Jambi

Don't expect an answer. Seriously.

Tip: set the bar really low so you're never disappointed. But, I cannot do this myself. You see the problem/paradox here. We all might as well be yelling at statues. It's like trying to reason with an alcoholic. You won't get anywhere.

The more money you have, the more "fun" you can buy. Awesome system, huh?

They don't want 3rd parties capitalizing on the IP of the game. That's why. The botting function for "good players" is out of convenience more than anything else. And yes, Sayha is very problematic, along with other player behaviors that NCSoft refuses to enforce/constrain. Why bother under this regime?

Carebear L2 server? Riiiight.

Yeah, the writing is on the wall...

Epidemic vs. Doom/Anarchy or whoever else is out there now.

Video or it didn't happen as the old L2 saying goes. Propaganda. Both sides do it.

Well, I think that is highly possible. After all, they seem to get immunity from any sort of enforcement. Unfortunate.

Well, it certainly affects their reputation in my mind. They are quickly self-immolating themselves.

I think they have a problem with mining data properly to determine what players are willing and able to spend. It's as if they expect everyone to be whales.

@Juji Well, it's clear to me that NCSoft gave up on a lot of things with Aden. So be it. We can choose to participate or not. It all comes down to preferences - what people want. You don't understand that, you will frustrate and alienate you customer base. Not a wise economic strategy by any means. Sounds like they need help pouring through all the data. Data tells a story and the story they've come up with isn't cogent with reality. Yet, for whatever reason, people accept this as normal. Me, personally, I do not. They need to fix a lot of things before I consider coming back. You can probably guess the probability or odds ratio of that happening. They don't even police their own titles. What does that tell you? They've given up on enforcement in game, but on the boards? Mention a certain acronym and you get banned for a while. Tell me how any of this moves the game forward and helps their reputation... I'd love to hear an explanation and people' s thoughts.

My guess is they implemented this structure to prevent legions of botters to farm adena for $15 a month per account. Bot trains plagued Classic and they willfully infringed on NCSoft's IP for their own financial gain. There used to be ban hammers every so often, but it seems enforcement is a thing of the past now. The TOS is meaningless. I suggested for 2500 NCoin a month, they remove all the Sayha garbage, and give players 600% exp/sp for a month - also include 500 of each battle scroll. The alternative is the ghetto Sayha where you get 200% exp/sp but adena drops are nerfed by - what is it? 30%? 70%? I forgot because I didn't really get to see what the penalties were. That, in my mind, is a good deal and I think players would take it. What's going on right now is absolutely retarded. It's as if NCSoft wants to generate higher churn statistics.

Spending money is a must IF you want to progress in any meaningful way. But I think the perception of value has been warped - NCSoft has their valuation methods while other players have their own idea what constitutes "value." One of the biggest issues is Sayha generation/degeneration in tandem with Sayha Storms. Without them, you're just gimping yourself exp wise. But NCSoft makes it very difficult to acquire this "fuel" in game. Cookies and Grace Potions only take you so far - there's no in game mechanic after level 76 that I have seen that lets one collect Sayha Storms. You have to buy them via L2 coin boxes from the store itself, the daily packs (10 each - 30 max total per day - 10 hours for 360 NCoin). You get 10 in the Sayha starter pack for 1400ish NCoin. I bring this up, because without levels, you cannot farm/exp in higher zones where better gear drops. Random craft might as well go bye bye and just restore/modify drop rates for MOBS in game. There is a thrill of getting a drop, for sure. But without fuel, not gonna happen - ever. We do the Core Raid and we have to ask on faith that everyone has their Sayha set or else the drops are nerfed. Another way NCSoft forces people to buy stuff in order to progress. P2W isn't really an option if financial resources are being used to fuel one's progression exp wise. While some are "clever" and set up multiple boxes for toons, this again is an option not available for most. 10 "accounts" per computer facilitates this sort of inequity in game as well. But, they set it up this way and people take advantage of it. Haseo, I would love to know how you finance the Sayha for 15 boxes to generate 45M adena per day. Please explain how that works. This whole model is vampiric to me in the end. On my end, money isn't a problem, but I am not going to throw it away for a game that seeks to extract as much money as possible from players. Now, if things changed, I'd reconsider. They have to fix: 1. Exp boosting. Just sell a monthly pack that gives you 600% exp for 2500 NCoin a month. No more sayha storm or sayha blessing issues. 2. Allow people to buy equipment in game with NCoin - the better it is, the more expensive it is. You want people to spend money, give them something of value. Sure, put in caps - one whole armor set per month, one weapon per month. Even allow the sale of epic weapons, talismans, jewels, and armor. Make the drops from Raid bosses 2x better and fix the drop rates to reflect how "good" these items are. For example: One enhanced Baium ring per server per month maximum. But at least give players the ability to acquire gear right from the store so they can participate in group activities on a more even playing field. Competition between clans is fun, but not when it's severely imbalanced. Yes, people like Haseo are veterans and all, and that's fine. My issue has to do with whales and the immunity they buy from NCSoft from spending lots of money, some of it earned through very questionable activities. It destroys the server. 3. Make LCoin boxes untradeable. Why? The supply issues distort the market and lead to inflation, making progression more and more expensive. There's a lag in gear prices inflating, but it happens over a few days. This can be fixed. 4. Fix the events. The Cruma event was truly awful. The rewards structures were terrible. Only decent thing was the Antharas Doll - you have to work for it, and that's fine. Keep doing these sorts of rewards that are guaranteed so people have a reason to stay invested in the game. 5. Fix the PvP chaotic system - there needs to be real penalties (dropping gear) for dying when red. Just like the old days. There are those out who just want to destroy the experience for other players, and there should be a penalty for that. Make karma go higher if there's a big difference in level between the PK'er and the PK'd. Reduce the Karma threshold before guards attack so reds don't have perpetual sanctuary. Lock down the use of gatekeepers and teleport. Make people have to physically run/walk out of town. Now, primeval isle - a great place to work off karma, but severely reduce amount reduced per MOB. There needs to be real penalites so that PvP can go back to the way it was before. This whole system is a mess right now and benefits players who have LCoin to retrieve gear out of loot prison if they die. Furthermore, make Reds more vulnerable to attacks. Take 50% more damage, modified by difference in levels. 6. If there's a cap on P2W items in store, why not cap amount of NCoin that can be used in a month? This way, whales can't use their mighty resources to gain an absolute advantage over everyone else. I suppose in the end I believe in character investment, but on a level playing field. It's not level at all right now. Random craft luck won't fix the issues over time. As Haseo has stated in game multiple times, "When P2W win comes, you think Epidemic will not do P2W, while you guys do?" Of course they will. And Haseo: I'm all for establishing dominance, but it has to be done the right way, and really allow for competition to emerge. Otherwise, yes, these activities will kill off the server. Think about the long term health of the server and how your goals can help preserve that. Otherwise, guess what? People will quit. I laud your knowledge and skill, but seriously - while I think Epidemic is very organized and competent, it's coming at a price to the player community. Enzo has expressed similar concerns to leadership, but I think it falls on deaf ears.

I have zero problems killing there. If you're happy with such paltry "rewards," so be it. Some people are easily satisfied/duped. But it is an investment: time AND money, just not one or the other. My point is this: there is no carrot or incentive. Go look up decreasing returns to scale.