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View Full Version : Castle Weekly Update Oct 18, 10-18-2012



sehana
10-16-12, 04:44 PM
We're going to be rolling out a bunch of changes that will be changing the way the economy in the game works. I wanted to let you guys know before hand so it doesn't come as a shock when it's rolled out. These should be coming either later today or tomorrow.

Some of these changes will affect all players. Others will only be seen by a % of players, and likely to be rolled out to everyone at a later date.

From a design perspective, crops were always intended to be the primary source of income for players, but currently town buildings are where everyone seems to get most of their coins. We're making a lot of these changes to address this.

Animals - Animals will be taking more tending actions to reach full maturity. The time between tending will also be increasing. The coins you get when tending them will be increased to adjust for this. The costs for animals have also been adjusted. (Side note.. the Sheep and Pig can be earned through certain adventures)
Crops - Most of the timers for crops are changing. Most of them will be made longer, and some may have increased costs. However, the big change, is that the profit % from every crop will be increased SIGNIFICANTLY. We know you'll be harvesting a lot more crops as a result of this.. expect them to be used in crafting and quests much more in the near future.
Town Buildings - Timers and income values have changed for every Town building. They will not be as profitable as they were in the past.
Energy - All existing users will be able to reach an energy cap of 40 (Up from 30). This is being done as a thanks for all of our beta testers who have helped us get this game into the great state it is in. For new users, some may notice they can earn up to 40, others may only be able to reach 30. We'll make a decision on all new users at a later date.
Crafting - Timers and speedup costs on nearly every single recipe have been increased. Players are making things faster than we had originally intended. To make up for this change, we will be allowing players to build an additional crafting building in a later update.

The following changes will be rolled out to everyone when the update goes live:
Expansions - 4 existing expansions (1 near old thomas, 3 to the south west side of the board) will be automatically unlocked for all new users and for all existing users. Users that have these expansions unlocked prior to this update will notice no change. (Updated 10/19 to reflect last minute changes)
Quests - Expect some changes to existing quests (mainly low level quests for new users) and some new quests to appear as we get things cleaned up.


On the horizon - Here's a few things we're looking to bring to you all in the near future! (Note, these are not final and are subject to change)
- New Monsters !
- More Quests (theres 2 more major characters you've yet to discover!)
- New Buildings!
- More of your existing buildings (You'll be able to build more resource and crafting buildings)
- More craftable decorations! (Some gem only items will also be getting crafting recipes added)
- Building Upgrades - Get increased rewards and Royal Point values for your existing buildings!

And MUCH MUCH MORE :)

Place your screenshots here when we do get updates :)

yupiyupigumgum
10-16-12, 06:22 PM
I usually get updates on Friday afternoon. Really hope we can give more than 3 gifts a day. I don't want to lose neighbors because they think I've ignored them.

MHz_
10-18-12, 12:06 PM
We're going to be rolling out a bunch of changes that will be changing the way the economy in the game works. I wanted to let you guys know before hand so it doesn't come as a shock when it's rolled out. These should be coming either later today or tomorrow.

Some of these changes will affect all players. Others will only be seen by a % of players, and likely to be rolled out to everyone at a later date.

From a design perspective, crops were always intended to be the primary source of income for players, but currently town buildings are where everyone seems to get most of their coins. We're making a lot of these changes to address this.

Animals - Animals will be taking more tending actions to reach full maturity. The time between tending will also be increasing. The coins you get when tending them will be increased to adjust for this. The costs for animals have also been adjusted. (Side note.. the Sheep and Pig can be earned through certain adventures)
Crops - Most of the timers for crops are changing. Most of them will be made longer, and some may have increased costs. However, the big change, is that the profit % from every crop will be increased SIGNIFICANTLY. We know you'll be harvesting a lot more crops as a result of this.. expect them to be used in crafting and quests much more in the near future.
Town Buildings - Timers and income values have changed for every Town building. They will not be as profitable as they were in the past.
Energy - All existing users will be able to reach an energy cap of 40 (Up from 30). This is being done as a thanks for all of our beta testers who have helped us get this game into the great state it is in. For new users, some may notice they can earn up to 40, others may only be able to reach 30. We'll make a decision on all new users at a later date.
Crafting - Timers and speedup costs on nearly every single recipe have been increased. Players are making things faster than we had originally intended. To make up for this change, we will be allowing players to build an additional crafting building in a later update.

