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Have You No Common Decency, Sir?
2002-07-22 04:10:20 - Furor Planedefiler
Some people would call me an avid Everquest player, perhaps to the point of fanaticism. If I were to describe myself to another person, however, my life with Everquest would more than likely be a tale left untold. It's as if I lead a secret life: During the day I work, on weekends I go out with my friends and see my family, but on weekdays, once I'm home from work, I play Everquest. Rabidly.
I have always been able to justify my playstyle. Playing Everquest is something I do for fun. I enjoy the time I spend in Norrath, and for several years, I not only had respect for the people that made this game but I also had faith - my faith in these idealists that brought this world to life and maintained this world as a sort of second home.
These people had integrity. Unfortunately, these people no longer work on Everquest. These people work for companies like Sigil and Blizzard. Integrity has left the building ladies and gentlemen and with that integrity, my faith left as well...
What remains at Verant Interactive is a money making behemoth. The customer.. the player... We have been reduced to cattle. We are a cash crop. Customer Service is now non existant, unless you play on a Legends server, in which case you receive the most corrupt customer service money can buy. A server riddled in hypocrisy. The irony so thick, one would need a blowtorch and powertools to cut through the fog.
It is no secret that "The Vision," is dead. "The Vision," is now a punchline. "The Vision," is now used to buy those in the "golden handcuffs" their new Porsche or Ferrari.
What is my point? Where am I going with all of this? Are these the ramblings of a mad man? I will leave you to be the judge and jury. I will simply present the facts. Just the facts.
http://www.playerauctions.com/listings/details/index.cfm?itemnum=1027258615
http://www.veeshanvault.org/forums/viewtopic.php?t=275
Is this what we've been reduced to? Stormhammer, a server born of a bet, is steadily destroying what little integrity and balance is left in Everquest. The corruption doesn't just remain on Stormhammer, it invades our homes. Whether you are on Veeshan or you play on Terris Thule, Stormhammer can and WILL corrupt your game world. It is a disease that cannot be stopped.
People like the dirtbags in the previous links use Stormhammer to set up 'shop.' From there, their smuggling begins. Whether it's to buy low and sell high from server to server, which is as easy as getting a free name change and asking a GM to move your character to -insert whatever server you wish to infect here- or whether you are simply running a courier system to transfer such things as Celestial Rifts for the final combine of the Vex Thal key; Stormhammer is the marketplace for any form of economic debauchery one can dream.
The irony. The hyporcisy. A server like Stormhammer, where you have to actually KILL a mob to be able to participate in a GM enforced rotation of spawns, is now the gateway to allow any server, any person, to enter Vex Thal without participating in a single obligatory time sink.
Do you need to camp for your own Emperor key? Shissar bane weaponry? Establish any form of a plan to actually take down the Emperor to get your own power sources? Not anymore. You may now make purchases of Celestial Rifts from low lives like, Krurk, and others from servers all over the gameworld. The most intriguing part about all of this is - IT'S SANCTIONED BY VERANT.
Are players supposed to be able to transfer to Stormhammer with all of their gear and then transfer off Stormhammer to ANY server of their choice with all of their gear and bank accounts intact? According to the Legends ruleset, no, but according to reality, yes, very easily. Are GMs on Legends supposed to reset zones for players at will? No, they sure are not, but does that mean they do not? You bet they do. What you see on paper and what is actually practiced on the Legends server are two different things entirely.
The bet is won Mr. Smedley. The losers, rather, the casualties, are your players. This is only the beginning.
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