You have to love low post wonders defending their game. You can call it what you please, but the game is gambling pure and simple. If you play this game and you can't recognize you have a gambling addiction I feel sorry for you. Sorry I have seen first hand what gambling does to people, it is not a pretty sight. Call this game a MMO is strictly a front, it is exactly the scam it is reported to be. Calling someone respected in this game is like calling a mad dog, nice.
Do you also feel sorry for everyone drinking beer, since they are alcoholics?
One lovely thing about EU is that there are few to no 12 year old squakers playing them game, the community is probably one of the best out of any game I've played because, like mentioned by Skam (who is not the person from Warants lol), they are mature and want civilized game play.
I've played about 3 years now and actively take part in the game/community as much as I can. Myself, like many, like looking at ourselves as Pioneers in what is still a very grey zone of gaming. There aren't many titles that are like this one but if you look into it you'll find many about to pop up in the next few years.
The game is doing ground breaking things and it's that thrill that keeps up playing. We all want to be the first wave of people who got to experience world changing gaming. Try doing that in WoW (which don't get me wrong, I also play it but it has done all it can do.)
I have no lost money in EU. I've managed it properly and do have more then I have deposited, while not alot more but it's still more and I'm getting to the point where I can see how to make more.
You grow to like the players, and the players are a large part of the entertainment of EU. While many trying and push the boundries of what we can do and create and Mindark watch and listen. It may not always seem that way but they do.
Yes, there aren't any quests but that could change -- you never know. They game doesn't intend to go away anytime soon and wont because players will always hold interest in games with RCE economies.
There is a bit of learning involved, to start really having fun with EU but there are many different types of fun to be had as well.
What I find interesting is the topics of investment and earning money from this title. But yet, providing the same amount of time, energy, work and even money will provide greater results in the real world. How so? Using such resources to buy properties to improve one's passive income (no, it is not flipping houses). Which is why I do not participate in this title. I pay to play games for fun, not .... for work.
I agree.
People who started playing back 3+ years ago have an immense advantage over new players starting today. New players today cannot experience or catch up to veterans who had different advantages from years before. The company keeps making changes to skill gain, loot, etc to slow people down. I think the game is pretty interesting but the vets selling items at obscene prices do not help. I know people who have been playing for a really long time and "invested" thousands of dollars should have an advantage but the game as it stands now is ridiculous. I just wanted to try different things out but to do that you need to buy items and some of the prices are astronomical. If someone started out years ago and leveled something hard like coloring up pretty high why would a newer player have to pay extra to achieve the same thing?
The idea of "to have fun you are going to have to pay" is a bit extreme. I know its a simulated economy but damn!
Don't be terrorized! You're more likely to die of a car accident, drowning, fire, or murder! More people die every year from prescription drugs than terrorism LOL!
Noone prohibits you from having fun in EU. It is fun, but you get some nice bonus too which you do not get in other MMOGs
Ah right, fun. Depends on the diffinition of what "fun" is.
I do not like competing with players over real money, I prefer to do so in the real world. In a “game” environment, real money should have less impact as it carries over real world issues and events. If real money is being used, might as well use a taxation system (and why stop there?). People do play games as a means to escape from the real world issues, but with systems which incorporate real money directly into the system's economy, then that escape is dampened; hence not fun, but work.
And that is why...
Conservatives' pessimism is conducive to their happiness in three ways. First, they are rarely surprised -- they are right more often than not about the course of events. Second, when they are wrong they are happy to be so. Third, because pessimistic conservatives put not their faith in princes -- government -- they accept that happiness is a function of fending for oneself. They believe that happiness is an activity -- it is inseparable from the pursuit of happiness.
I agree. People who started playing back 3+ years ago have an immense advantage over new players starting today. New players today cannot experience or catch up to veterans who had different advantages from years before. The company keeps making changes to skill gain, loot, etc to slow people down. I think the game is pretty interesting but the vets selling items at obscene prices do not help. I know people who have been playing for a really long time and "invested" thousands of dollars should have an advantage but the game as it stands now is ridiculous. I just wanted to try different things out but to do that you need to buy items and some of the prices are astronomical. If someone started out years ago and leveled something hard like coloring up pretty high why would a newer player have to pay extra to achieve the same thing? The idea of "to have fun you are going to have to pay" is a bit extreme. I know its a simulated economy but damn!
I started to play EU 3 years ago, yet I personally know avatars who started much later (even like year ago) who have more skills and better gear than me. So your statement is BS. Yes, maybe they deposited more. But maybe not, maybe they were just more lucky or wiser than me.
There may be slow down with gaining skills, but most of these "slowdowns" are the matter of balancing and adjusting the project that is supposed to last for years. Plus, MA releases new items, which can be used by less skilled players to compete with the more skilled/seasoned ones. Noone forces you to buy Improved MK2 for 150k ped (if u even could find any to buy), you can get almost as good gun spending just few bucks on L one. Not mentioning that you don't actually need that powerfull gun for 99% of mobs. Yes, for special professions, like player killer, you would need uber gear and at least mid level skills, but to be a normal hunter you do not need anything above average. And you do not actually need to have skills like Skalman or Jenna Star Mercury or Neomaven to be able to just wipe out everything on your way with new weapons and wearing new armors.
I think the game is pretty interesting but the vets selling items at obscene prices do not help. I know people who have been playing for a really long time and "invested" thousands of dollars should have an advantage but the game as it stands now is ridiculous. I just wanted to try different things out but to do that you need to buy items and some of the prices are astronomical. If someone started out years ago and leveled something hard like coloring up pretty high why would a newer player have to pay extra to achieve the same thing?
You gave me something to think about and I agree to your post as well.
To help provide an even field for veterans and new players, a taxation system should be put into effect. Tax on the rich players, and provide "refunds" to the poorer players. Institute a "government program" to provide aid to new and poor players. After all real money is being used, so real world economic models should be incorporated. That would help provide an incentive for new players to join and maybe even stay with it. Seems that EU's economy is pure Capitalism, so it could use some regulation to it.
And that is why...
Conservatives' pessimism is conducive to their happiness in three ways. First, they are rarely surprised -- they are right more often than not about the course of events. Second, when they are wrong they are happy to be so. Third, because pessimistic conservatives put not their faith in princes -- government -- they accept that happiness is a function of fending for oneself. They believe that happiness is an activity -- it is inseparable from the pursuit of happiness.
Ah right, fun. Depends on the diffinition of what "fun" is.
