Discussion: 63 And 66 Month Veteran Rewards!

wow...My first time in this thread and I never thought something as fun as Vet Rewards could lead to such animosity and ill will.

I just got my 51 month vet reward tonight
and it was nothing special...
I only have to wait like 4eva to get a Vet Reward that is cool...

TRAVEL POWERS at level 6...

Six-month vet here (Wow, big whoop) and I have to say that I definitely intend to continue playing the game for a long time to come.

That being said, it's a bit annoying to note that I still have around 21 months to go before I can even look at the Anime costume pieces in a way that will actually tell me if I LIKE them or not. Screenshots of them do nothing for me because screenshots do not tell me how they will look on a toon that I already know they MIGHT look appropriate for.

Another thing that REALLY annoys me is how your 'pending vet rewards' are viewable the second you pay for time in advance. I decided sometime in early January that this game could definitely hold my attention for 6 months and gladly decided to pay for 6 months up front, getting a seventh free in the process.

Of course, I was billed for TWO six month periods at the same time which came as a shock and left me with almost no money for a week because I didn't know it would do that since I had only wanted to buy ONE six month subscription and had planned to decide after that time as to continuing to pay for the ability to play this game. Still a little bitter about getting a one-year plan without planning to.

Enough with that tangent, I would gladly pay for a subscription for the next three years in advance if I knew the game would continue to exist for that long, I really would. The sad fact is that even though I would LOVE to do that if it would do such, common sense keeps me from making that kind of leap of faith. If I pay for three years worth of subscriptions and NCsoft decides to close the game down in 18 months; there's no guarantee that I'll get my money back for the time payed that cannot be played.

Now, if I could pay the same amount for three years in advance and check a box on the payment form that said "One year with accelerated veteran unlocked rewards" I would do it the second I had the money because that would mean I'd unlock the most important options faster: COSTUME PIECES!

I swear that I will demand a refund for any paid subsciption time yet unused if they EVER lock future costume pieces or any other aspect of customizing the way a character looks and the limitations thereof to vet rewards. Costumes and near-complete character customization are what I really enjoy the most of this game. Issue 16 has ensured that I will be around for a long time as long as the devs don't screw up.

I buy the booster packs because it gives me more choices. I would pay $100 for a booster pack simply to get all the Vet costume pieces right now, and if I decided that they don't work for my current characters I wouldn't complain a bit. The FACT that I have to wait so long to even TRY those costume pieces is irritating, especially when I already have a few characters that I know I would love to use the Boxing gloves on, but I won't be able to do that for another 33 months! I would have to wait and HOPE that the game is still around in three years to even be able to see how my martial arts character would look with a proper sparring outfit using the boxing gloves as a close approximation.

I've played "Pay and Hope" before with another company and another game, and when I found out that 3D Realms went under I tried to get a refund. I'm not taking that kind of chance again, so the devs here lose out on money up front because there's no guarantee whatsoever that if I pay up front that the game will stay around for that length of time.

Granted it's not quite the same as being stunlocked in development hell for long enough to be considered less tangible than the basic concepts of quantum physics....

After reading the discussion and seeing how much passion the Vets Rewards bring out I just want to say.

Thank you Devs for offering us these rewards.

I have been around since I2/I3 and I can say the game has changed alot for good and bad. Badge hunting use to be fun ( to some resepcts still is) there was nothing like landing on top of a building to discover that first exploration badge. There was nothing like being in Striga and beating up on Vamps and Wolves seeing those badges appear. So when the Vet rewards came out I saw it as a thanks to those who made a commitment to the game early and to those who make a commitment on going.

So I may be 2 or 3 vet badges behind but I see it as my place in line and when I reach those milestone that my predecessors have reached I will feel good about myself cause I made a commitment to the game and have earned the badges.

I can feel the pain of the new commers who have to start out with image of OMG I have to play for 4 more years to get that badge but remember new guys us Old timers have had to deal with our powers getting nerfed after a new issue comes out. Imagine respecting 16 times cause a power that was awesome is not so anymore or a power that wasnt awesome is now better or even respec due to PVP then to respec again for PVE (for those that remember one build slots). So we vets have faced our pains and the vet reward is our little prize.

