How does one define a whale?

Replies

  • Onetime7979
    1012 posts Member
    edited May 2016
    @NicWester

    nice man, It all depends what you focus on and farming the Right Toons, I got 5 with 9 gear 1 almost 10! (once im level 80) So not bad for not spending nothing :D Guess helps on arena rank.

    One day I will grow up to be a mermaid ^_^ lol
  • Whenever I hear the terms whale and dolphin on here, I always think of the Japanese from South Park. I'm sure some of you will get the reference.
  • LordAlvert
    1193 posts Member
    Whale spends $500 a day or I have limited respect.
  • Naecabon
    1243 posts Member
    edited May 2016
    The industry definition for whales are essentially people that have no ceiling on purchases. It's not about a dollar amount, it's about a state of mind - for whales, they just buy to own it all. If there's a new toon, they buy it. If they want to refresh energy, they will. If there is gear in the Shipments store they want, they purchase it.

    The common fallacy among forum users is thinking "Dolphin" or "Whale" or "Kraken" all differentiate based on price points. It's all gibberish. The only term that one can associate to heavy spenders is "whale," and it's purely based on the purchase habits of the spender.

    Anyone that's only spent a couple thousand is nowhere near whale status. Yeah, you've read that right. A whale, by actual definition, is definitely in the five figures a year category, easily. And it's not close. They spend more on mobile games than most people do on new cars. And it's for nothing more than to absolutely positively have the best available with no bearing on cost whatsoever.

    Mobile games adapt strategies like this to intentionally hook them. They have buy in points (like purchasing a chromium and unlocking a toon at 4*) and then min/max points that the person then realizes they need to meet. I just bought this 4* toon, and it's incomplete! It needs to be 7*! I feel like a peasant with anything less! That's all it takes. Packs upon packs later and whales are min maxing every character to 7*. They're putting every character to level 80. They're gearing up every. single. toon. and not just a squad of five for arena.

    People like to joke about the "krakens" as these bigger than normal whale whales because they've spent X dollars more than the norm but that just misses the point of why the term is there in the first place. Whales are people with no limit on price points, they just buy. That's the basic idea.
  • Onetime7979
    1012 posts Member
    Actually your all wrong a whale is a very large marine mammal with a streamlined hairless body, a horizontal tail fin, and a blowhole on top of the head for breathing.

    XD
  • Can I be considered an octopus? Ice spent enough to unlock Aurodium but that was since January.
  • LordAlvert
    1193 posts Member
    @Naecabon you are a serious genious.

    Thanks for your contributions....
  • If you qualify to see Aurodiums, you're a Whale. If you spend money but aren't to that level yet, you're a Dolphin. If you're as comfortable buying and maxxing pay-only toons (Wedge, Rex) as your average Whale is at buying and maxxing card-only toons (Aayla, Maul), then you're a Kraken. Everyone else is guppies (F2P).
  • Naecabon
    1243 posts Member
    If you qualify to see Aurodiums, you're a Whale. If you spend money but aren't to that level yet, you're a Dolphin. If you're as comfortable buying and maxxing pay-only toons (Wedge, Rex) as your average Whale is at buying and maxxing card-only toons (Aayla, Maul), then you're a Kraken. Everyone else is guppies (F2P).

    Aurodiums are actually the cheap buy in point to try and hook non-whales. In contrast to normal spending habits, they're a drop in the bucket.

    Seeing Aurodiums is NOWHERE near the point you'd need to be to qualify as a whale by industry standards. This is what I mean - the bar for the term has dropped considerably due to the generalization of the meaning behind it. $200 is a JOKE in the eyes of a whale, that's like a day's worth of crystals!
  • Hangfire
    497 posts Member
    From what I've seen, I think 5,000 US$ and above minimum is a whale. $1,000-2,500 dolphin. 2,500-5,000 narwhal.

