Sony Exchange - Page 2

FenaImayan · 04-20-2005, 08:22 PM

I can't even pretend to understand or predict how this will affect the future for players that just want to play and earn their rewards over purchasing them to be honest with you. This was so shocking that I don't have my thoughts fully wrapped around it, but one red flag that made my stomach drop when reading the letter this morning was this statement:

Based on the results of this poll, we will light up a certain amount of new servers that are specifically "Exchange enabled." If the percentage of players who want this service is high enough, we might consider converting some existing servers to "Exchange enabled." Players who want to play on those servers will have the opportunity to transfer over to the "Exchange enabled" servers for free on a one-time-only basis (but you can't ever move that character off these servers). We will, of course, let people who don't want to stay on an "Exchange enabled" server off with a free transfer.

I have seen alot of people comment: "as long as it is kept on another server and I dont have to be around it I don't mind"......well what if your server gets converted. I have 3 characters on Mistmoore, a guild, heck I just finally earned enough money to upgrade to a better house in SQ. Now "depending on how many people want to participate" they can just say "oh btw Mistmoore welcome to platinum farming hell." My only choice is to then uproot my characters, my guild, find a new server etc. etc. What about all the great people on my server that could just end up dispersing to a bunch of different servers and I we lost the opportunity to see and hunt with them. It is such a bummer to even think about.

If SOE is set on doing this then I am BEGGING don't take existing servers and convert - if you want to do it only add new servers that will be flagged as Exchange. I can honestly say that if I have to try and uproot everything my friends and I have worked so hard for just to find a new home......well that home wont be with EQ2.

Maybe this is the smallest worry to have regarding this letter, but right now in my little corner of the EQ2 world the thoughy of losing my home on Mistmoore to authorized and encouraged plat farmers just makes me so sad :smileysad:

*Keeping hope that the right thing can still somehow be accomplished*

Message Edited by FenaImayan on 04-20-2005 09:25 AM

mong · 04-20-2005, 08:35 PM

Just shocked,can't believe there going to allow this.You would think that they would have brought this to the front page of the EQ2 launcher and asked for player opinion befor making a statement like this,

(First: It's obvious that a large percentage of our players either don't mind this activity or actively participate in it. We've done a fair amount of homework on this subject, and we believe this is a $200 million dollar market worldwide, and there are a huge number of our players taking part in the buying and selling of virtual goods. We have conducted polls, and the vast majority of players either doesn’t care about it or would like to participate in it. We believe that by allowing this to happen on select servers, we can have a solution for both the many players who want to participate in this and for those who don’t.)

I wasn't asked my opinion about this. My answer is NOOOOO but i didn't get the chance to voice it, not even an opinon poll while loging in. This means if you do not read and post in all the forums then you are just left in the dark.

How verry sad SOE SMILEY
I guess that alot of people will be looking to make big decisions about staying.Not sure what i'll do but giving serious consideration to finding another game.

Glaxton · 04-20-2005, 08:54 PM

I want to voice my opinion, but this caught me so off guard that I don't know what to say. Guess I'll go with the simple version.

NO TO THIS BS IDEA!!!

So, anyone know any other good MMORPG's other than WoW? Starting my search now.

/cancel subscription

Message Edited by Glaxton on 04-20-2005 09:55 AM

Ceryene · 04-20-2005, 08:58 PM

There are 2 ways of looking at this .. i for one posted my reply as NO WAY... but with the ever increasing knowlege of making programmes to run for you to farm or craft for you .. in some ways Sony is in a no win situtation .. for as many as they ban, they just buy more accounts and start all over again .. with a bot team of 1 tank 1 healer and 4 nuking wizzys it doesnt take long to level.. and thats what we see on splitpaw .. these bot groups farming names ... from what i have been told ... macro gathering farmers .. dunno how its done but apparently it is ..

Now in some ways Sony is saying ok we cant stop it .. BUT we can try and control it .. by doing it on specialized servers and they control how its run and how the items and coin prices are ... this in a way can also stop them as Sony will have the upper hand .. BUT on the other hand will the botters and farmers move to these servers .... or will they stay put and still keep agrivating the genuine player who play for fun...

So its something to think about .. i know i was horrified when i first saw this post .. you can read my reply.. but after sitting down and talking to my son in law .. who also plays eq ... we both agreed it has its advantages and disadvantges .. i know its made me stop and think ...

Dimgroth · 04-20-2005, 09:00 PM

I have a really bad feeling about this, its like the Dark ages have come to Eq2, soon well be logging on those of us that remain in Norrath, to find friends up and missing, having had enough, everyone walking about with a bitter attitude and still the farmers and bots and evils of the world will continue to thrive, because Soe gave them the thumbs up, its hard to prosecute these people because SOE themselves are doing it. I dont like it at all, it says alot about SOE.

The_Witchfind · 04-20-2005, 09:05 PM

Not so long ago, they made a big deal out of "Over 700 exploiters? No thanks!"

No thanks, we'll just legitimise their activity instead. Problem solved! See, they're not exploiting any more!

So perhaps various governments could make their crime statistics look good by legalising murder, [Removed for Content] and burglary.

