Did one of the VIP benefits change?

[Kylstrem]

Am I remembering wrong, or was one of the VIP benefits the "getting of new content" before non-VIPs?

From what I see on the ddo.com site, this new pack is going live on the 20th for everyone.

I don't care that much... more people buying stuff keeps the game going, and I certainly couldn't care less if non-VIPs can buy it the day we get it for "free", BUT if I remember correctly, this used to be one of the listed benefits for being VIP.

I remember non-VIPs being perturbed that they had to wait a week to buy packs that VIPs had.

Anyone else remember this, or am I hallucinating?

[Coyopa]

This is accurate, except that it was typically only a couple days. I remember when the two Xoriat-invasion packs were released, they came out on Wednesday and only VIPs had access to them until everyone could purchase them on Friday.

I think everyone getting them at the same time is nice because it means more groups available to play that new content, but at the same time, it was nice to feel special. :D

[Xaxx]

This is accurate, except that it was typically only a couple days. I remember when the two Xoriat-invasion packs were released, they came out on Wednesday and only VIPs had access to them until everyone could purchase them on Friday.

I think everyone getting them at the same time is nice because it means more groups available to play that new content, but at the same time, it was nice to feel special. :D

one of the vip perks is 3 day head start which was ignored for update 13, and then the xpack.. if its ignored again.....

under the different plan splits it has for new content (vip) early access when available... now i understand it not being available for the xpack... thats a whole different monkey, but for this update... its a normal update... paid and free to vip... not free to all.... and certainly not an xpack.... so vip should get it monday while everything hits the store monday but non vip should not be able to access the new quests till thursday... if this is being changed turbine better spell it out for the subscirtion customers reall **** quick.

[danotmano1998]

Being VIP myself, I see absolutely no reason why anyone should have to wait.
Release the content for everyone at the same time, it will just mean more people to group with!!

Besides, I'm getting a 10% movement boost. I'll STILL beat them to the quest.
:D

[Kylstrem]

I agree... I thought it was a silly benefit, but it was ONE of the VERY FEW benefits that they offered.

Seems that if they are removing the benefit, they should tell us. Of course, I expect them to say "But, we now give you the 10% speed bonus to make up for it".

[Smitey]

They termed (http://www.ddo.com/vip) it :



Early Access when available


And excluded the expansion.

I can't say that I ever really saw the benefit and always saw VIPs complaining about not being able to group up with non-VIPs so perhaps it's for the best.

With the adventure pack being available at the same time as update 15 going live it is indeed another VIP benefit removed however.

[Uska]

As a vip I can say this is one benefit I would glady give up

[madmaxhunter]

As a vip I can say this is one benefit I would glady give up

I agree, but how about giving something (beyond a miniscule speed boost) to replace it?

[Demaril]

dont worry you now have "priority beta access" lol

[Vormaerin]

Turbine got regular doses of grief from VIPs over this benefit, because it broke up guilds and groups of friends. They tried to ameliorate it by letting VIPs give guest passes during the exclusion period and were chewed out for being money grubbers.

I suspect that they realize this "benefit" is a detriment to most VIPs and are phasing it out.

We still have:

Elite opening on first life
Adjust Epic destiny without visiting fatespinner
substantially longer AFK time
the new 10% run speed bonus in public areas

There might be others, but those four I use enough to remember.

I don't know why so many VIPs act like Turbine needs to kiss their feet because of the method they choose to pay for the game. Access to all the content is what we are paying for. A premium player is paying just as much (and probably more) unless the time horizon is years (and even then only if content output is low). Or they aren't getting the whole game.

[shadereaper33]

one of the vip perks is 3 day head start which was ignored for update 13, and then the xpack.. if its ignored again.....

under the different plan splits it has for new content (vip) early access when available... now i understand it not being available for the xpack... thats a whole different monkey, but for this update... its a normal update... paid and free to vip... not free to all.... and certainly not an xpack.... so vip should get it monday while everything hits the store monday but non vip should not be able to access the new quests till thursday... if this is being changed turbine better spell it out for the subscirtion customers reall **** quick.

U13 is F2P, so it wouldn't make sense to give VIP's access to it early, as no one has to pay for it. The expansion is somewhat similar, since no one got free access to it, there was no reason to stagger its availability either. As a premium player, who was formerly VIP, this was one of the few VIP perks that I wished I didn't have, because I had to wait to run the content with my premium friends. Now, most of us are premium, so it really just means that the update comes out a few days later for us. meh.

[Kylstrem]

I don't know why so many VIPs act like Turbine needs to kiss their feet because of the method they choose to pay for the game. Access to all the content is what we are paying for. A premium player is paying just as much (and probably more) unless the time horizon is years (and even then only if content output is low). Or they aren't getting the whole game.

I don't think that's that case. Turbine is the one that decided the following:
1) They would call the program VIP (Very Important Person)
2) They would give additional benefits to VIP that other players wouldn't get.
3) They listed those benefits out for us.

If you sign a contract with a company that has terms like the above, you expect the terms to be honored. If the company wants to change the terms, it should tell the people that they had a contract with.

