Open r1

[Archest]

I'm readin this as a subscriber did sumpin to get a premium bumped off.

no its a premium player wanting a fair event for all the players.

 

[Sophie The Cat Burglar]

no its a premium player wanting a fair event for all the players.

Okay. My bad. I am premium. I get that running Normal > Hard > Elite is time consuming. I also understand that 'special' players sometimes join pick-up groups.

For a truly fair event, wouldn't every player need to pony up 15 Uncle Sam Bucks to participate? If I go to a club or a gym I need to pony up. Well, maybe not on Lady's Night or during a promotion, but you get the idea. Why should someone who does not pay get anything?

 

[popejubal]

Okay. My bad. I am premium. I get that running Normal > Hard > Elite is time consuming. I also understand that 'special' players sometimes join pick-up groups.

For a truly fair event, wouldn't every player need to pony up 15 Uncle Sam Bucks to participate? If I go to a club or a gym I need to pony up. Well, maybe not on Lady's Night or during a promotion, but you get the idea. Why should someone who does not pay get anything?

I bought every quest pack and expansion pack up until Covid. I’m pretty sure I already paid my fair share.

 

[Onyxia2016]

Unless I am missing something, you got what you paid for. These purchases do not entitle you to anything more and they certainly do not me you should automatically be given future developments. That is not how DDO is marketed.

You are asking for a free perk that many others are paying for, have have been for many, many years. How is that fair?

 

[Archest]

If the server was live hc which defeats the start at level 1 for everyone having the server permanent , its a not issue but its not a live permanent server - its a timed event. having 50% of the payers of an EVENT having to run quests 2 times more than VIP. takes more time to achieve the same milestones in an EVENT. handicaps the premium player. because it is an event. If the only way the VIP players can achieve no.1 position is to have a 3 x advantage over the other players then that's your shame. there were free coupons given out 3 separate times. this was to add a larger player base and encourage new players to continue to play and spend money. Reaper core is a perk for the event . its not a freebee , really no different than handing out a coupon for a limited event which is an introduction to Reaper level in hard core. there are several negatives to playing as premium on hardcore, 3 to 1 being one of them the other is time and getting completion of quest in series for favor before leveling out especially once 2x is reinstated. current(4x) before lock out. having the ability to enter elite\R1 eliminates that as well. else your forced to play at a higher level then you should have too creating more risk then for vip.

 

[Onyxia2016]

I agree that VIP offers an advantage, even more so during HC seasons. This is by design. Other than providing something new for players at the heart of HC is the revenue it brings in for SSG. This revenue is in the form of subs for a couple of months, DDO points/shards.
Just like VIP, buying DDO Points and Shards also offer an advantage over those that do not spend any money on the event.

I do not believe you would suggest getting points/shards for free to even the playing field. VIP is the same thing.
Pay X amount for an advantage/QoL boost. You are not forced to as you can achieve the same results without the advantage but it will be harded but doable.

You want named loot and gear sets you spend money to get shards to reroll chests.
You want to open elite/R+ immediately you spend money on the subscription to gain that advantage.

This is how games with micro transactions work. The more you spend, the more advantage you have.

 

[Archest]

points and shards for FTP is not the same at all. as they dont have access to the field of expansion that premium players paid for they would how ever be able to open r1.

 

[Phoenicis]

The playing field is even to start: Everyone has to start on normal.

SOME people are willing to pay to get a leg up. They buy VIP so they can open elite to start (Along with 10% bonus exp that stacks with all other bonuses, plus 1% per party member other than themselves that stacks with all other bonuses, plus bonus run speed that stacks with all other bonuses, plus ALL the MMs, plus default access to the shared bank, plus...)

You want a bonus I pay for without paying for it?

I'm gonna go with a hard no.

 

[Archest]

I paid for gianthold you gave away for nothing to FTP.
and now treat me like I'm still FTP.
Im also free to not play HC as well.

 

[Onyxia2016]

I paid for gianthold you gave away for nothing to FTP.
and now treat me like I'm still FTP.
Im also free to not play HC as well.

You have access to the content, and had access long before it went F2P, that is what you paid for. This does not grant you open the content on any level difficulty. VIP can open any content they own on any difficulty.

Per DDO Wiki https://ddowiki.com/page/Difficulty
Initially, only Solo, Casual and Normal difficulty are available to Free To Play and Premium players who have never completed that quest before. F2P & Premium characters who have undergone True Reincarnation can open heroic quests on Hard difficulty after the first reincarnation. Characters with two past lives can open Elite or Reaper.

