Howdy, Stranger!
It looks like you're new here. If you want to get involved, click one of these buttons!
Quick Links
Station Exchange
Nihilanth
Member Posts: 1,357
John Smedley Discusses Station ExchangeHello Everyone,
We have a big announcement coming out in the press in the next day, and I wanted to make sure you heard it from me directly rather than reading an article about it.
Starting in late June, SOE will begin offering a new service called Station Exchange. This secure service will allow EverQuest II players on specific servers to buy and sell the right to use items, coin and characters. To be clear, all we are doing is facilitating these transactions. We are NOT in the business of selling virtual goods ourselves.
I'm sure this is going to come as a shock to many of you, since for the past six years, we have held the line in not allowing these sorts of things to occur. I'd like to explain the primary drivers for this change from our perspective:
First: It's obvious that a large percentage of our players either don't mind this activity or actively participate in it. We've done a fair amount of homework on this subject, and we believe this is a $200 million dollar market worldwide, and there are a huge number of our players taking part in the buying and selling of virtual goods. We have conducted polls, and the vast majority of players either doesnt care about it or would like to participate in it. We believe that by allowing this to happen on select servers, we can have a solution for both the many players who want to participate in this and for those who dont.
Second: Dealing with fraudulent transactions of one type or another takes up roughly 40% of our customer service people's time. We have players calling us up or requesting in-game service for activities related to these sorts of transactions constantly, even though they are specifically disallowed by our EULA. You may ask why the percentage is that high when it's not allowed in the first place? The answer is simple. Many times, people in these situations aren't up front with us about what actually happened. "My sword disappeared from my inventory" comes to mind, when what actually happened is the player has sold the item to someone else. Our CS people have to take the time to investigate this claim because if something legitimately happened, we of course want to take care of the player's needs. We believe that by taking this course, we will free up a great number of resources to deal with other things for our players.
Third: We see this as a potentially interesting model for future games. If we came up with a game specifically designed around these sorts of transactions, it might be pretty cool. Online gaming is always evolving, and were going to see how a sanctioned exchange service shakes out in EQII. From our perspective, it's always wise to keep pushing the envelope.
With the big reasons we're doing this laid out, I'd like to now tell you about the process:
On Wednesday, you'll see some press about Station Exchange. After about a week, we will conduct an in-game poll that's going to ask whether you:
1) Want to play on an "Exchange enabled" server
2) Do not want to play on an "Exchange enabled" server
3) Don't really careBased on the results of this poll, we will light up a certain amount of new servers that are specifically "Exchange enabled." If the percentage of players who want this service is high enough, we might consider converting some existing servers to "Exchange enabled." Players who want to play on those servers will have the opportunity to transfer over to the "Exchange enabled" servers for free on a one-time-only basis (but you can't ever move that character off these servers). We will, of course, let people who don't want to stay on an "Exchange enabled" server off with a free transfer.
I want to be clear here: We will be lighting up a few new servers that are specifically Exchange enabled, and the number of existing servers we convert to Exchange enabled will be based on how many people actually want to be on "Exchange enabled" servers.
In addition to the issues listed above, you may ask, "What about farming?" The simple answer to this is that we're going to continue to heavily enforce the rules of EQ II, and those rules don't permit players to monopolize spawns or in any way harm the play experience of another player. We will continue to enforce these rules, but we also think that by providing a legitimate way for players to buy and sell the use of virtual goods, there will be fewer problems on the non-Exchange servers.
I realize this is a lot to think about, and I expect a pretty good debate to start on this subject. We welcome all your feedback, as it will help determine the future of this service. All I ask is that you consider the fact that we're really addressing this problem in the best possible way for all sides of this issue.
John Smedley
President, Sony Online Entertainment
wow, im freakin speechless
Schutzbar - Human Warrior - Windrunner Alliance - World of Warcraft
Nihilanth - Kerra Paladin - Blackburrow - EverQuest II
XBL Gamertag - Eagle15GT
Comments
Agent_X7 AKA J Star
[/URL]
Notice: The views expressed in this post are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of MMORPG.com or its management.
Thats a surprise... Someones been fighting a loosing battle, the reference to 40% of support time is proof of that.
They are not going to sell "new" items. The second I see "Buy your exclusive castle here for $200" and the seller is SOE, I'm gone. And that idea aint new, its done in that other niche game I cant remember the name off.
