Station Cash............

[Esri]

I'm with Brasse.  Communication ahead of time would have been nice... I guess SOE will never learn on that front, but I'm all for SOE selling plat. I took a quick look at what they are selling right now, though, and I'm not paying for any of it.  I hope they don't stop putting xp potions in the veteran rewards to force us to buy them, but I'd live even if they did that.

I doubt this is the end of EQ2, but I'd be sad if that happened.  If you love EQ2, but are willing to quit over this, you are cutting off your nose to spite your face. If six months down the road everyone is running around in raid gear they bought from SOE, quit then.

[ThtreLady]

At first I was really angry - but the reason I was angry wasn't even that it was put in... it was that we had absolutely zero warning about Station Cash.  Now that I've had a night to think about it, Station Cash itself as implemented now does not bother me.  I still wish that communication was better.

I am also a worrier, and I will be watching to see what gets added to Station Cash in the future.  If it stays silly fluff items, then no skin off my nose.  If, in the future, items that genuinely impact my gameplay experience get added, then I'll have to re-evaluate.

However, there isn't any other game out there right now that I'd like to play so for now I'm staying put.  Just, wishing the communication was better.

[Esri]

If it stays silly fluff items, then no skin off my nose.  If, in the future, items that genuinely impact my gameplay experience get added, then I'll have to re-evaluate.

Not picking on you, ThtreLady, but could you expand a bit on what items would "affect your gameplay" and in what way? Other than selling better gear than you can get in-game or, god forbid, actual levels, I can't imagine what they could sell that would affect me. People buying stuff doesn't affect me anymore than people raiding 30 hours a week for stuff. 

[Thales]

SOE already treats different customers differently.  I bought the direct download version of TSO because I didn't want to waste all the materials that went into making the box and the pewter statuette, neither of which I wanted.  As a result, I didn't get the cool mount that everyone else got.  That does affect my gameplay, because now I have to spend a lot of time doing group crafting quests to earn tokens so I can buy an equivalently good mount.  Those of you with bears bought your bears, and I haven't heard much grumbling about that.  I think the whole Station Cash thing will turn out to be a non-issue.

Thales

[Annerotica]

Very good point Thales!

[Gildan]

SOE already treats different customers differently.  I bought the direct download version of TSO because I didn't want to waste all the materials that went into making the box and the pewter statuette, neither of which I wanted.  As a result, I didn't get the cool mount that everyone else got.  That does affect my gameplay, because now I have to spend a lot of time doing group crafting quests to earn tokens so I can buy an equivalently good mount.  Those of you with bears bought your bears, and I haven't heard much grumbling about that.  I think the whole Station Cash thing will turn out to be a non-issue.

Thales

Umm, you could buy a mount for very little plat that is the same speed already.  Or you could have done live updates for a similar speed carpet.  And you can never get the bear mount short of buying the box game.  SoE published this information well in advance so you knew exactly what you were getting, it was your choice.  So, you chose to somehow impact your play (which you didn't) because you went with the digital download instead of the boxed game.

[Annerotica]

And also good point Gildan.  Now all of you...stop confusing me! *snickers*. 

As I sit back now, a day later, and look at it in its totality, I believe the biggest thing that bothered me was that it was sprung upon us...and due to my husbands profession and mine, we don't like sneaky!  But I am completely over it now, and love the cartoon that Brasse did on the subject.  I will now go back to being a quite force within the guild lol.

Anne

[Qoru]

I don't have much to say... Just that I don't like the idea at all. But as it doesn't affect me much, I don't care much as well.

But I think they will offer more in the future... The current stuff doesn't seem like it's worth the development cost and making people angry. let's see.

[Thales]

Umm, you could buy a mount for very little plat that is the same speed already.  Or you could have done live updates for a similar speed carpet.  And you can never get the bear mount short of buying the box game.  SoE published this information well in advance so you knew exactly what you were getting, it was your choice.  So, you chose to somehow impact your play (which you didn't) because you went with the digital download instead of the boxed game.

Oh, you're missing my point.  I wasn't complaining about not having a bear, I was pointing out that, if SOE treats different customers differently, it's nothing new and it's not necessarily bad.  Of course I could have paid for the bear.  I chose not to.  As you say, I knew I could get a similar mount another way, so I decided it didn't matter.  Annerotica was worried that other people would get to buy something that she would not have access to, and that this would affect her gameplay.  I was pointing out that that already happens, and isn't a big deal, so it probably won't become a big deal.