Cloudi · 04-20-2005, 09:05 PM

Directly pasted from my reply in our guild board... ---- Very mixed feelings about that... If it means 1 or 2 new servers become exchange enabled and all the greedy ebay farmers "widdle" off there, then I'm all for it. What I won't accept is being on that server i.e. having my server converted. Contrary to popular opinion it's not the first mass multiplayer world to officially sanction RL trading - Linden Labs (Second Life) beat them to that. And it's sucked ever since... sure, it's grown to about 100x the size but only due to a) the publicity and b) lots of greedy people flocked in and started trying to make money. It's so full of money grabbing, backstabbing and general greed that the original purpose and "magic" of the world is long lost, and unless you keep to a small circle of friends you trust it's not a very pleasant community now, IMO. The other thing that happened is all the people who are rich IRL own entire 'sims' (zones) of land, have lots of power and basically run the world. Those who can't pour extreme amounts of money in, however, can do very little. I'd hate to see that happen to EQ2 - attracting greed and making it so only the RL rich can get anywhere. I for one play games to escape reality. Sure we already have a few people unofficially farming to sell on ebay, but that's nothing compared to what we will get when this goes live...

redoule · 04-20-2005, 09:31 PM

so apparently they haven't seen any data relating to how these activities destroy online games like Lineage II? I bet they are looking for a cut of the pie. Greedy [Removed for Content].

Glaxton · 04-20-2005, 09:37 PM

The only way this could possibly work is if ALL the bot/farmers move the these new exchange servers and completely abandon the normal servers. This will never work and here is why I think that.

1. Too much competition - Why go to an exchange server and compete with 20 to 30 others when you can compete with maybe a hand full on a normal server.

2. Lack or Profit - Companies like IGE will have their customer base cut dramatically. They will end up going from bots on all servers, in both market places down to maybe five servers.

I'm sure there are more reasons I can think of but I'm too frustrated right now. I think those two right there will get others thinking as to why this won't work and why creating these exchange servers will not change a single thing.

Avadale · 04-20-2005, 10:15 PM

The_Witchfinder wrote:

Not so long ago, they made a big deal out of "Over 700 exploiters? No thanks!"

No thanks, we'll just legitimise their activity instead. Problem solved! See, they're not exploiting any more!

So perhaps various governments could make their crime statistics look good by legalising murder, [Removed for Content] and burglary.

[Removed for Content] - good one.

Man - what a kick in the groin for those that abide by the EULA and try to play the game as intended. Its bad enough this goes on behind SOE's back. Now they have SOE's blessing. Im so [Removed for Content] beyond words.

mossi · 04-20-2005, 10:46 PM

A Horrible Idea - Sony must be really hard up for money...

OOOHHH, look at my brand new Level 50 Warrior with the best

armor and weapons with Master level abilities, on sale now for

the LOW, LOW PRICE of $100 US + 20% commision to SONY.

Don't I feel special now...

Ethi · 04-20-2005, 11:36 PM

Ceryene wrote:

There are 2 ways of looking at this .. i for one posted my reply as NO WAY... but with the ever increasing knowlege of making programmes to run for you to farm or craft for you .. in some ways Sony is in a no win situtation .. for as many as they ban, they just buy more accounts and start all over again .. with a bot team of 1 tank 1 healer and 4 nuking wizzys it doesnt take long to level.. and thats what we see on splitpaw .. these bot groups farming names ... from what i have been told ... macro gathering farmers .. dunno how its done but apparently it is ..

Now in some ways Sony is saying ok we cant stop it .. BUT we can try and control it .. by doing it on specialized servers and they control how its run and how the items and coin prices are ... this in a way can also stop them as Sony will have the upper hand .. BUT on the other hand will the botters and farmers move to these servers .... or will they stay put and still keep agrivating the genuine player who play for fun...

So its something to think about .. i know i was horrified when i first saw this post .. you can read my reply.. but after sitting down and talking to my son in law .. who also plays eq ... we both agreed it has its advantages and disadvantges .. i know its made me stop and think ...

Remember that what makes money harvesting bots IS players who buy there stuff. Forget about the Botters you can't really stop them. However the players that like to buy this stuff drive that economy. If you can provide them a place where they can buy stuff without risk, without fear that their account or items will be taken, and where the prices are no doubt cheaper then they will move to these servers.

Its really that simple. This isn't about forcing the botters to move. This is about encouraging the players that create the botters by buying from them to move! I think at this stage it is only a new server. If it takes off and lots of people leave existing servers then they may need to convert servers and move people around to balance populations. As long as they are providing people with an option to freely move I really don't see what the big fuss is all about.

Juravael · 04-21-2005, 12:19 AM

This "Exchange idea" just sickens me to no end!!!

I am very put off by this and even a bit angry :smileymad:

Hroga · 04-21-2005, 12:22 AM

What, pray tell, prevents me from creating an alt on an Exchange server, buying the goods there, and then paying Sony to move my character from the Exchange server to a regular server? Add item to shared bank slot...done. Main character has the pilfered goods.

This idea is so bad on so many levels. When is society going to clean itself up? When will the first money-grubbing corporation do something responsible? This is merely pandering to the "Me first and right now" culture we have created for ourselves. And now our games, where we go to escape that world, are no longer insulated. I've busted my tail to get my character to 41/43 and now what? So I can watch a bunch others run past me with their credit card? What I really don't get is why nerf after nerf on characters and abilities have taken place in the spirit of "fairness" and "levelling the playing field" and then this crap happens. Not only is this completely inconsistent and hypocritical, but I believe it to be unethical.

Shame on you, SOE. I'm going to sleep on it and see what I think in the morning but I'm pretty sure my decision will be to walk away. Just pathetic.

Here's another thought: Why would I risk joining a group of other people claiming to be my level now? If they bought their way to a level, then they'll just be hammerheads that don't know how to run their character. The result is, if I die enough times because of this, I won't group with people I don't know anymore. Period. That seems to put a hickey on the whole idea of MMORPG if you ask me. Basic trust in the community is eroded/eliminated. Stupid, stupid, stupid.