I do not like competing with players over real money, I prefer to do so in the real world. In a “game” environment, real money should have less impact as it carries over real world issues and events. If real money is being used, might as well use a taxation system (and why stop there?). People do play games as a means to escape from the real world issues, but with systems which incorporate real money directly into the system's economy, then that escape is dampened; hence not fun, but work.
Noone forces you to compete over the real money. 1st, you can use EU like any other MMOG, depositing some sums monthly and competing with yourselfe to not to do something stupid with this money 2nd, You can compete with yourself to achieve your goals, that's what I do in EU. I'm competing only with myself
EU is a game which requires discipline and teaches discipline too...
I started to play EU 3 years ago, yet I personally know avatars who started much later (even like year ago) who have more skills and better gear than me. So your statement is BS. Yes, maybe they deposited more. But maybe not, maybe they were just more lucky or wiser than me.
I got to toss the BS Flag here. You counter that his statement is BS, but yet you do not know how those "avatars" have performed better. Could be by putting in more real money, or by buying other accounts with transfers. Could be the same person, with different accounts.
Noone forces you to buy Improved MK2 for 150k ped (if u even could find any to buy), you can get almost as good gun spending just few bucks on L one. Not mentioning that you don't actually need that powerfull gun for 99% of mobs. Yes, for special professions, like player killer, you would need uber gear and at least mid level skills, but to be a normal hunter you do not need anything above average. And you do not actually need to have skills like Skalman or Jenna Star Mercury or Neomaven to be able to just wipe out everything on your way with new weapons and wearing new armors.
Conservatives' pessimism is conducive to their happiness in three ways. First, they are rarely surprised -- they are right more often than not about the course of events. Second, when they are wrong they are happy to be so. Third, because pessimistic conservatives put not their faith in princes -- government -- they accept that happiness is a function of fending for oneself. They believe that happiness is an activity -- it is inseparable from the pursuit of happiness.
Seriously, it's ridiculous to call it a scam. It's your fault if you expect to make easy money off a game.
And because i use under 10 euros a month to play it, i have a gambling addiction? Oookay... I still say i play it as a game. It's pretty much "Choose your own subscription fee".
Why are you attacking the game anyway? It's not like you're going to play it since you hate it from the start.
I agree. People who started playing back 3+ years ago have an immense advantage over new players starting today. New players today cannot experience or catch up to veterans who had different advantages from years before. The company keeps making changes to skill gain, loot, etc to slow people down. I think the game is pretty interesting but the vets selling items at obscene prices do not help. I know people who have been playing for a really long time and "invested" thousands of dollars should have an advantage but the game as it stands now is ridiculous. I just wanted to try different things out but to do that you need to buy items and some of the prices are astronomical. If someone started out years ago and leveled something hard like coloring up pretty high why would a newer player have to pay extra to achieve the same thing? The idea of "to have fun you are going to have to pay" is a bit extreme. I know its a simulated economy but damn!
I started to play EU 3 years ago, yet I personally know avatars who started much later (even like year ago) who have more skills and better gear than me. So your statement is BS. Yes, maybe they deposited more. But maybe not, maybe they were just more lucky or wiser than me.
There may be slow down with gaining skills, but most of these "slowdowns" are the matter of balancing and adjusting the project that is supposed to last for years. Plus, MA releases new items, which can be used by less skilled players to compete with the more skilled/seasoned ones. Noone forces you to buy Improved MK2 for 150k ped (if u even could find any to buy), you can get almost as good gun spending just few bucks on L one. Not mentioning that you don't actually need that powerfull gun for 99% of mobs. Yes, for special professions, like player killer, you would need uber gear and at least mid level skills, but to be a normal hunter you do not need anything above average. And you do not actually need to have skills like Skalman or Jenna Star Mercury or Neomaven to be able to just wipe out everything on your way with new weapons and wearing new armors.
Don't get me wrong I admire many of the players who have been there for years. I'm just saying this. As a new player looking in and seeing the economy, slow skill gain, random loot, L items it seems like newer players are at an immensely greater disadvantage. The company looks like its doing everything in its power to hinder player progress and encourage them to deposit more and more money. It would be nice to accomplish something like the older players with the same advantage as they had.
Other games you can experience the same gameplay as others who have been playing for years. Games like WoW that has made leveling even faster(don't know if thats a good thing though) or EvE where player skills are auto-trained. Other games don't take too long to catch up to experienced players and skills and items are not long since forgotten and are attainable with reasonable gameplay if you want them. Everyone has a fair chance. Many times the game companies make changes that actually help the players enjoy the game more.
Don't be terrorized! You're more likely to die of a car accident, drowning, fire, or murder! More people die every year from prescription drugs than terrorism LOL!
What I find interesting is the topics of investment and earning money from this title. But yet, providing the same amount of time, energy, work and even money will provide greater results in the real world. How so? Using such resources to buy properties to improve one's passive income (no, it is not flipping houses). Which is why I do not participate in this title. I pay to play games for fun, not .... for work.
Noone prohibits you from having fun in EU. It is fun, but you get some nice bonus too which you do not get in other MMOGs
Yeah... Withdrawals take a while to complete, the cash card is out of commission...
Entropia is not the same kind of fun as other games, also it does not have the same BANG for your BUCK as other games...
One day I hope EU would get a complete restructure, but it would never happen
Sick of playing Entropia Universe? Want to quit, but don't want your hard earned money to vanish? Give your items to ME :-)
I started to play EU 3 years ago, yet I personally know avatars who started much later (even like year ago) who have more skills and better gear than me. So your statement is BS. Yes, maybe they deposited more. But maybe not, maybe they were just more lucky or wiser than me.
I got to toss the BS Flag here. You counter that his statement is BS, but yet you do not know how those "avatars" have performed better. Could be by putting in more real money, or by buying other accounts with transfers. Could be the same person, with different accounts.
Noone forces you to buy Improved MK2 for 150k ped (if u even could find any to buy), you can get almost as good gun spending just few bucks on L one. Not mentioning that you don't actually need that powerfull gun for 99% of mobs. Yes, for special professions, like player killer, you would need uber gear and at least mid level skills, but to be a normal hunter you do not need anything above average. And you do not actually need to have skills like Skalman or Jenna Star Mercury or Neomaven to be able to just wipe out everything on your way with new weapons and wearing new armors.
About younger avatars I know and who are better equipped or skilled than me. Or as good as me, yet they played much shorter. They are not avatars of one person and I can assure you of this.
As I stated above, I was not depositing since the beginning. I played over one year without deposits at all. Later deposited and now I do not deposit again. (still, I'm free to do not to deposit, noone will punish me for this, bear it in your mind please)
I had few months of break ingame after first year of playning, when I could not play. Means I lost few months of raising my skills and upgrading my gear.
