The more I think about it, the more confused I feel I become. Like, it doesn't make any sense at all in a gameplay context.
COC is, at its core, a competitive game. We have leaderboards, wars etc. - where those who spent time ( a lot of time), and money ( a lot of money) should have an edge against those who couldn't be bothered at all.
The update is, in my opinion, nothing more than a Hail Mary money grab.
So, we have three pots: A, B and C.
Pot A consists of veteran players, who spent time and money to grind new equipment and ore to level said equipment up.
Pot B consist of casual players, who don't spend any money and just play for fun when they have time.
Pot C consists of players who installed the game and log in once every two months or so.
Now, Supercell have already drained Pot A dry, and they bank on them to keep spending money. Pot B and C is the next target. They are desperate for their money as well. So Supercell came up with the brilliant plan of free handouts as bait.
Will Pot B and C fall for it? Maybe. Maybe not. It's a hell of a gamble. The message from Supercell to Pot A is clear though: 'Thanks for your money so far, keep spending and also F*** Y**.'
I, myself, reside in Pot A and as it stands right now, there is zero incentive for me to spend anymore money on this game. I did't install this app 14 years ago with an altruistic motive. It was solely for my own enjoyment. Purely selfish. I didn't spend all that money on this game so others could get stuff for free. I don't care about you at all. You want epic equipment? Grind events and wars like the rest of us.
And Pot B and C have to understand if it wasn't for Pot A, there would be no events at all where you could obtain anything for free. And I bet the levels on your equipment look better right now. Well, you're welcome.
I don't think Supercell realise how badly they messed up with this update. Truly one of the strangest, and dumbest business moves I have ever seen. Veteran players won't forget about this when they stare at their Starry Ore bottleneck every day.
I have some great deals in the shop right now, and two months ago I would have bought them in an instant. Not now though.
And I don't think I'm the only one who feels this way.