Message Edited by Hrogath on 04-20-2005 01:28 PM

Cerivus2 · 04-21-2005, 12:48 AM

I would like to buy lvl's 37-48 for let's say $7 bucks a lvl.

oh yes also I would like to buy 100 plat and some other sweet random gear form my new character. Oh yes and by the way can I buy some new game content as well that will be full of bugs and glitches?

Sweet.

Why even play?

Shizzirri · 04-21-2005, 01:18 AM

I've also heard rumors from some sources that Sony online entertainment and Yantis Enterprises (plat sellers) are considering a partnership anyone hear anything about this? I'm wondering if that has anything to do with this announcement.

Tekila1982 · 04-21-2005, 01:32 AM

Just my NO to this idea!

Very stupid move SOE!

Getting rare items is one of the main parts in this game, where's the fun when people can just come and buy their stuff with RL money?? When this really goes live on my server there's no way for me to play EQ2 any more.

I really don't know what's wrong with you SOE guys, better add some interesting ingame futures instead of thinking about this *$%#&! exchange system. Such a waste of time

Message Edited by Tekila1982 on 04-20-2005 02:47 PM

URM8K · 04-21-2005, 01:36 AM

bad idea. just keep it like it is until bf 2 comes out, then i can sell my lvl 50. necro and cancel. way to suk it deep soe.

Message Edited by URM8K3R on 04-20-2005 02:37 PM

Tuetatesu · 04-21-2005, 02:23 AM

I'm conserned with how this may impact the in-game economy. Will more people choose to sell loose or hand crafted items for real money then sell them in game for EQ coin? And how will that effect other people wanting particular items but don't want to be forced to buy them with real money if they want them... rather choose to use EQ coin they earned in game.

Some items will be driven exclusively out to the real $$$ market leaving the in game market bare I fear! And I think that is a bad thing. I don't want to be forced to look to real $$ for items I need in a game.

URM8K · 04-21-2005, 02:39 AM

Tuetatesu wrote:

I'm conserned with how this may impact the in-game economy. Will more people choose to sell loose or hand crafted items for real money then sell them in game for EQ coin? And how will that effect other people wanting particular items but don't want to be forced to buy them with real money if they want them... rather choose to use EQ coin they earned in game.

Some items will be driven exclusively out to the real $$$ market leaving the in game market bare I fear! And I think that is a bad thing. I don't want to be forced to look to real $$ for items I need in a game.

thats a good point. i'll bet you wont be seeing many rares or master spells on broker anymore.

Cloudi · 04-21-2005, 03:20 AM

Shizzirri wrote:I've also heard rumors from some sources that Sony online entertainment and Yantis Enterprises (plat sellers) are considering a partnership anyone hear anything about this? I'm wondering if that has anything to do with this announcement.

OMG... talk about sleeping with the enemy. No offense, but I sincerely hope you're wrong...

Squi · 04-21-2005, 03:41 AM

I am shocked to the core with this announcment, i never thought i would see this day but its happend. Roll on vanguard. :smileysad:

eqfo · 04-21-2005, 04:18 AM

I'm conserned with how this may impact the in-game economy. Will more people choose to sell loose or hand crafted items for real money then sell them in game for EQ coin? And how will that effect other people wanting particular items but don't want to be forced to buy them with real money if they want them... rather choose to use EQ coin they earned in game.

Some items will be driven exclusively out to the real $$$ market leaving the in game market bare I fear! And I think that is a bad thing. I don't want to be forced to look to real $$ for items I need in a game

Now you're thinkin, as I've said else where, a couple times...unless they handle this like test, where you log onto a completely different and closed set of servers, the economy balances will effect everybody. In other words when the economy on the exchange servers goes to hell, and it will, the code changes to fix it, will also take effect on the rest of us (if I'm even still here, which I seriously doubt). The whiners and criers on exchange servers will be posting the changes they think needs done to "balance" their game, when in fact the balance went out the window with the baby and and the bath water. Now they have a right to seek game changes, I mean after all, they'll be paying more money to play, won't they?

kingdave20 · 04-21-2005, 05:14 AM

I have been in EQ2 about 3 weeks and this just blows me away. They gave into greed and the allure of an untapped market, for shame. This will change nothing in regards to botters, most servers still complain of botters with pictures and proof and guess what? Yeah they still are botting right now, they might have banned 700 but they missed some big names. This does nothing more than drag the good name of Everquest through the mudd and leave it there. Congratulations Smed just when I thought you guys couldn't screw up anymore you proved me wrong and converted EQ2 into your own ATM machine. The new combat system that rewards you for tanking naked and now the exchange, my god what next? /Sign me NO

Cyber_Cowb · 04-21-2005, 05:20 AM

Let me state that I'm not going to partake in this, I seriously hope that Blackburrow doesn't fall to the Exchange system. However I don't really have a problem w/ this if others want to. The way I look at it the old saying holds true "Time is Money" some people have more of one, some people have more of the other. Why should person A who is a collage kid (not sterotyping just have been in collage and know there are a lot of down time there.) who can play for 10-12 hours a day be able to get the "Uber" items by spending time questing and such, where as person B who is a CEO of a company, but only plays 20-30 min a day not be able to pay for items. If he feels that he wants to enjoy the game as a lvl 50 monk and it's worth $500 to get that monk w/ all the loot he wants why not let him? Both money and time are assets people usually have more of one or the other.

Message Edited by Cyber_Cowboy on 04-20-2005 07:17 PM

SheetMonk · 04-21-2005, 06:09 AM

/Signed No

Bad idea Sony. Please rethink. You are sucking the adventure out of this game.

Misseh · 04-21-2005, 06:56 AM

Ok, while I find the idea of it appalling, I have been going over some of the pros and cons of it, and here is what I have come up with.

