The SC Unlocked Items Debate

Crator · 2012-11-21, 09:57 PM

So I ran across this thread on the PS2 forums just now: SC unlocks not account-based?!. The complaint is that paying customers are not able to use the items they bought on different characters on other servers.

Apparently a lot of people want this. What are your thoughts on if this should be allowed? Me? I think it should be allowed. Unless we get character transfers. But they could just allow this, right? Another perk to paying for something?

Additional threads:

Sifer2 · 2012-11-21, 10:01 PM

Paid transfers will be added i'm pretty sure. Which is probably also why it's character based instead of account based. They might relax it some over time. Right now the SC prices are pretty high for items not on sale. And camo's are one time use an stuff.

Tatwi · 2012-11-21, 10:09 PM

It made a whole lot of sense to me for SOE to make the characters in PS2 account-centric rather than server-centric, as they already do with characters in FreeRealms and Clone Wars Adventures. This solves the following problems:

People feeling the need for their purchases to be on all characters.
The need to queue just to play your main character.
The need for server mergers or transfers.
Player down time, due to server outages.

We should be able to:

1. Log in.
2. Pick our character.
3. Pick our server (and set a favorite).
4. Play.

Blah Blah "server identity"... this concept is too good not to use for PS2...

Beerbeer · 2012-11-21, 10:10 PM

I want this too. At the very least they should offer a premium purchase offer that allows this. Say a 25% premium that will allow said unlock on any other character on the same empire, regardless of server.

They will probably entice more people to buy if they did this IMO.

I would buy more stuff if this were the case, period.

Because: I like having multiple characters on multiple servers. Cater to me. Because I'm not buying the same stuff twice.

kijuro · 2012-11-22, 03:17 AM

My opinion only
All Cosmetics should be account wide. Exception faction specific witch obviously should be limited to the same faction.

All guns should be character specific because guns are tied to character progression if you don't pay. Lowering the cost of the guns should make the fact they are character bound more reasonable. Guns are not quite Pay2Win but are Pay4SlightAdvantage/FasterCharacterProgression.

Boosts I have not looked at close enough to make a fair judgement, but if subscription boost is account wide it 'feels' like the implant ones should also.

EDIT: Having server transfers looks like it would solve the problem from 1/3 of the people complaining in the other forums.

Fyrn · 2012-11-22, 04:11 AM

Originally Posted by Tatwi

Blah Blah "server identity"... this concept is too good not to use for PS2...

Nah. I'm one of the people who believes identifying yourself with the world you're playing on is very important.

If you allow everyone to just change their home server on a whim, they have no incentive to suppress their otherwise unpleasant personality because there are no repercussions for them since they can just abandon the community they've just shit on.

Imagine there's 10 identical clones of PSU, run by robots that Hamma programmed to be exact copies of the staff on PSU with the oversight of not linking their minds together. Banning someone would have zero effect because they could just continue whatever they were banned for on one of the other PSUs

I know, I know, it really doesn't matter that much in reality, but I prefer the sense of people having to stick to their community/server of choice and therefor being held accountable for their actions, imagined or not.

On the topic of unlocks though: yes, cosmetic stuff and maybe weapons should be accountwide. Other certs should stay character bound. You'd just make what I described above worse - they could re-roll with a new name, or re-roll because their k/d has gone too low with no drawbacks if everything was account bound.

Emperor Newt · 2012-11-22, 05:44 AM

I think that shop purchases should be available for all your characters, no matter if weapon or cosmetic. Certs only unlocks on the other hand should not.

Crator · 2012-11-22, 07:18 AM

Originally Posted by Fyrn

If you allow everyone to just change their home server on a whim, they have no incentive to suppress their otherwise unpleasant personality because there are no repercussions for them since they can just abandon the community they've just shit on.

Imagine there's 10 identical clones of PSU, run by robots that Hamma programmed to be exact copies of the staff on PSU with the oversight of not linking their minds together. Banning someone would have zero effect because they could just continue whatever they were banned for on one of the other PSUs

I know, I know, it really doesn't matter that much in reality, but I prefer the sense of people having to stick to their community/server of choice and therefor being held accountable for their actions, imagined or not.

