SOE selling gear

[Ughbash]

[Bloxr Fatso]

It's talked about in small print on the patch update at http://forums.station.sony.com/eq/posts ... _id=143940

Good money-making scheme on their parts...

[Kruzar]

I think this is something they were doing previously in EQ2. I have mixed feelings about it being in EQ1, but maybe it would allow us to purchase some of those LoN things without having to go through the dumb card game. The only thing that I could even think about purchasing would be a cool mount of some kind... but that is just me.

My other question is if everyone got the station free money.

[Bigcat Daddy-o]

I thought they had this for quite a while in EQ2?

Based on it being some xp potions and such, ornamentation and 'starter' armor, none of it looks game breaking. More amusing to me personally. If I get some station cash for free, you better believe I will be spending it up on some double xp potions, and good chance that I would buy some double xp potions for leveling up at the next expac, or if i decided to make a twink... Come to think of it, I am still a couple levels short of 85 on my monk. hmm...


Does that make me a bad person? Or just a bad player?

If people could run out and buy the latest greatest group or raid gear from this, I wouldn't be too pleased, but in the final buy out days of EQ (whenever that might be) I wouldn't be surprised if they tried to milk the last few drops of money out of this by offering more and more of same.
It's a business, and one that has an expectation to meet a bottom line. They have to strike a balance between running the players off, and generating a set cash flow, coming up with new novel ways to do so. Just like in my company there are people in operations, people in commercial areas (like me) and people in Business development. The guys in Business development have quotas targets and goals just like the rest of us in the work world. They have to keep coming up with new ways to generate cash flow, or they don't get to keep their jobs. Pretty straight forward. Someone up the line has to say 'yea or nay' on their ideas. I am sure a BD guy would be suggesting that they sell as much of everything they can, where the head of the business units have to decide what is long term best for the business (in this case, the continuity of the game).
The developers also have to keep coming up with new and interesting stuff for us to do to retain and (god let it be so) attract new and returning players. Does something like this help or hinder? I'd say help. It's a daunting task to build a new character up from scratch. A lady in my guild has come back from scratch and I think some days it is a bit much for her. I wish I had been able to give her my xp potions because I enjoy playing with her. Been pling her here and there, but this may help a lot in speeding that up. Folks that outright hate (like me) leveling up to the new level, but love it when they get there might be indulging in some xp potions.

I dunno right or wrong on this, and on the surface it might seem a bit crass and commercial, but anything that has potential to attract new or returning players I lean to be in favor of.


Rambling again wasn't I? Sorry.

Peace

[Huurgh]

[Bigcat Daddy-o]

[Ughbash]

Bah, just got home so I could see their website.

Guess I can't out fit my alt warrior in end game SOD gear

[Wudedorff]

How much does Station Cash cost?
Currency USD AUD DKK EUR GBP NOK SEK CHF JPY
100SC = $1.00 $1.60 Kr 7,00 €1,00 £.80 kr 7,00 10.00 Kr CHF 1.20 ￥100

SOE reserves the right to modify these conversions at its sole discretion at any point in time.


Whew..I was afraid they were giving away the bank.

[Sebekiz]

I understand that Sony is also selling a 50% exp bonus potion with a 2 hour duration.

After I read the email this evening I went and cancelled my account. I admit I haven't been that impressed with how Sony was watering down the game, but the decision to sell even the pathetic in-game offerings they are starting with for real life money has convinced me that my time with EQ is over and done.

[Kruzar]

So... are they gonna put more in there or something? I just got home and logged in and really there isn't anything in there that I would spend money on. There is nothing really game changing. The xp potions.. ehh.. they are alright.. but not game changing by any stretch of the imagination. There are 2 familiars offered, but no stats on what they do.. probably just follow you around and give you nothing. A couple of ornamentations...

If I was to even buy something from here it would be for a cool mount.... at least throw the LoN items in here or something. What is in there right now is just ehhh..

[Sebekiz]

[Bigcat Daddy-o]

Have fun whatever you do then! BTW, It's a 4 hour 50% xp potion I believe f0r 10 bucks.

In any case, I logged in to the marketplace last night. Took me a while to find out how to do it, but finally found it under the little EQ button. I do indeed have 150 sony bucks! So I looked through the stuff and the only thing that really appealed to me right now that I could afford was the 4 hour clarity potion that lasts through death. It is 26 mana regen per tic. My average playing session is probably just under 4 hours, so that seems to be a once a night thing. The sony buck cost was 100 (= $1 US apparently).

Now I run 3 casters in my box group. $3 per night would add close to $90 a month for me in cost to use these. I think not.
I'll use these free sony bucks and that will likely be the last visit to the marketplace... at least till the next expac when I have to lvl again... I don't know that I would pay $10 bucks a night (*4) to get 50% xp boost though. bit pricey imho.

