Upgrading Tax Free Lots

Agree with @Cirsee, port of late is lacking communication with the player base lately. Wish they would improve on that.

Would be nice if @Spoon would chip in with his detailed analysis. Always loved his post.

 

The RMT decision may have kept P0rt from having to police gold farmers and do returns to unsatisfied players, but it also has a heavy negative impact on the game. You have players, who can play the game for free now, buying someone's old house and deed and Port gets none of that revenue. We are talking a couple hundred for a row deed and a house; Port gets none of that. You have people selling empty "prime location" lots for real money. This is just wasted space in the game someone could be using and enjoying. Groups can be more focused on loot that they can sell for real money than playing the game. It doesn't help fund the game and more people are upset with "devalued" virtual assets because they can make money selling them. Pledges and add on items were meant to fund the game period. I know the decision to do so won't change and some people will be upset that I brought it up, but I really think this is a big part of the core issue. Port has to see that vendors were selling for $120 in the Marketplace.. why not get a piece of that profit?

 

I think you are underestimating the amount of speculation folks engaged in on this game. A $100 deed at KS might be would $500 at launch, was the thought, that mindset drove way too much of this game.

 

The game is for the consumer, not the game company. This isn't a charity. This is my hard-earned money we're talking about. I bought a bundle because I wanted the things in it, that, the game pressured me into wanting because of things high incessant tax prices, and a desire to not spent all my time grinding. It influenced me into really wanting those easy solutions.

... and then a month or so later, that pressure halved... to the point, where I probably wouldn't have made the purchase. I have no intention of selling off any of my game assets, but it's still frustrating.

It's my fault, and my stupidity for sinking so much money into a single game. A mistake I won't be making again.

 

I don't quite understand the venting continuing here. Mistakes happen and solutions follow.

From a newer player perspective, I think it's cool that the top end content will be possible... technically... I mean, for 99% of players, it's not ever going to happen. But breaking down that barrier... knowing that the highest levels aren't forever locked away from anyone who should ever come after, that means a lot.

Rationally, I know that a city lot is a big stretch. Maybe a whole guild effort. Rationally, I know that there are tons of empty keep and castle lots - either unclaimed or the claimant abandoned it to fallow.

I'm glad that Portalarium is going to look into honoring their (long) past commitments. I hope they can muster the creativity to excite the playerbase at large without offending their past patrons.

 

@Chris
Did some digging and found this:
Keep and Castle Deeds wasnt in the original Kickstarter. Only City.
Castle Lots was introduced in Update of the Avatar #64
Keep Lots was introduced in Update of the Avatar #76
I cant find any written hint that they are forever Pledge only. I thought they are Pledge only, like the Water Lot Deeds, until Episode 2.
You could say that episode 2 is partially already started with the player made dungeons and the first new landmass appearence in R64.

Edit: I habe 1 LotM and 3 Duke Pledges and I am Ok with the upgradable Deeds.

 

QUOTE="Jason_M, post: 1195823, member: 298363"]I don't quite understand the venting continuing here. Mistakes happen and solutions follow.[/QUOTE]

Let me try and shed some light on the situation. I think we all understand the Devs are trying to do the best for the game but lack of REAL communication, I'm talking about plans that really effect MONEY are things that hurt. Here is my recent example, and it harkens to what some of the people are speaking about past "promises" and Real Money Purchases....

Last month was the final month for Tax Free Bundles before they expired. It was a big deal, we didn't know if or when they were returning and marketing wise, the pitch was get it now before its gone!

So, I took much of my in game accumulated gold, about 3 million (I'm sure people have tons more but I spend a lot. ) and converted it all to COTO. I also spent REAL MONEY every single week buying the COTO that were on sale for 20% off = Wow, what a bargain, right? Its never been on sale before! I saved up 1050 COTO between my wallet and in game resources to get it before its gone! Bought 2 Tax Fee Village bundles, one for me, one for my wife (We have to be fair, right?).

Then the hammer drops, 3 weeks later, Lot Tax is cut in half, the Deeds I just bought were devalued so much I could upgrade 2 TF Village lots to TOWNS for 600 COTO, I spent 1050 on VILLAGE lots, not even a month ago!!! If I would have known what was coming I would have NEVER, EVER Done this!!

Sure, I know its a bundle, and I got other value but lets be serious... There is NOW WAY I can get any where close to the value from these deeds what I put into them... I could have upgraded my Founder to a City and be half way to a Keep if I had simply known where we were headed. i.e. If you want this expired bundle for the content value, that's great, but we're going to be offering upgrades soon!

I understand moving forward for the better of the game but the team is playing with peoples REAL Money, we put our faith in a system and now there is no way to get even close to a value we just bought in for out of that. (This is why I asked for a right click cash in on the Deeds for COTO spent, or something close).

So when I hear others frustrated about "promises" I really get it, I do, but we ALL have suffered devalue in SO many ways. People are looking for SOMETHING to ease the pain, not just a hand wave and gesture it will all be ok, NOW. The point is, how can people feel comfortable spending money on a design plan knowing simply 30 days later it all be crap for planning. It hurts. We have Faith, We Trust the Transparency goes beyond what they are building into the game but also protecting in some way the money people spent to retain value.

