Storm8 layoffs and dragon story

[marathon2615]

So some of you know already but I had to look it up. Apparently S8 downsized their company by over half their employees. Any thoughts on how this will effect Dragon Story? Guess that answers why they have been money hungry. This is kind of a spin off from the GPD thread but I felt it deserved it's own.

Thoughts? Comments? Rude gestures?(not really)


Edit- KP


Hey all, I'm still here and will be trying my best to continue delivering quality content to you and your dragons. I'll pass on the kind words to my friends who lost their job.

[FireballFarm]

Maybe if they actually listened to the customer feedback, they wouldn't be in this predicament. Many companies pay good money for the kind of feedback S8 gets here for free...but they disregard all of it. Smh. I definitely won't spend another dime on gold because who knows if they'll suddenly drop the game? Not worth the risk, imho. They've dropped games in the past with no notice, and that was without mass lay-offs.

[marathon2615]

Many companies pay good money for the kind of feedback S8 gets here for free...but they disregard all of it.
Yeah checking a forum that gives excellent real life use reviews is way cheaper than putting together multiple focus groups

[starship412]

Maybe if they actually listened to the customer feedback, they wouldn't be in this predicament. Many companies pay good money for the kind of feedback S8 gets here for free...but they disregard all of it. Smh. I definitely won't spend another dime on gold because who knows if they'll suddenly drop the game? Not worth the risk, imho. They've dropped games in the past with no notice, and that was without mass lay-offs.

Agreed. It happens in business - when the business ignores the customers then the customers leave that business to go to another.
I feel for those at S8 who actually cared and lost their jobs which I have a feeling outnumbers those that don't - that's just speculation, however.
I hope this action makes S8 take a long look at itself and what they did over the last year. Having events back to back to back on all platforms, Dragon Story, Castle Story, Fantasy Forest, etc., did more harm than good. Creating events with no chance of winning such as Leaderboard did more harm than good. Taking gold out of tournaments and making the champion dragons harder to beat did more harm than good. Making the points for the final dragon in the World Events almost impossible without spending gold did more harm than good. Slow response to bugs and issues did more harm than good. Gold producing dragons did more harm than good. Bingo, retooled, can do more good than harm. Bringing gold back to the tournaments can do more good than harm. Finding a way to keep the game from crashing all the time can do more good than harm. Changing breeding procedures can do more good than harm. Listening to the people who play the game instead of focus groups that more than likely don't will do more good than harm.
To be honest, I'm hoping things will be better but, as some say, "hope for the best but be prepared for the worst". Good luck and Godspeed to the good Storm8 employees who lost their jobs. May your experience land you bigger and better in the future.
Please don't delete this comment as this is honest criticism and not an insult. Thanks in advance.

[JustKay]

....Gold producing dragons did more harm than good...

Didn't think anyone would say that...

But on topic, yes, I do see how their recent actions certainly hint at money issues. I do hope they find a way to prosper and all the best to the employees who have moved on. I would speculate that a reduction in employees would translate to a clearing of their roster of games. This has happened before and I think Dragon Story and FFS and Castle Story will probably continue as they have huge followings. Just look at some of the crazy points numbers being reported already in the new LB and it's clear DS is still drawing in good money. In the past they did send a notice to all players that a game was being discontinued, but there are plenty of games that I've gotten goals to install, play, and then I've not felt compelled to continue playing. Those are the type of games that will go.

[katali119]

Honestly I don't understand the business decisions. We're talking the stuff in this game is not real, it's pixels, that cost them nothing to give away. It wouldn't be hard to have a huge number more satisfied customers than they currently have, just by reading through the forum and responding. Businesses with poor customer service simply don't last long in industries with a lot of competition, because when what your offering is the same as everyone else customer service is what sets you apart. Reading the article about the staff losing their jobs, they are clear that the industry is very competitive and they are struggling, but they have at least part of the answer being told to them over and over again, and instead they keep doing the exact opposite. Having happy customers also means when you google search the games, the top 5 answers don't include anyone slagging the game off and telling people to play a competitors game instead. Unlike now. Sure it's hard to keep everyone happy all of the time, but when you run a forum full of people not only moaning, but repeatedly pointing out that they've been moaning about the same things for years, it doesn't exactly give a good impression, does it?! So I'm not putting a penny more into this game, because, like any investment, I'd like to be sure I was going to get a return, and at this point, I'm not sure the company will continue for another 5 years, let alone the game. Which is really sad, because there's great stuff in this game! Maybe they'll sell some of their catalogue and forum members can buy it and make all those changes they want lol.

