I didn't think there was much point in making any kind of heartfelt or emotional post over this matter, but since the discussion is being forwarded to management I want them to hear this. It's very personal and probably sounds really entitled, but it's how I feel.
15 years I have supported your company even despite there being "better" options (pservers), I even kept a subscription the whole time without a break. I always believed that with the right support things would get better. I loved playing RO and committed all of my gaming time to it, not only for myself but for the community.
I can kind of understand why this decision was made, after all those EU fines are pretty scary. But are they really worth the loss of players who have spent thousands over the years and possibly the years to come? Is it worth breaking and destroying guilds and communities? Regardless of all the options laid out to us, my guild can't continue as they lose access to the shared accounts we have worked on for years. Everything they invested into the game as part of the team also goes to waste, no matter where they are from.
I always wanted to believe that RO had a future that wasn't just private servers. I've always put in not only the cash that you as a company benefited from but also my heart and soul into the community and keeping players playing. It doesn't matter if they were friend or foe, it made the game.
Now I'm seeing that the community has been ripped apart by this decision. One player is not "one player" they never are. For every player that quits, is banned or expelled, other players will follow them. Especially community leaders. In this case a whole server is pretty much killed off because of all the major guilds quitting/being banned.
I've had players reaching out to me asking if I'll be ok. Well I'm taking a huge portion of the community with me, so I'll probably survive personally....
But I worry for those players who have contacted me talking about the utter despair they have felt over this. It's honestly heartbreaking to listen to.
A lot of people are hurting over this decision, RO hasn't been just a game for many, but a part of their lifestyle. I wouldn't be surprised if someone does do something stupid because they're unable to come to terms with the loss that has been inflicted upon them. (and honestly if I wasn't on medication and this had happened a couple of years ago, I'd be among those players)
It's not just about the loss of all our stuff, or being expelled from participating the in community, it's also the betrayal. Two years have passed since that law was first announced. Two years WP have had to prepare. Two years they lied to everyone to just take the money. The very reason I played officials and laughed at private servers was because of the permanence that iRO had to offer. We don't even get a transfer, which unpalatable at best would be easier to swallow than losing everything.
Personally, I'm heartbroken. It's a lot to lose and it hurts like nothing I felt before. I'm aware of how stupid that sounds, but that's the reality of things at ground level. RO isn't just a job or means to make money for many players, as I mentioned before it's part of their lives.
Nothing can fix this. Even a shift in policy now won't heal the broken trust with the players. WP had so many options and they picked the one that hurt their players the most. Even the intermediate type options such as a transfer didn't even come into consideration.
I want to say I wish WP all the best for the future, but frankly the feelings are too raw to do so. I see they've damaged their entire playerbase, not just the EU players, but everyone who played with, against, was friends with, interacted with, took part in events by European players. Almost literally everyone and if they're not part of my list there, then they are affected by the server losing so many players. It's an MMO but without the "mass multi" it's too small for that anymore.
I loved playing, running a guild and doing events. I enjoyed helping out where I could. Being a volunteer to help out with the game was rewarding, I doubt any other game will ever come close, provided of course, I could open my heart to another game after such a betrayal.
Thanks for everything, I wish things had worked out differently.
- Nicola.
Edited by Xellie, 30 April 2018 - 12:18 PM.