@Poetry

"Not yet, but the internet is still in its infancy. Eventually, they'll be considered real products. "

I dont think that they'll be consider real products since they aren't real.

"I'm not one to just let people take my money."

They didn't take your money, you gave it to them. What will you do if they close SK? Are you going to sue OOO?

And you should read the terms of services.

@Poetry

You did say:

"But as a savvy consumer, i've used the FTC, BBB, CPD and Office of the Attorney General when i've had issues with companies that needed to be resolved. I'm not one to just let people take my money."

And why post ( see below ) if you didn't want to take action against OOO? or maybe you just want to Pressure them!

"[Bait Advertising as defined by the Federal Trade Commision.

"Sec. 238.2 Initial offer.

(a) No statement or illustration should be used in any advertisement which creates a false impression of the grade, quality, make, value, currency of model, size, color, usability, or origin of the product offered, or which may otherwise misrepresent the product in such a manner that later, on disclosure of the true facts, the purchaser may be switched from the advertised product to another."

I paid upwards of 6000-7000 CE to find the Max UV's, buy the recipes, and craft the items to make and fix the item that they inititally advertised as part of the game and now OOO's decides to change the item and force me to spend more CE :( "]"

^ What metagenic said.

Lets put this into comparison:
Sources of long-range pierce damage:
-Polyps
-lichen colonies
~rabid snarbolax (not a regular threat)

Sources of long-range shadow damage:
-howlitzers
-spookats
-devilites/overtimers
-greavers
~slag guards (not a regular threat)
~arkus (not a regular threat)

*not including mid-range attacks such as jelly cube spikes because you can easily shoot them out of their range or lunging close-range attacks such as spookat bites*

See how even if I include special mobs there are twice as many shadow damage threats In PvE? Even if you keep the piercing defense, the resistance was the lowest 5* pierce defense. You would take the same amount of hits from a flourish either way, just now you could have +6 health to take another hit.

i started playing SK somewhere May 2011, so it will be almost a year soon. It is the very first MMORPG game i played. Following the debates and discussion on the forum can sometimes be as interesting as the game itself. I dont know if all MMORPG games have an official forum page, but i think its a great way for the developers to get feedback from the consumers, whether they be F2P or P2P.

As developers, I guess they have a right to change game contents, along the way, whatever the reason behind the change. As developers and consumers, the relationship runs both ways. when i first started playing this game, i wondered how ppl would react to changes made to the gears we have equipped ourselves with. in some ways, i can understand why weapons and armour are modified on occasions. Maybe it is to nerf a weapon that was unfortunately too powerful, or maybe to improve on a weapon that was so useless that no one else would have bought it. so, i think little modifications is a bit like how policies changes time to time, so as to improve on a situation - and often ppl dont like changes anyway, so protests can be expected.

when i first started playing SK, i wanted a general purpose set too, but all too soon, i got farmiliar with what everyone else was telling me - general purpose set is understandable for F2P players, cos its the fastest way to get to end game, but if u stay around in the game long enough, u would want 3 distinct sets of defense. and so, from an elemental set of grey feathers (5*), i decided to grind for a piercing and a shadow set. it took me a very very very long time, and i am almost getting my 5* for both other sets (skolver & justifier mix for piercing and a skelly set for shadow). fortunately, i didnt try for the shadowsun, as my piercing set, or i would be very very upset, as this would mean, i wasted all my time, getting a piercing set, which is about to be converted to a shadow set (and i would then be left with 2 shadow set - skelly set and a shadowsun set).

as game developers, i guess they are entitled to make whatever changes, they feel necessary, to enhance the game, which may or may not be in the individual consumer's best interest. but i feel the question here is - to what extent are changes / modification acceptable ? i agree that a shadow set is more useful than a piercing set, but i guess we are having a discussion on this, in terms of principle (ie you shouldnt buy a car, and have it turn into a truck the next day - even though i hear the argument that all this is virtual). Given the emphasis that this game has on being aware of of damage types (elemental, piercing and shadow), i would say that changing a set from one damage to another, is a pretty big change. even though i am not affected by this proposed update, i sincerely hope the developers would not make such a change.

PS - i use to think playing the game is all about having a general purpose set, but right now, i feel that the fun comes from constantly switching around all my different types of gears, depending on the enemies i am facing. so, thank you OOO, it has been a great one year (almost) :)

thank you for reading :)

Have to agree with leeroyj, i posted this in a similar thread

"I have no problem with the set being brought in line and balanced and applaud this, however i find changing the basic defence stat of any item (no matter if that is more in tune with its name) a pretty big deal for those who bought it and crafted it for what it was."

I just find the change of a core defense stat frustrating when i have picked, found and purchased particular UVs for the set as my investment just doesn't feel as worthwhile as it did.

p.s. (i dont give a monkeys about lockdown)