Sigh

I like the premise of the game but it gets boring and repetitive fast.
What really adds to my dissatisfaction with this game is the fact that it FORCES you to "buy pizza".
You shouldn't be forced to pay anything to remain competitive.
The game should allow one to progressively get better, albeit slower than normal, but still at a permissible pace.

Take League of Legends for example. Most of their "Pay for Play" attributes is aesthetic in nature. It doesn't hamper the normal experience of players. In a market where there are good games that offer an enjoyable experience without actually having to pay to be considered "good"...I just don't see this game making the cut.

I don't care if I get hate for this. Just giving my 2 cents.

 

I'm with OP. Not only do I feel forced to spend money to stay competitive, but I feel like the cash shop items are really in my face. The biggest example is showing me what item I can't obtain after EVERY quest because I'm not a "club" member. That's really, really pushy. The whole pizza/buy UI feels extremely cash-shop oriented.

I really wish the devs would have charged a flat fee for the game and just included everything.

 

Really, I didn't know that I have to spend money to stay competitive? I also didn't know there is cash shop! Man, I really need to start playing more.

That being said, wishing things were done differently isn't a productive line of thought. However, I would like to hear if you have any suggestions on what you feel could be done to make the game better.

 

A cash shop is a generic term meaning "pay real money for this." Anyways, "wishing things were done differently" is extremely productive during beta testing, especially when you predict a huge pit fall. For a more specific suggestion: get rid of the "here's the item you don't get!" box after every quest. I'm predicting that unless the player base gets a little more vocal about the use of cash in this game it's going to flop-- and that would be a damn shame because this game is amazing and has huge potential.

 

I wonder if you're in the level 7 lull. There's a point where the campaign gets really hard, before a lot of interesting cards unlock. For example, right now I'm experimenting with Martyr's Blessing, which I've only seen on equipment that you can't use until level 15, even if you do get some from multiplayer.

There are also things you can do to avoid it getting repetitive - we really need an "alternate builds" thread somewhere - and you never have to buy pizza, it just helps. Just as a leaping off point, 3 wizards is a very different style of play that people have finished the campaign with, and 2 priests+warrior is a popular pvp build.

You're totally entitled to your 2c, and maybe it's just not your sort of game, but it's also possible that you just need to get a little further to see all the good stuff.

Edit: Actually, just let me spell it out, because it could be a simple misunderstanding:
You do not ever have to buy pizza to advance
You do have to replay earlier levels to advance, whether you buy pizza or not
You do have to modify your build to address specific levels to advance (you get an option to change your equipment every time you lose. Take advantage of this opportunity)

 

I see this as very similar to the League of Legends approach. You can play the game enough to purchase the champions you want to play, or you can pay real money for them.

I've completed the campaign (1.5 times because I had to start over with another party) and have done (and continue to do) a fair bit of multiplayer. I have yet to spend anything but time on the game. You most certainly do NOT need to buy pizza at any point. The only time I see anything resembling a need to is if you've played for a long while and are heavy into multiplayer and decide you can't wait to find a very specific item you want randomly. But that's still up to you.