This post is pretty much a short story.

[aliencreature]

TL;DR, thanks to PJ's summary.

OP I'm pretty curious what should be done to avoid this p2w system without sacrificing the bills that this company needs to pay on a monthly basis. I bet if you're able to give a better alternative, they might consider it.

[PenguinJoe]

I have tried. Got me nowhere so I don't try anymore. among some of what I proposed was:

1. Never EVER sell permanent goods on the IM that is not available in-game. For instance you can get pets in-game and level them to their end levels, but you have you buy a fusion component from the IM to morph them into Tier 2 pets. The only exception to this would be the permanent costumes since they provide no benefit on their own and the modifiers are timed.
2. Timed exp and stat boosters like scrolls, seals, talismans are ok as long as they are kept at a mid-low % (no higher than 30%) levels but there shjould be in-game drops of lower % versions of those in-game as drops. Wrath of Ohn scrolls should NEVER , EVER be sold on IM.
3. I see nothing wrong with charging for things like no-drop bags, treasury expansion and dungeon mounts. IMHO anything that gives one player a grossly unfair advantage over a player that cannot buy those same items should never be sold at any time for any reason. Nor should unique items be handed out as prizes since it provides unfair advantages to other players.
4. Do not apply blatantly lower rates when using an IM 'helper' item such as a preservation stone compared to the rate applied when no preservation stone is provided provided. Many of us have seen the almost 100% failure rate when trying to transmute an arrendal while using preservation stones as opposed to transmuting without one. this last is blatant cheating on the part of the game developer for force purchasing thousands of $$$ for very expensive preservation stones that actually cause transmutation failures to occur.

I could go on, but by the time I finish it would be a book that not even players would bother to read, much less staff.

The bottom line is that the game makes PWI money even with the relatively low population that is here. As long as that is true, it won't change. Necessity drives change. As long as changes like this are not necessary for continued existence, it won't change. That is business. Change costs known amounts of money. Money made from changes like these that can't be quantified does not happen.

[RBNXD]

Sad story iz true

[bosshunt]

Unless something radical changes this game is a lost cause really. There are a bunch of reasons why the population is not getting any bigger, and the decisions PWI is making do very little to solve that, or even worsen the situation further. A few points:

1. There isn't much to do here, which is the main problem.
If you look from the potential newbie's perspective there are only 2 activities: bot to level ∞ with HK (which means to not play the game), and do elemental dungeon. And if you've paid attention to the upcoming updates, minor dungeon will be changed to level 90 and up - they are taking away the only thing newbies can do in this game besides constant grind, so instead of 23/7 afk botting it'll be 24/7. Well done. *claps* I'd like to see how many would be willing to put up with such mindless activity for 90 levels straight.
If you look from the high level player's perspective until recently the imbalance between classes was ridiculous, and people were forced to either suck it up and stick to the OP classes, or walk away. Now there are at last some changes being made; so far it has been about shifting the OP status from one class to another, and the end result remains questionable.

2. PWI is enforcing the gap between the handful of people who've been hoarding in-game wealth for years, and the rest:
2.1 The big rewards from events are aimed at those who already have the best equipment.
2.2 Onyx tier stuff can be only farmed in mirror dungeons/WH, which first of all are heavily biased favoring magic and crit classes (who again are assumed to be well equipped),and secondly those places are being regularly cleaned by the elites/elitists who are either bored or butthurt about their opposing guild; often it does not make any difference whether you are from the enemy guild or a guildless person - as far as they comprehend it's the same. Same applies to Ronelia, and to a lesser degree to Upper Gratt.
2.3 Endgame equipment that was previously available on the IM has been discontinued, which prevents new players from joining the end game even if they have the funds and will to do it. The likely reason why they now put the pray thingy for sale is because new accessories are coming, so it's their last chance to make some money off of that item.

3. The game has always been P2W but years back both low and high levels managed to mostly keep to their own business; when a high level came to hunt lowbies it was either because they managed to piss off one of their friends/guildies, or do it in Assassination mode. Now the bored end gamers hunt noobs and higher level guildless people on a daily basis while cowering under MR buff, further driving away the already dwindling population.

4. The degree to which the production rates have been nerfed does not make sense, unless they do not plan on retaining existing/new players much longer and they do it a last resort to milk some money while they still can.

[Emrus]

[RBNXD]

Makes sense :l

[pimoh]

plus a broken DHAN/NOIR classes w/ a paid user DHAN Class doesnt use scrolls, just a party buff vs a full scrolled user still makes more sense too XD

[PenguinJoe]

I thing it would be more appropriate if the free user had one of these for a weapon:

I've always want to join ur guild

Oh that will never happen. They won't take just anybody.

[RBNXD]

I've always want to join ur guild

Make your own guild and done. None of the end game guilds are taking anybody as a guild member specially if they cant fight for them self and trust me that is a very long list of players in that anybody section :l

[bosshunt]

Yeah I know what u mean but what I really want is to be on an influential guild ya know.. lols

What's their influence?