Reports from a returner.

This will likely be derided, ignored or deleted simply because of what I am: a Premium returning after a long absence, 'whining about nothing'. Regardless, I feel the need to post, so I shall post. Isn't going to be a story or very interesting, most likely. Just what I've done or tried to do and how I've felt during it.

-Hmm, title looks nice enough. Who's the War Machine clone? Nice music.
Login. All my stuff's locked. Fair enough, just unlock. I'm sure my Mastermind will be unlocked once I....oh. Maybe not.

Ok, unlock my second character(15 Defender, Cold Mastery/Radiation). That works out. Let's look around.

Huh. I keep dying to street punks as minions at my level, no numbers or difficulty mods. Maybe they buffed the difficulty a bit. This girl mostly did teams to even get where she is.

Use build 2 to get a little more offence. It helps...a little. Still drop to a stiff breeze.

A piece of lunacy-I still have a quest from the Invention Tutorial. Upon completeing the quest, I cannot turn in, because you need a license to even talk to the guy. Customer support notes that I don't get response because I'm not VIP and suggests the wiki. Didn't answer the damm ticket.

Third unlock, Arachnos Widow 6 I'd made before Freedom, when they changed the level requirement down. He works. How strange.

What the heck happened to Mercy?! Fort Darwin's occupied by Longbow. Hell, most of the old area's occupied. And all of them outclass my Level 6 badly. Doing the contacts I have is a case of running like hell to the missions(a really long distance), and even in the missions my performance is...sad. This Dr.Graves thing seems interesting. 'Tell them I'm a noob'? 1. I may not even have to lie, the way I'm feeling. 2.Given the point of the Villain Elites is that we're sick of all those Destined Ones and are putting ourselves in the spotlight...

Fourth unlock: Electric/Electric Villain Brute 10 I'd made-I liked the though of destroying the END of all enemies, rendering them all entirely useless. Well, she's more survivable than the others, certainly. She's still caught in Mercy and the strangeness there. The New Mercy City looks nice, though-what little I've seen.

Cut off most outgoings due to card issues(You know what sucks? Having one of those top up credit cards and having NOWHERE TO TOP IT UP ANYWHERE-most everywhere that used to, doesn't anymore, even places their website says does, do not), spend cash on unlocking Mastermind. I can use my first and most used character again! 37, Necro/Pain. 6 Paragon Merits now, from 4.

Find Inventions are blocked. Well, I guess. Should sell off all this crappy salvage and Invention Recipies. Not like I used them before, nor will again.

You know what I really wish? That dragging Inspirations to minions was't hit-and-miss. You can't tell what you've dragged it on as they don't highlight.

My minions are OK-ish. Single Origins in most powers, used respec to get Inherant Fitness, have Leadership Auras. I was damm lucky that in the old days a kind man I teamed with gave me a massive amount of Infamy.

Doing Sirroco's missions. Fighting Silver was messy, and I may have to auto-complete fighting Barracuda. Why? My minions won't attack when swimming and the map's nothing but water aside from a few ships. I can take the Eagles alone, but not the Chasers.

No one's around on Union.

Seems weird that even higher Inspirations are under a wall.

Looked at these forums. Guides still don't apply, now moreso than ever. Looked at topics-very much a case of 'dirty freeloaders deserve nothing but contempt for daring to do or ask anything.' Not just from the posters(whenever a Premium has piped up-which is rare in itself-they're shouted down), but where one is allowed to post.(can't talk to the 'European community', can't talk about powersets in their proper place, can't talk about much of anything.)

Will probably keep plugging away. Whole thing feels very sad and VERY lonely.

The main reason posts get derided, ignored, or deleted is because they come in with guns blazing and act angry, entitled, or both. Your post isn't either, so I wouldn't fear.

I think this really points to a problem someone else mentioned in another thread. There really ought to be a better explanation in-game of what you can and can't do. Like, if you have a character with IOs, there needs to be a pop-up saying "You've got IOs slotted. We're sorry, but without an Invention License or VIP subscription IOs will not work." Something that helps a Premium not feel quite so alone, even if it's just nudging them to pay more money. Something that provides grounding and context for why things are the way they are.

Admittedly, I really haven't seen the game from a Premium POV, so I don't know if such things actually do exist somewhere.

Edit: But, yes, Paragon wants you to spend money. So they're going to restrict non-essential aspects of the game. The takeaway shouldn't be "Premiums are second-class," but instead "Being a VIP is so much better, and it's easy to be one." How effective Paragon is at communicating that subtext is something else altogether.

