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Thread: Gemstone is becoming Pay2Win?

  1. #1

    Default Gemstone is becoming Pay2Win?

    DISCLAIMER: I’m usually on discord and the officials and not this um ‘colorful’ place. But I fear this board is probably the only place to post on this topic without reprisal by Wyrom, Simu staff, or just outright bans.

    This is a debate brought up by the fast re-appearence of DuskRuin. I am not saying it is or it isn’t just curious what others are thinking and especially what your decades of playing GemStone is telling you.

    If you ever played other F2P MMOs with a Cash Shop, usually what happens is a massive initial start followed by a plateau of sorts then eventual tanking of the game as the owners/developers go full on P2W.

    Now the naysayers might say,

    *You don’t need gear to cap.

    Um but is that really true? Not the capping part although I hear even that’s changing slowly as well, but the not needing gear part. Switch it around for a sec. Is the point of GemStone really to get to cap? Orrrrr is it to get super awesome gear just like every other MMO on the market?

    And really aren’t we all ‘at cap’ now? either through decades of play or access to very cheap capped characters going for as low as $250 bucks to $-12, if a monk.

    *You can buy everything through silvers.

    This is a big positive for the game I think. GemStone, much like EVE online’s Plex or a few other modern MMOs, has an alternate way to earn Cash Shop items. And I think Simu/Wyrom has an implied acceptance to even encouragement for this form of transaction.

    But . . . this is only sustainable so long as there exists people who are willing to shell out hard earned US Dollars to Simu. Without these people this system will collapse.

    Who are these people?

    1.) People who’ve been actively selling gear/silvers for RL cash in the past decades or in-game rich.
    - In these people’s minds the amount of RL money they’ve taken from other GS players who’ve passed through the decades is really ‘game money’ or money earned through the game. So the barrier to use this money back into the game is much lower then say someone taking the cash directly from his RL paycheck.

    2.) Regular people who are not actively participating in RL cash to silvers/items market but dipping into their monthly paychecks or heaven forbid savings to keep up with all this Pay event madness.

    3.) Whales.
    -I’m rich bitch!

    I think without #3 and to a lesser extent #2, #1 can’t exist. I think #3 is a select minority who at any moment can quit and never return, meaning they are temporary. I think #2 consistsof casuals to hardcore fanatics but are capped on their spending outside of their monthly subs and can or will suffer from burnout/temporarily quit.

    So is it all sustainable? Not certain.

    Overall, does this all affect gameplay? Maybe. I think the GMs are slowly waking up to the fact that players need that challenge or ‘next mountain’ to climb in order to make the mouse wheel turn. In other MMOs this arena is usually PvP or progression boss/raids. In Gemstone, it’s still a big question mark. But if it were to come and the expectation is you need certain levels of gear to succeed, has the game then become Pay2Win?

    Remember what GM Elstid said. The expectation for post cap hunting grounds if they were ever to be created is definitely not 4x gear any more. Furthermore, even non-cap existing hunting grounds are getting a tune-up in challenge and difficulty.

    Is the writing on the wall then? Are we headed for full bllown P2W?
    Last edited by Simu; 02-16-2019 at 12:59 PM.

  2. #2

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Simu View Post
    Is the writing on the wall then? Are we headed for full bllown P2W?
    Headed towards full blown P2W? Isn't it like that already? I don't usually keep up to date with all of the latest events and items that can be had at events, but haven't all of the good shit from the past couple of years all come out of paid events? And not like it used to be, here's 50 bucks for a ticket, but like "Okay you now have to pay us 1 dollar every time you want a go in the arena" and you have to do like 100 arenas to buy what you want?

  3. #3
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    GS was p2w from the first cash festival.
    You had better pay your guild dues before you forget. You are 113 months behind.

  4. #4

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    I hunt with a +8 lance that I eblade and wear 4x robes at cap. Triple capped.

    You don't "need" the extras but if that is what you enjoy and want to spend your money on it, is that wrong?
    Last edited by Alastir; 02-16-2019 at 01:25 PM.

  5. #5

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    What do you mean P2W? Oh, you mean how many casually spend tens of thousands of dollars on this? Nothing P2W about that.

  6. #6

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    P2W is entirely subjective because beyond Exp, nothing is really competitive. There is absolutely no PvP or CvC in the game. No leaderboards with any form of prize or award for simply being on there. Except maybe fame? Bragging rights? Congrats, you got bragging rights in a game that's being killed by poor management.

    I don't think it's P2W. It's become a Chuck E. Cheese with tokens, tickets and 'prizes'. There's no innovation outside of selling more tokens so you can trade in your tickets and claim your soon-to-be-outdated prize.

  7. #7

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    Gemstone has been p2w since the 90's.

    Simu finally just wised up and took a chunk of that dollars for text barbie market back.*




    *aside from the few times over the years that items / characters people never saw before suddenly showed up for sale when Whatley's coke pile was getting low
    Mithrilschlong, 2015-03-10 to slightly later on 2015-03-10. You will not be forgotten!
    usable Meteor Swarm, late 2020-12-30 to early 2020-12-31. You will also not be forgotten!

  8. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by Astray View Post
    P2W is entirely subjective because beyond Exp, nothing is really competitive. There is absolutely no PvP or CvC in the game. No leaderboards with any form of prize or award for simply being on there. Except maybe fame? Bragging rights? Congrats, you got bragging rights in a game that's being killed by poor management.

    I don't think it's P2W. It's become a Chuck E. Cheese with tokens, tickets and 'prizes'. There's no innovation outside of selling more tokens so you can trade in your tickets and claim your soon-to-be-outdated prize.
    I think this sums it up very nicely, especially the "no innovation" part. Sadly, when there is any sign of innovation the infighting begins because it may overshadow another persons special attention time and that's when the community is at its worst.

    I would never recommend GS to a new player, I would offer them heroin first.


    The object of life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane. ~ Marcus Aurelius
    “It's a beautiful thing, the destruction of words.”
    ― George Orwell, 1984

    “The urge to shout filthy words at the top of his voice was as strong as ever.”
    ― George Orwell, 1984

  9. Default

    GemStone is whatever you make of it. How to win at GS: play to have fun with whatever friends you have in-game, don't join the big-spending rat race, moderate your time and don't make GS your way of life. Your wallet, mental health, and RL family/friends will thank you.
    You remove a pair of oval ora-framed spectacles with pale grey lenses from in your ebon linen vest.

    You unfold the earpieces of your spectacles.

    You put on a pair of oval ora-framed spectacles with pale grey lenses.

    You think to yourself, "Deal with it."

  10. #10

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    This game has always been about how much are you willing to invest for your enjoyment. Does investing more get your good gear, yep. Does good gear make it easier, probably. Does good gear get you killed more when you over hunt too much? Oh Yeah!

    My UAC wizard goes into the arena because it is fun, he does pretty well in there with around 90% perfects, but the other 10% he is DEAD, so I scream at my monitors a lot during Duskruin, but for him being an oddball build, he needs pretty good stuff, just to be competitive and Duskruin is an easy way to do that. None of my other alts get anything from Duskruin, frankly they do not need it. They all have 6X or 7X gear which is plenty to do well in this game. Frankly i would say that Dreavenings have done more to bring imbalance than events when you have to toil away for days just to get a flare added to a weapon, never mind something like permabless.

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