Riley, what do you mean with *balanced*? Right now you've described how this game could work so you could play it free without any annoyances. Where does that leave the devs? The game is made with the intention of making money. Here it's done by energy. If nobody feels the need to purchase energy with real life money, then they wont generate any revenue. This means energy balancing has to be done in a way that you can play a bit, but will always be cut off short a little some way. Making you feel needy for more energy is the key here.

Right now we have 100 energy every day, compared to 10 energy per elevator. If you don't waste it on revives (which is for most levels perfectly possible when you play together with some friends), then you can fill up atleast an hour's worth of game time. It's a little tight I believe. A bit too close to pushing people away, rather than keeping them at it. Doubling your free play-time is not a very good option though I think. An increase of your maximum energy to around 120-150 would be more than sufficient? Also a decrease in revive costs, more specifically how it goes up exponentially, would be a very good tweak I think.

From what i've seen, OOO follows a more internalized and compact version that all MMOs follow, In most games, you've got a base 15 bucks, ish, to do everything for the month. The genius of OOO is that rather than pay the inevitable 3rd party website to buy a leveled account, or epic lootz, you can buy extra energy, trade it for crowns, and then have crowns already. The system is self balancing though, in that you are only buying either MASSIVE playtime, to earn your items the old school way, or you're only getting as many crowns as the community is willing to trade for your energy. too many people trading credit card energy for in game crowns, means that energy is very cheap.

On the specifics of energy balancing, don't forget that you still get the 100 mist a day, before the crystal from a credit card payment. This means if you arn't playing for some reason on a day, log on for 3 minutes, and craft something to save on energy costs. And if 100 mist lasts you a couple hours (A run to the core from emberlight takes me about 110-120 energy [read 10-20 crystal energy], and takes a couple hours). After that run i've made enough crowns to buy another 100 crystal energy, to replace the 0-20 it cost me to get down there. Keeping track of the mist, means that with the 5500 package, you get about 280 energy a day to use, which is a very strong baseline to grow a character off of.

However I will agree that the energy gates need to be more worthwhile. Its not at all balanced to spend 3 energy for the rough equivalent of killing 2 wolvers. The 10 energy I spend on a level gets me a couple dozen wolvers worth of heat and crowns, the energy gate is actually less lucrative than a regular room with monster. Merchants behind the gates, however, are very welcome, as long as they have items in line with the merchant at the next clockwork terminal below them, or better. I'd also agree about lowering the cost to go down a gate, but only if it scaled back to 10 by the time you got to the core. Perhaps 5 from haven to the terminal, 6 from the terminal to moorcroft, 7/8 to emberlight and 9/10 to the core? This would mean that newer players would be more able to generate some crowns with their 100 energy, but a good party below emberlight would still make significantly more, even at twice the energy per level. It would also offer new people more time to enjoy the game, even while taking some lumps, before they run out of energy. A player who dies a 4 times trying to solo on their first day might very well leave and never come back, given that that might put them in a very frustrating position.

Actually with the current collapse of the Energy Market you can obtain 100 Crystal Energy for under 2000 Crowns. For the current state of the game you can earn enough Crowns of your 100 Mist energy every day and purchase an additional 100 Crystal Energy. With some careful planning that 100 Crystal Energy can turn into enough Crowns for even more energy, enabling perpetually free game play. However, to do this you still need patience and to watch the market for its usual surges and dips.

Hey, Reitrenner. I had a nice chat with you on my knight Duskfiend.
Here's my two cents.
The problem here seems to be that gameplay time is limited through Energy. People run out of ME quickly.
Now is when people say "but you can buy CE with the crowns you've earned!", but unfortunately CE is quite expensive in crowns on the market, and once you have purchased CE from a player you are left with no crowns for things like crafting or vendor upgrades.
This leaves the player unable to progress efficiently through grinding, as they cannot go deeper without gear upgrades, which are obtained through crowns, materials, and (lol) Energy. As a side note, the game already forces you into using Crystal Energy through gear upgrades that cost >100 Energy.
Here are some scenarios:
1.) 3R removes Energy completely, monetizing the game in a different way that does not give players who spend money a tangible advantage. (cosmetic cash shop)
Players progress through dungeons unimpeded, returning to towns for gear upgrades and we all go on our adventures, envying/laughing at the guy who bought his knight some cute little hat. However, the content is burnt quickly and people quit, having experienced the bottom levels of gates and gotten phat loot.
2.) 3R continues its current system.
People quit out of boredom with the game that repels its playerbase by limiting gameplay, no money is made. :(
3.) 3R removes Energy requirements from gates, and removes >100 Energy purchases from gear upgrades and crafting. Crystal Energy remains.
People can continue to experience content until they are limited by gear. I believe this is the best way of fixing the current problem because there is still a demand for Crystal Energy from those who want to obtain gear quickly. Those who do not pay are paced naturally, and can still choose to grind crowns for CE if they really wanted the gear. This caters to casuals and core players.

