I guess Port has stopped censoring the SotA Steam page

MightyUnclean

I remember not all that long ago when posts like the one below were closed down, both on Steam and on the official SotA forums.  Have the developers changed their tune?

https://steamcommunity.com/app/326160/discussions/0/1841314700717829511/

JamesGoblin

They simply ran out of money and manpower, even for the most basic functions such as banning and censorship (or having offices).

Some folks expected Port bankrupcy and game shutdown by now but, as I guessed a couple years ago, it is actually going to be like this - long,slow death with a handful of "employees" keeping it in maintenance mode. The longer it lingers, the less angry customers when it all finally ends.

Wizardry

Just imagine and i feel sorry for those that gave way too much money to keep this going and THINKING it would become something special.

Then part of me thinks,man this guy even though failed on many levels still gave the game industry a better effort than the crappy APRG's/BR's/Moba's all put together.

The game industry...consumers are supporting real crappy,lazy game designs.I'll repeat yet again,EPIC games GAVE UP on Paragon and Fortnite to simply turn FN into a BR and devote all their resources to the BR because it meant the most profit.

So we have two sides pusing gaming into the dumpster,gamer's and devs catering to those shallow gamer's.Oh sorry there is a third person tugging on the rope>>>>$$$,sponsors,advertisers,marketing all pushing for the cheaper product with higher profit margin.
Do you or ANYONE think when someone thought...OH let's make games for mobiel,their intention was to make the best games ever?NO...hell no,they wanted to profit big revenue by doing very little and simply attracting the addicted cell phone users.

ChildoftheShadows

All they're doing is contributing to the problems, and for no good reason. If you back a project you must understand that you may not get what you expect. By behaving so childish all you're doing is making it more difficult for the developers to continue and even harder for new developers to come in and attempt making another game.

[mod edit]

MightyUnclean

ChildoftheShadows said:

All they're doing is contributing to the problems, and for no good reason. If you back a project you must understand that you may not get what you expect. By behaving so childish all you're doing is making it more difficult for the developers to continue and even harder for new developers to come in and attempt making another game.

[mod edit]

Are we really going to pretend that the developers of SotA were innocent victims in all of this, and that the ones who PAID FOR THE GAME'S DEVELOPMENT and thus had certain expectations are the ones to blame?

[mod edit]

ChildoftheShadows

MightyUnclean said:

ChildoftheShadows said:

All they're doing is contributing to the problems, and for no good reason. If you back a project you must understand that you may not get what you expect. By behaving so childish all you're doing is making it more difficult for the developers to continue and even harder for new developers to come in and attempt making another game.

If you think this game was a cash grab and they're somehow making out like bandits then you are an idiotic fool.

Are we really going to pretend that the developers of SotA were innocent victims in all of this, and that the ones who PAID FOR THE GAME'S DEVELOPMENT and thus had certain expectations are the ones to blame?

And, yes, calling people you don't agree with "idiotic fools" is one way of arguing.  It was actually stated in that thread I linked, if you can't defeat the argument, attack the person.  You couldn't have provided a better example.

Your reading comprehension is top notch. I didn't "call someone I didn't agree with" I pointed out the stupidity with thinking something like this could ever be considered a cash grab. The amount of time and money involved is insane and without the help of crowd funding all we will be left with is whatever trash the AAA companies throw our way, which most posters on this forum can agree is not what we really want.

So really your'e just reaching with that last statement.

No one said they were "innocent victims", but what exactly are they "guilty" of? It's been common knowledge since kickstarters became a thing that the person backing the project IS NOT AN INVESTOR and they do not have say or control with the end product. It is and has always been a faith based system. If you don't get what you want then don't back those developers anymore. It's not like you're paying hundreds of thousands or millions and somehow have control. It's just silly.

MightyUnclean

ChildoftheShadows said:

MightyUnclean said:

ChildoftheShadows said:

All they're doing is contributing to the problems, and for no good reason. If you back a project you must understand that you may not get what you expect. By behaving so childish all you're doing is making it more difficult for the developers to continue and even harder for new developers to come in and attempt making another game.

If you think this game was a cash grab and they're somehow making out like bandits then you are an idiotic fool.

