I would like the ability to purchase access that I already have while VIP

[Jahmin]

/signed again…
The problem I most have with this issue is that not only have they always had the ability to do this, and they still do, but that it is another typical turbine stupid policy issue

Took 6 calls to get a rep that was able/willing to temporarily disable ViP membership in order to take advantage of the current sales. Why in Eberron is that necessary? Requiring a phone call is annoying enough – especially considering the ‘quasi-international’ span of the game (thank you Google voice!) and in-game store – but to not permit your support staff to actually HELP & SUPPORT your customers is mindboggling.

Typical Turbine – reaping what you sow and getting what you deserve

[jamvaru]

;>

[Glitth]

Yes please, i also want to be able to do that.

[Dysmetria]

Took 6 calls to get a rep that was able/willing to temporarily disable ViP membership in order to take advantage of the current sales. Why in Eberron is that necessary? Requiring a phone call is annoying enough – especially considering the ‘quasi-international’ span of the game (thank you Google voice!) and in-game store – but to not permit your support staff to actually HELP & SUPPORT your customers is mindboggling.

Multiple posters have stated in these forums that Turbine no longer allows that. Did it work recently and if so do you remember which person you talked to that let you do it?

[jonqrandom]

/signed

i think we should be able to take advantage of the same offers as everyone else. i understand why we can't (profit, duh), but it definitely leaves a bad taste in my mouth :/

[LordSoulFire]

Never going to happen? That's pretty hilarious when you stop and think about it. Consider this...

You're new to the game... You have three choices:

• Pay a monthly fee for VIP status and access to all the packs, and amenities.

• Purchase points ( Especially when on sale, or on bonus ) and then purchase packs and amenities ( Especially when on sale. )

• Don't purchase VIP, or Premium and grind Turbine Points... and get everything... free ( Assuming time doesn't equal money. ).

If the game plan to prevent people from switching down to Premium by refusing to let VIP use their monthly " free " ( See Below.) points to purchase content then it's a really sad little plan. In fact, it seems rather silly to even be a Turbine VIP when you consider that it doesn't really offer... anything. You know what would be a better plan? Turbine to offer something to VIP's that cannot, under any circumstance, be gained by premium or free players. Currently, the only thing on that list is:

• Priority Login Queue

• Idle Logout Timer Extra Time of 40/50 minutes

• Full Customer Support

• Beta Priority

... Yawn?

That's the extent of VIP advantages that are completely unattainable by any other means. Turbine should step it up... Vanity pets, free guild ships & amenities, or countless other tweaks that would be nothing or little to offer, and gain more subscriptions.

And incidentally, Turbine Points?

• Purchase a $10 card and get 750 Turbine Points.

• Purchase VIP for $10 USD (?) a month and get 500 Turbine Points.

• Purchase $8.00 monthly and get 600 Turbine Points.

In a year's time... the three options for Turbine Points provide this:

• $120 USD for 9000 Turbine Points.

• $120 USD for 6000 Turbine Points.

• $96 USD 7200 Turbine Points.

With 9000 Turbine Points... You could, with careful planning and sales pretty much own all the content. Even if it doesn't cover it with 9000 Points, it's always going to be cheaper than VIP.

Why would anyone pay for VIP again?

[altrocks]

Never going to happen? That's pretty hilarious when you stop and think about it. Consider this...

You're new to the game... You have three choices:

• Pay a monthly fee for VIP status and access to all the packs, and amenities.

• Purchase points ( Especially when on sale, or on bonus ) and then purchase packs and amenities ( Especially when on sale. )

• Don't purchase VIP, or Premium and grind Turbine Points... and get everything... free ( Assuming time doesn't equal money. ).

If the game plan to prevent people from switching down to Premium by refusing to let VIP use their monthly " free " ( See Below.) points to purchase content then it's a really sad little plan. In fact, it seems rather silly to even be a Turbine VIP when you consider that it doesn't really offer... anything. You know what would be a better plan? Turbine to offer something to VIP's that cannot, under any circumstance, be gained by premium or free players. Currently, the only thing on that list is:

• Priority Login Queue

• Idle Logout Timer Extra Time of 40/50 minutes

• Full Customer Support

• Beta Priority

... Yawn?

That's the extent of VIP advantages that are completely unattainable by any other means. Turbine should step it up... Vanity pets, free guild ships & amenities, or countless other tweaks that would be nothing or little to offer, and gain more subscriptions.

And incidentally, Turbine Points?

• Purchase a $10 card and get 750 Turbine Points.

• Purchase VIP for $10 USD (?) a month and get 500 Turbine Points.

