Customer Service Announcement: Gold Membership

Except in this case, EQ isn't even close to the only game in town. Part of my decision to go Gold and buy the 1-year membership was based off of the 500 SC/month being part of the deal. It's a big reason why someone else isn't getting my real money.

I agree - I'm one month into a 12 month sub and it feels a little bait and switch.

There's no reason (at least given) why this needs to be done with such expediency, and with community input after the fact.

That "value" is repeated several times in the initial announcement makes it feel a little false as being the central reason for making the change.

I could see wanting to restrict the benefits from an EQ subscription, to only the EQ products. However, doing it a month in advance with no feedback BEFORE the change is made seems off.

Further, I also wish that even if it wouldn't roll over, that it wouldn't mean (at this time) forgoing 1850 potential SC and instead spending it on a 150 item and losing the rest - I like the one combined shopping basket idea rather than one item - I do see an issue with that though in that they'd almost certainly have to raise the cost of LoN packs - can you see the market flooded with tradeable LoN items because everyone all of a sudden is getting 6 free new packs a month with the benefits being tradeable? You'd likely have to exclude LoN packs from purchases and that WILL rub some people the wrong way - it'd also nullify the policy really of why the 5 free packs we do get per month in LoN yield non-tradeable benefits.

This also has the blowback effect of all of a sudden making raid speed mounts a one month investment (by any means) and you will see everyone under the sun riding the same damn mounts. SC mounts I think would have some special meaning because they ARE the most expensive - and if this goes through, either the price will go up or everyone will have one the first month (if just so people don't feel that they're losing potential SC).

This policy seems a little ill thought through. I get that in order to make up for the loss of roll over and applicability across platforms, we're being given "more" - but since that "more" can be reduced to half or less of what we had -or- makes a lot of the most expensive stuff exceedingly common, there needs to be a balance struck somewhere.

I really wanted to post this in red.....but have been told it is a harsh color for some to read in forums, so I refrained. The point to saying this is because I wanted SOE to know I was seeing RED when I read this post.

This is NOT a better value, it is NOT progress and we are certainly NOT getting better value for our money. If Sony bothers to look at any of my THREE gold member accounts which I have been keeping up payments on for a good many years now, one of which is ALMOST as old as the game itself, they will see that there are months when I do next to nothing in the game. Yet it is still paid for, right? Let's not forget that I HAVE spend real money on SC from time to time AND purchased every expansion on every account up until the last one which I could only afford one of.

Not only that but I am POSITIVE I have NOT gotten the 500SC every month like I was supposed to, despite keeping up these payments. However, I never once made issue of it or squawked. I did save up what I did get and use it sporadically when things were on sale yes, which has been suggested as a reason it is being stopped. This should be my RIGHT as a paying customer. I should not be forced to pick things I really don't want just so I feel like I didn't lose an account benefit. For instance, I have been patiently waiting for someone to come out with yellow wall panels and then I was going to use SC to decorate my kitchen.

What about those times when I don't feel like playing much for a month or two, yet my accounts are still paid for? Why should I lose out on my 'benefit' just because I didn't feel like sitting down and choosing my ONE item?

Oh, I almost forgot....I too, like others whose posts I have read, have the All Access accounts. Again, I will say that if Sony looked at my login history, they will see that it has been a good many years since I bothered with EQ2 and I have NEVER played any of the other games, yet there is my payment every month. So I should be able to get that SC that could be used in either game in the event I decide I want to go back to playing EQ2.

This is a very bad idea and the current system should be left as it is. At the very least, allow your subscribers the OPTION of choosing one of the plans. I bet if you did it that way, you would see just how much or how little support there is for this new change. I for one think I just need to downgrade to Silver if this goes into effect. I don't play enough to cap out anyway so not being able to go into the newest zones won't affect me much.

I would hate to see another mass exodus of players because of something like this. With all the other games out there, alot of which are free these days, it would be a shame for EQ to have to fight to keep or recoup subscribers like it has in the recent few years.

Please re-think this idea.

Lucy, meet football.

Charlie Brown, meet Lucy.

I have to admit, I kind of hate this change too. Now I have to remember to use the benefit every month or I lose it. Currently I can just let it build and if I see something I like grab it or save up for it or if I forget about it for a month or 2 hey... its still there building. I feel like I'm being penalized. Kind of like I don't spend my loyalty points as much as I should so it will sit maxed out for a few months until I remember ooo I need to go buy some platinum bags because there really isn't anything useful for a character over lvl 70 other than the couple of 1 time buy items. After you get those there are really only limited choices.

How will that work, will it be separated from the Station Cash in your wallet?

They didn't get rid of the $99 for life. I still have it on 2 accounts and have the 2 yr subscription for $199 on a another account because I missed the window that year to get it. It is only not available if you turned off your subscription at some point and got a new one because the pricing changed.

I've had a couple of days to think this over. This coupled with the lack of content in Hate Rising is really making me consider dropping at least my alt account to silver. I've been playing low level alts for a while now and to have fun with them I don't need a subscription.

