95% of the offers were "play another game and get to level xx" or "buy stuff in that game".
I had one other offer, which was a survey but after completing it it redirected me to another survey and then my patience ran out.
Will not use it in the future most likely.
The cheapest dilithium tends to be the one you pay for.
It's optional free dilithium from a button that wasn't there before. If whatever revenue stream helps TP offer continued improvements to existing features and development of new ones for Timelines I'm happy.
Countless bug fixes and quality of life improvements are needed in this game, not to mention anything of content and gameplay concerns, but this "feature" is what resources are diverted to instead? We have surpassed unprofessional behavior and dived into outright shady practices for pure greed. I have lived long enough on this Earth to recognize when when a business acquisition is made with the sole purpose of "milking the cash cow out of existence". Sadly, this is exactly how things look like right now.
I wont be using this feature at all this games "improvements" are getting more and more disapointing every lto of late is junk is why you arent making money the campaign cards are lackluster the portal frequency of legendaries has been atrocious since tp has taken over make these few changes start running things a lil like you do around convergence day and you might start making some money off of us again
I don't think we should associate this offer wall with any "disappointing" changes.
In the Campaigns - going from High Roller Sisko to Lenara Khan is a bit meh. Providing a platform for scammers to steal our data is awful.
I was expecting something that was along the lines of "download Paradise Island and play to level 12 and get 8 dilithium" - instead it's, "provide all your details to some scammers". Honestly disgusting.
I'm absolutely not a serial moaner. I really loved this game, and have always appreciated CS on the very, very few occasions I've had an issue. Quite sad actually as unless this feature goes and loyal players are issued with an apology I won't be playing a game that's been a stock part of my day for a long time anymore
It's optional free dilithium from a button that wasn't there before. If whatever revenue stream helps TP offer continued improvements to existing features and development of new ones for Timelines I'm happy.
I am ok with finding new ways to get revenue but the problem is the company that TP partnered with for this feature is not having the best reputation and many of the offers are just scam. For example why not make a go fund me or something similar for getting money for development as i am sure many of us will support that. I would be happy to spend some money each month to fix bugs or to get new features.
Those that use the forum can help greatly if listen too and give the chance to come with ideas.
For those who talk like this was a resource drain for WRG:
It looks like they copied a typical button, changed the text, resized it, and linked it to the ad website. My estimation is 20 minutes of work. I could be wrong, of course. But it's relatively unobtrusive. It should be easy to ignore for those who want to do so.
I plan to try it eventually, but I'm a busy adult with many important things to do.
⬆️ Fact check: false. I just don't feel like it right now.
It probably wasn't a great deal of dev time, but more resources gets used than that, a flow of something like this tends to go:
Somebody, somewhere suggests integrating X
Product/Business looks at it
PM/BA/PO adds it to backlog
Dev team discusses it, splits into a spike ticket and work item ticket
Design team has a UX ticket
Spike happens, takes maybe half a day
Work happens, takes maybe a day including unit and integration tests, and gets checked in and a PR raised (assuming using branch strategy)
Once PR completes, regression testing of code, UI testing against various platforms, devices and screen sizes.
Move into a path-to-live process
A lot goes on around the dev stuff, and everywhere has its own bureaucratic and political aspects to account for too.
I didn't think about this, obviously.
And I didn't think about the possibility of the ad provider collecting user data without the player's knowledge. That's super shady, so I hope we get some clarification on that. I think it's time to turn on my VPN and just deal with a little slowness.
I didn't think about this, obviously.
And I didn't think about the possibility of the ad provider collecting user data without the player's knowledge. That's super shady, so I hope we get some clarification on that. I think it's time to turn on my VPN and just deal with a little slowness.
If I choose to have my personal data harvested via surveys, I get paid for it with gift cards & can purchase tangible goods, e.g. hand sanitizer, along with intangible goods, e.g. my monthly dilithium subscription.
I do not choose to have my personal data harvested by this third-party that you have partnered with, in exchange for intangible goods.
If I learn that my personal data was harvested by this third-party through your app without my consent, then I will cease to do business with your company. Period.
I cannot say this more eloquently than others before or after me right now, but here is the truth:
I will spend my money elsewhere and delete your application from all of my devices.
"In the short run, the game defines the players. But in the long run, it's us players who define the game." — Nicky Case, The Evolution of Trust
i clicked on it once to see what it was. Just the Word "free" being used is an insult. How stupid to you think people are? For God sake the whole thing is shady as hell. You either give away your personal data on surveys to god knows who or pay on other games you possibly dont even give 2 sh.... about to recieve Dil on STT? hows that free ? it is misleading and quite honestly false advertisement. Dont call it free. You do know what free means though right?
