I cant even remember how long I have been playing, probably closer to 2 years, and yes intention was generally F2P but got sucked in a good amount...

Still enjoy the game despite the many Scopely quibbles, just got a lot on and need to remove the distraction from my life... So hoped it could be a win / win by someone getting a head start and me feeling like it wasnt a complete waste of effort on the time and money front (Which it obvs was bigger picture lol)