Talk:Road Trip/@comment-42.3.137.41-20180404143601/@comment-27123099-20180404191132

I'm speaking about FM, not EA. I'd be very curious about the percentage of players who actually purchase IAP's for this game, and which ones. Certainly, there can't be that many who feel that $100 for a relatively small amount of GC is anywhere close to a fair price. $100 should buy you the entire game, and unlock all cars and upgrades really.

I think what you stated about the minimum requirements is exactly where the issue lies. However, that's exactly where FM has run into trouble and they haven't found a way out yet.

They can't make the event easier without making it such that more players can complete the SE's with fewer upgrades than desired (for FM). They clearly want players to spend more GC, we know this and everything they've done the past few years to the game has driven this point home. However with the way SE's were originally designed, they allowed for players of differing skills to complete them, either with skill or with upgrades.

But, with the increased pressure to spend more GC, they've run into a conundrum. They can't find the balance that makes it difficult enough that most players will need to upgrade further, without making it so difficult that average players don't struggle excessively. As it stands currently (which we've seen on several recent SE's) is that FM's "best" option is to make certain challenges difficult enough to both require additional upgrades, AND a higher skillset, to complete (especially at the stated recommend PR). If they make the event easier, then many more players can complete it with fewer upgrades than FM desires, which they don't want. So, they're sort of stuck it seems.

As I've stated below, I think the end result of this will be to do what they've done elsewhere, change to a required PR method for the SE's. Really, that will solve all of their problems. I hate that idea, but if the alternative is more of what we have now, I'd take it.

Perhaps this is their idea all along? Make the SE's miserable enough that when they offer up a poor solution, we gladly take it because it's better than the current situation?

With a guaranteed GC spend (like the LTS's), then FM doesn't have to do this dance of trying to balance difficulty of the SE's to force GC spending without making the events impossible for average players. They can do like they did on the LTS's and open up full bot management again. What do they care at that point? We'd have to spend what they want on GC to finish the SE's anyhow and that's really all they care about.