After One Month of Playing

[lilmoo]

Hi everyone, I thought I would give my thoughts on the game now that I have been playing for one month. I understand that is a very short time so my comments are going to be very broad based.

I deposited and have been playing a lot over the past month, it has really been about 5 weeks as I spent the first week sweating. I really like this game and have been playing online mmogs since the first Diablo and probably played about 20 different ones since, all the big titles and lots of the smaller ones. I am one of the few who like the option of selling in-game items on ebay so I thought this game would be a good fit for me.

I guess my main concern has been talked about over the years but I have not found any threads. The number one thing I would like to see this game do is go to a monthly subscription fee. They could offer a tiered based system but a monthly fee system where all player funds stay within the game would be a much more open and fair system as long as they also unnerf the skill system which is my second concern.

If the top players have an economic advantage as some say they do, then why on Earth should I continue to play when I can't achieve the same? The players who deposit are getting ripped from the top players which they can't become and then somewhat by the non-deposit players, at least it seems that way to me.

The only way to play this game and really advance without spending hundreds or thousands of dollars at this point is to be a trader and that option will not be around for long as prices seem to reaching a limit and it will become more difficult with more and more (L) items.

I think part of the problem is that MA tries to protect the top players and top gear to much, at the expense of the game itself. I also think the current stance of MA is to get as much money from the player base as fast as possible before the leave, instead of trying to keep a growing player base by returning more peds to them. For example if you go to vegas with $1k and play one hundred hands of BJ, you likely will have between $950-1025 left. This is not the case here at all and that is why I suggest a monthly fee, with all player deposits staying in the game, unless withdrawled.

MA will not like a monthly fee system because it would remove their ability to take funds whenever they like. They would then have to live on a budget and would also have to change and try to keep the players happy so that they would continue paying the monthly fee instead of the current plan which seems to be to take as much as possible and as quickly as possible from the players before they leave.

As for the skill system I don't see why they could not unnerf the system until the new game engine is ready to go and then at that point start an uber skill set which all players would begin and all players could be on an even keel with.

 

[Smoerble]

The number one thing I would like to see this game do is go to a monthly subscription fee. They could offer a tiered based system but a monthly fee system where all player funds stay within the game would be a much more open and fair system as long as they also unnerf the skill system which is my second concern.

Hello lilmoo,
welcome to EU (ok, a little late after one month). We totally understand your point of view, but let me show you the other side of that argument:


Monthly fee is unfair to adult players
Let's say, I am a family father. I have a job, 3 kids and a house. That means, I can play maybe maximum 10 hours per week, because for me, real life is more important. If I play "the other big MMORPG" (monthly fee based), the following happens:
I start at the same day as my kid, but after one month of playing, he will be too bored to run around with me, as I am still on a total beginner level, while he is already level [xxx].

In an RCE game, it is possible to say: ok, I don't want to do that annoying thing for the next 3 weeks, I rather spend additional 10 US$ and "jump" up some levels.

Yes, a kid cannot do that (as usually kids don't have enough money ), but imagine a game where I cannot do some jumps while spending extra money: these games are totally worthless to me.

Of course there are a lot players who prefere a game where every one has exactly the same possibilities... but if you see "time spent in a game" as a resource too, then a monthly fee game is way more unfair to someone who has a RL job, compared to someone who is in school (half day free) or to an adult without a job (20 hours/day online).


Another thing is: If you Entropia would be monthly-fee-based but you wouldn't have maximum skills, then it is totally uninteresting for a new player to ever start with this game:
You would never have the chance to "catch up" to someone who joined 3 years before you.

 

[lilmoo]

I mentioned a tier based system, by this I mean a system which allows anyone to continue to play for free but with some type of tax on transactions.

If a monthly fee and tax was used this would ensure everyone paid towards the upkeep of the game, even non-deposit players would put some of their effort towards the game and those who make money from the game would also have to contribute. The way things are now only those who deposit and lose money contribute, which drives these very players away. There would be countless ways to combine a monthly fee and tax system but still keep the game free to those who do not wish to deposit and also still keep the economic advantage to the more experienced players.

