[Lanthum]

Originally Posted by (Traveler @ Mar. 19 2006,10:53) I never once wrote that I was mad. I never once complained either nor did I attack IRE‘s games themselves.

I apologize Traveler.  Coming off a 12-hour shift with only a few hours sleep ... I read too much into what you had posted and thought you were saying something else.

I care not whether a person disagrees with IRE.  They are not the be-all end-all of games.  I just can't seem to fathom why so many people complain about what they do advertising wise - when it doesn't even truly affect them.  Much less look at the fact that it's what most of the rest of the games industry does.  Especially overseas in Asia ...  oh well.

[Baram]

Originally Posted by (Traveler @ Mar. 20 2006,00:53) Just because I play or have played IRE games does not mean I have to be a mindless drone marching in lock step formation with them. Call me a socialist but I do not buy into the propaganda that what is good for the company is good for the employees. Or in this case what is good for one MUD is good for the entire MUD community. I'm more of a ground up then a top down kind of guy. I believe if you improve the community then you improve the MUDs.

They have never stopped people from posting how much it takes to max out a skill, they themselves won't tell you. It's the same as not telling you how much damage a spell does, they let you learn that on your own. It's part of the fun and mystery of playing a new game.

Most players know roughly how much it costs to max out one skill, and when people ask they tell them. It's also posted all over most of their forums, and those posts never get deleted. The only thing they don't allow, is listings of what is in each skill. And that is completely understandable, some players would rather try to keep their skills secret. Posting lists on third party websites is allowed, mainly because there's nothing they can do about it. But IG and on their official forums it's normally not allowed and frowned upon.

[Traveler]

Originally Posted by IRE isn't perfect, and while I would certainly like to see IRE become more transparent about the way it operates, especially to its paying customers, the charges of dishonesty appear to be motivated out of jealousy rather than any fact about IRE's advertising practices. I don't particularly like IRE, as a company, but that has nothing to do with whether or not IRE advertises deceptively.

Others may have a reason to be jealous but as I am neither a MUD Admin nor a MUD Owner I do not. I have nothing to be jealous about. I have no problem purchasing a service I enjoy. I'll spend 20$ for my girl and I to go to the movies (I live in a small town the movies are cheap here), I'll pay 30$ for the HC of the new book by my fav. author, I'll drop 15-20$ on a CD. I don't particularly like IRE as a company because I think they advertise deceptively. That and Matt's spiels about being a professional when as Prof pointed out he acts like anything but.

Originally Posted by They have never stopped people from posting how much it takes to max out a skill, they themselves won't tell you. It's the same as not telling you how much damage a spell does, they let you learn that on your own. It's part of the fun and mystery of playing a new game.

If IRE games were truly free to play without the possibility of skill advancement through credits, or if they were a subscription based company, I would agree with you. I've been around IRE games long enough to know that there is little fun in the mystery. Take that into consideration with all the questions I posited in my previous post and I do not accept 'fun and mystery' as a truthful explanation. Coincidence only remains coincidence until it becomes evidence.