For consideration.

[iamsamoth0]

I was thinking it would be nice if FtP(Free to Play) accounts could eventually earn access to the astral Auction house. Maybe as a top favor reward for one of the empty slots?

[PsychoBlonde]

I was thinking it would be nice if FtP(Free to Play) accounts could eventually earn access to the astral Auction house. Maybe as a top favor reward for one of the empty slots?

I'm pretty sure the restriction is there precisely to *prevent* people from making a ton of F2P accounts and, say, bidding their own auctions up or whatever other creative shenanigans people can get up to. Considering you can buy the cheapest points pack available ONCE and get rid of this restriction forever, it's a pretty low bar.

[Memnir]

No thank you.

[droid327]

I'm pretty sure the restriction is there precisely to *prevent* people from making a ton of F2P accounts and, say, bidding their own auctions up or whatever other creative shenanigans people can get up to. Considering you can buy the cheapest points pack available ONCE and get rid of this restriction forever, it's a pretty low bar.

More specifically - its to prevent people from rolling up burner accounts, farming 5 favor per server for 50 DP apiece, using it to buy AS from the Store, then transferring it to their main account through the ASAH by buying a piece of junk for 65 AS

That's also the reason Store items cannot have a buyout price - its to prevent people from being able to use the ASAH as a transfer tool between accounts. Buy a Store item with quick-farmed AS on a burner account, sell it to yourself for 1 AS, delete the burner and repeat.

OP's suggestion would still keep this protection, I think - no one's going to farm an entire favor unlock just to cheat for a few AS. However, I think its probably still a good idea to keep it a Premium feature just to encourage players to buy something...by the time you've unlocked an entire faction favor reward, odds are you should be looking at getting expansions or something anyway.

[iamsamoth0]

More specifically - its to prevent people from rolling up burner accounts, farming 5 favor per server for 50 DP apiece, using it to buy AS from the Store, then transferring it to their main account through the ASAH by buying a piece of junk for 65 AS

That's also the reason Store items cannot have a buyout price - its to prevent people from being able to use the ASAH as a transfer tool between accounts. Buy a Store item with quick-farmed AS on a burner account, sell it to yourself for 1 AS, delete the burner and repeat.

OP's suggestion would still keep this protection, I think - no one's going to farm an entire favor unlock just to cheat for a few AS. However, I think its probably still a good idea to keep it a Premium feature just to encourage players to buy something...by the time you've unlocked an entire faction favor reward, odds are you should be looking at getting expansions or something anyway.

Yes. I do intend that it be a 'top' favor tier, I mean one of the open slots that have nothing to give. I've had a VIP account on-and-off since sign-up. But awhile back I made a new FtP account to get by all of the built up buggyness of having old toons, on an old account. I wanted to experience the game with fresh eyes, and and unhindered account, fresh and clean. And it seems most anything worth having is on the astral auction. The standard house is quite empty, and the prohibitive nature of the carry capacity make it SUPER difficult to make any real use of the AH. For FtP players. The prices people ask for things is so far beyond what toons can actually carry much less accumulate. My level 4 rogue can only carry 12.5k PP. The cheapest collectible/gem bag is 30k plat. IMHO it makes the AH kinda useless. Getting top tier favor with some house is not 'simple', or quick.

[rabidfox]

My level 4 rogue can only carry 12.5k PP. The cheapest collectible/gem bag is 30k plat. IMHO it makes the AH kinda useless. Getting top tier favor with some house is not 'simple', or quick.

Paying the $8 (or whatever the cheapest DDO point option is) is pretty much worth it for the bump to premium status (plat unlock, shard exchange, etc). If someone is spending so much time in a game to grind top tier favor, I feel like they really should be willing to put to down the cost of a couple cups of coffee on game to support it. It feels perfectly reasonable to have a few things gated behind a "I love the game, so I spent as much as small pizza on it to show my love of it" mechanic.

[iamsamoth0]

Paying the $8...

I don't think it's worth 8 bucks just to get to use the auction house.

[FuzzyDuck81]

I don't think it's worth 8 bucks just to get to use the auction house.

It doesn't just give the auction house but also extra character slots & unlocks the plat cap too, but it's a fair point - pick up the starter pack from the marketplace instead. $10 full price but can go as high as a 90% discount in eg. Black Friday sales & you'll get some points, some XP potions & the permanent gold seal cleric hireling, which is a handy extra SP battery even once her utility as a healer in low levels has passed You'll get the catacombs pack from it too but considering the recent giveaway that's less of an incentive at the moment I guess.

[iamsamoth0]

It doesn't just give the auction house but also extra character slots & unlocks the plat cap too, but it's a fair point - pick up the starter pack from the marketplace instead. $10 full price but can go as high as a 90% discount in eg. Black Friday sales & you'll get some points, some XP potions & the permanent gold seal cleric hireling, which is a handy extra SP battery even once her utility as a healer in low levels has passed You'll get the catacombs pack from it too but considering the recent giveaway that's less of an incentive at the moment I guess.

This started as simply a suggestion. It doesn't really pertain to me. I have a VIP account, I already have all this content, etc.
I am simply pointing out things from the FtP perspective. I'm not here criticizing. I'm just saying it might be nice if FtP could eventually earn the right to purchase from the ASAH. Thats it. I don't need a lesson. But, thanks.