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[quote= (prof1515 @ Jan. 09 2006,23:13)]Perhaps because I'm currently an IRE volunteer via Lusternia, my opinion on the matter will be disregarded - or perhaps my lack of post count will do that as well. I'm not exactly certain why either condition should immeditately assign me to the 'you're an idiot' category, or why being a Imm should automatically mean that Matt's arm is 'up my ass' as some have so eloquently quoted, but I can sincerely insist that there is nothing farther from the truth.
I am not paid for what I do, nor do I deal with Mr.Mihaly beyond extreme circumstances. To be perfectly honest, I'm almost certain I don't even like him that much, though I can respect him. I gain nothing from sucking up or playing nice, nor do I ever intend to do so as that is not my style. I don't work for Matt, or do the things I do as an Imm for Matt. I do what I do because I love the game I'm in, and that is the only reason I freely give away hours of my day.
But, accustations of ulterior motives hopefully having been swatted away, back onto the true subject of the topic at hand, or at least what it has progressed into. Namely, the nature of IRE.
I started mudding at the age of 13. I went to Achaea at 15 years of age, still in school and with no incoming wages. No money, nada - to say I didn't do as well as other players who did decide to pay large amounts of money is ridiculous. I have artifacts, I am high in my skills, I was and am still fairly well known - after almost a year of logging in for a few minutes a month, at best.
I entered the artisanal/bardic contests, which are extraordinarily good ways of getting free credits. You don't have to be super talented. My first of many submissions was a simple self portrait that resulting in winning a fair amount of credits. I guided - that was an additional 25-? credits, depending how often you wished to be helping the newbies of the realm. You can also build - more credits.
In the end, I only paid the realm once, in the sum of 20 dollars. I wanted to never worry about being hacked and suicided, and I wanted to support a game that had given me hundreds of hours of free entertainment, as well as give the people I became friends with in the game a small holiday gift.
And that was just myself, who was hardly motivated to do things in any more than an easygoing fashion. There are many, many cases of people becoming omnitrans, as in, fully trained in ALL available skills, with pets, artifacts, being leaders in the various organizations, top merchants, or top PKers. And they've never spent a dime.
Obviously, I doubt this is going to sway anyone into reconsidering their rants and accusations, but as long as they're going to occur, I do love offering my take on things and likely will.
</rant>
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