Pros

Players will be more likely to buy from SoE than IGE and related companies

Players will not be banned for buying from an approved source, cutting down on complaints to SoE, thus creating more time to deal with real customer service issues.

Players might make a bit of real money for all thier efforts, which can be recycled back into the game for more items and so on, eventually crating a larger cash pool for SoE which, one hopes, can lead to more GMs, MODs, Devs and the like.

IGE and similar companies will have severe profit cuts in EQ2, and if this works, all SoE games. Might make them go work more on WoW or something and get out of our hair.

Cons

Servers that do not participate in Station Exchange will still have botter problems, as not all players that would want to buy are willing to give up older characters on non SE servers.

Will they create new ones, or will they use servers that are already in game? This one is a big one, because of how many people could be displaced completely in the whole mess.

Animosity between servers. Up to now, we've all been unconcerned about servers, other than the occasional "Why do you like yours" thread, which rarely degenerates to name calling. Once this is in effect, people against the whole thing might not be so nice to people on those servers, and vice verse.

Many players will not know how to play thier characters, because they never learned each ability and what it does, they never did the quests, and they never spent the time getting to know thier toon. I can honestly say that I would be reluctant to play with a purchased character for fear of dying because the peron behind the toon didn't know their stuff.

Anyway, that's the major stuff I came up with. Now I don't want to sound rude, because there is enough of that in this thread already, but I think it'd be wiser for all of us to step out of the black and white for a moment and really LOOK at what these changes could mean.

If you can think of more pros and cons, please post them. At the same time, try to keep them feasible, because I've seen some pretty outlandish stuff all over every board about this, such as people claiming its the end to all botting and that the whole game will crash and everyone will quit if it happens.

Seriously folks, let's really think about this, rather than make wild accusations.

/sign me Undecided

The_Witchfind · 04-21-2005, 11:37 AM

Well, one positive thing may come out of this: if they implement it, I'll sell my characters to some sad scumbag and leave the game. At least then I'll have some compensation for all my wasted time.

Nhon · 04-21-2005, 01:16 PM

OK, a couple of points that I am sure will get me 1-starred.

-Where did J. Smedley say SOE was going to take a commission from the Exchange server sales?

-Someone have any VERIFIABLE FACTS regarding SOE profits here?

-Where are all the bots? Seriously, I have a 45 toon, and don't think I have ever run across these horrible villlains. I am not saying they aren't there... Just haven't seen them, or heard anyone in-game complain. My Guildmates haven't mentioned it... ever.

-Like every other major change in a MMOG (Luclin, anyone?) bazillions of people rant and cry and swear up and down they are going to leave the game. And, sheeplike, don't. Baaah, Baaah....

-I am mostly peeved at the folks whining about something they really don't know anything about. Facts, not conjecture and wild speculation, folks... if you have real figures, please post them. In a fit of self-serving ire, I posted http://www.ethersblog.blogspot.com

I could be totally off-base. It's happened once. I played WoW for a while, until my brain began firing all synapses in the right order. I then realized that EQ2 is much more fun for me. But it took a bit to find out.

Then again, I am not competing with a total stranger over who has a MOB-dropped Belt of Instant Geekdom. If I see an obvious exploiter, cheater, or cretin that is somehow ruining the game for me, I will gleefully report it. But someone else having uber equipment that they bought with RL cash makes no difference to how I play.

My experiences, and my accomplishments are what is important to me... not some total stranger's. Maybe I am in the minority there.

As far as a ruined economy... well, people have been saying it was shot since day 3. Lore, No Trade, etc, makes a big difference, and with the off-line selling, the economy was reeling anyhow. I don't see there being much real change on existing servers. I admit, I have no hard and fast facts there.

OK, so people may feel betrayed by SOE. I am sorry. Can't say a lot about that, other than I think that the super-suits at Sony have thought this one through. They ARE in it for the money. YOUR money. You being fired up and quitting = <$ 4 SOE. I am relatively certain this crossed their minds. It doesn't make fiscal sense for them to alienate their subscriber base. Then again, most of the folks on the boards here are simply bleating about quitting. Baaah, Baaah...

This post isn't intended to insult, but I think a little objectivity is called for. Unless I missed something, we haven't a lot of facts or figures, and we have a surplus of conjecture rumor, and wacked-out theory. Someone please educate me?

Batelu · 04-21-2005, 01:17 PM

I just want voice my displeasure with this Exchange program. It will ruin the great game that EQ2 is, and kill its future.

I really enjoy playing EQ2 and don't want to see it die in such an amoral manner. We don't need inept players with top notch equipment and spells because their daddy has RL cash to [Removed for Content] away on them. We don't need high level characters that bought their way there. Right now, when you see a level 50 character with good equipment, you know they earned everything they have. If Exchange does live, that will evaporate.

Please, SOE, let EQ2 die this way.

If and when Exchange goes live, is the day my account is terminated.

