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Although I personally don't have a problem with it: Station CurrencyI fear this will drive some peeps away from EQ2. Big changes.
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More Info from Clockwork Gamer: Go read more details here: Station Cash: Initial Functionality OverviewQuote:Once in, I’m shown that my in-game wallet has 150SC points already. There are several items up for sale already, ranging from 100SC to 1000SC. The items are, as follows:
* Flask of Achievements I -100SC
* Flask of Adventuring I - 100SC
* Flask of Tradecrafting I - 100SC
* Slimy (housepet) - 100SC
* Flask of Achievements II -300SC
* Flask of Adventuring II - 300SC
* Flask of Tradecrafting II - 300SC
* Grunting Warrior (housepet) -300SC
* Knight of Shadow’s End (fluff pet) - 400SC
* Handy Servant (housepet) - 500SC
* Zhog, Ghoz’s Little Brother (fluff pet) - 700SC
* Flask of Achievements III -1000SC
* Flask of Adventuring III - 1000SC
* Flask of Tradecrafting III - 1000SC
* Seafury Buccaneer Armor Crate (full set of fluff armor) - 1000SC
* Tunarian Alliance Armor Crate (full set of fluff armor) - 1000SC
Quote:As suspected, each point is worth $.01. Adding $10.00 would give you 1000SC, for example. To test the system out, I buy 500SC for 5 bucks (the smallest amount possible).
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here comes the flood: SOE Forumslooks like it is for Eq1 also: SOE - Station Cash
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I expect to get heavily flamed: Quote:
I am extremely glad to see this, and I think it should have been done months/years ago.
I hope SOE:
a.) Invests resources back in the game made from this
b.) focuses on high level content (because people can advance faster)
c.) Is completely transparent in what it is doing. Don't say this isn't RMT because this is from SOE to the customer as opposed a customer-to-customer transaction. Thats the wrong route. SOE should come out and say that we need to make money to keep pumping money into this game (that we all love) and we think this is the best way to do it.
This is a pretty monumental/fundamental change to the 2 AAA title MMOs, I think SOE (and the MMO-Shere) as a whole will be more receptive than people think to this idea.
From the SOE Forums
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For $10, your toon can look cool starting at level 1. Big win, imo. I already bought the seafury buccaneer set. Both armour sets look pretty sweet. I was hoping for some cool class-like hats though. I'm dying for a classless brigand hat. Somebody gift me... hehe.
Kinkle
90 Warden on Antonia Bayle
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I'm a little worried here by this news, since it could be the start of a long slippery slope, I think it really should have been limited to the station exchange servers to start with, things will get dire here if the items you can purchase start getting effectively needed to progress. At that point I would have to quit since I know EQ2 is an addictive activity but am happy to do it since the cost is fixed. As soon as the cost goes infinite either I dig into my wallet or step away.
In some ways though this early news isn't game changing, people have always been able to buy the collectors edition for special pets, a recruit a friend in WoW that blasts through most of the levelling in sometimes as little as minutes, or in WaR to receive a couple of levelling items. If they leave the impact only on the levelling part of the game then I'll be fine with it since it should be up to the players whether they want to enjoy or skip content as long as the raids and end game still keep their challenge.
While I can accept that they need to gather good revenues for the game to keep the quality up, I would argue here that they would be better doing this advertising it and getting games into shops, in the UK I remember a time when I couldn't move for huge displays of EQ stuff, now I have to order online since the shops I see just have out of date copies of the game left at best (one good idea here would be to allow people to buy them up to use like 30 day cards - at least it would keep the stock moving).
Also, I'm wondering if its the expansion or this announcement that has stopped the bonus XP weekends, seeing how the double XP weekend was busy. I do need to get back on here, been too much time bumbling around with my guild on WotLK, its a well made expansion, but the common complaint in the guild is the same, too much soloing content! Maybe there is not much more then usual, but going from raiding to soloing is jarring.
