I have a confession... (WoW)
I don't exactly know how to say this guys...
I used IGE last night. Bought 100g for $35.99.
Here's a little background story. I get home, and my roommate says "DUDE! I bought something from the auction house, thinking I was bidding 95s, and I bid 95g. And it was a BUYOUT! So it went out immediately. I think I might check out that IGE site."
See, he was saving up for his mount. Had just hit level 40, and was 4 gold away. Then, BOOM, no money. Bliz's response? "Yeah, that SUCKS, dude..."
So, I go out to the bar, and sure enough, I get back, and he has his mount. I sit down, and without even having to ask, he says, "I feel like I'm falling down this slippery slope. It was SO easy. I kinda want to do it again."
I look at MonkeyQuest, and at the Weaponsmith quest that's been taunting me for 6 levels. SO much farming. 86 iron bars and 56 mithril bars, as well as a bunch of stone and gems. Would probably take an entire week of me doing NOTHING but farming. I like crafting, but I don't like crafting THAT much.
So, I log on to the site, enter my credit card info, and they send me an e-mail saying that in a half hour, I'll have an in-game mail.
I wait about 45 minutes, and nothing. I'm beginning to get concerned. So, I log back onto the website, and notice that they have a 24-hour live customer support page. I log on, and talk to Alexandro, who says he's logging into the game right now, and that I should expect to get a tell. 2 minutes later, a tell from some random person in game.
Him: "Hi."
Me: "Umm... Hi."
Then, instantly, I have mail. I'm already at the box, so I right click, and sure enough, a message, from this guy, with 100g in it. Seeing "100" right before that yellow coin was QUITE exciting, to be completely honest.
Me: "Umm... thanks."
No more communication, except for a follow up e-mail, thanking me for my business and assuring me that if IGE can do anything to help me in the future, that I shouldn't hesitate to ask.
Do I regret it? No. I feel a little guilty, and I sort of hate myself a little inside, but I'm a Weaponsmith now, and had enough money to buy all the materials I need, finish the quest, buy a new shield, buy the materials I need for The Shatterer (except for the Core of Earth, which apparently isn't for sale) and still have 40g left over.
So. Do you all hate me now? 
XBox Live Gamertag: Warlockbert
Hmm..I''ve never used it myseld in any games but I can see the temptation to.
I don''t think people hate that you can get so much gold at one time, I think people hate the ''farming'' that happens because of it.
But if it makes you feel better Warlock, I don''t hate you.
I don't think I've ever said this sentence before, but man would I love to hump that butterfly.-- KrazyTaco
One phone call and you're melting like butter over my kettle pop. -- Edwin to Mex
2005 GWJFFL2 Champion
Traitor, drown in your pool of golden shame
No respect Warlock, none at all
"You let your kid get hooked on Yu Gi Oh? Someone was asleep at the parenting wheel" -*Legion*
When you'rethis good, its hard to be humble
I hate you. But if you send me that extra 40g I can probably find it in my heart to hate you a little less.
(jk about the hate thing...not about the sending me 40g thing tho)
Xbox Live: hubbinsd
Ha! I wondered when someone would crack.
Hey, you''re honest about it at least Warlock. I''d be seriously tempted to do this too but I can''t help but feel it''s just promoting behavior in the game that is seriously annoying, IE gold farmers. For me, so far anyway, that''s been enough to discourage me from doing it though I am sorely tempted. We''ll see if I hold out when I''m level 40 and can''t afford that mount.
I'm still right here
Giving blood, keeping faith
I was going to make a comment about not buying gold and how you can make 25g to 35g an hour with little effort once you start farming thorium, but I guess that is something you will have to learn for yourself.
Xbox Live: Kooter06
You see that other thead where Strekos is complaining of the impossibility of getting the pattern he wants because of gold farmers keep buying it to sell on the AH at 1000% mark-up? Go down your shame spiral!
I am working on never having to do such a thing, but I acknowledge that Warlock''s break softens my resolve. But nowhere near enough.
I am currently level 39.5 and have approximately 61 gold. I plan on farming outside the Monastary for the rest as it is the best solo place *that I have found* to collect silver and exp. [That emphasis was to encourage PMs or in game whispers as to better locations ;)]
Bando -- Tauren Shaman -- Blackhand
Gamer Tag -- Edgar Newt
My attitude to gold farmers/sellers depends on the game. I didn''t mind it in DAoC because the type of farming done never seemed to impact my play. Same in AO. But in WoW, the gold farmers have both caused me not to be able to complete certain quests, and made some other things even more annoying than they should be, like the Runecloth Bag recipe Leaping is talking about. So.... BAD WARLOCK BAD
Where specifically is this area outside the Monastery? I''ve heard that mentioned several times, but when I poked around was unimpressed with what I found. What am I missing?
You didn''t just buy gold, you bought time since you''d be consumed with gathering all those items anyway.