TL;DR: Just read #3. Remove Energy from gates, keep the gear grind, no tangible advantages in cash shop.
This game is truly excellent for its gameplay, and makes the grind more bearable. I am a fan of grinding for stat modifiers in games. It shows commitment to a game and separates newbies from long-time players.

Please tell me that your post is a reference to something, or adapted song lyrics.

Why not just have a small subscription fee, or have an item mall that sells items that revive you, and remove energy revival and energy entirely? The energy system alienates free players, and free players make up the bulk of the community in these types of games. Energy is horrendously expensive and rubs gamers the wrong way. I mean, if this was a released game using this system, I would drop it like a sack of potatoes. I don't know a single person who would play this game if it wasn't still in development, because the energy system is not only inhibiting play, it is somewhat offensive.

The energy system should be removed. There are a lot of more efficient business models for online games out there. Subscription fees, for one; I wouldn't pay something like 12 or 18 dollars a month for this like I used to for WoW, because this game is not on the same scale (going back to an earlier point, the community as a whole is important because it draws in more paying customers) but subscription fees aren't actually as good as an item mall for a smaller game like Spiral Knights. There are actually a lot of things you could put in an item mall besides cosmetic items. You could have a slot machine that has rare items and sell tickets for it, like the gachapon in maplestory. You could sell in-game items and recipes for small amounts of real money, instead of in-game currency. You could sell revives, and something that levels up your items faster, and add costume slots for weapons. You could sell tier passes so people don't have to grind for them.

My point is, you could make more money by both selling more advantageous things to paying players and not crapping all over a huge part of what makes any game good, and draws people in, the COMMUNITY. You don't need to advertise much if someone I know starts talking about this great game they know, and I tell two friends, and they tell two friends, but the reverse is also true. Say this game was a released game, I would go ask my friends about it and you know what they would tell me? "That game sucks, you can't even frakkin play it, don't bother" and I wouldn't give you guys a dime, and I'd tell all my friends who asked about it, and they would tell theirs. It's called social networking, and it sells crap.

I like the concept of energy how it is. Recipes allow slightly cheaper items, if you get the energy, either from players or the company.However you can still just get items with crowns, if you rather. Opening the little turrets, turning on mechaknights, and opening doors are all very optional (and honestly a waste of energy, at the reward/price ratio right now). The one thing that really kills the new player is the fact that upper level gates cost 10 energy. Seeing as upper level gates are smaller levels, and much easier if you know anyone to play with, a new player can churn through their energy VERY fast. Lower down, and/or for more experienced players, 10 energy per floor is fine. We just did another run, took 3 hours, which is plenty of free play time, cost about 3 crystal energy, and generated about 5k (200 more energy, current market, but even if it goes back up, that's a decent profit). However yesterday, soloing down to moorcroft ate up about 80 energy, and took under an hour. I'd expect if a newer player tried this, alone, or with a party of other podlings, they would find it very frustrating.

This is why i'd like to push the idea, again, of lowering the gate cost for higher up levels. After a little thought, its not only good business wise, as it lets a new player play for free for long enough to get their bearings pretty well, it also fits in with the fact that revive costs, and crafting costs for recipes, already start cheap near the easier/weaker side,and get more expensive as you go harder/strong/more valuable. On top of that, while say, 5 energy a gate, at haven, would allow twice the levels for a podling (new player) it would still only allow you a small fraction of the rewards emberlight to the core currently does, so you wouldn't be encouraging people to farm those levels (unless they were farming shards and minerals)

Beyond that, the current energy system is well rooted, and one i've seen used very successfully in other games. What it does, long term, is self balance. With a premium shop, players can join the game, and suddenly have better gear than anyone else, and thus no need for anyone but other players with premium shop gear. With the current micropayments + exchange system, a player can join, swipe their card, and turn half their energy into crowns, buy a lot of good gear, and gate for along time with the remaining energy. However in doing so, they allow another player to gate, or craft, with the remaining energy. This means the pay for play user actually NEEDS the free play user to get their gear, and the free play user relies on pay for play user to gate more often, or craft high level equipment. No resentment between user bases, as they are symbiotic. And if not many pay for play users show up, the value of the pay for play users will grow. If a lot of people start buying energy from OOO, the market will tank, and the free play users can spend 30 energy, and then buy back 100, until the market recovers.