When returning to a game that has had changes made, especially after a long absence, it's often a good idea to familiarize yourself with what has changed.

From the CoH website, I'd recommend the Freedom: Player Choices page, particularly the Side-by-Side Comparison tab.

From the ParagonWiki site, I'd recommend the Paragon Rewards Program page and the Issue page. From the Issue page there are links to each Issue that has been released so that you can start reading about what changes were made to the game since you left. Since it also gives the release dates, it's easy to tell what has come out since you've been away.

As a Premium player you do not have access to in-game support as you've already seen. You do however still have support options available through the City of Heroes Support site. If you haven't created a Support account yet then you will need to create one before being able to get help. The Support account is not the same as your Master account or your Game account, although it can use the same username and password when you create it, assuming that someone else hasn't created a Support account with that username already.

Some of the items you mentioned are available to Premium players by purchasing a License, such as the MasterMind license you purchaed. The Inventions license costs $2.00/month and there are other licenses available for purchase as well although I'm not as familiar with most of them.

I recommend you restart your characters.

if you want to play redside - play on Freedom. It is probably the only server with an active redside.

you can make MM's and all AT's on either side. So you can remake all blue if you want.

Everyone now gets the fitness pool (stamina) as an inherent, but old characters have to respec to get that. So it is easy to just start new and get them.

Plus there are enough changes that you will learn the characters.

If you really want to not be lonely, start a hero on freedom, go to Atlas Park and join a Death From Below team. The new version of the sewers. You will get a team of 8 quickly and be off and running.

Hey, Bloody. Welcome back. Sorry your return was that bumpy.

Obviously, every F2P transition is going to have some pain points- some things that were once part of the subscription have been gated away, either under smaller monthly fees or free if you're a high-enough tier Premium subscriber (you did apply the Paragon Points you've already earned? right?)

Unfortunately, you seem to have stumbled upon most of those pain points- archetype locks, IO locks, etc.

I do wish there was more ingame feedback for these as you stumble into them- yes, others will point to the info on the website and such, but you aren't the first to miss it.

Stick with it- if it makes you feel better, you really HAVE hit the worst of the barriers already.

Admittedly, I really haven't seen the game from a Premium POV

No one here has, it looks like. That's a problem in itself. There is no one with experience of the trip up without anything or very little. Hyperbole-It's much like 'rich vs poor' or 'haves vs have-nots'.

The takeaway shouldn't be "Premiums are second-class,"

That in itself would be a lie, because they certainly are. Actually, they're more like 3rd class or worse.

the game is miserable
You said it, not me, but...though the words are harsh, they are also true as I've seen it. The experience has been a poor one. I only paid to access she who was my first(Get your head out of the gutter), the one I spent the most time and work on. Buying more would be pointless, as there is nothing I truly desire in the entire list. Not even AE rewards.

The restrictions on premium do not lead me me to desire VIP. They lead to depresion and annoyance. Whilst this can be effective tactic for purchase, it's...the game should be saying '"You rock, but VIP can make you rock MORE!" Currently, it's "You want no not suck? Go VIP!" as it crushes you into the dirt. Can't explain it any other way, what with the deaths I've been taking on my weakers. You hit your buttons and still die against things your own level. Dunno why.

There was one nice thing I found: The Find Contact button. All right-level contacts, even unknown ones, show up in it, and you can warp to them if you haven't visted them already. That's a good feature.

If Premium players weren't treated as second class and VIP players treated better than them, there'd be no VIP players.

And if there were no VIP players, everyone would be treated worse than they are now, assuming there was still was a game to treat anyone any way.


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As a fellow premium player, I cant say Ive had a similar experience as yourself. That said, I do have enough Paragon Rewards earned that Im not locked out of much save for the itrials. The funny thing is, I dont use the AE, I dont use inventions, I dont pvp and I have zero interest in Praetoria or the trials.

Freedom has been a great thing for me! I can pick and choose just what I want to play.

I do sort of agree with this statement though;

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bloodly The restrictions on premium do not lead me me to desire VIP.

I feel I have TOO much for not paying. I would go back to subscribing but there just isnt that much incentive for me to. I feel VIPs should be getting all sorts of stuff for their subscription that make me want to subscribe but as it is right now, I dont feel that. Im not sure what NCSoft can offer players that would make me switch back at this point.

Welcome home

I'm not exactly a returner, but I've been playing less and less and dropped down to Premium. My biggest gripe is that the character that I've been playing the most, enough to get all T4 incarnate abilities and completely IO'd out is now essentially unenhanced unless I make a second build full of SOs, or spend the next $15 which I think gets me to the IO reward level.