So do I have the Krono scheme understood right?

She shows up before CotF?

she shows up on TLPs during TSS for some reason

That's pretty nice actually, sucks people exploited her.

Buy my jboots for 2kr each chump!!

haha

Going into my first TLP server (I think it was Agnarr) I didn't even know about Kronos. It would have been awesome to have a way to pay for EQ back when I first started playing at 13, in the Kunark days, because I was a kid with no money who had parents that did NOTTT like the idea of me paying $9/mo to play a video game. That being said, I'm a big kid now so the $14/mo to play TLP isn't a big deal for me - but at about Level 30 on Agnarr I met a dude in game, that I leveled with for a few days in a row, who did use Krono to pay for his subscription, and I got interested in it. Spent the next week understanding it and how to "farm" it via EC and it was actually a fun little side distraction that stimulated a different part of my brain.

It didn't last long for me, because I like the normal xp/item grind EQ has to offer - but I totally understand why some people would choose to spend time farming it regularly, outside of just wanting to get the 12 it takes to buy a years subscription. In fact, I'll probably attempt to watch the market and snag them early, via in game trade, and hold onto them for a bit to get those juicy items I don't want to farm myself.

Krono for me and I would guess many others works like this.

I don't buy krono, I've played on many TLPs, maxed my character on those servers during their respective xpacs and then continued to play during those xpacs, during that time when I've maxed what I can for my character anything past that plat/item wise is used to buy krono, I then keep track of said krono and build it up over various servers to use to buy whatever I want item wise.

Krono to me is a reason to continue playing once my character is maxed in each xpac and gives me a reason to continue playing and have more fun than just playing without getting anything tangible back.

Yes there are people who work in EQ by hoarding krono and selling to 3rd party sites but before Mischief they were a serious minority, today there are many, many more people selling krono to 3rd party sites but I would guess that it's still less than most would think.

Basically you don't need krono, can play without every getting a single krono very easily in EQ

It's a great solution, one of the better ones around. Before Kronos, people just sold platinum instead and DPG didn't get anything for it. Now they get a nice cut, and the buyers and sellers still get to do their thing.

For the most part, you can just ignore them completely, though it is nice to trade rare items for krono now and then.

I dont understand whats so hard to understand about krono

It is a currency with a fixed value. Thats it.

Wait till this guy finds out people sold platinum before krono. Shocking but really cool someone brand new with no knowledge of EverQuest stumbles upon this game and is so fascinated they make posts about RMT.

It's supply and demand my friend. People can ask whatever they want for Krono, but unless you purchase it, it's not worth that much.

Sometimes in the early parts of a TLP you'll see people "WTB Krono for 2200p" - sometimes I shoot an /auc out to sell for 3k+. I'm not expecting them to buy it but if they do great now I can try to buy 2 krono for 1600 each - maybe someone sells to me or not. Sitting in EC tunnel as a druid doing ports is honestly the best way to gauge how fast the market it fluxing. It's crazy how players created their own auction house and dictated a market for so many years.

I've had an epiphany. I never did understand what was so hard about the concept of Krono and why some people seemed to hate it. But it's the conspiracy theory mindset seeing some nefarious plot to "dump plat into the game" when in fact plat is literally created out of nothing at all

That's by no means correct. That's actually absurd and I have no idea how you ever came to that conclusion. It's so silly that it feels intentionally misleading.

No, by no stretch of the imagination does "a huge majority" play just to "compete and see who can make the most krono." For most players, it's just an alternate in-game currency and a potential option for accelerating your character's progress. I would venture to guess that the RMT Krono-barons make up less than 5% of a server's population. The rest just use it as an arbitrary alternative to in-game coins, or as a way to twink out their characters or get certain rare items without first having to obtain the necessary wealth through in-game means. And, of course, as a way to play on TLPs for free.

While the game would be "cleaner" without Kronos, it doesn't really change anything about the way the game is played. If Kronos didn't exist, the RMT folks would just be selling plat instead, as they did before Kronos became a thing.

I wasn't just talking about the few people you call barons. I was including every one who partakes in the Krono scheme. From the people who bot, cheat, farm, and sell it to others for 10 bucks, to the person who buy it to get some plat. I got it from reading the forums, and from what I've read lets say they opened another server along Oak. This server was monitored, had no cash shop, and rmt were account banned perm, and any accounts linked to them. I would make a bet that this server would have a tiny population compared to the Oak. So as I said a huge majority of players participate in the Kronos scheme.

Well, EQ diverts my attention from the craziness going on, and mostly just having some fun, helping others along the way, not needing a blue check mark. I do occasional TLP, just to change down the pace, and depending on the TLP rules, get to review the basics. Generally I like to make enough Krono to cover what it would cost to play for however long I was on the server, but it is not a requirement for me. My suspicion is that the mass farmers are doing it for an aftermarket income.

You obviously did not log into the test server nor read anything posted by those of us that did..... FTE in its current incarnation on test actually doesnt prevent either, at most it adds another step for PLing, but even that would be mostly optional since you can "steal" the lock pretty easily. As for training, it is almost more empowering for the trainer...

Well, people were buying and selling gold, items, and accounts long before Krono.

Back in the "old days" of EQ people were pariahs to large parts of the community for even considering buying gold or items. After a while, I think many people started to, even if they ranted about how terrible it was in the open.

I think the core issue being either someone's ambition to 'succeed' in EQ or just a matter of the lack of time they could spend in the game. So the company decided to offer an alternative currency that one could purchase with cash and trade in-game for game time, coin, items - whatever.

This does give customers a 'legit' source to buy gold and items by proxy. I never trusted those third party sites and still don't. I'm not saying they are all dishonest by any means either. But I'm cautious about where I stick my card, as one should be

I will roll up a character today if I can around 3:00 since I work remote, but then I really have to get the grass cut and a few other things done. I won't be able to sit all evening and play.

So I'll buy Krono - heck, I might go ahead and get one here in a few minutes.. and watch prices for a while and sell it for Platinum. To me - it's trading my time at work for someone else's time farming in EQ. For me - the time at work to buy a Krono vs. Farming a few thousand plat is FAR more efficient. Maybe someone else out there is handicapped or whatever and had a lot of time to play, but not a lot of cash for the monthly sub. Works for both parties.

I'll use the platinum to get bags and other various items, maybe a piece of gear or two to help with the curve some, since my time is pretty limited.

Then tradeskills - that crap gets expensive. I like to do spell research and I know how it works and I'll be making spells to sell and get some of that back. No matter how you approach research - it gets expensive. Most of the tradeskills are either tons of farming, tons of plat - and usually both.

$15 for a Krono is really pretty cheap entertainment. I bet a movie + concessions costs twice that now.

The hate stems from anything involving real money and when you monetize an MMO beyond a monthly subscription it turns players off. I'd assume its somewhat similar to playing a 'gem' based mobile game where 'whales' flock and dominate not with skill, but by buying large amounts of gems.

I agree with this assessment except for the tunnel chat part. That constant RT feed of auction chat is used in a hella lot of common rooms to keep my clients mellow. So, you know, plz cut the ableist stuff. Some of the guilds on these servers are not geographically dispersed, let's just say. Here's my crew, for example:


This keeps a lot of people occupied. And that is as good as it gets, pardon the double movie reference.

Even a schlep can do a armor run through Temple of Droga during down time. Just get to the right level, do a quick run through until something else comes up. Bind to bank. Sell. Mallet to Overthere. SOW potion, repeat. You can usually beat the respawn.

And that's for those types who demand some semblence of immersion. It's crappy plat per hour in fact.

Oops.