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I'm very happy with the changes that have been made, the game has become more enjoyable and welcoming especially for new players. I think it has now the potential to attract new players and that means more publicity and revenue for EW, because there will always be players for which paying over grinding is a valid option, or who don't have much time to play but want to be able to enjoy the little time they have, or who just want a particular item NOW. The previous model required double payment (once to buy equipment and once to be able to use it), which was hard to sustain for many players, difficult to grasp for some others, and impractical for people with few time to play. And the feeling that at the end of the subscription your investment will go poof was discouraging. Not to mention how unwelcoming was the old model to new players, which were bombarded with splash screens immobilizing them while the action went on around them. As a business you want to please potential new customers, not to deny them the opportunity to appreciate the qualities of your product by harassing them with payment requirements.
The new model caters much better for all the aforementioned types of players. The psychological aspects of the players being in control over the amount of money they spend and the times they do it and also of the familiarity and simplicity of the concept that they spend money to get something specific in return, which they "own" and can use at will without time constraints, are not to be underestimated. The way people perceive things is determinant to the willingness to spend.
That being said there is a minor negative aspect which has come with the new model, that is the lack of gm$ reward for some females, specifically deer and turkey. This doesn't have a big impact on me and probably most other old players, but it can have a significant impact on the new players which need to save to buy equipment, but also need to harvest those animals as the easiest way to up their skills, get intermediate and elite status for competitions, increase their hunter score (I think it is still needed to unblock inventory slots), get achievements, whatever their goals in the game are.
Apart from that, communication seems to have deteriorated lately, and that needs to be fixed.
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