[...] This endless upkeep whine is silly. You can wear gear for 25k and still earn money. You don't NEED better gear. It's nice to have sometimes but you don't NEED it. I wear gear worth 29k and I'm neither making nor losing money. Just wear cheaper stuff. My melee char with cheap ass gear regularly tops the boards. [...]
This is exactly what I do not understand about the people saying upkeep is cool: new players should just give up and use cheap gear while the veterans run in full plate all day. As designed.
If you don't NEED it, if it's not that important: why limit it's availability?
For what it's worth: A buddy who has the game, loves it, but don't want to play cRPG because of one reason - upkeep. He wanted to play a Cav, told him it's expensive so he should wait a few generations... because he'll start paying upkeep past level 25.
How long is a few generations? he asked.
I answered: well, i played roughly 60-70 hours I think, I'm closed to retiring for the second time...
He never played cRPG again.
I'd love to see if the majority of the pro-upkeeps are veteran players, or new players. I understand the need and design reasoning behind the "work hard and you get a cookie" idea. But not all players have 20 hours a week to pump into a single game. I certainly do not want to "work" in a game, got enough of that already.
And the servers will be boring when only veterans are around as new blood is always castrated upon birth.
This game/mod requires a lot of skill and training: that's a large enough obstacle before becoming competitive. Upkeep just drowns some good swimmers that don't know they can swim yet.
Too hardcore, even for a hardcore game.
Leave the grinding to WoW freaks, let skill prevail in cRPG.
And that is what we currently have. I doubt most people could beat Greifenherz/Atze equipped with light armour and scythes/quarter staffs, even if they had plate and poleaxes. I've managed to kill lots of plate wielders as a low lvl guy with cloth armour and a cheap mace. The "good" armour and "good" weapons doesn't gives you an edge but it's not the main factor in who wins a fight.
Still, I do think we need more variety in the weapons and equipment used. But having low/no upkeep would make
everyone able to use plate/horses/bodkin/arbalest. So who should be the guys with the best equipment? The "new" guys? How would that work in a way that isn't easily abusable? They tried to ease the beginning for new guys with the no-upkeep before lvl 25, gen 1. See how that is already abused. Instead of whining about the upkeep, you need to think of ways to make it easier for the new guys without making it even easier for the "old" players.
If we removed upkeep, what would keep the "old" players from using the expensive stuff all the time? The game would be MUCH harder for new players compared to what it is now. That is how it was before and that is how it will be if we take it away.
Also, to your friend. He should be able to play as cav just fine. He just won't be able to use the most expensive horses and weapons. Playing with the rouncey, a lance and a military scythe or quarterstaff is what I did when I was in my secound gen and upkeep was introduced. It's not the best gear, but you can still earn money. The weapons are good enough, but looting might still be worth it.
