One fatal flaw to non cash players

In talking to people in game who do not have money to donate there is one fatal flaw to a smooth progression in game. That is the requirement to use a blueprint on the shrine of knowledge, which not only requires one but which takes a level 10 stash to upgrade which also requires one.

While I realize they could have less towns to not need so many it is fun to have towns. This building which is the most important to game should never be disabled or you need to take the blueprint requirements from it.

So wrong to be researching along and because you can not afford the number of blueprints needed have it become disabled. While I realize that you can then destroy it and start over with a new building still you have lost the needed points going towards research. These are just my thoughts on the matter in talking to people.

In talking to people in game who do not have money to donate there is one fatal flaw to a smooth progression in game. That is the requirement to use a blueprint on the shrine of knowledge, which not only requires one but which takes a level 10 stash to upgrade which also requires one.

While I realize they could have less towns to not need so many it is fun to have towns. This building which is the most important to game should never be disabled or you need to take the blueprint requirements from it.

So wrong to be researching along and because you can not afford the number of blueprints needed have it become disabled. While I realize that you can then destroy it and start over with a new building still you have lost the needed points going towards research. These are just my thoughts on the matter in talking to people.

I agree, when the shrine wil be disabled you lose the needed points and must start over again by building the new building and the research will take much longer. In my opinion people who can't afford to donate have a disadvantage in research. Their progress in the game will be much longer. And like Tuey said yes you can build less towns, but then you can not play the game like you want to play. 

I knew this would be handled by quests I just want to bring it to the forefront. I know the game is not near finished but even for testing we need a natural progression through the game. If your session based idea will work the ability to research should not be limited. If I could gift blueprints I would really feel better about this.

Thank you for thinking about it.

yes that could be a solution, being able to gift blueprints to players.

That would work for me. I can see the issues with gifting and I am sorry to have brought it up again. Just cannot stand to see people struggling with the required amount of research needed when their shrine becomes disabled.

But really you keep saying game should be free to play and so that should be the goal.

I agree with Tuey regarding the substance of the issue and that it is significant enough to merit a fix of some sort as quickly as possible, or some players may never make it to Renaissance this Alpha :(  The temporary fix that Bers proposes  - to drop the requirement for the Stash to L9 - should be of great help in the interim. 

For me, the only limitation to being a non-cash player so far has been the figurines of enlightenment, not the blueprints. I didn't like being stuck at level 20 so I've only recently donated a minimal amount of money to buy some of those (they work out to $0.20 a piece, so I thought that was worth it).

I'm level 28 and halfway into Medieval Age. I have 5 towns with 5 level 7 seminaries. I've only spent blueprints on Shrines and Stashes in my first two towns, so those town have a somewhat higher research income than the other three. In the other towns I have always demolished old buildings to replace them with the newer ones. Yet, my research has hardly ever taken more than 2 days, AND I still have 6 blueprints left, with not a cent spent on them. So it is possible, you just have to be very economical with your blueprints.

From my point of view it's the stashes that require the blueprints that pose an issue.  If you have five towns that's 5 blueprints.  Add that to the blueprints required for the palisade/wall, etc and the stashes become low priority and you run out.

I do think letting us upgrade using a level 9 stash would be quite helpful.

For me, the only limitation to being a non-cash player so far has been the figurines of enlightenment, not the blueprints. I didn't like being stuck at level 20 so I've only recently donated a minimal amount of money to buy some of those (they work out to $0.20 a piece, so I thought that was worth it).

I'm level 28 and halfway into Medieval Age. I have 5 towns with 5 level 7 seminaries. I've only spent blueprints on Shrines and Stashes in my first two towns, so those town have a somewhat higher research income than the other three. In the other towns I have always demolished old buildings to replace them with the newer ones. Yet, my research has hardly ever taken more than 2 days, AND I still have 6 blueprints left, with not a cent spent on them. So it is possible, you just have to be very economical with your blueprints.

In my experience I always run out of blueprints but would not decline the level 10 on any one of the buildings that I chose to upgrade. The blueprints I use are always necessary in order to advance in the game.  The alternative ... Destroy and rebuild? ...  just doesn't seem like something I would want to make a habit of. In many cases it only results in a lot of wasted time and resources with the end result being the development of a much weaker building.

I would definitely approve of lowering the requirement of the level 10 stash down to level 9 in order to keep upgrading library's. it would let players save those blueprints for other buildings which would be really useful. (Though sadly I bet people who already spent a blueprint to level 10 a stash/'s would not get them back/refunded. Ah well. Its alpha)

As for figures, yeah I expected them to run out quickly until more story quests are completed, maybe some more adviser quests related to later ages that rewarded them might make a OK stopgap measure for letting people get more of them I guess? Up to the Devs really though.

And I doubt it would get done anytime soon. but that idea for a special building then would let you slowly 'build' special consumables would also help out this situation a bit.

I would still just recommend the lowering the stash requirement down to level 9, a quick and simple fix (I think) that would really help out.