04-20-2005, 08:22 PM	#31
FenaImayan Loremaster Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 23	I can't even pretend to understand or predict how this will affect the future for players that just want to play and earn their rewards over purchasing them to be honest with you. This was so shocking that I don't have my thoughts fully wrapped around it, but one red flag that made my stomach drop when reading the letter this morning was this statement: Based on the results of this poll, we will light up a certain amount of new servers that are specifically "Exchange enabled." If the percentage of players who want this service is high enough, we might consider converting some existing servers to "Exchange enabled." Players who want to play on those servers will have the opportunity to transfer over to the "Exchange enabled" servers for free on a one-time-only basis (but you can't ever move that character off these servers). We will, of course, let people who don't want to stay on an "Exchange enabled" server off with a free transfer. I have seen alot of people comment: "as long as it is kept on another server and I dont have to be around it I don't mind"......well what if your server gets converted. I have 3 characters on Mistmoore, a guild, heck I just finally earned enough money to upgrade to a better house in SQ. Now "depending on how many people want to participate" they can just say "oh btw Mistmoore welcome to platinum farming hell." My only choice is to then uproot my characters, my guild, find a new server etc. etc. What about all the great people on my server that could just end up dispersing to a bunch of different servers and I we lost the opportunity to see and hunt with them. It is such a bummer to even think about. If SOE is set on doing this then I am BEGGING don't take existing servers and convert - if you want to do it only add new servers that will be flagged as Exchange. I can honestly say that if I have to try and uproot everything my friends and I have worked so hard for just to find a new home......well that home wont be with EQ2. Maybe this is the smallest worry to have regarding this letter, but right now in my little corner of the EQ2 world the thoughy of losing my home on Mistmoore to authorized and encouraged plat farmers just makes me so sad :smileysad: Keeping hope that the right thing can still somehow be accomplished Message Edited by FenaImayan on 04-20-2005 09:25 AM __________________

04-20-2005, 08:35 PM	#32
mong Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 1	Just shocked,can't believe there going to allow this.You would think that they would have brought this to the front page of the EQ2 launcher and asked for player opinion befor making a statement like this, (First: It's obvious that a large percentage of our players either don't mind this activity or actively participate in it. We've done a fair amount of homework on this subject, and we believe this is a $200 million dollar market worldwide, and there are a huge number of our players taking part in the buying and selling of virtual goods. We have conducted polls, and the vast majority of players either doesn’t care about it or would like to participate in it. We believe that by allowing this to happen on select servers, we can have a solution for both the many players who want to participate in this and for those who don’t.) I wasn't asked my opinion about this. My answer is NOOOOO but i didn't get the chance to voice it, not even an opinon poll while loging in. This means if you do not read and post in all the forums then you are just left in the dark. How verry sad SOE I guess that alot of people will be looking to make big decisions about staying.Not sure what i'll do but giving serious consideration to finding another game.

04-20-2005, 08:58 PM	#34
Ceryene Loremaster Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 2	There are 2 ways of looking at this .. i for one posted my reply as NO WAY... but with the ever increasing knowlege of making programmes to run for you to farm or craft for you .. in some ways Sony is in a no win situtation .. for as many as they ban, they just buy more accounts and start all over again .. with a bot team of 1 tank 1 healer and 4 nuking wizzys it doesnt take long to level.. and thats what we see on splitpaw .. these bot groups farming names ... from what i have been told ... macro gathering farmers .. dunno how its done but apparently it is .. Now in some ways Sony is saying ok we cant stop it .. BUT we can try and control it .. by doing it on specialized servers and they control how its run and how the items and coin prices are ... this in a way can also stop them as Sony will have the upper hand .. BUT on the other hand will the botters and farmers move to these servers .... or will they stay put and still keep agrivating the genuine player who play for fun... So its something to think about .. i know i was horrified when i first saw this post .. you can read my reply.. but after sitting down and talking to my son in law .. who also plays eq ... we both agreed it has its advantages and disadvantges .. i know its made me stop and think ... __________________ Brianna Brighteyes

04-20-2005, 09:00 PM	#35
Dimgroth Loremaster Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 214	I have a really bad feeling about this, its like the Dark ages have come to Eq2, soon well be logging on those of us that remain in Norrath, to find friends up and missing, having had enough, everyone walking about with a bitter attitude and still the farmers and bots and evils of the world will continue to thrive, because Soe gave them the thumbs up, its hard to prosecute these people because SOE themselves are doing it. I dont like it at all, it says alot about SOE. __________________ -------------------------------------------------------- Nothing can stop me now, cause I dont care, anymore..

04-20-2005, 09:05 PM	#36
The_Witchfind Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 96	Not so long ago, they made a big deal out of "Over 700 exploiters? No thanks!" No thanks, we'll just legitimise their activity instead. Problem solved! See, they're not exploiting any more! So perhaps various governments could make their crime statistics look good by legalising murder, [Removed for Content] and burglary. __________________ Johia Ravenwood Lucan D'Lere

04-20-2005, 08:54 PM	#33
Glaxton Loremaster Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 9	I want to voice my opinion, but this caught me so off guard that I don't know what to say. Guess I'll go with the simple version. *NO TO THIS BS IDEA!!!* So, anyone know any other good MMORPG's other than WoW? Starting my search now. /cancel subscription Message Edited by Glaxton on 04-20-2005 09:55 AM

04-20-2005, 09:05 PM	#37
Cloudi General Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: UK / Splitpaw Posts: 2	Directly pasted from my reply in our guild board... ---- Very mixed feelings about that... If it means 1 or 2 new servers become exchange enabled and all the greedy ebay farmers "widdle" off there, then I'm all for it. What I won't accept is being on that server i.e. having my server converted. Contrary to popular opinion it's not the first mass multiplayer world to officially sanction RL trading - Linden Labs (Second Life) beat them to that. And it's sucked ever since... sure, it's grown to about 100x the size but only due to a) the publicity and b) lots of greedy people flocked in and started trying to make money. It's so full of money grabbing, backstabbing and general greed that the original purpose and "magic" of the world is long lost, and unless you keep to a small circle of friends you trust it's not a very pleasant community now, IMO. The other thing that happened is all the people who are rich IRL own entire 'sims' (zones) of land, have lots of power and basically run the world. Those who can't pour extreme amounts of money in, however, can do very little. I'd hate to see that happen to EQ2 - attracting greed and making it so only the RL rich can get anywhere. I for one play games to escape reality. Sure we already have a few people unofficially farming to sell on ebay, but that's nothing compared to what we will get when this goes live... __________________ Cloudien Leonhart III Splitpaw Warden

04-20-2005, 09:31 PM	#38
redoule Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 16	so apparently they haven't seen any data relating to how these activities destroy online games like Lineage II? I bet they are looking for a cut of the pie. Greedy [Removed for Content].

