OK, as a new player I've been enjoying playing Splinterlands for about two weeks now. So take everything I'm posting with a grain of salt. Sure I'm a noob but have extensive experience in gaming and collectibles.
I recently had a drunk discussion with a friend, 
Raid Shadowlegends
I'm going to lift a lot of these ideas from one of the most addicting collectible games I can think of Raid: Shadow Legends. If you've watched a Youtube video in the past 2 years, I'm sure you've seen an ad for it.
They do a lot of stuff right that keeps you coming back to play. They also have a ton of horrible ideas. Let's just steal their good ideas, please!
No matter how much of a whale fest that game is, an FTP player can still compete and finish the hardest parts of the game by simply playing the game. ( and some luck)
I have a feeling this post might be long so maybe I'll add more detailed posts about some of the topics later on in the week.
Let's be Constructive
I'm hoping to stir up some constructive criticism with this post. Far too often every post is about how awesome the game is. While it does deserve plenty of praise, it has a ways to go to compete with the big boys.
I understand all these ideas may be difficult to implement.
- Are these ideas good or bad?
- What is the best way to implement the idea?
- Who does this idea benefit?
- Will the idea make the game more fun or engaging?
- Will the idea keep current players and grow the player base?
I would love to hear anyone's thoughts on the below ideas.
Reward Systems
This takes on a whole new meaning after the HUGE increase in the price of quest potions. By making quest potions cost more than $5 per day, you are alienating a huge portion of your player base.
We're all here for that sweet, sweet loot
I rarely receive $5 in rewards from the daily reward. Combining DEC for wins, airdrops, and loot reward my daily winnings is less than $3. That's all my rewards. If Splinterlands expects casual; players to pay $5 for $3 in rewards every day, it's not gonna happen.
Rewards will keep players in the game longer and spending more money. I have a lot to say on rewards that I'll have to save for another post. But some quick ideas include
- Daily login in calendar with a reward every day. The longer you play the better the rewards (think non-tradeable epic or lego cards)
- Remove potions from rewards
- Make DEC loot rewards more uniform. (no more 8 DEC or 2000 DEC) rewards.
- More reward only cards (yes I know they're coming)
- Special events that reward a new card to players that meet goals in a timeframe. (Non-tradeable reward that is time-sensitive).
- Daily playtime rewards could include potions, DEC, or SPS.
Here's an example of a daily log-in reward system. In one month you would get 1 free rare, 1 free epic, and 25 fragments (out of 100) for a legendary.
Account Progress (carrot on a stick)
There needs to be a better carrot on a stick for players. If I only have to login in and play 10 matches to get my 8 DEC reward, I'm going to stop playing.
There need to be innovative, free, and cheap ways to acquire cards.
Give players a way to progress. I just want to play the game. It's fun but not rewarding.
- At 1 reward a day, it would take months to get enough common cards to level them up to level 2.
- Single-player questline that rewards cards that are not available anywhere else. (new quests can be added with new rewards)
- Weekly tournaments that reward new cards. (top players get gold version)
- Sparring pit where I can stake my card and it slowly gains levels but I can't use it.
Guilds
Many people play games like this to be a part of a community. Unfortunately creating a guild costs $72 right now! That is insane. Guild should be free to create. If you have to charge a daily fee or something based on the size, power, # of players, or whatever. But the way it's setup no, no FTP players can start a guild.
BOTS
I honestly wasn't paying attention so I'm not sure if this is accurate or not but was told BOTS are encouraged by the developers? Can anyone verify this for me?
Great way to trash your economy and discourage gameplay by new users.
Listen, I really like the game
OK, rant over. I really do like playing Splinterlands. My plans were to spend $30 a month to win my daily quest with potions and then purchase new cards when the decks come out. I'm still fine with doing that.
Most of these ideas are long-term obviously. I just wanted to get the post out while it was still fresh in my head.