• Purchase $8.00 monthly and get 600 Turbine Points.

In a year's time... the three options for Turbine Points provide this:

• $120 USD for 9000 Turbine Points.

• $120 USD for 6000 Turbine Points.

• $96 USD 7200 Turbine Points.

With 9000 Turbine Points... You could, with careful planning and sales pretty much own all the content. Even if it doesn't cover it with 9000 Points, it's always going to be cheaper than VIP.

Why would anyone pay for VIP again?

During those 12 months, you have access to all P2P packs, races and classes and don't have to wait for months to buy them. That has a usage fee associated with it. If you are VIP, those 6000 points (sometimes more because of double-point bonuses that pop up almost every year for a couple months or more, so really closer to 7500 - 8000), go towards things you can actually use (store pots, SP pots, storage bags, hearts of wood, etc) and not have to spend it on packs, races and classes, which you need to constantly buy as they are released. Figure about 4 packs a year, maybe 1 or 2 classes or races on average. It adds up and you end up constantly sending them money anyway because of the updates.

That, or you can favor farm to buy everything, but I'm sure that unless you're making minimum wage (or less) that it's more cost-effective to spend actual money instead of working a second job as a favor farmer to get TP for new content. Then there's the account options like shared banks and character slots to consider as well.

Also, the few VIP perks that are actually VIP only can never be purchased (like elite opener on everything immediately or unlimited auction house postings). There may be new perks in the future for VIP, or you might have to spend TP to buy the equivalent, if it ever even exists.

All in all, from my point of view at least, VIP is more cost effective. I spend more going out to eat with my wife than I do on 3 months of entertainment value through DDO. And if I ever get tired of it and want to quit, I can just leave. If I want to come back, I can pick right up where I left off with no need to buy the stuff I missed while I was gone. Win-win IMO.

[Dysmetria]

Never going to happen? That's pretty hilarious when you stop and think about it. Consider this...

You're new to the game... You have three choices:

• Pay a monthly fee for VIP status and access to all the packs, and amenities.

• Purchase points ( Especially when on sale, or on bonus ) and then purchase packs and amenities ( Especially when on sale. )

• Don't purchase VIP, or Premium and grind Turbine Points... and get everything... free ( Assuming time doesn't equal money. ).

If the game plan to prevent people from switching down to Premium by refusing to let VIP use their monthly " free " ( See Below.) points to purchase content then it's a really sad little plan.

The plan is not to prevent people from converting from VIP to Premium or to use the monthly "free" VIP points they earned to purchase that content,

The plan is to simply for them to have to choose between buying the content at full price or waiting for sales, like every other premium, whether former VIP or not, has always had to do.

[joneb1999]

The plan is to simply for them to have to choose between buying the content at full price or waiting for sales, like every other premium, whether former VIP or not, has always had to do.

Children would still be sent up chimneys to clean them or down mines with that retroactive attitude. The choice you mention was wrong to have ever been implemented and just because it once applied and still does should not mean it cant be corrected.

[Dysmetria]

Children would still be sent up chimneys to clean them or down mines with that retroactive attitude. The choice you mention was wrong to have ever been implemented and just because it once applied and still does should not mean it cant be corrected.

I'm unsure how the choice is wrong, as it has been making Turbine extra money for years, but comparing it to sending kids up chimneys or down mines is just silly.

Thousands and thousands of former VIPs had no problem with waiting for their subscriptions to run out and then choosing whether to buy at full price or to wait for sales, so why should Turbine sacrifice all that extra income by ever listening to the few that /sign threads like this because they do not want to pay as much as everyone else?

[BOgre]

I see, so you'd like to:

Go VIP, get 500(and sometimes 1000) free TP monthly, recieve the benefit of easier favor farming and leveling, access to all content (for even more favor/tp), benefit from actually Playing the content itself while waiting for pack/class/whatever sales to occur, then spend your free gains on sale priced stuff in preparation for the day when you 'own' everything and can drop your sub and never pay another dime.

Yup, that'll happen.

/NOT signed

[LordSoulFire]

/snip

You missed my point entirely. There's absolutely no reason to pay ten or fifteen dollars a month to be a VIP when spending that exact same amount as a premium will net you more for less. The few current benefits there are to being a VIP, in my opinion, do not justify getting less for more.

There seems to be a lot of VIP members who are upset that they can't purchase content at discount, or even using their " free " Turbine Points to purchase content at whole price, because they're locked out due to their subscriptions. Those people should probably spend less effort on trying to convince Turbine to unlock them... and more time doing the math.

