el3n1:
SlickHunter: Honestly it’s no ones fault that we be able to collect whatever amount of credits. It was the system that allows us to do that, but now system stops it, so that’s that.
with all due respect... I don't believe the advertisers or WGT designed the system of 2 credit free ads to be strip mined with automatic bot like efforts to extract hundreds of thousands of credits... their intent was to gain a few more views, possibly visit their website or download a game, etc... what was being done... completely undermined that arrangement.
it was the exploitation of those videos that does in fact impact others in the community that were manually watching videos for their game purchases -- even if they used 1, 2 or even 3 devices manually as some shared doing at times... that in no way compares to what those strip mining credits were doing... it was clearly out of line or the ad agency would not have felt compelled to renegotiate with WGT to impose limits...
the gluttony of those involved have hurt the community …
I debated on whether or not to respond, but it seems like you and others in this thread have a limited understanding of how the system works.
First of all, I agree 100% that "strip mining" was essentially theft from the advertisers and had to change. The advertisers are not stupid as they have internal tracking metrics that correlate viewed advertisements with purchases. When those numbers become misaligned with expectations, it sends up red flags. I have known this day was coming for a long time and, quite frankly, am shocked it took this long.
WGT knowingly participated in AND encouraged "strip mining". They make revenue on a per viewing basis. WGT was shortsighted enough to believe they would either not get caught or they simply did not care and made large profits as long as they could.
It is silly to believe WGT did not knowingly encourage and participate for a few reasons:
1. They track all ads viewed on every members account. It even shows up on that persons profile. They have been doing this for at least one year and knew exactly what was happening.
2. Go to the elite page (http://www.wgt.com/proshop/elite/#c_1_12_Elite_All_None) and look at their offers. 600,000 credit golf trips. 300,000 credit golf bags. 165,000 credits buys you a $250 amazon gift card every 10 days. And, there is more...have a look.
3. Price points on equipment, balls, and passes were set to maximize profits based on the credit rush WGT supported. 1,275 credits for a sleeve of top end balls. That costs more than a real sleeve!!! 400,000 credits for the golden putter. 5,000 credits for the best driver. Nearly 4,000 credits for 100 passes (and that doesn't last long if you play TW and clash hard).
WGT created this problem and now have upset the masses due to being forced to implement changes by Unity/advertisers. Don't be mad at the smart people who took advantage of what WGT encouraged. Be mad at WGT for creating this dynamic in the first place.
Peace brother!