Greed me for a fool!!

[Skyraiders]

GREED ME FOR A FOOL

Where to begin...This will be long, so bear with me, people. I've been playing KA for about 8 months and am appalled at the changes that have happened to the game. Where have all the good times gone?

KA:
When I started this game, it had a measure of strategy and was engaging enough to stand on its own. We've seen the disappearance of any strategy whatsoever.

- There is no such thing as an over vault anymore unless they bought it or Hacked it.

- There is no more need to plan a BD run.

- There is no need to plan any run anymore. Nothing can compare to that wild ride we all took to get our dragons.

...Now the dragons are obsolete and the new machines are about to become go the same way - largely due to all the LTEs being shoved down our throats. There's no need to buy any more gold units or random chests at all, so why are they even still an option?

Honor units are a waste of time unless you've hacked 1200 of them.

Stat inflation has been outrageous. The argument that it will take a long time to get 1500 indestructible units better than a dragon (now BB Ram) is no longer valid as they hand out those type of units with reckless frivolity. Admittedly, I was a medium to heavy gem spender. I liked to blast through the quests and get the rewards just because I could and some of the units were cool before they started to recycle them all with new paint jobs and an added tentacle. I see now that it was a huge mistake. GREE did get some of my real cash but won't see another penny. I am a completely free player thanks to GREE's dysfunction!

If the game lasts for the next 2 or 3 months, I will be passed by everyone in my battle pool who continues to complete these quests and spend gems in the wars. The only point to playing at all is to be there for my Guild mates and friends. I am proud of what we have and glad I chose to join MOC. CAWWW! I am a member of Murder of Crows aka MoC. We have an unbelievable community of people from all over the globe that I consider to be my internet family. I have developed some great friendships and regardless of where this game goes, we as a whole will survive.

Hackers and or cheaters:

Hackers are running rampant in the game, despite what GREE would gloss over and have us believe otherwise. They are everywhere. The hacks are all over You Tube and in many other places. How many Hacker guilds were there this time in the top 25…10,11, 13, I keep losing count. GREE's response was to close some four month old holes in code followed by patent-pending silence...<cricket chirps>...I realize in this day and age that it’s difficult to stop every single hack that people come up with. To be honest it will never completely go away. I do however expect as a paying customer that GREE or whoever will at least TRY to protect the integrity of the game and their service. Yes GREE, your service. I buy gems and the guy next to me in Top 25 hacked them...hmmmm...I no longer buy gems, simple as that!

- There is an honor hack.
- There is a gem hack.
- There is a gold hack.
- There will be many many more to come.

A simple google search will lead you into any or all of these rabbit holes.

When I and so many others do stop buying gems, then GREE will not have a game to make money on. When that happens, we the customer will not have a game to play! That's great business; two thumbs up, boys and girls!

Boycott?

THANK YOU to all the guild leaders and officers who got together on Kakao and tried to make this work. AK Manin, The Big Wheezy, VileDoom, DragCro, Black GRriffyn, Tiki and so many others. I applaud your efforts even if I believe they were in vain. You tried for all of us and I for one am grateful.

Now for the rant.

This was never going to work from the start. I understand that the bonus program gave people a lot of gems - myself included after the first war. I also understand that not everyone in the game will adhere or be aware of a boycott. With that being said - WTF people is it a boycott or not?? How are you going to talk the big talk and not back it up? I see the results of the boycott plain as day. The boycott should have started with the box event…but instead some people felt it was necessary to get 250 twin knives or whatever they were in the first ten minutes. RK thinks there will be a wars boycott and dumps a few mtns of gems apiece into the box event. Nice restraint there.

I am NOT hating that you have the ability spend with abandon. However, when you complain about a hacker who is eventually going to beat you for the top spot, do remember that you could have been a part of something bigger. A true freedom of expression of our rights to protest the hackers and GREE to finally get some resolution in this manner. Good, bad, or game ending, at least we would have been heard.

I don't know all the facts and I certainly don't know the people I am holding responsible for this farce that continues to plague KA. I am talking about the people in FUN, RK, TBC, FK1 and BGK and all the others that clearly boycotted gems with 10mil+ CPs in last wars event. If your offended, it’s likely because you are part of the problem. Your guilds hold the most power when it comes to boycotting gems and possible getting something done regarding the hackers. Talk the Talk, but more importantly WALK THE WALK. You can avoid tapping your device for 72 hours, I just know it! Let's see how this next war weekend goes...Proof's in the pudding, kiddos.

GREE and CJ54:

I will attempt to be as diplomatic as possible....just like you pretended to be with us. GREE, maybe you should hire someone who knows how to run a successful business. Your stock holders are probably upset that the numbers are down. Last I heard, the reason for a layoff is not because your profits are up (as you claim) but rather because your numbers are down 24% for the 3rd Quarter and 50% year over year profits.

Layoffs happen when a business is in turmoil and profit levels are falling. Reducing your production by gently letting your employees go, which in turn reduces your clientele due to VERY POOR customer service and in this case a game that’s being overrun with cheaters. Oh the snake eating its own tail.

CHEATERS ARE RUINING YOUR PROFITS, SO WHY NOT STOP THEM!?!

Take it as a personal insult that anyone would steal your money. Get some IT support and fix the problems; it's really that simple. You want good employees who care about the game? I know a few in MoC who could run circles around your entire Dev and Customer Support team.

Also while you’re at it why is it so hard to communicate what’s happening in the game? Timelines and specific dates work wonders. Why do we have to discover for ourselves when a LTE starts or a box, boss event? How about letting us know when the next war is going to be? It must be incredibly hard to have CJ/SIRIUS post something on the forum? As LL Cool J once said, you can do it if you put your back in to it.

Speaking of CJ54 the Coward. What a silly little enigma. Sometimes you are forthright with your answers and willing to give us a heads up. Other times it’s like pulling teeth from a pompous braying jack@55. If you're only fit to be a developer and not a "people person," maybe think about finding a new job? Or perhaps you were one of the thirty who just lost theirs... In that case, hope Monster.com helps you land another one in SF soon, because that place is no country for old forum mods.

One last thing to add to this, because I think we all need to see this one more time...LMAO

* This picture has been removed*


This has been a blast!!!! Until it wasn't. Now it's nothing more than a headache. I love my guild, and I love the community we have developed; GREE will never destroy that, but watch as we destroy you.
I also want to thank everyone who has a chance to respond before it gets deleted, or I get banned, or both...hah!

