SirLobo93 Eh... to be fair - my time estimates were based on the very LONGEST chapters I've ever seen on Qidan. Not the average chapters. And not those dinky little 3-stone chapters take me barely a min to read. Also, just because I follow that many novels doesn't mean most of them update daily. (One group has very consistent monthly releases)
As for how I find the time? Simple. I don't watch tv! (And I'm old enough not to be in school anymore)
Hmm.... I bet this fake reviews "contest" got reported more times than the actual reviews they received. I wonder if Qidan will even apologize for encouraging unethical behavior or... just quietly delete this post and pretend it never happened.
I wonder how many of the current reader base are "fast readers". Obviously, Qidan is gearing up to target slow->average readers, so I'm curious how effective their ad campaigns have been. I think a poll of "reading speed" might be quite telling!
Ok - anyone on forum or comments will quickly notice a deep split in opinions on the Premium system. Some think its fair, and some don't. Both groups use numbers to back up their claims and... they use different numbers. Both are right! The problem is two different groups of readers.
Group 1 - the "average reader". These people read at average or slow speeds. A single chapter will usually take an hour or more to read and they simply don't have the time to follow more than one or two novels. The free spirit stones are calibrated to just about keep up with this group. For them - the system is fair. And it even encourages the occasional buy of a handful of stones when time allows for a bit more reading than normal.
Group 2 - the "fast reader". These people read at a MUCH faster rate than average. I happen to be one of them and... even the longest chapters on this site rarely take me more than 10 min. The shorter ones I can read even faster! I am perfectly capable of reading $1,000 US (hardcover new-release prices) worth of book in less than a week! This is why my book collection is almost entirely paperback and ebook. And even then I need to focus on library and free novels as much as possible. I'm currently following MORE than 100 web novels and webcomics on more sites than just this one. Nor is my reading speed unique.
Now - Qidan is obviously used to having lots of Group 1 customers, and little-to-none of Group 2. The problem is that much of their current customer base is Group 2 English readers who picked up Chinese translations out of sheer desperation because they ran out of other stuff to read! Their current spirit stone method is simply unreasonable for fast readers, very few of which would be willing to spend $4 a DAY to read everything they want. (I did the math, my current daily chapters would cost 200~400 spirit stones per day)
Interestingly enough... Qidan appears to have the exact same issue on their Chinese site too. Fast readers simply resort to piracy instead of complaining tho. Us English readers haven't done that.... yet. So far we are just complaining. Don't think it matters tho - Qidan doesn't want the money of Group 2 readers.
Well... you could work around that slightly. The daily spirit stones allow you to unlock about 3 chapters every 2 days. If you spend that on the chapters that will unlock themselves tomorrow... you wasted your stones. If you spend those stones on the chapters that will unlock WEEKS later.... and use self-control to not read them. You get your self a binge once a month or so. Or save up stones until the oldest ones are about to expire and THEN binge.
Either way... you will never, ever catch up. NEVER.
Good thing she contrasted that song with her HORRIBLE tango so it at least sounded ok in comparison. Have you ever heard Chinese Opera? It sounds NASTY to Western ears. Oh well, whatever gets the boy to talk, right?
Ok - now that Immortal Mortal is a full TWENTY-TWO chapters of locked "premium" content - there is no way a free user is ever gonna catch up. After all, the free stones only ever allow 1-and-a-bit chapters per day over regularly scheduled free releases. So the one chapter you manage to unlock is only whatever would get unlocked tomorrow.
Unless.... you start unlocking from the BACK. And either work backwards to the free chapters, or allow the free chapters to catch up to the hole you are unlocking in the chapters. This will allow for a binge-read every.... two weeks or so? Meh - better then nothing.
I got additional information when clicking my level - the reason I lost ALL my exp and saved spirit stones because of "skipping ads". But... you can NOT avoid that! You only GET the "skip" button after the ad plays! And if you let it sit... and sit... and sit... it eventually (after about 15 min) displays a "Success" button that.... totally hides the chapter! Reloading just puts you back at the "watch ad" button.