Worth mentioning, I've been putting in 2-3 hours of playtime a day, nearly every day, for a month or two now. A few weeks ago i went in with a friend, and got 3500 energy. Since then I've paid the energy costs for crafting a korvahd, a calibur, an arcrazor, a winmillion, a vile striker, a salamander suit, and a salamander mask. I currently have roughly 3000 energy left, because I've been sustaining the total with trades for crowns. I'm also not hurting for crowns, overall, as I've bought the base gear to craft with, as well as recipes for most of the items i paid to have crafted (the winmillion was crafted for me by cyanide, but i covered the energy cost) Free 'serious' play is totally possible, one you get rolling, but only thanks to pay for play users. Free 'casual' play should be even easier.

Edit: Dear poster who typed roughly the same thing as me, at the same time, directly above, Please friend the knight Nooblar, because you are awesome.

Also edit: Someone made the point to me that the firefly gate is cheaper than the normal gates? I've never used the firefly gate, but if this is true it ties in evermore to the idea of easier/higher gates being cheaper

Dusk, scenario #2 wouldn't be a problem if they made the real grind the acquisition of items.

If you made it take longer to level up or obtain items, and removed the energy used to explore, the hook of the game will then be to gain new items.

Also why does it cost energy to open gates you've already explored. This makes it IMPOSSIBLE to progress with the current 100 Mist system.

The fact that you can only play for one hour tops without spending money means this game will not gain a big install base.

And my suggestion will make the game a better long term investment for 3 rings, all that needs to be done is to turn Energy into a cash shop currency, and make a cash shop. You can then do this:

>Make Items take more heat to upgrade.
>Make dungeons a LOT more difficult, borderline.
>Make the aquisition of crowns, and thus, items more difficult
>Increase the amount of crowns it takes to craft high tier items significantly. I'm talking in the 100,000 range for tier 5 items. Maybe even more than that.
>Significantly reduce the drop rate for materials. Making materials rare will also have the added benefit of creating a valid market for these items.

These suggestions will make the game a lot more fun, while keeping players hooked. They will also free up the people that play the game for free, to play with their friends.

Energy, as it stands, limits the playerbase at an alarming level.

I spent all day NOT playing the game, and not wanting to play again, because of the energy system.

When the best way to progress in a game is to AVOID PLAYING AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE.

You're doing something wrong.

Energy is a terrible system. It shouldn't be so pervasive in the entire experience.

For instance:

At no point in Free Runescape does it feel like I am missing much when I'm not paying members benefits. It's a complete experience in and of itself. There isn't this Damascusian sword hanging over your head every time you want to play the game for free. This game feels like the mafia is watching you, and if you don't buy energy, they are going to break your kneecaps with an aluminum bat!

Free players and people that pay, should have equal footing in the game. People that support the game, and the developers should simply look a lot more unique for it.

regardless of whether or not you like Maplestory, the game keeps its playerbase because you don't have to spend a single dime to see everything the game has to offer. The ones that do spend money are streated to having a significantly cooler avatar then those who simply play the game for free.

I honestly believe that Three Rings does not care about its playerbase. At all. They do not care if they enjoy the game. They don't even care if the game is good. They just want people to buy buy buy.....

The saddest thing is, this is a God Damn BETA and BETA TESTERS can not access any part of the game poast the one hour mark until they cough up money. Three Rings obviously does not care about the long term viability of this game. At all.

First off, in case you missed my edit, d0gr0ck, toss me a friend invite thing in game, please. I play as Nooblar.

>The saddest thing is, this is a God Damn BETA and BETA TESTERS can not access any part of the game post the one hour mark until they cough up money. Three Rings obviously does not care about the long term viability of this game. At all.