[Xiaoge99]

No pay gems will get the game shut down ,that is only I can imagine

[mee notyou]

No pay gems will get the game shut down ,that is only I can imagine

This game needs to be shut down and Gree needs to go out of business. I love the game, sincerely, but Gree has ruined what Funzio got us to love. And, as I have said before, Xiage99 is most likely a Gree insert.

Great post Skyraiders. Long winded and a bit of a rant, but certainly one that is due. I have been on the fence about quitting this game. Got a feeling it wont be long till I do. It is only my cyber family / guild mates that keep me in the game~

[goowokji]

Bravo, Thanks for saying what the rest of us are scared to. Kudos

[New Guy]

Rumor is that Gree is being investigated by Apple due to the high number of complaints and requests for refunds. My recommendation to everyone is that when you have a monetary problem (gems didn't download, you only get three hits vice four out of a health refill, after a health refill you attack someone during war that is over 100k weaker than you and still lose the fight, etc), file the ticket with Gree and give them three days or so (to be fair) to correct the problem to your satisfaction, then when it doesn't happen, file a complaint with Apple and request a full refund. Once Apple drops Gree from iTunes AppStore, the company may very likely collapse (not only from lost revenue but also when word gets out they were dropped from AppStore, investor confidence will get shaken and stock prices will fall).

Furthermore, those of you suffering from shady business practices (which should be almost everyone of us who has spent real money in the game), file a complaint with the Better Business Bureau (BBB) as, with enough complaints, they will open an investigation at the State/Federal level. Japan is currently enacting a law against certain business practices and gaming algorithms (hence part of Gree's desire to branch into the U.S. and also the drop in stock prices). Hopefully, we in the U.S. can get some similar laws.

Yes, this all means the end of Gree and thus the end of KA, MW, CC, and MQ. So what, a better company that cores more about their customers is probably already developing a better game anyway.

Gree, we are all tired of your crap!!!

[Alleran]

If you don't like the game, delete the app. Nobody is forcing you play. I, for one, am very satisfied with the state of KA. I would venture that most other players are too. Stop whining like a little baby girl.

[Sirius]

Look folks,

While we do appreciate the feedback on the issues that you are concerned about, you have to keep it constructive. Calling out staff and tossing insults gets no one any where and just undermines the real value and merit of your feedback.

I've expressed this to a point already but will do so again, cheating/hacking is one of our TOP priority's here at GREE. This won't ever change. We want to keep the game as fair and free of cheaters as we can as WE want you to have the best experience possible. I will also state that there are no gems hacks. they simply do not work regardless of what 'X'' cheat site claims.

The game is always changing and growing as does the community that enjoys it. We are taking note of everything you suggest and have to say be it positive, constructive and even the negative as some times, that's needed to be heard too.

Regarding some of the bugs that have frustrated everyone, they are being worked on and will get fixed. Regarding the battle health refills, the issue has been fixed as of the last war. Support checks the logs on every report that comes in to them and in the off chance someone did not get the full amount, they do get their gems back for whats missing.

We all know communication hasn't always been up to par with you guys (and you do deserve better on that front), but you got to give us a little time and patience. We are resolving this as you can see there are several new faces on all our forums and we are going to do our best to be up front with you all from news, bug fixes, new content/features and addressing your questions and concerns.

I will keep this thread open but I will have to close it if there are any more staff call outs in a negative light, company bashing, and none constructive criticism.

Please also note the forum rules:

http://www.funzio.com/forum/showthread.php?47708-Posting-Guidelines-*Updated-3-6-13*

~Sirius

[Dirt road Joe]

We all know communication hasn't always been up to par with you guys (and you do deserve better on that front), but you got to give us a little time and patience. We are resolving this as you can see there are several new faces on all our forums and we are going to do our best to be up front with you all from news, bug fixes, new content/features and addressing your questions and concerns.

Please also note the forum rules:

http://www.funzio.com/forum/showthread.php?47708-Posting-Guidelines-*Updated-3-6-13*

~Sirius

Sirius, i'm not sure of the time you have or your abilities. But if I could some way get a PM from you that I may respond to that would be great. I just have a question for you that support hasn't answered and other moderators haven't had the time to answer. (Support submitted the 5/4/13 and Moderator responded once, but then never responded to my actual question and just ignored it.)

Thanks in advance,
Joe

Also, Very well written Skyraiders. You put some thought and effort into this one. Now we just need to shorten your leash and tighten your collar just a little :)

[Vintus]

I'd just like to point out we have been giving the date for the next war.

Question? Are the other Gree games (cc, mq ect..) having the same issues? And reacting in the same way?

And one final thing you can always bad review the game on the App Store if your not satisfied with the game. Just saying.

[VileDoom]

Sirius, as much as I would like to dissect your entire replay for the BS it is I can’t generate the energy or motivation. However, if you could answer me one question, who’s the master mind that thought having conquest events less than two weeks apart was a good idea?

[Johan -]

Sirius, as much as I would like to dissect your entire replay for the BS it is I can’t generate the energy or motivation. However, if you could answer me one question, who’s the master mind that thought having conquest events less than two weeks apart was a good idea?

When it's ones in a while, it's ok.
What is the problem about having sometimes a Guild war in two weeks time, simply means that the GEM usage will be less then otherwise, which is good for the competition between the guilds. Just for my information, what is the real problem about having this time a guild war in two weeks time? the fact that some people have no time or that some people need to buy gems to secure their rank? everybody wants more competion & more strategy, well they got served!

Subject on the sideline.., GREE has another similar game to KA, in that game you can improve (equip) the weapons & armor, helmet etc.. of your Hero, also their is a special field in which you can battle together with your allies, you can use potions to heal your warrior etc.... GREE it would be nice to upgrade KA with those functions, I trust you know about which game I talk about.

[mee notyou]

Sirius,

You are a welcome addition to this forum. I must admit I have little faith this game can turn itself around, but I am hopeful it can. I enjoy the game but I think it unfortunately will soon come to an end.

A word of caution, please be honest and forthright in your communications otherwise you will very quickly be discredited. When you say there is no gem hack, you may be implying there have been recent code updates that make it so gems cannot be hacked (or at least much more difficult to hack), but that is not what you said. Your statement that gems can't be hacked seems to imply it has never been possible. I happen to have seen the messages for those banned over gem hacking so I have proof it at least was possible in the past.

