I've played this game on and off since 2007 and since the beginning I've always felt it was a digital sandbox where all players start out on equal footing and venture forth to achieve their goals, whatever they may be.
The introduction of HeroPass and significant game changing buffs such as the -20% damage reduction is a red line that should have never been crossed. I find it completely unacceptable as it weakens an already fragile balance between healthy monetization vs. blatant pay-2-win mechanics where a player's credit card purchases hold more weight than the player's honest in-game efforts. I understand the incentive to make the HeroPass purchase appealing to players, but gatekeeping actual boss damage reduction and in-game power advantages is unacceptable.
I find myself now in the position, even as a paying monthly subscriber, that I am weaker in that instance taking an additional 20% damage from an NPC monster over someone who has more disposable income to purchase HeroPass (+ optional skips) to breeze through the content easier than myself.
It's been a good 16 years and I've formed a lot of great memories on this game but I think it's time to step back and take a long break, maybe check in on things months down the line to see if they've reverted the recent HeroPass update. Again this crosses the red line for me, I thought there was a sort of unspoken agreement between JMods and the playerbase that this would never happen. We grunted and dealt with EoC, Squeel of Fortune, Treasure Hunter keys, etc. but Hero Pass has gone too far.
The introduction of HeroPass and significant game changing buffs such as the -20% damage reduction is a red line that should have never been crossed. I find it completely unacceptable as it weakens an already fragile balance between healthy monetization vs. blatant pay-2-win mechanics where a player's credit card purchases hold more weight than the player's honest in-game efforts. I understand the incentive to make the HeroPass purchase appealing to players, but gatekeeping actual boss damage reduction and in-game power advantages is unacceptable.
I find myself now in the position, even as a paying monthly subscriber, that I am weaker in that instance taking an additional 20% damage from an NPC monster over someone who has more disposable income to purchase HeroPass (+ optional skips) to breeze through the content easier than myself.
It's been a good 16 years and I've formed a lot of great memories on this game but I think it's time to step back and take a long break, maybe check in on things months down the line to see if they've reverted the recent HeroPass update. Again this crosses the red line for me, I thought there was a sort of unspoken agreement between JMods and the playerbase that this would never happen. We grunted and dealt with EoC, Squeel of Fortune, Treasure Hunter keys, etc. but Hero Pass has gone too far.
Survivor of Winter 2017
07-Sep-2023 03:44:35 - Last edited on 07-Sep-2023 03:46:02 by 2007scaper
