2014 Membership - Update from Smed

I think most people that liked the voucher did not bother to post because this was presented to us as a done deal right from the get-go. This was not introduced as something that was being considered--we were told that it was the new policy.

Also please consider that not even close to one-in-ten players post on these forums--or even read them most of the time. An in-game poll, or e-mail poll, as stated already, would be far more accurate.

Give me that freedom of choice! I'll buy what this person is selling, come on, I'm a cashew! lets do this.

Even with the all access changes, it would not have swayed my decision. I would still stand on the same leg I have since the announcement was made. Perhaps for those who play more than one SOE game, it might have made a difference, but then they should have anticipated that and announced it along with their initial announcement. I still like my freedom to choose how and when to spend my SC. I am not a child receiving a monthly 'allowance' to be told I can purchase an item for x amount of SC, but it must only be one item, and if you don't use it, you lose it entirely. Bad enough they have decided to make us log in each month to claim it. I am glad SOE has amended their decision to give us back the option to spend or save as we see fit and am willing to compromise on the log in or lose it portion of their amended proposal.

Democracy is working

People need to get real about this, the 500sc started out as a little sweetener to help differentiate Gold from other typs of F2P subscriptions. Now it appears that it is the lifeblood of peoples' game and the only reason to live

500sc even if I have to /claim it every month and double coinage/tokenage is acceptable to me tyvm SoE

This I'm not totally happy with, but I can live with it.

The thing in the first place was:

Now 500 SC are 500 SC. The next month you gain 500 SC again and got 1000 SC to spend as you like.

The first announced new system:

You get 2000 SC. You buy one item, from a span from 10 SC up to 2000 SC and all the 2000 SC are gone. You dont spend any of the 2000 SC, the next month you only had 2000 SC, not 4000.

The 500 SC, even if we now need to claim offer a lot of more freedom for the players on how and when to spend.

In my case, like written earlier, some times I spend lots of SC, some times I keep the SC for something bigger and mostly add additional SC due to purchase. I usually buy a lot of small stuff, I gift small stuff to friends. This I wouldn't be able to do with the 2000 SC. So I'm mostly completely outside the equation.

I don't need every next to 2000 SC item from the shop, I'm still working on my prestige houses. I don't like ginormous mounts, because I like to see where I fly and stand and not look at the big whooping backside of a dragon... (that's why I wear wings in the optical slot) .

And I'm sure a lot from the current playerbase can follow this thoughts and perhaps even think the same.


So I think with the lastly mentioned changes I can live with it for now. Lets see what else is going to be subject to the changes.

Cheers
Anghammarad

Let me be blunt to see if I get where you are coming from:
You didn't care to go on recurring sub - for whatever (valid) reason. So - you did get nothing so far but the joy to enjoy the game with the ingame gold-perks.
But now you complain because those who got something so far (for being on recurring sub) and felt cheated with the initial deal announced got up and complained - just because you don't get what you feel "entitled" to? Isn't 500SC to claim and hoard per month way more than what you got so far (aka "nothing")?
And you feel like you want to call those names who supported the game risking to pay annual subscription fees just because they forgot to cancel their accounts when they didn't have time to play around the billing date?

My understanding is:
You may finally get something which is more than you got so far. Sorry.

Of course - I wouldn't mind if they made the new perks for recurring subs again. Not because I have several of them - but because I think those on recurring subs and that way giving SOE sort of a "promise" to stay for a while are those folks who SOE can rely on if it comes to steady income. Everybody else might let their account lapse for days, weeks, months, ... until they feel like it again without having to do anything. But those on recurring subs need to actively get on the website and cancel.

But - on the other hand I also wouldn't mind if they grant those perks to everybody on gold. Cool if they do. Maybe they will find something for those on recurring subs in addition - who knows?

I would be glad to enlighten you as to the value I saw in the voucher system. Not all of us play one character forever. Some of us have alts. I have 15 characters spread across 3 accounts. After 7 years of playing vanguard, I had 34 characters there, eight of which are max level. Yes, I am an alt-o-holic, but I bet I am not the only one. So...