[joneb1999]

I'm unsure how the choice is wrong, as it has been making Turbine extra money for years, but comparing it to sending kids up chimneys or down mines is just silly.

Thousands and thousands of former VIPs had no problem with waiting for their subscriptions to run out and then choosing whether to buy at full price or to wait for sales, so why should Turbine sacrifice all that extra income by ever listening to the few that /sign threads like this because they do not want to pay as much as everyone else?

Because when DDO f2p was fresh and there was not so much content it was easier to buy and with new content coming out every so often DDO was all the rage. A few years on and some major highly anticipated games on the way many like me will be easily teased away from this game no matter whatr additional content and my subscription will go taking all my access to content and I will have no reason to come back unless STOR or GW2 suck.

DDO VIP is not worth it in my mind and Premiere is too expensive or conviluted these days to get because we cant get access to the offers(as in saving up TP for ages then dropping and waiting again for ages to get the great offers).

When I go to these other games, GW2 will be bought outright anyway and owned and if STOR is sub only Ill pay that otherwise if there is a similar premiere option Ill start by buying the content.

Oh and for all you we did so it so you should, DDO made it easier in the beginning to go Premiere in the first year as there were more and longer double TP offers back then and many 50% off content offers and less content to buy at once to not be excluded from content and if you had dropped your sub at the right time just before the offers you got them.

Simple as that.

I'm unsure how the choice is wrong, as it has been making Turbine extra money for years, but comparing it to sending kids up chimneys or down mines is just silly.

As for the reference you made to my comparison its actually the principle thats important and that will always remain true. We need to learn from the past not repeat it just to satisfy some people that seem to have a chip on their shoulder about having gone through such an experience. Just because you had to go through the process you mentioned to go Premiere doesn't mean we all should have to.

[muny21]

/not signed

purchasing adventure packs is a premium perk. now vips feel like that deserve premium perks on top of their vip perks. this should stay a premium perk only and never allow vips to do this. if they do i will stop being premium and go f2p. only agree if they let premiums buy account wide elite unlock.

[MartinusWyllt]

... i will stop being premium and go f2p....

Um...you can't stop being premium unless you abandon your premium account and start a new f2p account.

[joneb1999]

/not signed

purchasing adventure packs is a premium perk. now vips feel like that deserve premium perks on top of their vip perks. this should stay a premium perk only and never allow vips to do this. if they do i will stop being premium and go f2p. only agree if they let premiums buy account wide elite unlock.

Purchasing adventure packs is a perk by default as buying anything makes you premiere but vips are excluded. Actually premiere and VIP are just labels. Premiere are simply content buying customers and VIP are content subscribers. Some call us renters.

The game requires more than just rent and when renters move to another game property they also take any money they may have spent on the little things like consumables otherwise.

By the way in the long term the likes of myself will be fine and happy with a new game and in the end its this product that loses out in the short term. I would think it would be better to allow VIPs to start buying content and have some attachment with the game than have them upstick and move on.

[muny21]

By the way in the long term the likes of myself will be fine and happy with a new game and in the end its this product that loses out in the short term. I would think it would be better to allow VIPs to start buying content and have some attachment with the game than have them upstick and move on.

I just find it funny how it is ok for VIPs to ask to be able to purchase packs but it is blasphemous for premiums to want account wide elite unlock to be sold in store. Hypocrisy much?

[joneb1999]

I just find it funny how it is ok for VIPs to ask to be able to purchase packs but it is blasphemous for premiums to want account wide elite unlock to be sold in store. Hypocrisy much?

Im quite happy for premium to get the unlock if vip were to be able to purchase adventure packs

[MartinusWyllt]

I just find it funny how it is ok for VIPs to ask to be able to purchase packs but it is blasphemous for premiums to want account wide elite unlock to be sold in store. Hypocrisy much?

Are you actually talking about specific people or are you just making a blanket statement that 1 subscriber = all subscribers and 1 premium = all premium players?

As a subscriber with a couple of premium accounts I can tell you I don't care if unlocks were sold in the store...oh, wait, there already is an item you can buy to open quests on elite....guessing you don't like the price. You're also free to have a 2nd account where you work them up to being able to open on elite for your first account....which is what I did...and I suspect many others...before we had the elite unlock option on my subscriber account. But, hey, if they want to sell a perma-open option, more power to them, I'm sure they'll price it accordingly.

You also have the terrible option of grouping with someone that can open on elite already...so called "guild groups" or "pick-up groups".

[y0himba.net]

/signed

Brilliant idea and quite logical from a marketing standpoint. Surprising it isn't implemented.