Alright, take a smoke break.. grab some tea. This rant will be long, but meaningful.
2016 I joined Steemit.
2017 I found out about a next generation blockchain game called Steemonsters coming out.
2018 I invested every cent of crypto I had earned on the Steemit platform into the 'SM' game..
2019 The end of Steemit, the Birth of Hive.. the Legend of the Splinterlands!
2020 Covid and Stagnancy.. a lot of Stagnancy
So, we are here in 2020. My timeline didn't really explain anything I just wanted to give you an idea of how long I've been around here.. watching and waiting.
The Splinterlands game has done almost everything right. The developers are very hands on and in tune with the community, the Discord is a place where new and old players alike can help each other either by trading or giving (depending on how philanthropic the community is feeling lol) .
Clove is one of the most philanthropic people in this community.. all she does is give. It's heartwarming to see, and honestly she does the most for this game in terms of promotion and getting the word out.
There are brilliant Twitter accounts that represent the SL community and the lore behind it..
The User Interface and Rewards system is probably one of the best out there.. blockchain game or not. Splinterlands has a majestic way of compelling users to open cards.. in fact this is the single most addictive aspect of the game. Earning to open more packs..
The expansion cards such as 'Dice' and whatever comes after 'Untamed' bring new metas and elements into the gameplay which is fantastic.. the art design, the music, the sound.. it all works!
SO then WHY am I ranting?!?!
Because, Splinterlands is a game.. but it doesn't really feel like a game.
SL feels like a game for collector's who are ok with simply collecting... and to be honest that plays more into the whales who look for any asset to invest in.
Splinterlands is an expensive game, and the new patch/fork has now created an immense barrier for new users to get anywhere at all. It is laughable that a Champion 1 Player (which I am) is now barely Diamond 1 because I don't have the card library to suit this.
Now, if the gameplay were spectacular.. I would play for no rewards.. the problem is, there is immense monotony and lack of creativity when it comes to grinding.
The time limit of 2 minutes feels too short but 3 minutes feels too long... the pause and fast forward buttons being to only eligible gameplay features also hurt SL a lot.
Every single person I've introduced SL to has despised it.. I can't lie, they simply hate it.
I get asked the same question each time out.. 'where is the game?'
The initial strategy and deck building qualities of the game become reduced because some decks simply won't beat others... players with more valuable decks will always win, and that is an intrinsically awful quality.
There are plenty of reasons as to why a small game being developed by two men practically needs to gather as many resources as they can.. but the game has been in development for nearly 3 years or more and the only real changes are to the UI.
The new User Interface for the Home Screen is fantastic and a step in the right direction, but i the core gameplay never changes than neither will the audience.
I am a gamer, always have been. I stay with Splinterlands because of my investment in the decks I use and at times collecting rewards far supersedes an annoyances I have with the game.. but this is rare.
Grinding for daily quests keeps me with the game to earn, but I don't play for fun sadly.
I come back to earn and gather goodies, but that isn't why people should come back.. that should be the dessert to a fully fledged game with addictive strategic qualities.
Don't get me wrong, SL has its hardcore fans and always will, the players at the top of the leaderboard are consistent and obviously have a deep passion and love for the game.
I respect that, and I respect the time and resources it takes to be a top 50 player..
.. but at the end of the day they bought their spots.. I want a game where I can earn mine.
Splinterlands needs real gameplay change since the rewards are gone.. you can't take the rewards from a game with no real substance. The SUBSTANCE was the REWARDS..
This new patch has shown the player base that the creators are overvaluing their game, it is also a way to stop the depletion of resources but there just isn't enough gameplay to keep people involved.
The tournaments are also very bland and I don't ever win them because again.. tournaments aren't as much about skill as they are about having a full deck.
Imagine playing a tournament where you take an auto loss because you don't have a certain Splinter's summoner.. ahh well that's alright, I guess I'll just 300 packs and hope to assemble a level 4 or 5.
I've bought thousands of packs and still struggle in these areas.. so imagine the noobies.
I've debated qutting this game quite a few times, 3 years is just too long to see the same Splinterlands game with no real evolutions in gameplay.
Hopefully things change soon.. hopefully.