[FieldsLikeB]

I'm hoping it does not affect DS at all. I've played off and on for years. I'm a senior an losing my game would make me very sad. I've worked hard collecting my dragons.

I've only had one actual problem with DS since it began that was not resolved fairly imo.

Sure there are aspects right now that are frustrating like not being able to finish event and conflicting events. But there's far more that I enjoy.

I love the tournaments most and yes I may not get all the milestones in this LB but I'll probably be playing DS until I'm gone.

[JustKay]

Honestly I don't understand the business decisions. We're talking the stuff in this game is not real, it's pixels, that cost them nothing to give away. It wouldn't be hard to have a huge number more satisfied customers than they currently have, just by reading through the forum and responding. Businesses with poor customer service simply don't last long in industries with a lot of competition, because when what your offering is the same as everyone else customer service is what sets you apart. Reading the article about the staff losing their jobs, they are clear that the industry is very competitive and they are struggling, but they have at least part of the answer being told to them over and over again, and instead they keep doing the exact opposite. Having happy customers also means when you google search the games, the top 5 answers don't include anyone slagging the game off and telling people to play a competitors game instead. Unlike now. Sure it's hard to keep everyone happy all of the time, but when you run a forum full of people not only moaning, but repeatedly pointing out that they've been moaning about the same things for years, it doesn't exactly give a good impression, does it?! So I'm not putting a penny more into this game, because, like any investment, I'd like to be sure I was going to get a return, and at this point, I'm not sure the company will continue for another 5 years, let alone the game. Which is really sad, because there's great stuff in this game! Maybe they'll sell some of their catalogue and forum members can buy it and make all those changes they want lol.

Pixels may be virtual, but serving them up isn't free. A lot of money goes into the systems that make this game happen, and the people who work long hours to keep things running 24/7. Then you have to pay the designers to make new dragons/habitats/decors. On top of that, you still need a team of developers cracking away at the next great feature. Even this forum that is free to voice your opinion on is costing them money.

Giving people what they want for free, is never a great business model unless you're secretly getting something back in return. In DS we're not really generating any useful content for S8 (like on FB or IG), so money is pretty much it. For 4 years now, they've been creating dragons we all want to have so for the most part I think they have that part right. Yes, there have been days where I've felt that the game is designed a little unfairly, but for the most part, playing for free hasn't stopped me from building up a really nice island with a lot of hard work. I think DS is one of those games that does well toeing the line between making money and providing a good playing experience for free, but that line moves depending on how well the the economy is doing.

[FireballFarm]

Pixels may be virtual, but serving them up isn't free. A lot of money goes into the systems that make this game happen, and the people who work long hours to keep things running 24/7. Then you have to pay the designers to make new dragons/habitats/decors. On top of that, you still need a team of developers cracking away at the next great feature. Even this forum that is free to voice your opinion on is costing them money.

Giving people what they want for free, is never a great business model unless you're secretly getting something back in return. In DS we're not really generating any useful content for S8 (like on FB or IG), so money is pretty much it. For 4 years now, they've been creating dragons we all want to have so for the most part I think they have that part right. Yes, there have been days where I've felt that the game is designed a little unfairly, but for the most part, playing for free hasn't stopped me from building up a really nice island with a lot of hard work. I think DS is one of those games that does well toeing the line between making money and providing a good playing experience for free, but that line moves depending on how well the the economy is doing.

I like to make regular purchases to support the games I play. But, out of all my favorite games, DS gets the smallest number of purchases. I want to support the game, I want and need gold...but the prices are just too high. Value does matter. A lot.

I think one of the places where S8 really missed the boat is in their valuation of items and, consequently, the prices on the so-called 'value' packs. Compared to my other mobile games, the dragons are overvalued and the gold is overpriced. That is not a winning combo. One, single pixel dragon does not have a real monetary value of $70. Sorry, S8, but that is simply ridiculous. Are we really supposed to believe a complete set of pixel dragons on a mobile phone game has a real money value of over $50,000? Really?

