EQMac.com

We don't have enough content for mercs; please don't add them

Also, epic 1.5s would be significantly overpowered if PoP remained the 'cap expansion.'

I came up with a rough draft of a list of items (Casino items, items removed from mobs, GM event items, etc...) that are, for the most part, novelty or low-raid level equipment. I also included some account/character based services to provide revenue:



Coding and adding LoY would be an instant sell. For the most part, it's got a bunch of things the majority of the server would enjoy (Easier tradeskill routes, drogmors, spells, good mid-grade equipment, more low- to mid-tier content) and it's essentially a pocket expansion. It'd probably be up to SOE's discretion whether they want to add UI elements and shared bank as a package deal with LoY or to micro-transaction it. Either way, people would pay.

I also know for an absolute fact that Veksar, Chardok B, and Solusek C would all be massively popular as well. They could require the purchase of a character flag or key, for the sake of more micro-transactions. Or they could be sold as another lump package.

Adding in elements from further expansions (Bandolier for example) would cause conflict of interest, in my opinion. The majority of those things changed itemization or game mechanics in some fashion or other (for example, bard mods were taken off instruments and put on armor to avoid people just swapping instruments with the click of a button every 3 seconds). If the point of enjoyment on the server is the hard ruleset and static point in time, going further with changes undermines that argument.

This is, of course, assuming we'd keep the rest of the server as is. Same code. Same zones (with the exception of any fixes required for PoTime). Same characters.

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Delorne / Oogliest / Kelorekdar / Draesion / Darganor / Morigill / Akkirus

Only expendable items should be sold in the market (exp potions, ds potions, etc). Nothing that increases the power of your character.

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Always punch first, even if your opponent is a glass window!

Ya know, maybe you should do something novel like...oh I don't know...research what you're complaining about?

Having been playing on the PC since last year, and seeing the Marketplace go up and what sort of items they sell there, I can tell you that they wont have:

TS items
Over powered gear or even weapons (they were carrying ornamentations which made your current weapon LOOK like something else...say LIS's badass sword)
Anything overpowering period.

What you would see:

Maybe different mounts which only go as fast as the fastest mount you currently own.
10, 25, or 50% xp potions which last anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour or so
Mana or HP regen potions (not more powerful than current spells or player made potions)
Fun illusions for you and your pets
Silly items like gnomish fireworks and such
maybe larger capacity WR bags 12, 14, 16, 20 slot? (PC side has 32 slot bags!!!)
Name/gender change potions

What might be possible...or would just come with improvements of the game itself:

Shared bank slots
larger bank capacity
TS UI (AHMG!!)
in game maps (ya don't like them? don't use them. simple as that!)


No one will be able to "buy their way" to the end game in the Marketplace. SOE would face a PR nightmare if that ever was to happen, especially on the PC side.

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Proud member of Temerity
GM Fletcher (250) Jewel Craft (234) Brewing (226) Smithing (224 + 15%) Pottery (234) Baking (246) Pure Hell (226)
Wulfgar - Lvl 52 Barbarian Warrior, LFG in PoFire!
chown -R us ./base

I'd buy many of the items Utdaan listed, as well as several expansions if they became available.

Things to put in a possible AlKabor marketplace

Tradeskill UI, Exp bonus pots (5 x exp rate at the most imo with longish duration), Illusion clickys (non expendable), Maybe low/mid end gear (Nothing better than the player made cultural stuff), Your-trader-stays-up-even-after-you-log functionality (Even good old Ultima Online had this), Cool looking/fast mounts, MAYBE ts mods like the tailoring shears.

As I see it we want stuff that makes it easier to level alts / new peeps on server and a few bits that will add to the enjoyment or minimize the stuff we dont enjoy for everyone else.

What I dont think we should have in marketplace are highly sought after items (manastone, prenerf CoS and a few others), that change (high ish end) gameplay and balance.

I also dislike the idea of selling AAs or levels in marketplace. Grinding is part of the game and even if it can be grueling would you honestly feel as proud about #soandso# if you had dished out RL cash to take him from 56 to 65 and 200 AAs?

Possible expansions.

As few as it takes to make us financially viable to SOE. Prefer none at all

Oh... And for the love of all things good - no mercs PLEASE

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Kazlan, level 65 Troll SK

The clicky rezz stick shouldn't be sold IMO. It has too big of a game changing effect in the hands of an SOS rogue able to drag a dead cleric or necro to wherever. Same goes for the Tems monk. Wish we didn't have it and at least it can't be recharged.

Although it's extremely unlikely they would ever do it. I would feel no loss of pride in purchasing AA's. Especially after leveling 5 or 6 characters, and staring at the same zones for the past 4 years. New zones to exp in would be nice, along with the exp mod potions.

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Pompeii 65 Storm Warden
Proud member of Temerity

All of those aside from the Name change potions sound reasonable and I'd most likely get..... I just don't like the idea of a toon I've known for 3.5 years suddenly changing their name and thinking they dropped off the face of the planet.

