caliban
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Dirty, any poll can be interpreted in different ways.
For example, this poll shows that only less than a third of participants are willing to play only with HotA, and even if you dig deeper, they will still play without HotA in OFB.
Yes, but I see the conducted poll differently: the majority are willing to play with HotA, and if you dig deeper, even those who voted "Without HotA," who are in the minority, will play with HotA (I'm not considering particularly extreme cases). IMHO, Al Feinu would have been better off conducting provocations in this way.
From the very first post, the tone of the topic was set incorrectly (Al Feinu should have adjusted it, which he is very good at). The tone of the dialogue was set by a young, strong player who is interested in making things convenient and comfortable for himself, and not in the viability of the site, and even the game Heroes 3 in general.
I think that HotA in Heroes 3 can be included in this and many other things that make life easier and save time. You can argue for a long time with a person who has never played with HotA, and we still won't come to any conclusion.
Regarding newcomers, who, if they are lucky, will encounter mandatory HotA in tournaments, and this will discourage them for various reasons (everything should be free, "they are trying to squeeze money out of me," etc.), the idea of one-time or trial accounts, I don't think it's such a bad idea. They try it - they like it - they pay. If not, then I doubt that such a person will be able to integrate or stay in the community for a long time when most people already play with HotA. It would be interesting to hear Baratorch's opinion on this point.
Regarding OFB, which lasts 5-6 months and has no playoffs. Here, everything is simple: just look at the history of such OFBs; as a rule, a person withdraws from the tournament after 2-3 losses, and if we consider the problem specifically for complete beginners, who else but them should receive these losses in the first place.
The path of a beginner does not always start with large tournaments; first, he needs to play fun games, he is interested, and he wants to get a rating for the games - he plays seasons, then a "beginner" tournament, which is held twice a year. If he hasn't left the forum after this short journey, then I don't even doubt that paying 168 rubles a month for his hobby will not be a problem for him.
P.S. I'll add, some have forgotten why SOD is still alive. Without Baratorch, the forum would most likely be dead, because there would be no players. Why should a person spend his personal time for free? Having devoted many years to the development and improvement of the HD mod, and now, when a person has finally wanted to receive some financial return from symbolic contributions for his work, such a fuss begins. I don't enjoy playing with such ungrateful people. It's better not to play with negative emotions at all.
Yes, complete beginners may not realize the scale of things, and this can be understood; give them time. If it doesn't work out, then such beginners are not needed either.