When I do finally break down and purchase gold (and that's what it feels like- negative, not a positive decision), I feel guilty. I should feel good and excited about what new, premium items I can buy with my shiny new in-app currency, like when I make purchases in my other games.


The most successful mobile games make their money from tens of thousands of micro-transactions. No one really thinks twice about spending $1 or $3, but most people definitely stop to think about dropping $15 on a mobile phone game. For $15, you can buy a couple burgers at Ruby Tuesday, or go see a new movie at the theater, rent 5 movies from Redbox, or go out and get a few beers at a bar.

If S8 offered occasional $1, $3 and $5 deals on small amounts of gold, more people would make regular purchases. I wouldn't bat an eye at spending $20 on gold, $1 at a time, every week...but I won't ever buy a $20 'value' pack with a dragon and food, coins, or maps. Food, coins, and maps have no monetary value because we can earn the (offensively tiny) amounts offered for free in less than a day through game play.

Value packs should consist of a discounted amount of gold and a free dragon tossed in as a bonus item. The gold is what we should be buying, not the dragon. We need gold to play the game. The dragon should be there to tempt you into making a gold purchase and then as a reward or bonus for making the purchase. Plus, the cost of dragons in the menu needs to be reduced. A purchase of $25 should provide enough gold to buy a couple dragons off the regular menu. When individual dragons are priced at 1200 or 2000 gold apiece, that is impossible. But, it's probably too late for all that now.

[9krm]

Agree 100% fireballfarm.
Always sorry to hear about layoffs though. Good luck to them.

[Clark_Wayne]

I like to make regular purchases to support the games I play. But, out of all my favorite games, DS gets the smallest number of purchases. I want to support the game, I want and need gold...but the prices are just too high. Value does matter. A lot.

I think one of the places where S8 really missed the boat is in their valuation of items and, consequently, the prices on the so-called 'value' packs. Compared to my other mobile games, the dragons are overvalued and the gold is overpriced. That is not a winning combo. One, single pixel dragon does not have a real monetary value of $70. Sorry, S8, but that is simply ridiculous. Are we really supposed to believe a complete set of pixel dragons on a mobile phone game has a real money value of over $50,000? Really?

When I do finally break down and purchase gold (and that's what it feels like- negative, not a positive decision), I feel guilty. I should feel good and excited about what new, premium items I can buy with my shiny new in-app currency, like when I make purchases in my other games.


The most successful mobile games make their money from tens of thousands of micro-transactions. No one really thinks twice about spending $1 or $3, but most people definitely stop to think about dropping $15 on a mobile phone game. For $15, you can buy a couple burgers at Ruby Tuesday, or go see a new movie at the theater, rent 5 movies from Redbox, or go out and get a few beers at a bar.

If S8 offered occasional $1, $3 and $5 deals on small amounts of gold, more people would make regular purchases. I wouldn't bat an eye at spending $20 on gold, $1 at a time, every week...but I won't ever buy a $20 'value' pack with a dragon and food, coins, or maps. Food, coins, and maps have no monetary value because we can earn the (offensively tiny) amounts offered for free in less than a day through game play.

Value packs should consist of a discounted amount of gold and a free dragon tossed in as a bonus item. The gold is what we should be buying, not the dragon. We need gold to play the game. The dragon should be there to tempt you into making a gold purchase and then as a reward or bonus for making the purchase. Plus, the cost of dragons in the menu needs to be reduced. A purchase of $25 should provide enough gold to buy a couple dragons off the regular menu. When individual dragons are priced at 1200 or 2000 gold apiece, that is impossible. But, it's probably too late for all that now.

absolutely well analyzed :)
i totally agree with the fact that s8 would gain lot more with lot of small purchases than few big ones

[starship412]

absolutely well analyzed :)
i totally agree with the fact that s8 would gain lot more with lot of small purchases than few big ones

This idea would definitely work. Low priced items would get people to spend more. I understand the gold prices for premium items like ultra rare dragons so I wouldn't change that but the packs need to be true value packs.