It doesn't matter if premium players spend more than VIPs. That is completely irrelevant to the topic.

Premium players are getting what they signed up for, and seem to get additional things added without paying extra.

VIP players seem to keep having what they signed up for slowly taken away.


Again, I'm not angry or asking Turbine to kiss my feet.

Just pointing out that another thing that was part of the VIP Package is now missing without nary an e-mail from Turbine telling us there is a change to the terms.

[Xaxx]

I don't think that's that case. Turbine is the one that decided the following:
1) They would call the program VIP (Very Important Person)
2) They would give additional benefits to VIP that other players wouldn't get.
3) They listed those benefits out for us.

If you sign a contract with a company that has terms like the above, you expect the terms to be honored. If the company wants to change the terms, it should tell the people that they had a contract with.

It doesn't matter if premium players spend more than VIPs. That is completely irrelevant to the topic.

Premium players are getting what they signed up for, and seem to get additional things added without paying extra.

VIP players seem to keep having what they signed up for slowly taken away.


Again, I'm not angry or asking Turbine to kiss my feet.

Just pointing out that another thing that was part of the VIP Package is now missing without nary an e-mail from Turbine telling us there is a change to the terms.

said much better than I would have put it +1 to you

[Dawnsfire]

I'll be honest. As a Premium player, the only VIP benefit I am even a little envious of is the Elite opener and I can get that through a couple of TRs. You all can keep the rest :)

[AZgreentea]

VIP's having that benefit never bothered me anyway. I always waited until there was a sale before buying the packs, so I dont get new content for at least 1-3 months after its release. :D

I do remember it was a week, sometimes two. Then it became a week. Then more like 5 days. Then it was 3 for, I want to say, the Lords Plaza chain. I can't remember the last time there actually was a gap.

[Shade]

This topic came up before, and yea the vast majority of VIPs said they were prefer it if non vips could get it right away.

The new content is a wasteland the few times they tyried it. VIPs had lfms up for hours never filling.

Its just not a useful perk in a heavily group focused game like DDO.

[Miow]

dont worry you now have "priority beta access" lol

geee tanks...

[vegabond1969]

Maybe they replaced it with the increased run speed :eek:

And yes you are right ViPs used to get advanced screening of new content, but I don't think its a big deal. I mean they brought out level 4 vet status for those that had earned the favor and then spun around a week later and handed it out to the store. Same with all the Vet and Favor unlocks. At this point nothing Turbine does surprises me when it comes to ViP status.

I just keep my vip going because I like running things on any character at whatever leve I want when I want. No need to be a TR on a new toon if I want to run Korthos or Harbor on Hard or Elite I can, and I can play any class or race I want without having to purchase it from the **** store.

[Kinerd]

Access to all the content is what we are paying for.Well... almost all. :)

[Dysmetria]

I don't think that's that case. Turbine is the one that decided the following:
1) They would call the program VIP (Very Important Person)
2) They would give additional benefits to VIP that other players wouldn't get.
3) They listed those benefits out for us.

If you sign a contract with a company that has terms like the above, you expect the terms to be honored. If the company wants to change the terms, it should tell the people that they had a contract with.

It doesn't matter if premium players spend more than VIPs. That is completely irrelevant to the topic.

Premium players are getting what they signed up for, and seem to get additional things added without paying extra.

VIP players seem to keep having what they signed up for slowly taken away.


Again, I'm not angry or asking Turbine to kiss my feet.

Just pointing out that another thing that was part of the VIP Package is now missing without nary an e-mail from Turbine telling us there is a change to the terms.1)Where is this supposed benefit of VIPS having new updates all to themselves for a while listed? Looking at their list of benefits, I just don't see it.

2)What benefits exactly are getting "slowly taken away?" I haven't seen one VIP benefit get taken away in the years I've been playing, just more benefits added to the plan.

[Vormaerin]

1)Where is this supposed benefit of VIPS having new updates all to themselves for a while listed? Looking at their list of benefits, I just don't see it.



Well, it definitely existed for several updates. And it definitely got Turbine a lot of negative feedback from VIPs. I don't know if it was ever "on the list", but it definitely existed then and does not appear to exist now.

I'm with the "good riddance" camp of the VIP crowd, obviously. But denying it ever existed is wrong.

[Smitey]

1)Where is this supposed benefit of VIPS having new updates all to themselves for a while listed? Looking at their list of benefits, I just don't see it.

2)What benefits exactly are getting "slowly taken away?" I haven't seen one VIP benefit get taken away in the years I've been playing, just more benefits added to the plan.

Look here (http://www.ddo.com/vip) under Adventure packs - middle of that section.


Priority login queue is a feature that has been negated for VIPs, as shown when patching and logon for update 14 occurred.

The Artificer and Favoured soul classes were not included for VIPs when released so were deemed a 'loss' by some.

[Dysmetria]

Well, it definitely existed for several updates. And it definitely got Turbine a lot of negative feedback from VIPs. I don't know if it was ever "on the list", but it definitely existed then and does not appear to exist now.