On the topic of cheating. You say that Gree takes it seriously, yet most of us continuously report hacked guilds and nothing is done about them. I understand from a business perspective that this is harder to resolve that individual hackers as there are honest players in hacked guilds and therefore hard to punish everyone and risk losing clients. However, I do not see how members of guilds that have all bonuses and 60 slots do not know they are in a hacked guild. I could care less about these guilds if they simply were camper guilds but a majority of these guilds are active in wars and placing within the Top 50 (many within Top 25 and supposedly a couple within Top 10). What is being done about these guilds? How can you say Gree takes cheating seriously when these guilds are not being disbanded? We spent thousands of real dollars to place 11th. I am fine with 11th and the fact that we came up short but fought one hell of a fight provided that those who beat us did so honestly. We need some transparency on actions taken against these guilds. It is hard to believe cheating is taken seriously when these guilds are still there and nothing is being done. It is simple to run a search and see which guilds have more than 50 members. There are some that have them legitimately, but not many.

I also welcome a PM if you want to discuss this matter privately.

Although this reply has negative connotations, I write this to give you the opportunity to follow-up on your post and help restore gamer confidence in Gree. I love this game, but am losing faith in the company. Looking forward to your reply.

Mike

[Alleran]

Gree is doing a fine job managing this game. Some people like the frequency of the guild wars. Quit whining just because the game isn't tailored to meet your individual desires.

[alizainal]

Gree is doing a fine job managing this game. Some people like the frequency of the guild wars. Quit whining just because the game isn't tailored to meet your individual desires.

I second that

[itsaklayton]

Sirius, I am an optomist, and holding out for the improvements to come. I and so many others have tickets that are outstanding for weeks, and some over a month. I am still waiting on Kristin to replace the gems she added to my account on Friday, May 3. During the war I watched the rollin, double, depart, return double, and depart again, never to be replaced. The delays are what is killing your company's credibility. Strip the hacks and their ill gotten games from those guilds that hosts hackers and let the remaining players move forward as legitimate members of an honest guild. Here's hoping.

[Kusa]

I agree on the vault people can protect way to much where is the risk.
Honestly this is not sim city.

Vault needs changed so it only protects a %.
So say you can vault 400k only a % of that 400k can be protected.
There is my idea if you have better then voice it.

[l3lade2]

Gree is doing a fine job managing this game. Some people like the frequency of the guild wars. Quit whining just because the game isn't tailored to meet your individual desires.


I second that

A more cynical person might point out that these are both suspiciously new forum members with 3 and 5 posts respectively, who I am sure will now be outraged and point out that they are very heavy gems users and have been playing for years and years and years, but don't have player ID visible :rolleyes:

[willb125]

Sirius,

Thank you for your input. Much appreciated.

Not to beat a dead horse, but hacking guilds need to be summarily disbanded. There are zero legitimate guilds with all bonuses and 60 members.

Unless and until this issue is addressed, any claims of working on the hacker problem will fall on deaf ears.

Will

[mee notyou]

A more cynical person might point out that these are both suspiciously new forum members with 3 and 5 posts respectively, who I am sure will now be outraged and point out that they are very heavy gems users and have been playing for years and years and years, but don't have player ID visible :rolleyes:

And are 6 minutes apart. Got to love how people who are brand new to the forums and have no reporting history are suddenly there to back each other up.

Alizainal one hour before had posted this
My guild WILL use gems on the next war. If the top guilds wanna refrain from using gem, we thank them.
It'll be less gem needed to be on top then. and this in a reply that his/her probably has 60 members and all bonuses
And your guild doesn't? pity..

[Alleran]

A more cynical person might point out that these are both suspiciously new forum members with 3 and 5 posts respectively, who I am sure will now be outraged and point out that they are very heavy gems users and have been playing for years and years and years, but don't have player ID visible :rolleyes:

No, I'm not outraged. And I certainly dont give a fuhk if you are suspicious.

The game is fine the way it is. Most players agree. Stop agitating.

[VileDoom]

Trolls and multi accounts play the forums and not the actual game.

[Alleran]

Trolls and multi accounts play the forums and not the actual game.

Lol. Call me a troll because I don't agree with you. That kind of thinking is on par with your boycott fantasy. Complete childish nonsense.

Kingdom Age does not need an overhaul. The game is fine. Most players like the timing and frequency of the events. There are no gem hacks. Gree customer service has shown that it is responsive to customer feedback. All my tickets have been answered within 2 days of submission.

The only reason you want to slow down the pace of the events is because you can't keep up. As I already pointed out, your ranting and boycott threats are just unsophisticated ploys to get your way.

Well too bad, buddy. The majority of the player base does not want major changes and will not support a boycott. But go ahead and keep ranting like the selfish lunatic you are. You won't be successful, and I will keep calling you out.

[Alleran]

Sirius,

Please recognize that these idiots do not speak for most of the players. If you were to implement Viledoom's proposed changes, you would be appeasing a vocal few at the expense of the silent majority.

Thank you for continuing to work on behalf of the players to root out the hackers. That is the only problem that actaully needs your attention. Other than that, keep on churning out these awesome events!

Don't be fooled by the vocal minority. Gree is doing a fine job with Kingdom Age. Keep up the good work, and please ignore these rants and boycott threats.

[l3lade2]

Haha Alleran, it's always enjoyable when a bit of humour gets injected into the forum :rolleyes:

I love how you reference to "most people", when the only sample data for the game of Kingdom Age is the forum. So the only sample data is quite clearly against things like having wars 2 weeks apart, simultaneous events, hacker guilds etc...and yet you profess that this is incorrect, and they are in fact the minority? Minority of what? That's like taking a poll on anything, then telling the winning party that "you're the majority you are, there are loads of people who disagree...they just choose not speak about it".

If GREE staff spent less time covertly trolling the forums and actually addressing feedback by doing something, it would probably be done within a couple of weeks.

[Alleran]

The forums are dominated by established, high-level gem spenders. It's a skewed sample. Of course these people want less frequent events. It will allow them to stay on top for that much longer. Their motives are purely selfish.

How many people have actually voiced dissatisfaction with the game on The forums? A couple hundred, tops? Out of a player base of tens, if not hundreds of thousands? That strongly suggests that most players agree that the game is being managed, more or less, properly.

