Calling BS on the Market place Illusions

Discussion in 'Time Locked Progression Servers' started by fastboy21, Sep 1, 2017.

  1. fastboy21 Augur

    I have recently returned to EQ on the TLP (I've played in every TLP server, usually in the top guild, hard core before instancing, etc.).

    For years I have been upset and complaining on the boards and in PMs with devs about the state of not being able to use my LoN illusions on TLPs. Their response has always been its hard to implement them because some of them give stat buffs / abilities that would be OP out of era. Fair enough. On the last round of discussing this with a dev he told me that it was reasonable to implement the ones without abilities (this was during Phinny in Kunark era), but that it was just too much work to be done and nobody was really assigned to it. So...I personally went through EVERY single LoN illusion and divided them into two categories: I seperated the ones which gave abilities (including shrink size change) from those that didn't and shared it with the devs. Nothing was ever done about it, and the dev who had been exchanging PMs with me stopped replying to inquiries after I had provided him with the list.

    So...here I am returning to EQ. The first patch note that I see is about the implementation of illusions in the market place! Awesome. The first thing I do when I log in is open the DBG store and check the illusions available. Only 4? Okay, they must just be starting to roll it out.

    I do /claim to check if my LoN illusions have been opened....and nope. All still greyed out, including the fanfaire illusion mask that I have on my account. Okay. They are still not caring that I used real money to buy these things, played their game to win them, and even the cosmetic ones are not available. Fine.

    Then I realize that the ones in the market place give abilities! I get a 5 hour lev in kunark era? This is where I call BS. FFS, open up the illusions that I have paid for and worked for by playing your frigging game for 20 years. I can't believe that after all of this crap that they are selling the illusions in the market place that give abilities when even the cosmetic LoN illusions are not put in.

    I can't tell you how much I hate this hypocrisy. I get it. You can make money on one and the other not. Maybe the people who run the store don't communicate with the devs. Please get your act together. Its literally been years of complaining and explaining without even an ounce of action on your parts.
    Rhodz likes this.
  2. Ryak Augur

    You make a compelling point.

    They should at an absolute minimum allow the use of the cosmetic-only LoN claims as soon as they allow the use of any marketplace illusions.

    There's actually no excuse for that at this point...
  3. fastboy21 Augur

    Just as a follow up, once again...after compiling this list years ago and sharing it with devs before:

    ***
    Here is the list of the 10 LoN illusion items that only grant an illusion and no other effects whatsoever:

    • Bracer of the Centaur Archer
    • Visage of Queen Pelzia
    • Visage of the Bixie Drone
    • Visage of the Brownie Noble
    • Visage of the Hooded Scrykin
    • Visage of Nillipus
    • Visage of King Gragnar
    • Mask of Nurga
    • Doll's Mask
    • Essence of the Banshee

    I would also include in this the FanFaire illusion mask.

    IMO, they are comparable to the fun stuff players can buy in the in-game store (like pet illusions, appearance augs, etc.) and only add some fun to the over-all experience without changing actual mechanics, etc.

    The current illusions in the market place are more "powerful" then the cosmetic changes above. Of the other 27 LoN illusions some of them do have stat changes. Same with the mounts. Some of them, however, are still less "powerful" than the current ones for sale, imo.
  4. daffie999 Augur

    Illusions give buffs?
  5. AgentofChange Augur

    I call BS too. They made me blow all my station cash before the weekend sale... sneky snek
  6. Mhad Lorekeeper

    I'm pretty sure that when I was looking at the illusion for the mermaid, as well as others I saw while doing so, it clearly stated an expansion required for the buff. I can't recall which one it was, maybe someone can confirm and post a reply. So yea...
    snailish likes this.
  7. snailish Augur

    I think the buffs are era-locked out?

    All the LoN ones should be active... whenever the model used fits the lore. Some of them are much later era.


    Ditto for anything /claim. Some of it makes sense to unlock with the expac it came with sure, but other things got there in other ways and could be spiced into the lineup as-appropriate.



    OP: take it in stride that you may have hugely influenced this happening and that my understanding is more illusions unlock as more expacs open. *might be worth checking what Lockjaw/Ragefire, and Fippy/Vulak have open?
  8. fastboy21 Augur


    It does say this. But the lev buff on the fairy is certainly working. And a 5 hr lev in kunark era? You got me. I purchased it JUST for the lev. Thanks for not making me farm a peggy cloak this time around.
  9. fastboy21 Augur

    I see the logic in the model issue. But two things, 1) that standard hasn't been applied to pet illusions. 2) it hasn't been applied to the new market place purchasable items. These offer models that don't exist in era.

    Some of the current LoN illusions (goblin, centaur, brownie) and the SOE LIVE make illusions are all classic models. I'd be happy if they even unlocked just those. I've said this to devs before. Still nothing.

    The thing is that there is no consistency in the logic of the team to not release them. I'd be happy to even pay to release my cosmetic, in era model, no stat buff LoN illusions with real money at this point. That's right...I'd be willing to pay a fee to unlock the items I've already paid to have access to. But they don't do it.

    The frustration is that I have never gotten a truthful answer from the devs. Every single explanation I've gotten (IRL conversations with devs at fanfaires in private, on the boards, in PMs, in emails) has always yielded an excuse that then doesn't bear out, as evidenced (yet again) by the recent release of the new illusions in the marketplace.