12 X 1950 SC for nice ground mounts. (Twelve because I already purchased 3 with cash, as I have only been playing "seriously" for a few months now, even though my main account has been All Access since 2007.) That would be one year with vouchers, FOUR YEARS with 500 SC saving.

Even after a year, most of those characters will be ready for flying mounts, so...

14 X 1950 SC flying mounts. Just call it another year, as I will be impatient and buy at least a couple out-of-pocket.

280 AA baubles--several for sure, at 2000 SC each. Prestige housing? I have bought 3 already, and plan on several more. Appearance armor sets? Yeah, I have bought several already--sometimes more than one set per character, as I mix parts to get the look I want. Racial armor sets ain't cheap--and I have only been "truly" playing this game (instead of Vanguard) for only 3 months!

Even with the voucher system, I will be spending out-of -pocket a lot more than you will be spending on a gold sub every month. On top of my sub fees, which I pay too. Almost makes me feel like I am subsidizing those $1.50 each month purchases you are so worried about, now that we are back to only 500 SC per month divided between multiple games no less. I would be more than happy to pay for the occasional buck-fifty building block or whatever right after I got a twenty-dollar item for free. But you seem to think it is more important that I shell out the twenty bucks so you can have the buck-fifty for free.

Are you starting to see where the value comes in for us crazy alt-o-holics?

Belenos: If it comes to flying mounts (or mounts in general) I really do not see the necessity to get them with SC at all. /claim offers more than just a few mounts flagged as "1 per character". It was even sufficient to buy an expansion to get such.
Just to mention that - if it is just about getting alts a steed - I would spend my SC another way (have thought about that, too, that's why I bring it up).

When it comes to prestige housing I am all with you *smile* I usually don't find the time to decorate them all - but often I find myself just buying one "so I have it ... just in case"
But still I must admit that I value the freedom the 500sc give me over the 1-time-per-month-deal the 2000sc voucher would have offered. Especially because I can spend the 500sc on everything - including player-studio which the voucher most likely wouldn't have enabled me to.

AA baubles: Any guarantee that that wouldn't have been of the "excluded"-sort? Like services always are? By hoarding 500sc per month you can get them because that SC is regular sc.

What makes me curious is this:
Why do you think that your 1350 prestige house is worth more than 15 building blocks for someone else? That's just about playstyle. You can easily take the 500, add 850 out of your pocket (as you call it "buck-fifty" - so it won't hurt you that much - right?) and have it. You are not missing an opportunity.
But those who value building blocks over many prestige houses you expect to buy 1 block for let's say 100 and miss out on the remaining 1900?

It isn't that the suggestions have been to at least go with sort of a shopping-cart system - that suggestion was on the plate, too! Nobody said they don't really like the 2000sc voucher idea - but they didn't like the idea that they spend it on a "buck-fifty"-item which is as valuable to them like is a steed or prestige house to you.

I think this idea is a real winner. Just add a 500SC "consumable" item that costs 2000SC, and then the original plan can carry on, with the SC-savers still getting to save their SC.

And now considering how humans are ... you would have to restrict that poll to gold-accounts only so you don't get people create many free accounts just to influence the voting.

But yes - I would still support the 2000sc voucher that can be used to by 500sc.

Such a simple solution and everyone would be happy - erm ... well there is always someone who wont be

My assumption is that just as it was before, non-recurring members wouldn't get the 500sc. I am not 100% sure, hence why I asked for clarification.

No, i call the people that whined about the change "whiners". The same way people are calling me a whiner now that i am complaining about them. It's not name-calling, it's a fact.

I said nothing about people who support the game - i mean, i'm one of them. I have been a gold member for 9+ years, since day 1 of the game. "Supporting the game" as you call it. I buy from the SOE the exact same thing as you - "gold membership", the only difference is that we use different payment methods.

My understanding is:

I may get nothing, which is 2000sc/mo less than I would have got if the system had remained the same as it was announced.

Those on recurring will DEFINITELY get less. .