[l3lade2]

You really seem to be confusing several issues here, insinuating that everyone who isn't a member of the forum is satisfied with how the game is being run, you have no evidence of this, simply that it is your belief and therefore must be fact.

If you are measuring the number of people on the forums then it has to be against number of posters on the forums, but this wouldn't agree with you hence you make up your own arguements.

You seriously seem to think that you can simply disregard any facts in front of your face, and suggest things without any evidence, simply because you believe them to be true...and I'm sure more importantly because they fit with your views.

Unfortunately people like you do actually exist in the real world, not just virtual. As I have no time for you in the real world, I'm done with this thread now also.

All I will say to finish on topic, well said Skyraiders, if you didn't sum the game up pretty thoroughly in your post, then Alleran has certainly done a good job of hammering it home for you.

[Alleran]

The fact is, we are both speculating about the magnitude of customer satisfaction or dissatisfaction. My speculations are partially grounded on my own personal experience. I like the overlapping events and frequent guild wars. All of my tickets have been answered quickly. Gree DID respond to customer feedback with the new honor units, gold units and vault increase.

But they are also rooted in facts. It is a fact that most people I have spoken too are NOT dissatisfied with the status f the game. And it is a fact that only a vocal minority have voiced objections on this forum.

You seem to be attempting to discredit my statements with the same faulty assumptions that you accuse me of. Clearly, logic is not your strong suit. Given the absence of any real data, I am basing my opinion on the available evidence.

You are simply wrong, and I am done wasting my time on you. I truly hope that Gree ignores you and all the misguided attempts to ruin this game.

[Ed_Radley]

I think the majority of the complaints about the shortened periods of time between wars/ltqs/what-have-you comes from the mentality that you need to stay ahead of the competition by completing as much of everything as possible.

The only way to do that is spend gems on every event. This does become quite expensive for the few who do so when really it only takes strategy (this is a strategy game after all.) Guild's have the max size so you can have a variety of people contributing. Boss events favor low level players with high attack while pvp events favor stamina players and pve favors high level players with max hero strength. The wars being as close together as they are draws disgust since only top 25 or higher gets decent stats and so far have cost the guilds who have earned them lots of money.

The wars are no different than box events: whoever spends the most gets the extremely boosted amount of points/items. If nobody spent anything or minimal amounts, everything would be closer competition and this doesn't offer security to the people who really want the rewards. The only real way to resolve this is to let every dog have his day and turn at the top of the leaderboard or to keep letting those who are on top to stay there at the price everyone under them feels is appropriate.

The concern for eliminating cheaters is warranted. These people ruin games for everyone. They say you can't hack gems. Since you can't see how many gems other people have, most of the claims are heresay based on units they have. How can you seperate these claims? The only thing that comes to mind is letting other people see your gems and honor. You can already see how much gold they have, so why not complete transparency? Another thing that might help is showing the date the account was made. If a new account has much better units than somebody who's been playing for months and the units aren't from boss events, it looks suspicious to me. That's my take on the situation.

Sirius- I hope this is contructive enough for you. Everyone else who doesn't grasp what he's asking for- he means come up with possible solutions instead of griping, threatening boycotts, and falling for the instant gratification mentality we've inherited from our culture where we're most important and the company has to fulfill our every need (customer is always right.) Just because there have been cheaters doesn't mean they will go unnoticed forever. Let there be time to work the issues out. If you think the boycott will expose the cheaters, bully! Go for it in full force but don't be surprised if legitimate guilds overtake you for doing what they've always done.

[Namine33]

All my tickets have been answered within 2 days of submission.

Must be nice. I have 5 outstanding tickets still. Two have been answered, but took 2 weeks to answer. The remaining 5 have yet to be touched, one being 7 weeks old now.

[Alleran]

You should try asking politely. There are real people on the other side of the submit ticket button.

[Namine33]

and you dont think I haven been polite? You dont know anything about me, so dont assume I have been a **** in these tickets. However that seems to be the only way they respond to tickets quickly. Maybe if I threaten to have Apple reimburse all gems I bought in April, it will light a fire under Gree's ass.....

[[DW] maretzky]

Alleran - you are not polite yourself therefore requesting it - is a bit wishful thinking...

I would say only this - never seen more constructive discussion on this forum - Gree, plz consider this. You rule this world and this is indisputable but IMHO the fundamentals of this game are not the matter we are in conflict with you. The actions you take (or not) to secure these fundamentals - yes - are the issue...

Instead of receiving 1000s of claims from legit players - ban ALL suspicious accounts immediately. You will receive less than 5% of current number of tickets and even if so - you still are able to process them very slowly...

My 2 cents. Still like the game, BTW...

[Rastlin]

No, I'm not outraged. And I certainly dont give a fuhk if you are suspicious.

The game is fine the way it is. Most players agree. Stop agitating.
You must be new if you think most players think the game is fine the way it is (oh wait only 9 posts, sorry yes you must be new)... Tell that to all of the players we know have already quit. Our guild alone just lost another couple of really great people after this last war once they found out another one would be 11 days later. With the new vault increases it makes the game pointless for us higher level players that went through (GASP) work to get our BD10, and GL 10,s etc.. Now there is really no raiding which is a fundamental part of the game (and my favorite part). I now also think my last days are coming to an end.

[Rastlin]

Kingdom Age does not need an overhaul. The game is fine. Most players like the timing and frequency of the events. There are no gem hacks. Gree customer service has shown that it is responsive to customer feedback. All my tickets have been answered within 2 days of submission.


Game just got an overhaul... New vault increases, new units, etc... (Oh right you are new, I keep forgetting..) GREE has responsive customer servive, and responds in 2 days?? LOL that is the funniest thing I have ever heard. We have guild members still waiting on ticket issues from the very first war, on paying for but never receiving Gems. If you are NOT a Troll, then you work for GREE. Either way, off to find the ignore button. :D

[-OP-]

I have a ticket open from Md-March that still hasn't been answered. They have sent 3 or 4 thank yous and your issue is resolved but it isn't because all I asked was a simple question which they have not answered. They even escalated the issue to a different department 10 days ago and still nothing. Nope sorry to say they do not have good customer service. Heck it isn't even decent customer service.

