Perhaps they could redo what happened when the hack occurred in 2011, give us an option to choose from the LoN loot cards available (or something similar). Then include more permanent perks to being gold, like Kuulei suggested previously.
Yes something like this. It's really a kick in the pants for those like me that have paid a sub all these years. If SOE is going to do this then do what Aion did absolutely free and heavy on the cash shop. I mean jeez ya the Krono market is going to crash. or the above quote is good too My sub renews in February so I have until then to decide what to do. Also, if I drop from Gold I don't have an interest in Silver and not using broker and mail. So I just don't know been here 7 years but well ---
This is a total insult to all of us who have subscribed for the last 9 years. I honestly feel betrayed in a very personal way. 15% loot is barely above trivial and 10% on a mount is trivial. Why SOE are you trying so hard to drive away your loyal paying base? Honestly, how can you think what is left of this viciously abused subscription model is worth the cost? All you have done is thrown a 15% and 10% coupon, for near worthless products, on the unsuspecting victim you have just molested in public. This feels dirty and leaves me viewing your company as rudderless when it comes to managing long term loyal paying customers. Deeply Disappointed Joe B
Think of us all as this from now on. The player base is the polar bear from Crash Bandicoot 2, SOE is Crash and they'll be bouncing on our heads to wring out all the money they can from now until they axe the game.
Wow, just wow SoE. Thanks for making us gold subscribers feel totally unwanted. There used to be a nice incentive to be a gold sub, now, not so much. You are deleting pretty much all things that defined being gold sub over the f2p/silver accounts. Master spells, big deal, buy a kroon really cheap, get all your spells to master level, let sub go back to silver, keep using all your master spells. No more item (gear) restrictions, what's the point of subbing now? AA slider, for those of us that don't level lock, no big deal, so it takes a tiny bit longer to hit max level, and we can now buy 280 aa's. Mail, not used all that much with guild banks and shared banks. Broker, buy a few credits and sell a stack at a time, won't spend 15 bucks on broker credits in a month's time, unless you are playing wall street. I like what several folks have stated, give gold subs a REAL incentive to stay gold, or become gold. Stat bonuses is a good one, and there are a few others out there as well, several in this thread. Please think about it Sony as my sub is coming up and I am not sure if I should re-sub, or go to Silver now.
As a gold incentive, I think discounts on the SC marketplace and from NPC merchants would be a good thing. Something like a 5% discount on any SC market place purchases with 10% discount on NPC merchants. Bonus SC when purchasing SC or redeeming SC cards could also be a good incentive. Another incentive could be a discount on expansions, even just 10%.
I don't look at this as being a good thing, but I don't have access to the same data SOE can view to see trends so maybe they are on to something we cant fathom at this time. It hasn't helped them so far in some of the other shortsighted decisions they have made, but hey this might be different. I don't view is as a slap in the face because unlike some I don't mind paying for my entertainment and SOE has given me that over the years...much less the past few, but nobody is perfect. As far as keeping a gold sub I am on the fence about it because I see offering the same as the summer bonus for being gold more as a slap in the face than anything else. Its almost like saying we are giving you something so you cant complain. I want access as a gold member to the starter isles when I start a character, I want my monthly LoN cards unlocked, and I want my Orb of concentrated memories and Hammer of Adept hands to be reusable every three days. That really shouldn't be a problem should it?
The 15% loot should be 20% (I think 25% would be a reasonable value for gold TBH) at a minimum and it should apply to all coin. Not just loot. We should get 20% more coin from quests as well. Also gold members should get 10% xp bump to all xp, Adventure, Guild, AA, and xp to grow adorns as well. At least give the subscribers something back since it seems you have given up on treating EQ2 as serious competition in today's gaming market. EQ2 under you new changes is just a fancy RuneScape now.
I've learned to trust my judgement on things like this, and it's telling me that this is going to be bad for SOE long-term. With the coin limitations casual players won't be using the broker much, and removing the limitations on gear removes any incentive for them to spend real money on the game. They can play their game just fine on Silver, use all the gear they can get from solo and group instance content, and at most pay for the occasional potion or set of appearance gear or maybe an extra character slot. Trading a consistent $10-15/month per player for $10-15 randomly every few months isn't a good trade. The raiding set will want subscriptions, maybe, but even some of them may decide Silver and broker tokens are a cheaper option. Maybe this is a case of management putting their fingers in too much. I've seen my management get obsessed about some trend or fad and insist that everything has to follow it no matter how unsuitable it is. Witness the bind all the customers of Nirvanix are in (including a lot who didn't know they were customers).
I seriously think this will be the first time since release that I will be cancelling my account and not coming back. Gold members should be a focus too instead of the red-headed stepchild. If SOE thinks the FTP will bring them money well then so be it but hopefully they remember that there is no guarantee of them buying anything. All good things in EQ2 must come to a end...our end began the day Smokejumper took over.
The only reason now to have gold is for the character slots imho. People who have been playing for a long time and have several alts are the only ones getting a raw deal, so the current player base is getting the shaft.
This just goes to show that people will /rage over anything. SOE: "Hey guys, we're giving you a better deal. Isn't that cool?" Some Players: "What?!? We wanted a worse deal! We're quitting!!!"
I take it you are not a long time player, nor are you a gold subscriber. If you were either one, you would actually understand how we feel that SoE is slapping us in the face after all these years of giving them money, only to have it given to anyone and everyone free of charge. Yah, it's an awesome deal for the new players, who haven't put any time into the game, explored the game, actually followed the questlines, or leveled their toons without being powerleveled. Those of us who have done all of that, and remember when the max was 80/200 and the Mythical class weapon was actually THE weapon to have, well, it's like SoE telling us, thanks for your time, but we don't want you anymore.
I don't think it's as simple as that, those who have spent many a year devoted to this game (Not to mention the money spent on this) feel that we've been cheated with the changes in sub levels, given a "reward for gold subscription" and be expected to suck it up and await the expansion.
My main was "born" in 2004, and, aside from maybe 18 months total in breaks, I have been sub'd since then. I don't see added bonuses to Gold and fewer restrictions on Silver as a slap in the face at all. The new Gold bonuses aren't that great, but, at worst, that means you get to save $15/month (per account). How is that a bad thing for you?
well you guys can complain all you want but you will keep paying $OE for your content. most of you will sit there are go "OMG SONY ARE SCREWING ME OVER, BUT HERE, KEEP TAKING MY MONEY". me and my wife cancelled our subs when we felt we wern't getting what we paid for, the game we played was gone and replaced with this cash cow that sucks people dry, if you want to keep paying them and complaining then you do that, but the best way to vote against change is with your wallet
I can only kinda understand this if you have months/years of Gold membership already paid for...but even then, you're still getting more than what you signed up for. It's not as if Silver players are getting refunded for all the item unlockers they ever used or anything - the subscriptions we paid all of those years have no less value now than they did before.
