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Resigned.

Last gasps of a game trying to keep itself profitable. Maybe it's the new order of things in MMORPGs to come. It wouldn't be the first time it's been done (EQ2) or discussed (LoTRO). From a traditionalist standpoint, I'm against it but... well, I can't fire up any outrage any more.

I just bought a full set of elaborate defiant silk armor for my new necro for 12k pp in the bazaar. You do the math.

Personally, none of this will affect my playing of EQ.

Everything that I have read so far points to convienence (extra xp) or customization type of items. It is not like the armor bundle is full Crystallos armor, or they are selling plat (yet).

I agree that the direction the game is going is not the greatest, but this change is more of ethics instead of impacting actual game play.

In some regards, if it keeps the game alive so be it.

I think about the only thing I would be interested in is the Adventure/XP potions. Would I purchase, probably not but you never know.

I have to remember during the anniversary event to go and get another 10 shot of the xp potions.

As long as what you can buy doesn't really change what you can "honestly" do in game, then what does it really hurt.

I would gladly buy items if they were not so expensive. 2 hours xp bonus for $10? That's very expensive.

If the prices come down, I'll be a regular shopper. (No not mommy's money, my money)

I canceled both of my Accounts because of this. My RL Wife and I have been playing for 8 years and this was the proverbial nail in the coffin for us.

I view this move as very hypocritical of Sony to "sell" items for real world money. This is simply not the correct solution to current EQ problems.

Here is what EQ Needs:

Server merges.
Fix existing content (broken quests, etc.)
Get rid of XP potions (Or make them hard as hell to get)and Hot Zones.

I really do not know what to say beyond this, other than we will miss the fallen giant known as Everquest.

Bonechip the Springy Sprocket Stockpiler
(Formerly of the Stromm Server)

Well, for years Sony has been condemning it, now they are condoning it. It is flat out hypocritical!

If you can simply buy the stuff you want, why bother earning it.

(EQ in the near future)

Patch message...

Greetings Norrathians!

We have implemented a new add on for Station Cash! Characters!

For a mere $500 you can buy level 85 Necromancer with level appropriate gear!

Etc.

--------------------------------------------

Fact is, the game is already easy enough as it sits (alot easier than the old days). This is just another way to attract the WoW brats. This "feature" was never in high demand with the Core EQ base.. Never. Yet, they added it anyway.

If anything, they should look back at the old days and say to themselves.. Hmm what was it that made the game so popular? I can tell you... it was challenging.

With EQ today.. the challenge is virtually non existent.

Mercs
Portal Stones
XP Potions / Hot zones
Corpse summoning NPC's
Overpowered gear / Weapons too easily attainable
Heal, Haste, Buff potions, again too easily attainable
And now, Sony Cash

Sure these things make the game convenient, but it also thew the entire game off base from what it was.

That enough of a good explantion of why alot of people resent this change? If not, then you just don't understand the ramifications of it or you weren't around to see EQ when it was really fun.

I will say that the in-game items are ****. Aside from the potions, they're just ornaments which scream out "Look! I'm a tool who paid $10 for this sword graphic!"

The xp potions are the only thing "worth it" because they're not traditionally available. Maybe the mana potions if they scale for level and you're 85. Haste potions sell for 14pp or so and that's 112pp for 4 hours. Hell, using my IGE snark, you could buy 1,072 hours of haste for $10.

Bonechip, sorry to see you and Yyin go =/

I don't understand this logic.

So the players who have 50+ hours a week to raid should play my characters for me so I can get raid gear too because I can only spare 5+ hours a week to play?

I'm against it because I'm a traditionalist and like my game world to be self-contained. Allowing the purchase of items (or plat or powerleveling or whatever) eliminates that aspect and, to me, cheapens the experience of being in a virtual game world. I fully realize this doesn't apply to everyone.

Way back in 1999, Everquest was the realization of every dream I had when I was twelve years old and imagining what it'd be like if you could play real D&D on a computer instead of trying to get 3-4 interested people together at the same time for a several hour block. Fourteen years later, I didn't care that you couldn't see your exact mana numbers or that you had to hoof it everywhere on foot or that corpse runs were God awful or that you were wearing crappy armor crudely sewn together from torn up puma hides -- this was living in the world I'd dreamed of.

Stuff has chipped away at that over the years. Dumb stuff like floating tags saying <Bag Vendor> and magical floaty paths and insta-transport and all of that. It's okay... the original Norrath made for a great world but not the greatest of games when you consider that you play a game to have fun and not to sit for ten minutes watching your health bar crawl up. So, you trade off between immersion and playability.

Selling of items for cash bothers me because it represents the complete elimination of the fourth wall dividing the game world from the real world. Furthermore, unlike game enhancements like vendor titles and OOC regen, this seems more like a blatant money-grab from SOE rather than an attempt to make the game better for the players. If SOE just wanted us to have better access to XP potions, they'd be on vendors, common quest rewards, etc. So that's why it bothers me -- it's a spoiling of the immersion of a game world for the sake of a few bucks by the same people (to a greater or lesser extent) I once thanked for giving me that world in the first place.

Hmmm....

are they banning this from test????? or is offer to them to.... ireally hope not