Since we all start HC as a first life character, the only way to open a higher difficulty (without an opener) is to have a VIP account.
If you were to create a character on a new server you would face the same situation as you are on HC.

Yes, I are certainly free to not play HC.

 

[Sturmbb]

If they did away with the VIP perk of being able to open Elite. Than i think even more people would unsubscribe. Lets be honest VIP has many perks, but over the years the perks have been diluted.

The main reason i subscribe is due to the elite access on HC. Until they sort VIP out and start giving proper benefits to subscribe to VIP. Than it is a hard no from me (i actually only subscribe to VIP while HC is on, mainly due to the fact it allows me to open elite).

I really want to support the game but i refuse to pay a monthly subscription for something that gives no benefits. Its a bit like paying a monthly subscription for Netflix, but the general public can access the same amount of content you can but not pay the subscription fee.

I find it absolutely Ludicrous that people on here are advocating SSG giving the last main perk of VIP away to F2P and Premium accounts.
I have gone over the lists of VIP benefits in other threads (as many other people have) and the other benefits of VIP are literally non existent to my play style. IE

Faster public speeds - we have mounts now
XP Boost - i prefer to slowly level so i can see the content (i do not TR - its a play style i just cannot get my head around)
free DDO points - I have accumulated thousands over the years and i don't even spend what i earn on HC (basically HC is a net positive for me).
Expanded Adventures - since giving the free codes away, this is no longer the case (to be honest i had already bought most of the packs anyway)
Build more options - I have bought them all (i think there is one inaccessible at the moment "Machrotechnic" which isn't accessible to VIP's anyway.
Monster Manual - already bought them all (i think number 9 is accessible at the moment for VIP or with Vecna which we cant buy until next year)
Saga Skip - If i was on the TR train this might be a good perk. but i love playing the content so why would i skip a quest
Test your skills - THE ONLY REASON I SUBSCRIBE
More Characters - I have bought plenty of slots when i'm Premium and i don't even use all of those
More Storage - I have bought the extra storage for plat,crafting and shared on premium and i don't even use that

So if they stopped the "test your skills" perk, than i wouldn't subscribe. I'm sure most people are thinking "I'm crazy" as by giving this away for free i would be saving myself a bunch of money. Which in a sense you are correct, but i really do want to support the game and see it thrive. So i'm happy to spend $15 a month supporting a game i love. Lets be honest for that amount of money you could buy a McDonald's meal. So cutting back on one McDonald's meal would give you the option to open elite on the HC. As far as i can see, it's a bargain and i cannot believe people are complaining over the price of a McDonald's meal.

 

[Sophie The Cat Burglar]

Everyone can pay 15 Uncle Same Bucks to gain the ability to open on any difficulty. That is perfectly fair. No one needs to pay more or less.

The people at Standing Stone Games, who pay salaries, rent, and other business expenses to keep DDO running, allow people who do not pay anything to participate in Hardcore seasons. That is an extremely altruistic and gracious thing to do.

Every single person can play DDO, including Hardcore seasons, under the exact same rules.

How could it possibly be more fair?

This discussion is not about fairness. This discussion is about ungracious jerks receiving a gift, throwing it the face oi the gift giver, and then demanding a bigger gift.

 

[popejubal]

Unless I am missing something, you got what you paid for. These purchases do not entitle you to anything more and they certainly do not me you should automatically be given future developments. That is not how DDO is marketed.

You are asking for a free perk that many others are paying for, have have been for many, many years. How is that fair?

Not sure if this was aimed af me but if it was, I haven’t asked for open E/R just because I bought all those packs. I was just o jetting to the idea that premium players who were playing on the hardcore server at all were somehow mooching like someone who wanted to go to a club or gym without paying.

I already paid. I bought a lifetime membership to those sections of the club/gym.

 

[popejubal]

Everyone can pay 15 Uncle Same Bucks to gain the ability to open on any difficulty. That is perfectly fair. No one needs to pay more or less.

The people at Standing Stone Games, who pay salaries, rent, and other business expenses to keep DDO running, allow people who do not pay anything to participate in Hardcore seasons. That is an extremely altruistic and gracious thing to do.

Every single person can play DDO, including Hardcore seasons, under the exact same rules.

How could it possibly be more fair?

