Top Mud Sites Forum - View Single Post - Pay-to-Play vs. Pay-to-Advance

Xorith · 05-27-2005, 01:34 PM

I think in any MUD worth charging for, player skill should be playing a major role. The one reason I completely dislike the "EQ-Ebay" thing is because I've played with people who buy their way through the game. They don't know the game, and because of how EQ is set up, they can get away with it. Even if you don't buy a ready-made level 70, 700AA point, Anguish/DoN geared toon... you can still pay for platinum (in-game money), and pretty much "twink" your character out with some of the more rare, but very valuable items that don't discriminate based on level.

You can then pay people with in-game money to "power-level" you. In short, by the time you arrive to level 70, the only skill you have is how to hide behind the Druid that's power-levelling your rear, and how to click "Buy It Now" on your favorite game-item buying service.

I really do think that player-skill is what makes some pay-to-advance schemes work. It doesn't matter how much money you spend on your character, that won't teach you how to play it well. In a good system though, this can't be the only check and balance. Hence why we've discussed limitations, and why I still feel some sort of playtime-based limitation is a valid solution. Also, in considering a more binary way of doing this, you're completely removing the chance of someone without money enough to pay from keeping up. Yes, this means the playing field is more level, when you consider that everyone who's over XX level is a paying subscriber, however it removes the choice that I'd like customers to have.

This brings back the idea of going with something that can adapt to the situation. KaVir's exp-bonus idea is a great idea actually, as it's a perk, but you can't do anything with it without playing the game. Yes, someone will advance more quickly while using it, but only for a period of time nearly equal with that player's offline time.

05-27-2005, 01:34 PM	#29
Xorith Member Join Date: May 2003 Posts: 45	I think in any MUD worth charging for, player skill should be playing a major role. The one reason I completely dislike the "EQ-Ebay" thing is because I've played with people who buy their way through the game. They don't know the game, and because of how EQ is set up, they can get away with it. Even if you don't buy a ready-made level 70, 700AA point, Anguish/DoN geared toon... you can still pay for platinum (in-game money), and pretty much "twink" your character out with some of the more rare, but very valuable items that don't discriminate based on level. You can then pay people with in-game money to "power-level" you. In short, by the time you arrive to level 70, the only skill you have is how to hide behind the Druid that's power-levelling your rear, and how to click "Buy It Now" on your favorite game-item buying service. I really do think that player-skill is what makes some pay-to-advance schemes work. It doesn't matter how much money you spend on your character, that won't teach you how to play it well. In a good system though, this can't be the only check and balance. Hence why we've discussed limitations, and why I still feel some sort of playtime-based limitation is a valid solution. Also, in considering a more binary way of doing this, you're completely removing the chance of someone without money enough to pay from keeping up. Yes, this means the playing field is more level, when you consider that everyone who's over XX level is a paying subscriber, however it removes the choice that I'd like customers to have. This brings back the idea of going with something that can adapt to the situation. KaVir's exp-bonus idea is a great idea actually, as it's a perk, but you can't do anything with it without playing the game. Yes, someone will advance more quickly while using it, but only for a period of time nearly equal with that player's offline time.