I'm with the "good riddance" camp of the VIP crowd, obviously. But denying it ever existed is wrong.


Look here (http://www.ddo.com/vip) under Adventure packs - middle of that section.


Priority login queue is a feature that has been negated for VIPs, as shown when patching and logon for update 14 occurred.

The Artificer and Favoured soul classes were not included for VIPs when released so were deemed a 'loss' by some."Early Access When Available" is not exactly saying VIPs will have early access to adventure packs every time. I'm not denying it ever existed, but it does not state it will be the case for every update, or even most of them.

I have never seen a queue for the game, so I will have to take your word for it that there was one during the U14 launch, and that VIPs were somehow not given priority.

As for the Artificer and Favored Souls, can't VIPs earn them thru favor like everyone else?

None of these things seem like a loss of VIP benefits to me, at most it seems the benefits were temporarily unavailable.

[Smitey]

"Early Access When Available" is not exactly saying VIPs will have early access to adventure packs every time. I'm not denying it ever existed, but it does not state it will be the case for every update, or even most of them.

You firstly stated you did not see the benefit listed at all, so I pointed out where it was mentioned. The 2 lines were not seperated (going out from memory) - it used to just say 'early access to all adventure packs' so since the update the new definition is a diminished access (value is debatable but it was still a feature)


I have never seen a queue for the game, so I will have to take your word for it that there was one during the U14 launch, and that VIPs were somehow not given priority.

On 25th June when Update 14 launched everyone was unable to patch ('examine programs' stage) due to demand ; subsequently after then entering credentials a queue to log in gave no priority according to account status so everyone had to wait and it was luck of the draw who was able to enter the worlds over the course of 5-6 hours. Many VIPs complained about this at the time; threads have now been removed from the forums.


As for the Artificer and Favored Souls, can't VIPs earn them thru favor like everyone else?

Which means no difference from F2P players and have to purchase or unlock - a distinction from previous class releases like Monk so I was pleased to see Druid given free.


None of these things seem like a loss of VIP benefits to me, at most it seems the benefits were temporarily unavailable.

If some features do not work or are the same as Free players or have now changed the terms to 'when available' these are a reduction of that particular aspect.

I agree many worthwhile features have been added (idle timeout; elite unlock) and these outweigh fluff like queues or early access but 'temporary unavailable' is not the right term for what the post was about.

[EllisDee37]

Elite opening on first life
Adjust Epic destiny without visiting fatespinner
substantially longer AFK time
the new 10% run speed bonus in public areasAs a non-vip who has bought the entire game except Eveningstar challenge pack -- which I will never, ever purchase -- I love these four VIP perks. They are quite nice, and I'm jealous of all of them. But they don't give a pay to win advantage, only convenience, and that's why I love them so much. Seems a perfect way to add incentive to the subscription plan, and I'd be all for more VIP perks along these lines. Make me jealous, make me actually consider going VIP even though I own all content.

I would have no objection to reinstating the 2-day waiting period where only VIPs have access to new packs, but in all honesty it probably hurts VIPs (due to lack of groups) than anything so if they did away with it I think it's for the best.

[Vormaerin]

Which means no difference from F2P players and have to purchase or unlock - a distinction from previous class releases like Monk so I was pleased to see Druid given free.


I guess I don't see it as any different than Drow, which are favor unlocked. Granted, the unlock is more difficult. But we don't have to pay for artificers or favored souls, even if we don't get them instantly and automatically.

[Ranncore]

Elite opening on first life

As a premium player I can say that this is the benefit I wish I retained the most.

[Glenalth]

Turbine got regular doses of grief from VIPs over this benefit, because it broke up guilds and groups of friends. They tried to ameliorate it by letting VIPs give guest passes during the exclusion period and were chewed out for being money grubbers.

I suspect that they realize this "benefit" is a detriment to most VIPs and are phasing it out.

We still have:

Elite opening on first life
Adjust Epic destiny without visiting fatespinner
substantially longer AFK time
the new 10% run speed bonus in public areas

There might be others, but those four I use enough to remember.

I don't know why so many VIPs act like Turbine needs to kiss their feet because of the method they choose to pay for the game. Access to all the content is what we are paying for. A premium player is paying just as much (and probably more) unless the time horizon is years (and even then only if content output is low). Or they aren't getting the whole game.

They are also giving VIPs all monster manual volumes for free. F2P only get the "prologue" for free and premium get the "prologue" and 1st volume.

[Ovrad]

I agree... I thought it was a silly benefit, but it was ONE of the VERY FEW benefits that they offered.

Was it a benefit? Because to me having a huge chuck of the player base not able to play with you is not beneficial.

I never saw it has a benefit, but has a thinly veiled penalty for NOT being VIP. One that I really don't mind going away if it is indeed the case.

[Vormaerin]

They are also giving VIPs all monster manual volumes for free. F2P only get the "prologue" for free and premium get the "prologue" and 1st volume.

True, but I'm not sure if that is a perk or 'content'.

[Glenalth]

True, but I'm not sure if that is a perk or 'content'.

Just perks.