Part of testing the game, would include testing the balance of the micropayments. Games that are a one time purchase, or a basic subscription, would logically be things that are free to all the beta players, all the time. However seeing as the business model here is a little more refined, it needs to be balanced as well. I'm betting that OOO has a desired amount of free play, per day, for people to have, and i'd bet they have 2-3 hours of free time, not counting alchemy, being their goal. Hence why in every post i've made about gate costs, i've brought up the subject of time.

>regardless of whether or not you like Maplestory, the game keeps its playerbase because you don't have to spend a single dime to see everything the game has to offer. The ones that do spend money are streated to having a significantly cooler avatar then those who simply play the game for free.

I don't understand. What does anything have to do with maplestory? If you want to compare other games to this one, you need to assume people havn't played those games, and explain the mechanics involved, not just use the name of a place that has those mechanics. Also, i'll say, again, I've done about 900 energy worth of crafting, and have only spent about 500 of the energy I purchased. I've got 4 star gear across the board, and get in 3 hours of play a day. You can play the entire game for free, you just need to rely on someone else who pays for it to do so, but they are relying on you to get the best out of what they paid real money for as well.

>At no point in Free Runescape does it feel like I am missing much when I'm not paying members benefits.

What are the member benefits?

>>Make Items take more heat to upgrade.
>>Make dungeons a LOT more difficult, borderline.
>>Make the aquisition of crowns, and thus, items more difficult
>>Increase the amount of crowns it takes to craft high tier items significantly. I'm talking in the 100,000 range for tier 5 items. Maybe even more than that.
>>Significantly reduce the drop rate for materials. Making materials rare will also have the added benefit of creating a valid market for these items.

All of these things seem like they would kill the free play user, OR force them into a very long grind to get what they want. They would also allow a pay user to instantly have everything, cornering the freeplay user into unfun gameplay, or living off the scraps of the pay users. This means your options are: pay, lousy grind style play, beg, never see the whole game, or quit. It creates a situation where there is no need for pay and free users to work together, which creates a class system, not a community. Playing forever for free sounds nice in theory, but if the operative word is 'forever' to get anything good, its not going to hook me. As it stands, even at 3 hours of play a day, even if energy was not an issue, i'm no where near having all the good gear i could have, there are still a ton of objectives i've got, even in the beta. If the game was made more grindy, it would cease to be fun. Right now there is a decent balance between "It won't be too hard to get that" and "I feel like I accomplished something"in the effort/reward ratio.

Edit: @endcrab: Puzzle Pirates, the other OOO game that I come from. Its got a strong player base, using a very similar model. Essentially in game exploits get you bronze coins, and credit card purchases get you gold ones. Anything fancy, or high quality, costs both bronze coins (which go to the player run buisness that made the item) and gold coins (which vanish). Bronze coins are then removed from the game when the merchant player purchases new commodities. As it stands, in that game, i've got an empire valued at about $10000 US, if I was to try and purchase everything with the gold currency, purchased with my debit card. I personally, however, have only spent about 50 bucks on the game. This means that my in game exploits have generated enough bronze coins, that other human beings spent 9950 dollars on purchasing bronze coins from me so they could have fun. They get a boat load (its a pirate game, this is a pun) of bronze coins, I get plenty of gold coins, both of us get to to buy things from merchants, and OOO gets $10000. Admittedly, in a system with two currency types, you need to be good, or very shrewd, to generate that kind of a return, but it is more than possible to get to everywhere for free, once you adjust to the system, and get past the first couple weeks of play.

The rest of your post i'll respond to when I wake up, unless someone else posts what I would have. Right now, it is 4:30 am, and I need some sleep, lest I start getting cocky, or making bad puns.

The fact that you endlessly refer to them as OOO sells your opinions short as a fanboy.

The energy system is atrocious. If this is how they are running the game. It. Is. Going. To. Bomb.

I promise you, the moment private servers are launched for this game, (and I'm not saying that to assert that this may happen. It will happen, with, or without energy. It WILL happen, regardless of if they change.) this game will die a creeping death, and it will be a swift sudden pace. The same thing happened to Ragnarok. The same thing happened to Runes of Magic, and it WILL happen to this game.

And it has nothing to do with people not willing to pay. It is the egregious payment methods. The nickel and diming.

Your whole post gives me the vibe that you didn't carefully consider my point at all.

