Other > Suggestions

Playtest Deposit

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Lonelylurker:
Fonline is not, and for legal reasons cannot be, a pay-to-play MMO.

While good in many ways it means that there is no way to restrict number of accounts per player. This leads to some serious problems:

1) Endless specialized alts for every purpose.

2) No meaningful way to sanction or remove problem players. Griefers, exploiters, trolls, and outright cheaters can act with impunity to spoil the game for legitimate players because even if they get caught and banned they can just make another account and be back in business.

#2 in particular drives people away and seriously jeopardizes the long-term future of the game.


My proposed solution is to require a modest, say 10USD, deposit to register an account. This could be sent by paypal and would be refundable, with the resultant closure of the account, at any time while the account remains in good standing. If an account is suspended then the deposit will be frozen for the duration of the suspension. A banned account has it's deposit forfeited as a donation to the keep-the server-running fund. The TOS agreement signed as part of creating an account would authorize such measures.

This would restrict the number of alts running around and drastically improve the play quality of the game without violating the not-for-profit nature that enables it to exist. No money is being made, even the forfeiture for being banned is donation, agreed upon in advance. 

Slaver Snipe:
This seems like a silly way to keep people from playing tbh, many who play are young and might not be able to afford it to hold 10$ in escrow, or the fact that not everyone uses pay pal.

Senocular:
Wow, you seem to be new here, let me show you around the place...


Alts aren't an issue just because people can have them but because they HAVE TO have them.
-need more than one tent? get an alt
-need ammo supply? get crafter alt
-want to do some pvp? get ape alt
-want to get from NCR to New Reno in less than an hour? get outdoorsman alt
-want have more proffessions? can't do, get another alt

Alt-per-player ratio will lower not if you restrict one account per persona, but if you encourage people to play with one character. With the current number of players, that is - roughly 200 during a day, with your dumb idea implented will lower to maybe 10, if we are lucky. Not to mention how easy your concept is abusable. You know WoW? Yes, it is p2p game, yet it doesn't stop anyone from multiboxing:

Lonelylurker:
Actually I've been around quite a while, I just don't post much.

You do not HAVE TO have alt's, they are useful for all the reasons you mentioned but not NECESSARY, It's just that currently there's no reason NOT to have them so everyone DOES.

I'm all for encouraging people to play with one character but as long as alts continue to be such an easy way to specialize in EVERY possible way simultaneously who will?

While it's true that people could still get multiple accounts at there would a break on how prevalent they would be. As for multiboxing, well a $10 forfeiture every time you get caught should cut down on that some too, or at least pay for the server.

Your claim that a small deposit would drastically lower the player base seems unlikely as well; $10 is hardly a prohibitively vast sum, just enough to make you think twice before throwing it away. It's people being raging a$$holes in the game without consequence that makes most people quit.

Tomowolf:
OH please don't tell me we will have a paid game which isnt even completed.
and its like "TIS TEHARD AGIN" about alts and whining.
Its not even good suggestion, and stop complaining about game - If you don't like somewhere are SDK files , go make your own server with this system, and we will see how much people will play there :>.

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