User blog comment:ShinnyShin/The Problems with the Fifth Anniversary Update/@comment-24458118-20180920135824/@comment-27980511-20180921200851

@ NukeStar

Hey, thanks for the rave review! And you're absolutely right, the blog scene is awash with fanfics galore and the vast majority of blogs leave a lot to be desired.

In response to that, I try to provide something different, something substantial and something informative. I'm glad you appreciate the blogs, it made my day to see that they're regarded as "gems". I will definitely write more in the future.

I also wish we could go back in time to Asphalt 8's heyday when cars were more readily available. Nowadays, it's possible to complete an Event, start to finish, and still not get the car. BPs are perhaps one of the most unwelcome changes that they've added to this game.

I'd rather get the cars with Tokens I've saved up months for up front, instead of spending an eternity waiting for a Random Box to drop one. As for challenges like R&Ds or EDDs, they should either not be so expensive, or at least allow an option to downgrade your car after you win it - ideally getting back the resources you spent on it.

So you did 68 (!) out of 90 on the FIRST DAY?!  Wow, mad props for going HAM on that one. I'd only done about 60 after 5 days! But even then, you noticed what an endless grind it would be, despite all that progress. I did all 90 with just under 10 hours to spare and was still nowhere near getting that Exclusive Box.

The Champion Kit Box was a small consolation, but ultimately it was a waste of time. Same as the A9 Championship. At least I've got the achievement trophies for it in name only, and I'm not moving to A9 either.

It's discouraging to see how much the game is keeping all the new players away from the fun. The Sesto and Veneno were some of my best starter cars for A and S-Class, they dominated in MP back in the day and became great farming cars.

All it took was a few races here and there, save up a few hundred Credits and BAM, I got the cars. It was a totally free way to get them too, and all it took was time. And their main selling point was that they were among the cheapest cars to get, upgrade and farm with.

Now if you're new, be expected to cough up serious cash just to get the basics. There are literally NO good cheap farming cars left - unless you count the Survolt, maybe? Options are still pretty much limited though.

Even the useless but beautiful Aventador LP 700-4 will cost you Tokens, and I can't for the life of me figure out why. You'd be essentially paying for its looks instead of its functionality. I mean, does that make sense? Shelling out money just to get a collector's item.

Gameloft truly has no shame and they're bucking that horrible trend.

MP is now even more screwed than it's ever been. That move just recently was as devious as it gets. Change MP to focus on Top Speed, let the players ruin their MP tuned rides, then change it back and that should send them running to A9. It definitely smacks of devious planning.

Some veterans have gone for one reason or another, and others like us are still sticking with it. I, for one, have invested a lot of time and effort (but no money!) into this game and had a lot of fun with it, so I will continue to play until they either close the servers or somehow completely render the game unplayable.

And then I will call it a day with the Asphalt series. In the meantime, I hope that things will change for the better, but the way things are going ... well, we'll have to see.

Happy racing!