No, they are no avatars made by the same person. There is no point of creating several avatars in EU. You can't sell them. Yes, you can sell skills, equipment, but not your avatar. Skilling with several avatars will lead you to nowhere too, because if you would like to transfer skills from one avatar to another you would loose some of these skills. Skilling needs time, so there is no point of sharing your time between many avatars. You will not get more skills this way. You just have to focus on one ava and preferably one type of skills at a time. Buying skills on the market from other avas is just cheaper than having another avatar for skilling. There are also people in EU who regularly sell their skills and play for the money they get this way.
Why some avas could be more succesfull than me? For example they did something better than I or wiser. There is no official guide telling you: "if you go and shoot X ammount of X creatures at X hours, you will get 1k ped". You need to learn yourself what you should do and adapt to circumstances. Maybe I wasn't adapting fast enough. Yes, they could have deposited more than me, so having more money to cycle they received higher reward. Some of them might have used exploits ingame. Some could have used bots for skilling (yes, like in every online game there are players in EU who do not play fair) and noone caught them doing so. Some of them could trade more than I (which is not difficult, as I do not trade at all) and make some profit from this, which allowed them to get better gear. Some of them were probably just lucky.
Don't really understand what do you mean by saying F2P Sales Speech Package #8? I'm just telling you the truth. Yes, there are uber items that are far beyond the reach of not only average player, but even quite wealthy and seasoned one. But, at the same time MA introduses new items, which minimize or remove the gap. At the moment you can have a gun as good or close to be as good as gun for 150k peds and use it effectively. Yes, there is a catch that you won't be able to repair it, but you can always buy the next one. Not paying 150k peds for it, belive me. Someone complained about limited items introduced ingame. And I'm an oldfashioned player, preferred unlimited ones. But still I can see how usefull Limited items can be for average player. Not for the one who plays since 2003, but for someone who plays even few months...
You have to love low post wonders defending their game. You can call it what you please, but the game is gambling pure and simple. If you play this game and you can't recognize you have a gambling addiction I feel sorry for you. Sorry I have seen first hand what gambling does to people, it is not a pretty sight. Call this game a MMO is strictly a front, it is exactly the scam it is reported to be. Calling someone respected in this game is like calling a mad dog, nice.
It's true that far the majority of people spend more money than they get back, but that's the same for all MMOs.
You should play EU for the fun imo.
Pay as much as you think the fun is worth to you, or play for free if you don't like paying at all. If you don't have fun, then quit. Simple as that.
You obviously don't like EU. Most people who hate EU as much as you, came to EU thinking they could win some easy money, and get very disappointed.
That's ofc not the right reason to start playing EU, and it's really kinda stupid if you think about it. Only your own stupidity to blame if that's why you hate it.
Kinda lame too, to spread lies about it being a scam. But I guess 'high post wonder' on this forum doesn't really mean your have any credibility. Sad sad, but now that I've stated my opinion, I don't really care anymore.
I'll just go back to 'my game' and have some fun.
bb
/Vedder
Wikipedia Wictionary Chambers (UK) Google images Google define The Free Dictionary Join example Google Urban Dictionary Answers.com Merriam-Webster Ordbogen.com E-D Retskrivningsordbogen ODS <>0
Seriously, it's ridiculous to call it a scam. It's your fault if you expect to make easy money off a game. And because i use under 10 euros a month to play it, i have a gambling addiction? Oookay... I still say i play it as a game. It's pretty much "Choose your own subscription fee". Why are you attacking the game anyway? It's not like you're going to play it since you hate it from the start.
Because it is a scam lol. It proports itself as a MMO when it is basically a casino where new players are exploited, the odds are heavily stacked against them. Sure you can play this game for 10 Euros a month, but you can also easily spend that in one nights hunting, so what do you do the other 29 days? There is not that much to do in this game, especially for the new players.
I completely disagree that Entropia Universe is "gambling" or a "casino".
Casinos have SET RULES that NEVER CHANGE so the gambler plays against the odds and nothing else.
Entropia does not have set rules and the developers are able to change the odds at their whim, it's like going to a casino that has loaded dice or marked cards.
The end result is that EU is a scam/money pit and only those that have put in tremendous amounts of money ever reap any reward.
EU is only for people with very LARGE disposable incomes that can throw away thousands of dollars on entertainment.
If throwing away thousands of dollars is something you are financially comfortable with then EU could be entertaining, but I have to ask myself why anyone, that isn't a wealthy shut-in, would want to spend thousands of dollar on a "virtual world" that isn't graphically good looking and offers very little in the way of "game play" ?
Originally posted by EU_Vedder It's true that far the majority of people spend more money than they get back, but that's the same for all MMOs.
Wikipedia Wictionary Chambers (UK) Google images Google define The Free Dictionary Join example Google Urban Dictionary Answers.com Merriam-Webster Ordbogen.com E-D Retskrivningsordbogen ODS <>0
wvcidfjguamero
This is hands down one of the most absurd posts I've ever seen on this forum.
All MMOs? Ahem, B.S., sir. EU is the only MMO I've ver heard of which absolutely forces me to invest RL cash just so I can subsist ingame and play casually. When I pay $15.00 a month for a sub fee I know that no matter how broke my character is at least I can have fun.
In EU? Absolutely not. I can sit around sweating animals for about 50 PED an hour or I can throw away a few RL dollars on PED so I can buy something as simple as ammunition for hunting or bombs for mining but no matter how lucky you are the average player, or not even average, more like nearly every new player, is going to lose, lose, lose, lose, and lose that cash.
Without a "big score" you can't support yourself. That's why this is game is nothing but a pyramid scam online casino. It's an absolute racket and I hope it goes under. Not to mention MindArk has done it's utmost to not fix bugs and change the loot rules every five seconds to keep screwing over all of the new marks they keep scamming out of RL money.
This game is trash anyways. FFS, you can't even smoothly walk in this game (your toon rubberbands like a mofo every single time you move irregardless of lag). This game is pathetic, the people who play it are pathetic, and most of all MindArk is pathetic.
Here's a pro-tip to the EU defenders: deposits into a game are not investments. Investment schemes have their risks on front explained, their average expected rate of return, their legal liabilities (for you and them (those seeking your investment) to you), and other such properties. Depositing a few bucks into EU is no different than having a credit account with a casino. You can win big one day and cash out, and you can lose big another where you're down to zero and the house won't forward you anymore to your account. This difference is what irks people with regard to EU, especially MA's line that one can win big. But they never produce the actual percentages of break-even. Even my state lottery tickets have a percentage that I can find out, either on the ticket or from the lottery office. I can even ask a random casino what will be my percentages of break-even at a given game (especially slots). MA with EU does not provide this data, and thus make their dealings very shady, regardless of if you believe in governmental regulation or not (I don't, I'm a market anarchist...). I don't deal with gambling institutions that don't tell me their percentages, not because I'm trying to win big, but because I want all the information on the table as to know that they're not cheating by changing the games (especially slots) odds in the house favor beyond what is alloted by design.