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I mezz four mobs at a time without using mana.
I run faster than any other character without using SoW.
I power level newbies without using buffs.
I GATE-HAMMER out of Vex Thal. Alone.

What can bard do for you?

Hyacinth Stormsong
Level 65 Maestro Extraordinaire
Destiny

When PC began paid name changes, they kept an up to date list of all changes (before and after) on their web site. It wasn't a potion, but a web interface thing.
Not sure if it is different now, but you couldn't dodge a reputation with it if people got curious.

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I come back to you now, at the turn of the tilde~

You guys are mostly thinking about this the wrong way. People want to acquire game items by playing the game, not by spending money. However, not everyone can spend 6 hours a day everyday to achieve those things. Items in the Marketplace should primarily be timesavers. Another common problem is that people who are leveling can't find groups. There should be Marketplace items to help them with that, such as buff potions and heal potions. Finally, the Marketplace is there to make money, so everything should either have charges or a maximum duration (with some exceptions). Here are a few ideas, but there's room for much more:

XP boost 25% (7 days)
XP boost 50% (1 hour)
Prevents your char from losing XP upon death (1 day)
Defense bonus of 5% (30 days)
Damage bonus of 20% (1 hour)
Increase HP by 30% (2 hours)
Increase AC by 30% (2 hours)
Increase all stats by 20% (1 hour)
Increase all resists by 20% (1 hour)
Buff duration extender 50% (7 days)
Increase drop rate by 50% (30 days)
Extra bank space (permanent)
Fast horse (7 days)
No fail combine (10 charges)
Serverwide /ooc (10 charges)
etc...

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Karpan Skyrider
Overlord

+1

Hobart,

Thanks for all the effort you've put into improving and saving Al'Kabor.

I have opinions and ideas about the marketplace you've proposed. Mostly I find myself trying to think of harmless, low-or-no power convenience and vanity purchases that will give SOE what it needs (increased revenue) without simultaneously destroying the classic world we hope to save. Oh man. Helluva slippery slope.

I do have market ideas, but I'm gonna hold them for the moment. In thinking about the problem above, it seems like we can still whittle it down to something more simple.

You've told us the solution to keeping Al'Kabor open. SOE needs to see that additional revenue. Stop there. Please take it, sir. I'm glad to pay it. The marketplace is of course an exercise and a justification for taking that extra revenue. I understand why. I understand the notion of wanting to give something in return for getting more. However, that's a justification that isn't needed. Most of this community has been begging for a subscription hike for a week now.

EQMac subs are already separate from EQPC. Go a step further and unbundle them from Station Pass. I have no doubt that Smed's numbers guys can report the "monthly average additional marketplace revenue" brought in per subscriber. GET that number, and let's begin kicking it around with our community. There'll be a tipping point, but I bet we can find $3, or $5, or $7, additional monthly dollars for standalone Al'Kabor subscriptions.

Staying alive won't be all we get in return. Last fall, your bosses authorized you to put limited hours into Al'Kabor. You've been kind enough to donate a bunch of time beyond that. We'll hopefully still be receiving the base hours, plus whatever generous extra you are willing to spare. Once Al'Kabor is saved, your work (which is already more than anything we've had in since 2005) can continue to be dedicated to the important stuff we all agree upon. Like client improvements and bug fixes and updates. Rather than Bristlebane-knows-how-much work on the unnecessary (and unwelcome to many) exercise of adding a clunky real cash marketplace to extract money that we're already willing to pay.

You can *still* deliver some of those marketplace-esque perks we talked about, you know. Once, oh, say, every other month, if it's been a slow period for major bugs or fixes, you could introduce some treat that adds value while still being "in-era". Not promised. Not delivered via a modern bloodsucking marketplace. Not for extra cash. But instead as a treat in return for the surcharge we all automatically pay to keep this ole girl ticking.

For a random example, in April you could add a drogmor vendor to PoK. Drogmar lizard mounts were available 3 months into PoP and have the same speed range and price as horses. No power added, but they have a novel look and casters prefer them because they don't obstruct their first-person view like horses.

Thinking on, in June, you might replace Veeshan Peak with the first updated version of that zone (not the second, high level version) which left the dragon bosses exactly as they were, but added 10 groupable-named rare spawns that have high end velious loot. That update was originally released mid-PoP, making it 'in-era' for our server, adding content while not tipping power.

There are plenty of other not-too-shark-jumping additions we could talk about. The casino dude with a chance at previous (but-never-future) era rares. Or armor dyes. Or bonus content 'pocket' zones like Sol-C and Chardok-B that were indeed added back during PoP's 2003 era. Or the dragon event with those black ravengers that Al'Kabor seems to have partially installed in the Swamp of No Hope. But I don't want to go off on too far a tangent. The most important info I hope you take away from this feedback is contained in the first half of the post.

Thank you for listening, and for not giving up on this server.

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Zetro
Halfheight Hero of Temerity

I second what Zetro said!

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-- Bastette, Arcanist of Al'Kabor, Elder of Temerity
-- Bastette, Druid of Ysera, Member Shadowed Soul (retired)