Open Letter to Mr. Garriott - the pay to play thing

Not to people who enjoy cosmetics as a measure of progression in games.

I sold my town lot a few months ago because there were zero craftable houses at that size.

Even the village size has very few compelling options.

I'd have thought that a ratio of no less then 1:1 for introducing items to the store and via in game acquisition as the minimum to be able to truly cater to people who don't want cash items.

@Autumn Willow makes the point well that some of us wanted to be artisans and right now the store is much harder to complete with then it should be.

Furniture and houses Could be patterns applied to our created items to keep business up. That's how combat items were sold without affecting weapon makers.

 

ahhh sorry I know you're not mad. I rewrote my comment. *grabs coffee* you are just fine. I enjoy your feedback a lot.

 

I have obtained mastry of many crafting skills. You are ignoring the reality that the devs made the best available choice.

 

The game cant have a pure crafter option. Players can sell pledges and add on items for in game gold. In game gold or real money can buy any grind item in game. The best combat craftable and artifact can be bought in game or out of game. There is also an option to grind gold to buy items in add on.in an inconvenient way at least. But the truth is real life cash elevate both crafter and adventurer status. You can even pay someone to level you. This is not only because they sell items in add on store or the high value pledges. But also the policy on real money trade.

In short, they may say they are not p2w. But the way the game is structured, it is so easy and indirectly p2w.

I can so easily convert real life cash into any items in game, be it to have the biggest house in game, the swankiest furniture or my combat prowess.

However, the sad thing is there is nothing to win. Whats the point of grinding or playing? When the sweet fruits of in game achievement can be nullified with a credit card. One reason I see for grinding is cash. The many farmers in the marketplace. Grinding for in game objects to sell for real life cash or grinding to buy items in the add on store, which some players do. Buy add on store items to sell for a high in game gold multiple. To those who want to keep it pure so that they will not be tainted by real life cash, or that their in game experience will not be compromise by their wallet.

Thats said, it could be a necessary evil for in game development. But we would need a change in business model to retain players like @Autumn Willow, the original poster or every other person in my guild. Its not personal, every game has their fans.

 

SOTA is now way a pay to win game - all my gear has come from in game and through farming and selling items.

My only complaint is I would like to see better loot itemisation from bosses like a rare unique type item that drops from each boss. or allow artefacts to be more useful (most are not useful at all)

 

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAAHA!!!!

LOVED THAT ONE!!!

And it's damn right too brother!!!

 

Just bring crafted furniture more in line with the way crafted weapons/armor vs addon store weapons/armor work. Crafted furniture would be destructible while add-on items would be permanent. Immortal patterns could also be salvaged from addon stuff then used to enhance the appearance of crafted items.

 

Good morning

Why do some of you guys seem to take this criticism so negatively? Haha.

So we go towards belittling one's point of view instead of addressing it? As I mentioned it isn't pay 2 win in a combat sense. But for me ... (from my perspective, in my opinion) it is very pay to win. Again, you don't have to agree with me, but you could at least acknowledge the point. This is a sandbox MMO. there will be players who want to do other stuff other than combat.

Hmmm... perhaps point form would be easier for you to understand.

My perspective:

• Combat isn't the only reason to play the game (sandbox)
• Combat isn't the only reason why people craft.
• I personally like decorating and working on houses, it's my favourite thing to do in the game
• I do combat too... but mainly to help me collect resources to craft ===> which in turns helps me build things ====> Which in turn helps me decorate (I do love decorating )
• In an ideal world shop shouldn't sell things that players can already make, there shouldn't be an overlap: e.g. Furniture for Carpenters, Clothing for Tailors, Weapons and Armor for Smiths and tailors
• There would still be things to sell in the store: Statues, Obsidian shards, Trees, plants, pets, emotes, deeds, houses etc etc.
• There wouldn't be a strange opposite economy, where a master tailor who focuses on the social aspect of crafting (I'll use another example since you can't seem use my example in a different context yourself) would have to approach another player (possibly a non crafter) to purchase a tailored outfit.
• Players wouldn't feel upset/bewildered there are things that they take effort to craft, can easily be bought in the add on store.
• This would result in more playstyles open to players.
• More playstyles is good right? aside from combat
• I understand that the company needs to earn money
• There are players here who, in their zealousness and support for portalarium, argue for things that screws the position of the player/game and makes the game, in my opinion weaker than it could be. Justifying their actions by (port needs money to survive).
• It becomes a "how can we give more money to port" question instead of a "How can we help port by making a better game"
• Better game ===> more players ===> more money.