Most people who complain about Entropia seem to have done no research what so ever.
Of course an online game will not make you rich if you don't understand it.
This quote is taken from the company behind Entropia, Mindark's, homepage: "The normal service fee for an active user lies between 0.5 and 1.5 USD per hour."
If you play PvE the system is designed to COST you on average $1 per hour. They are OPEN about it. If you haven't taken the time to find it out, your loss. But pleeeeease don't come crying afterwards.
The beautiful thing about Entropia is that it is a MARKET where people with litte time but with lots of money can compete on equal terms with those with much time and no money. The people who has become rich in Entropia ENGAGE on this market and trade and deal with OTHER PLAYERS. If you ONLY play PvE against the "system" you will lose a buck an hour. That is why you almost never should sell thing back to Mindark, instead you should try to sell stuff at a markup. Like a free economy.
People screaming about scams are just ignorant to the facts presented. Players get their real life money when they withdraw from Entropia. There are many, many examples of this.
If Entropia was a complete scam like some of you suggest, WHY THE HELL do this still exist as a popular online game after release over five years ago? They make money and have pleased customers.
If you want to have more in-depth figures and financials it is all publicly available on the Mindark webpage: www.mindark.com
Originally posted by Lagavulin If Entropia was a complete scam like some of you suggest, WHY THE HELL do this still exist as a popular online game after release over five years ago?
And exactly how many current and active users does this "popular" game have?
And not how many accounts, but active current users.
Originally posted by Lagavulin If Entropia was a complete scam like some of you suggest, WHY THE HELL do this still exist as a popular online game after release over five years ago? They make money and have pleased customers.
Some play for fun, some play for the lure of fat cash.
Why do millions of people gamble? For exactly the same reason.
Originally posted by Lagavulin If Entropia was a complete scam like some of you suggest, WHY THE HELL do this still exist as a popular online game after release over five years ago?
And exactly how many current and active users does this "popular" game have?
And not how many accounts, but active current users.
Do you seriously think MindArk would seriously release that sort of information anymore? They stopped in August 2005.
Sick of playing Entropia Universe? Want to quit, but don't want your hard earned money to vanish? Give your items to ME :-)
- I made 2000$ in 12 months and I had a blast with my friends. It is frustrating very often, but with good friends you can havy fun even when you are not making money
LMAO. I'm not calling you a liar. But seeing this just reminded me of my experience in the game. Almost everyone you run into and talk to in the game will tell you some total BS like all the money they have made or all the thousands of dollars they have made due to their "uber" skills and "mighty brains". And you just KNOW when you're playing looking at them watching them work/play that they are sooooo full of crap.
Just look at the post above. He tells you how "99% of the players" will lose money or whatever but not him, oh ofcourse not. He MADE $2,000. Lmfao. Ofcourse. He is in that special 1% (that you'll run into with 90% of the players) that have made a fortune in the game.
Pretty funny stuff. Atleast I admitted the truth that I lost over $200 USD in about a months time in the game. {winks} But I know... it's 'cuz I'm just a dumbass "Nub" and cuz you're infinately more intelligent then myself. {cough}
Hehe. Sorry, just had to point that out. I had forgot about how 90% of the players in the game will stand around broke as hell in the game but tell you how many hundreds or thousands of dollars they have made playing it. Pretty funny shit actually. Hehe.
- Zaxx
ROFL! Dude find me ingame and I will show you my ped card. I dont care if you believe me or not. The facts that I have put out stand. Peopel are loosing money like mad in that game. And are paying huge amounts of cash for virtual items. And I did make money but I worked hard for it, I didn't gamble like the others. It has nothing to do with being intelligent, it has all to do with understanding bussiness of EU. But I'm just a small fish compared to big winners like Neverdie or Akoz or Neomaven, the big land holders.
I gave you the truth now you do with it whatever you want. I understand you being pissed off for loosing money but that is entirely your fault.
How would showing me how many PEDs you've made in the game prove how much money you've made? That wouldn't prove crap because you could have easily invested ten times more then you currently have as a balance in the game. But I know.. just like all the other people unwilling to face the truth and likely their own gambling..err I mean Entropia Universe Addiction, you'll tell me you invested only $10 or some other total outright lie.
Call it what you want. This game is WORSE then gambling. Atleast with a slot machine, you can see its a simple gambling device. People use Entropia Universe to basically gamble, and it IS nicely disguised as a game, so people USE that as an EXCUSE. "Oh, it's no big deal that I've BLOWN $5,000 buying PEDS for this game one day I'm gonna strike it rich" must be a line people actually convince themselves of in this game.
It's hard for real world gamblers to admit their gambling addiction, and I can easily see that this game is ever bit as bad... actually it's probably WORSE. Again, this is the brilliance of Mindark as I said in my first post in this thread above. They have created a monster which only feeds peoples own addictive behavior and they are sitting back making a fortune off of peoples natural addictive behavior.
See look at the guys post in response to me. He acts like he spent way less then what he has made in the game. I'm calling BULLSHIT. Then he acts like I and the thousands of players who at least admit to losing money for a short time in this game "idiots" or something by saying "Yeh I'd be mad too if I lost money in the game". All I can say to this is whatever man. The sooner you admit to yourself how much you're pouring into this game VS what you are actually getting in return, the better off you'll be. If you wanna pay $100 or $200 or $500 a month or w/e you spend for an online game, that's perfectly fine and your choice. But atleast be honest with yourself and stop trying to act like because of your super intelligence blah blah blah that you are making mad $$ playing this virtual casino mmo.
- Zaxx
Man you got some serious issues, don't you?
I made clean 2000$ on this game by hard work, out of an initial investment of 300$. But I'm aware its a money pit for most players. And that's it, no hidden agendas, no hidden intentions. In fact, I strongly suggest all who have gambling problems to stay out of EU as I have seen people blow away 1000s of peds in one day on a bad luck streak.
End of story.
But you should start working on your social skills as they suck big time. Saying to me that I'm talking bullshit just becouse you lost money in EU is BULLSHIT itself. Get a chill-pill and stick with WOW.
No fate but what we make, so make me a ham sandwich please.
