Dominations - strategy game or online gambling
Hi all - I wanted to provide some feedback regarding the recent changes in the Domination museum, in particular the re-rolling feature for artefacts. While I understand and appreciate Nexons desire and objective to make money (which is what happens with some of the other changes ie introduction of war specific artefacts which will force players to double up on museum artefacts if they enjoy playing in war so they have artefacts for both multiplayer and wars) I was absolutely dismayed to see the re-rolling feature being introduced. I saw there were a few posts on this already but wanted to add my view as well.
TinSoldier in my opinion, this single change introduction of the re-rolling feature shifts the Domination game from a strategy war game to an online gambling game, much more akin to slots or other online gambling. Playing in war will no longer be about any sort of offensive or defensive skills or strategy, it will be about how much you spin the dice (literally) on those specific rerolling artefacts to give you that elusive line that no one else has. You can see on the other posts, people end up overspending on the rerolling, much more so than they intended. Accordingly I would appreciate your help with the following suggestions recommendations:
- can Nexon confirm that this feature (re-rolling) does not require online gambling licences or that if it does .those licences are in place in all jurisdictions in which Dominations is offered and played, personally I am particularly interested in UK but question is relevant for other jurisdictions as well.
- has Nexon considered publicly and clearly disclosing to the player community the odds of getting 1 particular line of the highest percentage, so players have the information and are clearly aware upfront
- has Nexon considered disclosing the illustrative cost of this re-rolls so people are aware that the cost of these rerolls can or have the potential to add up quickly. I have done a quick back of envelope calculation, 1 reroll is £0.5 assuming you use discounted crowns purchase but if you spin 50-100 or more times (as some have already done, see various other postings) in search of that elusive line, the costs can easily mount up to unintended or unsustainable amounts for the player community.
- have you considered imposing other sort of limits or controls such as maximum rerolls (crown or $/£ limit or number of rerolls) per day or week or month. The current setup (rerolling allowed just 1 line per artefact) is in no way sufficient, given the way Nexon is monetizing the game (ie multiple artefact categories such as armour and weapons, jewellery, pottery, etc, multiple slots for artefacts within each of these categories, now further artefacts for each of multiplayer and war, I saw recently you are considering a further introduction of a 3% category for each of the artefacts, etc).
- have you considered introducing and clearly displaying for the player community gambling aware notices and resources, similar to what is practiced in UK online gambling community (ability to self exclude/ opt out of certain of these features, set limits on daily, weekly, spending, which organisations you can contact in case of a gambling addiction, etc).
- I would also like Nexon to seriously consider removing this inappropriate and misleading re-rolling feature, you have multiple other avenues for monetizing the game, including for example sales of war artefacts (legendary or otherwise) that have a clear and transparent price shown upfront, or expiring artefacts (similar to troop buildings such as stables, sentry towers, etc) but again with clearly disclosed upfront price. Personally, I cant see introducing these rerolling features to be in line with any sort of responsible gaming policy, which I assume Nexon has or is committed to having. If there is any statement or public position that you can share with the community on Nexons responsible gaming strategy or approach from Nexon senior management that would also be appreciated.
- last but not least, I find the graphics for the rerolling (dice) particularly suggestive, misleading (given the percentage odds players face for the rerolls0, and inappropriate for a strategy game and would encourage you to change these at the very very least.
Personally as mentioned above, I believe removing this re-rolling feature completely is the best course of action for Nexon and the player community over the long term
For your consideration and comments please, in this forum or in pm, happy to speak also if easier.