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Cyanbane wrote:Although I personally don't have a problem with it: Station CurrencyI fear this will drive some peeps away from EQ2. Big changes. I think its Gay... That's the best word to describe it. The only word that came out of my mouth when I saw it last night. Cause I am going to see stuff that I want and PAY with my hard earned cash for something that doesn't even really exist. So in the future will you see me buying some of this stuff ... maybe but I am not happy about it. SOE has all these people addicted already, now they want more then my $14.99 a month... damn... $14.99 a month for over 4 years isn't enough for a cool outfit and extra XP.... cocksuckers. :)
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Yesterday was my last day on EverQuest II :/
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josgar wrote:Yesterday was my last day on EverQuest II :/ Sorry to hear that Jos :( Although I personlly don't mind StationCash, I totally do see why it would drive some people to leave the game totally. I really think SOE need to rethink itself in the way it is presenting it to current players. There is no doubt in anyone's mind that it is RMT, thats why I don't understand posts like Smeds. I think they should be totally transparent about it, and in the end i do think it is a good move for the game even though I do hate to see influential players like yourself leaving because of it :( I certainly think it was a calculated risk, but in the end I do think it was a smart business move and it will be the method in which games support themselves in the future, if we like it or not.
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I don't have any problem with it at all. In fact I don't see how it has a very great affect on the game beyon creating another revenue stream for SOE which in the end is hopefully a good thing for all who love their game.
Theo
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Cyanbane wrote:I expect to get heavily flamed:
[quote]
I am extremely glad to see this, and I think it should have been done months/years ago.
I hope SOE:
a.) Invests resources back in the game made from this
b.) focuses on high level content (because people can advance faster)
If this is their new strategy then I think it will be a good one, in that case it should be in SoE's interest to get newer players to the end game as soon as possible, WoW has been successful with this strategy. As well done as the earlier zones are most people don't play a MMO to go solo (although the mentoring system is a superb idea to give older content a little life), the choice of pace can only be a good thing for everyone. Personally I would have no trouble with allowing people to start at higher levels if they wished, if it gets more people into EQ2 and enjoying the massive part of it it can only be good since anyone can level, a lot of people just don't have the time to plod through 80 levels to join friends. That same thing I know killed off WoW for friends of mine so its not a problem unique to EQ2. I'm still not happy seeing items on the list, but people who go around with the collectors edition pet have never ruined my game, so being outspent on cosmetics should not be a problem I guess, still feels dangerous. One thing of interest, WoW has always had paid character transfers, it introduced paid name changes, and now this morning... http://www.wowinsider.com/2008/12/10/character-re-customization-available-for-a-small-fee/For an extra $15 they allow people to change gender, hair, and face options, so it looks like SOE are not the only ones looking to increase their revenues. My guess here is that with the big Sony job cuts worldwide that SOE have been presented with the ultimatum - cut jobs or increase revenue, hence this has been dropped in fast to the game, I think we could well start then seeing some of the niche MMO's on station being killed off too next, I hope EQ2 doesn't eventually fall into that category.
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Worst decision ever. Now players will assume (and arguably are justified in doing so) that SOE's desire to dev anything for their continued subscriptions is lower than ever. Why should SOE adjust XP gain rates over time in any meaningful manner, if people would pay less. In fact, why not lower XP gain rates to foster purchases? This is just the beginning of the argument, it can go a lot further. SOE has heavily tarnished their name in the gaming business by doing this, and the truth is that even undoing their decision immediately would not restore it (though it would help.)
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Its a good idea - micro-transactions are the future of MMO gaming. That being said, I think the important issue is not that items are sold by the game developers but rather which items are being sold.
For example, being able to buy a cool robe and hat for real coin is not a bid deal to me. However, being able to buy XP pots that would allow you to level 25x faster could be a tremendous problem.
If SOE keeps micro-transactions to mostly fluff stuff all will be ok.
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