I have 46 days on 1 account and 56 on the other, so I have time to decide what I want to do. I raid so the main account will more than likely stay as subscribed, but if I cancel the alt account I could use the saved cash for SC or even a night out or rent a couple of movies.

I have time to decide and can wait and see how this gets implemented and what stuff is actually available that I would want. I've looked at the current stuff over 500 SC and nothing is jumping out at me. If I cancelled subs and purchased SC, I could get all the pet illusions I want, these seem to be between 150 and 350 for less than the cost of a subscription.

Piestro said "That sort of mathmatical analysis is true, but also misleading. Counting every housing item variation or every ornamentation in the marketplace isn't exactly an even count."

That comment is misleading in the sense it seems to deflect from the fact any one of those items, or any one of its variations will consume the entire 2000.

It is commonly known that only the vocal speak on forums and with that in mind I have never seen such a united majority or so many unfamiliar handles posting...hint hint, you're pissing in the corn flakes.

I'd be a tad more open if it was for a single 'shopping cart'(which will be full of housing and ornament crap anyhow) purchase, single item is a joke.

As with the LoN packs, you'll now be punishing paying customers for not playing(saving you resources and customer service) every month.

Not sure why resources were even wasted dreaming up this idea with less then half an expansion out.

Yes, I agree, the "one single item" and "up to 2000 SC" are weasel words that carry a restriction which is not obvious at first sight. When I read the email, I thought, "Whoopee, 2K SC a month!" but you can't save it up for big items and the other restrictions on purchases are an unnecessary bind. Are we being carved up in preparation for being dumped in favour of EQN?

It was convenient timing of this post. If they had announced this two to three weeks earlier people could of taken advantage of the reduced prices or not with some good information of what their SC balance would be worth in the coming months. i.e. not purchasing items at or near the 2000SC cut-off, or perhaps knowing whether or not you could combine current balance with the 2000/month use or lose SC when it occurs. This delay has been potentially very beneficial to SOE. One has to wonder did this occur to the people making the decision of when to announce? Just a thought. How is it added value when you have to pay 400 SC more for a 100 SC item? That is what will occur under the new system. Using the inflated 2000SC/month rate, would be 1900SC more for a 100SC item, and that wouldn't be fair; would it?)? Although it is being posted as added value.

Some possible added value ideas:

1. Changing it to 2000/month use or lose, or 250 carry-over SC/month.

2. Allowing you to make purchases by account up to 2000/month use or lose.

#1 may not be of added value to people who already have all the larger cost single-use items already purchased.

Very true. They offered deals and didn't say a word hoping that most would deplete their SC reserves or lower them considerably at least. They didn't just decide this. It was meant to be told to us after the Holidays for that specific reason too. So starting the new year with extra perks for their loyal customers is LOLz More like it's the new year, time so screw you fa la la la la la la la la

While I'm not a huge fan of this change, I do understand why it is being made. With everyone saving up their free SC, they are defeating the purpose of why we were told the marketplace was even introduced. We've been told the marketplace was introduced to bring us new features that the development of couldn't be funded without extra revenue. Hero's Forge would be a great example of this. But if people just use free SC every time a feature like this comes out, the extra revenue to create more new content is not coming in.

I personally think the biggest reason for this change is the Player Studio items. I could be wrong, but from what I can gather Sony has to pay the artists even if the player that purchased the Player Studio item used free Station Cash to purchase the item. Now add this up over thousands and thousands of transactions - Sony is bleeding money on this. The fact that Player Studio items were the only thing specifically mentioned being excluded in the new plan seems to back up this theory.

My solution would be to create a seperate SC pool (call it Loyalty Station Cash), keep it at 500 a month, let it roll over and let people save it up. Put in the exclusions you need to make - exclude Player Studio items, and maybe some of the big features (Hero's Forge, extra merc slots, etc). Ornaments (non PS), housing items (non PS), exp potions, services, etc should all be able to be purchased with this new pool of free monthly Station Cash.

Well, yes. We have been getting this free, so getting worked up is maybe a little silly. On the other hand, I do feel that longstanding subscribers should be rewarded.

We are. Loyalty tokens.

Draego if what you said only applied to new subscriptions were the case I would agree with you. When what has been used as an inducement to purchase said subscriptions is changed it isn't whining. Just because it may be legal doesn't give those doing at least morally questionable things immunity from complaints about their actions.

That buy nothing useful other than the unattuner and the one time anchor buys.

You must have missed the drakkin based human models. Believe it or not, I think people were more united on that one.

It will take more than this slightly irritating amendment to make me give up. I joined after the Beta and, with no gaps, have played ever since. I'm not bothered about getting to high levels but just enjoy being there, doing quests, always finding new things to do, or re-doing old ones. They will have to drag me out, kicking and screaming!

And plat, that can be saved up for Krono, for free game time!

Decoration items, big bags, seasonal items. Stat food. Extra character slots on your account. All included on Loyalty vendor.

I would like to see more stuff added, however.

19 pages of complaints. I see that SOE is paying it's usual attention to what players actually want.