Possibly returning

[petroglyph]

When I paid for it, it was for the extra locker space for cyberbarbie and the extra character slots. So, yes, essentially fluff bonuses.

[Realk]

I've capped a few characters on just a standard 1 character sub, and a couple more on a premium acct.. The main bonus for me with a premium acct was the ability to have all the character slots, and change up whom I played on a whim.. FWI is nice to have access too no racial penalty for buying and selling.. The ability to meet up to buy and sell things with players, or get healing and locksmiths is pretty nice. The extra merchant is typically just GALD crap so not that is not a big deal. I ended up selling my PP's but eventually getting the ability to enchant something you might not to otherwise is cool..

Fluff bonuses = spell of the month item, the premium transport, ability to have a premium home..

[Hightower]

The parts of the game that make people feel the need to buy alts, gear, spell-ups from level 100 armies, subscribe to premium, etc.

Or do those people just like spending extra money to have their character be as invulnerable as possible to PvE for role-playing reasons - since the game is so easy?

I think it's true that the GS combat system is prone to those "cheap"-feeling deaths. It's a side-effect of the lack of 3D space, the critical system, and the extreme duration of disabling effects. Walking into a room and instantly being killed or rendered unable to act for a significant period of time while enemies chip away at you is how many of us die. And why not? We do the same thing to them. Which is probably why players load up on gear intended to prevent those cheap deaths, while simultaneously lamenting the fact that GS combat lacks challenge and any element of skill.

The way the combat system works, handicapping yourself with cruddy gear doesn't actually add much in the way of skill-based challenges, but likely does increase the frustration!

~Taverkin

[Hightower]

Well, actually that's not really true. You get access to premie point bonuses, and more merchants (There are premie only WPS merchants, right?). And probably other boosts I don't know about, because I've never been premie.

Whatever the case, Premie must be doing SOMETHING for people, otherwise why would people pay so much for it? I doubt it's just for fluff bonuses?

True. Premium points and exclusive merchant services can improve your gear, which is relevant to combat. But in the context of day to day leveling, I don't think these benefits amount to much.

I suspect premium is attractive to many players due in large part to the additional character slots, locker space, and exclusive merchants. It's what? $2 per character slot? And you don't even get 1 for free, right? The difference between a standard account and a premium account isn't that much if you have several characters you like to play. At that point, those other benefits just seem like an even sweeter deal.

~Taverkin

[leifastagsweed]

I left in late 2011 so I believe the worst of the unsupervised scripting was already well under way, but I wasn’t aware of any cash shops, f2p or any “boss” mobs.

PC is not a great place to discuss whether people like or don't like Gemstone. This site has sadly degraded into a complaint forum where people snipe at each other for various reasons, particularly this issue.

And FYI - you were still buying/selling in late 2012 according to your PC posts.

That said, I share some of your views from that time period and had those concerns when I returned to game a few months after a few years break myself. I am pleasantly surprised to find the community in good shape, the game quite active, and the staff more attentive and engaged than I've seen in decades. I feel proud of the game and my involvement in it.

I really love that one commentor mentioned and others echoed that you can do what you want in Gemstone, make it your own experience. That is absolutely accurate. GSWiki, Towncrier, and Discord have opened up doors to learning tips and tricks for playing that were quite challenging in the past. I'm realizing more than ever how deeply enriching this game can be and the idea of being able to continue learning inspires me to play and immerse all the more.

I do hope you've taken an opportunity to join the GS community Discord server and engage people who are actively playing. If you're looking for community or have any questions, reach out directly and let's find the right fit for you!

Best of luck, JaTrRm.

~ Leifa Ar'Anya Faendryl (IG)
discord - Leifa#5351

[GSIV Rogue]

Well, actually that's not really true. You get access to premie point bonuses, and more merchants (There are premie only WPS merchants, right?). And probably other boosts I don't know about, because I've never been premie.

Whatever the case, Premie must be doing SOMETHING for people, otherwise why would people pay so much for it? I doubt it's just for fluff bonuses?

All correct. Easier access to better gear and other conveniences impact a player's ability, desire, and willpower to be able to grind through gaining experience - which as you have stated - is one of the worst parts of the game for you.

