The forums and discords are full of protests about the dumbifications of this year, but guys, guys, this is kind of pointless. Bytro has made their decision what kind of game this will be, a (rich) kid's quick thrill game rather than a serious strategy game. You can all protest that fact for as long as you want, but Bytro really doesn't give one flying f*ck about that. They've pressed two major changes down our throat in less than six months, and we hardly even talk about that first disaster (mana) anymore. Yes, the game has become dull and pointless and irrealistic, the vanilla maps have all become a far cry to the sky for any kind of skill in opponents. (anecdote, I recently went inactive on a 100p map because I was bored, logged in 12 (!) days later, found my empire mostly intact and won the map in a few days). Bytro is reaping what she sowed, if you dumbify your game it is no surprise that it attracts dumber players.
It is time to move on; we can't do much but admit that our beloved game is no more, and that it is a very conscious decision to kill it, that we, the players, cannot do anything about. I don't think there's any chance that the tide will somehow turn, unless the community crowdfunds and buys the company, and I haven't seen any serious initiatives for that.
For me personally, it feels like a divorce. CoW has been my constant companion for nine years, and I have probably spent more time interacting with the game than I have with my own wife. I have loved this game like she is a woman, one that isn't perfect and has very nasty character traits (aka coining), but I always forgave her when a game was ruined by a whale, and found a new map which reminded me why I loved her so much.
Now those traits have become unbearable, and the love has run stale. She's just not the woman I fell in love with anymore. It is time to say goodbye.
Sure we will still have a cup of coffee in a cafe every once in a while, I won't leave the forum and the discords were I made so many friends. I will probably never be able to forget her completely, either. I hope I will remember her fondly then, and I won't think of the current process which feels like lobotomy. She has given me so many good things before that.
When the enemy is driven back, we have failed. When he is cut off, encircled and dispersed, we have succeeded. - Alexander Suvorov.
4 Replies
19 Dec 2024, 09:31
Same feelings mate, this is us. I really miss playing CoW now and I dont manage to stay active in any of the games because its just too different. At first i thought that there had been many changes before, and many people said they'd quit too. But it's just not the same anymore, the recent update was the nail in the coffin i guess. CoW was my favourite pastime for the last few years, all the memories of the forum, the playthroughs.... Ihope to revisit the game every once in a while.
What a perfect description: '...feels like a lobotomy'
That is what it must be like.
You expressed the feelings of the long time strategy players perfectly.
STOP THE DUMBIFICATION in favor of P2W & fly-by phone players! SENIOR REFLECTION MANAGER CHIEF EDITOR of The-Only-True-Truth(TM) ⵉⵏⵣⴰⵍⵉⵢⵏ !!ⵢⵉⵏ ⵙⵙⵉⵎⵓⵏ ⴰⵣⴳⴰⵢⴰⵏ!! "We can be wrong & we can know this and still do both" - a random Gen-Z, politician or gaming company CEO
19 Dec 2024, 23:03
Sad but I feel the same way. I've had to step back anyway in August due to getting laid off at work then starting a new job shortly after that. I was able to play one game with the new war bonds and it was very frustrating with all the unit spamming and other instant actions. I haven't played with the new unit resources yet, but can only imagine the impact of it dumbing down the game.
I think all these changes will be too much for me. I could probably start playing again in January, but I'm dreading playing again with all the changes. It doesn't help that these changes appear to have decimated the ranks of my alliance. All the good players are dropping like flies.
Since Bytro has made conscious decisions to destroy the game, I think I'll make a conscious decision to play other games where the developers have improved or at least not trashed their game.
19 Dec 2024, 23:13
6thDragon wrote:
....All the good players are dropping like flies.
Since Bytro has made conscious decisions to destroy the game, I think I'll make a conscious decision to play other games where the developers have improved or at least not trashed their game.
So true.
When you find that game, pls do tell us.
STOP THE DUMBIFICATION in favor of P2W & fly-by phone players! SENIOR REFLECTION MANAGER CHIEF EDITOR of The-Only-True-Truth(TM) ⵉⵏⵣⴰⵍⵉⵢⵏ !!ⵢⵉⵏ ⵙⵙⵉⵎⵓⵏ ⴰⵣⴳⴰⵢⴰⵏ!! "We can be wrong & we can know this and still do both" - a random Gen-Z, politician or gaming company CEO
