Xp pot duping has been a thing for ages. It still goes on. Anytime I see someone running with thirty hours or so of xp pots always makes me wonder. As I do with certain people and guilds. I always assume they are duping and cheating bc they and their guilds have been busted for it so many times that itd be stupid to believe they stop. But, not everyone is a duper so while the thought crosses my mind, so what.
And honestly, if SSG can't be bothered to repair their own buggy system, why should I care? Or pay to support it? or report exploiters?
And even if they are, really ... who cares? I have a low opinion of cheaters. yet in this game, cheaters end up with stronger characters that benefit them and the groups they are in. It's not the same type of cheating where other players really LOSE out on anything. If you don't want to play with a super powerful exploit character, then drop group. Simple.
If anything, the dupers take money from SSG and the on-going lack of addressing this is really farcical.
SSG cries about having no money and being fiscally responsible, and does nothing to stop losses from duping. Nor do they offer much in the way of marketing and on-boarding new players. What a joke. VIP loses gold dice rolls, while dupers still make stacks of XP pots, shards and more.
They ... do nothing about dupers ... and take away benefits from the people who actually support the game. Make that make sense.
And ddo, to keep the lights on, should make better business decisions. Treat its customers with respect. Fix their store. Conduct actual marketing. Fix new player retention and onboarding. Fix VIP. FIX THE EFFIN LAG.
So many ways to be fiscally responsible, and they aren't and they do not care about the customers. This is not theory, its a repeatedly proveable fact spanning over a decade. This is just how SSG runs things. And as we have been told so many times, take it or leave it.
Its not a charity. I will never support ddo financially just to keep the lights on.
I dont even enjoy playing it with it being free. The devs have destroyed the fun and joy I have had in this game with unreasonable nerfs and their disregard for the players. And their decisions have driven away most of my in game friends.
Logging in is a massive lag fest coupled with incessant load screen disconnects, barely usable inventory, and the on-going knowledge that should anything happen to my character, I won't get support. Ellisaria's husband and their experiences, along with many others, is a clear illustration of SSGs contempt for the players.
Anytime I TR, I feel as if I am playing russian roulette and am permanently risking the chance of losing my character and effort.
If this game closes, oh well. Thats entirely on SSG, their management and their substandard decision making process. It isn't on us, the customer. SSG's on-going attempts to scapegoat the playerbase for managements decisions doesn't change the facts that they are making bad decisions.
Its not up to us to support their poor decisions. And more and more us refuse to support their management style and are unsubbing and refusing to pay for anything.
I feel bad for people who contribute to 'keep the lights on.'
I respect the sentiment, but SSG doesn't respect you.
If your character got destroyed just like Elli's husbands did ... you'd be in the same boat. Wake up. Kobolds love us more than SSG does.