You casually missed the point where I said that energy won't have any impact in the accumulation of loot, or heat. To compensate for this, a bigger grind must be implemented, and no, it won't kill the casual player. It will only increase the amount of fun he is having. Because he doesn't have to worry about spending all of his energy on something that frankly, might not even be worth his time.

The game in its current state is extremely unfriendly to the casual crowd.

You're completely blinded by your fanboyism dude.

I never once mentioned the Cash Shop containing items of statistical value. Only cosmetic value.

The grind will help casual players because they will be able to play the game at their leisure.

You're getting MORE FREEDOM with less reward, you merely have to work harder.

Private servers are going to happen it doesn't matter if Three Rings wants them to or not. It's a reality of the MMO Market.

If World of Warcraft has private servers you can bet your ass this game will too.

Grind isn't leisure. Grind is unfun forced play at a low level, for a long period of time, to advance. It isn't 'work harder' either, it is 'work more'.

Also, the fact you need to toss about terms like 'fanboy' to make yourself feel that my points are not valid, and thus yours are, is childish, and not really useful for a game design type forums. In general, ad hominem attacks are poor form, and fairly useless, but in a setting like this, they are just outright unwelcome.

That said, a merchant selling gear with no functionality, but nice artwork, for some ammount of energy directly, would be a nice thing to see added to the game. However i don't think it would generate nearly as much revenue for OOO (thats right, OOO) as the current system, so supplemental revenue would be needed elsewhere, if the game was to remove all other current energy requirements. Another option would be to allow knights to start with 200 mist energy when they spawn, and not have it start replenishing until they drop under 100 mist. Farming would be somewhat ineffective, given the time needed, and low return even 200 energy would give you from a knight without any gear. However it would allow a new player plenty of time to get their feet wet before they had to make their first choice between acquiring/spending crystal energy, or taking a break.

They simply aren't reading my posts man. They think I want a situation like Runes of Magic, where the game is dominated by "paying customers".

I want a game where everyone is on the same level.

Someone right now, can buy 400 dollars worth of energy and gate for the rest of the month, and FAR out-power every character currently playing the game.

That is horse crap.

Especially in a game with PVP. And yes, this game does have PVP. It's ridiculous to have such a system that rewards how much you spend.

That game should survive on its own merits, if it can't survive without the energy system it simply isn't an objectively good game.

It. Will. Bomb. Hard.

I mean sure, people will come in, buy some energy, and play, but once they realize they have to keep buying to keep playing they will simply move on to a game that requires more investment fro less money, or play the game on a private server.

And cyclohexane I never said Three Rings was an evil company, but they do show an ALARMING disregard for the long term health of their game.

Er.... I did read your post, man. I dont know what that thing is, nor do I want a game dominated by "paying customers" (which since I live off ramen I am certainly not one of).

I also want a game where everyone is on the same level, but I also want a game where the money the developers are making from whatever business model they choose helps sustain the game in its entirety.
Ive not played Maple Story, but from what I understand from friends that do and browsing their webpage... their cash shop has the most pointless crap I could ever want and I really could not see people spending money to "Pimp their Knight" with cosmetic items... like these holiday hats for example, kinda cool... but would I purchase one with my real life money? No. However, I could see (and have advocated in other threads) for the usage of energy to unlock more things then just extra item/weapon slots such as an extra vial slot or a temporary mechaknight pet. As long as they are useful items, I could see people buying them. I think the reason I dislike the idea of reverting to a solely cash shop system for generating revenue is I'm really not sure if that revenue could support the game. I know it works for Maple Story but they are completely different games with completely different player bases. As it is a player can plop down $400 and be able to gate until the cows come home, but that same player may be reluctant to drop that $400 bucks if the only added bonus to their game play is a "Fashionably Black Uniform" for ninety days.

Well you'd be terribly mistaken.

Players that buy PERMANENT cosmetic upgrades are the ones that stick around longer, they are the ones that get their friends to play the game.

You're a fanboy to the highest degree if you think this energy deal is in the best interest of the players. It's only in the best interest of the developers.

They get to pad their content with DOLLARS instead of a grind. That kind of profit mongering would make Bobby Kotick blush.

As it currently stands, the system 3 Rings has in place has no long term viability what-so-ever.

If you can't see that, you're either in one or two camps.

