Not sure if it’s too late for basic changes like this, but now that it’s confirmed that we’re getting the same limits on those features as kTOS, I feel like I have to voice my opinion once more.
1:1 Trading
How it works on kTOS and how it’s apparently going to be on iTOS:
-default: Disabled altogether
-with active Token: can trade 1:1 with other people, but only those who have Token active as well
–also comes with several limits (limited amount of trades, silver cannot be traded etc…)
Considering the fact that there is all sorts of limits that can be applied to restrict trading, I fail to understand why it is completely disabled for non-Token-users, rather than just having way stricter limits.
Not being able to trade Silver in either case is perfectly fine.
But when it comes to items, given that there is already the whole “potential”-mechanic, completely disabling it for default is overkill, because it also disables one-way trading/gifting from Token-users.
Personally, I’d make it like this:
Anyone can open a trade-window with anyone. But what they can actually drag into the Trade depends on their Token status.
-No Token would mean say maximum 5 individual items per day (allowing new players to switch the occasional “wrong” weapon drops from a quest boss with a different player).
-Token users can trade say 50 items per day, perhaps even put a limit on how many of the same item can be traded in bulk (10?), but that would have to treat different items differently of course (gems, Talt and whatnot having tighter restrictions.)
In both cases, silver still disabled. In regards to Silver, it brings me to the next feature…
Team Storage
I understand the need to restrict trading (silver in particular!), but in regards to storage/sharing items and silver among your own characters, I have no idea why that would have to be restricted at all.
I mean, especially when IMC has more than once previously talked about their philosophical standpoint that the player is not his character, but his team. In other words, we are meant to create multiple different characters and switch between them as we please. The party and guild system is made with that in mind (you switch your character but stay in the party/guild).
So why on earth would a Team-Storage not be a fundamental feature?
There is specific “crafting” and “selling” classes in the game, that people want to use for gaining extra silver. But in this state, that is sort of pointless, as you have to gain silver on each character separately anyway.
The Team-storage system currently on kTOS (and coming to iTOS in that form):
-disabled for non-Token users
-Token users get 1 item slot in team storage (and can buy a few more for 200k silver each I believe), but the items also lose “potential” just like they would in a trade.
And since both of the issues I mentioned so far relate to it, let me talk about the
Token system
The basic idea is nice. However I think the execution could use quite a bit of fine tuning.
The way I see it, it’s currently both, too expensive and enabling features that are too basic. (you want majority of the players purchasing Tokens in different degrees, not have a richer minority purchase more than they need in order to sell them via AH to the rest of the server…)
I mean, whenever I look at the list of things it offers, it’s not clear what it’s trying to be, as on one side it gives “quality of life”-buffs, like an overall EXP boost, a slightly faster movement speed, learning more than one attribute… and on the other side it gives access to core features that are otherwise completely blocked, like the mentioned 1:1 trading and team-storage.
I’ve got the following suggestion:
Make core features a one-time payment. You unlock these once and then use them forever.
Making up numbers here, but say 100TP to unlock Team storage (even if just one slot and each additional slot for 10TP or whatever…), 200TP to be able to trade up to 10 items per day instead of it being disabled, 200TP for the reduced tax in the auction house etc.
Or make it a separate different kind of Token THAT LASTS A YEAR for 400TP or something similar (call it Amulet instead or something to avoid confusion.)
My point is: CORE FEATURES should be in the same category as character slots/lodges. You enable them and are good to go.
The existing Token would then be left with granting “quality of life”-buffs, like:
-30% EXPboost
-4 movement speed
-multiple attibute learning
-twice as fast regenerating free TP
-twice as high maximum of regenerating TP
-a few additional dungeon-runs
…
while having its cost reduced closer to at least half of its current value.
With THAT system, a player would want to spend that one-time/yearly $$$ for the core features, while spending additional $$$ on the buffs-Token for the months when you intend to play hardcore.
I mean you have this distinction in the cash-shop already!
- “additional character slots” are the same category as the “access to core features” from the Token should be treated as
- “cosmetics/random items in the cash shop” is the same category as the “quality of life” aspects of the Token should be
The first category is: showing basic support for the game in exchange for core features
The second category is: additional profit on top of that from richer players
Instead, right now it’s an overpriced impractical mess of a pseudo-subscription.