    Kraken 10,000+


    $200 plus just an average joe.
  • Whale = a fat unemployed bloke slumped on a couch surrounded by pizza boxes furiously poking his pudgy fingers at his device whilst maxing out mummy's credit card.
    Think Ignatius J Reilly for new millennium.

    Or

    A retired businessman with four Filipino hottie concubines wondering why you keep obsessing over a chick with a guys name (Ray)
  • iboneKnaWibO
    19 posts Member
    edited May 2016
    Hellcat wrote: »
    I have spent a grand total of US$5 on the game, so I am essentially a f2p player.
    But I have the utmost appreciation for the p2p players especially the so-called whales.
    Before you f2p players display your mastery of sarcasm and complain about fairness and such, please be reminded that it's the p2p players who keep the servers running and the game updated. If the game doesn't pull in money you would think the developers care to run it for another week.
    Just want to say that I sincerely think p2p players deserve every advantage (I would argue not enough) they enjoy in the game.

    ^ Truth has been told ! [/quote

    This might make some of you mad. Not sorry.

    This attitude only promotes laziness from the developers. It's the same attitude that continues the plague of ridiculous preorder bundles and disgusting dlc releases for real video games.

    Maybe if whales didn't spend all that money, the developers would actually have to address things that people get **** off about the game. Or it wouldn't survive. But, hey go ahead and worship your whale overlords. The game will only get better, right?

    Tell me, what do you think would happen if all games ran the way this freemium system works? I don't want to live in that world lol.

    Do you see the obvious addictiveness of the freemium model? It's clever, and yet so obvious. It's designed to create whales. People that may not have wanted to be whales in the first place. I'm sure everyone realizes it, but we continue to spend money on a game that literally requires 0 money. It's an addiction.

    The developers know that, they prey on the fact that the human mind consistently reaches for the next carrot on the stick. They make things just out of reach, on purpose. Oh, but there's hope! Just spend 10, 20, 50 and you get the carrot. It's psychology. I would argue its unethical.

    You can't actually justify spending over $1000 on a phone game that you will probably stop playing in a year. Do it, tell me it was worth it spending $10000 on this game. I dare you. You won't, because it's not worth it. Save your money.

    What do you get for spending that much money? A slight advantage? Im sure whales get **** that most of the best toons are now ftp. So why spend money on chromium packs?

    Let's be honest here, spending in this game is generally pointless. Yeah refreshes and such are sometimes OK, when your willpower fails. But that's not the same thing as a whale. Not at all.

    I've $200 on this game. I regret all but $50 for credits and training droids.
  • Onetime7979
    1012 posts Member
    @iboneKnaWibO

    I agree on some of that Post, But Having a big Squad is good in many ways GW, and especially Raids always being top 3 getting best Rewards and gearing up your Toons much quicker then F2P and right now the gap is starting to tell With the Power Level in arena But I don't understand how anyone could spend that much unless they are simply Rich or well off....Or just plain addicted.
  • My opinion.

    To take this game serious it is 4 hours a day minimum.

    That leaves time for one other game to play for a solid gamer.

    100 USD a month into this game is just playing the game. ie a Dolphin

    100 USD a week into this game is enough to keep level at max for 10 toons through 80...beluga

    200 USD a week is enough for 25 toons through 80.... Whale

    500 a week is enough to max any new toons when out and be omega everything.... That whale Dino from Jurassic Park last movie you that ate the Rex/Velociraptor clone thing.

    I have about 2 k in the game. I am still not with a toon in gear X due to late start. I am a whale for now. I am running out of reasons to spend because of the guild format.
  • @iboneKnaWibO

    I agree on some of that Post, But Having a big Squad is good in many ways GW, and especially Raids always being top 3 getting best Rewards and gearing up your Toons much quicker then F2P and right now the gap is starting to tell With the Power Level in arena But I don't understand how anyone could spend that much unless they are simply Rich or well off....Or just plain addicted.