Originally posted by Lagavulin If Entropia was a complete scam like some of you suggest, WHY THE HELL do this still exist as a popular online game after release over five years ago?
And exactly how many current and active users does this "popular" game have?
And not how many accounts, but active current users.
Oh EU is not "popular" when compared to WOW or AoC. Even EVE surpases number of active players.
But I know you can see 100 people in neas or sweat camp at any time of the day, mostly noobs. I also am a member of the soc with 15 people who are active daily. I would say some 4000-5000 people are very active players and another 5000 is semi-active. If I was to go trough all the high-activity areas like Twin, PA, Nea and sweatcamp, and then check up on all the high activity hunting areas like argo lands above Twin and CP, and then check CND for active miners and hunters I would think I could count 1000-1500 people who are there for all to see.
But I could be wrong as MA never realeases official numbers (or any other usefull information at all, they are very secretive) and EU world is big (for 5000 people that is).
No fate but what we make, so make me a ham sandwich please.
And hi to everyone who's been here for ages as well
Yes, my first post here too and for the same reason. And, as an EU player of over two years now, I have to say that almost every post in this thread *can* be true. While I have some issues with MindArk (the developers), overall I have to say that I enjoy playing, I enjoy the friends that I have met through playing and I enjoy the time I spend there.
The option to deposit RL money has advantages and disadvantages - if you lose the amount you deposit for the month in the first week then yes, you're broke for the rest of the month. But if you want to take a break for a month or two, you don't have to pay for that month just to keep your hard-won account. You can choose whether or not to deposit and how much. You can tailor your expenses to suit your pocket. You have that choice. I'm on a low budget, I can't afford to deposit large amounts so I stick with what I can afford and play at that level.
MindArk is a business, not a charity. They have to pay their electricity bill, staff wages, etc. They have to make a profit or they go under and they chose to go with the micropayments option rather than monthly fee one. That's just the way it is - some people will prefer it, others won't.
'Sweating' the mobs (gathering a resource called 'Vibrant Sweat') is boring but free. Let's face it - if it was fun, no-one would move on from that. And of course you will get attacked by the mobs while doing it, and your avatar will die. Often. Big deal. Revival is free, you don't lose experience, items or anything else except health - which regenerates with time - and you gain skills which are very useful later on when you start hunting. These skills can also be 'chipped out' and sold so you can make money from putting in $0.00 in RL terms. It also gives you a chance to try the game for free (without a time limit) and decide whether you like it and want to continue playing. Do any other MMOs offer that?
And while we're on the subject, wearing armour to sweat the mobs is pointless. Of course it will decay when you get hit by the mobs - that's what it does - and the decay will eat up the profit you make from sweating. And with no Evade skill you will get hit a lot. So you start by building up your Evade by sweating, then when you start hunting the mobs will hit you less often because you already have some Evade skill!
To anyone wanting to try EU and see what all the fuss is about, I'd recommend the following, in this order:
Go to a Society Terminal, find a Society that you like the sound of and apply to join. You will get loads of helpful advice from more experienced players. And ask questions - lots of them
Sweat. Lots. Skill up the basics (Evade and Combat Reflexes) before you even touch a gun.
Bookmark www.entropedia.info and www.entropiaforum.com for loads more info.
Meet people, chat, have fun, make friends and get involved.
I look forward to hopefully seeing some new faces ingame
Comments
Do you also feel sorry for everyone drinking beer, since they are alcoholics?
One lovely thing about EU is that there are few to no 12 year old squakers playing them game, the community is probably one of the best out of any game I've played because, like mentioned by Skam (who is not the person from Warants lol), they are mature and want civilized game play.
I've played about 3 years now and actively take part in the game/community as much as I can. Myself, like many, like looking at ourselves as Pioneers in what is still a very grey zone of gaming. There aren't many titles that are like this one but if you look into it you'll find many about to pop up in the next few years.
The game is doing ground breaking things and it's that thrill that keeps up playing. We all want to be the first wave of people who got to experience world changing gaming. Try doing that in WoW (which don't get me wrong, I also play it but it has done all it can do.)
I have no lost money in EU. I've managed it properly and do have more then I have deposited, while not alot more but it's still more and I'm getting to the point where I can see how to make more.
You grow to like the players, and the players are a large part of the entertainment of EU. While many trying and push the boundries of what we can do and create and Mindark watch and listen. It may not always seem that way but they do.
Yes, there aren't any quests but that could change -- you never know. They game doesn't intend to go away anytime soon and wont because players will always hold interest in games with RCE economies.
There is a bit of learning involved, to start really having fun with EU but there are many different types of fun to be had as well.
- Dustin Encicra Parker
MMORPC - Webcomic
I agree.
People who started playing back 3+ years ago have an immense advantage over new players starting today. New players today cannot experience or catch up to veterans who had different advantages from years before. The company keeps making changes to skill gain, loot, etc to slow people down. I think the game is pretty interesting but the vets selling items at obscene prices do not help. I know people who have been playing for a really long time and "invested" thousands of dollars should have an advantage but the game as it stands now is ridiculous. I just wanted to try different things out but to do that you need to buy items and some of the prices are astronomical. If someone started out years ago and leveled something hard like coloring up pretty high why would a newer player have to pay extra to achieve the same thing?
The idea of "to have fun you are going to have to pay" is a bit extreme. I know its a simulated economy but damn!
Don't be terrorized! You're more likely to die of a car accident, drowning, fire, or murder! More people die every year from prescription drugs than terrorism LOL!
I do not like competing with players over real money, I prefer to do so in the real world. In a “game” environment, real money should have less impact as it carries over real world issues and events. If real money is being used, might as well use a taxation system (and why stop there?). People do play games as a means to escape from the real world issues, but with systems which incorporate real money directly into the system's economy, then that escape is dampened; hence not fun, but work.
And that is why...
Conservatives' pessimism is conducive to their happiness in three ways. First, they are rarely surprised -- they are right more often than not about the course of events. Second, when they are wrong they are happy to be so. Third, because pessimistic conservatives put not their faith in princes -- government -- they accept that happiness is a function of fending for oneself. They believe that happiness is an activity -- it is inseparable from the pursuit of happiness.
There may be slow down with gaining skills, but most of these "slowdowns" are the matter of balancing and adjusting the project that is supposed to last for years. Plus, MA releases new items, which can be used by less skilled players to compete with the more skilled/seasoned ones. Noone forces you to buy Improved MK2 for 150k ped (if u even could find any to buy), you can get almost as good gun spending just few bucks on L one. Not mentioning that you don't actually need that powerfull gun for 99% of mobs. Yes, for special professions, like player killer, you would need uber gear and at least mid level skills, but to be a normal hunter you do not need anything above average. And you do not actually need to have skills like Skalman or Jenna Star Mercury or Neomaven to be able to just wipe out everything on your way with new weapons and wearing new armors.
