Before I say anything else, I would like to applaud @yabapmatt of Splinterlands for taking on a job that no one wants. I understand that many people believe they can do a better job, but believe me when everything goes wrong, it is the person in charge who gets the stick. Nonetheless, this is how things will always be, and we will always have to confront the elephant in the room.
The bot issues on splinterlands is one of the most controversial, and once again it has warranted for yet another change; the wild pass: a sort of fee that's required for all players in the wild format before they can compete every season
So, starting next season, players in wild format are now required to pay some form of fees: The wild season pass costs 40 VOUCHERS, 2,000 DEC, 2,000 DECB, or 2,000 CREDITS
On the surface, it appears to be a terrible situation, and I have seen a lot of genuine Wild players come out to express their displeasure. I am extremely calm, and this is not because I intend to spend 2000 DEC each season to play the game. It is just that I understand how it feels to watch one of the best web3 games go through difficult times.
I understand where the team is coming from, but I believe some people oppose this change because asking people to cough up money again to address a problem they did not cause is unfair.
However, this change is not meant to be morbid or selfish.
I believe that the constant drop in SPS price may have necessitated another dive into the game's tokenomics to determine where the problems are coming from, and that splinterlands INC has deemed it necessary to curtail the rampant farming in the game. So apparently, people create thousands of bots to take advantage of the wild format and farm indefinitely, then dump the SPS on the market.
However, bots are merely tools, and I believe that people are using them for malicious purposes. There are players who love the game and there are those who just wants to farm and selloff. Unfortunately, people like this exist in all ecosystems, not just splinterlands, and unless this is addressed, no changes to the bot will work.
Splinterlands is not addressing the problem in the appropriate manner. I will not pretend to know the answer, but I believe a long-term solution should be found for bot runners rather than plastic solutions that only burn out. I understand that bots will never be completely removed from the game (and I do not believe they should be). They help sustain an important part of the ecosystem, namely the rental aspects.
The fact that Splinterlands had to reinstate non-earning bots in modern to compensate for a lack of players only proves that bots will continue to exist in the game; the way and manner in which they operate is what needs to be addressed.
I am not one of those who wants the bots to be banned; it might turn this place into a ghost town. The modern format is proof that setting the bar too high makes it difficult for regular players to compete. Modern demonstrates that it is not only the big players who keep a game functional. I understand that earning 30 SPS per game appears to be beneficial, but what good is that when it is difficult to find an actual player to compete against?
Splinterlands may have developed the modern format to keep large investors earning and satisfied with the game. However, allowing the bots to run wild (pun intended) has demonstrated that, once again, real players are bearing the consequences of people farming the game. It only means one thing: we are on the verge of a mass exodus of players who may abandon the game.
I made a comment on the post of @dalz on the recent splinterlands stats and to be honest, it's truly not looking good.
I am an avid lover of this game and this post is not to FUD
I virtually played splinterlands when I recently lost my only brother, and I have been suffering from multiple health complications due to my chronic condition and have spent a lot of money. Even so, I recently upgraded my deck so that I could continue to play as much as possible, and the value of the cards I purchased has dropped even more.
I am not sure if this is the end of the road for me and Splinterlands, but as much as I enjoy the game, I do not think I can afford to play every season. I understand that many people will write posts in support of the system, but punishing real players with bot farmers is unacceptable. However, the proposal was signed, giving the impression that big investors may want this.
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