[Rastlin]

I have a ticket open from Md-March that still hasn't been answered. They have sent 3 or 4 thank yous and your issue is resolved but it isn't because all I asked was a simple question which they have not answered. They even escalated the issue to a different department 10 days ago and still nothing. Nope sorry to say they do not have good customer service. Heck it isn't even decent customer service.
You must not be nice then... :p

[Kusa]

As I said before I agree with a lot of stuff vile has said.

We do need better handle on hackers.
I do not agree on disbanding entire guilds becouse of 1 hacker in it.
It's not the guild leaders at fault unless the hacker is the leader.

Love to have you as a ally vile
442-667-646

I do think we need a player group of free and heavy gem spenders this way each type of player is represented in a fair honorable manner.

All I see is hate hate hate hate every day on these forums you guys are allways fighting over the same stuff every single day. Give it a darn rest

Where all here to enjoy this game.

[glitters]

It's a phone game and it's meant to be simple. This game is fine the way it is. Support may be a little slow and a few cheaters are here and there, but there are no subtantial problems crippling the game.

[mee notyou]

We do need better handle on hackers.
I do not agree on disbanding entire guilds becouse of 1 hacker in it.
It's not the guild leaders at fault unless the hacker is the leader.

I would agree but also disagree. There is, unfortunately, no one-size-fits-all solution. If there is a legitimate guild that may have had a player dump funds into the guild and, in this case, the founder immediately booted that person, provided it was not billions of coins, I believe Gree can leave the guild in tact but merely deduct that money (i.e. take away some of the bonuses purchased with that money). Mind you, the founder should have filed a ticket to Gree in this case advising them of the incident to cover their ass and protect the guild.

What upsets most of us are are 50-60 member guilds with maxed health and energy bonuses. These guilds are obviously hacked and the members of the guild all know, or reasonably should know, that they are in a hacked guild. These guilds should be disbanded immediately, their war rankings and awards stripped, and the leaderboards adjusted. Yes this is unfair to members of these guilds who may have spent real money and played honestly in the war, but at the end of the day they are likely aware they are in a hacked guild. These hacked guilds, along with Gree's customer service and lack of transparency, are the primary source of discontent for most serious, competitive players.

I am hopeful that Sirius's activity here in the forums, and even earlier in this post, is a sign of good things to come.

[alizainal]

I agree that GREE has to do something about hackers, and they have to do it fast. That's the only problem this game has.

About the game pace and frequency, I love it. The pace and frequency will make the game more strategical. Heavy gem spenders will not be able to finish all unless they spend huge. That's what they are afraid of, lagging behind. And I dont think their numbers are huge if compared with medium or light spenders, not to mention those who dont join this forum.

There's no obligation for completing the quests. Those who want to boycott dont agree with previous statement. Therefore they try to force GREE to slow down the pace and frequency of events. Once again, it's because they are afraid of lagging behind.

Therefore, If GREE would do something about the game, it's only and only about how they deal with hackers.

[glitters]

Too much resources are needed to deal with the hacking problem. It's an arms race. Gree can't win vs the whole of the internet.

Better for Gree to invest that money elsewhere.

[mee notyou]

I agree that GREE has to do something about hackers, and they have to do it fast. That's the only problem this game has.

About the game pace and frequency, I love it. The pace and frequency will make the game more strategical. Heavy gem spenders will not be able to finish all unless they spend huge. That's what they are afraid of, lagging behind. And I dont think their numbers are huge if compared with medium or light spenders, not to mention those who dont join this forum.

There's no obligation for completing the quests. Those who want to boycott dont agree with previous statement. Therefore they try to force GREE to slow down the pace and frequency of events. Once again, it's because they are afraid of lagging behind.

Therefore, If GREE would do something about the game, it's only and only about how they deal with hackers.

It is not only a concern about spending. Yes, being one of the best is very expensive, but it is also time consuming. In a three day war, I will normally only miss a couple battles. That means the game absorbs quite a bit of my time each war. I would prefer not invest that much time in the game but as a guild founder, I owe it to the team and I lead by example.

I do not necessarily see the increase in frequency a bad thing. I would hope that means that we can all slow down some and invest less time and money into the wars. I personally wouldn't mind being a little more choosy about which wars we strive for T10 in and which ones we sandbag. Who knows, it may bring some of the strategy back...may not though. From a business perspective, remember, the extra bandwidth required to support the wars is expensive and if people are spending less each war, Gree's profit margin is decreasing.

I am however displeased with the fact that Gree schedules wars on major holidays, and not just on the holiday, but all four days of it. When most vocal forum members are asking for three days maximum, Gree went the opposite direction. If Gree feels it is good business to have wars on holidays (though I have a hard time believing financials support this), it would be great if it was a two day war so that it would interfere with less of the holiday. Others may feel differently; just my personal opinion.


Too much resources are needed to deal with the hacking problem. It's an arms race. Gree can't win vs the whole of the internet.

Better for Gree to invest that money elsewhere.

Gree can and should do something about the hacker problem and there are fixes. It is easy to set up algorithms that detect anomalies such as large cash or Honor points influxes, simply screening for guilds that have bonuses they should not rationally have yet, moving to server based transactions (much how the gems are), or acting on the myriad of tickets about hackers. It is very expensive for Gree to pay staff, buy and operate the servers and technical equipment, and pay for bandwidth. Many, if not most, hackers are not spending real cash, or at least not in the quantities the honest, serious players are (an assumption admittedly). Gree needs to make a profit to keep investors happy and to cover operating costs. When customers who are spending substantial amounts of money are walking away from the game or are spending less, it should be a concern and action should be taken - Business 101.

Right now the rumors and perception are that Gree lets hackers run rampant to force competitive players to spend more to maintain dominance and also that they are ramping up the difficulty and frequency of events to encourage more spending (again, rumors and perceptions...I am not making accusations). This is a knee-jerk reaction that is already proving to alienate some of their biggest customers. Speaking only from a business perspective, this will not work long term and will ultimately result in the collapse of the game (free players of light spenders will love it but Gree will not make enough from these players to cover overheads so the game would be discontinued). I do not know Gree's business plan but as a businessman I find it intriguing. Either the the products life is coming to an end and GRee is trying to milk it for everything it is worth before unplugging it (working great if that is the case though ultimately their brand will suffer and gamers may be less likely to play future titles as well as they are reportedly on the verge of losing their contract with Apple which could potentially be disastrous for the company) or they are simply suffering growing pains in learning how to manage such a business venture. I hope the second scenario is the case as I love the game. I hope that Gree is working to over come these issues and restore gamer confidence. Hackers and customer service are two issues that MUST be immediately addressed if this game title is to survive. My 2 cents~

[glitters]

Fixing the problem costs too much money. If Gree doesn't fix, people will spend anyway.

