kgrieve wrote:I think that crystals primarily were added to allow new players to participate after a shorter time and is a method of bringing new players into the game.
I see Outposts as a resource, they produce desirable materials, Elevation Crystals, Flowers (Intelligence, Wisdom, etc) and crafting materials. They are also closed off, unlike harvested materials or quartered materials, and that is done deliberately to create a desire to own one. The envy, greed and distrust that we see is a result of seeing something that you don't have access to or wanting more of. The Outposts are deliberately arranged so they belong to one guild and this is solely to create a potential war situation.
A significant factor is Nevrax's financial position. Since the most successful games, such as Eve, Guild Wars or War of Warcraft have a significant amount of PvP then it was probably easier for Nevrax to raise money by citing these as elements that would increase the number of players and revenue. It is much easier to 'sell' financial recovery by comparing to a successful game than to strike out on some new and bold path. Only based on experience of a similar situation, I guess that the Outposts, towers and other PvP elements were part of the conditions to get the finances.
Nevrax obviously have a plan to increase PvP content and are following it alongside the R2 development.
The Outposts and their materials are supposed to be the trigger and reason for war.
Thank you Kindle, you saved me a lot of writing
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The only thing I would add is that the crystals are fairly obviously intended to help new players level up quickly to a point where they can have significance in the new Outposts/Spires endgame.
From a personal point of view, I used a few that I got from Christmas presents, but won't be using any more. Free xp of any sort has always diminished my enjoyment of MMOs and the sense of achievement I get. As others have said, it is the journey that I enjoy.