[JustKay]

I'm not really disagreeing with what was said about value packs, however I think the prices of dragons in the market place may be high because they are convenience items. Just look at the prices for common dragons and it's clear that you aren't supposed to reference these in any value discussion. They're there for the people who have too much money and no patience (or dare i say even accidental gold spend). Buying a dragon from the market is like buying something from a convenience store in the middle of the night, expect to be gouged.

The true value in the game comes from speed breeding. There is a risk of failure, but that's simply a justification for convenience. The classic time versus money trade off. Small gold spend speed breeding will probably get you any dragon for less than the price on the market (probably with a few fails you never had). Just as an extreme example, I did a speed breeding session when they had an overlap between the diamond temple discount and the boosted breeding weekend, and managed to get 7 new diamond hybrids, and a few extras that I already had, a few super rare dragons I wanted, all for about 2400 gold (inclusive of the diamond temple cost). A little gold can go a long way.

https://forums.storm8.com/showthread.php?93371-Diamond-Temple/page9 (an description of what I did)

[marathon2615]

I like to make regular purchases to support the games I play. But, out of all my favorite games, DS gets the smallest number of purchases. I want to support the game, I want and need gold...but the prices are just too high. Value does matter. A lot.

I think one of the places where S8 really missed the boat is in their valuation of items and, consequently, the prices on the so-called 'value' packs. Compared to my other mobile games, the dragons are overvalued and the gold is overpriced. That is not a winning combo. One, single pixel dragon does not have a real monetary value of $70. Sorry, S8, but that is simply ridiculous. Are we really supposed to believe a complete set of pixel dragons on a mobile phone game has a real money value of over $50,000? Really?

When I do finally break down and purchase gold (and that's what it feels like- negative, not a positive decision), I feel guilty. I should feel good and excited about what new, premium items I can buy with my shiny new in-app currency, like when I make purchases in my other games.


The most successful mobile games make their money from tens of thousands of micro-transactions. No one really thinks twice about spending $1 or $3, but most people definitely stop to think about dropping $15 on a mobile phone game. For $15, you can buy a couple burgers at Ruby Tuesday, or go see a new movie at the theater, rent 5 movies from Redbox, or go out and get a few beers at a bar.

If S8 offered occasional $1, $3 and $5 deals on small amounts of gold, more people would make regular purchases. I wouldn't bat an eye at spending $20 on gold, $1 at a time, every week...but I won't ever buy a $20 'value' pack with a dragon and food, coins, or maps. Food, coins, and maps have no monetary value because we can earn the (offensively tiny) amounts offered for free in less than a day through game play.

Value packs should consist of a discounted amount of gold and a free dragon tossed in as a bonus item. The gold is what we should be buying, not the dragon. We need gold to play the game. The dragon should be there to tempt you into making a gold purchase and then as a reward or bonus for making the purchase. Plus, the cost of dragons in the menu needs to be reduced. A purchase of $25 should provide enough gold to buy a couple dragons off the regular menu. When individual dragons are priced at 1200 or 2000 gold apiece, that is impossible. But, it's probably too late for all that now.
You summed it up quite nicely!! I'm not even gonna try now you did the work for me lol

[katali119]

There's a poster in the GPD thread who just bought gold to buy the dragons. But they aren't happy about it. That's a problem. When people spend real money, they shouldn't feel crappy about it, because then they don't want to do it again, and it puts people off. I understand the employees need to get paid, but I wasn't trying to suggest they gave everything away for free, just make players feel more like they're getting value for money, as someone else explained far more eloquently than I managed :)

[FlatFoot]

Hey all, I'm still here and will be trying my best to continue delivering quality content to you and your dragons. I'll pass on the kind words to my friends who lost their job.

[starship412]

Thanks FlatFoot and I wish those who are no longer with Storm8 nothing but the best in the future. I hope they can use what they learned to do awesome things going forward.

[ozigal]

Flatfoot: very pleased to hear from you that you are still gainfully employed here and your artwork is continuing as many would have been wondering. Never a good time when redundancy is hanging over your head. Looking forward to more of your skilful art.,and to your mates that have moved on I hope they do well

[papalove1]

Flatfoot:
Maybe you should be promoted.
You seem to make better decisions than your "So Called" Superiors..
S8, Has for Sooo long disregarded everything that it's loyal patrons desire.
Well, now they can drown in their decisions.
It's sad to see bad management costing good people their livelihood.
Yet they probably still have a job....
An undeserving job!

