Review [Issue 43] Premium Accounts

[sonofchrysalis3 3,719]

 

 

I don't need hard numbers to see whats happening to the game, I have been researching MMOGs for 3 years, I have read thousands of articles, follow dozens of blogs of industry pros, streamed cofrences, Ted talks, psychology research, UX professionals, and producers (yes most producers are very open in discussing their platforms).

 

It is very clear that Tanki is starting to understand how all of their past discounts, extra funds, and prizes have hurt the game economy, and why they continually need to devalue the crystal and increase the costs to the point that tankers can no longer progress in the game.

 

Semyon gave a hint about this issue here: http://en.tankiforum.com/index.php?showtopic=289674&do=findComment&comment=5070632

 

Hazel also speaks of it briefly in this post: http://en.tankiforum.com/index.php?showtopic=290798&page=38&do=findComment&comment=5125737

 

You have to be completely blind to see that this game has gotten more expensive to play each yr, this is because they have had to increase the cost every month to cover the gifts they were giving players every month. 3 yrs ago, you could buy the entire garage for 3.5 million crystals earning exeactly the same you do now +;- a few % but now a full garage has a whopping cost of around 15 million crystals.

 

Economic Imbalance

Problems with the fundamental economic model of the game are typically observed as a continuous decline in the valuation of the game currency. Often the problem can be traced back to those running the game, who have set up a policy to give away the game currency to its members as a game function, with little to no way to actually remove money from the economy. This policy causes an ever-increasing amount of game currency in circulation and a subsequent decline in value.

 

Removal of currency from circulation is substantially harder than introducing it as a reward for player actions. Players actively pursue awards and tend to accumulate them; the currency reward will only be given up if there is sufficient reason or something of higher value to be gained.

 

While removal of currency is more difficult than addition, more focus has been given to it than to regulating currency sources. The primary tool for removal of currency is to add money sinks, or features designed to remove money from the game.

 

in my opinion Unity isn't so much a jump in graphics a snazzy gameplay, but their ONLY option to get out of the mess they have created in the last several yrs to this platform.

 

The mudification they have been doing to this game since last Christmas is only to extend the life support this game is in till they have a working Unity version for everyone to start back from 0, and hopefully they have learned the lessons and create a F2P MMO that can be sustainable and enjoyable for both free to play users and premium players.

 

 

 

This big quote boils down to "I don't have the facts to back up my statement, so I'll just say that I know what I'm talking about and that will be good enough". I didn't ask you how much crystals cost, I asked you how much the garage equipment costs and I wanted you to show me how that has increased in price. Of course the crystals have increased in price! So has every other product you buy, be it popcorn, light bulbs, or paper towels.

 

And yes, Tanki made a few mistakes in the past when they gave too much away for free. That has nothing to do with your original statement. Your original statement was "the fundamental economics are broken and in a runaway state", which is incorrect, and "Over 150 game platforms shut down every year because of lack of education of devs in the area of virtual economies.", which attempts to allege that Tanki is on the verge of shutting down. Also very incorrect.

Edited November 16, 2015 by sonofchrysalis3

[sonofchrysalis3 3,719]

I do play Tanki, so you can shut up now.

 

Oh, so why not give EVERYONE double battle funds, huh ? Buying + Receiving double the crystals at the end of a battle ? Seems OP, doesn't it ? Well, you staff members will never understand our concern, as you are hooked up to a nice salary every month.

Well then, since you play Tanki, you must know that playing the game gives you crystals, and the more you play, the more you earn, meaning that a skilled player can make more crystals than your average Premium player.

 

And, as I have said a hundred times, Tanki volunteers' real compensation is not monetary.

[swede1 1,726]

This big quote boils down to "I don't have the facts to back up my statement, so I'll just say that I know what I'm talking about and that will be good enough". I didn't ask you how much crystals cost, I asked you how much the garage equipment costs and I wanted you to show me how that has increased in price. Of course the crystals have increased in price! So has every other product you buy, be it popcorn, light bulbs, or paper towels. Take an economy class.

 

And yes, Tanki made a few mistakes in the past when they gave too much away for free. That has nothing to do with your original statement. Your original statement was "the fundamental economics are broken and in a runaway state", which is incorrect, and "Over 150 game platforms shut down every year because of lack of education of devs in the area of virtual economies.", which attempts to allege that Tanki is on the verge of shutting down. Also very incorrect.