The other thing that I would want to know is the fee SOE plans to charge. The current services like ebay and ige do charge. I'm pretty sure the "customer" see it as a safer way to buy stuff, at least compared to ebay, but most likely compared to all the specialized sellers too. I've never used these kind of services myself, so I dont know. The time I spend at games is enough of an addiction, I dont want to throw (more) cash into the hole too.
Is this a strategy to push companies like IGE out of SOEs games? The only way IGE can compete on the "EQ2 market" is by offering lower "tax" on the sales. Will SOE try to monopolize the market for their own game, and ban all other resellers? I kinda doubt it. However, if SOE set the resellers fee to zero, they will most likely reduce the activity trough ebay and ige to an all time low.
Everything is good but...
This is a lot of work, and solo is still not appealing! I am not sure they are able to visualised their priorities about the game features and developpment they need to do. Heck, they will make SERVERs for this...
Building solo as an overgrown mini games with an independant system and a few zones on every server would require far less work...oh well...this is good, I will applaud exactly like when they bring Ykesha out, good work, nice expension, nice work...but, is it really worth been top priority?
I think it have more to do about ''beating'' Vanguard on something they select(Vanguard is selling items, and prolly levels in the game, all by themselves). So no, SoE will prolly never sell anything themselves directly, they want to ''beat Vanguard'', if they sell it as well, they dont ''beat them anymore'', it would be a draw at best.
- "If I understand you well, you are telling me until next time. " - Ren
No, soloing is not appealing to you. Alot of us are just fine with the solo content currently in the game. Like it or not the game is still about grouping and that's probably not going to change a whole lot.
I'm not sure yet how I feel about them selling items. I have always thought people that used sites like IGE were incredibly stupid and it's like cheating, but then again I see why people like it as well. I guess I'll have to wait and see how they do it but as of right now, i'm not a big fan of the idea.
I didnt know they'd stoop to these levels. I remember in EQ1, they wouldnt let you do anything like this... now they are legalizing it?
All Ano ever does is post stupid ideas about how to make an MMO more like Baldur's Gate.
It's really annoying, and he/she does it on every forum he/she posts on. That quote at the bottom of every post is also way off, and not credited to anyone. Given the bad grammar, I'm guessing it's a quote from Ano. Single player games are not the "main market", and anyone looking at the game industry today can tell you without hesitation that people want MORE connections between their PSPs and DS's, look at Xbox Live, look at all the popularity of the new handhelds with wireless so you can game against others and/or go online.
Look at the most popular game for the Xbox, and get a clue.
As for the Station Exchange, I like the way they are doing it, and given the way it's being implemented I don't see how anyone could complain, so I'm sure there will be thousands of responses to this announcment complaining about something that doesn't affect their gameplay at all. I personally won't be moving to an exchange server, but I don't care if anyone else does.
The only time I put anything up for sale is when I quit a game.
Habit is not to be flung out the window by any man, but coaxed down the stairs one step at a time. - Mark Twain
I agree with Noubo. If you want solo then go play BG. Soloing in MMO is a bit stupid imo.
Nice reasons from SOE and it may lower the 40% cs time a bit but I don't think it will get rid of that much of it. It will lower the amount being sold on the non-exchange servers but it won't get rid of it. If anything I see this as causing more rip-offs and problems on the non-exchange servers and still lots of problems for the customer service. The only way I see this as making a huge difference is by doing it to all of the servers.
Fission
Well I personally dont like the idea of Station Exchange, but again this is just my opinion. To me this will cause TWINKS to surface about the game. I was mentioning it on my guilds forums:
Take for instance 2 level 45 Warriors; one who has been with EverQuest for a long time, knows the concept of the game, knows the LORE, been in 1 or 2 guilds, made officership and even made leader. Is a terrific guy, can keep aggro and will fight for their commrades, and overall just have fun but his hit points is 3k and his power is 4500, thus stating his equipment needs upgraded.
Take the other level 45 warrior who has played the game maybe 2 months had a billion dollars saved up in his savings and spent most of it to outfit his character. His hit points is 6k and his power at 8k but he cant hold aggro very well. His breastplate is something out of a fantasy world and his weapon is pure nothing but AWE. Since he just barely started EQ it took him around 1 month to reach level 45 by outfitting his character. He of course has no guild history (as far as leadership or officership) so of course his access keys is very limited as he chose the free zones to level up.
