Skill Locks and Amnesty

[donnallg]

<blockquote><hr>

Just to throw a bone in the works here, having locks based on 'paid' time WILL affect certain current members.

I do know of players that activate their accounts every 2.5 months. So technically they are getting a year's worth of age/locks for less then 6 months worth of subscription.

They skill the few new locks for a week or two and then their accounts go dormant/unpaid again for another 2.5 months.

So based on 'paid' time, some players would actually lose locks.

(Which I will not weep over because I always thought it was wrong to those of us who have never lapsed in payment.)

I am an absolute supporter of locks based on paid time. It will be an incentive to keep accounts paid yet players will not lose the time they've paid.

I wonder when the people who believe they should get what they did NOT pay for show up?

It would be nice to delete and recreate in either EAland/TC3 without fear of losing locks. Always did seem wrong to have to start a sim over with nothing after paying years on an account. (I have a 1k plus sim in TC3 that would love to be recreated at the moment....based on entitlement....instead of devs trying to fix it...I could just delete recreate and other then skills....I would still have that sim with locks.)

I believe it was mentioned to about tying the sim object limit to the paid time on the account too wasn't it?

(BTW....Since when can we only skill in TC3?)

[/ QUOTE ]

I have had lapse times in my account but I had good reasons for this. After having these locks for so long, I would be rather upset to have locks taken away from me.

I would like the locks based on age much better if nothing was taken away from the sims that we decide not to delete. But if I decided to delete a sim then I would like to know that I could start another one at my entitlement age.

 

[donnallg]

<blockquote><hr>

The game isn't going to last very long if the 'long time' players are the only people that get any attention or consideration.

[/ QUOTE ]

The Long time players are the only ones that know what the game was like, therefore thet new players have nothing to base their wants or needs for the game on.

If you don't take care of your long time players, then the game won't stay long term.

 

[donnallg]

<blockquote><hr>



There is a famous quote about what happens to people who don't look back and learn. Probably a few books on the topic as well.

Listening to the old timers with ruffled feathers is more likely to produce optimal results for the future. Not only do old timers know enough about the game to be ruffled, they care enough to have invested hundreds of dollars to play through the months when others left.

New players are important, but they will fall away if the stale, feather-ruffling issues are not addressed creatively and constructively.

[/ QUOTE ]

Well Said!!

 

[donnallg]

<blockquote><hr>

I wonder if the ones against skill locks being changed to paid status rather than sim age are the ones who paid for a month and then let their account lapse for 3 months? I really don't think that's fair. The ones who have paid for their accounts without a lapse in payment are definitely entitled to their skill locks. I am all in favor of the skill locks remaining with the account as well as the gifts, regardless of whether you recreate your sim or keep the original.

[/ QUOTE ]

Wonder no longer. I have had lapses in my account and don't want to lose the locks I have. I was never gone for more than 2 months at a time. I would have never let my account lapse then if I had a choice. I think buying diapers for my kid was a little more important than paying for a game for 2 months. But now that I have the locks, I do not want to lose them.

There are many of us that have had lapses in the game for one reason or another. Not all of us were doing it to take advantage. RL just happen to get in the way at time.

 

[Guest]

The point to this is, people have used this "pay every 3 months" as an exploit. You shouldn't get what you didn't earn. Plain and simple.

(And by earn, I mean pay for)

 

[donnallg]

<blockquote><hr>

Oh I know people that do that and trust me....I call them cheap sorry TSO abusers everytime....right to their faces!!! Many of these people did it intentionally!

[/ QUOTE ]

I have intentionally done this but not to be an abuser. I had financial problems and wasn't able to pay every month. So I would pay on the 2nd or 3rd month so as not to lose my sims and had to struggle to pay for that. And because of that I'm a "cheap sorry TSO abuser"? I think not!! I'm just not as financial stable as some that can pay continuous for years. Believe me I would have liked to pay and play all the months since I first started back in July 2004.

Not everyone is out here to abuse the system, but we would like to continue to keep what we have. I don't think we that are still here should have to suffer in "hopes" of others to return.

 

[Guest]

Knowing Dutch from her posts, I would say she is refering to people that do it just because. I really don't believe she would say that to someone that had a legitimate reason for doing it.

 

[donnallg]

<blockquote><hr>

So while myself and others paid our full dues, there were others that were willing to ride along on our backs and investing as little into the game as possible but still reap the game rewards.