As most of us know this game has a pretty bad rep amoung the general gaming community and I think if MA removed itself as the dealer and only remained the house where people play they could become more mainstream.

I read a quote from Mark who I guess is the owner of the game and he said something along the line of "We only expect people to play for 6-12 months before quitting". That is something he needs to try and change and I would bet if you asked players why they leave the number one reason would be the cost of playing the game.

Anyway I am just musing around and without knowing the particulars it is impossible for us to know what is best but I do get a strong feeling that what is being done currently is really only best for a select few and not for the broad playerbase. I hope MA does go public and creates an IPO because if they do I am pretty sure we would see a more player friendly game.

Edit:

Imagine if when MA comes out with the new game engine if they also opened up a brand new game server with an option of having one character on each server or transfering your old character to the new server with a 20% loss on all skills.

What this would do is allow newer players to compete against simular skilled players. Someone with 100 agility would likely not transfer because doing so would mean they would only have 80 agility. On the other hand it might be worth moving if you currently had 50 agility.

It would be a huge advertising point if something like this was done when they are ready to bring out the new game engine and most gaming companies would likely do something like this but MA seems think protecting the small click of ubers is more important then growing their game or making its bigger player base happy.

This is probably because decisions like these are made by these very players who want to keep their elite status regardless of any other benefits to the game.

 

[Djarro Morgari]

imo, subsciptions suck, you always have the feeling that if you are not playing, you are wasting money on it.

The nicest thing about this is that you can play whenever you want.
I know that evryone profits and doesnt need to deposit, but i have to deposit, and im not ashamed about it, but when i want to play i throw in a few dollars, and i can play whenever i want, how i want anf for how long i want.

Like lotro, you play one month, it is still enjoyable, you buy an another month, and in the first week of the second month you are already bored, with entropia i would say, lets buy an huge amp and go burn miningpeds, and your done, but with the fee you always have the sorry feelings for the money you wont ever spend.

 

[Dion Red Strike]

A monthly fee will never happen.

But, I would like to comment on your top players taking all the loot'. The simple fact of the matter is, it's not true. This is a common misconception amongst newer players (and some older players). It's a back and forth really, ooo a noob got an ath... ooo an uber got an ath...

But, none the less, good to hear your opinion, good luck on your travels troughout Entropia Universe, and most importantly, have fun!


~Red

 

[Talason]

For example if you go to vegas with $1k and play one hundred hands of BJ, you likely will have between $950-1025 left. This is not the case here at all and that is why I suggest a monthly fee, with all player deposits staying in the game, unless withdrawled.

We already can do this(what is in italics and in red), so now why add a monthly(what is italics and in black) fee?

imo, subsciptions suck, you always have the feeling that if you are not playing, you are wasting money on it.

The nicest thing about this is that you can play whenever you want.
I know that evryone profits and doesnt need to deposit, but i have to deposit, and im not ashamed about it, but when i want to play i throw in a few dollars, and i can play whenever i want, how i want anf for how long i want.

Like lotro, you play one month, it is still enjoyable, you buy an another month, and in the first week of the second month you are already bored, with entropia i would say, lets buy an huge amp and go burn miningpeds, and your done, but with the fee you always have the sorry feelings for the money you wont ever spend.

Unless you have lifetime subscriptions to LoTRO

 

[Gluepot]

I play this game because it is a free RCE game where I don't have to put anything in, but I can take something out.
Add a subscription and I quit, and so do half the other people who play the game.
Considering only 10% of newcomers stay in the game, I do not consider this to be a good idea.

 

[Kerham]

Threadstarter is one of the most smart newbies I saw on EF for a long time.

And I must say I am astonished that players who put in game hundreds/thousands of $ are against a monthly fee of say 20$. Yay at the logic.

A system without a kind of general taxation is bound to fail.

There is a reason why IRL we all pay taxes & imposits. This game aims to be RCE, where R stands for real. Try to think economics, not whatever you imagine you understand of the game.

Add a subscription and I quit, and so do half the other people who play the game.
Considering only 10% of newcomers stay in the game, I do not consider this to be a good idea.

