more than a game to you, then you should just stop now because you already are losing. Only when this app is just a game to you are you able to win it. Whether you play for free or not, don't let this game get the best or worst of you. You deserve better than that and even kabam employees would tell you that.
Anyhow, I know that may have seemed dramatic but I'm a thinker and writer and I enjoy sharing my thoughts at times. Good luck to all during the event. Til next time, JBJ God bless

Tried to read that wall but gave up.

I don't want to read another thread about reflect and how fair or unfair it is so I'm not going put people through reading another one. This post is not truly about that topic. No, its really about something deeper.
If you haven't seen or heard by now, the latest wandering boss has some crazy hp. And the thing is kabam easily could have kept it around the same as other wandering bosses or even have its hp reduced so that all could get a better chance at winning the card. Instead they went in the other direction which seems to favor players who have the reflect combo. Hmmmmm.... It got me thinking, maybe kabam wants all players to eventually get that perk. And maybe they are making a point by giving such a benefit first to the players who paid for it and then later to the rest. The combo is very close to becoming totally free with some grinding. The only missing part is a 5* which sooner or later may appear in the summon pool and/or as an easier to gain might reward. So its like maybe they do want all to gain certain benefits, and maybe kabam does care for a balanced game, but maybe they just have a priority system.... But then I thought, what does kabam really want?
Does it really want a fair and competitive game? Well based on my experiences with them and the tone of many of the posts on these forums, I thought about it and it just became apparent to me- kabam doesn't care for the players or the game itself.
No, kabam just wants three thing, and when I say kabam I mean in general, not all the designers or social reps/gms who are passionate about what they do. Those three things are our time, our money and our compliments. And when you really look at it, thats fine because thats how some businesses operate. (I'm not saying its the right way but many businesses get very rich while bypassing the whole customer satisfaction thing). But what I want to say is that even though this app is just a game, it is not a game to kabam. It is way more than that and they are never going to stop wanting that commitment from players. Soon another feature, another combo, another bonus will become available that will give another advantage to players. And its like, if you're not willing to maintain your commitment to them then you will "fall behind" everyone. But its just a game. And if you are willing to make that commitment then do your thing and enjoy yourself. Just do not allow this game to become more than that. I think its important for players to keep sight of that all. If this app is becoming more than a game to you, then you should just stop now because you already are losing. Only when this app is just a game to you are you able to win it. Whether you play for free or not, don't let this game get the best or worst of you. You deserve better than that and even kabam employees would tell you that.
Anyhow, I know that may have seemed dramatic but I'm a thinker and writer and I enjoy sharing my thoughts at times. Good luck to all during the event. Til next time, JBJ God bless

Incredibly well said. No problem to read and think over this. I also LOVE the war with words. +1 to all. I'm just dissapointed that many players can't realize the stuff you said.

Even though i agree it is kinda obvious that kabam is changing to a more pay to win direction.think about the various events we had. We had the horsemen events where you could get all horsemen for free.obviously paying gave an advantage but still someone who tried could manage to get the cards for free.then we had golden force.also the same.everyone whether they were paying or not they could have the combo.then we had spirits of slaugter war not so easy to get but many had him for free from event or from the haunted booster packs and the other two cards could also drop for free so people could have the combo.but then kabam changed.you cant have eternal evil without paying for fallen vamb.same with morgana now.even if you get her the other cards of her combos are available only by paying.so even though i agree that hoc is a business and i think most people here understand that too, the priorities of kabam changed completely.now that they have a 'standard' amount of customers they dont care about having an attractive game anymore that would get our compliments as stated above, they just want to get as much money as possible from these customers and unfortunately those same customers that complain about how bad this game has become are the same that keep supporting its course to where we are now by continuing to pay whenever a new promo appears.so to sum up i agree that it is a business and should care about the profit but instead of trying to be an appealing game kabam relies only on their 'hooked' customer so in my opinion if people stopped spending all the time to whatever crap they give us maybe we will see some improvements to the game. sorry for the long text

Tried to read that wall but gave up.

Lol, its all good

Incredibly well said. No problem to read and think over this. I also LOVE the war with words. +1 to all. I'm just dissapointed that many players can't realize the stuff you said.

Thanks man

Anyone who is familiar with me knows that I am inclined to agree with the OP's philosophy. For me, it's always been about moderation. Most things in life are fine in moderate amounts; it's when people do or use things excessively that the problems begin to occur.

For me, I've always stayed behind the pack, I don't use cheats or tools or auto-click, I don't invest a ton of $$ in gems, I run a Rank 4 guild and I've helped a ton of players and have never quested to be #1, just to do and be the best I can with what i have to work with....all the while enjoying things for the most part. I find in doing so, I am able to remain objective, not get as emotionally invested, and that works for me. In this case, it has also then allowed me to see -- and be grateful for -- the opportunity given by developers to obtain the Reflect combo via the GK event....and I jumped all over that right away and can finally be one of the players this event to use it. That leaves me feeling thrilled, accomplished, and happy.....rather than angry, hostile, and cheated.

For me, this is a marathon and not a sprint and from where I sit that plays very well into the development team's road map. I also get why those who feel slighted or cheated feel that way, though I believe the solution rests on them to approach things differently moreso than the development team in most situations (afterall, that's all we can really control, how *we* handle things, yes?).

Addictions of any kind are hard to beat, but one can overcome them with effort. I think if a few players could step back a little bit from the frenzy, lessen their "fix", be a little more healthy in their habits and coping and gaming style, suddenly the game (minus the *ABYSMAL* Customer Support) would start to look a little less terrible.

Well put. Play the game and don't let the game play you.

I hear ya Wily but I think the graveland events and etc were actually the exception to the rule. I'm not sure when you began playing hoc but I started in Oct of 2013 and nothing has really changed as far as kabams business dealings. From what I've seen, kabam experiments from time to time and sometimes is a bit too generous with new ideas/events and after seeing how it affects their bottom line, they make adjustments to bring things back into the "balance" that they like.
Btw, the length of your reply was fine considering that my post was probably twice as lengthy =)

Anyone who is familiar with me knows that I am inclined to agree with the OP's philosophy. For me, it's always been about moderation. Most things in life are fine in moderate amounts; it's when people do or use things excessively that the problems begin to occur.

For me, I've always stayed behind the pack, I don't use cheats or tools or auto-click, I don't invest a ton of $$ in gems, I run a Rank 4 guild and I've helped a ton of players and have never quested to be #1, just to do and be the best I can with what i have to work with....all the while enjoying things for the most part. I find in doing so, I am able to remain objective, not get as emotionally invested, and that works for me. In this case, it has also then allowed me to see -- and be grateful for -- the opportunity given by developers to obtain the Reflect combo via the GK event....and I jumped all over that right away and can finally be one of the players this event to use it. That leaves me feeling thrilled, accomplished, and happy.....rather than angry, hostile, and cheated.

For me, this is a marathon and not a sprint and from where I sit that plays very well into the development team's road map. I also get why those who feel slighted or cheated feel that way, though I believe the solution rests on them to approach things differently moreso than the development team in most situations (afterall, that's all we can really control, how *we* handle things, yes?).

Addictions of any kind are hard to beat, but one can overcome them with effort. I think if a few players could step back a little bit from the frenzy, lessen their "fix", be a little more healthy in their habits and coping and gaming style, suddenly the game (minus the *ABYSMAL* Customer Support) would start to look a little less terrible.

?? Nice insights, thanks for sharing