In any case, it's a funny idea. I think their logo should be changed to 'You're in our world now, but it is looking a lot more like your world!' . Next they need to add a 'the rich keep getting richer' aspect to the game. Maybe have a goblin stock market, that can crash at some future time due to a dragon housing market problem in Western Wastelands, but everyone who had over a million plat in the market mysteriously got out the night before the crash leaving all the little people to eat the pain.
And interest from the banker! I want interest on my plats!!
They need to tie the in game economy to the real world economy too. By providing these marketplace items for plats as well as real world money. If they don't know what the market is they can check the plat seller prices and use that as a starting point!

Do you remember in 2000, when the EQ plat was the most valuable curency outside of the G7 countries of the time? It was for a time selling at 0.5 USD per plat. That was comedy at it's finest!

As far as being 'fair' that has never been the case. Rich kids been buying their way in to this and other games whenever they wanted to. Daddy Warbucks surely provided all that was needed to keep Jr. happy and powerleveling services abound. Somebody is using those services, or they would have faded in to the wood work by now!

Peace

[Kriyn Nutzforcatnip]

You could buy loot cards with real money, so this is just an expanded version of that service. Most of the items you can buy are basically just LoN loot items anyway. None of it is ground breaking, or will push players over those that put in the effort.

[Kruzar]

Like I said in my previous post, I don't see any of this as game changing. I have been playing EQ for quite awhile, not quite 9 years, but I have been playing for a long time. I always laugh when people say they are going to be leaving the game for one reason or another. Its just a game, and should be looked at as such. I do really like the changes that have been put into the game here as of late, and yes there have been things that have kind of ticked me off in the past, but I won't leave the game for a minor annoyance. One of the things I love about EQ is that it is really my game... I play it how I want to play it...if I want to just sit in the GH and tradeskill, I can do that... if I want to raid, I can do that... but if I want to just go slaughter grey cons I can do that as well... if you don't like the marketplace stuff.. don't buy it.. if you do.. well more power to you...

And yes.. I do think this is just another way for Sony to make money, but so was LoN.

[Sowslow]

[quote="Kruzar"]Like I said in my previous post, I don't see any of this as game changing. I have been playing EQ for quite awhile, not quite 9 years, but I have been playing for a long time. I always laugh when people say they are going to be leaving the game for one reason or another. Its just a game, and should be looked at as such. I do really like the changes that have been put into the game here as of late, and yes there have been things that have kind of ticked me off in the past, but I won't leave the game for a minor annoyance. One of the things I love about EQ is that it is really my game... I play it how I want to play it...if I want to just sit in the GH and tradeskill, I can do that... if I want to raid, I can do that... but if I want to just go slaughter grey cons I can do that as well... if you don't like the marketplace stuff.. don't buy it.. if you do.. well more power to you...

And yes.. I do think this is just another way for Sony to make money, but so was LoN.[/quote]
Got to agree. This is as game changing as LoN. You can pay for a few clicky toys, but I haven't seen anything game changing from either product.
Sebekiz, lots of people like doing things the old way and not keeping up with current trends and new ideas, they're called Amish. Have fun somewhere else.

[Funi]

Heh, I enjoyed your post Bigcat and I'm with you on that. I've actually never bought a thing in LoN and don't plan on even opening the marketplace thingy. I even won a clicky illusion in LoN beta and a few things after that like potions and some storm glowy thing from buying an expansion that I've never claimed.

It's my belief that it won't stop with potions, familiars, or ornaments. Sony has shown that it has lost any and all respect for the game and now EQ is nothing more than a cash cow for the milking. I think once Sony sees how much money they can make the items you can buy will get better and better in order to make more and more cash. It's a business that doesn't answer to us and they are here to make money and it just wouldn't make since for them to not make as much as they can. At some point high end guilds will expect you to have items that they deem necessary for you to do you job much in the way these guilds expect you to have your epics. Imagine a Shaman trying to join Triality that doesn't have his epic. Now imagine that item can only be gotten through RL cash.

Would anyone be blown away if the EXP going forward is reduced each expansion and better and better exp potions come up for sale? The first ones free...

[Kriyn Nutzforcatnip]

Xp was slow this expansion anyway, but I only used Lessons when it was up. I never thought about buying xp potions cause I wasn't in a hurry to lvl. I would guess that they aren't going to start selling high end gear through this method. Also, I haven't seen this lack of respect to the players or for the game that you speak of Funi. The sky is falling mentality always comes out when something new is intraduced. Give it some time before claiming things will happen, and just enjoy the game. If you aren't having fun then it probably isn't in your best interest to keep playing. Eventually if something like you say does happen that at least least you'll know who's giving out their cash for items.