And yes im aware of, i could just never click on that button again, which i sure as hell wont do unless i click on it and get 5 free dil or it disappears just as quickly as it arrived lol
Just a small note, this way you wont earn more money. For once as you claim you do, you should listen to your players, cause last time i checked some of the people here are having great ideas to enhance gameplay that would actually hook people to play and have them possibly spend more money, but no have to use the cheapest way. I know Capitalizm is least amount of work and most possibly earning but this might only work for a while and then you go down hard, and then there is no saving this.
As I'm largely ignorant of technical details with apps and data collection, grateful to those of you who are knowledgeable and helping us sort through the details.
but isn't this a responsibility of TP? Before rolling it out, or to not roll it out if it's unsafe, instead of just "New feature: You can do these offers for free dilithium. Hoorah!"
Over the past few years although there have been some errors, maybe out of naivety I've come to trust DB/TP to the extent that I don't have my infos extracted without my consent, due to anything connected with the game.
This is my first post to the Forums site - and sadly it's not at all approving.
This feature is a poor return for the time invested. I was anticipating being required to watch more adverts, for example. Sadly, many of the surveys are error-ridden and badly executed.
At this juncture, this appears to have been an own goal TP, and probably best shelved quickly and quietly.
I’d hope for the games sake they’re making a tonne of money off this disgusting tactic.
I typically buy a monthly card and campaign every month, and will usually bite on a 10x10 or a great Tuesday card. So typically spending £20 a month.
That’s zero after today. Only decision remaining is whether I delete the game for good. If sufficient players have been this angered then this is a game suicide move.
Now I am really upset. I once again clicked one offer and then checked the privacy settings. There is an endless list of permissions and most were checked. I unchecked them but I do not even know if by submitting I agree to the ones that are "essential". TP please clarify!
Did it come up with that, or did you select an option for more granular control over cookies?
If you didn't purposefully go for a granular view, and that's the default, then that looks like the kind of "baffle them with BS" route some companies have taken with cookies. It's irregular and immoral.
They should offer you the ones grouped, with refusing the functional ones stopping you using the page and the others entirely optional.
I didn't think about this, obviously.
And I didn't think about the possibility of the ad provider collecting user data without the player's knowledge. That's super shady, so I hope we get some clarification on that. I think it's time to turn on my VPN and just deal with a little slowness.
Hope I didn't across as snippy, as it wasn't meant to, but there are so many moving parts to things these days.
I'm hoping we'll get some clarification too, otherwise I'll have to pick between locking down my phone, or only playing via the desktop.
For such a small piece of functionality in the game, it's not been handled very well.
I wonder if the "developers" would be willing to share their personal information with us...name, address, phone number, shopping habits, income level, education, drivers license number....I would be happy to send them some free quatloos....
Founding ADM - PoF family of fleets (POF, POF2 & POF3) - Dear TP: Non sequitur. Your facts are uncoordinated.
The integration of OfferWall was a concerning move, but if what I read here is true and data is being shared without our knowledge even when not clicking on it, then this is a serious breach of many data privacy laws around the world, including the famous GDPR and the privacy laws (PIPEDA) of Canada.
I would like an official response from TP on this very topic. Until then, no more purchases from my side.
I also want to know what OfferWall is doing in the background, both in terms of data harvesting and using device resources.
Without this information, I don't know whether I should be up in arms just yet. But at the very least it is troubling that TP didn't anticipate these questions and put out an explanation or FAQ describing any privacy implications before rolling out the OfferWall. The privacy concerns here are obvious and you really should have been ahead of this.
The integration of OfferWall was a concerning move, but if what I read here is true and data is being shared without our knowledge even when not clicking on it, then this is a serious breach of many data privacy laws around the world, including the famous GDPR and the privacy laws (PIPEDA) of Canada.
I would like an official response from TP on this very topic. Until then, no more purchases from my side.
Agreed. It’s one thing to fill the surveys with false information (every time I was asked for my home address I gave them the street address for the dorm I lived in back in my sophomore year of college), it’s another entirely to have information vacuumed up off of your phone without the ability to truly control where it goes. Which of course happens with social media and Internet searches, but this is no excuse for a stealth implementation here.
No new dil purchases, no DYCs, no LTOs, no campaigns, and no ad views until the Wall is removed and we’ve had a chance to confirm that background activity has returned to normal.
