Board Thread:Game Discussion/@comment-11133001-20130726020227

A tough decision had to be made this morning but I had to do something in order to expose what has probably been the biggest complaint with this game besides game ap lag: the dreaded Space Bridge. The decision made not only proved what I thought was the case all along, but ended up shutting my account down as a result.

First off, I love this game. I have been playing since Day of the Dinobots Part 2 and it has consumed my life, both in cash and in time. The allies are another part that make it even better. As fun as this game can be, the caveat is the quirks in this game that make you cringe, make you often doubt some of the credibility that this game has the perception of portraying.

So what happened? Well, plenty, but besides the lag which seems to continue to get worse and was one of my main gripes, I noticed a few things with this current event which I am sure you all have seen as well. Namely, the speed at which you stop one-cubing bosses. 30 minutes was it for me, then every other boss was a 2-cube. This haste of adding harder-to-kill bosses at this early stage of the game changed my strategy of farming cubes and energon, which I expected to be about 150/300 respectively when beginning to two-cube. Instead, I ended up around 80/200, and of those 200, 150 or so were from the previous event. The most under-handed part that angered me was the removal of ??? bosses, which as you all know are a staple of first day continuity. Completely frustrated after realizing that farming was out of the question, and after having spent a good chunk of change on raid cards, it was time to try a new strategy of spending for additional raid cards in order to boost DP to one-shot the bosses and maintain the deck in which I had already invested. In other words, shoot for a top tier finish. Now that brings me to the Space Bridge.

I wish I had the opportunity to read AndRollOut's post about the odds, but hindsight is always 20/20. Since I was already $150 into the bridge, I decided to go for an MTM Jetfire, thinking another $120 dollars or 4 pulls of the space bridge would capture my goal. When all I kept hitting was Warpaths, I knew that another 4 should make it. Well, to no avail. After 15 total tries, I had a handful of Warpaths to show for it. I realize that it is part luck, but for $600, don't you think you should get at least one set? At that point I emailed Mobage and demanded a refund with the expectation that my account would be closed. I received the same auto response that many of you have received in the past:

'These odds aren't a stacking average, nor do they intend to give an exact ratio of a draw rate with some luck in between. Generally, every time you make one of these purchases, it is a gamble but there are slightly better odds in your favor.

I know how frustrating a bad card draw can be, however there is good reason for the design - please allow me to explain.

While game development teams strive to ensure that their paying customers are properly rewarded, they also need to ensure that their games do not degenerate into true pay to win models. If they make rarer cards or people too easy to acquire, than they create a situation where a player who pays instantly becomes far stronger than a player who does not.

The other problem developers face is that if we make those cards easy to acquire, then their value will begin to plummet as more and more players begin to add them to their decks. It wouldn't take long before the coveted card or person of today becomes the unwanted card or person of tomorrow. They make these cards and people rare to draw because when a player does acquire one, they want that card or person to provide the player with a significant boost in power and long lasting value.'

Of course I was completely dissatisfied with this reponse and more upset when he mentions the word "gamble". I sent one more email back simply demanding a refund, stating that they are by their terms, running a gambling site/ap which I am sure they are not licensed to do. Within 45 minutes, I received this reponse:

'The drop rates of the cards in game are based on rarity, and in order to conserve the integrity of the game it is necessary to make the best cards difficult to find in order to prevent somebody who spends a large amount of money in a short amount of time the greatest advantage. By rewarding patience and the building of a strong deck through a combination of trans-scanning and purchasing, players are able to get the most satisfaction from the game. There are no guarantees that spending will ensure the best cards, although there are some card packs that guarantee rare and above cards, episode cards and the like.

I've refunded the Mobacoin purchases you've requested and closed the associated account. Please note this cannot be reversed. I hope you were able to enjoy the game while you played it.'

So there you go. If you like spending, be prepared to be disappointed. Not that they ever promised anything, but they say it, "to prevent somebody who spends a large amount of money in a short amount of time the greatest advantage." Yet this goes against the whole idea behind the space bridge: spend more money and your chances go up.

So there it is. I have had 75% of my money refunded from this event, still waiting on the last amount. Account has been closed by Mobage.

Take away what you want from this post. Some of you may see this as no surprise, for others it may be the catalyst that moves you away. I am not promoting either one, I just want all of you to be informed moving forward. As they say, "buyer beware", and it could not be more applicable here.

It is a bittersweet day for me, as this game has been a part of me now for 6 weeks. I loved the artwork of the cards and the thrill of the race to the finish, but I will also invite a good night's sleep once again, better work productivity, not having to stare at a phone for 16+ hours out of the day, a happier family and a heavier wallet. Thank you to all of the new friends I made in this community. You guys rock! It was your efforts and your advice that got me as far as I did in this game which is disappointing since I won't be able to reciprocate.

I wish you all the best and hopefully you can one day conquer this game, not have it conquer you. 