Ye but probabilities are that you and that army leaving would be replaced fast by other players, in bigger numbers.

And between "I quit" from somebody who doesn't pay a subscription and "I quit" from somebody who does pay a subscription, what do you think has more weight?

 

[Sarah Hawkwood]

Tax system:
auction fee, commision fee, fee for uploading avatar content and posting it, monthly payments for shops, hangars and so on. Even decay is a kind of tax we all pay to play.
What else do you expect? What kind of taxes?

This game is not owned by Marco. Marco is just one of employees of company which developed this game. And where the hell have you find the information that they want players to stay for 6-12 months? Quote your sources plz.

There are many ppl coming to EU from various different universes, thinking it will be the same, just they will be able to make money. No, it is not the same. It is not a game you will be able to hit level 100 within a month of playing. And it's not about having the highest skills and the best gear but about being able to face the challenge.

You say that ubers are the group MA protects... I don't think so. With all L stuff even less skilled avatars can be a competition for avatars being around since 2003. So I would say rather small group of ubers has bad situation. Not only more and more ppl get to skills similar to their's, but more ppl can use cheap L stuff with stats similar to uber toys that cost thousands of USD. Talk with ppl with 200k + skills and ask them if they have any special rights.

Most of ppl who play EU are here because of freedom this universe offers. Yes, there are ppl who dump hundreds of USDs in this game. But there are also ppl who do not pay more than they would pay in monthly subscribtion fee based game. If you want subscribtion, you can have it. You can pay 15 USD per month, no matter what happens ingame. But still, it is your choice.

One of reasons I play EU is the lack of subscribtion. I can have more important expenses IRL and still, my ava is there, I can always log on and play. Noone forces me to pay anything if I don't want to or can't do it atm. I can choose how fast I'm willing to progress to. I can also choose if I want to make money or just have fun.
I know I won't have the same skills as most seasoned avas here within a month. And ok, fine with me, I can handle the challenge and like it. That I won't have uber toys older players have? So what? I don't need them anyway. And yes, I think that if non depositining players (especially seasoned ones) quit, it would be more painfull for the universe than quitting of any person in subscribtion based game. I don't know how long average ava lasts in subscribtion based game, but let's say it's a year. If so, such person quitting means loss of 50-100 bucks for game admin. And such person is easy to replace. If someone quits EU after a year, it can mean withdrawing something like 1k USD and such person doesn't even have to be replaced, as money stay in EU economy anyway. Some other person will buy skills and gear, taking place of such ava. It can be new player, but can be old player as well.

Monthly fee will rather never happen in EU. It's not the best model available. And MA already put a lot of efforts into promotion of "unique economy model". They do realise, that with payments as they are now they make more money and that ppl will turn bling eye for some bugs in the "free" game. And good, as this would mean serious crash of EU and lots of ppl quitting. Gluepot is right here and not only she would quit EU. Many players would follow, not replacable without serious marketing campaingn which would cost MA lots of cash.

 

[Djarro Morgari]

A monthly fee will never happen.

It's a back and forth really, ooo a noob got an ath... ooo an uber got an ath...


~Red

LOLOL thats so true ......... its just scary

 

[Kerham]

Gluepot is right here and not only she would quit EU. Many players would follow, not replacable without serious marketing campaingn which would cost MA lots of cash.

How should I draw this?

MindArk needs real money -> real money come exclusively from depositors (ah and advertisments lol) -> depositors drop in more money than a monthly subscription

A subscription would be good because wouldn't exist freeloaders (for lack of a better term), and the pressure on depositors would be smaller.

I deposited 7,5k$ in 3 years. That means > 200$ monthly. Where in all world you saw a mmo with such subscription? Nobody forced me to deposit that, ofc but if suckers like me wouldn't have deposited, then wouldn't exist money for withdrawals, you know?

Depositing keeps EU running, not the "free to play" aspect.

EU can very well have say a trial period like most of other mmos so newcomers can get a taste of the game.

Of all causes in the universe, a subscription would be the last to make EU collapse.

