Board Thread:General Discussion/@comment-25064396-20160412120415/@comment-24.251.38.146-20160512070255

I believe the developer (Pretty Simple) made a "mixed move"; one which will play out for awhile now before even they know the full ramifications. Many mobile users decided to dump the game, costing Petty Simple a considerable amount of ad revenue. Additionally, Pretty Simple's Facebook Page rating (found here: https://www.facebook.com/PrettySimpleGames/reviews/) went from 5.0 to 2.1 stars in a matter of days. I'm not certain if they utilize venture capital or tradional bank loans for expansions, etc, but these things look bad to an individual or institution considering investing in the company's future.

I do agree that Pretty Simple has a right to seek revenue however it wants with respect to their game(s), as well as making any modifications to their games that they see fit. Certainly, server expansions, increased staffing and other considerations may have been the reason for this. And, it's entirely possible that they've managed to generate additional revenue from in-game purchases; whether that offsets lost ad revenue and the potential decreaases for future capital investments remains to be seen.

I do have one nag with them, and I think it's a reasonable and well-shared one by anyone who has attempted to get assistance from the "Criminal Case Tech Support Team". What I find most aggravating is their lack of communication with the very people - the players - that put their product "on the map". In the year or so that I've played, I've sent tech support emails no less than 7 times - maybe more - and I have never received anything other than an automated reply back with absolutely no information relative to my inquiry.

Further evidence of their lack of communication was demonstrated when they introduced Elite Mode and the rings. Initially, there was a message that players could now go back and replay games to earn rings - period - no other explanation. Eventually, they relented - slightly. They posted a sentence on their FAQ page stating that they had "something exciting planned for the rings". Eventually, they opened the Elite Clothes shop and we discovered what they considered "exciting".

Deja Vu; this is the same Elite Mode-Style roll out but with a new name "feature". As I recall, there was a limited announcement about the stickerss through game wiki's and fan pages, followed by utter silence. Everything I/we have learned about the stickers has been provided through other players (ie, if you get 100 duplicates, you get a new sticker pack - woohoo!). I guess, once again, it's all just going to be one great big surprise.

Even with all that said, for the record, I enjoy the game or I would've never stuck with it tihs long, So I'm still playing it and plan to continue to do so. By adding more teammates gradually every week, I've increased the cards and energy I receive throughout the day. So far, that strategy is working for me.

Finally, may I just say.... By this point, I hope everyone who's been affected has developed their own strategy to continue playing the game, or has let it go and moved on, since it's infinitely clear that the developers are not in the habit of listening to their players' wishes.

~John