To help provide an even field for veterans and new players, a taxation system should be put into effect. Tax on the rich players, and provide "refunds" to the poorer players. Institute a "government program" to provide aid to new and poor players. After all real money is being used, so real world economic models should be incorporated. That would help provide an incentive for new players to join and maybe even stay with it. Seems that EU's economy is pure Capitalism, so it could use some regulation to it.
And that is why...
Conservatives' pessimism is conducive to their happiness in three ways. First, they are rarely surprised -- they are right more often than not about the course of events. Second, when they are wrong they are happy to be so. Third, because pessimistic conservatives put not their faith in princes -- government -- they accept that happiness is a function of fending for oneself. They believe that happiness is an activity -- it is inseparable from the pursuit of happiness.
EU is a game which requires discipline and teaches discipline too...
I got to toss the BS Flag here. You counter that his statement is BS, but yet you do not know how those "avatars" have performed better. Could be by putting in more real money, or by buying other accounts with transfers. Could be the same person, with different accounts.
Noone forces you to buy Improved MK2 for 150k ped (if u even could find any to buy), you can get almost as good gun spending just few bucks on L one. Not mentioning that you don't actually need that powerfull gun for 99% of mobs. Yes, for special professions, like player killer, you would need uber gear and at least mid level skills, but to be a normal hunter you do not need anything above average. And you do not actually need to have skills like Skalman or Jenna Star Mercury or Neomaven to be able to just wipe out everything on your way with new weapons and wearing new armors.
F2P Sales Speech Package #8
And that is why...
Conservatives' pessimism is conducive to their happiness in three ways. First, they are rarely surprised -- they are right more often than not about the course of events. Second, when they are wrong they are happy to be so. Third, because pessimistic conservatives put not their faith in princes -- government -- they accept that happiness is a function of fending for oneself. They believe that happiness is an activity -- it is inseparable from the pursuit of happiness.
Seriously, it's ridiculous to call it a scam. It's your fault if you expect to make easy money off a game.
And because i use under 10 euros a month to play it, i have a gambling addiction? Oookay... I still say i play it as a game. It's pretty much "Choose your own subscription fee".
Why are you attacking the game anyway? It's not like you're going to play it since you hate it from the start.
There may be slow down with gaining skills, but most of these "slowdowns" are the matter of balancing and adjusting the project that is supposed to last for years. Plus, MA releases new items, which can be used by less skilled players to compete with the more skilled/seasoned ones. Noone forces you to buy Improved MK2 for 150k ped (if u even could find any to buy), you can get almost as good gun spending just few bucks on L one. Not mentioning that you don't actually need that powerfull gun for 99% of mobs. Yes, for special professions, like player killer, you would need uber gear and at least mid level skills, but to be a normal hunter you do not need anything above average. And you do not actually need to have skills like Skalman or Jenna Star Mercury or Neomaven to be able to just wipe out everything on your way with new weapons and wearing new armors.
Don't get me wrong I admire many of the players who have been there for years. I'm just saying this. As a new player looking in and seeing the economy, slow skill gain, random loot, L items it seems like newer players are at an immensely greater disadvantage. The company looks like its doing everything in its power to hinder player progress and encourage them to deposit more and more money. It would be nice to accomplish something like the older players with the same advantage as they had.
Other games you can experience the same gameplay as others who have been playing for years. Games like WoW that has made leveling even faster(don't know if thats a good thing though) or EvE where player skills are auto-trained. Other games don't take too long to catch up to experienced players and skills and items are not long since forgotten and are attainable with reasonable gameplay if you want them. Everyone has a fair chance. Many times the game companies make changes that actually help the players enjoy the game more.
Don't be terrorized! You're more likely to die of a car accident, drowning, fire, or murder! More people die every year from prescription drugs than terrorism LOL!
Noone prohibits you from having fun in EU. It is fun, but you get some nice bonus too which you do not get in other MMOGs
Yeah... Withdrawals take a while to complete, the cash card is out of commission...Entropia is not the same kind of fun as other games, also it does not have the same BANG for your BUCK as other games...
One day I hope EU would get a complete restructure, but it would never happen
Sick of playing Entropia Universe? Want to quit, but don't want your hard earned money to vanish? Give your items to ME :-)
I got to toss the BS Flag here. You counter that his statement is BS, but yet you do not know how those "avatars" have performed better. Could be by putting in more real money, or by buying other accounts with transfers. Could be the same person, with different accounts.
Noone forces you to buy Improved MK2 for 150k ped (if u even could find any to buy), you can get almost as good gun spending just few bucks on L one. Not mentioning that you don't actually need that powerfull gun for 99% of mobs. Yes, for special professions, like player killer, you would need uber gear and at least mid level skills, but to be a normal hunter you do not need anything above average. And you do not actually need to have skills like Skalman or Jenna Star Mercury or Neomaven to be able to just wipe out everything on your way with new weapons and wearing new armors.
F2P Sales Speech Package #8
About younger avatars I know and who are better equipped or skilled than me. Or as good as me, yet they played much shorter. They are not avatars of one person and I can assure you of this.As I stated above, I was not depositing since the beginning. I played over one year without deposits at all. Later deposited and now I do not deposit again. (still, I'm free to do not to deposit, noone will punish me for this, bear it in your mind please)
I had few months of break ingame after first year of playning, when I could not play. Means I lost few months of raising my skills and upgrading my gear.
No, they are no avatars made by the same person. There is no point of creating several avatars in EU. You can't sell them. Yes, you can sell skills, equipment, but not your avatar. Skilling with several avatars will lead you to nowhere too, because if you would like to transfer skills from one avatar to another you would loose some of these skills. Skilling needs time, so there is no point of sharing your time between many avatars. You will not get more skills this way. You just have to focus on one ava and preferably one type of skills at a time. Buying skills on the market from other avas is just cheaper than having another avatar for skilling. There are also people in EU who regularly sell their skills and play for the money they get this way.
Why some avas could be more succesfull than me? For example they did something better than I or wiser. There is no official guide telling you: "if you go and shoot X ammount of X creatures at X hours, you will get 1k ped". You need to learn yourself what you should do and adapt to circumstances. Maybe I wasn't adapting fast enough. Yes, they could have deposited more than me, so having more money to cycle they received higher reward. Some of them might have used exploits ingame. Some could have used bots for skilling (yes, like in every online game there are players in EU who do not play fair) and noone caught them doing so. Some of them could trade more than I (which is not difficult, as I do not trade at all) and make some profit from this, which allowed them to get better gear. Some of them were probably just lucky.