The point I've been trying to make is that the way the PvE combat, leveling, and experience systems are set up is beyond horrendous. The fact that the game is optimized at every turn to try and squeeze every penny out of the player is just another slap in the face.

I don't enjoy PvE anymore than the next player, but when I can see something is designed to pressure me into doing something I don't want to do - I see it as a challenge - and enjoy conquering it. From my perspective (I enjoy mechanics and leveling), GSIV has been made as unenjoyable as possible for anyone who's not willing to spend a lot of money on it - unless, like me, you are just trying to prove a point.

The fact that there have been so few, if any, players who have successfully been able to play through the game from 0-100 in GSIV with a single basic subscription and nothing more - ever - is indicative to me of how non-inclusive the GSIV community has become overall to both new players, and casual gamers. The way Simutronics and/or Stillfront Group is going about trying to maximize profits will put Gemstone out of existence. Ultimately, this is the biggest reason why I believe in investing as little money as possible into the game. If and when it's gone - we're going to inevitably lose thousands or tens of thousands of hours of effort - losing a large amount of real money on top of that for me would be unacceptable. The fact that Simutronics has sold out majority control over the past few years to Stillfront Group (larger parent company) - only hastens this eventual conclusion.

[GSIV Rogue]

I think it's true that the GS combat system is prone to those "cheap"-feeling deaths. It's a side-effect of the lack of 3D space, the critical system, and the extreme duration of disabling effects. Walking into a room and instantly being killed or rendered unable to act for a significant period of time while enemies chip away at you is how many of us die. And why not? We do the same thing to them. Which is probably why players load up on gear intended to prevent those cheap deaths, while simultaneously lamenting the fact that GS combat lacks challenge and any element of skill.

The way the combat system works, handicapping yourself with cruddy gear doesn't actually add much in the way of skill-based challenges, but likely does increase the frustration!

~Taverkin

I believe that there is a large amount of skill and willpower involved in getting a character to cap without spending more than the basic $14.95 a month to do so. Many "cheap deaths" can be prevented with proper stat placement, training choices, race selection, careful planning, and hunting strategies. I will concede that it is *extremely* frustrating - but it would be even more frustrating to me to lose a significant amount of real life money after showing up one day to see that the game no longer exists.

[Mobius1]

Like 4 people already said they went from 0-100 on basic accounts. Your also asking the current playerbase, which consists of more premie per capita than probably any other time in GS history. Us basic folks tend to have less invested in the game, so those that have stuck around all this time are more likely to be the premie types. It's not that not many have done it - just that they don't play right now.

Not sure why GSIV 0-100 is your criteria, either. I know that my leveling experience in GS3 was far worse, especially without bounties and UAC/brawling weapons that could actually kill with ambush.

Sure, there was symbol of dreams, but the advguild makes up for that. Plus pretty good gear is much more affordable these days, and most if not all of the classes are stronger now than they were in GS3.

[Gelston]

There is a level 60 something F2P player right now too. That is way worse than a basic account.

[Methais]

Is there anyone out there who's been able to cap a character only playing during GSIV in this way? (basic $14.95 account, no other cash spent on game, etc.)

Yes.

Methais claims to have only ever had a basic account.

Yes.

I didn't know you could have a house with a basic account.

Premium Homes and Private Homes are completely different. Private homes don't care about your account type as long as you're dropping 75k silver in the rent box every month.

Anyone who has been able to cap a character in GSIV? The entire 0-100 in GSIV - $14.95 a month only. On their own merits. Even if you and a buddy shared accounts - as long as you personally didn't spend more than the basic subscription on your account, you owned the character the entire time - and the character was rolled up in GSIV. Really curious if anyone has actually done this.[/QUOTE]

No.

I did do all that in GS3 though when the soft cap was 160 and exp was a lot slower and Lumnis, bounties, etc. didn't exist yet.

Outside of my sub, the only thing I've ever spent money on was Hunt For History 2, which was a complete garbage event, and RtCF back in 2012 or whenever that was, which I made a killing off of and came out way ahead.

Premium vs. Basic means absolute shit in regards to leveling up anyway.