Hey, chicken little, get a grip.

For one, DDO is quite possibly the best suited game on the market to be altered to an F2P model. The game was already modular in design to begin with. Regarding your inability to let people play the game the way they want to while you play it the way you want to, well, I don't know what to tell you but you really do need to get a grip.

By all accounts the conversion to the new model has breathed new life into what was once thought a completely failed IP. Honestly, seek help.

For those about to down rate this comment cause you think I'm being such a prick, think of this not as a flaming comment but more of an intervention for all those gamers out there that have a problem letting options be just that.

No one is demanding you use the DDO store. No one has said that LOTRO will be getting a similar store. If it bothers you so much that developers are finding themselves in need of a new economic model then perhaps rather than lamenting the downfall of society and woe upon us all that instead you get a friend to subscribe.

Beyond that, may I suggest repeating this mantra, "The sky is not falling. It's just a game."

Well, thanks for the contructive comments there... I won't lower the tone further because they're not even very good flames, but anyway:

I'm not lamenting anything, well kind of as it is sad, but not the end of the world. And no, it's not worth anyones mortgage, if it keeps people in jobs well cool, no game is worth anyone being thrown out of a job, but don't pretend it's not ironic at least that you can pay to 'fix a D20'

But as I say: it's this endless push to make everything item shop based that is irriating beyond belief. In an odd way this whole trend is taking peoples choices away. Long may f2p live, honestly, but leave the rest of the games alone please.

I hope your comments are NOT downrated because you have a point: you want your style games and I want mine, in a weird way we kind of agree. The problem I see is that it's being pushed out everywhere and I genuinly think all that's going to happen is that most core players of the sub games are just going to be totally alienated.

The rest has already been said. Personally not that bothered, I'll have time to do the other things I've been meaning to do for a while now, but as for all this propaganda - and no, not just here - please lay off now.

And finally: the way the EU shop is worded strongly indicates that an item pack is sold as stand alone, and state that more are on the way. No grounds at all for suspicion there :) ?

You said, "in an odd way this whole trend is taking people's choices away".

Elaborate.

And, understand, I didn't jump on your comment because I think you're a crazy person. I just don't understand where you're coming from.

DDO as it is now isn't very different from the way it was a few months ago. The only difference now is I'm not paying a monthly fee.

As for LOTRO and the "Adventure Pack" I don't see that as a harm either. It's some extra character slots, shared storage and a goat. None of those things give a player a leg up on any other player. They're an extra thing you can tack on to your subscription.

As for correcting a D20, yeah. Well, some folks cheat. Personally, I'm not interested in buying things from item shops that make a game easier. That's just me and, I imagine, you. But, these games, they're not a competition.

You might be right, I came across badly there. As they say 'my bad'

For EU players (only I believe) on the official web site is mention of the 'Loot bag' offer - the usual sort of crap that goes with pre ordering an expansion pack, but for sale without the expansion - a chance to buy items really. Buried away on the site was something about 'more offers to come' of the same variety (Non freebies with the xpansion pack but stand alones) I wish I could find the link again now but I don't have time - or energy, been a long day, forgive me :)

Again: if you really didn't want to see item shops in the games you play, what would you think? Of course someone may have really screwed up website there.

As for f2p in general: Not a fan to say the least but let everyone do what they want; there does seem to be a lot of what smells like propaganda about it at times though, like it's a softening up campaign to prepare a skeptical core base of subs folks for what's going to be universal soon. I'd sooner see a mix, but as I say, it's not the end of the world, but a bit sad if it's too be.