The fundamental economics of the game were based on a game having 9 turrets and 7 hulls and a reward structure of funds recieved in battle, it was first mudified with update 114 game re-balance players the new cost of garage items increased by aprox 20-30% with no change to funds

Then came Update 123 which did give losers a bit more, but at the same time reduced entire fund by 50%

Then came update 144 they increased it back to about 80% of the previous state prior to 123

Then came the big one Update 208 MUs were added to the game increasing garage costs 300%

Then came Update 264 changing the distrobution of funds more balancing out the fund to give all players a fairer share of the same fund, this in effect reduced earned funds across the board of 20% through redistribution. 

Then came update 299, 312,and 317 adding Hammer, Vulcan, and protection paints, another 50% increase in garage costs.

The costs in Tanki  

Funds through gameplay - 40% decrease since update 123

Garage value +350% since update 123

 

Yes they did increase funds marginally for low ranks, but it only gave tankers about 3500 more crystals throughout their career.

Yes they have lowers costs of garage marginally but they have removed the ability to purchase the next modification by making players buy the highest mod available at their rank and also packaged MUs for the same reason, which by doing so has actually made the costs increase by doubling the amount of funds required for each purchase.

The game is now in a state where players cannot progress in the game, when players can no longer advance in a game, it is considered to be in a runaway state.

 

To address your allegations, I did not allege that Tanki is on the verge of shutting down, you came up with that assumption all on your own.

But since you bring that up, the flash version has seen its best days, and becomes less and less playable by each passing month.

[Darren4Turbo 4,913]

but if you play as badly as I do in a Smoky duel against the indestructible @Darren4Turbo, none of that is going to help.

Ok.

 

---

 

Well written Stratus! :)

[Cor7y 13,862]

Well then, since you play Tanki, you must know that playing the game gives you crystals, and the more you play, the more you earn, meaning that a skilled player can make more crystals than your average Premium player.

 

And, as I have said a hundred times, Tanki volunteers' real compensation is not monetary.

Oh, so Mr.Pony, let us take away that salary from you. Play more, and earn more ;)

[Cor7y 13,862]

^ And moreover, premium account users basically have a 50% sale ALL the time, and guess who said that a 40% sale is better than a 50% and was against sales ? You.

 

As for now, I see no point in arguing with you, because you are blinded by the salary that you get. Nub.

Edited November 16, 2015 by Cor7y

[LaserShark 2,095]

Puh-leeze. You griped and complained about how hard it was to get and complete the XT missions. 

 

you respond by griping and complaining!

 

MAKE UP YOUR FREAKING MIND!

 

 

It’s fine if you don’t want to buy the premium account subscription, but don’t go around flaunting your unsightly double standard.

 

 

 

You almost made an entire article without ranting about the community!

Almost.

All caps too in places. Nice.

 

But still, you should get credit for taking both sides into account, so, points there.

Comparing buying a $120 a year subscription of a simplistic browser game to buying a modern gaming console is a little messed up though. It's like comparing a spaceship to a 1970s Cessna plane. One is obviously worth more. Especially when you put into account most modern, high-end video games cost $20-$60 tops. Some people spend hundreds and thousands. Tanki is just not worth that. The main reason anyone spends that much I would assume is addiction.

 

In my possibly flawed opinion, this article is an improvement, but you could make your articles even better by not making them seem like you are looking down at the community from a shiny golden pedestal. 

Edited November 16, 2015 by LaserShark

[lukey0 27,543]

Very nice article with a touch of humour. ;)

[Amateur 829]

nah it was a bad move.

 

Lol. I thought I'm the only one in my squad who reads newspapers :D

Edited November 16, 2015 by Amateur

[HichigoShiiro 4,378]

^ And moreover, premium account users basically have a 50% sale ALL the time, and guess who said that a 40% sale is better than a 50% and was against sales ? You.

As for now, I see no point in arguing with you, because you are blinded by the salary that you get. Nub.

Wait, i get 50% discount? Where?

[I.WalkAlone 548]

You do not count the cost of the PC because a computer is a multi-functional device that is used for internet browsing, media editing, research, financial transactions, and more. A console is just for gaming. And since the overwhelming majority of tankers are young adults living with their parents, the tankers usually are not the ones to buy the family computer, but they will blow what money they have on gaming equipment.

