Free Trade: Neither casual nor hardcore

"FV free trade: casual or hardcore?" Some appear shocked that anyone would label this casual. What a bunch of newbs, right? Granted, most of you are just trolling. But in case there's 1 person who is genuinely confused? I'll explain.

The ability to buy anything, without performing the work required? Certainly seems super casual. And in an ideal "Play Nice" universe, it would be. But whether you label the server "hardcore" or "casual", some people will take advantage of this Free Trade system. With an army of boxed accounts, some will monopolize desirable non-raid drops. Which are normally No Trade.

There are 3 possible side effects:

1. As a "casual", you might be unable to physically loot these items. You cannot out-dps the farmer. So either wait for them to go offline. Or recruit enough people into the zone, to create a new pick.
2. These monopolized items may be available for purchase. But could be very expensive. Because the supply is controlled. And "casuals" are less likely to have a ton of wealth.
3. People who play frequently (call them whatever you want), tend to accumulate wealth faster. Enabling them to buy up the supply of these items.

When people say "FV is not casual", they are likely referring to the above. A game server where FV rules lead to casuals being restricted from acquiring gear. Or waiting a long time for an opportunity. Because it's perma-camped, costly to purchase, and bought out by the wealthy.

Is this perception true? Not entirely. Nor will it happen for every item, or all the time. And eventually the market will become flooded and stabilize. However, for many "casual" players, this is the perception. They see the FV system as most-benefiting those players who play long hours, all the time, and can farm high-demand items.

So. Call the server whatever you want (casual, hardcore, cashcore). Not everyone is thrilled at the idea of Free Trade. An environment where farmers could control the best zone loot. And although this farming already happens on regular servers (multi-questing, selling of Loot Rights), it is somewhat mitigated by the No Trade flags.

With a sizeable enough population and pick zones and raid instances and such, there will always be too many people farming these items and selling them for someone to form a monopoly.

It comes down to supply and demand.
If there are plenty for sale, the price will be lower. And sure, some people with enough plat can buy up items and sell them at a higher price, but as long as people are still farming that item, there will be more up for sale soon enough. And even if there are a bunch of super rare raid items that casual players can’t afford, there will also be lesser quality items available for a lesser price that work perfectly fine for your average “casual” player.

I get where you're coming from but your concerns have proven to not really happen.

The current FV server has functioned great for years and is still the most popular. And that is WITHOUT AoCs.

I won’t go to the casual server if they decide to ruin it with Free Trade

You’re just opening the doors to the most toxic no lifers this community has to offer. Say goodbye to virtually any camp you want, you’ll need to buy Krono just to get any items because every good camp in the game will probably have multiple boxers at it dps racing

IF you hate the scum sucking Krono Farmers, boycott any server that has Free Trade enabled so all those cockroaches can’t pay their rent because of a low population on their little money making scheme they have for controlling every TLp that launches

They are less than pond scum. If DBG tries to lay in bed with them, then boycott the server!

Sad fact is that most TLP's are plagued by 'scum sucking Krono Farmers' when they open as most loot in classic is tradeable anyway. The way I look at it is that if you raid, you get current gear and can pass down gear to your alts. If you don't raid, just stay one expac behind current content and you'll get any camp you want.

At the end of the day, gear becomes obsolete in a matter of months, so why get worked up about it. I really don't think especially in classic that you need BIS everywhere to enjoy yourself or be relevant.

Weird. Cause the current FV server is the most populated and doesn't have this problem at all. So strange!

Your entire paragraph about camps being locked down for the best loot is literally what happens on all the current TLP servers WITHOUT free trade. Which makes your whole point ridiculous.

You're really trying to say that opening the door for more loot to hit the market is going to make things worse than they are now?

Raid gear hitting the market is going to make some camps which are super popular and locked down now, less so. Cause that loot will no longer be the top tier items.

Raid gear can come from open world but every guild will be running instances like they do now...only now all the extra gear is flooding the market. And people have an incentive to do the raids as frequently as possible now that they can sell all the extra stuff. There's currently no reason (other than epics) to do the planes for gear once your guild has it all. But under free trade? Keep going to sell the extra stuff for $.

Lots of an item on the market = price goes down
Good raid gear which can be obtained in instances where people can't lock down the mobs you want = currently top tier gear being not as desirable for krono farmers.

It's funny how all these people hate FV rules but are clearly showing they've never played on FV.

The people who hate it the most are probably krono farmers who know free trade will jack up the nice system they've had on every TLP so far.

Could stop buying items for Krono.

Promise?

Cats and dogs will live together!

Ya... not really. In general you get a lot of the same item on the market and a price war. Even then, trying to say you can't get the item in camp is lol in the pick and raid instance era.