Are we really going to pretend that the developers of SotA were innocent victims in all of this, and that the ones who PAID FOR THE GAME'S DEVELOPMENT and thus had certain expectations are the ones to blame?

And, yes, calling people you don't agree with "idiotic fools" is one way of arguing.  It was actually stated in that thread I linked, if you can't defeat the argument, attack the person.  You couldn't have provided a better example.

Your reading comprehension is top notch. I didn't "call someone I didn't agree with" I pointed out the stupidity with thinking something like this could ever be considered a cash grab. The amount of time and money involved is insane and without the help of crowd funding all we will be left with is whatever trash the AAA companies throw our way, which most posters on this forum can agree is not what we really want.

So really your'e just reaching with that last statement.

No one said they were "innocent victims", but what exactly are they "guilty" of? It's been common knowledge since kickstarters became a thing that the person backing the project IS NOT AN INVESTOR and they do not have say or control with the end product. It is and has always been a faith based system. If you don't get what you want then don't back those developers anymore. It's not like you're paying hundreds of thousands or millions and somehow have control. It's just silly.

In the MMO world, it's proving to be the case that without the AAA developers of old, we're in dire straights.  The couple of crowd funded MMO's that have made it to release have been disasters.  I'll leave it to you to decide if we're better off with the trash we've gotten, or if it would have been more merciful for the genre to just die out entirely.  And if SotA, with its RMT-based ideology and beg-a-thons, doesn't fit your definition of a cash grab, then I don't think any game will.

If you think the developers of Port aren't guilty of misrepresenting how the game was going to turn out, I suggest you do some research into how the game was originally pitched.  And many people have put thousands, and tens of thousands, into the game, sometimes well beyond what they could afford.  Perhaps more importantly, they invested their time and their trust.  One thing you said that I do agree with is that the people who were burned should never back Lord British or anyone else involved with SotA in another crowdfunded campaign.  Hopefully, the days of crowdfunded MMO's are coming to and end.  It might work for other genres, but those two, together, aren't viable.  

Bananable

Wizardry said:

Just imagine and i feel sorry for those that gave way too much money to keep this going and THINKING it would become something special.

Shh, be quiet. Dont scare Star Citizen fans. Theyre so cute - still belive in magic :P

ChildoftheShadows

MightyUnclean said:

ChildoftheShadows said:

MightyUnclean said:

ChildoftheShadows said:

All they're doing is contributing to the problems, and for no good reason. If you back a project you must understand that you may not get what you expect. By behaving so childish all you're doing is making it more difficult for the developers to continue and even harder for new developers to come in and attempt making another game.

If you think this game was a cash grab and they're somehow making out like bandits then you are an idiotic fool.

Are we really going to pretend that the developers of SotA were innocent victims in all of this, and that the ones who PAID FOR THE GAME'S DEVELOPMENT and thus had certain expectations are the ones to blame?

And, yes, calling people you don't agree with "idiotic fools" is one way of arguing.  It was actually stated in that thread I linked, if you can't defeat the argument, attack the person.  You couldn't have provided a better example.

Your reading comprehension is top notch. I didn't "call someone I didn't agree with" I pointed out the stupidity with thinking something like this could ever be considered a cash grab. The amount of time and money involved is insane and without the help of crowd funding all we will be left with is whatever trash the AAA companies throw our way, which most posters on this forum can agree is not what we really want.

So really your'e just reaching with that last statement.

No one said they were "innocent victims", but what exactly are they "guilty" of? It's been common knowledge since kickstarters became a thing that the person backing the project IS NOT AN INVESTOR and they do not have say or control with the end product. It is and has always been a faith based system. If you don't get what you want then don't back those developers anymore. It's not like you're paying hundreds of thousands or millions and somehow have control. It's just silly.

In the MMO world, it's proving to be the case that without the AAA developers of old, we're in dire straights.  The couple of crowd funded MMO's that have made it to release have been disasters.  I'll leave it to you to decide if we're better off with the trash we've gotten, or if it would have been more merciful for the genre to just die out entirely.  And if SotA, with its RMT-based ideology and beg-a-thons, doesn't fit your definition of a cash grab, then I don't think any game will.