The following changes will be rolled out to everyone when the update goes live:
Expansions - 4 existing expansions (1 near old thomas, 3 to the south west side of the board) will be automatically unlocked for all new users and for all existing users. Users that have these expansions unlocked prior to this update will notice no change. (Updated 10/19 to reflect last minute changes)
Quests - Expect some changes to existing quests (mainly low level quests for new users) and some new quests to appear as we get things cleaned up.


On the horizon - Here's a few things we're looking to bring to you all in the near future! (Note, these are not final and are subject to change)
- New Monsters !
- More Quests (theres 2 more major characters you've yet to discover!)
- New Buildings!
- More of your existing buildings (You'll be able to build more resource and crafting buildings)
- More craftable decorations! (Some gem only items will also be getting crafting recipes added)
- Building Upgrades - Get increased rewards and Royal Point values for your existing buildings!

And MUCH MUCH MORE :)

mymummy789
10-18-12, 12:39 PM
I am SOOOOOOOOOOO glad you are keeping the energy cap of 40!! I was lucky enough to have it already and, quite honestly, I am not sure I would have coped if you'd knocked it back to 30.

I am looking forward to seeing what is new tomorrow :)

kooky panda
10-18-12, 01:20 PM
Thanks for keeping us updated!!! I am also looking forward to the new energy cap and more surprises coming!!

Luna48
10-18-12, 01:24 PM
Thanks so much for letting us know about this update. As you may know, many players have asked over and over for a little "warning" when a major change is coming and TL has rarely done that. It has caused many players to leave BS. I am so appreciative that you gave us a little heads up that major changes are coming. You are the best!!!!! You really are - you communicate very well and keep us informed way above the TL average. Thanks.

maguar
10-18-12, 01:58 PM
I've had a neighbour ask whether this will be something we need to update through the app store or whether the changes are automatic. Can you please let us know. Thanks

hopesdragons
10-18-12, 02:08 PM
I usually get updates on Friday afternoon. Really hope we can give more than 3 gifts a day. I don't want to lose neighbors because they think I've ignored them.

Just remember, all of your neighbors have the same 3 gift cap. I don't think anybody will think you're ignoring them just because you can't gift something. And the 3/day limit doesn't include filling requests.. Those you can do as often as you get them(and I find those are WAY more important than gifts.. Not that I don't appreciate getting gifts, because I do, but I think of those more as a 'surprise' not an expectation)

hopesdragons
10-18-12, 02:10 PM
As for the update, thanks for keeping us posted. I'm looking forward to seeing the changes.

MHz_
10-18-12, 02:35 PM
I've had a neighbour ask whether this will be something we need to update through the app store or whether the changes are automatic. Can you please let us know. Thanks

There will not be a client update needed for these updates. There is a small minor client update coming, but it won't be changing anything other than minor bug fixes.

maguar
10-18-12, 02:39 PM
Thanks for the info

MHz_
10-19-12, 03:37 PM
Minor change to the update.. original posts were updated. Basically we're giving away 4 expansions now instead of 5. Expect an update next week for expansion requirements/costs btw.

NanaCanna
10-19-12, 08:52 PM
I have a question. I need glimmer dust, & for a week I can't do the ink part of my goal. I've tried mushrooms until now it says I can't store anymore. I know when I did ivy hut I could request help from my NBRS. Is there a way to request it besides the 3 we get gifted a day?

hmgdanielson
10-19-12, 09:10 PM
I've been using Ivy's hut (the unfinished plot is still sitting in my kingdom) to request the glimmerdust, only to turn around and use it for the ink and super glue instead of building her house. If you've finished Ivy's Hut, then I don't think there's another way to request it.

Don't worry about the mushroom storage thing, though. Glimmerdust will still drop from mushroom patches and rings. And instead of gaining mushrooms, you'll gain extra money.

bigtail2
10-20-12, 08:43 AM
Not sure of the exact number, but my royal points have gone down? I am sure this is by design, but don't know which buildingshave been decreased.

kooky panda
10-20-12, 11:54 AM
Not sure of the exact number, but my royal points have gone down? I am sure this is by design, but don't know which buildingshave been decreased.

