An Idea For a real Vip rewards system (Veteran Rewards)

[Jarlaxis]

There is a growing number of disgruntled VIP players playing DDO. Most of the complaints are VIP's are not getting real VIP treatment. There is another thread already discussing this so I will not go into that. I am suggesting an idea that would certainly make being a veteran/vip of the game look sweeter and it would not become a game breaking mechanic if it were introduced. There are a lot of games out there that offer rewards to long time players that frankly, new players don't get, period, until they make it past that "Milestone" as it were, just as this would be.

The Idea:

Every three months (this is adjustable of course) as a VIP/Veteran of DDO you earn a single token that is bound to a VIP account. With this token (which you can swap to the toon you want to have it through the account bank) you approach a member of the twelve and say "Insert text here" and they teleport you to a room (while taking your token) that has one chest from each raid inside it marked for which raid it is based on. Only the raids that you have completed on your character would be accessable. Your character would be allowed to open a single chest in the room, and each chest would have all of the named items that drop from that raids warded chest inside it without the dross one normally gets. Your character would then be allowed to loot One Item from that chest which would then follow normal mechanics and be bound to character.

If you think this idea would be worthwhile respond, if you have a better idea or a modification respond.

Sidenote: This could be implemented retroactively for years of sub paid time, at one token every three months.

[Robi3.0]

/not sign especially the retroactive part.

[cwfergtx]

This sounds interesting but I would make it 1 token every three months then 2 tokens on aniversary of account. So each year you could look forward to getting 5 tokens during the year.

[Jarlaxis]

This sounds interesting but I would make it 1 token every three months then 2 tokens on aniversary of account. So each year you could look forward to getting 5 tokens during the year.

5 tokens per year would be nice, Though it would be up to turbine.

[Kemoc]

An interesting idea, but I think I would find more free turbine points that arrive on time, more useful for every day playing. Perhaps some vanity items to help identify who is vip to make grouping or guild inviting easier.

[Strakeln]

I think moving the monthly points to 1500 or more would be more appropriate.

I agree that VIPs are getting shafted, but I don't think this is a good solution.

[Kemoc]

sorry need to de-bounce the submit key.

[Ereshkigal]

while I don't think the OP has a bad idea, it would require coding changed. Increasing the monthly turbine points would be simpler and thus more likely for the programmers to consider, however the accounting department would probably have issues with it, as it would mean us VIP folks would potentially purchase fewer points.

I'd like a free character respec ( when it's ready to be released ) would be a nice feature. give us vip's one free respec every time they release a patch that changes the way any character build might work.

[WolfSpirit]

I think moving the monthly points to 1500 or more would be more appropriate.

I agree that VIPs are getting shafted, but I don't think this is a good solution.

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This isn't bad.
Though perhaps something more geared for Favor ANd VIP such as Double or Triple Earned Turbine Points per 100 earned Favor.
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Give us vip's one free respec every time they release a patch that changes the way any character build might work.

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Also think this should be a given

[Robi3.0]

I think moving the monthly points to 1500 or more would be more appropriate.

I agree that VIPs are getting shafted, but I don't think this is a good solution.

You do realize that 1500 TP cost 18.99 if purchased straight up right, and the highest a player can pay for a subscription is 14.99. By increasing the VIP gifted points to 1500 turbine would technically be losing money.

I'd like a free character respec ( when it's ready to be released ) would be a nice feature. give us vip's one free respec every time they release a patch that changes the way any character build might work.

I can sign on to this, however it should probably be at the most every update. (probably what you meant) or less often then that.

[Oxvon]

Nah, don't like this idea much.

Not saying that I have a better one, just rubs me the wrong way.

[Shamurai]

Being that I've only been playing as a premium member for a monty, of course I will disagree with the OP.

I think those that have gone before me.. already have waaaay more advantages then me.. in terms of items (stat tomes, good twink gear), knowledge of GUI, gameplay annnd quest/ raid familiarity... to give them more free loot would further widen the disparity between the "haves" and the "have nots"..

Vanity items... I'm fine with that. Let those "tokens" allow them to ... change their name, change their hair color, item colors.. get costumes (with no bonuses) perhaps access guild houses, guild banners... change eye color.. add scars, tattoos... cosmetic things. I'm truly sorry I didn't start 3 years ago.. I like this game better then the one I did play, but alas I didn't know about DDO, so please don't "punish" me for not having come here sooner.