04-20-2005, 09:37 PM	#39
Glaxton Loremaster Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 9	The only way this could possibly work is if ALL the bot/farmers move the these new exchange servers and completely abandon the normal servers. This will never work and here is why I think that. 1. Too much competition - Why go to an exchange server and compete with 20 to 30 others when you can compete with maybe a hand full on a normal server. 2. Lack or Profit - Companies like IGE will have their customer base cut dramatically. They will end up going from bots on all servers, in both market places down to maybe five servers. I'm sure there are more reasons I can think of but I'm too frustrated right now. I think those two right there will get others thinking as to why this won't work and why creating these exchange servers will not change a single thing.

04-20-2005, 10:15 PM	#40
Avadale Loremaster Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 44	The_Witchfinder wrote: Not so long ago, they made a big deal out of "Over 700 exploiters? No thanks!" No thanks, we'll just legitimise their activity instead. Problem solved! See, they're not exploiting any more! So perhaps various governments could make their crime statistics look good by legalising murder, [Removed for Content] and burglary. [Removed for Content] - good one. Man - what a kick in the groin for those that abide by the EULA and try to play the game as intended. Its bad enough this goes on behind SOE's back. Now they have SOE's blessing. Im so [Removed for Content] beyond words.

04-20-2005, 10:46 PM	#41
mossi Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 3	A Horrible Idea - Sony must be really hard up for money... OOOHHH, look at my brand new Level 50 Warrior with the best armor and weapons with Master level abilities, on sale now for the LOW, LOW PRICE of $100 US + 20% commision to SONY. Don't I feel special now...

04-20-2005, 11:36 PM	#42
Ethi General Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 81	Ceryene wrote: There are 2 ways of looking at this .. i for one posted my reply as NO WAY... but with the ever increasing knowlege of making programmes to run for you to farm or craft for you .. in some ways Sony is in a no win situtation .. for as many as they ban, they just buy more accounts and start all over again .. with a bot team of 1 tank 1 healer and 4 nuking wizzys it doesnt take long to level.. and thats what we see on splitpaw .. these bot groups farming names ... from what i have been told ... macro gathering farmers .. dunno how its done but apparently it is .. Now in some ways Sony is saying ok we cant stop it .. BUT we can try and control it .. by doing it on specialized servers and they control how its run and how the items and coin prices are ... this in a way can also stop them as Sony will have the upper hand .. BUT on the other hand will the botters and farmers move to these servers .... or will they stay put and still keep agrivating the genuine player who play for fun... So its something to think about .. i know i was horrified when i first saw this post .. you can read my reply.. but after sitting down and talking to my son in law .. who also plays eq ... we both agreed it has its advantages and disadvantges .. i know its made me stop and think ... Remember that what makes money harvesting bots IS players who buy there stuff. Forget about the Botters you can't really stop them. However the players that like to buy this stuff drive that economy. If you can provide them a place where they can buy stuff without risk, without fear that their account or items will be taken, and where the prices are no doubt cheaper then they will move to these servers. Its really that simple. This isn't about forcing the botters to move. This is about encouraging the players that create the botters by buying from them to move! I think at this stage it is only a new server. If it takes off and lots of people leave existing servers then they may need to convert servers and move people around to balance populations. As long as they are providing people with an option to freely move I really don't see what the big fuss is all about. __________________

04-21-2005, 12:19 AM	#43
Juravael Loremaster Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 997	This "Exchange idea" just sickens me to no end!!! I am very put off by this and even a bit angry :smileymad:

04-21-2005, 12:22 AM	#44
Hroga Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 45	What, pray tell, prevents me from creating an alt on an Exchange server, buying the goods there, and then paying Sony to move my character from the Exchange server to a regular server? Add item to shared bank slot...done. Main character has the pilfered goods. This idea is so bad on so many levels. When is society going to clean itself up? When will the first money-grubbing corporation do something responsible? This is merely pandering to the "Me first and right now" culture we have created for ourselves. And now our games, where we go to escape that world, are no longer insulated. I've busted my tail to get my character to 41/43 and now what? So I can watch a bunch others run past me with their credit card? What I really don't get is why nerf after nerf on characters and abilities have taken place in the spirit of "fairness" and "levelling the playing field" and then this crap happens. Not only is this completely inconsistent and hypocritical, but I believe it to be unethical. Shame on you, SOE. I'm going to sleep on it and see what I think in the morning but I'm pretty sure my decision will be to walk away. Just pathetic. Here's another thought: Why would I risk joining a group of other people claiming to be my level now? If they bought their way to a level, then they'll just be hammerheads that don't know how to run their character. The result is, if I die enough times because of this, I won't group with people I don't know anymore. Period. That seems to put a hickey on the whole idea of MMORPG if you ask me. Basic trust in the community is eroded/eliminated. Stupid, stupid, stupid. Message Edited by Hrogath on 04-20-2005 01:28 PM

04-21-2005, 12:48 AM	#45
Cerivus2 Loremaster Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Indianapolis, IN Posts: 84	I would like to buy lvl's 37-48 for let's say $7 bucks a lvl. oh yes also I would like to buy 100 plat and some other sweet random gear form my new character. Oh yes and by the way can I buy some new game content as well that will be full of bugs and glitches? Sweet. Why even play? __________________ Hymenoptera Venom (that's a classification you [Removed for Content]) Amazingless Reflexes is so much better now due to Awesome SOE Programming

04-21-2005, 01:18 AM	#46
Shizzirri Loremaster Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 440	I've also heard rumors from some sources that Sony online entertainment and Yantis Enterprises (plat sellers) are considering a partnership anyone hear anything about this? I'm wondering if that has anything to do with this announcement.