 

[Trux]

Threadstarter is one of the most smart newbies I saw on EF for a long time.

so true, i wanted to say the same..



lilmoo. you seem to be an experienced online-gamer, and all of your thoughts seem correct to me.
anyway, once you stay a little longer in EU you will understand that EU is something like the 'other alternative' in the MMO-jungle. it's unique and its system is unique too. it may have a lot of downsides, but the uniquness alone seems to be enough to keep a tiny share of all gamers here.. the EU-ppl.
we are the freaks of online-gamers. ppl who play classic games lough at us. usually we don't even know why we are here ourselves, but we know we will stay.

GL in this game, if you are looking for a challenge, EU offers it.
which kind of challenge? you choose yourself!

HOF HOF!!

trux

 

[Lerxst]

Monthly subscriptions? bye bye...

The fact that I don't have to deposit is part of the reason why I play. I cycle a lot of ped a day through the system regardless if I am a "freeloader" or a depositor. If the game as it is now wasn't working MA would have waxed it a long time ago. People are allowed to find free stuff and sweat for a reason. People with ped, depositor or not, create decay. Sure deposits keep the economy going but the big picture is about MA keeping as many people as they can using stuff up.

 

[Miles]

No

EU is different from games.

If you want a monthly fee, you are free to pay one already.

If you want a monthly fee-based game (where everyone pays a fee), you have plenty of other options.

And no, MA does not expect people to stick around for 6-12 months - that is the average for MMORPG's. EU players tend to stay longer than average (likely because of the RCE). I think you missed the gist of that quote from Marco, (and he does not own the game, he just works for MA).

It seems like what you are looking for is "fairness", and in all honesty you have come to the wrong place. EU, like RL is not fair. If you think you need to "compete" against ubers, you are thinking game-think. Fair is a place you take the kids.

EU is not a competition to won, or a race to the top. It is a world to inhabit; to live in and work in and play in, but it is not a game. Some have more, some have less. People come, some stay, some stay a very long time. Many leave, some right away, other at different stages along the way. Some go and return. To be balanced, EU needs a mix of players, from top to bottom, and there need to be more on the bottom than the top. As players come and go this balance is maintained. If everyone could easily be uber, uber would be meaningless and EU might as well be WOW.

Also keep in mind that MA plans for EU to last for decades. For that to viable, progress must slow down. It also means that those of us here to today, including the OP, will be far ahead those that come years after us (if we stay).

Yes, someday I may too may be uber - but by then there will be uber-dubers. Oh well



Miles

 

[BruteForce]

NO to monthly fee ...

EU is different from games.

If you want a monthly fee, you are free to pay one already.

If you want a monthly fee-based game (where every pays a fee), you have plenty of other options.

And no, MA does not expect people to stick around for 6-12 months - that is the average for MMORPG's. EU players tend to stay longer than average (likely because of the RCE). I think you missed the gist of that quote from Marco, (and he does not own the game, he just works for MA).

It seems like what you are looking for is "fairness", and in all honesty you have come to the wrong place. EU, like RL is not fair. If you think you need to "compete" against ubers, you are thinking game-think. Fair is a place you take the kids.

EU is not a competition to won, or a race to the top. It is a world to inhabit; to live in and work in and play in, but it is not a game. Some have more, some have less. People come, some stay, some stay a very long time. Many leave, some right away, other at different stages along the way. Some go and return. To be balanced, EU needs a mix of players, from top to bottom, and there need to be more on the bottom than the top. As players come and go this balance is maintained. If everyone could easily be uber, uber would be meaningless and EU might as well be WOW.

Also keep in mind that MA plans for EU to last for decades. For that to viable, progress must slow down. It also means that those of us here to today, including the OP, will be far ahead those that come years after us (if we stay).