    Yeah spending money is fine, although by no means required to fully enjoy this game. But, the amount of money that some of these whales or krakens waste on this game is just well...absurd.

  • My opinion.

    To take this game serious it is 4 hours a day minimum.

    That leaves time for one other game to play for a solid gamer.

    100 USD a month into this game is just playing the game. ie a Dolphin

    100 USD a week into this game is enough to keep level at max for 10 toons through 80...beluga

    200 USD a week is enough for 25 toons through 80.... Whale

    500 a week is enough to max any new toons when out and be omega everything.... That whale Dino from Jurassic Park last movie you that ate the Rex/Velociraptor clone thing.

    I have about 2 k in the game. I am still not with a toon in gear X due to late start. I am a whale for now. I am running out of reasons to spend because of the guild format.

    I guess the question is, what are you trying to achieve in this game? I mean to my knowledge theres no such thing as MLG for mobile games. Are you trying unlock absolutely everything? I play as much as I can, because I enjoy it. But at this point, the only real reason for me to spend is for credits and training droids, and maybe an extra cantina refresh.

    I'm not a fan of immediately going for a new char unless it's a Yoda or one day, Master Luke.
    I would spend money on Luke. But, I have a feeling they're going to use the Yoda event blueprint for upcoming popular chars like Palpatine or Jedi Master Luke.
  • C3POwn
    507 posts Member
    ObranVox wrote: »
    I heard you're a whale once your wife yells at you for spending too much money on "a stupid star wars game".

    +1
  • aGlint
    54 posts Member
    Naecabon wrote: »
    The industry definition for whales are essentially people that have no ceiling on purchases. It's not about a dollar amount, it's about a state of mind - for whales, they just buy to own it all. If there's a new toon, they buy it. If they want to refresh energy, they will. If there is gear in the Shipments store they want, they purchase it.

    I agree with quite a bit of you post @Naecabon, but this is not true, whales are the top percenters that bring in a huge portion of profit when compared to the rest of the general population.

    A whale can have no ceiling but typically it is just much higher than an average player. Whales have different reasons for spending and I would say most do not have the mindset to "own it all". If there's something I want, I buy it. If a new toon like Echo is released and I don't want him, I don't buy him just because.

    Smart whales don't buy useless crap (from their perspective), unless they are completionists but that is two different traits.

    My opinion is $1-2k will get you many 7* chromium toons and secure top spots in arena. $2-3k if you're unlucky. That is certainly whale status and you likely in the top 1-5% of highest spending folks in game.

  • Greg1920
    1777 posts Member
    For me a whale is someone who has a 7 star Leia. I think there is too much derision of them. If they are not addicts then I don't see them any differently then peoe who get a Starbucks everyday and go out for lunch everyday or buy expensive purses.

    All are buying overpriced things when the low cost or free version is almost as good.
  • I've spent a grand total in this game of around $500 and I'm considered a whale. Hope that puts things into perspective.

    Thanks, that does clarify the definition a bit. What did you end up spending the $500 worth of crystals on?

    I ask because I tossed over $100 into the game a few weeks ago to deal with the unobtainable gear issue. Haven't bought chromiums still, but I did purchase a few furnaces and some other gear from the shop and almost half my investment is gone now...

    I spent some of it on the Ewok bundles when they were out and some on credits to gear up toons here and there but the bulk was Chromium packs.
  • Hellcat
    319 posts Member
    I once bought a Chromium pack and in it were full toons of Leia, Aayla and FOTP, and other shards. People congratulated me because it was by all means a good pull, two exclusive characters and all of them are useful. But then I realized there were no way to star them up if I don't continue to buy Chromium, and for FOTP I can farm him for free anyway. So there seems to be no middle ground in spending in this game - either you spend enough to 7* an exclusive toon, or you might as well be a f2p player and farm toons free.