Krono farmers thrive off Classic-openers, and the items sold are usually items they can monopolize like the iconic FBSS. You can't sell the FBSS for if Belts of Contention and other Sky haste belts, are a dime a dozen.

I played religiously on the Firiona Vei server, I was in a super competitive guild that spearheaded content. The guild was ran by a lawyer who literally stopped being a lawyer because he was making more money running the #1 guild on the server.

He controlled everything, it was a loot council system and we had all the best gear in the game. When someone left, he would buy their account, strip the loot and sell it. My friend was a big customer of his which is how we were eventually allowed to join as a recruit. He gave us each a sick plane of time item to ensure we would survive the vote to full membership (I was a shaman, the item he gave me was Barrier of Freezing Winds. That was like 17 years ago and I still remember it like it was yesterday)

They controlled the markets, they controlled what platinum was worth, they heavily influenced what accounts sold for, etc


I have very intimate, first hand knowledge of how Free Trade works because I witnessed it first hand for years and years. I have no idea how FV is doing now, nor do I care because it’s been around for 15 or so years. A new TLP with Free Trade will go back to how it all started, which was not a fuzzy, warm casual friendly environment. It was extremely cut throat and competitive. Unless you were in a top gulld or could afford to drop real money on the game, you were left waayyyy behind. I was a teenager with way too much time and a hyper competitive mindset back then, so I enjoyed it at the time


There are some markets that would take forever to be flooded. Fbss, GEBS, fungi etc will be farmed endlessly all the way thru Velious and probsbly even Luclin. Especially if there is faster XP rates which means more Alts


I’m not innocent in all the above either, I was buying and trading accounts, gear, etc... we played the game like it was a job, not like it was a game. Even guild raids were like being at work.. everything was super serious, there was zero tolerance for screw ups or someone not paying attention. It’s ultimately what burned me out and had me leave EQ for WoW after about 4 years of that

So I don’t need a lesson on how Free Trade serves work

Stop talking crazy =P

Ya.. nope. Your 15 year-old stories of the early game are interesting, but its a different game now that we have picks and instances. You can't control the flow of loot on a FT server, so good luck controlling the prices of said loot.

Most people gaming the markets like your lawyer buddy now do so on the early days of a Classic-start, NON FREE TRADE server. A Free Trade server is their worst nightmare.

FBSS was flooded on Agnarr within the first couple of weeks. Constant 35+ lguk picks tend to do that. Now take and set the market ablaze with Sky haste belts? You wouldn't be able to sell that at a flea market.

Apparently you do, if your stories are 15 years old. What you describe is more a Classic-Start non-FT TLP server now.

Ignoring the economics for a second, I know if the ultra casual server has Free Trade, it’s going to attract the worst of the worst this community has to offer

I think you are missing the point of the people responding....

That is to say that every TLP launched in the last 3.5 years attracts the worst of the worst that the community has to offer because almost every item (with exception of planar gear) is tradeable. Classic - Kunark TLP literally is exactly what you are describing.

Now, let's add in AoC + Pickzones + Free Trade Loot. Your concern around not getting the items because camps are overrun is resolved with AoC and Pickzones. Your concern around high prices are resolved because the influx of loot from AoC + Pickzones + Free Trade and the basic economic principle of supply vs. demand.

As others have said, your experience 15 years ago is no longer relevant to today's environment. It's a cool story.. but not really possible to replicate today with the advent of AoC and Pickzone.

For what it's worth though... I agree that Free Trade Loot is neither casual nor hardcore. It has implications for both rule sets and advantages and disadvantages for both. I think it would be awesome if they included it in both and left the "Hardcore" vs. "Casual" to the XP Rate, Raid Unlocks and Expansion Timing side of the game.

Lose the obsession with gear and you will have a much better time. There are a lot more rewarding aspects to the game, especially in the early expansions.

I think it is a given one server will be free trade, just because of the popularity of FV. It is a money maker for DBG. I just hope slow xp doesn't equal hardcore.

You will take your Coirnav XP and you will like it Jeskola!

Ignoring the ultra casual server for a second... if they open any TLP server, its going to attract the worst of the worst this community has to offer.

That's just a given. Whether it is FT or not is irrelevant. FT simply makes it harder on these people by flooding their markets.

What you don't seem to grasp is that FV then is what classic-start TLP is now.

Its also one of the reasons I advocate for starting the ultra-casual in GoD. You get access to everything through LDoN, and there really isn't much to sell that doesn't have other options.

FnF and Scar bleghh I remember those days and even then he did not control everything that is a myth. The game has changed since then free trade is not evil and camps will already be camped by farmers 24/7 You may not need a lesson on how free trade servers work but a primer on TLP's might not hurt. They will be cut throat with or without free trade. With dps race as the rule and very little left of the play nice policy it is what it is.

Oh yes, FV prices are the best, like 10x to 100x more than a normal server lol.