1: You're unfamiliar with the quirks of the MMO marketplace.
2: You're hopelessly oblivious to just how raw of a deal the energy system is.

Reitrenner. You're running some kind of a campaign, and you seem to give it new direction every once in a while.

Look at what you wrote here, "I want a game where everyone is on the same level." A game with everybody on the same level. Okay, that puts everybody with the same options during the entire game. What will this game be then? Oh right, one where you pay a monthly subscription. Would that be any different from purchasing some energy every month? Well it depends on how you play. If you spend your energy wisely, then no. Subscription will be worth just as much as the current way of purchasing energy. If you toss your CE around foolishly though, then you'll get less value for your money. You have the freedom to do both, it's up to you. On top of that, an energy system allows some players to play completely free. They can't play as long, but they can play, and have the same options as others during the entire game.

Another point you brought up, "Especially in a game with PVP. And yes, this game does have PVP. It's ridiculous to have such a system that rewards how much you spend." I must say, you're becoming a lot harder to take seriously by every post you make here. (No offence intended here) For one thing, spending a lot of money to this game will only get you certain items faster. They won't get you better items. Keep that in mind! Crystal Energy is not equal to becoming "better" than other players. All items are accessible to every player. Everybody can become just as good as another, by whatever means they choose. On a second note, if you had taken a closer look at the PvP system, then you would have spotted a "Tier" system. People may choose to play in different classes of equipment. This means that if player A spends a lot of money to get high-end equipment quickly, then player B won't be bothered by A since he'll simply choose a tier appropriate for his own equipment.

On a side-note: You add too much "doomsday clock" effect into your posts. You're unhappy with how the game runs, we get it. Act a little mature please and take part in a normal discussion, rather than bringing up your same old punchline over and over again. Also, don't think too selfish about solutions. From what I've read, you just want this game to be free for how you wish to play it. I don't understand quite well either how you can call this a very fun game with lots of potential, while you refuse to spend a little money for it. It sounds either very naive, or hypocrite.

Two points:

1. Energy rebalancing has been promised, but I'd really like to see it come sooner, not later. The ethics of paid betas are tricky, but at present, I am simply not willing to spend any more real money on this game without some assurance that the costs of playing for a month will not be exorbitant when it launches. Sure, I expect it to be changed- but I don't know how, and don't want to get more invested in the game until those changes materialize.

2. If I do pay to support the game, I had better get something more than a picture of a fancy hat in return. If a "cosmetic" shop was the sole way to support the game, then as a customer, I would frankly feel insulted.... thanks for not doing that, devs! Crafting costs for items are currently too high, but at the core, they're a fair and very reasonable idea. I wouldn't pay for cosmetic upgrades, but unlocking content lets me feel that I'm getting something of real and honest value. (The sole exception: most bombs are better as support weapons, and so they need crafting costs PLUS a recurring weapon slot. That's a sucky proposition no matter how you slice it, and due to range limits, I suspect that the stats on non shard-type bomb use are discouraging)

The ideal re-balancing would encourage maximal use of different weapons, armor, and trinkets. Currently, the costs are so high as to make 4* crafting a "single shot" proposition. I understand the desire to make 5* items "special", but that has to balance against the design goal of making them special-ized... the result is armor that is designed to be mixed and matched, with prices that are designed to discourage you from crafting a variety of choices.

To be fair, you are skimming my responses more than I am skimming your posts(you can tell I read them because I keep trying to poke holes in their innards/making subtle jabs at their content). Its kinda lame if you honestly want people to back your arguments as to why an item mall is a good idea. Also just because some of us hail from puzzle pirates doesn't mean live in a bubbleworld where no other MMO or business model exists.

Item Malls work in games where the player base loves shelling out their pay checks on shiny hats and sexy moustashes. Spiral Knights doesn't (hopefully) attract those kinds of people. I explained to you why I disagree with you. Read my posts before you pretend I didn't read yours.

So, if you want cosmetic rewards for supporting the development team, why not suggest what I did and bring up the idea of being able to buy cosmetic items for your knight with Crystal Energy? While this won't "require" people to pay to support the game, it keeps everyone on an even footing by allowing all players to spend CE to obtain cosmetic items for their character - rather than having to pay for the item with cash, they simply use the CE that they've purchased, whether with crowns or by actually supporting the developers, to buy cosmetic items that wear off after one week or thirty days or 90 or whatever?

