I think the game has a great balance... Not so hard to advance that you quit out of frustration (aside from problems with bugs, crashes and cheaters) and not so easy that it's boring (unless you don't war and then you just make another account *cough*
Ravenlord ) They make it so that you can play without buying crowns if you have the time to raid the stuff you need or don't mind progressing at a slower rate. For those who don't have the time but don't mind spending a little each month can keep up by crowning and it won't break the bank too much (I pay more for PS4 games that loses my interest a weeks time and never play again). Beyond gameplay... It's the people that are drawn to it that keep me playing. I've met all sorts of people who were drawn to the game because of its connection to real world history or something like it. No dragons or eggs to hatch. No moving in and out of magical realms. No ghosts or Zombies (ok maybe some Zombies
) Just you, your friends/allies and the tools history provides... figuring out strategies for world DomiNation together. Gotta love it! Now if they can totally eliminate the cheaters and the crashes it would be perfect imho