This discussion is not about fairness. This discussion is about ungracious jerks receiving a gift, throwing it the face oi the gift giver, and then demanding a bigger gift. Your destiny is in that direction... *points down, towards the center of the Earth*

Did you really just say that anyone who isn’t sufficiently grateful to SSG for letting us play on the hard it’s server are jerks who are going to end up in hell? Really?

 

[Onyxia2016]

Not sure if this was aimed af me but if it was, I haven’t asked for open E/R just because I bought all those packs. I was just o jetting to the idea that premium players who were playing on the hardcore server at all were somehow mooching like someone who wanted to go to a club or gym without paying.

I already paid. I bought a lifetime membership to those sections of the club/gym.

I misunderstood your response based on the context of this thread.

I do not see premium and even F2P as mooching. The game is designed around all account levels.
As you pointed out, you purchased several things that contributed to the games continued existents.
Even F2P users contribute by being able to fill out a group, albeit, content may be limited for them unless packs are bought using DDO points gathered along the way.

Everyone being able to play on HC is as it should be. Granting a VIP perk to non-vip account is not, which you clarified in not something you have asked for.

I hope you can understand my confusion and previous response based on the context that everyone should be granted the VIP perk of opening any difficulty on HC.

 

[Archest]

have a contest and make sure 50% of the players have to play the game 3 times and the other 50% dont and the winner is the one who plays the game fastest. That's your version of fair . because everyone can pay to get ahead.

 

[Striga]

have a contest and make sure 50% of the players have to play the game 3 times and the other 50% dont and the winner is the one who plays the game fastest. That's your version of fair . because everyone can pay to get ahead.

VIPs move faster, get more XP, and yes, they can open elite. Life is not fair.

 

[Onyxia2016]

have a contest and make sure 50% of the players have to play the game 3 times and the other 50% dont and the winner is the one who plays the game fastest. That's your version of fair . because everyone can pay to get ahead.

It is fair in the sense that you too can opt to go VIP and share in the added perks.
Welcome to the world of micro transaction gaming. Every F2P game that has micro transaction has a route for those that want to spend real money to gain every advantage.

Now if you were excluded from having this option, then you would have cause to complain.
You are choosing not to have a VIP subscription.

There are those that drive around in luxury cars where as I drive a Jeep in the time limited game called life.
Should I be given one of these luxury cars simple because I exist?
They chose to spend the money for it so they deserve it.

I could certainly lease one for a bit to enjoy it as they do but I would not want to lease it forever.
This is no different than VIP. You have the option to get it for a limited time then drop it when no longer needed.

In the time allotted for HC, even running the quests three time, you can get all the rewards.
You also have more chances to get named loot reducing the need to spend shards to reroll chests.

You are also getting more favor out of each quest than only running it once on elite. Not as much as the first time but still more in total than one run.

Maybe do not look at it as "winning". Look at it as having the chance to start a fresh character, have some fun and get some exclusive rewards out of it.

 

[The Narc]

have a contest and make sure 50% of the players have to play the game 3 times and the other 50% dont and the winner is the one who plays the game fastest. That's your version of fair . because everyone can pay to get ahead.

Dide you are so unaware of all the pay to win that already exists in hardcore, streamer lead guilds some of them might even get some assistance/shards/points fron SSG) in hardcores have always paid to win versus smaller individual run guilds, they will have the biggest ships and all the buffs <~ pay to win and often you will see them post about how they should be able to keep the ship from hardcore to hardcore. Those streaming guild leaders needed to do that pay to win to hope to entice good players to their guild so they can be carried to the finish line.

Those same guilds are full of folks tha spend on xp pots and slayer boost and treasure elixirs and rerolls, all pay to win mechanics in hardcore. The less quests you have to run the more you increase your rate of survival!

So OP, just because the Guy Smilies and the Rimrommers use these tactics doesnt make hardcore any less fun for others it just is a paid advantage much the same as vip versus ftp/premium(you can pay to win and be VIP for a few months), it is a level playing field, its just a matter of pride versus need to buy your way to the top.

Personally for me i consider it more of a challenge without doing all the pay to win stuff, and since SSG has been on such a negative nerf spiral since the times of the improved precise shot nerf to the ship cargo buffs nerf, to the more recent palemaster aura from every 2 seconds to every 3 seconds, i just dont see any reason to spend any money when i feel like i am getting the shaft time and time again, it just feels insulting.

 

[Phoenicis]

You are also getting more favor out of each quest than only running it once on elite. Not as much as the first time but still more in total than one run.

This is incorrect, elite is the max Favor you can get from a quest.

You do get more XP than running it once on elite, is that what you meant?