[/ QUOTE ]

You are missing that we don't reap all the game rewards. We still have to wait out our days for our anniversary gifts.

For the longest, that was the only thing to look forward too. Well actually it still is the only thing to look forward to IMO. Nothing has been added that interests me.

There are lots of changing being made to the game and to be honest, I think some things need to not change. Most are for "re-vamping the game", but I would like to have some things stay the same. I'm all for improving the game but I'm not for totally changing it.

 

[donnallg]

<blockquote><hr>

The point to this is, people have used this "pay every 3 months" as an exploit. You shouldn't get what you didn't earn. Plain and simple.

(And by earn, I mean pay for)

[/ QUOTE ]

I understand that people have used this as an exploit. But I have not used it to gain locks and be cheap about it. But because I wasn't financially able to pay for months, I should have my locks taken away from me after they were given to me? I don't see the fairness in that.

I don't expect anyone but those that have been in my situtation to understand.

 

[Guest]

<blockquote><hr>

<blockquote><hr>

The point to this is, people have used this "pay every 3 months" as an exploit. You shouldn't get what you didn't earn. Plain and simple.

(And by earn, I mean pay for)

[/ QUOTE ]

I understand that people have used this as an exploit. But I have not used it to gain locks and be cheap about it. But because I wasn't financially able to pay for months, <u>I should have my locks taken away from me after they were given to me?</u> I don't see the fairness in that.

I don't expect anyone but those that have been in my situtation to understand.

[/ QUOTE ]

Sorry, had to laugh a little at that. I see your point though.

 

[Guest]

Sorry but I dont see them taking any locks away from those of you who got them even when they werent paid for, I cant see why they wouldnt be a grandfathered.

I say this again because it seems to have become the main issue of the thread. The question isnt "should those who have locks they shouldnt lose them", the question is "should players who dont have the number of locks they payed for get them back."

 

[donnallg]

<blockquote><hr>

Sorry but I dont see them taking any locks away from those of you who got them even when they werent paid for, I cant see why they wouldnt be a grandfathered.

I say this again because it seems to have become the main issue of the thread. The question isnt "should those who have locks they shouldnt lose them", the question is "should players who dont have the number of locks they payed for get them back."

[/ QUOTE ]

It would be nice to get my locks back for the entitlement age on my sims that are younger than that as long as none are taken away from the one that is older.

So I guess really my vote is either way as long as I don't lose anything. Yes I'm selfish, I know.

 

[Guest]

<blockquote><hr>

<blockquote><hr>

The point to this is, people have used this "pay every 3 months" as an exploit. You shouldn't get what you didn't earn. Plain and simple.

(And by earn, I mean pay for)

[/ QUOTE ]

I understand that people have used this as an exploit. But I have not used it to gain locks and be cheap about it. But because I wasn't financially able to pay for months, I should have my locks taken away from me after they were given to me? I don't see the fairness in that.

I don't expect anyone but those that have been in my situtation to understand.

[/ QUOTE ]

But with all due respect donallg, you say that you didn't pay not to be cheap, but because you couldn't.....but how is EA supposed to know that and separate that from those that really did have the money but CHOSE not to pay just because they'd rather have paid for something else? They can't, if they take away from one they have to take away from all who don't deserve it under the new system. What you're suggesting would be as unfair to other people as the way they are are talking now, and then you'd not understand since you said that only those who are in that situation can understand.

It's a double edged sword and a situation that has to be looked at from ALL vantage points, not just one's own.

 

[donnallg]

<blockquote><hr>

But with all due respect donallg, you say that you didn't pay not to be cheap, but because you couldn't.....but how is EA supposed to know that and separate that from those that really did have the money but CHOSE not to pay just because they'd rather have paid for something else? They can't, if they take away from one they have to take away from all who don't deserve it under the new system. What you're suggesting would be as unfair to other people as the way they are are talking now, and then you'd not understand since you said that only those who are in that situation can understand.

It's a double edged sword and a situation that has to be looked at from ALL vantage points, not just one's own.

[/ QUOTE ]

My comments are not with EA knowing my situtation or not. That was because some were lumping all of us that have more locks than entitlement days as Freeloaders.

Like I said earlier I would have liked to paid and played the full 3+ years. And I also said that now that I have the locks I would hate to have them taken away from me.

I do have 2 accounts that have more entitlement days than sim age. So like I said either way doesn't matter to me, whether they change it or not. I just really don't want anything that I do have, no matter how I got it, taken away since I've became accustom to them.