Have you stored any royal building, walls etc?

MHz_
10-20-12, 02:50 PM
Not sure of the exact number, but my royal points have gone down? I am sure this is by design, but don't know which buildingshave been decreased.

I haven't changed any royal point values yet, but expect to see a minor change next week. I'm rebalancing/adjusting all of the expansion costs for the entire game board, and the royal point values of some of the special buildings (Tablet, magic garden etc..) will likely be affected.

bigtail2
10-20-12, 03:28 PM
Sorry, I think I am entirely wrong in my numbers. It's all good ��

mattyboo1
10-20-12, 03:41 PM
We're going to be rolling out a bunch of changes that will be changing the way the economy in the game works. I wanted to let you guys know before hand so it doesn't come as a shock when it's rolled out. These should be coming either later today or tomorrow.

Some of these changes will affect all players. Others will only be seen by a % of players, and likely to be rolled out to everyone at a later date.

From a design perspective, crops were always intended to be the primary source of income for players, but currently town buildings are where everyone seems to get most of their coins. We're making a lot of these changes to address this.

Animals - Animals will be taking more tending actions to reach full maturity. The time between tending will also be increasing. The coins you get when tending them will be increased to adjust for this. The costs for animals have also been adjusted. (Side note.. the Sheep and Pig can be earned through certain adventures)
Crops - Most of the timers for crops are changing. Most of them will be made longer, and some may have increased costs. However, the big change, is that the profit % from every crop will be increased SIGNIFICANTLY. We know you'll be harvesting a lot more crops as a result of this.. expect them to be used in crafting and quests much more in the near future.
Town Buildings - Timers and income values have changed for every Town building. They will not be as profitable as they were in the past.
Energy - All existing users will be able to reach an energy cap of 40 (Up from 30). This is being done as a thanks for all of our beta testers who have helped us get this game into the great state it is in. For new users, some may notice they can earn up to 40, others may only be able to reach 30. We'll make a decision on all new users at a later date.
Crafting - Timers and speedup costs on nearly every single recipe have been increased. Players are making things faster than we had originally intended. To make up for this change, we will be allowing players to build an additional crafting building in a later update.

The following changes will be rolled out to everyone when the update goes live:
Expansions - 4 existing expansions (1 near old thomas, 3 to the south west side of the board) will be automatically unlocked for all new users and for all existing users. Users that have these expansions unlocked prior to this update will notice no change. (Updated 10/19 to reflect last minute changes)
Quests - Expect some changes to existing quests (mainly low level quests for new users) and some new quests to appear as we get things cleaned up.


On the horizon - Here's a few things we're looking to bring to you all in the near future! (Note, these are not final and are subject to change)
- New Monsters !
- More Quests (theres 2 more major characters you've yet to discover!)
- New Buildings!
- More of your existing buildings (You'll be able to build more resource and crafting buildings)
- More craftable decorations! (Some gem only items will also be getting crafting recipes added)
- Building Upgrades - Get increased rewards and Royal Point values for your existing buildings!

And MUCH MUCH MORE :)

Some feedback here is that everything is is being increased in time and costs why

MHz_
10-20-12, 05:16 PM
Some feedback here is that everything is is being increased in time and costs why

Several reasons...

Our original design was intended to get users to make most of their coins from crops, not buildings. The changes to crops and buildings now reflect that orignal design intent. Costs on crops are only increased to maintain the balance with their time and profit. Coin building costs were never changed.
Changes to animals were done mainly because when we released them, we didn't have final values in place. They were never intended to mature so fast. Animal costs were only increased slightly, mainly because they have different income values when collected.

As for the changes to crafting, the main reason is that players are moving through content (quests, levels, etc..) faster than we had intended, and faster than we can put out new stuff to do. The other reason is more of a business decision, which I hope you can understand without me having to say more than that.