It's not a reality. Its your opinion. I'm fine with you thinking that. You aren't fine with me having my own it seems
I understand that the add-on store is necessary. I feel that the current choice of offering in the add-on store could be improved.

 

Haha, no need to apologise. I was just clarifying.

 

Yes it is, and intentionally so. CotO drops are shut off (or rather set rare enough to be effectively shut off) until COTOs for sale on vendors reach a higher price. What price? That is Chris's choice, but 2100 is clearly not enough.

 

You can do all of that in every MMO.

 

I prefer the term "pay to pimp" because it sounds cooler. With few exceptions, no item in the store could contribute to any sort of "win".

The exceptions are fee-free vendors (need a sufficient pledge/bundle, and IMHO 10% fee is way too high) and housing. Those can both be achieved by making friends who want to share access with you. Sub-house rent is coming eventually, and there's no reason a room's rent couldn't be set to zero. But even then, housing is mostly a convenience of having a place to put your stuff, which I call "pay to lazy".

 

You do know there is no fixed official definition for pay 2 win right? Read my points. Stop trying to justify it as a semantics issue. So the "simply wrong" is well incorrect.

Anyways, at no point have I said that the game is pay 2 win in the general sense. But it is pay 2 win for/to me. And I go on to address why.

Don't try to pivot. Heh. Or is your end game just saying this game isn't pay 2 win and the term I used was wrong?

 

I too was disappointed to see that much of the best looking furniture was only available in the add-on store. I was hoping to craft some 'upscale' furniture to decorate a house in one of my towns but most of the items I could craft looked very rough and crude compared to their counterparts in the store. I certainly hope they add more recipes for nice looking furniture that can be crafted exclusively in game by master carpenters.

 

Fun fact: there isn't.
So you are both right.
Or wrong. Depends on the point of view.

Edit for clarification reason:
I was really surprised that there isn't.

 

Exactly... Thanks for understanding.

So let's not get tied up over the semantics and look at the point the thread starter was trying to make. Pay walls hurt the game experience.

 

Though I personally don't think sota is pay to win (just recently bought a deed with CotOs bought for ingame gold and at the moment I farm gold for more CotOs for a house to place it on the deed) I agree we need more iconic items beside the artifacts that can only be obtained in game. Or better: crafted. We still need a bit more balance in that aspect of the game.

 

$1.00 = 3500gp

1 COTO will be $1.00 when the sales end on the addon store

1 COTO pays 1 week on a taxable Row deed which is 500gp a day without a COTO...

500 X 7 = 3500gp

3500gp = $1.00

 

That's a sweeping statement.

The distinction that's is not like any other mmo. At least not those I have played.

1. Explicitly endorsing rmt trade. Allow everything to be sold for real life cash. Allow power levelling for cash.
2. Everything in game is tradeble for cash or for in game gold. No items is binded.
3. Game store sells alternative currency. Sells the best looking decoration items in game which can be freely traded or sold for in game gold.

Gamers are explicitly endorsed to exchange money for time/effort. Nothing wrong with all these "like all mmo" distinction. just a matter of preference. Not mine but maybe yours.

 

For me it's simple. Make every deco in the current game craftable by different professions, but with special colors and skins available to only the pay shop.

Crafters feel good while the whales or supporters can buy unique skins.

Not the case yet though, and I'm coming from the point of why can't I craft an ugly crude metal village plot Moondial in game instead of paying $300 for a beautiful one.