This keeps an "even player base" by allowing ALL players to obtain these special items, and allows for a sink for CE outside of gate/alchemy costs, without forcing players that don't want/need to pay to use some CE without getting crowns or craftable items back. This way there's a choice of "Do I want to grind more or do I want something unique and special" and allows for a CE-sink (as well as a crown-sink outside of the CE tax, less money coming into the free market as fewer players are obtaining crowns with CE used for grinding, earning more crowns than they spent, only to buy more CE and perpetuate the cycle), while those that want to support the devs financially have the option of buying the CE and rather than selling it on the market and/or diving with it want to buy something snazzy with it.

Both sides win, it functions as an (albiet minor) CE-and-crown-sink, and everybody wins?

On a related note, I do agree with closer to the core -> higher energy cost. I even think it can be justified with something like "it takes more Energy to protect yourself against the harshness of the Core as you go deeper".

Please guys, I've already had a good round with Reitrenner. Don't bother arguing with him, he is quite incabable of posing an augment without sliding in an underhanded comment. His use of profanity on the forums is quite uncalled for and lesser words have been edited out by the Dev Team for their overly hostile nature. Reitrenner, I will repeat what I said before: If you are willing to descend to such hostilities and refuse to engage the community in a constructive manner please leave. Nothing of value will be lost.

ENDCRAB is trying to provide something constructive here, don't bury him in the bile generated from someone else. I though we older folks here already had the practiced patience and know how when it comes to dealing with someone slinging personal blows in this forum?

To be totally honest, the idea of a costume shop to "play dressup" has been suggested before on these forums. It was back when there was much less content in game and the Crown payout rate was much too high. It was based off of the idea of the game needing a Crown sink. As with a major content update, it fell by the wayside in many players minds as they were busy spending their saved up Crowns in the new Recipes. A place to buy cool looking gear would likely take off, look how popular the Santa Hats are in the Holiday Cheer.

Also, before too many old ideas get needlessly reiterated the energy system has been debated to pieces already. Have a look in some of these links:
http://forums.spiralknights.com/node/217
http://forums.spiralknights.com/node/382
http://forums.spiralknights.com/node/472
http://forums.spiralknights.com/node/468

The biggest thing to realize is that the Devs have stated that the energy system is not final. Right now the focus seems to be Content -> Gameplay -> Energy in the order of game tweaks arriving. At this point it is one of the only aspects of the game that has yet to change since I started playing in October. To those who don't know, this is the third Preview Event for Spiral Knights and there is no guarantee that it is the last. In fact I have never seen any Dev make an official comment as to the production time line of this game.

If you have the time, please do give them a well thought-out suggestion with the in-game feature or via email, they do read those and many ideas have made their way into the game. Don't expect instant responses either, the Dev team is small and already do an amazing amount of work for their size.

The energy system is not bad. If the market prices keep in a similar range, I don't see any problem with the game.
I have been playing for free for about two months now, with no problems. I guess it could use some tweaks, like giving newbies a 75% discount on elevators or something.
I will probably buy some energy when I get the chance to, since I'll get 25% extra when the game launches, and would like to spend some money on this game for the devs at least once.

I see a lot of whining about the system, from people who registered less than a week ago.
Not that the feedback is bad, since it tells us what the new players think, but maybe you guys should play a little more before talking about how the game works, and calling people fanboys, etc.

It's understandable that you guys want to play a lot since you just got the game. But later, given the current content of the game, playing for more than a few hours a day seems like too much. Also, in time I guess pvp will become a big thing, and that is energy free.

People here honestly believe I am trolling. Whatever guys.

Once the power players and big spenders hit this game it's going to create a massive gulf in the playerbase.

You don't see it because you're not thinking far ahead.

If someone decides to spend 200 dollars worth of energy farming crowns in tier 3, he can single handedly destroy the energy market, making it impossible for new players to progress.

If you don't think this is a problem you're delusional.

Someone can spend all day in core, farm thousands upon thousands of crowns, mats, and recipes, and depending on how much real money he decides to spend on "Three Rings Fun Bucks" he can pretty much farm as long as he sees fit. Once CHINA farmers and IGE get wind of this game. Prepare yourselves. You're going to see 100 energy being sold for a couple hundred thousand crowns.

The energy system will kill this game. If you do not see the writing on the wall, you're completely ignorant of how these games function.