    LoN was a very fun part of EQ for me. I actually played the game (and spent RL money in it). I taught dozens of guildmates to play it and pay their money in it. Some just played it for the in game rewards and some actually got into the lore and fun of it. Some of us were actually a little burned when they pulled the plug on LoN (though I realize that in the end it was not very popular). My only consolation was that I was proud and happy that I would be able to proudly show off for years LoN items in game that just...well, looked cool. Its really kinda pissy of them to even deny that on TLP for no discernable reason. TLP is the only venue I play EQ on anymore...and it has been that way since the first TLP alpha...like 2006? This isn't a small corner of EQ for me. TLP has been my only EQ for about a decade. It sucks that TLP paying customers, after years of proving that the TLP idea is successful, just get crapped on.
  10. Prathun Developer

    We can take a look at reducing expansion restrictions on LoN illusions in the future.
    It wasn't my intention to crap on you personally by unrestricting some illusions on the marketplace. :/
    The levitation component on some illusions is tied to the illusion buff, so it couldn't be easily restricted in the same way that the illusion benefit buffs were. If it's problematic to have a purchasable levitation in Kunark era, we can remove the offending item(s) from the Marketplace.
  11. -wycca Augur


    It's not permanent, but you already have 4hr lev potions in marketplace for 90 cash (was in at launch actually).
    Risiko likes this.
  12. Pictarous Augur


    Better refund DBC then.

    Edit: Got ahead of myself. If there is a change to already purchased Illusions (by removing them, or changing the Levitate) then that deserves a refund. It is no longer the same item.
  13. snailish Augur


    What about just taking beza, alpha or whatever the buff is called and making a beza2 (or whatever is needed) with the lev component for the few illusions that have lev? that is to say, all the benefits of the current buff that the illusion has with the lev part built into the buff side rather than illusion side.

    Then it gets era restricted as described (though fastboy and anyone that bought fairy for lev on agnarr may be unhappy --maybe take fairy down from marketplace, reimburse them. "fix" them and put back on marketplace?). Granted... having to look like the illusion to get the lev does have a price too.
  14. Juion New Member

    Thanks for taking a look at this! I love that illusions are available now on the marketplace, and I'm looking forward to what shows up in the future.

    I've definitely got my fanfaire 2014 illusion item that's just waiting to be able to be claimed, too.
  15. fastboy21 Augur


    Prathun,

    First, a sincere "thank you" for reading my post and posting your reply. I truly mean that.

    Second, thank you again for saying you would review the LoN illusions. I appreciate any time you spend on the game outside of what you are "required" to do in order to go the extra mile to help out loyal fans to this game.

    Lastly, the problem isn't the levitate on the illusion. I honestly don't think its over powered for the era. My problem is how it makes sense to allow that and then rule out LoN illusions without any stat/ability buff (i.e. purely cosmetic --- especially the ones that are an in era type of illusion.) Its a frustration of having been told (by a dev, allbeit not you---two years ago) that the reason they could not be implemented was that they had game breaking out of era abilities. If it makes sense to have a 5-hr lev for sale in kunark era (I think it does!) then how doesn't it make sense to open up the cosmetic LoN illusions? or the SOE Live illusion mask? These are great items and they honestly belong in the game on TLP...

    Once again, thank you.
  16. Jaime Lannister Augur

    Not much to add here except.

    MOAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    More illusions. I bought all 5 that just released. give me more please. You throw illusion items at me, I will continue to throw money back at you.
    snailish likes this.
  17. Ellis Elder

    I would rather all this crap be removed, rather than adding more. I don't want to run around classic and kunark looking at all these stupid illusions and cosmetics. I want to see ogres and elfs and dwarfs - wielding their actual items, btw, not swords and hammers twice as big as they are - not fairies and all this other nonsense crap. Keep this stuff on the regular servers and off the TLPs.
  18. snailish Augur

    If it wasn't an unreasonable amount of programming to do, I think a toggle in the options to "see only classic illusions" would appeal to some, with classic illusion being defined as any that were in the game OoW or earlier.

    This could even be combined with (or in addition to) a toggle for "display only default weapon/armor graphics".

    I probably wouldn't use either toggle, but the option allows everything and everything to be allowed on progression, as it is just looks and only you look at your screen.
  19. smash Augur

    Now I do not know which kind of illusions its all about, but is it not dangerous for Norrath to include the illusions in such a time line.

    Can it not completely change the history of Norrath, when some completely unknown races appear(Illusions) ?

    Now as an example, if 1 or more of the illusions are from Discord or something from that, then suddenly discord monsters appear.

    Then the invasion might start prior to the moon has been discovered, and those classes/race might never appear to help save Norrath. ;-)
  20. Ootax Augur

    I'm all for fully unlocking LoN Illusions, mounts, potions, really anything. If you want to restrict the buffs on the illusions and mounts then go for it. I had asked about a month ago on here for more marketplace items and didn't get a response. When the illusions came out I bought all of them on 2 accounts and 3 on another. I don't know why they don't unlock it all not, put in what ever restrictions are needed and be done with it. Why wait for when TBS is out when the population will more than likely be less than what it currently is. Get the money while you can.