Hope this helps clear things up further.

bafriend2u
10-20-12, 05:28 PM
When can kindle owners start playing castle story. I would like to play it but there is no app for me.

maguar
10-21-12, 02:19 PM
Ok I've just been hit with the update. New basic quest(s). Town buildings have changed with times and income. Crafting times have increased dramatically. I'll be updating my guide with the new info

hopesdragons
10-21-12, 02:26 PM
Ok I've just been hit with the update. New basic quest(s). Town buildings have changed with times and income. Crafting times have increased dramatically. I'll be updating my guide with the new info

I am SO glad I just finished the carrot portion of the Rich Windbag quest about 10 minutes before the update hit. They now take a day.

kooky panda
10-21-12, 02:30 PM
I got a new goal and updates, but my energy level is still at 30:confused:

MHz_
10-21-12, 02:39 PM
I got a new goal and updates, but my energy level is still at 30:confused:

Looking into it.

hopesdragons
10-21-12, 02:42 PM
Looking into it.

Same here on my iPhone.

MHz_
10-21-12, 02:45 PM
Ok, so there's a tech related issue with the energy change. We'll be looking into it tomorrow, so for today, everyone is at 30.

I'll have an update tomorrow, sorry about that.

kooky panda
10-21-12, 02:48 PM
Ok, so there's a tech related issue with the energy change. We'll be looking into it tomorrow, so for today, everyone is at 30.

I'll have an update tomorrow, sorry about that.
Thanks!!

maguar
10-21-12, 02:52 PM
With the increase in times its going to take days to prepare for some of the adventures. Will the rewards scale up to take this into account?

MHz_
10-21-12, 03:00 PM
With the increase in times its going to take days to prepare for some of the adventures. Will the rewards scale up to take this into account?

Yes, but not immediately. It's possible we'll just increase the number of crafting buildings you're allowed to have to slightly offset these changes. Please keep your feedback on these changes coming :)

The changes to buildings/crops I'll also be curious about in a few days.

bigtail2
10-22-12, 05:36 AM
"Energy - All existing users will be able to reach an energy cap of 40 (Up from 30). This is being done as a thanks for all of our beta testers who have helped us get this game into the great state it is in. For new users, some may notice they can earn up to 40, others may only be able to reach 30. We'll make a decision on all new users at a later date."

How is this going to work?

bigtail2
10-22-12, 05:37 AM
Sorry, missed the post above.

nickbrennan
10-22-12, 06:38 AM
In stuck on a quest, it says I have to collect from 10 animals, milk & eggs.. But my inventory already has 99 of milk and eggs, what can I do?/:)

bigtail2
10-22-12, 07:13 AM
Use up some of your animal products and you will be able to collect.

bigtail2
10-22-12, 07:21 AM
Yes, but not immediately. It's possible we'll just increase the number of crafting buildings you're allowed to have to slightly offset these changes. Please keep your feedback on these changes coming :)

The changes to buildings/crops I'll also be curious about in a few days.

I am interested to see how this is going to work out as well. Farm plots are capped at 40 (level 20). So theoretically, I could harvest all of my plots every two hours. But since the times are dramatically increased for many crops, I won't need to spend this much energy here. The buildings are capped in number, as well as greatly increased times to collect for many....hard to use up my energy there. Farmhouses are ready quickly, but the profit/energy ratio makes them all but irrelevant.

You can only harvest/use so many of the other ingredients. I suspect that the overall cash flow is going to decrease, so expansions will be slower. I am a little concerned that things may have slowed down too much.

Luna48
10-22-12, 07:32 AM
OK, the game is slowed down. I understand the economy of it. Please just don't make it so boring that it's no fun. 150 logs, 150 stones & 35,000 coins for a goal is an excellent way to slow the game, particularly since those are foundations items for many crafted items. Hopefully the reward will be worth it. And at what level will a player qualify for the 40 energy? I'm still at 30 max and am at level 18.

nickbrennan
10-22-12, 07:37 AM
But what can I use them on?

kooky panda
10-22-12, 07:44 AM
But what can I use them on?
Go to your kitchen. You can use eggs making bread and use milk to make sweet creme

kooky panda
10-22-12, 07:47 AM
OK, the game is slowed down. I understand the economy of it. Please just don't make it so boring that it's no fun. 150 logs, 150 stones & 35,000 coins for a goal is an excellent way to slow the game, particularly since those are foundations items for many crafted items. Hopefully the reward will be worth it. And at what level will a player qualify for the 40 energy? I'm still at 30 max and am at level 18.

