Temporary/Limited content availible through Marketplace outside normal times.

Would like to see them consider offering things like those heritage zones and other temporary things made availible by purchasing an unlocker of sorts via the Marketplace.

My idea is this. You buy an account flag from the Marketplace, which would only last somewhere between a week and a month. This would then allow any character on that account to request an instanced version of any of these zones as long as their flag is active. Now, to stop folks whom have the account flag to request these missions, then sell instanced versions to people who dont have the account flag. I envision that requester of the instance recieve an item, lets say a stone key, that is temporary no trade. Then every minute or so, the instanced zone will do a check for this key. If they key holder is not present in the zone, it will give a timed warning. If they key holder does not enter or re-enter the zone within the alloted time a zone wide death touch will happen to all PC's.

The reason this idea came to me was because I wasn't playing during the times when some recent zones were dropping very good items. I could wait till next year or just buy them from players. I have no intention of buying them from players as they are well out of my price range and to be honest its possible I may not be playing next year for all I know. I do know though, that if there was a way to open these zones for a limited time, I would pay for that if reasonably priced.

Now some may argue that these such zones/quests/raids are only supposed to be availible during certain times, thats part of their appeal. Of which I am not suggesting they stop offering them for free like usual, just make it possible to open them with stationcash when they would not otherwise be open. Some may also say that putting these things in the Marketplace is allowing people to buy "power." Which wouldn't be the case as a player would still need to go earn and fight for what they want. I am just suggesting a way to make that possible outside of normal times.

Anyways, just a thought that I hope gets considerd.

Interesting idea, I like it.

My alt LOVES it

In every way that it is possible to say or express, NO.

For those who never got a chance to go for their cloak of flames because a small zone was permacamped

It's a reasonable idea.

Please, no, let us not even go there.

If it's ONLY for Hardcore Heritage Zones. I like the idea.

If it serves as a Model for making future year around content buyable as a zone, I hate the idea.

Idea is fine, the precedent it might set is not.

They should just make these zones available as an instance for free for anyone with a gold account. And they should create and add new ones periodically, with mobs and gear set to current levels. This would encourage people to stay gold.

They do need more Gold benefits, IMO. I'm just not sure these current zones should be instanced for anyone to farm whenever they want. They are timed events for a reason, to draw players back to the game during the slow months.

The chaser items were too good in these zones also. They should have been toned down.

Well, no. I see your point OP, I just missed HH this year. A nice thought but I like the idea that it only happens once a year. That the constant sale of cloaks and rings is only going to happen for a couple months after. Make these events happen all year round and suddenly everyone and their aunt has an ACoF, it's not special anymore.

Having HH once a year is giving me something to look forward to for next year. Don't take my sense of achievement away when I come out of [insert newbie zone here] with an amazing aug or belt that I managed to get on my own.

Well, I'm encouraged to stay gold because I need my J5 merc to keep me alive, I like my rank 2s and 3s. I like being able to wear prestige augs and armour...I think most in my position would stay gold for those reasons alone

If you can beat the content, why shouldn't you get the rewards? I always seem to miss out on these when they are live, and, from what I've read, they are perma camped anyway. If the mobs are too easy, make them harder. I would love to see a lot of my old favorite zones as instances with mobs that challenge me. Have the instances auto tune to the level of the highest character in the zone. Wasn't there a GoD instance that did this with some rats and bats?

Sad, the Ancient Cloak of Flames is apparently the object of desire and it wasn't perma camped because that item was a zone wide rare with a chance to drop from any mob (maybe not the nameds). If it happens that you were otherwise occupied during the period, then you missed it for this year. There are a lot of things that folk can get next day or next week repeats, but if you have to work during the Super Bowl or other similar event, then try again next year. Life goes on, it is a journey filled with events and choices, if the OP does end up not playing a year from now, will that drop matter anymore, I doubt it. I am getting tired of folk wanting options to allow buying a "win" buy levels, buy AA, buy gear. It might sound like good business for SOE to sell endgame characters to folk willing to pay, and the rich folk take a screen shot and make a picture to hang on the wall of their elite characters, but without the journey, disappointments and all it isn't the same.

Absolutely not.

I can get behind the essence of this idea, although not as presented. If people want the super hard mode raids that most players won't ever see nor want to subsidize, than micro transaction events could be the ticket to providing some resources to develop the kind of raids the super elite players seem to always be complaining they are being starved of. RvR should reflect the difficulty degree of course. If RoI wants a raid that might take them a few months to best, that only the top 5 guilds could ever hope to beat then they should pony up some scratch. $4.99 or something like that to add an exclusive impossible mode tier that can only be accessed when all the other content has been flagged as having been beaten. No open Beta on it either. The minute you log on to the raid you should know nothing of it and it should grind you to dust.

The rest of the mainstream content should remain as is. If Joe and Jane Grouper doesn't want their expac cost to go up for grueling raiding they will probably never see, than why should they?

If these places didn't drop some of the best items in the game, I think it would be different.

Yeah...no.

I'm not gonna go on a rant about why not. Most of my points were already covered by others anyway. Suffice to say that such a suggestion, were it to occur, crosses a line of "over-integration of marketplace into Everquest". At least in my opinion. There are some things that really do NOT need to be bought. Actually let me rephrase that, there are MANY things that should NOT be bought.

It seems that some of you are against the idea of the OP, which was to offer the HH zones as marketplace items, purchasable as instances with Station Cash.

I am also against this idea.

My idea, on the other hand, was to offer instances of old, classic zones, with mobs and gear tuned to the level of the highest character in the instance, available only to gold accounts. To prevent twinking, make the gear No Trade, and autoeject any character lower than five levels below the highest character in the zone. Maximum 6 characters in zone, mercs included.

Thoughts?

Is the purpose purely on demand nostalgia?
I am not sure many would use this for gear with so many options available already.
I am not sure many would pay how much they would need to pay to warrant dev time on this.

Not sure what you mean.

This would be a good perk for gold subscribers.

Dev time should be minimal. Just up the level and difficulty of the old zone's mobs. No need to make any changes to the zones, other than mob difficulty and loot tables. Make the gear on par with the difficulty of the mobs.

Perhaps I am asking too much for the $30 a month I pay for my two gold accounts?

Oh..this should be a free perk for all gold subs?
Dev time is already horribly stretched thin as it is...look at the new staggered release format with 1/2 teir releases.
Now extra stuff has to be constantly retuned and new loot tables with it?
No, unless they have absolutely nothing else to do.