Yes, someday I may too may be uber - but by then there will be uber-dubers. Oh well



Miles

Couldnt have said it better myself + rep (no NEW taxes) - or fees

 

[Gluepot]

MindArk needs real money -> real money come exclusively from depositors (ah and advertisments lol) -> depositors drop in more money than a monthly subscription

Non-depositors give money to MindArk as well.
I am a hair stylist, every bit of hairgel, hair spray, hair coloring set, etc. goes right into MindArk's pocket. It was looted by some hunter, and purchased by me, and then I basically flushed it down the toilet when I used it to cut somebody's hair.
Considering I use about 5-10 ped TT of materials per haircut, just imagine how much money MindArk makes off of all the haircuts given in the game....
MindArk profits not only off of depositors, but off of the non-depositors who spend money ingame as well.
I never once deposited, but my armor still decays. My FAP still decays. My weapon still decays. It is fed into MindArk profit.

 

[Leandro Kun]

So you would like a monthly fee introduced, depositing to be stopped but still want the option of withdrawing ped?

Why would MA agree to that? To reach the current turnover they would have to charge a high monthly fee and reduce loots. Many players would not be happy and leave.

Who buys there gear? In fact how do you buy anything? The monthly fee gets changed into peds? What happens when you've spent them, i suppose you can sweat for the next 2 weeks until the direct debit kicks in and you have your monthly quota of peds again.

Sure, you could setup an option where you could supplement your peds by depositing, but then nothing changes.

I really cant see how this idea could ever be actioned without completely changing the game EU is. Its not as simple as saying i want to play EU, but want a monthly fee.

 

[Staffas]

As gluepot says and is a proof of, it is possible to enjoy EU for free without depositing, the depositing players will pay for these people too (as you say Gluepot, you make a profit with haircuts, but the so called lootpool does not recieve anything from your hard work (both up to this point and after).
To be a non depositor you have to be smarter and take your time with everything.

This was all going to come back to why I prefer EU the way it is instead of a subscribtion fee.....

ok lets start again.

I have plaied loads of other MMOG (like OP) but it is the same there as it is here, there are already highly skilled players and I will have a hard time to catch up with them (unless you start att he same time, and then I fail on the lack of time and fall behind anyway).
To be successfull in pretty much anny MMOG you have to be a high lvl player so that you can go on the cool quests or similar.

EU is very different here.
You can be a totaly new player and still do most of what the game has to offer (well to some extent) and as this is a RCE it all comes back to cash/ped.
I think that most agrea with me hear that success in EU is about breaking even or making a profit.
This is posible for entropians at most lvls, not only the Ubers.
As stated earlier in this thread, just because someone is an uber does not nessesarily mean that the make a profit hunting (I go with hunting here since it is what I know best ingame), you can do it on any lvl.
The difference is amount of time to make a sertain amount of peds. (I am guessing alittle here).

There are several non depositors in EU, both resently started and oldtimers. A subscribtion base would be a slap in the face on theese players that worked hard on getting to this point were they are today.

I am a depositor, and my shorttirm goal is not to make money out of EU, but to have fun. EU alowes me to have more fun than other MMOG just because of the lack of monthly fee. I can shoose how much and when I want to deposit, if I feel rich one month I might deposit alot and buy a cool uneco gun and go out hunting big mobs, and if I feel like taking a month off from EU I can do this too without that it cost me anything.

hmmm, I have rambled on about a lot of things now, lets try to come to some points:

*1. EU is not like any other MMOG
*2. Reaching top lvl in EU is not the most important part of EU
*3. In EU it is not possible to reach the highest lvl (if there is one) in 1 year like in most MMOG
*4. EU CAN be plaid with any amount of cash, even totaly free
*5. EU is trying to reach out for a new market, while most MMOG aim for the same people (young people with loads of time), and also conect to that market.
*6. If a montly fee was introduced and the posibility to deposit was taken away, it would just be another MMOG, it would not be an RCE anymore, and most of the existing playerbase would leave.

OP, give EU some time, try to not play EU like you would any other MMOG, learn about how everthing works in an RCE like EU and you will have a great time here.

Keep EU unique.

(my longest post on EF )

 

[zero wolve kool]

What i like about this game is the many comments posted by fellow entropians on this thread...

smoerble has an extremely good point that totally relates to me, i have a rl job, and family commitments dont allow me to do 16-20 hours of play per day... So if I want to get ahead paying extra is perfect.

