Hire more than 1 merc!

Nynaeve · 12-23-2011, 01:15 AM

hi guys!

What do you think? Wouldn't it make sense to be able to hire ALL the mercs that one finds?

I mean, just pay the hire-fee for each one, and add them all to the merc tab, so we have more variety in gameplay, and can try them all out. Of course you still can only use 1 merc at a time. Optionally SOE could implement a feature where mercs abandon you when you dont use them during a set period (eg 30-60 days).

As it stands now, most people hire one merc based on hearsay who will be the best for their class, but miss the fun and opportunity to even try all the others because it would mean to loose the hire investment for their previous merc.

Also, people who are lucky enough (and rich enough) to hire a RARE merc may prefer to use a standard merc for most situations because he is much cheaper.

I think these are reasonable suggestions, and I hope they get implemented.

Elomort · 12-23-2011, 01:24 AM

/signed

I want a full store so I can situationally pop one out when I need it, I may not need my rare on my warden so could then pop out a dirge.

Nynaeve wrote:

Optionally SOE could implement a feature where mercs abandon you when you dont use them during a set period (eg 30-60 days).

This though... no.

If I break a leg and need to spend 30 days in hospital I don't want to come back into the game and see Matri Dut has run away. I would become irate at this.

naladini · 12-23-2011, 01:49 AM

EQ1 recently implemented this, but have had mercs for a few years now: http://forums.station.sony.com/eq/p...topic_id=181952 The thing to note is: There's a real game cost in terms of plat to folks who want to switch mercenaries. The ability to buy a merc one time and keep them indefinitely is a nice one to have, and a significant cost savings if you change regularly. This lead to some Marketplace slot features for the extra mercs. The rare merc concept definitely complicates the discussion in EQ2. I definitely think there's a strong benefit to players to have the versatility of multiple mercs to deploy.

apwyork · 12-23-2011, 04:59 AM

I would think this is an excellent idea. I had thought initially that you could have more than 1 but only use 1 at a time, so I hired the first couple I saw without reading the text after the first hire...ow, 5 plat each.., that hurt, but live and learn. I really think that having several types available to choose from instead of just 1 and then having to go to town to rehire a different type for a different situation would be an obvious benefit to all.

Citadelli · 12-23-2011, 11:45 AM

LOL i did the exact same thing on my Warden, purchased a merc, then purchased another to go test them out... shagrinned when i opened the tab to see only the last one in there.

I agree it should be like the mounts for selecting which one you want, they cost enough. Especially that they have the Elite mercs for an insane price upkeep, it would be hard to justify really wanting to ever pull it out - at least for my poor plat income SMILEY

Does anyone know if you have purchased a merc, then get another, but go back to the first... does it still cost the 5plat hire fee?

Iad · 12-23-2011, 12:30 PM

As was previously stated, EQ1 allows for multiple mercs, but they charge A LOT to do so.

Jovie · 12-23-2011, 02:44 PM

naladini wrote:

EQ1 recently implemented this, but have had mercs for a few years now: http://forums.station.sony.com/eq/p...topic_id=181952 The thing to note is: There's a real game cost in terms of plat to folks who want to switch mercenaries. The ability to buy a merc one time and keep them indefinitely is a nice one to have, and a significant cost savings if you change regularly. This lead to some Marketplace slot features for the extra mercs. The rare merc concept definitely complicates the discussion in EQ2. I definitely think there's a strong benefit to players to have the versatility of multiple mercs to deploy.

I just skimmed through that thread. Holy crap. I do believe SoE has fully gone off the deep end. Almost time to take off the rose colored glasses and jump ship.

I am all for companies trying to make money, but with what has transpired by SoE lately, they are giving the appearance of being truly out of control.

40 dollars for 3 extra merc slots? Excessive and outrageous considering our current real world economy.

2 months until Kingdom of Amular.

Keikoku · 12-23-2011, 04:39 PM

I'm all for the "hiring" of more than one merc, and storing them in your tab. But keep only having one at a time. Store them like mounts. You can have every one of them in the game, but you can only ride one.

CatamanderEQ2 · 12-23-2011, 05:41 PM

This is all well and good, but if it is to be a SC-purchased function then 500 SC per merc slot should be the upper limit on the cost. What was done with merc slot costs in EQ1 is flatly absurd.

Nynaeve · 12-23-2011, 05:49 PM

[email protected] wrote:

I just skimmed through that thread. Holy crap. I do believe SoE has fully gone off the deep end. Almost time to take off the rose colored glasses and jump ship.
40 dollars for 3 extra merc slots? Excessive and outrageous considering our current real world economy.
2 months until Kingdom of Amular.

you're upset about nothing really, since mercslots aren't available in the shop anyway and everybody can only use 1.