And even then (and this is all thinking on the fly), how much should we go back to normal, spending-wise? Either someone high up at TP did their due diligence on IronSource and thought it was still okay to go ahead, or they didn’t go deeper than whatever promotion all materials IronSource provided and ignored what we all easily found in minutes of Internet searches. I’m not sure which is worse...what future features will have a similarly careless or nefarious approach? This is a far cry from trying a new content delivery method and having it not go over well - that’s understandable. What we have now, well, isn’t.
As Heinlein’s Razor goes: between incompetence and malice, go with incompetence...but don’t rule out malice. The response will be illuminating in this regard. And as much as we love and care for Shan, this might be a time when someone from higher up the mountain comes down to take their lumps and reassure us that predatory practices will be avoided in the future.
This is really the only thing that worries me too. The company running the wall doesn't seem to be very trustworthy, given the kind of options it offers that have been mentioned here.
But I just assumed that "whatever happens in the wall stays in the wall", as in, if you don't use it, nothing changes and only if you actually go through with one of the offers, someone might ask to collect your data as a part of it.
I really don't have much knowledge on these topics, but did I understand correctly that what people are worried about is that the wall company is now collecting our data through the Timelines app regardless of whether we use the wall or not? What kind of data could the collect this way?
I really don't have much knowledge on these topics, but did I understand correctly that what people are worried about is that the wall company is now collecting our data through the Timelines app regardless of whether we use the wall or not? What kind of data could the collect this way?
"Directly - from your device through our SDK integrated by app developers in their apps"
so yes not just indirectly from the pop up websites but actually in game, it's not just a button.
[was on Sabbatical/Hiatus] Currently a trialist at Galaxy SquadronSTAY SAFE and KBO
On the bit when you click off it and it says about offerings paying up in a few days - I clicked on more info - the page was blocked by my broadband provider due to it being seen as a phishing and malware site. Sad to say but after 3 years, VIP 14 and captain level 99 this is getting me checked out now. Shameful
The more info button leads to our FAQ on our zendesk portal.
Why it is reported as nefarious by your broadband provider, I do not know.
At the beginning of lockdown I chose to spend money with YOUR company as I had the spare income and wanted you to survive. In return you have rewarded us with this data mining junk (that possibly violates GDPR) and allowed a rogue captain to go around assimilating fleets (for which I was reprimanded for daring to discuss on this forum)
Meanwhile, Minecraft, a mobile game I paid for ONCE released a huge new update yesterday to add extra gameplay to that app.
Guess which one I'm spending time with this weekend.
Comments
I had one other offer, which was a survey but after completing it it redirected me to another survey and then my patience ran out.
Will not use it in the future most likely.
The cheapest dilithium tends to be the one you pay for.
Trying is the first step towards failure.
In one swift, disgusting move - you've ruined a game many of us have played for years. I'm out. Tipping Point are an absolute disgrace.
In the Campaigns - going from High Roller Sisko to Lenara Khan is a bit meh. Providing a platform for scammers to steal our data is awful.
I was expecting something that was along the lines of "download Paradise Island and play to level 12 and get 8 dilithium" - instead it's, "provide all your details to some scammers". Honestly disgusting.
I'm absolutely not a serial moaner. I really loved this game, and have always appreciated CS on the very, very few occasions I've had an issue. Quite sad actually as unless this feature goes and loyal players are issued with an apology I won't be playing a game that's been a stock part of my day for a long time anymore
I am ok with finding new ways to get revenue but the problem is the company that TP partnered with for this feature is not having the best reputation and many of the offers are just scam. For example why not make a go fund me or something similar for getting money for development as i am sure many of us will support that. I would be happy to spend some money each month to fix bugs or to get new features.
Those that use the forum can help greatly if listen too and give the chance to come with ideas.
I didn't think about this, obviously.
And I didn't think about the possibility of the ad provider collecting user data without the player's knowledge. That's super shady, so I hope we get some clarification on that. I think it's time to turn on my VPN and just deal with a little slowness.
I do not choose to have my personal data harvested by this third-party that you have partnered with, in exchange for intangible goods.
If I learn that my personal data was harvested by this third-party through your app without my consent, then I will cease to do business with your company. Period.
I cannot say this more eloquently than others before or after me right now, but here is the truth:
I will spend my money elsewhere and delete your application from all of my devices.
And yes im aware of, i could just never click on that button again, which i sure as hell wont do unless i click on it and get 5 free dil or it disappears just as quickly as it arrived lol
Just a small note, this way you wont earn more money. For once as you claim you do, you should listen to your players, cause last time i checked some of the people here are having great ideas to enhance gameplay that would actually hook people to play and have them possibly spend more money, but no have to use the cheapest way. I know Capitalizm is least amount of work and most possibly earning but this might only work for a while and then you go down hard, and then there is no saving this.