Another example is the problem Im having at the moment, I moved from Victoria to New South Wales it took me 5 months to have internet connected to my new residence, 5 months worth of subscription fees when i didnt even play the game... no thanks

Now that I have my internet connection finally up and running my "you beaut" video card pooped it self and it will be another 4-6 weeks before i get a replacement thats 6 months of subscription fees when i was never in the game.

In my opinion this game is fair for both depositors and non depositors, if you dont have money, you spend "time" if you dont have "time" you spend money.

And to be honest i trully dont beleive ubers are protected, or that a noob will never reach uber status, money talks and sweat... well sweat is used for ME


Anyways

Good luck, have fun and stay away from my cross hairs...

 

[Genoma]

Maybe a ditto, maybe a different way to say the same thing. I still consider myself a noob, as there is much in EU I have yet to experience, and I've only been playing for half a year.

The fact is that MindArk has come up with a very successful formula, and many people enjoy the experience immensely, and all are free to follow their own path. EU is much like RL, and as such is as close to fair as any MMO will get, I imagine. I have a real life, and money to spend to cut down the time it took me to get to current skill and in-game wealth. I wouldn't play WOW if they paid me. I have no desire to put my 5-10 hours a week of game play up against someone who eats, breathes, and sleeps in-game. Not to mention those who would violate the spirit of the experience by using bots or cheats to skill up.

The beauty and genius of EU is the cash economy, without it, I and many others, I suspect, would have never started, or invested in this (maybe foolish, but richly entertaining) endeavor.

 

[Sarah Hawkwood]

I deposited 7,5k$ in 3 years. That means > 200$ monthly. Where in all world you saw a mmo with such subscription? Nobody forced me to deposit that, ofc but if suckers like me wouldn't have deposited, then wouldn't exist money for withdrawals, you know?

I agree, noone forced you to deposit. And this is the best part of this game.

And I deposit too. Don't even want to know how much I deposited, but I prefer to do it rather not very often and keep my deposits on reasonable density and value.

 

[Britz]

I must agree with Gluepot and some of the others on a couple of points.

1. I would most likely leave if I had to pay a monthy subscription.

2. EU is not your normal MMORPG.

I also enjoy the unique challenges laid down by EU. I started late last year, and I have found that this is quite an interesting place to inhabit. I have met some really nice people from all over the world, made some friends, dragged my wife Snookie in, made more friends, and I ENJOY it.

This is not a contest for me, it's a form of relaxation, of fellowship, and I think some that have been here for a while see it the same way.

Snookie and I use it as a way to unwind from our workday. We chat with our socmates, hunt, chat some more... The social aspect of EU is wonderful.

I have played only a couple of MMORPGs, and mostly you are too busy trying to finish one more quest, or hit the next level. There's no pressure in EU except the pressure you put on yourself. That in itself makes this a unique environment.

Stay. Explore. Enjoy.

Britz

 

[Kerham]

Non-depositors give money to MindArk as well.
I am a hair stylist, every bit of hairgel, hair spray, hair coloring set, etc. goes right into MindArk's pocket. It was looted by some hunter, and purchased by me, and then I basically flushed it down the toilet when I used it to cut somebody's hair.
Considering I use about 5-10 ped TT of materials per haircut, just imagine how much money MindArk makes off of all the haircuts given in the game....
MindArk profits not only off of depositors, but off of the non-depositors who spend money ingame as well.
I never once deposited, but my armor still decays. My FAP still decays. My weapon still decays. It is fed into MindArk profit.

Let's presume this highly improbable scenario:

Depositorus Epidemus strikes EU so overnight all depositors disappear from the game. Let's say that for 1 year the funds which MA still have from depositors will be enough to keep them runing.

You still do haircuts.

So after 1 year, with no depositors giving money into the system and you making haricuts, how is that haircut helping MindArk to pay, example given, their energy bill?

Through your beautician activity, you're not giving money to MindArk. I don't know how haircutting works, I presume the materials are used and the TT "vanishes". If player X came to you with (madeup numbers) 10 hair gels with a TT of 1 ped and a market value of 2,5 ped and you consume them, that means the following:

1. Some random sucker Joe deposited 0,25$ in EU.
2. Those 0,25$ transformed in 2,5 ped were used by Joe to buy hairgel.
3. Once hairgel is used, MindArk can take Joe's deposit from account A (income) and use it for whatever they need.