 

And the statement "tanki costs more than console games" is utterly laughable. I honestly cannot believe this has to be explained. Sure, some people do spend hundreds of euros on their tank, but most don't, and most who stick with the game, play smart, spend wisely, and don't spend all their time whining about what they don't have will wind up Gismos with M3 garages, having never spent a coin on Tanki.

 

So, your rebuttal is invalid.

 

 

Yes, a PC is a multi-functional device. However, an ordinary PC would not be able to play tanki at a good enough performance because of flash engine. Most people do not have computers which are powerful enough to play tanki at even mid-settings with 60 FPS. To get a good enough gaming experience, one would have to buy a PC which would cost around the same as consoles. Besides, you don't buy a console to play just one game. And as I've mentioned earlier, not all games are console exclusives. There are a lot of good games which are available on PC's as well.

 

I specifically mentioned that you have to pay more in tanki than on console games if you don't want to grind through earning crystals from the battle fund. Console games cost 40-60$ for a full gaming experience. In contrast to that, 200k crystals cost 70$, which is not enough to buy even firebird m3. Imagine how much it would cost for m4's. And unless if you're a person with no life whatsoever it is impossible to get the proper gaming experience without spending hundreds of dollars. Tell me, what fun would it be to have m3's at generalissimo against all of the m4's and OP paints? So, tanki does cost more than console games for people who have a life and are willing to spend money on this game (why would they actually spend is beyond me, though).

[FillTheWorldWithLove 345]

I challenge you to provide numbers from the Tanki garage that prove this statement.

I somehow found this Highly ironic :rolleyes:

[Cor7y 13,862]

Wait, i get 50% discount? Where?

100% bonus in all battle means a 50% sale in may ways, unless you buy crystals or your friends give you the fund. Plus, if its a 5x battle fund, then..... .-.

[HichigoShiiro 4,378]

Funds through gameplay - 40% decrease since update 123

Garage value +350% since update 123

No, for a certain amount of time, they actually decreased the fund by 80% after update 123, they then announced that they were rising the fund by 60%, and there hasn't been any news of the mission 20% of the fund.  :huh:

[swede1 1,726]

No, for a certain amount of time, they actually decreased the fund by 80% after update 123, they then announced that they were rising the fund by 60%, and there hasn't been any news of the mission 20% of the fund.  :huh:

 

The whole premise was based on a player being able to acquire 1 hull and turret to the maximum modification of M3 by rank of Generalissimo.

While the funds have remained fairly unchanged since then, the game has changed quite a bit, players should be able to acquire a full M4 combo within the same timeframe.

The mission is adding an unknown addition to funds, is it enough? Tanki has total control of that and now uses that to raise and lower fund distribution at will.

There are also fundamental changes in gameplay with the addition of garage access which changes the minimum requirements to be competitive in the game, you can no longer be competitive with just one combo in battle, so even if it is possible for the F2P player to acquire one M4 combo by rank of Generalissimo, this person doesn't have the min requirements required in my humble opinion.

Edited November 16, 2015 by swede1

[NewbieCake 3,067]

Wait, i get 50% discount? Where?

With premium you pretty much have to do half of the work if you want to purchase an M3.

 

Say a M3 costs 210,000.

 

With premium, you only have to earn 105,000 since you already get x2 your reward.

 

Hence why they have a 50% sale.

[HichigoShiiro 4,378]

Oh that makes sense, but I dont have time to earn 105k.

[justin_the_prosurfer 1,116]

in a Smoky duel against the indestructible Darren4Turbo, ?????

 

 

Im the best smoky around , wth , darren 1-1 this saturday 3pm . Is this writer mad or something ?? bruh

Edited November 17, 2015 by justin_the_prosurfer

[swede1 1,726]

I challenge you to provide numbers from the Tanki garage that prove this statement.

 

And, as I've said a million times to a dozen tankers, if the game is withering away like a plastic bottle in a furnace, then please don't torture yourself by continuing to play.

I am sorry to bring the controversy into your article.

I do however applaud you for responding to my post even if your reasons were misplaced.

There is a great lack of real dialog.

I blame the administration for not using the resources available to them.

There is a real problem with how the administration handles feedback as a resource.