[FlatFoot]

Flatfoot: Maybe you should be promoted.

Hehe, not the first time that's been said on the forums.

[kimandamelia]

So what is this going to mean for the twice weekly updates we've been used to? I noticed we didn't get much of an update this past Friday. We'll see what today brings I guess...

[savage_mel]

So what is this going to mean for the twice weekly updates we've been used to? I noticed we didn't get much of an update this past Friday. We'll see what today brings I guess...
Nothing today either.....🤔

[starship412]

No updates today? Well, that's a good thing because having events on top of each other can burn a player out.

[Moonyju]

Dang.. I had no idea... so sorry for those who lost their jobs. :(

[jax636]

When I first started playing DS, FFS and CS they did used to do small amounts of gold 20 for 79P UK price, but that stopped a long time ago, funnily enough that was when I used to buy it. The new new inflated prices via the apps store mean I will no longer buy as its now 20% cheaper via the android play store who still charge the old prices

[ccorbett4]

I like to make regular purchases to support the games I play. But, out of all my favorite games, DS gets the smallest number of purchases. I want to support the game, I want and need gold...but the prices are just too high. Value does matter. A lot.

I think one of the places where S8 really missed the boat is in their valuation of items and, consequently, the prices on the so-called 'value' packs. Compared to my other mobile games, the dragons are overvalued and the gold is overpriced. That is not a winning combo. One, single pixel dragon does not have a real monetary value of $70. Sorry, S8, but that is simply ridiculous. Are we really supposed to believe a complete set of pixel dragons on a mobile phone game has a real money value of over $50,000? Really?

When I do finally break down and purchase gold (and that's what it feels like- negative, not a positive decision), I feel guilty. I should feel good and excited about what new, premium items I can buy with my shiny new in-app currency, like when I make purchases in my other games.


The most successful mobile games make their money from tens of thousands of micro-transactions. No one really thinks twice about spending $1 or $3, but most people definitely stop to think about dropping $15 on a mobile phone game. For $15, you can buy a couple burgers at Ruby Tuesday, or go see a new movie at the theater, rent 5 movies from Redbox, or go out and get a few beers at a bar.

If S8 offered occasional $1, $3 and $5 deals on small amounts of gold, more people would make regular purchases. I wouldn't bat an eye at spending $20 on gold, $1 at a time, every week...but I won't ever buy a $20 'value' pack with a dragon and food, coins, or maps. Food, coins, and maps have no monetary value because we can earn the (offensively tiny) amounts offered for free in less than a day through game play.

Value packs should consist of a discounted amount of gold and a free dragon tossed in as a bonus item. The gold is what we should be buying, not the dragon. We need gold to play the game. The dragon should be there to tempt you into making a gold purchase and then as a reward or bonus for making the purchase. Plus, the cost of dragons in the menu needs to be reduced. A purchase of $25 should provide enough gold to buy a couple dragons off the regular menu. When individual dragons are priced at 1200 or 2000 gold apiece, that is impossible. But, it's probably too late for all that now.

This. So much this. I don't do a lot of these types of games...maybe 2 or 3 in my life. So maybe I'm just not used to this world. But $15 minimum for a dragon...with the good ones costing ~$50, is crazy! I dropped cash into this game twice, once for a dragon I really wanted that was part of a starter pack and once when I realized the only way to have a shot in the events was to get a 2nd evolution temple and nest and a GPD. And both times, instead of feeling excited about what I got, I was embarrassed at having spent money on this game. That's not a successful business model. The dragons should be 1/4 the current price. If they want to create two kinds of currency, I'd be fine with that...gold which is easier to get like right now through GPD and gifts and bringing back some of the old ways I hear you used to get gold, and that can only be used to speed things up or get extra buildings or something, and a new currency that can only be used for dragons and the only way to get that currency is with cash. That seems to me to be the way they could transition to cheaper dragons without losing money (because I'm sure the reason they don't do it now is because they feel it's too easy to get gold).