If you think the developers of Port aren't guilty of misrepresenting how the game was going to turn out, I suggest you do some research into how the game was originally pitched.  And many people have put thousands, and tens of thousands, into the game, sometimes well beyond what they could afford.  Perhaps more importantly, they invested their time and their trust.  One thing you said that I do agree with is that the people who were burned should never back Lord British or anyone else involved with SotA in another crowdfunded campaign.  Hopefully, the days of crowdfunded MMO's are coming to and end.  It might work for other genres, but those two, together, aren't viable.  

I consider a cash grab something that was designed for the sole purpose of making a profit with little to no intent to create, like asset flipping from ark to atlas. I don’t see that with what port has done. Excessive maybe, but not cash grab.

There haven’t been enough crowd funded mmos imo to really judge whether it works or not. Most are still in development. 

BobVa

Blows my mind to see ( on Steam comments section ) that there are still naïve people who still believes in this shit. 

Xee2018

Meh, we just like the game.  Everyone has diff tastes.  This game I have been playing 4 years now and will keep playing until its gone.  Has enough content to keep me going for more.  I have not played a game this much since Eq1.   

It may not be up to your standards BobVa but almost all the new people coming in seem to like it

ChildoftheShadows

Xee2018 said:

Meh, we just like the game.  Everyone has diff tastes.  This game I have been playing 4 years now and will keep playing until its gone.  Has enough content to keep me going for more.  I have not played a game this much since Eq1.   

It may not be up to your standards BobVa but almost all the new people coming in seem to like it

While I don't play SOTA, it's not up to me to decide what others like. People seem to think they are the authority over what other people need or want and frankly they can eat a fat one.

BobVa

Xee2018 said:

Meh, we just like the game.  Everyone has diff tastes.  This game I have been playing 4 years now and will keep playing until its gone.  Has enough content to keep me going for more.  I have not played a game this much since Eq1.   

It may not be up to your standards BobVa but almost all the new people coming in seem to like it

Liking a game is fine, believing in a company which is ruining the said game, is not fine. 

And let's not forget the very shady things this company has done. And also, let's not forget the ......…./facepalm things they did: selling blood and his HAIR to "support" it ?! 


Meh .. we both have a very different point of view when it comes to games and companies.

Kyleran

ChildoftheShadows said:

Xee2018 said:

Meh, we just like the game.  Everyone has diff tastes.  This game I have been playing 4 years now and will keep playing until its gone.  Has enough content to keep me going for more.  I have not played a game this much since Eq1.   

It may not be up to your standards BobVa but almost all the new people coming in seem to like it

While I don't play SOTA, it's not up to me to decide what others like. People seem to think they are the authority over what other people need or want and frankly they can eat a fat one.

Trying to save others from themselves,  it's just what humans do....

With little success, most times it's better just to let others step right in it, they'll eventually learn.

Parents of adult children well understand this concept.

Xee2018

BobVa said:

Xee2018 said:

Meh, we just like the game.  Everyone has diff tastes.  This game I have been playing 4 years now and will keep playing until its gone.  Has enough content to keep me going for more.  I have not played a game this much since Eq1.   

It may not be up to your standards BobVa but almost all the new people coming in seem to like it

Liking a game is fine, believing in a company which is ruining the said game, is not fine. 

And let's not forget the very shady things this company has done. And also, let's not forget the ......…./facepalm things they did: selling blood and his HAIR to "support" it ?! 


Meh .. we both have a very different point of view when it comes to games and companies.

I have not seen anything shady and I have Been with the came since 2015.    As to the selling of blood and hair that was all to support different charities.  They offered rewards to all that donated.  They even have a section on the web page to support charities and receive rewards

Dakeru

Xee2018 said:

I have not seen anything shady 

See no evil

goboygo

Wizardry said:

Just imagine and i feel sorry for those that gave way too much money to keep this going and THINKING it would become something special.

Then part of me thinks,man this guy even though failed on many levels still gave the game industry a better effort than the crappy APRG's/BR's/Moba's all put together.

The game industry...consumers are supporting real crappy,lazy game designs.I'll repeat yet again,EPIC games GAVE UP on Paragon and Fortnite to simply turn FN into a BR and devote all their resources to the BR because it meant the most profit.

