You missed another option: The game crashes on startup, you can't play anymore and CS can't fix it.
Been happening to me for a week now, start up screen green bar makes it to Cleopatra's nose then back to the iPad home screen. Managed to find the iPad crash report so emailed that to CS yesterday, I await their next move.
So 6+ days not playing, airfield and merc camp have upgraded in my absence, lost 50 medals from attacks. Be nice just to get back in for a hour and start academy and temple upgrades for the next week or so
But basically at GA level, not playing is a viable option, you don't miss much. Started a new account on Android phone, just to get to Iron Age, get the alliance gate to join my alliance to explain my absence (or more accurately why I was appearing 'online' for 1 minute, crashing iPad does log me in briefly). I'll be in Classical by lunchtime, even the lowly ages are completely different to a year ago, log in, take 10 horsey raiders, find an abandoned EA base with fat farms and big camel droppings, I can fill my meagre mills and markets to max in 1 hit, start 2 more upgrades for 8 hours, go away. I'd say 90%+ of bases are abandoned, easy pickings, a year ago everybody was playing.
The thing l dont get is: cheaters or payers with fully maxed bases - why do they bother playing ??
I don't get it either, there is little to do on the journey, the destination sucks. But why spend any money at all? Starter Packs and a few crowns barely make a difference, you get the houses anyway a few weeks later.
