CERTS - C.E.R.T.S. - Buy them!!

The game is already a pay to win, it's just with a twist. All access to improved tanks, MAXes, whatever, is obtained through experience points, which can be greatly accelerated by real money via subscription purchases, boost purchases, other bonuses, or a mix of all if you want to maximize. More certs faster = pay to win. This is somewhat alleviated by the low cost of entry for some good items (i.e. my Nighthawk + extended mag) and little details like the default Prowler main gun (at least for now) being perfectly acceptable vs having to unlock another to be competitive.

I see SOE is playing both sides of the fence on this issue, making the game a dumbed down version of pay to win, but the characteristics are still there. Those with the cash will get access to the better gear faster than those who don't. But even those who don't spend the cash can compete with some effort given some patience and knowledge of what gear to pursue first.

I am OK with this system at the moment. What I don't like is being pigeonholed into items and gear that change at what seems like whims with an absolutely no refund policy from SOE. They don't have to play it like this, and they know it and stick with it anyway.

It causes undue stress to the community.

I have an Anchor 4 Prowler that I certed myself except for the following things I bought from the depot: AP, Vulcan, and HE.

1700 certs into Anchor 4. 450 certs into zoom optics on main guns, and additional 500 in ammo in general. 300 in timer. 1700 certs into Vulcan Magazine Capacity. 50 certs into IRNV. 700 into Racer 3. 400 into Smoke, 30 into Stealth, 430 into Mine Guard.

Can anyone honestly question my commitment to my Prowler upgrades? Not really. I did not Flavor of the Month into the Prowler when it was bugged post GU2, I started upgrading it the first day I got it, and now it is one of the most upgraded Prowlers on my server.

6260 Certs / 0.661 certs per minute = 9471 minutes of certs spent on my Prowler. How many hours of certs have I put into my Prowler?

157 hours of cert farming. I have spent 6.5 days of my life upgrading my Prowler.

THAT'S commitment.

How many hours have I used the Prowler? About half of that time.



Add in the certs for cash scenario. Now, anyone can flavor of the month an instant Prowler if they want. Anchor bugged to fire 20)% velocity? *throws down $17* Now I'm one of the best APAP in the world! The issue of bugged Prowlers was heavily mitigated because people were unable to instantly invest in Anchor 4. Those who already had it, had had it for weeks because they bought it when it was a marginal ability, and because they were committed to the Prowler.

That's why. Weapons show commitment to the game depot. Certifications show commitment to the game itself.

That's fine and dandy for you because you have 6.5 days of your life to commit to a prowler. I wish I could pump that much time into it, but I'm in highschool. I'm there for seven hours and when I get home I study for my dual-credit and AP courses or I go to work for 5 or 6 hours. I get to play on weekends occasionally and I'd like to put the money I work for towards some certs.

Obviously people would throw down money for things that are OP at the time, it happens already now. The prowler anchor thing was a bug. It should NOT happen and therefore is not a valid reason why people shouldn't be able to buy certs. Just because you've put a lot of time into the upgrading your prowler doesn't mean I havn't put a lot of time into sacking groceries and assisting customers. I work because I like to go out for food and buy games. It keeps me busy and it keeps me from overplaying games and being bored.

Bugs are not reasons to deny mechanics/purchases. You're right that the issue was mitigated because it took time to unlock the anchor, but it was a BUG. And I think SOE is morally above intentionally bugging items so that they're OP to get money. They have released weapons that were slightly better than others, but that was patched quickly and now those weapons are very competitive with the other weapons (In line with the others).

I don't approve of the idea of buying certs because like others said it would be pay to win if you could buy power upgrades (for example, extra health or flak armor anything like that) to have an unfair advantage over others instead of actually having to earn it like everyone else. However I think that they should at the very least speed up the cert gain process a bit I mean seriously in this video he shows that someone in his outfit took 100 hours to earn 1000 cert points. Honestly I think this is a pretty good review:

I agree, just let us buy the damn certs.

Or they could add boosters which are based on game time and not real time. I won't buy a 1 week booster as I can only play for a few hours per week and I won't buy a one hour booster because it is a rip off. Let us buy boosters which are based on game time - the time you actually play the game.

I added this idea to the original post. Very good idea.
EDIT: Nvm... it wont let me edit my original post again. Odd

I work a full time job and am taking courses for my Master's degree. The way I see it, the weapons are available for sale so you can play with them. The certs are there so you can improve them through active use. Certs are considered valuable because they are a limited commodity. You make a mistake, it's not Oh, I wasted a dollar. It's Oh, I wasted 3 hours of effort. That is the metagame.

And you can spend money just fine. There's cert boosters that convert the effort you put into the game into actual certs out.

It was a bug that should never have happened in the first place, due to poor testing.

Buying certs would kill this game.

Why should you be able to keep up with the guy with more time to play or the guy with more money? Congrats on focusing on your education and future with college. Throw your cash at the weapons. I agree with the others that certs need to be earned. Buy some boosts and a sub and you can double your certs, and play on 2x weeks or weekends.

Why do people feel they should be entitled to the same things that someone else spent hundreds of hours obtaining when they don't or can't devote that much time to the game. There is always going to be someone that spends more and has more time available to play, unless you are that guy or group of guys. Buying your way to the top destroys all the time and energy that the other guy put in.
Don't tell me you can't have fun in the game because you can't spec Anchor 4 in prowlers or some other class spec. You don't become a General in the army with money you earn it with blood, sweat, tears, hard work and some luck.

BC the starter weapons aren't terrible in a lot of cases.

This would be awesome

Or they could make every certable option cost station cash.

It'd be immensely profitable, and lead to total pay-to-win. That said, there would be no option exclusively open to station cash that isn't open to someone who simply plays the game and earns the certs. We already have this argument to quash pay to win in its present state.

Do not agree with buying certs at all.
March - Convenience Items, update that will alow you to buy a CERT reset, not sure if thats full character reset or per item or even per skill. Its on the road map if you looked at it.

I looked at it and I believe the cert reset is coming in march, not february unfortunately.

ya changed above before you got to me

"0.661" isn't that variable? Sometimes you land a turkey shoot, sometimes not. Or is that an average?

I have as well. It's a good thing that certs aren't inexhaustible to earn. Flashlight is OP, btw. It's like a flash grenade for single target use. Stick it on a gun, turn it on to blind your opponent, proceed to own. (kidding)

PS2 forums ?

They do need something for those of us who can't play the game all day every day...

I am in the same boat , but of the opinion that they don't .
Just going to have to make the best of the play time I can .
Very aware that in 6 months time the game will probably be different in so many ways that much of what is hotly contested on the forums will mean little then .

Patience sir , it will pay in the end