Just my 2 cents
but isn't this a responsibility of TP? Before rolling it out, or to not roll it out if it's unsafe, instead of just "New feature: You can do these offers for free dilithium. Hoorah!"
Over the past few years although there have been some errors, maybe out of naivety I've come to trust DB/TP to the extent that I don't have my infos extracted without my consent, due to anything connected with the game.
~· Fly with the Subspace Eddies! ·~
This feature is a poor return for the time invested. I was anticipating being required to watch more adverts, for example. Sadly, many of the surveys are error-ridden and badly executed.
At this juncture, this appears to have been an own goal TP, and probably best shelved quickly and quietly.
Even if I don't click on one of the offers? I just know that it does change the ads that I get. I assumed it anonymized some of my data.
I typically buy a monthly card and campaign every month, and will usually bite on a 10x10 or a great Tuesday card. So typically spending £20 a month.
That’s zero after today. Only decision remaining is whether I delete the game for good. If sufficient players have been this angered then this is a game suicide move.
Did it come up with that, or did you select an option for more granular control over cookies?
If you didn't purposefully go for a granular view, and that's the default, then that looks like the kind of "baffle them with BS" route some companies have taken with cookies. It's irregular and immoral.
They should offer you the ones grouped, with refusing the functional ones stopping you using the page and the others entirely optional.
Hope I didn't across as snippy, as it wasn't meant to, but there are so many moving parts to things these days.
I'm hoping we'll get some clarification too, otherwise I'll have to pick between locking down my phone, or only playing via the desktop.
For such a small piece of functionality in the game, it's not been handled very well.
I would like an official response from TP on this very topic. Until then, no more purchases from my side.
Without this information, I don't know whether I should be up in arms just yet. But at the very least it is troubling that TP didn't anticipate these questions and put out an explanation or FAQ describing any privacy implications before rolling out the OfferWall. The privacy concerns here are obvious and you really should have been ahead of this.
Where do I click no thanks.
Agreed. It’s one thing to fill the surveys with false information (every time I was asked for my home address I gave them the street address for the dorm I lived in back in my sophomore year of college), it’s another entirely to have information vacuumed up off of your phone without the ability to truly control where it goes. Which of course happens with social media and Internet searches, but this is no excuse for a stealth implementation here.
No new dil purchases, no DYCs, no LTOs, no campaigns, and no ad views until the Wall is removed and we’ve had a chance to confirm that background activity has returned to normal.
And even then (and this is all thinking on the fly), how much should we go back to normal, spending-wise? Either someone high up at TP did their due diligence on IronSource and thought it was still okay to go ahead, or they didn’t go deeper than whatever promotion all materials IronSource provided and ignored what we all easily found in minutes of Internet searches. I’m not sure which is worse...what future features will have a similarly careless or nefarious approach? This is a far cry from trying a new content delivery method and having it not go over well - that’s understandable. What we have now, well, isn’t.
As Heinlein’s Razor goes: between incompetence and malice, go with incompetence...but don’t rule out malice. The response will be illuminating in this regard. And as much as we love and care for Shan, this might be a time when someone from higher up the mountain comes down to take their lumps and reassure us that predatory practices will be avoided in the future.
Right looks like that's that I'm uninstalling timelines, the game is effectively spyware now.
But I just assumed that "whatever happens in the wall stays in the wall", as in, if you don't use it, nothing changes and only if you actually go through with one of the offers, someone might ask to collect your data as a part of it.
I really don't have much knowledge on these topics, but did I understand correctly that what people are worried about is that the wall company is now collecting our data through the Timelines app regardless of whether we use the wall or not? What kind of data could the collect this way?
"Directly - from your device through our SDK integrated by app developers in their apps"
so yes not just indirectly from the pop up websites but actually in game, it's not just a button.
The more info button leads to our FAQ on our zendesk portal.
Why it is reported as nefarious by your broadband provider, I do not know.
At the beginning of lockdown I chose to spend money with YOUR company as I had the spare income and wanted you to survive. In return you have rewarded us with this data mining junk (that possibly violates GDPR) and allowed a rogue captain to go around assimilating fleets (for which I was reprimanded for daring to discuss on this forum)
Meanwhile, Minecraft, a mobile game I paid for ONCE released a huge new update yesterday to add extra gameplay to that app.
Guess which one I'm spending time with this weekend.
Edited - minor spelling mistake