I think at the very least the first expansions should be pebbles. While I do kinda think the option to choose currency is neat, it would also set an official exchange rate, which is something I'd like to avoid. With pebbles players can always just sell ms for pebbles to do the same “skip the wait/grind” thing without the site imposing exchange rates.

I can kinda understand a line of reasoning of expansions being ms because they're a one-time purchase that's primarily for convenience, but I know it actually becomes a necessity for later mining areas when the ore pool expands- 15 slots doesn't go very far when you can get 5 different types of ore. I assume when we get more complex recipes cooking will run into a similar issue.

Yeah I'd think having the first few levels be pebbles and the later ones be moonstones would feel more fair. Or having either be an option, even if also only for the first few expansions. If getting into the game feels too difficult without paying money, people just won't play. ^^; And I say that as someone who already paid for the first expansion levels with ms, I was surprised to see that it would take a fully free-to-play person at least a week of constant playing to get one expansion. Which theoretically doesn't sound that bad, but I think in practice it will feel like too long for a hyper casual game. Especially since getting to the cool and fun parts of making apparel requires a lot of mined materials.

Locking anything behind a paywall just feels horrible. There is a certain level of greed that it suggests when I don't think that's the intention. Any slot upgrades should have a pebbles equivalent, because players who can't spend real life money are severly punished. Ten dollars for five slots feels excessive.

Agreed with pretty much everything stated here, and commenting to show my support. It could just be me, but lack of transparency and communication (the silent rollbacks and inconsistent responses) and constant paywalls actually deter me from ever purchasing premium currency.

Forgive me for being brash but why should I financially support a site that doesn’t support its players, is my general feeling. Pebbles, not moonstones, are the default currency. Basic things in the game should be accessible using them, and I wouldn’t even blink an eye if there were both options for people who don’t mind spending to fast-track. However, locking something as important as expansions behind a rare currency doesn’t look good, as Samayl said, regardless of it was intentional or not. I’m really disappointed that the change hasn’t stuck.

i have nothing to say that hasn’t been said i think, but posting support.

So i won't speak on moonstone expansions for the cooking profession, as I have not done the math yet and I am VERY sleepy, but I do have a couple of words to share about the mining profession expansions.

A player starts with fifteen slots for mining in the first area, which I feel is absolutely fine. There's only two ores to be found if we do not include the moonstone ore. However, a minor issue arises when a player reaches mining level 12 and suddenly there are three ores found in the newest location (moonstone ore excluded of course).

Consider if with the fifteen slots someone gets incredibly unlucky and gets 4 of every ore due to RNG. There are only three slots left of the allotted starting slots. Yes that's one spare slot for every ore to make it still manageable, if not resource depleting. I do not know the amount of time it takes to reach the spooky spires without wheels to speed up a player's minecart, I have not yet unlocked said area. It starts to be a bit harder to manage to make decent progress in ore collecting and smelting. Perhaps that is intentional, i do not know.

And it would be fine, i think, if this was the most amount of ores available in Lorwolf to obtain. however, there are still three more locations to unlock through profession advancement and in the very next area there is a whopping FIVE ores to obtain. If we consider the incredibly unlikely but super unlucky scenario as before that means it is actually impossible to progress this profession ever again unless 25 moonstones are obtained to expand a player's capacity once. this does not account for moonstone ore drop rates. And I think it would be incredibly unfortunate if this were to ever happen to a casual player who cannot buy moonstones and also does not have the time to farm moonstones through playing the game regularly.

Perhaps there is a failsafe for this scenario in the game's code, but perhaps there isn't. And there is, as far as I see, no way to dump a player's haul in the situation that this happens.

All things considered, I understand why moonstones were the go-to for expansions, however I also think that the first expansion for these professions that expand through moonstones should be done in pebbles. at least with 20 slots, this situation of so many ores can be mitigated. And if I may offer some numbers to end this suggestion.

I have played lorwolf every day since full launch, I only have 7 moonstones to my name (please disregard my custom apparel on my lead wolf, that was a gift from a friend).

I can however, through regular play, get 10k or so pebbles fairly easily. If time playing and revisiting are in any way issues to this site that damage ad revenue or whatnot, I think it would be fair to have this expansion around this much or maybe a little more. Honestly I need to run more numbers vs time in my personal playing sessions.

Apologies for the length, I think it is important to be thorough.

@Roc

I absolutely agree with you! But I do want to mention that you can actually drop ore from your cart by clicking/tapping on it. It gives you an option to drop individual ores.

But, like I said, I still agree with your points! It becomes even more egregious when you realize that the moonstone price doubles each time. I've bought the first mining expansion and then was shocked to realize it now costed 50 moonstones to expand again, which immediately put me off my plan of expanding it a second time.

Oh! you're a gamesaver, scribblecrumb!

This does change a few points in my argument but my main point definitely still stands in that at least one upgrade should be in pebbles, potentially more. And now that I am awake, a few more related thoughts.

I also would not like for players to decide the currency they wish to expand their slots in through a toggle, I feel it would cause more problems in the long run than fix. That being said, I was wondering if it would be feasible if players could be given the chance to expand five slots with every new area unlocked through advancing the mining profession by using pebbles.

By which I mean, let me try an explain:

→ I am a starting player, imagine. I have access to the Lucid Lagoon only. I have 15 available ore slots. If I want more slots, I would pay pebbles for my first expansion, and the rest in moonstones. I have 20 slots now as a free to play Lorwolf player.

→ Now, I am the same player who has finally reached level 12 mining and can descend further into spooky spires. When I click the + sign to expand again, I have access to two options; One is to expand in moonstones and the Second is to expand in pebbles, but only ONCE. If I wish to remain free to play, I can have a maximum of 25 slots by this level.

→ At last I am now a player who has dedicated a fair amount of time in leveling my mining profession, and I am now level 27 and have progressed further into the Growling Grotto. Once again, I may expand my inventory ONCE with pebbles. I now have the maximum number of allotted slots in my profession over halfway through my level progression in the mining profession.

I feel something like this would reward players for sticking to their time in Lorwolf without making said time feel like a waste or exhausting grind. Moonstones can of course be used at any point to expand faster, if the player has obtained enough. And if the cost of expansions with moonstones is non-negotiable at least this will make the 175 total moonstones seem more like a convenience than a necessity.

If anyone has any more thoughts on this, please do add. And like I said, this thought process applies only to the mining profession and not the cooking profession. I may return and discuss my thoughts on that matter another time.

I agree with everything said here.

I don't know what will be best for the economy, if all the upgrades in pebbles or just some and the rest in MS, but it does leave a bad taste in my mouth to see that now all the core mechanics of this game are locked behind premium currency. Even additional nests and this is a breeding pet game, after all! And reading here I just learned that it was pebbles in EA…

I come from Flight Rising and I can't help but compare the two and over there only the cosmetic stuff costs premium currency (additional apparel slots, cool looking apparel, genes, eyes and breeds) but not lair or nest expansions and additional tabs. Even with the additional slots of the Hibernal Den there's still the choice to use various items instead of gems.

I rally want this game to succeed and to like this game. While I do like a lot of things, I definitely don't like this. I want to spend my hard earned MS (I've been playing a lot since launch and only crafted the 8th today, plus other 20 from studding my first WW) for cool looking forum banners, non common breeds and genes scrolls from the Mole market or for a G2 Bacchus, not for core game mechanics.

Agree with a lot of the posts here! (I do appreciate the ability to make moonstones)