04-21-2005, 01:32 AM	#47
Tekila1982 Loremaster Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 19	Just my NO to this idea! Very stupid move SOE! Getting rare items is one of the main parts in this game, where's the fun when people can just come and buy their stuff with RL money?? When this really goes live on my server there's no way for me to play EQ2 any more. I really don't know what's wrong with you SOE guys, better add some interesting ingame futures instead of thinking about this *$%#&! exchange system. Such a waste of time Message Edited by Tekila1982 on 04-20-2005 02:47 PM

04-21-2005, 01:36 AM	#48
URM8K Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 114	bad idea. just keep it like it is until bf 2 comes out, then i can sell my lvl 50. necro and cancel. way to suk it deep soe. Message Edited by URM8K3R on 04-20-2005 02:37 PM __________________ TYRANNT BLOODYHANDED

04-21-2005, 02:23 AM	#49
Tuetatesu Loremaster Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 62	I'm conserned with how this may impact the in-game economy. Will more people choose to sell loose or hand crafted items for real money then sell them in game for EQ coin? And how will that effect other people wanting particular items but don't want to be forced to buy them with real money if they want them... rather choose to use EQ coin they earned in game. Some items will be driven exclusively out to the real $$$ market leaving the in game market bare I fear! And I think that is a bad thing. I don't want to be forced to look to real $$ for items I need in a game.

04-21-2005, 02:39 AM	#50
URM8K Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 114	Tuetatesu wrote: I'm conserned with how this may impact the in-game economy. Will more people choose to sell loose or hand crafted items for real money then sell them in game for EQ coin? And how will that effect other people wanting particular items but don't want to be forced to buy them with real money if they want them... rather choose to use EQ coin they earned in game. Some items will be driven exclusively out to the real $$$ market leaving the in game market bare I fear! And I think that is a bad thing. I don't want to be forced to look to real $$ for items I need in a game. thats a good point. i'll bet you wont be seeing many rares or master spells on broker anymore. __________________ TYRANNT BLOODYHANDED

04-21-2005, 03:20 AM	#51
Cloudi General Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: UK / Splitpaw Posts: 2	Shizzirri wrote:I've also heard rumors from some sources that Sony online entertainment and Yantis Enterprises (plat sellers) are considering a partnership anyone hear anything about this? I'm wondering if that has anything to do with this announcement. OMG... talk about sleeping with the enemy. No offense, but I sincerely hope you're wrong... __________________ Cloudien Leonhart III Splitpaw Warden

04-21-2005, 03:41 AM	#52
Squi Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 1	I am shocked to the core with this announcment, i never thought i would see this day but its happend. Roll on vanguard. :smileysad:

04-21-2005, 04:18 AM	#53
eqfo Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 15	I'm conserned with how this may impact the in-game economy. Will more people choose to sell loose or hand crafted items for real money then sell them in game for EQ coin? And how will that effect other people wanting particular items but don't want to be forced to buy them with real money if they want them... rather choose to use EQ coin they earned in game. Some items will be driven exclusively out to the real $$$ market leaving the in game market bare I fear! And I think that is a bad thing. I don't want to be forced to look to real $$ for items I need in a game Now you're thinkin, as I've said else where, a couple times...unless they handle this like test, where you log onto a completely different and closed set of servers, the economy balances will effect everybody. In other words when the economy on the exchange servers goes to hell, and it will, the code changes to fix it, will also take effect on the rest of us (if I'm even still here, which I seriously doubt). The whiners and criers on exchange servers will be posting the changes they think needs done to "balance" their game, when in fact the balance went out the window with the baby and and the bath water. Now they have a right to seek game changes, I mean after all, they'll be paying more money to play, won't they?

04-21-2005, 05:14 AM	#54
kingdave20 General Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 13	I have been in EQ2 about 3 weeks and this just blows me away. They gave into greed and the allure of an untapped market, for shame. This will change nothing in regards to botters, most servers still complain of botters with pictures and proof and guess what? Yeah they still are botting right now, they might have banned 700 but they missed some big names. This does nothing more than drag the good name of Everquest through the mudd and leave it there. Congratulations Smed just when I thought you guys couldn't screw up anymore you proved me wrong and converted EQ2 into your own ATM machine. The new combat system that rewards you for tanking naked and now the exchange, my god what next? /Sign me NO __________________

04-21-2005, 05:20 AM	#55
Cyber_Cowb General Join Date: Jan 2005 Posts: 57	Let me state that I'm not going to partake in this, I seriously hope that Blackburrow doesn't fall to the Exchange system. However I don't really have a problem w/ this if others want to. The way I look at it the old saying holds true "Time is Money" some people have more of one, some people have more of the other. Why should person A who is a collage kid (not sterotyping just have been in collage and know there are a lot of down time there.) who can play for 10-12 hours a day be able to get the "Uber" items by spending time questing and such, where as person B who is a CEO of a company, but only plays 20-30 min a day not be able to pay for items. If he feels that he wants to enjoy the game as a lvl 50 monk and it's worth $500 to get that monk w/ all the loot he wants why not let him? Both money and time are assets people usually have more of one or the other. Message Edited by Cyber_Cowboy on 04-20-2005 07:17 PM

04-21-2005, 06:09 AM	#56
SheetMonk Loremaster Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: The Land of Oombah Gjaders Posts: 49	/Signed No Bad idea Sony. Please rethink. You are sucking the adventure out of this game.