No one seems to be taking a professional leadership role. I continually see every person in an administrative positions log in quickly skim through topics and quickly log off again without taking the needed action to actually get effective dialog and feedback.

[Brubook 1,161]

I challenge you to provide numbers from the Tanki garage that prove this statement.

 

And, as I've said a million times to a dozen tankers, if the game is withering away like a plastic bottle in a furnace, then please don't torture yourself by continuing to play.

Is really this your idea of "customer care"?

 

Why the hell do you treat your customers that way? Why this offensive "take this or f*** off" style of you? You can use any word you like, but the message is that!

 

This will be one of the reasons of Tanki failure! I can understand you might be stressed by some "not really totally polite" comments, yet this your work here. If you cannot stand it, just leave it.

 

I am offended by sencences like that, and sure I am not the only one. Here you don't have only dumb children that just press "like" or "unlike" (oops ... unlike has been taken off) and don't even understand what they read.

 

Why the hell can't you be polite with people? Who the hell do you think you are?

 

Start to be polite and respect people, not talking about the fact that we are your customers!

[swede1 1,726]

He isn't an admin nor a mod responsible for the issues at hand. He is just one of thousands of discontented players who is frantically trying to find some kind of fun in this game and giving his time to be creative in the forum.

Though I share your thoughts regarding his attitude of "if you don't like it just leave", it is a symptom of the bigger issue that stems from the lack of leadership right from the top down through to the admin of this forum in dealing with players in a professional manner.

Edited November 17, 2015 by swede1

[Brubook 1,161]

He isn't an admin nor a mod responsible for the issues at hand. He is just one of thousands of discontented players who is frantically trying to find some kind of fun in this game and giving his time to be creative in the forum.

Though I share your thoughts regarding his attitude of "if you don't like it just leave", it is a symptom of the bigger issue that stems from the lack of leadership right from the top down through to the admin of this forum in dealing with players in a professional manner.

Yes, I know and fully agree with you. My answer just pointed out exactly this. At our eyes he is supposed to be "staff" somehow. We don't have to know who is who ... who writes here should be authorised by management or anyway represents the Tanki words. The lack of management shouldn't be of our interest in this respect. The message that comes out is that "staff" is saying to his clients "take it as it is or go to hell"!

As you said, this is terribly wrong ... and even if you are right, I am still upset from this behaviour. It is still not the same as if you (or any other) told that.

Unfortunately this is, together with the total game unbalance, a major issue of Tanki. If they will not solve these 2 problems, not only flash tanki is headed to failure, but even the new one will not last long.

[The_blacklisted 22]

Premium account is simply not fair.

For example lumberjack paint= 100 protection points (30+30+30+10).

Players have to work there buts off for that 300,000 crystals.

Premium paint 240 points of protection. (20x11 turrets + mines).

Yet players can open wallet and give away simple £10?!?!

Not to mention the 50% off all items???! Premium account cant get m3 for m2 price EVERY DAY OF THE WEEK!!!! Is this what u call BALANCED!!!? Your everyday players WORK in and out everyday for your m3 rico and m3 smoky and you destroy it all buy this horrible idea of a "game balancer"

 

 

P.S bring back 30-50% SMP!!!

[Nimtiz 7]

"Tankionline is getting better and more balanced with every update."

 

Um no. I and no one else in tanki believes this nonsense. You are just typing what will get you paid, not the truth. 

[viratno2 146]

 

 

 

3.) “SOME OF US WORKED REALLY HARD TO GET THOSE XT ITEMS, AND NOW TANKI IS JUST GIVING THEM AWAY?!”

 

Puh-leeze. You griped and complained about how hard it was to get and complete the XT missions. You made topics in the off-topic discussion section about how horrible that nasty old Tankionline is because they forced your finger to mash the “Change” button a hundred times and waste hundreds of thousands of crystals in a futile attempt to get the XT missions. But now that Tanki is making it easier to get the missions, you respond by griping and complaining!

 

MAKE UP YOUR FREAKING MIND!

 

seriously bruh? the best of bias here. you will anger a lot of players here, and remember, what the gens mean is that XT equipment was marketed as an exclusive category of turrets and hulls, and they had spent their crystals on changing missions for XT, millions of crystals. now buyers can get premium and buy it for like 2 euros or something in a minute. the article was biased, but well written.