This is nothing new of course, companies do it all the time... put a great sale on something only to come up with a better model next month and drop the old price even more. Happens all the time. Dose not mean it doesn't hurt.

That is why people are venting. Sometimes it helps. I for one am not going anywhere, Still Love Shroud.

 

@Aartemis My comment was directed to the ventinf about keep/castle upgrading. The problem is already being resolved.

As for the rest of the venting.. well that's something else entirely. Good luck with what ails you.

 

Great find! @Chris @DarkStarr

 

Yes, exactly, my point being, everyone has suffered devalue, feeling like we were marketed one thing then when it fits better, the plan is changed. People with Keeps and Castles are frustrated with their "promised" TF Status being exclusive, and now allowed to be upgraded.

Its why people are frustrated, but we are all in the same boat, no one is unique or special no matter the pledge level. We all need to move forward for the betterment of the game.

TF Keep and Castle Upgrading should NOT be removed. It is what it is, we have all been effected, nobody should be excluded from that over 5 year old wording. Sure there are ways to "work around it" so Port can move forward... Stronghold Deeds being something that could be done, but having the team invest 40-60-80 hours of development time to protect a wording that simply does not work in this time and age of the game is a waste. Asking them to do that is a shame. We could be moving forward instead of scrambling over lawyered words.

 

@Chris @DarkStarr

Again, pledge promises were not limited to Kickstarter only, nor just TF castle and keep lots. Pledges and tax free lots were expired and were not to be sold on the store or in game per many other posts linked in this thread. These posts introducing castle and keep lots only introduce them, but that has nothing to do with the expirations of these items. Update 172 is clear as day that tax free deeds would be expired, and if one chooses to bore themselves go watch just about any livestream during spring and summer 2016 timeframe, the “time is running out” campaign.

 

Deeds or Pledges? Bundles? Expiring a Viking Bundle is not the same as Expiring a Deed. Same with Duke, Baron, Citizen or Lord PLEDGES.
Expiring content is relative to bundle as a whole.

 

Agreed! I didn't "invest" thousands to make a profit later, I paid to help get a game developed and I continue to help as I can. Sorry, I don't feel much sympathy for those complaining about "devalued" items.

Again just my opinion, folks are free to have their own, but the constant dog chasing its tail conversation is really pointless. On to other threads for me, this is a waste of time.

 

And I'm having a difficult time having sympathy for a game and community that has no sympathy for player loss. It'd be one thing if there was some attempt at mitigation, such as long-term communication, or some effort at reimbursement. Nothing.

My support of this game has come to its end, unless there's some drastic change in course on *all* levels.

 

and the drama begins.

 

The drama is always there.

Soon it will be thank you for the feedback and a thread lock

There is still a bit of unfinished business on Portalarium’s side with episode 1 - being the signed copies of the Midras story and undelivered boxes. That said, everything is up to them to have the game continue.

Again, this is a crowdfunded venture, not a stock investment covered by stricter regulations, and people seem to not be grasping that fact.

 

And some people are forgetting that SeedInvest was a thing and it came with much stricter regulations that Kickstarter.

 

I suppose I just think that making any one "promise" more sacred then any other is dragging everything down.

Should the original promises never have been made like that, yes, sure... I think everyone sees that now. Unfortunately throwing up road blocks now that are hampering forward movement and new player access to the game is even worse.

Look, I'm a Royal Founder and I think its absurd players just can't put a TF Lot on the water and drop a lighthouse or boat if they want. Its been great to be King Crappola of the Water Mountain for 5 years, but at this point lets just tear down those blockades and let people build what they want. With the recent tax changes, tax is more of a daily annoyance then serious game decision on what type of deed to use. I mean really, losing sleep over all this exclusivity is not helping anyone.

I mean, what got me all riled up was seeing them backtracking on part of a needed game system because of a promise, after SO many other game "promises" have been broken or twisted, or worked around over time for the betterment of the game.

Saying we are never going to do this, or never going to do that again, is and was a horrible mistake. You want to expire a pumpkin skin, go right ahead, I mean there are a million more we can make. However, saying game functionality like placing lots on water or elevating housing past city level only if its taxable because these few individuals paid for it early just further justifies every post on every game site that defines Shroud as pay to win game for early adopters. It was a bad decision and it has to be moved passed. If that requires two more deed types to be made then so be it, if we need to redefine what water placement means, lets do it.

What we should not do is impeded game progress because of a bad decision made for all the best intentions.

edit: I also want to clarify that I am not without sympathy for the fact we have to move past these issues. I do feel the higher end pledges got a few rotten apples tossed a them, but If we can find a way to move past something, like Unique Avatar Heads by giving Cool Duke Rooms instead, I'm sure the great minds can find a way to give something else cool in place of that decision that has to be changed. If it warrants something in return, then lets to that but choosing to impede game progress, when needed, is just replacing one bad decision with another.

 

Nothing in this discussion is impacting the deeds obtained in SeedInvest offerings. Those are all POT only deeds.

 

Of course not, but SeedInvest investors hold a "stake" in the company that subjects Port to more regulation than you normal Kickstarter. Even though the SeedInvest stock is effectively worthless and looks to be stripped of as many rights as possible, the issuing of the stock still subjects Port to an extra degree of government oversight.