Another reason why I dont like it......again folks, just an opinion: Say you spend 300 dollars for a cool sword but the level requirement is 30 and here you are at 20, why pay that much when you cant even use it; I mean sure you can use it but the stats and damage bonus wont kick in til the appropriate level and what fun is it when you find this cool looking named monster and he drops the exact item you paid 300 dollars for; yeah sickening aint it lol
Anyways so it stated in the letter (from SOE) that some servers will be selected and of course every person will have a poll; sadly I'm saying NO, if our server gets it (Permafrost) well I'm gonna be the one who doesnt participate.
The irony.......a couple years ago I actually paid 300 RL dollars and got 120kpp from EverQuest 1, funny how I'm changing my mind eh hehe
I actually think it is a good idea and a very smart move on SOE's part.
The reason I like it is it will give people who are casual players the chance to buy equipment with real life money and this is a good thing if it helps them.
It also allows people to sell things and make money. Now this didn't work in that other game but that game was rigged in the favour of the company running it and you had to invest real life money to do anything. This is not the case for EQII the game is set up so you can progress without putting in more real life money but devoting your time.
As for twinks well this happens already. Just because you have reached high level in one class and can twink a secondary does not make you good with a different class. Plus if you come across bad players don't play with them.
On SOE's part it is very clever as people already do this in a lot of games and use Ebay. Now they have a game they can come to and do it legitimately. This could lead to a very large increase in customers. The downside is they have to get the implementation right, shouldn't be too hard though.
Dammit I was enjoying EQ2.... Oh well time to move after hearing this, I quit.
Selling ingame items for cash and buying them is lame as is any so called game company that does so.
Its not about the people who can or cannot afford it, its about the lack of a level playing field.
Player X has more cash than sense so player X wins = everyone else is just food/wallpaper.
Why not encourage the entire thing rotf... yet another lame ass idea from SOE... heh well anyways laters losers.
The good news is that the loot farmers will now all be on one server and not on normal ones stealing loot from normal players.
I do think it's a bad idea, although Sony will finally end up getting a cut of the business that IGE and the rest has had for so long.
I realy dislike this. Heres why:
Rich people will become realy good (in terms of items) so other folks who are poor or who can afford it but dont see a reason to will be pressured in purchasing items too, we gotta stay competetive.
Lucky for me my work takes most of my time so I cant spend it on EQ2 because it is more group oriented then solo oriented like WoW. For now, im sticking with planetside. Peace.
I am the type of player where I like to do everything and anything from time to time.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holodomor - pre-WW2 genocide.
In regards to twinking, all MMOG's should have lvl limit requirements on all useable items to prevent it.
Sure a lvl 40 can get a lvl 40 item they didn't earn, but that already happens when a friend gives another friend an item for free.
This is a wise move by SOE and is much less offensive than a game company selling items directly, which are created from thin air.
The resources used to catch Ebayers, can now be used to catch real cheaters, those who use hacks, dupes, bots, macros, and to enhance overall customer service.
If you don't like it, play on a server that doesn't allow it, and you won't be effected negatively by it, but you will enjoy the positive results of not being charged for the cost of future expansions which should be offset from the brokering revenue. Also the farmers will only play on servers that allow it, since obviously there will be no market on a server which players choose to play on because they don't want to participate.
"We feel gold selling and websites that promote it damage games like Vanguard and will do everything possible to combat it."
Brad McQuaid
Chairman & CEO, Sigil Games Online, Inc.
Executive Producer, Vanguard: Saga of Heroes
www.vanguardsoh
Why would someone who can't afford to "ebay"(or don't want to pay) play on one of these servers?
You're gaming will do nothing but IMPROVE if you play on a normal server.
----------------------------------
"There is no reason anyone would want a computer in their home."
-- Ken Olson, chairman of Digital Equipment Corp, 1977
Plus, there's no reason to quit because IT'S ALREADY HAPPENING ALL OVER ON EVERY SERVER IN EVERY GAME.
What game could you possibly play where this activity is not happening? None. So quit threatening to quit.
If they fail to stop or slow IGE and Yantis and their loser paid-gamer staff, then NOTHING WILL HAVE CHANGED. At least let SOE have a crack at it, yeesh.
And another thing. Blizz announced they will be watching the development of this new feature closely to see how it affects the game. They obviously will do it if it alleviates some scamming and botting.