Don't really understand what do you mean by saying F2P Sales Speech Package #8? I'm just telling you the truth. Yes, there are uber items that are far beyond the reach of not only average player, but even quite wealthy and seasoned one. But, at the same time MA introduses new items, which minimize or remove the gap. At the moment you can have a gun as good or close to be as good as gun for 150k peds and use it effectively. Yes, there is a catch that you won't be able to repair it, but you can always buy the next one. Not paying 150k peds for it, belive me. Someone complained about limited items introduced ingame. And I'm an oldfashioned player, preferred unlimited ones. But still I can see how usefull Limited items can be for average player. Not for the one who plays since 2003, but for someone who plays even few months...
Link to the EU Forum on mmorpg.com: http://www.mmorpg.com/discussion2.cfm/category/218
Sick of playing Entropia Universe? Want to quit, but don't want your hard earned money to vanish? Give your items to ME :-)
It's true that far the majority of people spend more money than they get back, but that's the same for all MMOs.
You should play EU for the fun imo.
Pay as much as you think the fun is worth to you, or play for free if you don't like paying at all. If you don't have fun, then quit. Simple as that.
You obviously don't like EU. Most people who hate EU as much as you, came to EU thinking they could win some easy money, and get very disappointed.
That's ofc not the right reason to start playing EU, and it's really kinda stupid if you think about it. Only your own stupidity to blame if that's why you hate it.
Kinda lame too, to spread lies about it being a scam.
But I guess 'high post wonder' on this forum doesn't really mean your have any credibility. Sad sad, but now that I've stated my opinion, I don't really care anymore.
I'll just go back to 'my game' and have some fun.
bb
/Vedder
Wikipedia
Wictionary
Chambers (UK)
Google images
Google define
The Free Dictionary
Join example
Google
Urban Dictionary
Answers.com
Merriam-Webster
Ordbogen.com E-D
Retskrivningsordbogen
ODS
<>0
I completely disagree that Entropia Universe is "gambling" or a "casino".
Casinos have SET RULES that NEVER CHANGE so the gambler plays against the odds and nothing else.
Entropia does not have set rules and the developers are able to change the odds at their whim, it's like going to a casino that has loaded dice or marked cards.
The end result is that EU is a scam/money pit and only those that have put in tremendous amounts of money ever reap any reward.
EU is only for people with very LARGE disposable incomes that can throw away thousands of dollars on entertainment.
If throwing away thousands of dollars is something you are financially comfortable with then EU could be entertaining, but I have to ask myself why anyone, that isn't a wealthy shut-in, would want to spend thousands of dollar on a "virtual world" that isn't graphically good looking and offers very little in the way of "game play" ?
This is hands down one of the most absurd posts I've ever seen on this forum.
All MMOs? Ahem, B.S., sir. EU is the only MMO I've ver heard of which absolutely forces me to invest RL cash just so I can subsist ingame and play casually. When I pay $15.00 a month for a sub fee I know that no matter how broke my character is at least I can have fun.
In EU? Absolutely not. I can sit around sweating animals for about 50 PED an hour or I can throw away a few RL dollars on PED so I can buy something as simple as ammunition for hunting or bombs for mining but no matter how lucky you are the average player, or not even average, more like nearly every new player, is going to lose, lose, lose, lose, and lose that cash.
Without a "big score" you can't support yourself. That's why this is game is nothing but a pyramid scam online casino. It's an absolute racket and I hope it goes under. Not to mention MindArk has done it's utmost to not fix bugs and change the loot rules every five seconds to keep screwing over all of the new marks they keep scamming out of RL money.
This game is trash anyways. FFS, you can't even smoothly walk in this game (your toon rubberbands like a mofo every single time you move irregardless of lag). This game is pathetic, the people who play it are pathetic, and most of all MindArk is pathetic.
Here's a pro-tip to the EU defenders: deposits into a game are not investments. Investment schemes have their risks on front explained, their average expected rate of return, their legal liabilities (for you and them (those seeking your investment) to you), and other such properties. Depositing a few bucks into EU is no different than having a credit account with a casino. You can win big one day and cash out, and you can lose big another where you're down to zero and the house won't forward you anymore to your account. This difference is what irks people with regard to EU, especially MA's line that one can win big. But they never produce the actual percentages of break-even. Even my state lottery tickets have a percentage that I can find out, either on the ticket or from the lottery office. I can even ask a random casino what will be my percentages of break-even at a given game (especially slots). MA with EU does not provide this data, and thus make their dealings very shady, regardless of if you believe in governmental regulation or not (I don't, I'm a market anarchist...). I don't deal with gambling institutions that don't tell me their percentages, not because I'm trying to win big, but because I want all the information on the table as to know that they're not cheating by changing the games (especially slots) odds in the house favor beyond what is alloted by design.
-- Brede
Most people who complain about Entropia seem to have done no research what so ever.
Of course an online game will not make you rich if you don't understand it.
This quote is taken from the company behind Entropia, Mindark's, homepage: "The normal service fee for an active user lies between 0.5 and 1.5 USD per hour."
If you play PvE the system is designed to COST you on average $1 per hour. They are OPEN about it. If you haven't taken the time to find it out, your loss. But pleeeeease don't come crying afterwards.
The beautiful thing about Entropia is that it is a MARKET where people with litte time but with lots of money can compete on equal terms with those with much time and no money. The people who has become rich in Entropia ENGAGE on this market and trade and deal with OTHER PLAYERS. If you ONLY play PvE against the "system" you will lose a buck an hour. That is why you almost never should sell thing back to Mindark, instead you should try to sell stuff at a markup. Like a free economy.
People screaming about scams are just ignorant to the facts presented. Players get their real life money when they withdraw from Entropia. There are many, many examples of this.
If Entropia was a complete scam like some of you suggest, WHY THE HELL do this still exist as a popular online game after release over five years ago? They make money and have pleased customers.
If you want to have more in-depth figures and financials it is all publicly available on the Mindark webpage: www.mindark.com
And not how many accounts, but active current users.
Why do millions of people gamble? For exactly the same reason.
And not how many accounts, but active current users.
Do you seriously think MindArk would seriously release that sort of information anymore? They stopped in August 2005.
Sick of playing Entropia Universe? Want to quit, but don't want your hard earned money to vanish? Give your items to ME :-)
LMAO. I'm not calling you a liar. But seeing this just reminded me of my experience in the game. Almost everyone you run into and talk to in the game will tell you some total BS like all the money they have made or all the thousands of dollars they have made due to their "uber" skills and "mighty brains". And you just KNOW when you're playing looking at them watching them work/play that they are sooooo full of crap.
