Throne and Liberty

[h1]================================================== STOP SUPPORTING THIS P2W SYSTEM L.T.W.P.W.T.W. (Let the Whales Play with the Whales) ==================================================[/h1] Throne and Liberty could genuinely be a great MMO. And that is exactly what makes this so frustrating. The combat is fun. The world looks great. The large-scale content has potential. But underneath all of that is a progression system where: [b]REAL MONEY CAN DIRECTLY SHORTCUT THE GRIND.[/b] ================================================== [h1]>>> THE MAIN PROBLEM: LUCENT <<<[/h1] ========================================= Lucent is directly connected to the Auction House. You can buy Lucent with real money. You can then use that Lucent to buy progression from other players. Call it whatever you want. [h1][b]I CALL THAT PAY TO WIN.[/b][/h1] Yes, F2P players can technically earn Lucent. But I am tired of hearing: [quote]"You can get everything for free."[/quote] Because that completely ignores how the game actually works. A F2P player can: * Grind for hours * Burn daily and weekly resources * Depend on RNG * Kill boss after boss * Farm dungeons * Farm events * Farm materials ...and still walk away with almost nothing valuable. Meanwhile: [b]$$$$ -> LUCENT -> GEAR -> PROGRESSION[/b] Someone else can simply open their wallet and skip a massive part of that grind. ================================================== [h1]>>> WHAT IS THE CHALLENGE FOR P2W PLAYERS? <<<[/h1] ======================================================= You paid to skip progression. You paid to become stronger faster. You paid to get gear other players have to grind for. And then you fight players who did NOT pay and are still trying to catch up. [b]Congratulations?[/b] What exactly did you achieve? The game becomes easier because you paid for power while F2P players effectively become content for the people who spent money. ================================================== [h1]>>> BOSS LOOT IS A JOKE <<<[/h1] ==================================== Boss loot makes the entire situation even more frustrating. For a long time, contribution was partly tied to individual performance. And what increases your performance? [b]GEAR.[/b] So the progression loop basically becomes: [b] GOOD GEAR | V MORE DAMAGE | V MORE CONTRIBUTION | V BETTER OPPORTUNITIES FOR VALUABLE LOOT | V EVEN BETTER GEAR [/b] And if you are behind? Good luck. Or... [h1]>>> JUST BUY LUCENT <<<[/h1] Apparently that is the alternative. ================================================== [h1]>>> F2P CATCH-UP <<<[/h1] ============================= Want to join one of the better guilds? Better already have good gear. Want good gear? Better grind. Want to grind efficiently? Better already have good gear. Want to skip all of that? [b]$$$$$$$$$$$$[/b] Strong guilds naturally want strong players. And the people who already spent huge amounts of time or money are naturally ahead of everybody trying to catch up. So newer F2P players are entering a race where other players were allowed to buy a head start. [b]POSSIBLE DOES NOT MEAN REASONABLE.[/b] Just because something can theoretically be obtained without paying does NOT automatically make the system fair. ================================================== [h1]>>> "BUT THE GAME IS FREE" <<<[/h1] ======================================= I DON'T CARE. Seriously. I have absolutely no problem spending money on a free game. Sell me: * Skins * Outfits * Mounts * Cosmetics * Weapon skins * Emotes * A reasonable Battle Pass If your game is good, I WANT to support it. [b]But selling progression is where I stop.[/b] There is a massive difference between: [b]"I spent money because I enjoy this game."[/b] and: [b]"I spent money because the game made progression intentionally frustrating."[/b] ================================================== [h1]>>> ASK YOURSELF THIS <<<[/h1] ================================== Was this grind designed because it makes the game more fun? OR Was this grind designed because frustration makes buying Lucent more attractive? [b]That question should NEVER exist in a good MMO.[/b] ================================================== [h1]>>> LET THE WHALES PLAY WITH THE WHALES <<<[/h1] ==================================================== If the developers only want to keep the players who are willing to continuously finance this system... Fine. [b]LET THE WHALES PLAY WITH THE WHALES.[/b] Let the P2W players compete against other P2W players. But stop using F2P players as punching bags for people who paid their way ahead. If F2P players barely progress while paying players can bypass the systems holding them back, eventually those F2P players will simply leave. And then who are the whales supposed to play against? ================================================== [h1]>>> THIS GAME COULD ACTUALLY BE GOOD <<<[/h1] ================================================= That is the sad part. Remove the ridiculous dependence on the Lucent Auction House. Give players reliable progression. Reward people for actually PLAYING the game. Reduce the insane RNG. Make boss loot rewarding. Give F2P players a realistic way to catch up. Stop designing progression around frustration. Because underneath all of this is an MMO that could actually be really good. ================================================== [h1]>>> LOOK AT NEW WORLD <<<[/h1] ================================== New World has already been removed from sale and its servers are scheduled to shut down. And now Amazon is handing Throne and Liberty's western live operations back to NC/FirstSpark. Maybe constantly trying to monetize the remaining dedicated playerbase is not how you build a healthy MMO. An MMO needs a large community. Casual players. Hardcore players. New players. Returning players. F2P players. Paying players. [b]Not just whales.[/b] ================================================== [h1]>>> FINAL VERDICT <<<[/h1] ============================== [h1][b]ABSOLUTELY NOT RECOMMENDED.[/b][/h1] Please stop blindly supporting systems like this. Because every time a monetization model like this succeeds, publishers learn exactly the wrong lesson: [quote][b]"Why make progression fair when frustration makes money?"[/b][/quote] If you only want the people who are willing to finance this garbage system, then so be it. [b]Let them play alone.[/b] Because an MMO needs more than people willing to swipe their credit card. [h1]IT NEEDS PLAYERS.[/h1] And if you keep treating F2P players like content for P2W players to farm... [b]DO NOT BE SURPRISED WHEN THEY LEAVE.[/b] ================================================== [b]STOP REWARDING P2W. STOP NORMALIZING P2W. STOP FUNDING P2W.[/b] =====================