Think about it. Casual players who purchase stuff do so because they can't put in the game time. Now they can do it with no worry of being scammed, with a record of it that SOE holds for them in case there are any problems. All these people will want to be on a server where those exchanges are allowed. As a result, items for sale will be sold MOSTLY on those few servers. Since EVERYONE on those servers can participate, tons of those items will be available. The prices of each item will be lower, which will make it harder for IGE and Yantis to make such big profits on them. The price of plat itself will be lower too. Now who would buy something at an inflated price from IGE or Yantis on another server when they can see EXACTLY how cheap it would be on a different server? Not many people.
My hope is that this new feature takes Yantis and IGE pretty much out of the game altogether. Let their $2/day chinese workers play L2. I don't want them in EQ2, or any other game I play. I won't play on an exchange server, but hey, some people go for that stuff. Let them have it. As long as the items and characters come into the game legitimately (ie: no macros/exploits/etc), from LEGITIMATE players, I don't see any moral issue with it. Especially if allowing them to do it more legitimately lowers the amount of BS the rest of us in game have to put up with.
That's my .02. Personally, I think buying stuff to play with in game is lame too. Of course, I'm dead broke and have nothing but free time to kill, and this is the cheapest way to do it short of not spending any money at all, but I digress.
This could very well be a very good thing for the MMO community as a whole. I really really hope it works out. Props to SOE for the big pair they've got trying this out. It's a huge gamble on community reactions alone. Beyond that, they don't even know if it will work. Yantis and IGE (and their employees and/or imitators) finally ganked and sploited enough real players to cause 40% of CS time to be taken up, and now they'll have to deal with the consequences. It's a huge risk, but I have high hopes.
Cross your fingers everyone. Not just in EQ2. If you care about your own game, cross your fingers for that one too. Putting these losers out of business and creating a smaller community where this is acceptable (like alternate rules PK servers), is probalby the only way we'll ever come close to putting Yantis and IGE and their ilk out of business. SOE is taking the first step. Let's all wish them good luck.
Habit is not to be flung out the window by any man, but coaxed down the stairs one step at a time. - Mark Twain
It used to be about how much you play, now it will be about how much you pay.
Innocence in MMOG's was lost years ago when the first person decided to sell a virtual item.
Might as well be realistic about it and make the best of the situation.
"We feel gold selling and websites that promote it damage games like Vanguard and will do everything possible to combat it."
Brad McQuaid
Chairman & CEO, Sigil Games Online, Inc.
Executive Producer, Vanguard: Saga of Heroes
www.vanguardsoh
Ex
loot farmers won't move off the normal servers...it's all about supply and demand, it's a stupid idea that does nothing to add to the game. At least you know where your $15 a month goes.. into developing the station exchange.
I'm pretty sure the $15 dolars also goes to all the fixes and content we've been recieving. I think it's funny people come out of the woodworks to bash SOE when they see on oppurtunity, but are silent when all is well.
While i'm not wild about this new idea, it's not going to destroy the game. If people are dumb enough to pay real money for fantasy items, that's on them. Funny enough my girlfriend probably put it best when I told her about people buying items online. She said "That's like going to build-a-bear and buying a premade bear rather than building one yourself."
This issue could also be looked at from another point. Ignoring all the loot farmers that do it all day everyday.
What about those that reach maximum level. They will be able to make some money themselves and if in the course of their gaming they have come across a rare bit of loot then why not get the cash if it is no good to them. This would have been very helpful when I was playing a fixer in Anrchy Online trying to get my grid armour which is so hard to get hold off it isn't even funny.
Another point I just thought of if a game puts in place instancing this will negate a large portion of the problem with farmers anyway as they can have their own nice little instance.
I'm going to see how this one pans out before I decide what to do but I DON'T LIKE IT ONE BIT
The "cheats" aren't going to move to a cheater server, there is no motivation for them to do so at all. It'd be like getting cheat getting tatooed on your forehead, and why move to a server where it's those with the most cash do best. Even for the cheats there's no satisfaction in that.
This isn't about improving gameplay for normal players or reducing item farming, it's about $200 MILLION that SOE wants a part of. I'm surprised at the number of normal players supporting this, it seems you see $ and you'd sell your own granny if she got you a few $ more than your neighbour.
The fact that it's been going on for years isn't a reason to openly support it. Rape and murder have been around since the beginning of time but FFS it doesn't need encouraging.
A bad day for MMO's, I just hope other don't follow suit
<aref="http://www.enjin.com/"; alt="rift guild hosting"><img src="http://sigs.enjin.com/sig-rift/14060_d62c0a5a4ba0df2e.png"></a>;
I think it's great. It will eliminate all the services like IGE etc that have been growing for years. Hopefully, Blizzard will follow suit.