In a way it is very tempting to just buy it, but I don''t think I could justify spending real money for fake money. Maybe I could ask for it as a gift? Happy Birthday, here''s 100 gold in your mailbox
It does kind of put a damper on the game though to know that a lot of the higher level crafters out there didn''t even ""earn"" their position and are out there benefiting from those of us who don''t want to go down that path.
AoC- Indozola (Guardian), Bauchelain (Bear Shaman), Aphesian (Demonologist)
Penny Arcade has never been more relevant:
http://www.penny-arcade.com/view.php3?date=2005-02-16&res=l
Desire is the root of all evil. And desire that can be quenched online for $40...Well...Need I say more?
These guys provide a service, and it''s understandable you bit. Personally, I put this in the category of ""Dude, I saw you were just at Best Buy; my brother bought this awesome stereo, but his wife won''t let him keep it. It''s right here in my truck, take a look, still in the boxes..."" Might be a good thing at the time, but it doesn''t encourage good behavior.
“Why are we talking about this in the White House? History will not judge this kindly.” Atty Gen'l John Ashcroft, on secret NSC torture guideline discussions.
Inside the monastery graveyard is the best I found for upper 30s to farm. A number of us made at least a decent portion of our mount money there.
To each his own I guess. I''d much prefer the satisfying sense of accomplishment after doing my own farming.
"Three blokes go into a pub. One of them is kind of stupid, and the whole scene unfolds with a tedious inevitability." - Bill Bailey
Yeah, I''m not gonna sit here and say ""I''m awesome, and you guys should do it too, because there''s absolutely nothing wrong with doing it."" Because that''s obviously not true.
I guess, for me, it came down to ""Is my in-game time valuable?"" I had absolutely no interest in farming iron and mithril for 4 hours a night for at least a week, in lower level areas where I''m not even getting any experience for kills, just so I could make 10 weapons for a guy for a quest that I would get ABSOLUTELY no turnaround on.
That''s what cinched it. Once I realized I wouldn''t be able to sell the 4 Moonsteel Swords, 2 Big Black Maces, 4 Heavy Mithril Axes, and 2 Massive Iron Axes... that I would have to give them to some random questgiver (who, incidentally, was ""counting his gold coins"" as I walked up to him) and never see an ounce of profit for my week of work - well, I needed to look elsewhere.
I will not do it again. I don''t really care about the exalted mount, and I''m not going to put dollars into buying materials for weapons that I then sell back to players for in game-gold. I want to know that I took the time to get the Thorium or the Truesilver or whatever the case may be. But, for this specific quest, at this specific level, with these specific requirements, it felt like the right thing to do. And it was.
XBox Live Gamertag: Warlockbert
Didn''t they drastically modify the drop tables for this area? I heard it was scaled down quite a bit.
And remember, the Japanese aren't commercially whaling. They're conducting "research". Like "researching how delicious this whale is". - Paleocon
On a related topic, I will probably hit lvl 40 with about 50g in my pocket -- will I likely find that the speed at which I make gold significantly increases around lvls 40-45?
Xbox Live: hubbinsd
They ""officially"" said they nerfed the Doan blue drops Reap, but I haven''t heard anything on lowering the rest of the monastery. Never know though with the stealth patches they do sometimes.
Warlock, I''m with you buddy. I haven''t ever had a problem buying fake money with real... granted, I never spend over 10 bucks doing it. But I look at it like this... These people are going to be farming and I''d much rather be off doing fun stuff than trying like hell to make enough money to afford to keep playing... so I''ll make it a little easier for myself.
xbox live: Lester King 17
I just bought my mount. If IGE gave me 90 gold for $10, I would have seriously considered it. f*ck money grinding.
Unfortunately, if I slash my wrist with my lightsaber it cauterizes instantly. - PurEvil on emo Star Wars plots.
Just Doan. As for the graveyard, that is where I got my money for my first mount. One of the biggest things is the pure silver you get from the ghosts (who are not elite).
I still farm the cathedral because the bishop is 3 to 4 green drops a trip (takes me 4 min to get to him and kill him). Then I just have a friend invite me in their group and it resets the instance.
Xbox Live: Kooter06
Eh... It ruins the game no doubt about it.
Sorry but it will eventually make the game unplayable.
SWG is a perfect example... you could buy a crap load of the holocrons and the farming for them was insane. I tried to harvest the holo''s in a legit fashion but it was impossible due to the money grabbers.
I play the game to have fun.. not cheat. And in all actuality your cheating. Its not a personal attack against you bud, but its like any *thing* you do that has rules. You, in the end, have to live with it. If your playing to be the *uberest* player than thats cool... but when you get sick of WoW your gonna say damn, I payed for virtual sh*t haha.
If you play for the satisfaction of being where you are at the end of the day by your own endeavors (and your honest with yourself) why would you want to continue playing that character?
Eh, its personal of course... but it DOES ruin it for everyone who does not take the easy way out.
PAR
For all who live in such times, it is not for them to decide. All we get to decide is what to do with the time given us.