Veterans deserve vet rewards. Period.

Our dedication and money has supported this game's development.

We've been here through more than new players. We've suffered the nerfs, the lag, the bugs, the crashes more than new players. We have provided game data for the devs to mine and improve the game.

I would be upset if some newbie could shell out money for veteran rewards. These were earned. It's not a $5 jetpack or $10 magic pack, it's a reward. And rewards are earned.

New players haven't earned them... but if they stay they will. Every 3 months just like me.

Just "wow"

I'm amazed at how much ********'s going on about Free Stuff!

Remember guys Vet Rewards are an extra. There's no obligation for their provision and they are designed to fit in with the game. Sure, some aren't exactly setting the world on fire, but some are very very good - but I genuinely believe that for the most part the rewards sit nicely on the line of a free jolly without imbalancing the game (which is after all, their point.)

No, you - like me - won't get every vet reward going. Life's like that. To quote Sir Mick "You can't always get what you want." To suggest that VRs should be halted just so you can get them is selfish at best.

I certainly don't wish to deprive my colleagues of their VRs simply because I won't achieve them all. Where would it stop? All the other badges? Should we award the Passport badge to those who shouldn't get it?

To those who are screaming "I want" I say "get a grip!"

"You got to dig it to dig it, you dig?"
Thelonious Monk

As a returning player, I am a little disappointed that these Veterans rewards are so powerful. New costume pieces, additional costume slots, respec tokens, costume change credits, additional characters slots, even rename credits are great and are great fluff items for vets. But game changing times like allowing travel skills at level 6 without the predecessor, and skills that effect combat are a little much. A player with fly is at a significant advantage over a character with just hover. Why would anyone take teleport foe/friend when they can just take teleport?

Since there is no way I will be playing this game for another 5 years, I might as well say these parts do not exist. Add this to the Bonus packs that give combat bonuses, it adds to appearance that NCSOFT is very willing to sell combat advantages.

I will enjoy this game for a month or two, might return for Going Rogue. The game has improved greatly since I left (after issue 3) but the escalating power of veteran rewards is not one of them.

IMHO, many of the veteran rewards should be rolled down in months as the come out. until they are one reward per month. for example the 66 month reward would become 64 months after a month, 62 months after 2 until it gets to be a 22 month reward (in 2 years). That way true veterans will get rewards every three months but new players will get to see and use the rewards in a reasonable time frame.

I may be a little jealous of the veterans flying at level 6, and having skills I will not be able to have for 5+ years, but that jealousy is also making me rethink if I really want to bother returning for Going Rogue.

After reading 13 pages of this, I thought I'd join the discussion.

I feel quite strongly that Eiko-chan is correct. I have just gotten my 12-month badge, and I find it rather disheartening that there are 4+ more years of vet badges to go with no end in sight. Am I tempted to hop on over to that other superhero MMO, just so I can get in at the beginning? Yes, very much so. Yes, it bothers me that much.

One somewhat-simple 'fix' for this is for the veteran rewards to stop giving out unique powers eventually. If, after 66 months, the only reward given out was a repeating extra character slot, a costume change token, and a once-a-year free respec, I'd be happy with that. But that's not the way it's set up right now. Instead, there are unique powers that are simply unavailable until you've put in the time, and what looks like a promise of even MORE unique powers to come, indefinitely.

Don't try to downplay the power of some of these toys. Is being able to get a travel power at level 6 REALLY not that powerful? At that level, non-veterans are still experiencing the massive pain of having to slog everywhere. Even the veteran attack powers are non-trivial, as they will help a veteran character survive with one less attack at low levels, allowing them to gain an extra utility power pick instead.

This looks suspiciously like power creep to me. Veteran characters are simply more powerful than non-veteran characters. They get piled-up free respecs, so they can fix mistakes in power selection more easily. They get extra attack powers, both melee and ranged. Now they get access to travel powers without needing to take a lower-level power first. How long will it be before the veterans have all the power pools unlocked at level 6, and can just take Tough or Weave or Resuscitate or Phase Shift or whatever without taking the prerequisites?

This needs to stop.

-Cayenne