So we have two sides pusing gaming into the dumpster,gamer's and devs catering to those shallow gamer's.Oh sorry there is a third person tugging on the rope>>>>$$$,sponsors,advertisers,marketing all pushing for the cheaper product with higher profit margin.
Do you or ANYONE think when someone thought...OH let's make games for mobiel,their intention was to make the best games ever?NO...hell no,they wanted to profit big revenue by doing very little and simply attracting the addicted cell phone users.

Your right and lets face reality here on mobile gaming, its nothing more than a packaged slot machine for your phone, promoting and discussing mobile games in the same space as PC gaming or god should I even dare to say console gaming is giving mobile gaming FAR too much credibility here, its sleeze gaming. There is a gaming industry in vegas literally called the Las Vegas gaming industry, that's where mobile games belong not in our world of traditional gaming.

Hluill

I would love for this game to earn more of my money.  It's got some great stuff happening and a lot of kinks to straighten out.  I like the direction it's going.

I cringe for it too.  I wonder if there is an economic model that can support a game like this.  News like this makes me think not, which is a shame.

Xee2018

Hluill said:

I would love for this game to earn more of my money.  It's got some great stuff happening and a lot of kinks to straighten out.  I like the direction it's going.

I cringe for it too.  I wonder if there is an economic model that can support a game like this.  News like this makes me think not, which is a shame.

Hluill, I have been in the game for a long time, back when it was terrible, up until now where its becoming great.   Funding has remained steady and development is where it needs to be now.  Chris (ATOS) is now doing weekly live streams where he is asking the community to request things and let him know what things are issues so he can see what we want.   He as been adding alot of these things / fixes in micro patches as well following up with us on progression of many things and what is in the works.   Being one of the lead developers and doing Community manager job is giving him a much better view of what we want changed or fixed.  

I look forward to each patch every month and like as well the direction.   Ep2.  is coming up soon, we are still a little uneasy on how the plan they were first looking at with a soft wipe for characters in ep2.   I can understand the logic though which is to give all new players the same level to start now that they have alot of the issues well though out.   They are still listening to what the player base wants or don't.   I really hope they go with the Scene scaling for levels.   GW2 did it pretty good and it works well imo.

Best to just enjoy it rather then dwell on any negative opinions which is what these are.     I only post here to bring in my experience which is different then what some here have had.   

you can look me up in game Xee.

TEKK3N

Hluill said:

I would love for this game to earn more of my money.  It's got some great stuff happening and a lot of kinks to straighten out.  I like the direction it's going.

I cringe for it too.  I wonder if there is an economic model that can support a game like this.  News like this makes me think not, which is a shame.

SotA monetization model is what let them down.
It's a shame they never understood that.
I was one of the first backers of the game, way before they started selling plots of lands and other stuff for real cash.
That move totally took me by surprise and eventually alienated me.

I refuse to play a game where rich people showcase their wealth, just like in real life.
I play games to escape this bullshit.
Port choose quality over quantity in terms of supporting their business model, but in MMORPGs you need quantity (lots of players) in order to make it a long term success, and the few hundreds whales playing SotA is not a good welcome card for new players.

But even though in principle I am not inclined to play this game, from time to time I download it and I give it a go to check its progress, just in case it suddenly turned into something awesome.
It didn't.
It got better, sure, but it still feels like a collection of features rather than a live breathing world.
Ultima Online, it ain't.

Xee2018

TEKK3N said:

Hluill said:

I would love for this game to earn more of my money.  It's got some great stuff happening and a lot of kinks to straighten out.  I like the direction it's going.

I cringe for it too.  I wonder if there is an economic model that can support a game like this.  News like this makes me think not, which is a shame.

SotA monetization model is what let them down.
It's a shame they never understood that.
I was one of the first backers of the game, way before they started selling plots of lands and other stuff for real cash.
That move totally took me by surprise and eventually alienated me.

I refuse to play a game where rich people showcase their wealth, just like in real life.
I play games to escape this bullshit.
Port choose quality over quantity in terms of supporting their business model, but in MMORPGs you need quantity (lots of players) in order to make it a long term success, and the few hundreds whales playing SotA is not a good welcome card for new players.