So what's in it for Gree?

[Dirt road Joe]

My 2 cents~

Mee notyou, I admire your how much work and thought you are putting into your responses to people. But I would suggest you just stop. Not because you are doing a bad job but because the people you debate with can just keep going and going. Its much like fighting "what came first? the chicken or the egg?" there is always a but or what if to everything. In this case its just not worth it. The people your are contesting have been around for months doing the same thing over and over. Just leave them be.

[Kusa]

Here is a little story belive it or not.

Before I actually started coming to these boards regular I couldn't tell there was a hacker prob I know about 50 some guild leaders that couldn't tell either.
Most players guild leaders etc don't get involved in the drama that's on these forums most players even level 100+ think iph is the only way to make money.
80% of the top 400-1750 prob couldn't tell a hacker from a gem player.

I have yet to see gree make a ruling on these guilds with hackers in them if they did please link me.
Of course ban the hacker but What to do with the guild is a hard choice who knows how much unfair gold was used on upgrades and how much was not that's what will be hard to decide.
Then if they do disband these guilds there going to have to refund the fair players donations.

[Kyladar]

I think I will also toss my 2cp into the mix.

And yes, this is my first post.

As someone who has only been playing Kingdom Age since December, I've liked the general pace of the game. However, I think that that pace is getting faster, and it is starting to feel more like a job than a game. I like the wars and the LTEs, and yes, I do buy gems from time to time, but I think GREE needs to slow things down a bit so we all have more time to enjoy the game. With wars two weeks apart, that is too fast. With wars being held on holidays?? Some of us have family that won't be too understanding if we're playing on our phones all the time and ignoring them.

For the hackers, and those who have benefited from being associated with them, they should be fined or banned. Remove all they received from the hacks for a start, and those who did the hacking should be gone forever. As for the comments about 50-60 member guilds obviously being hacks, I'd say anyone who is willing to spend the kind of money to get in top 50 or so in wars would probably also be willing to buy the gold necessary to get to the 50-60 member mark and all of the extras. If you have a bunch of people willing to invest in the guild, then it just makes it easier. Don't always suspect those large guilds of having hackers just based on size and benefits - they may have members with deeper pockets!

Finally, customer support. I personally have not yet had any issues that needed to be addressed by customer support, but I have heard of a few in my guild, and most of those were NOT addressed in two days. I don't know how polite they were in the beginning, :cool: but we all play this game, and no one should have to wait weeks or even months for an answer from GREE. I do believe they need to upgrade their customer support before they upgrade their event planners!! Let us all hope that more people will start seeing better turn around on customer service issues, and actually get answers faster. Even a message that 'we're working on your issue and will keep you informed' would show that they care.

Kyladar
Proud member of Brothers In Arms (BIA)

[glitters]

Like you mention, this is a game... not a chore (or a job). If you feel you are being bound by shackles, remember, only you hold the key to your shackles. Only you can free yourself.



As someone who has only been playing Kingdom Age since December, I've liked the general pace of the game. However, I think that that pace is getting faster, and it is starting to feel more like a job than a game. I like the wars and the LTEs, and yes, I do buy gems from time to time, but I think GREE needs to slow things down a bit so we all have more time to enjoy the game. With wars two weeks apart, that is too fast. With wars being held on holidays?? Some of us have family that won't be too understanding if we're playing on our phones all the time and ignoring them.

[alwynthebrave]

Thank you for replying. I would like to inform you that during the war you will only get 3 hits when not using gems. I have reviewed your account and I see that you have got 4 hits for all the medpacks which were used during war.

any answers

[mee notyou]

Mee notyou, I admire your how much work and thought you are putting into your responses to people. But I would suggest you just stop. Not because you are doing a bad job but because the people you debate with can just keep going and going. Its much like fighting "what came first? the chicken or the egg?" there is always a but or what if to everything. In this case its just not worth it. The people your are contesting have been around for months doing the same thing over and over. Just leave them be.

Thx Dirt, as silly as it may sound, I am not posting for the sake of debating with other forum members. I am giving Sirius the benefit of the doubt that he is new, motivated, actively monitoring the threads, and anxious to make some changes for the better. I am trying to clearly relay some of the concerns and sentiments we have. In some instances I am speaking for myself...in others I am speaking for the community as a whole (or at least the serious, competitive, and the happy-go-lucky free players within my guilds and the chat/social groups I am part of). I love the game; just hoping to see some positive replies and transparency from the Gree team.

[Almost There]

Sirius,

Thank you for your input. Much appreciated.

Not to beat a dead horse, but hacking guilds need to be summarily disbanded. There are zero legitimate guilds with all bonuses and 60 members.

Unless and until this issue is addressed, any claims of working on the hacker problem will fall on deaf ears.

Will

I agree that 60 member guilds are impossible at this point in the game. I heard the top guild that gets first in every war doesn't even have 60 members yet. How many members do they have anyway?
For the 60 member guilds maybe we can size them down to 50? Just a thought.

[alizainal]

I know that many of you ran across low IPH players with millions gold sitting on their account. The first thing that runs through our heads is hackers!!
Then, you snapshot the account, and reported it to GREE.
Is that all you did?
NO!!
You farmed those accounts, again and again. And you used the gold for guild donation, building upgrade, or buying new units. So, what's the difference between you and those hackers?

[mee notyou]

I agree that 60 member guilds are impossible at this point in the game. I heard the top guild that gets first in every war doesn't even have 60 members yet. How many members do they have anyway?
For the 60 member guilds maybe we can size them down to 50? Just a thought.

I believe FUN is at 58 members right now.