04-21-2005, 06:56 AM	#57
Misseh Loremaster Join Date: Feb 2005 Posts: 35	Ok, while I find the idea of it appalling, I have been going over some of the pros and cons of it, and here is what I have come up with. Pros Players will be more likely to buy from SoE than IGE and related companies Players will not be banned for buying from an approved source, cutting down on complaints to SoE, thus creating more time to deal with real customer service issues. Players might make a bit of real money for all thier efforts, which can be recycled back into the game for more items and so on, eventually crating a larger cash pool for SoE which, one hopes, can lead to more GMs, MODs, Devs and the like. IGE and similar companies will have severe profit cuts in EQ2, and if this works, all SoE games. Might make them go work more on WoW or something and get out of our hair. Cons Servers that do not participate in Station Exchange will still have botter problems, as not all players that would want to buy are willing to give up older characters on non SE servers. Will they create new ones, or will they use servers that are already in game? This one is a big one, because of how many people could be displaced completely in the whole mess. Animosity between servers. Up to now, we've all been unconcerned about servers, other than the occasional "Why do you like yours" thread, which rarely degenerates to name calling. Once this is in effect, people against the whole thing might not be so nice to people on those servers, and vice verse. Many players will not know how to play thier characters, because they never learned each ability and what it does, they never did the quests, and they never spent the time getting to know thier toon. I can honestly say that I would be reluctant to play with a purchased character for fear of dying because the peron behind the toon didn't know their stuff. Anyway, that's the major stuff I came up with. Now I don't want to sound rude, because there is enough of that in this thread already, but I think it'd be wiser for all of us to step out of the black and white for a moment and really LOOK at what these changes could mean. If you can think of more pros and cons, please post them. At the same time, try to keep them feasible, because I've seen some pretty outlandish stuff all over every board about this, such as people claiming its the end to all botting and that the whole game will crash and everyone will quit if it happens. Seriously folks, let's really think about this, rather than make wild accusations. /sign me Undecided __________________ Chandra Valeda of Najena, Ninja of Self Esteem Wizard of the 70th Season Jaxal of Najena, Ironforge Writ Princess Provisioner of the 60th Season "Ware the m00fins, lest they smite you!"

04-21-2005, 11:37 AM	#58
The_Witchfind Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 96	Well, one positive thing may come out of this: if they implement it, I'll sell my characters to some sad scumbag and leave the game. At least then I'll have some compensation for all my wasted time. __________________ Johia Ravenwood Lucan D'Lere

04-21-2005, 01:16 PM	#59
Nhon Loremaster Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 18	OK, a couple of points that I am sure will get me 1-starred. -Where did J. Smedley say SOE was going to take a commission from the Exchange server sales? -Someone have any VERIFIABLE FACTS regarding SOE profits here? -Where are all the bots? Seriously, I have a 45 toon, and don't think I have ever run across these horrible villlains. I am not saying they aren't there... Just haven't seen them, or heard anyone in-game complain. My Guildmates haven't mentioned it... ever. -Like every other major change in a MMOG (Luclin, anyone?) bazillions of people rant and cry and swear up and down they are going to leave the game. And, sheeplike, don't. Baaah, Baaah.... -I am mostly peeved at the folks whining about something they really don't know anything about. Facts, not conjecture and wild speculation, folks... if you have real figures, please post them. In a fit of self-serving ire, I posted http://www.ethersblog.blogspot.com I could be totally off-base. It's happened once. I played WoW for a while, until my brain began firing all synapses in the right order. I then realized that EQ2 is much more fun for me. But it took a bit to find out. Then again, I am not competing with a total stranger over who has a MOB-dropped Belt of Instant Geekdom. If I see an obvious exploiter, cheater, or cretin that is somehow ruining the game for me, I will gleefully report it. But someone else having uber equipment that they bought with RL cash makes no difference to how I play. My experiences, and my accomplishments are what is important to me... not some total stranger's. Maybe I am in the minority there. As far as a ruined economy... well, people have been saying it was shot since day 3. Lore, No Trade, etc, makes a big difference, and with the off-line selling, the economy was reeling anyhow. I don't see there being much real change on existing servers. I admit, I have no hard and fast facts there. OK, so people may feel betrayed by SOE. I am sorry. Can't say a lot about that, other than I think that the super-suits at Sony have thought this one through. They ARE in it for the money. YOUR money. You being fired up and quitting = <$ 4 SOE. I am relatively certain this crossed their minds. It doesn't make fiscal sense for them to alienate their subscriber base. Then again, most of the folks on the boards here are simply bleating about quitting. Baaah, Baaah... This post isn't intended to insult, but I think a little objectivity is called for. Unless I missed something, we haven't a lot of facts or figures, and we have a surplus of conjecture rumor, and wacked-out theory. Someone please educate me?

04-21-2005, 01:17 PM	#60
Batelu General Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 22	I just want voice my displeasure with this Exchange program. It will ruin the great game that EQ2 is, and kill its future. I really enjoy playing EQ2 and don't want to see it die in such an amoral manner. We don't need inept players with top notch equipment and spells because their daddy has RL cash to [Removed for Content] away on them. We don't need high level characters that bought their way there. Right now, when you see a level 50 character with good equipment, you know they earned everything they have. If Exchange does live, that will evaporate. Please, SOE, let EQ2 die this way. If and when Exchange goes live, is the day my account is terminated.