But even though in principle I am not inclined to play this game, from time to time I download it and I give it a go to check its progress, just in case it suddenly turned into something awesome.
It didn't.
It got better, sure, but it still feels like a collection of features rather than a live breathing world.
Ultima Online, it ain't.

So you play single player games   all joking aside all MMO's people showcase wealth.   There are some games like SOTA with skin stores, and the rest are through grey/black markets where accounts, gold, and items are bought.  So there really is no mmo out there that does not have this problem.   

If you named any mmo currently out there can googled the name of the game and buy gold you will see what I mean.  there is also playermarket for accounts etc.

those that dont have it built in are just less transparent to others.

Kyleran

Xee2018 said:

TEKK3N said:

Hluill said:

I would love for this game to earn more of my money.  It's got some great stuff happening and a lot of kinks to straighten out.  I like the direction it's going.

I cringe for it too.  I wonder if there is an economic model that can support a game like this.  News like this makes me think not, which is a shame.

SotA monetization model is what let them down.
It's a shame they never understood that.
I was one of the first backers of the game, way before they started selling plots of lands and other stuff for real cash.
That move totally took me by surprise and eventually alienated me.

I refuse to play a game where rich people showcase their wealth, just like in real life.
I play games to escape this bullshit.
Port choose quality over quantity in terms of supporting their business model, but in MMORPGs you need quantity (lots of players) in order to make it a long term success, and the few hundreds whales playing SotA is not a good welcome card for new players.

But even though in principle I am not inclined to play this game, from time to time I download it and I give it a go to check its progress, just in case it suddenly turned into something awesome.
It didn't.
It got better, sure, but it still feels like a collection of features rather than a live breathing world.
Ultima Online, it ain't.

So you play single player games   all joking aside all MMO's people showcase wealth.   There are some games like SOTA with skin stores, and the rest are through grey/black markets where accounts, gold, and items are bought.  So there really is no mmo out there that does not have this problem.   

If you named any mmo currently out there can googled the name of the game and buy gold you will see what I mean.  there is also playermarket for accounts etc.

those that dont have it built in are just less transparent to others.

Regarding showcasing wealth, I think the difference is whether one's real life wealth can be displayed in game from their cash shop purchases, which SotA qualifies.

In EVE I'm sure some players have dropped big money, but for the most part one cannot easily discern them from others who amassed all of their ISK and assets from just playing the game.

A subtle but important difference, at least for some.

Xee2018

Kyleran said:

Xee2018 said:

TEKK3N said:

Hluill said:

I would love for this game to earn more of my money.  It's got some great stuff happening and a lot of kinks to straighten out.  I like the direction it's going.

I cringe for it too.  I wonder if there is an economic model that can support a game like this.  News like this makes me think not, which is a shame.

SotA monetization model is what let them down.
It's a shame they never understood that.
I was one of the first backers of the game, way before they started selling plots of lands and other stuff for real cash.
That move totally took me by surprise and eventually alienated me.

I refuse to play a game where rich people showcase their wealth, just like in real life.
I play games to escape this bullshit.
Port choose quality over quantity in terms of supporting their business model, but in MMORPGs you need quantity (lots of players) in order to make it a long term success, and the few hundreds whales playing SotA is not a good welcome card for new players.

But even though in principle I am not inclined to play this game, from time to time I download it and I give it a go to check its progress, just in case it suddenly turned into something awesome.
It didn't.
It got better, sure, but it still feels like a collection of features rather than a live breathing world.
Ultima Online, it ain't.

So you play single player games   all joking aside all MMO's people showcase wealth.   There are some games like SOTA with skin stores, and the rest are through grey/black markets where accounts, gold, and items are bought.  So there really is no mmo out there that does not have this problem.   

If you named any mmo currently out there can googled the name of the game and buy gold you will see what I mean.  there is also playermarket for accounts etc.

those that dont have it built in are just less transparent to others.

Regarding showcasing wealth, I think the difference is whether one's real life wealth can be displayed in game from their cash shop purchases, which SotA qualifies.