BUT I would welcome it if SOE put merc-slots into the marketplace for free and silver customers, which would be justified (having only 1 merc is what you have now anyway, wanting extra deserves either a subscription or micropurchase), and for Goldsubscribers unlimited slots without extra purchase.

Jovie · 12-23-2011, 06:11 PM

Nynaeve, they are in eq1. I would imagine that if it went well over there, it would go live here shortly thereafter.

In its current state, it equates to a little over 13 dollars per slot but you have to buy 3 at a time. 40 dollars is indeed too much.

Alacarte them, like someone above said make them 500 points (about 5 dollars per) and sell them one at a time or bundle them at a discount.

dankaro · 12-23-2011, 06:21 PM

thanks for the link to the eq1 thread Sony has locked it and 99% of the posts where outrage ( deservedly so ) I will not buy anything with SC besides expansions or extra toon slots as a gold sub for 2 accounts I may spend the 500 SC for being a subscriber on some fluff but never my cash. I'm one that overall is not happy with the new direction f2p required the end of Livegamer which was how i paid for my subs in the first place. Off to diablo 3 when it launches.

Kasar · 12-23-2011, 06:55 PM

Why not simultaneous mercs if you can afford it?

You and 23 mercs wouldn't be much worse than some pickup raids I've been on.

Kunaak · 12-23-2011, 06:57 PM

if they do this, they are basically just turning the game into pokemon.

naladini · 12-23-2011, 11:58 PM

For the most part, having multiple mercs is about convenience more than power. Some folks have said they'd rather be paying SC for convenience, but don't want power, EQ1 seems to be holding folks to that. SMILEY

Its the convenience of swapping on the fly, the convenience of ducking out of the hiring fee. For EQ2 ... like I said, its a little more complicated. Rare mercs seem to be balanced around that hiring fee, allowing folks to duck it with extra slots .... might trigger a larger increase in upkeep? (or maybe there's a rare slot, but the merc won't stay more than X amount of time?)

12-23-2011, 01:24 AM	#2
Elomort Loremaster Join Date: Dec 2008 Posts: 851	/signed I want a full store so I can situationally pop one out when I need it, I may not need my rare on my warden so could then pop out a dirge. Nynaeve wrote: Optionally SOE could implement a feature where mercs abandon you when you dont use them during a set period (eg 30-60 days). This though... no. If I break a leg and need to spend 30 days in hospital I don't want to come back into the game and see Matri Dut has run away. I would become irate at this. __________________ â˜¸ ÄryÄá¹£á¹*Äá¹…gamÄrga Thousands of candles can be lighted from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared.

12-23-2011, 01:49 AM	#3
naladini Loremaster Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 71	EQ1 recently implemented this, but have had mercs for a few years now: http://forums.station.sony.com/eq/p...topic_id=181952 The thing to note is: There's a real game cost in terms of plat to folks who want to switch mercenaries. The ability to buy a merc one time and keep them indefinitely is a nice one to have, and a significant cost savings if you change regularly. This lead to some Marketplace slot features for the extra mercs. The rare merc concept definitely complicates the discussion in EQ2. I definitely think there's a strong benefit to players to have the versatility of multiple mercs to deploy. __________________ Naladini the Wanderer of Stormhammer Fan Faire Fun: 2010 - 2007 - 2006 - 2005

12-23-2011, 11:45 AM	#5
Citadelli Loremaster Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: wa... usa Posts: 176	LOL i did the exact same thing on my Warden, purchased a merc, then purchased another to go test them out... shagrinned when i opened the tab to see only the last one in there. I agree it should be like the mounts for selecting which one you want, they cost enough. Especially that they have the Elite mercs for an insane price upkeep, it would be hard to justify really wanting to ever pull it out - at least for my poor plat income Does anyone know if you have purchased a merc, then get another, but go back to the first... does it still cost the 5plat hire fee?

12-23-2011, 02:44 PM	#7
Jovie Server: Guk Can't decide... Join Date: Mar 2006 Posts: 880	naladini wrote: EQ1 recently implemented this, but have had mercs for a few years now: http://forums.station.sony.com/eq/p...topic_id=181952 The thing to note is: There's a real game cost in terms of plat to folks who want to switch mercenaries. The ability to buy a merc one time and keep them indefinitely is a nice one to have, and a significant cost savings if you change regularly. This lead to some Marketplace slot features for the extra mercs. The rare merc concept definitely complicates the discussion in EQ2. I definitely think there's a strong benefit to players to have the versatility of multiple mercs to deploy. I just skimmed through that thread. Holy crap. I do believe SoE has fully gone off the deep end. Almost time to take off the rose colored glasses and jump ship. I am all for companies trying to make money, but with what has transpired by SoE lately, they are giving the appearance of being truly out of control. 40 dollars for 3 extra merc slots? Excessive and outrageous considering our current real world economy. 2 months until Kingdom of Amular.