[ccorbett4]

No updates today? Well, that's a good thing because having events on top of each other can burn a player out.

My guess is we'll have a tournament Friday when the Marionette dragon leaves.

[jacksusa]

This idea would definitely work. Low priced items would get people to spend more. I understand the gold prices for premium items like ultra rare dragons so I wouldn't change that but the packs need to be true value packs.
I completely agree. These games don't run for free and as I have posted before, I want to support this game, but I will not spend real money any more unless the gold traps are eliminated. It's painful enough to lose gold you have saved in that way, but I will no longer risk losing gold I have paid for. That said, I wish the best for those who have lost their jobs in the layoff.

[JustKay]

I completely agree. These games don't run for free and as I have posted before, I want to support this game, but I will not spend real money any more unless the gold traps are eliminated. It's painful enough to lose gold you have saved in that way, but I will no longer risk losing gold I have paid for. That said, I wish the best for those who have lost their jobs in the layoff.

I think this is a valid point. Gold traps might have been beneficial to S8 when they had a larger proportion of players who didn't care so much and were willing to spend lots more, but in a climate where you don't have as many of these overly generous player, you have to position the games as an valueable investment. Gold traps undermine this and are a large barrier for people making that transition from a casual gamer to a dedicated player. Over the years I hear the same thing over and over again, and I'm sure they've lost a few players this way too. I know after the few times I lost a lot of gold, I would feel a bit disconnected from the game and even considered quitting and the only thing that really kept me was how long I've been playing (from the very start, a nostalgic anchor most people won't have).

I don't see why they don't at least trial this. Have a quick prompt for when a significant amount of gold is at stake. The small hits can go unprompted.

[farmday0123]

I don't know how people feeling now, but after layoffs , this game so boring, nothing fun, nothing kool, interesting release, normally i sign in to game many x a day but not anymore

[Den8137259]

Hehe, not the first time that's been said on the forums.

Hey Flatfoot, you seemed to be the only S8 staff who understands the customers as DS players who want to play it for as long as it could (: ★

[Hartoled]

That I am reading the forums instead of playing the game, right now, attests to the fact that the game is too expensive to play at an enjoyable rate. It seems like 90 percent of the roadblocks that they throw up were designed to make you want to put the game down and walk away, possibly forgetting to even come back and harvest your proceeds later.

Most of the breedables that I wish to get, are impossible 3-types, that I will just wait, maybe years, to pop up. They are certainly not worth buying from the Market.

People ask for more breedable dragons, but we see how the introduction of the Firegrass into the mix, mucked things up in the last two Tales. It would make more sense, to develop the new types, like the Corrupts, and Elementals, than to risk adding even more fails into existing possibilities. On a similar note, they also destroy the desire to even acquire some of the new exotics from events by handicapping them with the "Unbreedable" stigma, making them all almost homogeneous in the Arena.

[JustKay]

People ask for more breedable dragons, but we see how the introduction of the Firegrass into the mix, mucked things up in the last two Tales. It would make more sense, to develop the new types, like the Corrupts, and Elementals, than to risk adding even more fails into existing possibilities. On a similar note, they also destroy the desire to even acquire some of the new exotics from events by handicapping them with the "Unbreedable" stigma, making them all almost homogeneous in the Arena.

A while ago, S8 removed a bunch of frequently occurring dragons from the breedable list; mindstorm and familiar were among those removed I think. It's possible they will do a clean-up later again to remove fails people are tired of.

About the unbreedables, ever since I bred a Champion to LV15 i kinda just stopped keeping up with the talk about battle arena strengths. What's up with unbreedables? I thought they were pretty high up in the normal rarity scales. people have reported success with the recent mining dragon, Mithril for instance. I thought they were pretty good fighters. That said, with so many new dragons, I've never had to throw an event prize dragon into the ring. haven't hatched most of the recent ones.

[starship412]

I'm guessing it's time for more layoffs since we're back to poorly planned, back to back to back events...

[RockyMts]

Is Flatfoot still around? Have not oheard from him in a long time and recent dragons don,t seem to be up to his quality.

[Hartoled]

Is Flatfoot still around? Have not oheard from him in a long time and recent dragons don,t seem to be up to his quality.