In EVE I'm sure some players have dropped big money, but for the most part one cannot easily discern them from others who amassed all of their ISK and assets from just playing the game.

A subtle but important difference, at least for some.



Hmm Eve, where you can buy massive ships, top weapons, stations, pay the most for resources,  who you kidding, Star citizen is the same money = best ships etc.  

SOTA its houses instead of ships.

Kyleran

Xee2018 said:

Kyleran said:

Xee2018 said:

TEKK3N said:

Hluill said:

I would love for this game to earn more of my money.  It's got some great stuff happening and a lot of kinks to straighten out.  I like the direction it's going.

I cringe for it too.  I wonder if there is an economic model that can support a game like this.  News like this makes me think not, which is a shame.

SotA monetization model is what let them down.
It's a shame they never understood that.
I was one of the first backers of the game, way before they started selling plots of lands and other stuff for real cash.
That move totally took me by surprise and eventually alienated me.

I refuse to play a game where rich people showcase their wealth, just like in real life.
I play games to escape this bullshit.
Port choose quality over quantity in terms of supporting their business model, but in MMORPGs you need quantity (lots of players) in order to make it a long term success, and the few hundreds whales playing SotA is not a good welcome card for new players.

But even though in principle I am not inclined to play this game, from time to time I download it and I give it a go to check its progress, just in case it suddenly turned into something awesome.
It didn't.
It got better, sure, but it still feels like a collection of features rather than a live breathing world.
Ultima Online, it ain't.

So you play single player games   all joking aside all MMO's people showcase wealth.   There are some games like SOTA with skin stores, and the rest are through grey/black markets where accounts, gold, and items are bought.  So there really is no mmo out there that does not have this problem.   

If you named any mmo currently out there can googled the name of the game and buy gold you will see what I mean.  there is also playermarket for accounts etc.

those that dont have it built in are just less transparent to others.

Regarding showcasing wealth, I think the difference is whether one's real life wealth can be displayed in game from their cash shop purchases, which SotA qualifies.

In EVE I'm sure some players have dropped big money, but for the most part one cannot easily discern them from others who amassed all of their ISK and assets from just playing the game.

A subtle but important difference, at least for some.



Hmm Eve, where you can buy massive ships, top weapons, stations, pay the most for resources,  who you kidding, Star citizen is the same money = best ships etc.  

SOTA its houses instead of ships.

People may buy PLEX to trade for ISK to purchase everything you say, but the difference as I said is there is no way to tell they did so, unlike housing in SotA.

There is nothing anyone has purchased in EVE that I can't also have even though I earned all my ISK doing in game activities.

Xee2018

Kyleran said:

Xee2018 said:

Kyleran said:

Xee2018 said:

TEKK3N said:

Hluill said:

I would love for this game to earn more of my money.  It's got some great stuff happening and a lot of kinks to straighten out.  I like the direction it's going.

I cringe for it too.  I wonder if there is an economic model that can support a game like this.  News like this makes me think not, which is a shame.

SotA monetization model is what let them down.
It's a shame they never understood that.
I was one of the first backers of the game, way before they started selling plots of lands and other stuff for real cash.
That move totally took me by surprise and eventually alienated me.

I refuse to play a game where rich people showcase their wealth, just like in real life.
I play games to escape this bullshit.
Port choose quality over quantity in terms of supporting their business model, but in MMORPGs you need quantity (lots of players) in order to make it a long term success, and the few hundreds whales playing SotA is not a good welcome card for new players.

But even though in principle I am not inclined to play this game, from time to time I download it and I give it a go to check its progress, just in case it suddenly turned into something awesome.
It didn't.
It got better, sure, but it still feels like a collection of features rather than a live breathing world.
Ultima Online, it ain't.

So you play single player games   all joking aside all MMO's people showcase wealth.   There are some games like SOTA with skin stores, and the rest are through grey/black markets where accounts, gold, and items are bought.  So there really is no mmo out there that does not have this problem.   

If you named any mmo currently out there can googled the name of the game and buy gold you will see what I mean.  there is also playermarket for accounts etc.

those that dont have it built in are just less transparent to others.

Regarding showcasing wealth, I think the difference is whether one's real life wealth can be displayed in game from their cash shop purchases, which SotA qualifies.