[D'rin]

I think some items in the ddo store only available to VIP's. Things to help level faster or even instant level to cut the grind for rerolling or making new characters. Maybe +2 tomes that are usable early to you can have that +2 int tome for more skill points. It would not be game breaking but would allow the vips to have a better character earlier.

[Dylos_Moon]

I think moving the monthly points to 1500 or more would be more appropriate.

I agree that VIPs are getting shafted, but I don't think this is a good solution.

1500 TP per month would more or less be buying 1500 TP every month and getting full access for doing so.

500 TP is already enough (its almost 7 dollars with normal prices, or $5 for sale prices), and if you're one of those many people who are still on the 9.99/month every 3 months plan from awhile ago, this is a steal, you're getting 500 TP and full access for a little more then the normal price of 500 TP.

I would however support VIPs getting more TP from favor, something like time and a half TP, or double since they are so low as is. Or maybe something like giving VIPs a 10% discount in the store, as well as sale prices on points all of the time (I.e. $1 for 100 points much like the sales in beta.)

Additionally, I would like to add another point to consider, Turbine should add a "1 Month VIP sub" to the ddo store for 1499 TP, this would not include the 500 TP striped that a VIP would normally get, but could be accessed for free if one was willing to grind favor every month.

[Wyrmnax]

I actually like the idea.

Not so sure about all the name loot though. Perhaps make it only most of it, like if you have completed the raid 20 times?

It is one kind of solution that would give the VIPs a benefit to keep being VIPs, while not messing with the fact that they dont buy as many points as a premium.

I really like the idea, with some tweaks.

Retroactivity would be a major issue though. You will have people that suddenly have acess to a lot of raid items.

[WolfSpirit]

By increasing the VIP gifted points to 1500 turbine would technically be losing money. .

Well technically it doesn't cost them anything so they wouldn't really be losing any real money, though we would purchace less TP. But then again, should be be not need to buy much from turbine anyway? Though I do agree 1500 is a bit excessive, perhaps 750 would be more realistic.
I still favor the Double or Triple earned Turbine Points through Favor.
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On subject though, I don't like the loot for VIP idea at all. To me its another easy button for the best loot in the game. These chests can be found in their respected Raid and can be looted already every 3 days.

[Ereshkigal]

I can sign on to this, however it should probably be at the most every update. (probably what you meant) or less often then that.

Yea, in fact if they just did it only on the times when they potentially "break" part of what a character was built for, that'd be lovely. Say put a minimum on it of 1/year or something just in case they ever decide to stop fiddling with stuff, lol.

[Sir_Chonas]

What the reward system should be . . . there are 10000 turbine points worth of things purchaseable to equate premium->VIP. . . Hence, there should be a study done to determine the average length of VIP retention then divide 10000 by that number. It should be a relatively low number I'm guessing around 12/20 months giving an average of 800/500 points a month. It's completely fair since $15 a month would equate to roughly 1302 points. . .however, 1302 points PLUS access to everything is beyond ridiculous compensation.

[Memnir]

I like the idea & the mechanic you suggest - but even at the rate of one every three months, it's overpowered imho. Maybe one every four or six months if it's Raid loot.

I personally would not mind so much if VIP rewards were a bit more exclusive - like VIP only armor/robe/outfit, weapon, and helm graphics. Something that would be graphically attractive enough (hire a new artist, in other words) to be desirable and instantly identified as a VIP piece of gear. Perhaps give exclusive crafting options for the VIP gear in that proposed room instead of chests?

[Robi3.0]

Well technically it doesn't cost them anything so they wouldn't really be losing any real money, though we would purchace less TP. But then again, should be be not need to buy much from turbine anyway? Though I do agree 1500 is a bit excessive, perhaps 750 would be more realistic.
I still favor the Double or Triple earned Turbine Points through Favor.
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On subject though, I don't like the loot for VIP idea at all. To me its another easy button for the best loot in the game. These chests can be found in their respected Raid and can be looted already every 3 days.

You are failing to consider all the options. It will cause turbine to loose money in a very quantifiable way. Since being VIP for 14.99 a month gets you 1500 TP a month with no drawback of being non-vip for cheaper then the 18.99 it would cost to buy 1500 points there would be absolutely no reason not to go VIP for the year it would take to save up enough gifted points to buy the game out right.

So that is 179.88 for a year of VIP sub. (mind you it will be less if you think a head and buy it a year at a time) vs 227.88 of purchasing 1500 @ 18.99 a pop 12 times. That is a lose of 48 dollars per player. That might not seem like a lot, but if you multiply that by even just 1/2 the F2p population it quickly adds up to a big lose