12-23-2011, 05:49 PM	#10
Nynaeve Loremaster Join Date: Jul 2009 Posts: 455	[email protected] wrote: I just skimmed through that thread. Holy crap. I do believe SoE has fully gone off the deep end. Almost time to take off the rose colored glasses and jump ship. 40 dollars for 3 extra merc slots? Excessive and outrageous considering our current real world economy. 2 months until Kingdom of Amular. you're upset about nothing really, since mercslots aren't available in the shop anyway and everybody can only use 1. BUT I would welcome it if SOE put merc-slots into the marketplace for free and silver customers, which would be justified (having only 1 merc is what you have now anyway, wanting extra deserves either a subscription or micropurchase), and for Goldsubscribers unlimited slots without extra purchase.

12-23-2011, 01:15 AM	#1
Nynaeve Loremaster Join Date: Jul 2009 Posts: 455	hi guys! What do you think? Wouldn't it make sense to be able to hire ALL the mercs that one finds? I mean, just pay the hire-fee for each one, and add them all to the merc tab, so we have more variety in gameplay, and can try them all out. Of course you still can only use 1 merc at a time. Optionally SOE could implement a feature where mercs abandon you when you dont use them during a set period (eg 30-60 days). As it stands now, most people hire one merc based on hearsay who will be the best for their class, but miss the fun and opportunity to even try all the others because it would mean to loose the hire investment for their previous merc. Also, people who are lucky enough (and rich enough) to hire a RARE merc may prefer to use a standard merc for most situations because he is much cheaper. I think these are reasonable suggestions, and I hope they get implemented.

12-23-2011, 04:59 AM	#4
apwyork Loremaster Join Date: May 2005 Posts: 186	I would think this is an excellent idea. I had thought initially that you could have more than 1 but only use 1 at a time, so I hired the first couple I saw without reading the text after the first hire...ow, 5 plat each.., that hurt, but live and learn. I really think that having several types available to choose from instead of just 1 and then having to go to town to rehire a different type for a different situation would be an obvious benefit to all.

12-23-2011, 12:30 PM	#6
Iad Loremaster Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 250	As was previously stated, EQ1 allows for multiple mercs, but they charge A LOT to do so.

12-23-2011, 04:39 PM	#8
Keikoku Server: Permafrost Loremaster Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 453	I'm all for the "hiring" of more than one merc, and storing them in your tab. But keep only having one at a time. Store them like mounts. You can have every one of them in the game, but you can only ride one.

12-23-2011, 05:41 PM	#9
CatamanderEQ2 Loremaster Join Date: Jan 2007 Posts: 100	This is all well and good, but if it is to be a SC-purchased function then 500 SC per merc slot should be the upper limit on the cost. What was done with merc slot costs in EQ1 is flatly absurd.

12-23-2011, 06:11 PM	#11
Jovie Server: Guk Can't decide... Join Date: Mar 2006 Posts: 880	Nynaeve, they are in eq1. I would imagine that if it went well over there, it would go live here shortly thereafter. In its current state, it equates to a little over 13 dollars per slot but you have to buy 3 at a time. 40 dollars is indeed too much. Alacarte them, like someone above said make them 500 points (about 5 dollars per) and sell them one at a time or bundle them at a discount.

12-23-2011, 06:21 PM	#12
dankaro Loremaster Join Date: Apr 2006 Posts: 62	thanks for the link to the eq1 thread Sony has locked it and 99% of the posts where outrage ( deservedly so ) I will not buy anything with SC besides expansions or extra toon slots as a gold sub for 2 accounts I may spend the 500 SC for being a subscriber on some fluff but never my cash. I'm one that overall is not happy with the new direction f2p required the end of Livegamer which was how i paid for my subs in the first place. Off to diablo 3 when it launches.

12-23-2011, 06:55 PM	#13
Kasar Loremaster Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 540	Why not simultaneous mercs if you can afford it? You and 23 mercs wouldn't be much worse than some pickup raids I've been on.

12-23-2011, 06:57 PM	#14
Kunaak Loremaster Join Date: Aug 2008 Posts: 1,081	if they do this, they are basically just turning the game into pokemon.

12-23-2011, 11:58 PM	#15
naladini Loremaster Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 71	For the most part, having multiple mercs is about convenience more than power. Some folks have said they'd rather be paying SC for convenience, but don't want power, EQ1 seems to be holding folks to that. Its the convenience of swapping on the fly, the convenience of ducking out of the hiring fee. For EQ2 ... like I said, its a little more complicated. Rare mercs seem to be balanced around that hiring fee, allowing folks to duck it with extra slots .... might trigger a larger increase in upkeep? (or maybe there's a rare slot, but the merc won't stay more than X amount of time?) __________________ Naladini the Wanderer of Stormhammer Fan Faire Fun: 2010 - 2007 - 2006 - 2005