In EVE I'm sure some players have dropped big money, but for the most part one cannot easily discern them from others who amassed all of their ISK and assets from just playing the game.

A subtle but important difference, at least for some.



Hmm Eve, where you can buy massive ships, top weapons, stations, pay the most for resources,  who you kidding, Star citizen is the same money = best ships etc.  

SOTA its houses instead of ships.

People may buy PLEX to trade for ISK to purchase everything you say, but the difference as I said is there is no way to tell they did so, unlike housing in SotA.

There is nothing anyone has purchased in EVE that I can't also have even though I earned all my ISK doing in game activities.

Whats to stop anyone from buying the Backer items in game?  I have bought and tried every home using in game gold in game which was earned like you doing in game things.   So you can own anything the big backers got as everything is available one way or another.

I can also tell you that there are people in the game that give away things to new players.   Myself I was Donated to one of the largest houses currently in the game.  mind you this person saw a request on the forums that I was looking to trade all I add to get this house and instead of having to pay they offered it to me with the understanding that I would never resell but give it up when I decide I dont want to use it anymore.

Kyleran

Xee2018 said:

Kyleran said:

Xee2018 said:

Kyleran said:

Xee2018 said:

TEKK3N said:

Hluill said:

I would love for this game to earn more of my money.  It's got some great stuff happening and a lot of kinks to straighten out.  I like the direction it's going.

I cringe for it too.  I wonder if there is an economic model that can support a game like this.  News like this makes me think not, which is a shame.

SotA monetization model is what let them down.
It's a shame they never understood that.
I was one of the first backers of the game, way before they started selling plots of lands and other stuff for real cash.
That move totally took me by surprise and eventually alienated me.

I refuse to play a game where rich people showcase their wealth, just like in real life.
I play games to escape this bullshit.
Port choose quality over quantity in terms of supporting their business model, but in MMORPGs you need quantity (lots of players) in order to make it a long term success, and the few hundreds whales playing SotA is not a good welcome card for new players.

But even though in principle I am not inclined to play this game, from time to time I download it and I give it a go to check its progress, just in case it suddenly turned into something awesome.
It didn't.
It got better, sure, but it still feels like a collection of features rather than a live breathing world.
Ultima Online, it ain't.

So you play single player games   all joking aside all MMO's people showcase wealth.   There are some games like SOTA with skin stores, and the rest are through grey/black markets where accounts, gold, and items are bought.  So there really is no mmo out there that does not have this problem.   

If you named any mmo currently out there can googled the name of the game and buy gold you will see what I mean.  there is also playermarket for accounts etc.

those that dont have it built in are just less transparent to others.

Regarding showcasing wealth, I think the difference is whether one's real life wealth can be displayed in game from their cash shop purchases, which SotA qualifies.

In EVE I'm sure some players have dropped big money, but for the most part one cannot easily discern them from others who amassed all of their ISK and assets from just playing the game.

A subtle but important difference, at least for some.



Hmm Eve, where you can buy massive ships, top weapons, stations, pay the most for resources,  who you kidding, Star citizen is the same money = best ships etc.  

SOTA its houses instead of ships.

People may buy PLEX to trade for ISK to purchase everything you say, but the difference as I said is there is no way to tell they did so, unlike housing in SotA.

There is nothing anyone has purchased in EVE that I can't also have even though I earned all my ISK doing in game activities.

Whats to stop anyone from buying the Backer items in game?  I have bought and tried every home using in game gold in game which was earned like you doing in game things.   So you can own anything the big backers got as everything is available one way or another.

I can also tell you that there are people in the game that give away things to new players.   Myself I was Donated to one of the largest houses currently in the game.  mind you this person saw a request on the forums that I was looking to trade all I add to get this house and instead of having to pay they offered it to me with the understanding that I would never resell but give it up when I decide I dont want to use it anymore.

Hey now, people often give away billions of ISK and assets in EVE.

Of course CCP usually takes them back or locks the account if unavailable as the assets are often ill gotten.



Glad to hear about your free house, but your example isn't typical I suspect and aren't you at least a Dolphin level backer considering the assets you offered up which I assume were considerable.