First let me say, thank you for listening to us. Though we may come across as "whiners" we just want to be heard and our thoughts and feelings be taken into consideration. Having said that, I am very pleased about the all access as I have a all access account at the moment so of course that saves me some money. *smiles*

Secondly your number three. I was actually excited about the idea of claiming an item in each game. So is there a way that when we claim our monthly reward a pop up box comes up and you get either 500SC or you can use a 2000 SC voucher for item that is in your list of eligible items. Meaning you can still save up for items you don't need at that moment or you can get a item right away. I think this would be a fair compromise. (Though not sure how this would work with 2000SC voucher being in each game, haven't thought that far ahead hehe).

Once again thanks for listening to us.

I have to say, I'm REALLY disappointed. I was looking forward to claiming my free SC item, I was thinking mounts and maybe SC housing later, and when I asked how I was to claim it I was directed here. 2000 SC item over just 500 sc... even if I bought just an 800 SC item it would be a net gain. At the very least I wish there'd been a compromise, say 1000 SC or an option between the item and 500 SC.

This is the best idea by far. Makes everything work.

1. The original system goes into effect just as SOE planned with 1 item claim. (No need to recode things)
2. People that want the 500sc to keep, can use their "1 item claim" to still get that.
3. People that want the 500sc need to log in order to claim the 1 item. (preventing non-played accounts from accumulating stuff).


Everyone wins. +1000000000.

The thing is Smed was proposing lifting many of the restrictions on the voucher people complained about.

Yes, this ^

To those players who are name calling ~ Come, let us reason together.

This player just rolled/paid for 7 Heroic characters (no, I won't do the math for you).

This player needs the flexibility to spend their awarded SC in Services.

SoE was asked repeatedly if Services would be excluded.

Still waiting for an answer.

This seems the most obvious and simple fix to please everyone about the sc stipend honestly. Now for those gold perks that subscribers have said is to few compared to silver.

But a look at the pricing on the Marketplace shows that most items are either 1500+, or under 500, and apart from houses and mounts most stuff for the higher cost is Services which may well have been excluded (as hinted at in the original announcement). So great if you want the high priced stuff, but not if you want the lesser. Horses for courses.

I think a lot of the people (although not all - some are just housing collectors, or mount collectors or whatever) who would prefer the 2k voucher expect to be able to buy Services with it - which is a big assumption given that those are SOE's biggest SC revenue stream. Without knowing that for certain it is impossible to truly say if it would have been better value.

2000SC voucher but not usable on Services like the AA bauble, or 500SC spendable on anything and can be saved from month to month? I suspect that 2k would look like a less appealing choice to a lot of people then. With services included, I can see that would appeal to some, although I don't really use them except insta-rez occasionally as a mostly solo player (now that WOULD be waste of a 2k voucher...)

No-ones opinion is greater than anyone else's, we all play in our own way, so mud slinging helps no-one. Blaming those who offered the requested feedback for ruining things when the opportunity was there for all sides of the argument to present their views is non-constructive and unfair.

SOE can't please everyone, at least for once they are attempting to please some - usually they'd do this stuff regardless of anyone's opinion.

I have alts too - 27 of em spread over 2 accounts

Your choice - personally I'd rather do the in-game quest to get flying mounts rather than buy one but each to there own. I do agree that some of the mounts do look nice but I guess I'm more of a "getting from A to B" person.

If, and its a BIG if, they would be redeemable with the voucher or whether classed as excluded. I suspect along with many others that it would be the latter.

Again, thats your choice and I respect it, but it doesn't make it right for everyone else, and just because other people don't want to play your way doesn't invalidate their opinion. At the end of the day we are all paying the same in subs.

I see where the value come for you as an alt-o-holic that likes "fluff" items. I'm an alt-o-holic too but I don't and therefore don't see the same value in a restricted use voucher that I would only use "because I had too" rather than because I wanted too.

With the grant as unrestricted SC I can do large or small purchases (both in and out of the marketplace like spell reduction time on my alts) without sacrificing any value or being forced to acquire in-game clutter.