Gold Limit, Really?!

[eftexar]

Please remove the gold limit. I understand limiting a free player's access to classes and other content, since you have to make money, but the gold limit is obnoxious and just makes me not want to buy anything at all.
Why should I bother to buy anything from the ddo store, or get the new expansions, if the perception given off is that I'll just be limited on those too?

There is a difference between restricting content and directly interfering with gameplay. I've seen this in other online games and, honestly, I expected better from WotC. You need to convince players to buy things with how awesome your game is, not attempt to childishly force them into it.

To add onto this, I think it's lazy marketing and design. It is the responsibility of the creators, of any game, to attract customers and sales by creating excitement. If you have to force me to pay, instead of getting me to want to play, it makes me wonder if the game is actually worth my time or not.

Keep in mind that there are plently of other free games that aren't as obnoxious in which players can pay for content. Just on Mac and Linux alone I have at least 20 mmo games of similar quality (if, admittadly, not quite as fun), so I can't even imagine the total number of free to play's I would have on Windows.

[Cleanincubus]

Why should I bother to buy anything from the ddo store, or get the new expansions, if the perception given off is that I'll just be limited on those too?

You should buy Turbine Points, even the lowest amount, because the Gold (Platinum) limit will be removed, you get 2 more character slots, and you can post up to 50 items on the Auction House.

I have to say, that most other F2P MMOs that I've played, are far more restrictive. With DDO, you could technically get everything for free, if you don't mind doing a lot of grinding for Favor/Turbine Points. Though you'd still have the platinum & auction house limits.

[Ungood]

Keep in mind that there are plently of other free games that aren't as obnoxious in which players can pay for content. Just on Mac and Linux alone I have at least 20 mmo games of similar quality (if, admittadly, not quite as fun), so I can't even imagine the total number of free to play's I would have on Windows.

Look, it's a game, some entertainment, and in that understanding, either you like it, and feel it is worth what amounts to little more then pocket change to support it so that they can continue to improve the game so that we all can enjoy it, or you're just some mooch wanting more stuff for free.

If you are the later, then either deal with the F2P offer Turbine gave you, or feel free to mooch off some other game's F2P offer.

Edit: I admit, I came across as nasty, but, the truth is, I am getting tired of there being a constant trend of people wanting more stuff given out to them for free. Each update, Turbine tends to add some free stuff to game, over the years it has amounted to lots of nice things, that everyone can enjoy, so it irks me to see these requests for more free stuff.

[FalseFlag]

I expected better from WotC.

A. If you know anything about how WotC has handled the franchise lately, you would not expect better.
B. WotC isnt' in charge of the gold limit for f2p players. If you're going to complain, at least complain about the right entities. Turbine makes these decisions.
C. Yes, keep whining about the free game.

[GrimGus]

You should buy Turbine Points, even the lowest amount, because the Gold (Platinum) limit will be removed,

this is not true.

I was p2p bought nearly all the packs then went vip. there is still a limit. my 2nd life bank toon holds up to 4.5mil. i believe (I know 4.504 mil is too much)

And to the first point i would like to see it at least raised.

I think they keep a limit to prevent the economy from growing to the point newbies are lost.

[Garix]

this is not true.

I was p2p bought nearly all the packs then went vip. there is still a limit. my 2nd life bank toon holds up to 4.5mil. i believe (I know 4.504 mil is too much)

And to the first point i would like to see it at least raised.

I think they keep a limit to prevent the economy from growing to the point newbies are lost.

Not much they can do about this due to the nature of a 32bit program

Edit - From the Wiki
The game limits the amount of money a character can own.

• For VIP and Premium players, it is limited to about 4.3 million pp (4,294,967pp 2gp 9sp 5cp to be exact, the limit of a 32-bit unsigned integer in cp).
• For Free to Play players, it depends on your character level. At level 1, it is 1,250 pp. This limit doubles for each level gained until at level 13 it reaches the same limit as VIP & Premium players.
• You are allowed to send 9,999 pp, 9,999 gp, 9,999 sp, and 9,999 cp (11,108pp 8gp 8sp 9cp) per in-game mail.

[Gkar]

this is not true.

I was p2p bought nearly all the packs then went vip. there is still a limit. my 2nd life bank toon holds up to 4.5mil. i believe (I know 4.504 mil is too much)

And to the first point i would like to see it at least raised.

I think they keep a limit to prevent the economy from growing to the point newbies are lost.

No, that's not the reason for the cap. The cap has been in place since the beginning of the game, back when we had a gold based economy and the thought of amassing 1 million GOLD on an entire account seemed an impossible task.

The limit is based on the variable type used for storing money. Only be changing that variable type can that limit be raised and making that change could have interesting/unexpected consequences because it would touch every single part of the game where in game currency is used.