Just look at the post above. He tells you how "99% of the players" will lose money or whatever but not him, oh ofcourse not. He MADE $2,000. Lmfao. Ofcourse. He is in that special 1% (that you'll run into with 90% of the players) that have made a fortune in the game.
Pretty funny stuff. Atleast I admitted the truth that I lost over $200 USD in about a months time in the game. {winks} But I know... it's 'cuz I'm just a dumbass "Nub" and cuz you're infinately more intelligent then myself. {cough}
Hehe. Sorry, just had to point that out. I had forgot about how 90% of the players in the game will stand around broke as hell in the game but tell you how many hundreds or thousands of dollars they have made playing it. Pretty funny shit actually. Hehe.
- Zaxx
ROFL! Dude find me ingame and I will show you my ped card. I dont care if you believe me or not. The facts that I have put out stand. Peopel are loosing money like mad in that game. And are paying huge amounts of cash for virtual items. And I did make money but I worked hard for it, I didn't gamble like the others. It has nothing to do with being intelligent, it has all to do with understanding bussiness of EU. But I'm just a small fish compared to big winners like Neverdie or Akoz or Neomaven, the big land holders.
I gave you the truth now you do with it whatever you want. I understand you being pissed off for loosing money but that is entirely your fault.
How would showing me how many PEDs you've made in the game prove how much money you've made? That wouldn't prove crap because you could have easily invested ten times more then you currently have as a balance in the game. But I know.. just like all the other people unwilling to face the truth and likely their own gambling..err I mean Entropia Universe Addiction, you'll tell me you invested only $10 or some other total outright lie.
Call it what you want. This game is WORSE then gambling. Atleast with a slot machine, you can see its a simple gambling device. People use Entropia Universe to basically gamble, and it IS nicely disguised as a game, so people USE that as an EXCUSE. "Oh, it's no big deal that I've BLOWN $5,000 buying PEDS for this game one day I'm gonna strike it rich" must be a line people actually convince themselves of in this game.
It's hard for real world gamblers to admit their gambling addiction, and I can easily see that this game is ever bit as bad... actually it's probably WORSE. Again, this is the brilliance of Mindark as I said in my first post in this thread above. They have created a monster which only feeds peoples own addictive behavior and they are sitting back making a fortune off of peoples natural addictive behavior.
See look at the guys post in response to me. He acts like he spent way less then what he has made in the game. I'm calling BULLSHIT. Then he acts like I and the thousands of players who at least admit to losing money for a short time in this game "idiots" or something by saying "Yeh I'd be mad too if I lost money in the game". All I can say to this is whatever man. The sooner you admit to yourself how much you're pouring into this game VS what you are actually getting in return, the better off you'll be. If you wanna pay $100 or $200 or $500 a month or w/e you spend for an online game, that's perfectly fine and your choice. But atleast be honest with yourself and stop trying to act like because of your super intelligence blah blah blah that you are making mad $$ playing this virtual casino mmo.
- Zaxx
Man you got some serious issues, don't you?
I made clean 2000$ on this game by hard work, out of an initial investment of 300$. But I'm aware its a money pit for most players. And that's it, no hidden agendas, no hidden intentions. In fact, I strongly suggest all who have gambling problems to stay out of EU as I have seen people blow away 1000s of peds in one day on a bad luck streak.
End of story.
But you should start working on your social skills as they suck big time. Saying to me that I'm talking bullshit just becouse you lost money in EU is BULLSHIT itself. Get a chill-pill and stick with WOW.
No fate but what we make, so make me a ham sandwich please.
And not how many accounts, but active current users.
Oh EU is not "popular" when compared to WOW or AoC. Even EVE surpases number of active players.
But I know you can see 100 people in neas or sweat camp at any time of the day, mostly noobs. I also am a member of the soc with 15 people who are active daily. I would say some 4000-5000 people are very active players and another 5000 is semi-active. If I was to go trough all the high-activity areas like Twin, PA, Nea and sweatcamp, and then check up on all the high activity hunting areas like argo lands above Twin and CP, and then check CND for active miners and hunters I would think I could count 1000-1500 people who are there for all to see.
But I could be wrong as MA never realeases official numbers (or any other usefull information at all, they are very secretive) and EU world is big (for 5000 people that is).
No fate but what we make, so make me a ham sandwich please.
Hi Skam, Vedder, Nytewolf, Sarah, Kaiser, etc
And hi to everyone who's been here for ages as well
Yes, my first post here too and for the same reason. And, as an EU player of over two years now, I have to say that almost every post in this thread *can* be true. While I have some issues with MindArk (the developers), overall I have to say that I enjoy playing, I enjoy the friends that I have met through playing and I enjoy the time I spend there.
The option to deposit RL money has advantages and disadvantages - if you lose the amount you deposit for the month in the first week then yes, you're broke for the rest of the month. But if you want to take a break for a month or two, you don't have to pay for that month just to keep your hard-won account. You can choose whether or not to deposit and how much. You can tailor your expenses to suit your pocket. You have that choice. I'm on a low budget, I can't afford to deposit large amounts so I stick with what I can afford and play at that level.
MindArk is a business, not a charity. They have to pay their electricity bill, staff wages, etc. They have to make a profit or they go under and they chose to go with the micropayments option rather than monthly fee one. That's just the way it is - some people will prefer it, others won't.
'Sweating' the mobs (gathering a resource called 'Vibrant Sweat') is boring but free. Let's face it - if it was fun, no-one would move on from that. And of course you will get attacked by the mobs while doing it, and your avatar will die. Often. Big deal. Revival is free, you don't lose experience, items or anything else except health - which regenerates with time - and you gain skills which are very useful later on when you start hunting. These skills can also be 'chipped out' and sold so you can make money from putting in $0.00 in RL terms. It also gives you a chance to try the game for free (without a time limit) and decide whether you like it and want to continue playing. Do any other MMOs offer that?
And while we're on the subject, wearing armour to sweat the mobs is pointless. Of course it will decay when you get hit by the mobs - that's what it does - and the decay will eat up the profit you make from sweating. And with no Evade skill you will get hit a lot. So you start by building up your Evade by sweating, then when you start hunting the mobs will hit you less often because you already have some Evade skill!
To anyone wanting to try EU and see what all the fuss is about, I'd recommend the following, in this order:
I look forward to hopefully seeing some new faces ingame
Best regards
Molly 'Red' Macguire
Captain
Pyrates of Calypso