From other thread



I got a new goal and updates, but my energy level is still at 30:confused:



Ok, so there's a tech related issue with the energy change. We'll be looking into it tomorrow, so for today, everyone is at 30.

I'll have an update tomorrow, sorry about that.

bigtail2
10-22-12, 08:42 AM
Also finding very little incentive to visit my neighbors, since they are collecting less frequently from their buildings it is getting difficult to find hearts.

snowyhillz
10-22-12, 01:53 PM
Also finding very little incentive to visit my neighbors, since they are collecting less frequently from their buildings it is getting difficult to find hearts.

Yes I am finding that too..... the 5 coins is not an incentive for me to visit neighbours, but I would like more energy rewards for visiting neighbours!

kooky panda
10-23-12, 08:38 AM
Ok, so there's a tech related issue with the energy change. We'll be looking into it tomorrow, so for today, everyone is at 30.

I'll have an update tomorrow, sorry about that.
I got my 40 energy now!!!
Thanks!!

cast1532
10-23-12, 10:49 AM
What's the new goal about?

hmgdanielson
10-24-12, 06:02 PM
The changes to buildings/crops I'll also be curious about in a few days.

I can't speak for anyone else (of course), but I am so grateful for the new changes. Before, I limited myself to the number of buildings/plots/tended items that I could collect from given the energy cap, and it left me with very little space for farming because I'd be too busy spending energy on collecting from everything else (I only had eight or nine plots). Since the times have all been expanded, I'm more able to stagger collection times, which has led to a drastic increase in my ability to farm (and thus make money). I've made some serious bank with minimal effort put into it.

The only thing I don't like about the new times and such is the Wisp Lanterns. Those things take forever to craft, and you need lots of them to expand. My workshops are constantly busy with those and it's difficult to squeeze in other projects. Perhaps consider allowing us to request them from our neighbors again?

kooky panda
10-24-12, 06:06 PM
The only thing I don't like about the new times and such is the Wisp Lanterns. Those things take forever to craft, and you need lots of them to expand. My workshops are constantly busy with those and it's difficult to squeeze in other projects. Perhaps consider allowing us to request them from our neighbors again?





I think this may be coming soon!!


We'll be adding Wisps to the gifting list on monday. This should make getting the Lanterns a bit easier. I've been very upfront about the changes we've made, and the decisions behind them. If you look at the latest update thread, you can see much more information about the changes we're doing, and the things we have planned.

MHz_
10-24-12, 09:29 PM
I think this may be coming soon!!

Yea, that's my fault.. the wisps should be in the list.. that change fell through the cracks. Please bug me tomorrow or friday and I'll make sure it goes out in our next update.

kooky panda
10-25-12, 05:28 AM
Yea, that's my fault.. the wisps should be in the list.. that change fell through the cracks. Please bug me tomorrow or friday and I'll make sure it goes out in our next update.

Will do!!

hmgdanielson
10-25-12, 03:28 PM
I love you guys. It's so fabulous to have such wonderful communication between the players and the game devs. Even if your answer had been, "No. We just want you to agonize in hell for a week while you grind on making these lanterns," I would have been grateful. I feel like I'm being spoiled. (Can you tell that I've experienced some really awful customer service with other games?)

So thanks. http://bit.ly/majriti

MHz_
10-25-12, 03:49 PM
I love you guys. It's so fabulous to have such wonderful communication between the players and the game devs. Even if your answer had been, "No. We just want you to agonize in hell for a week while you grind on making these lanterns," I would have been grateful. I feel like I'm being spoiled. (Can you tell that I've experienced some really awful customer service with other games?)

So thanks. http://bit.ly/majriti

Thanks, it always feels good to know the work we're doing is appreciated :) And yea, sometimes having to give the hard truth to certain changes can be difficult. I'd rather be honest about our decisions than try to pretend like we aren't making them. There's so much more to come for this game, so keep the feedback coming because it does make its way into the game!