    If I were to spend in the future it would probably be some great deal package - like a 7* Leia for $50 bucks or something. That way at least I know where the money goes and I know what I get will be useful.

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  • Loose_Lee
    2733 posts Member
    edited May 2016
    Lol this thread is funny...i consider myself f2p although ive bought 1 of the 21 day 100gems a day pack each month for like $10 and bought the $50 10,000 gem pack on may 4th instead of a 12 pack of (soda ;) )and a bag of...(chips? o:)). Anyway, point being i get as much entertainment outta this game as a netflix subscription so yeah $10 aint that bad...so there.
  • I'm always thankful for Krakens and Whales or even a Dolphin for keeping this game alive and running.

    I've been playing for 2 going in 3 months now and fairly enjoying my experience as a pure F2P Player.

    My only complain in this game are the rewards both in GW and Raids.
  • Snake2
    1455 posts Member
    Loose_Lee wrote: »
    Lol this thread is funny...i consider myself f2p although ive bought 1 of the 21 day 100gems a day pack each month for like $10 and bought the $50 10,000 gem pack on may 4th instead of a 12 pack of (soda ;) )and a bag of...(chips? o:)). Anyway, point being i get as much entertainment outta this game as a netflix subscription so yeah $10 aint that bad...so there.

    So, you're a 'born again' f2p?
  • Loose_Lee
    2733 posts Member
    Well im not in the top 10% of spenders...maybe the bottom 10% :blush: regardless i have no issues with peeps spending big $ on game. Just adds flavor to it. As is theres plenty of stuff for f2p players.
  • I have been playing this game for a month and this is my first post. But, I have been wondering what the difference is since I started. I have spent a total of $25 on the game so far. I have put my yearly max at $60. I figure I spend at least $60 a year on video games so I am going to treat it like I'm buying the new version every year. I am thankful for those Whales for keeping this going I really love this game.
    However, can I progress in this game without spending more than that? I know I just need to be more patient but it seems like it will take a looooong time to get anywhere.
  • Fenominon wrote: »
    I have been playing this game for a month and this is my first post. But, I have been wondering what the difference is since I started. I have spent a total of $25 on the game so far. I have put my yearly max at $60. I figure I spend at least $60 a year on video games so I am going to treat it like I'm buying the new version every year. I am thankful for those Whales for keeping this going I really love this game.
    However, can I progress in this game without spending more than that? I know I just need to be more patient but it seems like it will take a looooong time to get anywhere.

    Try to not necro two and a half year old threads next time. Yes, of course you can progress if you don’t spend more than $60. I haven’t spent any money on this game in the 16 months or so I’ve been playing and I can make top 50 in my arena and have almost every character unlocked. Really all that spending comes down to is a temporary advantage since you’ll get stuff quicker than those who don’t spend. Unfortunately $60 a year won’t give you a huge advantage though, you’ll probably need to drop more if you want to progress noticibly faster.
  • Fenominon wrote: »
    I have been playing this game for a month and this is my first post. But, I have been wondering what the difference is since I started. I have spent a total of $25 on the game so far. I have put my yearly max at $60. I figure I spend at least $60 a year on video games so I am going to treat it like I'm buying the new version every year. I am thankful for those Whales for keeping this going I really love this game.
    However, can I progress in this game without spending more than that? I know I just need to be more patient but it seems like it will take a looooong time to get anywhere.

    Necropost, but I will answer anyways....

    I have to be honest here, the first 3 months or so of this game are a real grind..... But, when you hit level 65 and join a guild you will start to pick up steam, and you don't have to spend money to have fun or progress, but you do have to have patience and manage your resources.....
  • sorry about resurrecting the dead.

    After the first month and $25 I am at level 67 and have on 7* and one 6* and a full phoenix team at 4*. I agree, it will be a grind but I enjoy it so it's not so bad. Good to hear that it can be done.

    Thanks for the response, I will be more mindful of old posts. I'm just searching all over the place for info.
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