Board Thread:Game Discussion/@comment-33321800-20180405220445

I started playing RR3 in 2015 after searching the Google Play store for “best racing app.”  I read the reviews and realized from the start that RR3 was a “freemium” aka “Pay2Win” game, meaning that Gold Coins (GC), needed for many parts of the game, would either need to be bought with real money or gained via watching ads. Additionally I understood that ads were an integral part of the game and it was necessary to view them to fully engage in the game (skip wait times, etc.).

I played for perhaps two years at a modest pace, thoroughly enjoying the game. I never made in-app purchases and made it a point to take advantage of all methods of obtaining GC such as watching ads and checking in daily. I was completely satisfied with my progress toward my goals, which were ultimately a full garage and 100% completion. I regularly participated in WTT and joined a competitive team, eventually become team lead and helping to recruit players and increase our team rankings and winnings.

About a year ago, Firemonkeys (FM) began to engage in tactics which were clearly financially motivated and were extremely detrimental to the player experience. Some of these tactics included changing the daily ads from 20GC to a new structure requiring watching large numbers of ads for R$; drastic reduction of the daily check-in bonus; changes in new series and challenges to force players to spend GC to reach GC rewards thresholds (e.g., GC upgrades are required to reach 25% completion); and complete abandonment of series completion without using GC (standard upgrade path is now at least 3/3/3/3/3/3 with all 3rd tier upgrades requiring GC).

Additionally, the removal of bot slowing from new series and challenges made the game much harder, further pushing players toward “Pay2Win”. New vehicles were introduced at a furious pace to the point where even hardcore players struggle to keep up. The goals of full garage and 100% completion were now completely unattainable.

I continued to struggle on, making what I considered wise decisions based on advice on the RR3 Wikia and an actual spreadsheet I maintained to track strategy. It was becoming quite clear however that I probably would end up quitting the game from sheer frustration. The much-maligned Ferrari Testarossa SE Road Trip proved to be the most challenging Special Event in memory. Then the final straw came as my phone’s headphone jack began to break after years of playing. Yes, I could use a different device – yes, I could use Bluetooth headsets – yes, etc. – but this was the final straw for me.

Some players believe that the answers are either “become a better racer” or “just farm GC on Endurance Kings.”  That’s fine and swell if you are willing to make a serious – borderline fanatical – commitment to the game. I’m not. And I suspect I’m not alone.

So Firemonkeys, if you care: you have lost a long time, dedicated and engaged player who had concrete plans and goals to continue playing the game, to continue watching tens of thousands of ads (for which I’m sure you receive revenue), to continue to tell others what a great game RR3 is – or was. But then if you cared about any of this, you wouldn’t have made it patently obvious through your actions that the very last thing you care about is the player experience. Cheers. 