I take your point, though, about the fact that the Station Cash was not announced well in advance.  Still, I think it will turn out okay.  If not, we can all move to another game and found a new Stealth! 

[ThtreLady]

If it stays silly fluff items, then no skin off my nose.  If, in the future, items that genuinely impact my gameplay experience get added, then I'll have to re-evaluate.

Not picking on you, ThtreLady, but could you expand a bit on what items would "affect your gameplay" and in what way? Other than selling better gear than you can get in-game or, god forbid, actual levels, I can't imagine what they could sell that would affect me. People buying stuff doesn't affect me anymore than people raiding 30 hours a week for stuff. 

That is my concern.. that at some point in the future a genuinely good weapon/armor/whatever will be available only if I pay $XX station cash dollars.  It has since been pointed out to me, that when that occurs, whoever does purchase said good weapon/armor/whatever will most likely be laughed at by nearly everyone on the server for having to buy a weapon/whatever without earning it.  A point I'll conceed.

I'm also concerned that Station Cash will get all the new armor looks, but that would be almost suicidal of SOE and I think better of them than that.

Mostly, I think I was just upset because of no warning and that this may (may) be the start of a slippery slope.  Something I'm watching, not something I'm quitting over.

[Brasse]

I hate the term slippery slope. I really do.
MMOGs change constantly. If they did not, we'd all still be playing Ultima Online, and it sucked.
We cannot regulate change, and can only influence it with our wallets. The things that work will generate profit for game companies, and those that don't work... well, there are a LOT of MMOG choices out there.

The more choices players have in how they play, the happier I will be.
I CANNOT, and moreover WILL NOT sink 40 hours into getting some piece of fancy armor. If I really need it, and can buy it, it doesn't break the game for some guy who got it for "free" by spending his 40 hours in game instead of working. Time is money, money is time.

If some guy buys his level 80 character and outfits it with uber gear through cash (legally), what do I care? If he sucks, I'll never group with him again, and if he's really good, I have a new playing partner for instances. In beta, there is often an SOE bot that will artificially level you and another that can grant ubery gear. When people start LFG, they do differentiate between "LFG, copied 80 Mystic", meaning a slowly leveled player who was copied over from a live server, as opposed to someone who has never played the class before.

Hell, for that matter, I know plenty of level 80s who got there the hard, "legit" way and have camped/farmed nice gear... who suck.

Selling gold in game? No brainer. PEOPLE BUY IT ANYWAY. Make it legal, regulate it, and allow the companies who built the game to profit, instead of grey-market gold farmers, because you know... they're not going away.

Anyway, let's just go play, shall we?
;-)#

[Eenie]

 Make it legal, regulate it, and allow the companies who built the game to profit, instead of grey-market gold farmers, because you know... they're not going away.

Anyway, let's just go play, shall we?
;-)#

Hmm... seems this is one of the major issues, arguments for the legalization of  pot!...

[Brasse]

Yeppers, and I am all for legalization of marijuana as well.
Worked well for everyone involved in the alcohol industry. =)
Mmmm, beer.

[Kilum]

I don't see a problem with this at all. Its all 'Fluff' stuff, nothing useful at all.

After being away from EQ2 for 2 years (My time flies), I left my lvl 70 Berserker with all legendary/Fabled armour etc and could join a raid with no problems. Now I find items can be made with better stats, my own stats are greatly reduced because I have very few 'Achievement' points to add some of the more powerful skills and can barely kill a heroic without getting killed. It would be nice to be able to buy a few plat in this situation just to get myself 'On Par' again but I have never done that before and I will grind away (Again) until I am able to partake some of the more interesting quests.

[Kami]

My biggest problem here? I don't like being lied to. Smed said they'd never put RMT onto live servers, and guess what..? Here we are.
I also dislike how it came out right after an expansion, with no warning to its coming. A lot of people would not have bought the expansion had they known about SC. (So says the 70+ page thread on the official forums, anyway..)

Personally, I don't like RMT. I will not be buying anything off of the marketplace, and I will not be using the 150sc they gave me. If other people want to, fine, no problem to me - yet, anyway. We'll see where it goes.
If they ever add plat or vital items to the market place my years of EQ are done. Sorry, but if I wanted that sort of thing I'd be on an exchange server. I'm not for a reason. (And yes, if it happens you can have my crap Brasse. All 10 plat of it. :p)