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Ashbury · 12-02-2018, 06:57 PM

Color me amazed at the lengthy and vitriolic thread generated by my "I'm Out" post. That thread's closed now - my apologies to the moderators for giving them any additional work to do - but now I feel as though I should clarify and also add some missing detail.

During the PT Beta I made a post explaining why I would drop out once the official product launch occurred. I wrote it as a former software developer and product manager, giving a view of why a well-designed product wasn't going to be used by me. It's here: http://www.ootpdevelopments.com/boar...d.php?t=295309

I didn't feel like repeating myself when I posted most recently, but I guess I should have provided a summary.

My problem is the addictiveness of the online game. Those who surmised that my problem is with the cost have guessed wrong where it comes to dollars - it is all about the cost measured in time. It's so much fun, that I knew I should not even embark on that journey.

The poster (Eckstein 4 Prez) who mentioned a Skinner Box had it right. I wouldn't have thought to put it in those terms, but when I read it today it immediately resonated. Every incremental little success results in a shot of dopamine (I'm no medical expert, this is just shorthand). Each simulation each half-hour results in an irresistible urge to log in "just to check" and then, once in, I tinker with the roster. Lots of positive reinforcement, very little negative, and it's just so easy to waste the entire day and then regret it.

So, having resolved not to play, I decided to blow up my in-game resources. I was bored that day, and decided to do a careful destruction, taking quite a bit of time (paradoxically, but one last gasp of manufactured "fun").

I had two teams, and I decided to try to speed things up by combining the PP and squander them more quickly than separately. This ran afoul of the game's rules against collusion. So be it - but a moment of common sense would look at the two teams involved and see that neither has any players anymore nor any points. The nastygram sent to both email addresses was irritating, even if nominally deserved. The message threatened banishment - hey, I have no players, no points, no resources at all, dude!

If not for that, I probably wouldn't have bothered to post.

I fully understand the game owners wanting to maintain integrity. I have to say, though, that if Little Ol' Me can pose a threat with my two rinky-dink teams, the underlying economics of the game are more vulnerable than most players probably realize. They've built a rather rickety structure that will require constant vigilance. Good luck with that. But, Not My Problem. As I said, I'm out.

Anyway, one of the reasons I decided to blow up my teams is that the temptation to log in is present every time I fire up the regular game. I do that for reasons unrelated to actual game-play - I like OOTP's scouting reports. With an ad for PT on the opening splash screen, I knew I had to do something, or eventually I would give in.

I forgot one thing though - PT keeps giving you free points. I thought with no players at all, this wouldn't happen. How in the heck do I "earn" anything from achievements, with a team composed entirely of guys named "Jim Unknown"? But that's part of the addictive quality built into the game now. Indeed, I looked at my approximately 2500 PP, up from just 5 only a couple of days earlier, and spent half an hour looking at the auction house to gauge what kind of halfway-decent team could be constructed with that lordly sum. Turns out it could be a little interesting to try it. And I know I shouldn't.

So, I think that kind of covers it. My last post committed the sin of being too terse. This time I've gone on too long. I'm apparently incapable of modulating my behavior.

Thanks for listening.

12-02-2018, 06:57 PM	#373
Ashbury Minors (Single A) Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Incline Village, NV Posts: 93	May I Clarify? Color me amazed at the lengthy and vitriolic thread generated by my "I'm Out" post. That thread's closed now - my apologies to the moderators for giving them any additional work to do - but now I feel as though I should clarify and also add some missing detail. During the PT Beta I made a post explaining why I would drop out once the official product launch occurred. I wrote it as a former software developer and product manager, giving a view of why a well-designed product wasn't going to be used by me. It's here: http://www.ootpdevelopments.com/boar...d.php?t=295309 I didn't feel like repeating myself when I posted most recently, but I guess I should have provided a summary. My problem is the addictiveness of the online game. Those who surmised that my problem is with the cost have guessed wrong where it comes to dollars - it is all about the cost measured in time. It's so much fun, that I knew I should not even embark on that journey. The poster (Eckstein 4 Prez) who mentioned a Skinner Box had it right. I wouldn't have thought to put it in those terms, but when I read it today it immediately resonated. Every incremental little success results in a shot of dopamine (I'm no medical expert, this is just shorthand). Each simulation each half-hour results in an irresistible urge to log in "just to check" and then, once in, I tinker with the roster. Lots of positive reinforcement, very little negative, and it's just so easy to waste the entire day and then regret it. So, having resolved not to play, I decided to blow up my in-game resources. I was bored that day, and decided to do a careful destruction, taking quite a bit of time (paradoxically, but one last gasp of manufactured "fun"). I had two teams, and I decided to try to speed things up by combining the PP and squander them more quickly than separately. This ran afoul of the game's rules against collusion. So be it - but a moment of common sense would look at the two teams involved and see that neither has any players anymore nor any points. The nastygram sent to both email addresses was irritating, even if nominally deserved. The message threatened banishment - hey, I have no players, no points, no resources at all, dude! If not for that, I probably wouldn't have bothered to post. I fully understand the game owners wanting to maintain integrity. I have to say, though, that if Little Ol' Me can pose a threat with my two rinky-dink teams, the underlying economics of the game are more vulnerable than most players probably realize. They've built a rather rickety structure that will require constant vigilance. Good luck with that. But, Not My Problem. As I said, I'm out. Anyway, one of the reasons I decided to blow up my teams is that the temptation to log in is present every time I fire up the regular game. I do that for reasons unrelated to actual game-play - I like OOTP's scouting reports. With an ad for PT on the opening splash screen, I knew I had to do something, or eventually I would give in. I forgot one thing though - PT keeps giving you free points. I thought with no players at all, this wouldn't happen. How in the heck do I "earn" anything from achievements, with a team composed entirely of guys named "Jim Unknown"? But that's part of the addictive quality built into the game now. Indeed, I looked at my approximately 2500 PP, up from just 5 only a couple of days earlier, and spent half an hour looking at the auction house to gauge what kind of halfway-decent team could be constructed with that lordly sum. Turns out it could be a little interesting to try it. And I know I shouldn't. So, I think that kind of covers it. My last post committed the sin of being too terse. This time I've gone on too long. I'm apparently incapable of modulating my behavior. Thanks for listening. Last edited by Ashbury; 12-02-2018 at 11:30 PM.