Take a look at the guild bonus spreadsheet (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AgCUTOSskdQjdGlOWW4yTWJaQUxJSUt6clRTeXlEe UE#gid=4). 60 members is a telling sign but not the only problem. Maxed guild bonuses is impossible at this point. If the spreadsheet is accurate, it would cost 16,518,000,000 (that is 16.5 billion {million with a 'B'!!!}) to get 60 members and all the bonuses. Guilds came online in February if I remember correctly. If you started with 60 members, each member would have been required to contribute a minimum of 2,525,688 per day to earn all bonuses (using 01 Feb as starting date for calculation). Of course, guilds didn't start with 60 members and I don't think 01 Feb was the date guilds came online (and certainly guilds have been started after the launch date) so even 2.5 million per day is way off...60 members and all bonuses is impossible!!! Even 50 members requires pretty substantial commitment from guild members. We are at 48 members and I have pushed my team hard for contributions.

[VileDoom]

I know that many of you ran across low IPH players with millions gold sitting on their account. The first thing that runs through our heads is hackers!!
Then, you snapshot the account, and reported it to GREE.
Is that all you did?
NO!!
You farmed those accounts, again and again. And you used the gold for guild donation, building upgrade, or buying new units. So, what's the difference between you and those hackers?

The difference is GREE claims 95% of all people suspected of hacking aren't. If your ability to detect hackers is so acute why can't theirs be? After all, they have access to all data generated in the game.

[Kusa]

No offence vile doom I belive that number people are way to report happy.

[mee notyou]

The difference is GREE claims 95% of all people suspected of hacking aren't. If your ability to detect hackers is so acute why can't theirs be? After all, they have access to all data generated in the game.

You miss the point Mate. He isn't claiming to be able to detect hackers...


I know that many of you ran across low IPH players with millions gold sitting on their account. The first thing that runs through our heads is hackers!!
Then, you snapshot the account, and reported it to GREE.
Is that all you did?
NO!!
You farmed those accounts, again and again. And you used the gold for guild donation, building upgrade, or buying new units. So, what's the difference between you and those hackers?

...he is making an argument for why hacking is acceptable

A basic rule of psychology...those in the wrong will almost always justify and defend their actions so that everyone else is in the wrong also or claim everyone else's action forced them to act as they did, thus minimizing their culpability

[alizainal]

...he is making an argument for why hacking is acceptable

A basic rule of psychology...those in the wrong will almost always justify and defend their actions so that everyone else is in the wrong also or claim everyone else's action forced them to act as they did, thus minimizing their culpability

It is YOU who miss the point, mate...
I did not say that hacking is acceptable. It is wrong, and damaging the game. period.
However, those who claims to be holy and repeatedly stated that their guilds are free from hackers are BS.
I know for a fact that some top guilds members intentionally lose their ally counts simply to find those "may-be-legit-high-gold-players" and farmed them for their benefit, and at the same time crying out loud that other guilds which has 60 members and all benefit with it harbor hackers. what if what the other guilds did is exactly what yo did?
If you suggest that a full scrutiny has to be undergo to those guilds that you claim to be hacker havens, then I should say your-top-guilds have to be examined too.

Oh, I have a basic rule for philosophy for you too..
"Easy to judge the mistakes of others, Difficult to recognize your own mistakes"

[Jey]

Word skyraiders.

[Dirt road Joe]

It is YOU who miss the point, mate...
I did not say that hacking is acceptable. It is wrong, and damaging the game. period.
However, those who claims to be holy and repeatedly stated that their guilds are free from hackers are BS.
I know for a fact that some top guilds members intentionally lose their ally counts simply to find those "may-be-legit-high-gold-players" and farmed them for their benefit, and at the same time crying out loud that other guilds which has 60 members and all benefit with it harbor hackers. what if what the other guilds did is exactly what yo did?
If you suggest that a full scrutiny has to be undergo to those guilds that you claim to be hacker havens, then I should say your-top-guilds have to be examined too.

Oh, I have a basic rule for philosophy for you too..
"Easy to judge the mistakes of others, Difficult to recognize your own mistakes"

Many top Guilds have high level players. When you are a higher level it is harder for you to find rivals to attack when you have 500 allies. Therefore, many people drop their ally count down to about 494. For some reason this lets you see farther down the ladder than keeping your ally count at 500 does. So Yes you are correct about the people dropping allies, but its not to find "hacked" gold players or anything. Its just to make raiding easier.

Second, from my understanding, you can only be attack 12 times every 4 hours no matter who it is. So if you have hacked gold, any overvaulted gold rather, you will only lose a max of 118,800 gold every 4 hours. Which is not much (for experienced players) even if you camp the guy until he is ready to be farmed again. So the benefit isn't that great unless you really work at it. But it is disappointing when someone that does gain gold in a illegitimate fashion(Hacked). Because most of that gold (usually huge amounts) then goes into the guild and gets dropped into health and energy bonuses. Which will give those guilds large advantages in almost every action in game.

[alizainal]

Second, from my understanding, you can only be attack 12 times every 4 hours no matter who it is. So if you have hacked gold, any overvaulted gold rather, you will only lose a max of 118,800 gold every 4 hours. Which is not much (for experienced players) even if you camp the guy until he is ready to be farmed again. So the benefit isn't that great unless you really work at it. But it is disappointing when someone that does gain gold in a illegitimate fashion(Hacked). Because most of that gold (usually huge amounts) then goes into the guild and gets dropped into health and energy bonuses. Which will give those guilds large advantages in almost every action in game.

Unless you told your guild members to look for that specific player(s). Imagine how much gold can a guild obtain from a player when all guild members gang up. Now, imagine they do it everytime they found one.

[Dirt road Joe]

Unless you told your guild members to look for that specific player(s). Imagine how much gold can a guild obtain from a player when all guild members gang up. Now, imagine they do it everytime they found one.

A person can only be attacked 12 times every 4 hours, regardless of who tries to attack. ie. if you hit him 8 times and told your buddy about him, he would only be able to hit him 4 times. The game has a safety for you. That way when your overvaulted and you want to sleep or take a break you can. It helps protect some of the gold you worked for. That way you don't leave at night and come back to all but your vaulted gold missing.

[alizainal]

A person can only be attacked 12 times every 4 hours, regardless of who tries to attack. ie. if you hit him 8 times and told your buddy about him, he would only be able to hit him 4 times. The game has a safety for you. That way when your overvaulted and you want to sleep or take a break you can. It helps protect some of the gold you worked for. That way you don't leave at night and come back to all but your vaulted gold missing.

Nope, a person can only be attacked 12 times every 4 hours by the same player. Ganging up happens all the time.

[Dirt road Joe]

Nope, a person can only be attacked 12 times every 4 hours by the same player. Ganging up happens all the time.