This really doesn't have much to do with the topic TBH. People can do this regardless. Now, if they put a lengthy timer on the ability after you've used it that might help. But still, people are able to just create a new character anywhere and grief. They don't need their unlocks to do it.

Mod · 2012-11-22, 07:27 AM

On the topic of the original post, my initial opinion is that the unlocks should be for any character on your account of that specific empire. So, you buy something on 1 NC character and you can use that on any NC character on your account regardless of server.

Rago · 2012-11-22, 07:29 AM

Why not account wide ? There is nothing wrong with that.
This is not World of Warcraft like , kind of game , whatever,...

psijaka · 2012-11-22, 07:37 AM

I'm in two minds about this.

I've created a second NC character to go on Ceres or whatever the new EU server is called, as the queue for Woodman was long. Point being, it's useful to be able to switch and run with a parallel character if you find that you can't get on to your first choice of server for whatever reason. So if I invest some SC in a character it would be nice that the benefits would be available on my other chars in the same empire should I not be able to play my primary char without a long wait.

On the other hand, I am very much for "investing" in a character, and it would almost seem like a cheat to be able to start a new char and kit them out with whatever I desired right from the off. But then again, it's not as if the new weapons are more powerful; just different.

On balance, I would like to see the OP's suggestion implemented though; seems fair enough.

Ghoest9 · 2012-11-22, 07:49 AM

SOE will make a great deal morw money if they off free transfers(like 1 every 2 weeks) or really cheap transfers(like 100 smed bucks.)

Its far more valuable that players feel comfortable spending money to upgrade a character than it is tho make money on the transfers themselves.

Tooterfish · 2012-11-22, 07:55 AM

I wouldn't disregard to possibility that SOE is also trying to discourage abandoning servers too, I'm sure they would rather people spread out than over populate a few. Queue times are another big thing people whine about.

Goku · 2012-11-22, 07:58 AM

Originally Posted by psijaka

I'm in two minds about this.

I've created a second NC character to go on Ceres or whatever the new EU server is called, as the queue for Woodman was long. Point being, it's useful to be able to switch and run with a parallel character if you find that you can't get on to your first choice of server for whatever reason. So if I invest some SC in a character it would be nice that the benefits would be available on my other chars in the same empire should I not be able to play my primary char without a long wait.

On the other hand, I am very much for "investing" in a character, and it would almost seem like a cheat to be able to start a new char and kit them out with whatever I desired right from the off. But then again, it's not as if the new weapons are more powerful; just different.

On balance, I would like to see the OP's suggestion implemented though; seems fair enough.

I don't see the queuing issue sticking around long. Once the initial rush for everyone to try out this game is over the queues will be gone too IMO. If it is still there it won't be as bad as it is now.

In terms of transferring chars. I don't think it would be a bad idea to let people switch around servers, however it should be limited to say once a week, or paid for otherwise. Gives the people the flexibility of trying out another server for example if they have friends there or wanted to join up with a outfit.

In the end though this game is really made towards just progressing on my character per empire. Doesn't really make any sense to have multiples at all IMO unless you are on other servers, which again defeats the purpose due to not leveling your main. If you are trying to double up that is your own issue.

psijaka · 2012-11-22, 08:07 AM

Originally Posted by Goku

I don't see the queuing issue sticking around long. Once the initial rush for everyone to try out this game is over the queues will be gone too IMO. If it is still there it won't be as bad as it is now.

In terms of transferring chars. I don't think it would be a bad idea to let people switch around servers, however it should be limited to say once a week, or paid for otherwise. Gives the people the flexibility of trying out another server for example if they have friends there or wanted to join up with a outfit.

In the end though this game is really made towards just progressing on my character per empire. Doesn't really make any sense to have multiples at all IMO unless you are on other servers, which again defeats the purpose due to not leveling your main. If you are trying to double up that is your own issue.

Hopefully you are right about the queue times. I'm all for "investing " in a single character; second char was only to avoid congestion.

Would be nice to be able to switch servers once in a while just in case you want to play with friends as you say, perhaps this is a more important issue.