Tweet
As we close out the most recent Event, there has been a lot of discussion of how much it costs to participate competitively in Underworld Empire Events.
DISCLAIMERS:
If you are a free player then this will not apply to you. If you are a wealthy player then you are already quite capable of budgeting expenses and are more likely to be able to contribute good ideas. Please try not to derail the thread but anyone please feel free to contribute ideas, personal experiences, or anything that will generally help someone in the area of responsible/wise spending in a game like this.
"Why should I have a budget for a game?"
Back in the olden times, once you bought a console/computer then you would spend a one-time amount to acquire a game which you could then play freely.
Back in the prehistoric times, you would take your money to an arcade where you had to pay to play and only your skill kept things going.
Before that people led lonely lives of drinking, dancing, "interacting"...
The point is that we are now playing games that fuse the first two. Can you play for free? Yes. Can you play more often or access content more easily with money? Yes. We want to play and often we don't mind paying. The problem we can run into is either spending too much or spending inefficiently. App based games belong in the entertainment budget of any individual/household that is using them. This doesn't mean you have to spend money on them and it doesn't mean you shouldn't.
"How should I budget for a game?"
UE is a great example for this. You can plan stat allocation almost indefinitely. You can develop class skills in a sensible way. You can decide which LTs are the ones you would like to prioritize. You can set goals.
Look at your current budget (if you are a free spirit, have someone else do it) and look at that disposable income. It's the money you can spend on whatever your heart desires. Look at all of the fun things you like to do. Now consider how much of it you would like to put towards UE. Might be $5 a month, might be $500.
Now you have an approximate FP amount per month that you can allocate towards those goals you have in the game. Start thinking about the best way to use that FP. Maybe X amount of crate rolls, X amount of refills, X amount of scratchers, etc. etc.
"How does this help an Event Budget?"
Having a set amount means that you can also set that aside for an upcoming Event. You can stockpile the FP. If you're like me and will spend loose FP and loose cash equally easily then consider a little stash of iTunes gift cards. If you ragequit the game then you still have your money in a spendable form that can be used for music, movies, other games but is less easily lost in impulsive decisions.
The benefit to this is that if a promo comes along that you fancy - then you can buy it without worrying about affecting real life expenditures. Even better is if you can buy a promo that comes with refills, or Nautica, etc. while still acquiring the FP. A little self-control and you can start building up free refills that can be used later.
Since you are behaving more responsibly, this also means that you can dip into the stash if needed in the interim. Crash diets don't work and guiltily hoarding in-game consumables probably won't work any better.
Now when an Event comes along, you have a stockpile of FP/refills/iTunes cards and are able to spend during the Event much more easily to not only work on those personal goals but put in parallel work towards the Event goals. This effect is at its most efficient during LSI-favoring Events when energy/stamina expenditure helps advance your progress. I'm not saying you'll have to save a certain amount of money, only that it will be a more healthy way to spend towards an Event when you planned in advance to save and spend a certain amount of money. You may also decide that it's okay to splurge a bit during the Event even just to reach that extra reward. The difference will be that it will have a less deleterious effect on your finances than a haphazard spending spree every couple months.
I didn't read any of that
Decide in advance how much you feel is reasonable to spend on an app game like UE then plan for how and when you'll spend that money.
I thought you were talking about Events?
It's better for people who need a budget in real life to have a budgeted amount for a game. Plan in advance for promos and Events so you are not surprised when they happen.
Who cares? It's just a game? Why should anyone do this?
Free-to-play games, F2P games, Freemium games are a lot of fun and have a lot of potential for future gaming. In that relationship, we need to be responsible and vocal consumers. It's inappropriate to let or expect a game developer to set limits on what we're willing to spend. They have their own responsibilities to us, this is not one of them. I'd hate to see this game model not evolve into a healthier system for both parties.
Wall of text?
It's a life-hack to getting the Event LTs every time
DISCLAIMERS:
If you are a free player then this will not apply to you. If you are a wealthy player then you are already quite capable of budgeting expenses and are more likely to be able to contribute good ideas. Please try not to derail the thread but anyone please feel free to contribute ideas, personal experiences, or anything that will generally help someone in the area of responsible/wise spending in a game like this.
"Why should I have a budget for a game?"
Back in the olden times, once you bought a console/computer then you would spend a one-time amount to acquire a game which you could then play freely.
Back in the prehistoric times, you would take your money to an arcade where you had to pay to play and only your skill kept things going.
Before that people led lonely lives of drinking, dancing, "interacting"...
The point is that we are now playing games that fuse the first two. Can you play for free? Yes. Can you play more often or access content more easily with money? Yes. We want to play and often we don't mind paying. The problem we can run into is either spending too much or spending inefficiently. App based games belong in the entertainment budget of any individual/household that is using them. This doesn't mean you have to spend money on them and it doesn't mean you shouldn't.
"How should I budget for a game?"
UE is a great example for this. You can plan stat allocation almost indefinitely. You can develop class skills in a sensible way. You can decide which LTs are the ones you would like to prioritize. You can set goals.
Look at your current budget (if you are a free spirit, have someone else do it) and look at that disposable income. It's the money you can spend on whatever your heart desires. Look at all of the fun things you like to do. Now consider how much of it you would like to put towards UE. Might be $5 a month, might be $500.
Now you have an approximate FP amount per month that you can allocate towards those goals you have in the game. Start thinking about the best way to use that FP. Maybe X amount of crate rolls, X amount of refills, X amount of scratchers, etc. etc.
"How does this help an Event Budget?"
Having a set amount means that you can also set that aside for an upcoming Event. You can stockpile the FP. If you're like me and will spend loose FP and loose cash equally easily then consider a little stash of iTunes gift cards. If you ragequit the game then you still have your money in a spendable form that can be used for music, movies, other games but is less easily lost in impulsive decisions.
The benefit to this is that if a promo comes along that you fancy - then you can buy it without worrying about affecting real life expenditures. Even better is if you can buy a promo that comes with refills, or Nautica, etc. while still acquiring the FP. A little self-control and you can start building up free refills that can be used later.
Since you are behaving more responsibly, this also means that you can dip into the stash if needed in the interim. Crash diets don't work and guiltily hoarding in-game consumables probably won't work any better.
Now when an Event comes along, you have a stockpile of FP/refills/iTunes cards and are able to spend during the Event much more easily to not only work on those personal goals but put in parallel work towards the Event goals. This effect is at its most efficient during LSI-favoring Events when energy/stamina expenditure helps advance your progress. I'm not saying you'll have to save a certain amount of money, only that it will be a more healthy way to spend towards an Event when you planned in advance to save and spend a certain amount of money. You may also decide that it's okay to splurge a bit during the Event even just to reach that extra reward. The difference will be that it will have a less deleterious effect on your finances than a haphazard spending spree every couple months.
I didn't read any of that
Decide in advance how much you feel is reasonable to spend on an app game like UE then plan for how and when you'll spend that money.
I thought you were talking about Events?
It's better for people who need a budget in real life to have a budgeted amount for a game. Plan in advance for promos and Events so you are not surprised when they happen.
Who cares? It's just a game? Why should anyone do this?
Free-to-play games, F2P games, Freemium games are a lot of fun and have a lot of potential for future gaming. In that relationship, we need to be responsible and vocal consumers. It's inappropriate to let or expect a game developer to set limits on what we're willing to spend. They have their own responsibilities to us, this is not one of them. I'd hate to see this game model not evolve into a healthier system for both parties.
Wall of text?
It's a life-hack to getting the Event LTs every time
Comment