Sounds like your talking with experience. Maybe you are right. Its just from my experience and many others they have never been successful attacking someone who has already been looted for gold. It could very well be level based as well, who knows. So much has changed over the last year its unpredictable nowadays. The old limits used to be much higher than they are now. As well as Dragons were the beast to be weary of. Good luck to you alizainal.

[alizainal]

Sounds like your talking with experience. Maybe you are right. Its just from my experience and many others they have never been successful attacking someone who has already been looted for gold. It could very well be level based as well, who knows. So much has changed over the last year its unpredictable nowadays. The old limits used to be much higher than they are now. As well as Dragons were the beast to be weary of. Good luck to you alizainal.

Or may be you are right, Joe. may be my experience was just an anomaly. I dont know. Like you said, many things changed. Good luck to you too.

[VileDoom]

The point I'm trying to make is that through "normal" game play the burden of determining a rivals legitimacy should never fall on the player. I don't know how gold hacking works but I assume you gain a substantially large amount of gold in a very short amount of time. Why is there no system safeguard that monitors this type of activity and shuts the account down until further investigation?

While we're on the subject, and the burden seems to fall on the player, what is the red flag amount we should be looking for? The final upgrade for manor level 10 is 25 million, this is obviously an acceptable amount to have in ones bank at any given time. So once again where does a player draw the line when attacking someone over vault, 1 million, 5 million, 50 million?

[Shinazueli]

It's "burden". As in "burden of proof". And the way I see it, since Gree is failing at their jobs to clear out these hackers, I see no reason not to farm the ever living ****e out of them.

[VileDoom]

Auto correct + 4 A.M. = brain failure. :p

SP corrected and TY. ;)

[Max Power]

This game needs to be shut down and Gree needs to go out of business. I love the game, sincerely, but Gree has ruined what Funzio got us to love. And, as I have said before, Xiage99 is most likely a Gree insert.



Know what? Not your call, and there are a lot of people with a lot of time and money that would take offense to that. You don't like it? Turn off your own damn phone and let others make the same choice if they want to.

I don't agree with everything they do by a long shot, and I think most of it will eventually bite them in the ass, but to demand that a company goes out of business because you don't like the way is evolving is BS. You're a grown up, I am assuming. Make a grown-up decision.

[Sir Ventes]

Sharing this news story I found. Likely the motivation for the game changes. Only time will tell if the game change works for Gree or if it ultimately is their downfall.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-04-22/gree-s-tanaka-loses-2-6-billion-on-smartphone-miss-tech.html

[John Snow]

Sharing this news story I found. Likely the motivation for the game changes. Only time will tell if the game change works for Gree or if it ultimately is their downfall.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-04-22/gree-s-tanaka-loses-2-6-billion-on-smartphone-miss-tech.html

Here's my post from earlier today in the CC forum on a similar topic:

The real issue is that Gree's core business, its Japanese gaming platform, is flailing, to put it mildly. The social media model of gaming is coming to an end (see Zynga struggling to make it outside of Facebook). Gree is using Funzio to support its Japanese operations which is why, as you noted, "this game has completely become gold-centric with absolutely no concern for balance". They're struggling in the short-term, the long term be damned. Doubt this? Take a look at Gree's recent press release titled "GREE Announces Extraordinary Loss and Revised Forecast for Fiscal 2013". They may as well make the gold prices in yen, since the money you spend on gold is being sent to Japan anyway. Gree's earnings report on May 14, 2013 showed a marked decrease in revenue and profits compared to the prior quarter (the exact opposite of the prior year). Needless to say, the metric that matters the most to Gree management - stock price, keeps sinking. It's not greed driving the compression of the event schedules, it's desperation.

[Sexy Calindra]

Here's my post from earlier today in the CC forum on a similar topic:

The real issue is that Gree's core business, its Japanese gaming platform, is flailing, to put it mildly. The social media model of gaming is coming to an end (see Zynga struggling to make it outside of Facebook). Gree is using Funzio to support its Japanese operations which is why, as you noted, "this game has completely become gold-centric with absolutely no concern for balance". They're struggling in the short-term, the long term be damned. Doubt this? Take a look at Gree's recent press release titled "GREE Announces Extraordinary Loss and Revised Forecast for Fiscal 2013". They may as well make the gold prices in yen, since the money you spend on gold is being sent to Japan anyway. Gree's earnings report on May 14, 2013 showed a marked decrease in revenue and profits compared to the prior quarter (the exact opposite of the prior year). Needless to say, the metric that matters the most to Gree management - stock price, keeps sinking. It's not greed driving the compression of the event schedules, it's desperation.

This is exactly what i am thinking. All the signs we are seeing recently is obviously from a company which have big problems. Enjoy the game as i do since it may come to an end fast. And, please stop thinking that Gree want to have more strategy by having events every two weeks. This is a company! They are here to make money. Period. Their only goal is to make money. I sincerely doubt that a boycott would work but if at one point it works, then the game will simply be dead. I like this game, i play for fun and i do not spend a penny since this is a... Game. However, my sincere thanks to those who spend real money. Without you, there will simply be no game. Thanks.

[Pophai]

Kingdom Age does not need an overhaul. The game is fine. Most players like the timing and frequency of the events. There are no gem hacks.

Well too bad, buddy. The majority of the player base does not want major changes and will not support a boycott. But go ahead and keep ranting like the selfish lunatic you are. You won't be successful, and I will keep calling you out.

Even if I do not take your post serious I feel I have to answer this. you do not speak for the majority of the players. There are some issues GREE has to deal with or the game will be dead soon.

Everyone who ever spent real money on gems will agree that hackers are nr.1 problem. In the long term noone will pay for what others get for free. That is a fact.

And the free players cannot be happy with stats inflation and stratety becoming more and more obsolete. These people play for fun, but it is no fun when most of the people around you have 3-4 times your stats.

[Skyraiders]

I want to Thank everyone for responding to this post! Even the people who felt the need to hide behind an A.K.A. To those people I say why do you feel the need to hide behind a different name. All opinions are welcome even if i dont agree. Be a man /woman and show yourself as you really are. Of course as i said ....If you are offended...to me it means you are probably part of the problem!!

Sirius ...thank you for allowing the post to stand. I hope that some of the major issues with this game can and will be handled in a professional and timely manner.

To everyone else....dont be shy voice your opinion. Nothing will change unless you do!