I was just wondering the same thing, about an hour ago, as I was trying to remember why I still play.

[CuddlePuddlev2]

I stopped playing Dragon Story a few weeks ago. It was too stressful (when it should be fun) and the dragons weren't cool enough to put up with the stress of the events & visiting neighbors and the ridiculous gold gifting situation where you can only gift 3 people but receive 20. Having to apologize to people all the time was never fun. Also, I would have been willing to spend even $7 every now and then on gold, but it needs to feel like you can actually get something with it. Unfortunately the ridiculous prices for habitats and dragons makes it feel pointless to buy gold.

[CuddlePuddlev2]

Is Flatfoot still around? Have not oheard from him in a long time and recent dragons don,t seem to be up to his quality.

He commented in the last Fantasy Forest Story event that there's a new designer on board to help with FF, but it's unclear whether the new person is in addition to Flatfoot or replacing him. Maybe Flatfoot is just doing Dragon Story now?

[Hartoled]

I stopped playing Dragon Story a few weeks ago. It was too stressful (when it should be fun) and the dragons weren't cool enough to put up with the stress of the events & visiting neighbors and the ridiculous gold gifting situation where you can only gift 3 people but receive 20. Having to apologize to people all the time was never fun. Also, I would have been willing to spend even $7 every now and then on gold, but it needs to feel like you can actually get something with it. Unfortunately the ridiculous prices for habitats and dragons makes it feel pointless to buy gold.

Yes, "expensive" and "laborious" are probably the first two descriptors that come to my mind when attempting describe Dragon Story.

I've mentioned the Gold Gifting situation several times. I actually put it off as long as I can, each day, because it's always a dilemma. I forgot to do it for the first time that I can remember, yesterday.

[nicsdragonisle]

Agreed...I feel for those at S8 who actually cared and lost their jobs which I have a feeling outnumbers those that don't...Listening to the people who play the game instead of focus groups that more than likely don't will do more good than harm...Good luck and Godspeed to the good Storm8 employees who lost their jobs. May your experience land you bigger and better in the future.
Couldn't agree more with your take on things. For all the reasons you listed (and a few more) the spending level in our house has dramatically decreased. We have 6 games. The only purchases made these days are rare and only on my 2 games. My kids used to buy gold with iTunes gift cards and I bought my daughter a GPD for her bday (sale). She can't even remember her password it's been so long since she's signed in. Why? She can't finish any events anymore. Neither can my son. No matter how hard they try. Lately I can't either and just won't buy gold so I can. I don't even boost or speed due to the enormous amounts needed. Seems to me its a 'penny wise and pound foolish' business strategy.

[CuddlePuddlev2]

Yes, "expensive" and "laborious" are probably the first two descriptors that come to my mind when attempting describe Dragon Story.

I've mentioned the Gold Gifting situation several times. I actually put it off as long as I can, each day, because it's always a dilemma. I forgot to do it for the first time that I can remember, yesterday.

Yep, I didn't want to admit this before but the main reason I quit is because of the gold sitch. It seems silly to be so stressed about something so small, but I used to do the same and put it off until the last minute because I dreaded having to look at my crazy spreadsheet and decide who to gift next. No game should make you feel "dread".

[[S8] Elsa]

Is Flatfoot still around? Have not oheard from him in a long time and recent dragons don,t seem to be up to his quality.

Yep, he's just busy right now. :)

[Shar33]

Yeah im sure he is still around because making and pumping out dragons is all storm 8 seems to care about. They certainly don't seem to be working on the decade project of the coming soon dragon album for us android users or land for all users for that matter. Just dragons dragons dragons. Just to know they exist. No need to display or see your collection I guess

[dragonfliesplace]

Sucks to be an android user. I never realised how much we miss out on until i logged into my game on my friends i phone. In that time, I won 3 new dragons and 20 gold from the album. Got to view videos for gold and battles. Able to still win gold by downloading other games and going further in rounds (haven't had that option on my android for ages) And ofcourse the arctic isle.
It was great. I would love to have the video option at the least. Meh...feel really dudded now back on android.

[[S8] Elsa]

Closing the thread as it's gone off topic.