[Qaliya]

The currency limit for VIPs/premiums is due to the limits of 32-bit integer representations. The limit is actually 4.3 or so billion, but Turbine stores all currency based on the lowest denomination, copper. If Turbine would get rid of the essentially-useless copper, silver and gold coins, the plat limit could be multiplied by a factor of nearly a thousand.

I believe any TP purchase does make you premium and remove the restrictions.

As an aside, welcome to the OP to DDO. To others, please be nice to the newbies, we need them as much as they need us.

[Qhualor]

I like how DDO has attracted the WOW/Zynga crowd. They come here wanting to change the game by waving money in the air and threatening to leave if it doesn't change to their liking because that's how other games do it and they are so successful.

[Uska]

Your not really a customer if you dont at least spend a little money and deserve no more then they feel like giving you!

[Noctus]

Your not really a customer if you dont at least spend a little money and deserve no more then they feel like giving you!

Yeah.

You have no right to demand anything, you are entitled to nothing, untill you spend at least a dollar on the game. And guess what, then your "problem" is gone anyway...

[mishraif]

Its fine if there is a gold limit but with lv 28 content the value of plat is almost worthless, the only real currency worth anything is astral shards. There needs to be an option to spend 100kpp for an astral shard and the value of gold will be at least worth something.

[eftexar]

I'm not sure which is worse; people who feel entitled to content or those who think those recieving something for free shouldn't be allowed any expectations at all. Both are examples of extremes that I don't care for.

Thanks to those who actually took the time to answer me seriously, instead of lecturing me, even if it doesn't adress my point in the way I had hoped.

Let me give a comparison to clarify I'm not actually asking for any additional 'content.' Because I'm asking for the game to work, not for extra stuff, as advertised. I have no problem paying for game content, but I do have a problem when someone is trying to annoy, or force, me to pay. ie:

Your rich friend gives you a car for free and tells you it lacks air conditioning and the radio doesn't work. But that's ok, because it was free and you can just pay to have those installed. Besides they aren't essential anyway.

You fill the car with gas, and then you get a few miles down the highway, where the car stops working and tells you that you can't use more than a gallon of gas per day. You are now stranded in the middle of the highway and have to call your friend. He tells you that he can remove the lock on the car's gas for a few bucks, but you have to pay him each month to release the valve.

Now you're free to return the car and go get one elsewhere, but the fumes from the car are left in your garage and broken radio parts are left littered in random toolbox's. Now you can either spend the time removing them or tripping over them randomly for the next couple of months.

And especially after I took my time to install it and clutter up my hard drive. Keep in mind that there are hidden libraries that have to be removed manually even after an uninstall and every program installed affects the performance of your computer and possibly even compatability with other programs.

Remember also that a normal game usually costs about $60 and maybe $15 a month for online. Even with their free to play model they should make more than that from player's because of the ddo store and optional subscription.

Which gets back to my point about game design. I should want to pay for content without feeling forced into it. This is actually part of a core concept of game design, but many companies don't follow it, because they know they can take advantage of people.

Simply put it's a marketing plan meant to manipulate people. Because they have offered free content it puts some people in a position where they are willing to spend more than they normally would on a game, becase they are greatful for what has been given.

And this even polarizes the audience into the "entitled" and the "unentitled" crowds, neither of which are correct, in my opinion, on many basis.

And I may not be a customer, but I am a consumer. The free to play model is designed to bring in consumers and convert them into customers (instead of simply attracting customers from the get-go). If I'm an unhappy consumer than I won't become a customer.

The free to play model is evolving beyond what it used to be. It has likely sprouted from the idea of a limited time free trial. Ftp eases the transition from free into pay in a way that doesn't offend customer sensabilities and makes companies more money. Nickle and diming are king.

And even the "entitled" players play their part. They talk about the product with their friends, on facebook, on twitter, etc. This brings in more consumers that might become customers. So, while I don't necessarily agree with them, they do have a right to complain and "wave their money," since they amount to free advertising for WotC.

I know I'm going to get responses where people still think I'm asking for more free stuff, but if you can't understand marketing (or simply don't care they are doing it), combined with the consumer/supplier relationship, then this conversation isn't going to go any further.

As to when it became the consumer's responsibility to support the provider I don't know, but that isn't how the model is supposed to work.

For example I see no point in spending money to buy avatars or skins in any game. Visual changes, simply put, don't change how the game functions and there was a time where they were provided for free.
And, yet, I'm more than willing to pay for content in League of Legends, even though I could technically get almost all of it for free, because I want to support them. Why?, because their model limits me, but doesn't shove it in my face.

I would rather ddo provide me with additional classes and races to buy. I would love to buy a "Complete Adventurer" or "Player's Handbook 2" expansion. "Tome of Magic" would have me paying for it in a heartbeat.

Instead they string players along with minimal content, that takes little coding and design, as long as they can between expansions. Instead of trying to give the customer better content they give the easiest creatable content they can construct to maximize profits (instead of building profits off of a customer-provider relationship).