XBox Live: par02
Like I said, this was a one-time thing to buy ore and things that I otherwise didn''t want to have to farm. And that, of course, probably sounds like a cop-out (dude, I can stop whenever I want!). But, it''s the truth. I''ll keep you update if I ever break my promise.
There are some things in ANY MMORPG that are just NEEDLESSLY rare. Why do people have to spend 90g on a mount when two classes get free ones? Why do I have to spend my own time and effort mining ore and gems to make things for a random NPC, just so I can get the privelege of mining ore and gems to make things for players? It just doesn''t make sense, except that Blizzard doesn''t want to have a bunch of people running around with free mounts, and doesn''t want a bunch of people being Weaponsmiths.
If it worked out that the economy stabilized itself and that the people who deserved to be the smiths were the ones out farming the ore, cool. Or, in your SWG example, if the holocrons were rewarded to the people who were truly developing their character legitimately, great. But they don''t. They go to farmers and loot-campers. It''s been that way since well before WoW or SWG.
You say you play the game to have fun. Well, me too. Smithing weapons to use and give to guildies and sell is fun. Spending a week getting resources for NO REASON isn''t. I have no problem farming for resources and building my own stuff (hell, I was at 215 blacksmithing at level 34). As a matter of fact, I prefer it. But, I now have an entire week where I can be farming not for some pointless quest, but to make myself a nice weapon, make a weapon or two for guildmates, and make a few to sell. That''s SO worth the cost.
XBox Live Gamertag: Warlockbert
Like I said Warlock its a personal choice. Do some people cheat on their wives? Some people do and dont have an issue.... some do and cant live with themselves... and some just dont. Of course this is a GAME and not a relationship but it all comes down to values in the end. How far are you willing to stretch yours?
I say this because I did this in another game and I gave the game up because my character just wasnt.. well me anymore.
Please dont take my examples personal... they are just examples. I''m not saying that we can compare this with something as important as a relationship, its just as I get older I find that even the little things make a difference TO ME. Mainly because I have taken advantage of *things* oustide the rule boundaries and, in one way or another, I came to regret them. But of course those mistakes are what gave me the insight in the first place so...
I like WoW and I enjoy it and want to keep that enjoyment. That means I will play within the bounds that the game has set up.
PAR
For all who live in such times, it is not for them to decide. All we get to decide is what to do with the time given us.
XBox Live: par02
Really IGE seems to me like an elaborate and expensive GameShark. If you don''t want to play through a given stretch of content, skip it with money! If it weren''t harming others, I''d be all for it, but the farmers and guys like Iamwin screw up the game. It''s a GameShark that you feed with money. A little safer than hex editing I guess
"We've learned irishmen have huge nipples, and that intellectual film critics are all huge gaywads. But most of all, we've learned that creeping corporate influence over the news media ... protects us from terrorism" - Norm Archer, Onion Movie
Do not hate you but not a fan of this either.
I seen how gold farmers in gamers like Lineage II or farmers in EQ (the original) ruined it for others.
The real problem is the design flaw that makes you camp for needless hours. I really think WoW goes a little to crazy with the camping at times and just do not see why.
I dunno, seems the camping in WoW is mild. I can''t say that I''ve ever actually had to camp a mob. I may have had to wait 10 or 15 minutes to get a shot at it, but that''s hardly a camp. I have camped a recipe on a vendor on occasion, which is goofy, but I haven''t ever spent more than an hour checking to get what I want.
It''s certainly nothing like the ol'' EQ days of camping Hasten, or the Pawduster Gnoll, or for the love of all that I hold dear Raster of Guk.
Joedeth
Ironjoe
Warlock, I saw you already made a similar comment in the other thread (the rest of you will understand in a minute), but this still made me chuckle...
Imagine your eyes scanning down the list of posts (which for me, means scanning the whole row from some reason) and seeing the following:
We now return you to your regularly scheduled posting.
Xfire/XBL
gr.umpic.us
grumpicus.com
Haha. So, while I took that to mean ""Warlock... Help!"" you read it as ""Help for Warlock.""
Concerning mob camping, indeed, not near as bad as any other MMORPG I''ve ever experienced. But, mining? I think it''s WAY harder than farming for othr tradeskills (and the AH shows it). I can do laps around Desolace, and come upon one Iron mine per revolution around the place. Contrast that with ALWAYS getting some sort of hide from every animal I kill, and it just pales in comparison.
XBox Live Gamertag: Warlockbert
Admittedly I only skimmed from the point of that last quote so if anyone has already mentioned it, I apologize but...
You obviously didn''t have to do all the mining yourself since you apparently can buy everything you need from the AH. Why not do like others do for their mounts and gather the 40-50 gold yourself (in an area that you would get XP) and then use that money to buy the materials? You don''t have to run around with a pick in hand and an eye on the mini-map and yet you don''t support the gold farmers, either.
I apologize again if I''m missing something obvious. Either way, I don''t hate you.
Edit1: Fixed some phrasing and added the last sentence of the second paragraph. Edit2: Spelling.
Xfire/XBL
gr.umpic.us
grumpicus.com