You as nondepositor don't give even 1 penny to MindArk because you should have them first in order to give them. You (and the rest of nondepo, be them traders or hunters or whatever) are just an interface through which MindArk controls a certain portion of their income.

Hence, if nondepositors would also pay a fee (let's say monthly mandatory minimum deposit, to put the notion in context), then would be less presure on depositors.

Now is clear?

And btw, if you give money to MA by decaying your fap, why don't you save some money by not decaying your fap, and go buy a leaf of bread IRL Maybe then you'll understand better how money travel in EU.

I don't hate nondepositors, but is a fact that every pence gained by a nondepositor comes from a depositor.

 

[Snabble]

I don't hate nondepositors, but is a fact that every pence gained by a nondepositor comes from a depositor.

Im sorry you never grasped how to play this game. Im also sorry your mentor must have been a retard for not teaching you how to play correctly.

For 100 ped consultation fee, ill work with you and teach you the way of the ninja...the reason i charge is because everyone in this game would want to hear what i have to say.... so if you seriously wanna master this game email me... I show you what i was shown ... the truth is, many people who deposit are set in their ways and they wont listen anyway... arrogance costs people millions of dollars every year in RL and in this game.

 

[Kerham]

Im sorry you never grasped how to play this game. Im also sorry your mentor must have been a retard for not teaching you how to play correctly.

For 100 ped consultation fee, ill work with you and teach you the way of the ninja...the reason i charge is because everyone in this game would want to hear what i have to say.... so if you seriously wanna master this game email me... I show you what i was shown ... the truth is, many people who deposit are set in their ways and they wont listen anyway... arrogance costs people millions of dollars every year in RL and in this game.

You should reread what I wrote. Is not a whine, is an economics discussion. Without depositors, you can't have nondepositors, shortly put.

As for arrogance, you could use a mirror

Or to use an example which you might be able to understand: if presumably all players of EU would e-mail you and *master* (lol) the game, then whos peds they will win?

And maybe you're so kind to tell me: if money gained by nondepo don't come from depositors, then where from? Santa Clause?

 

[alh]

A montly fee would mean a completely different kind of game.

If that is what you want, go play any of the dozens of montly-fee games out there.

MA does it differently, which gives a lot more flexibility to the players.
But more freedom, as always, also means you have to take more responsibility for your own actions...

monthly-fee model isn't really compatible with the RCE-model...

 

[Kerham]

monthly-fee model isn't really compatible with the RCE-model...

Care to explain this?

 

[alh]

Care to explain this?

Are you maybe suggesting a "minimal deposit per month required" system, and not a "monthly fee"?

That could be compatible, but limiting deposits per month kindof defeats half the point of connecting the ingame currency to a real world currency.

But I don't really see the point with even "minimal deposit per month required", will only lessen appeal of the game.
And nothing would be different really, you just lock out people that can't or don't want to pay up front.

Personally I think its a great model where you can deposit 0, but its really tricky to get anywhere then, or you can save time by depositing more if you want.

And the promise of possibility for gain makes people more involved with the game, which helps to create the great social world I think EU is.

 

[Kerham]

Oh, I mean monthly fee as a minimum limit, for maximum, each can deposit whatever they want

As for making the game less apealing, true, but what I think is that a minimum periodically deposit would ease the game for the majority of active playerbase. Imo. But also my opinion is that a portion of those who don't join EU are not joining exactly because is free 2 play. "you pay nothing and you can get money? too good to be true"-mechanism.

 

[krillehog]

Economy

You should reread what I wrote. Is not a whine, is an economics discussion. Without depositors, you can't have nondepositors, shortly put.

Depositing is not the only way MA makes money of, there's also different "taxes" (auction-fee etc) that you pay in-world as an earlier thread-poster mentioned.
So as long as there is PEDs in-world the economy of Entropia will spin and MA will get revenues. So they are not solely reliant on depositors.