Credits, Gold Farmers and other such matters.

[JenShay]

Okay, let me see if I can explain it from the stance I have taken ... and I don't really agree with this (entrapment, reasons) :

Expansions players are already paying for the game and there is a shortage of people to team with.
Fr00bs may not be sure if they want to upgrade.

Then there is this "no RL$ cost way to see the shadowlands" and it is available as long as you can get enough credits for it.
You would be "sponsored" with a "club membership" by a paid account. Basically, they would be saying:

I have found a person I want to team with and I am willing to make a sacrifice to have them where I want them to team with them.

There would be no official RL$ <-> credit exchanges. (Sadly, black market sales of "vouching" would likely occur.)

When their zest for generating and sinking credits wanes, then they would be trapped with toons they care about on an account that needs $5 a month. Then they either leave, reroll on a fr00b, pay up or keep playing being in teams, keeping the paid players happy, while trying to generate enough credits.

[MajorOutage]

You think sending froobs to SL is going to cure the powerleveling problem?

[JenShay]

Not the objective of this thread.
It was an idle speculation.
More a step into the hypothetical. I actually would not like to see this implemented but the more I stand in defense of the idea the more I find that I could tolerate it under some of the conditions and compromises I have been outlining.

[Galilei]

Since it works in EVE it would work in AO too. There could be 2 prepaidcards that you could buy with AO's paid points, one for SL players (500 paid points) and one for players who have all expansions (1500 paid points). There would a be terminal in-game where you can buy those cards with paid points. Once bought, you can sell them to other players who will pay AO credits for their prepaidcard. FC gets real money, the prepaidcard seller gets AO credits with real money (since he bought the cards from FC) and the happy sloob gets game time with AO credits.

[JenShay]

Nope. Trying to avoid the exchange and flow of RL <-> credits.
The only burden to the paid player should be in vouching and credits.

The only risk for the "fr00b" is not having enough credits to pay for it and having to pay with real money. It is a way to sink credits and when they run dry put a hard choice to the person that got the free run - "Pay or reroll."

It gives the paid player an endentured companion.
That brings up another point:

Drama.

AO would have to make a disclaimer that goes, "Use of this system is at the player's risk. AO and the ARKs will not work as arbiters in any player to player disputes arising from this."

[Edta]

Well there is 2 things in this thread, both resulting in in-game money being traded for game time at one side, the other side is the difference though:

- "In-game money goes to a player, RL money goes to FC. Like in Eve RL money is exchanged for in-game items so that you can get in-game money with real money." I don't like this, I rather see people earning their wealth instead of giving some advantage for RL rich people. FC getting the money is a good thing though.
-"In-game money goes to Funcom" One advantage here is that it takes credits out. A disadvanage is that several current (future) SL accounts will use this program instead, so FC actually loses money here.

An advantage of both is that it increases the amount of people in SL. More people, better game, more paying people, more money for FC. Still, don't think this factor is big enough to make up for the money lost by having less SL account subscribers that pay. So don't think it's a good suggestion either.

[JenShay]

The crucial point would be setting the monthly credit fee so that it is obtainable for only a short while.
That people think they can sustain it but actually can't. It drains away at the reserves of billions and traps people into chosing to pay up or reroll.

Done right it might get more paying people and more happy full expansion payers.

[Edta]

The crucial point would be setting the monthly credit fee so that it is obtainable for only a short while.
That people think they can sustain it but actually can't. It drains away at the reserves of billions and traps people into chosing to pay up or reroll.

Done right it might get more paying people and more happy full expansion payers.

Question is, how do you know you won't get the reverse... people are hard to predict. Froobs and SL-only people might chose to use this system. Get frustrated because they can't make enough money anymore and stop playing. Frustration is not a good incentive to keep playing, though some will indeed upgrade. But I think very few of the people that would otherwise be froob would do this.

[thecheeseman]

wipe all credits from all lvl 1-10 characters when new graphics gets released (without announcing)

[JenShay]

... Frustration is not a good incentive to keep playing, though some will indeed upgrade. ...

Yes. It is a tricky idea with risks. I am going to have to think about it some more.

(Just a reminder, that I don't really want to see this in game. I am enjoying the mental puzzle.)