As the subject line says, I'm on the edge of giving up on this game and moving back to DDO until I get sick of it too.
I might as well give the post-mortem now, since I will probably not come back to the forums after I give up.
The gameplay is really fun, and the ability to grind and farm to buy CE is...okay, I guess. It'd be a little nicer if the prices were regulated and out of the free economy.
Building items is pretty awesome, I have to say. The CE prices are very much not.
The biggest detractor for me was the ME. I have to wait 22 hours to log back on to get any sort of playing done. It'd be nice to think that I would at least get an entire 10 runs out of 100ME, but since I don't enough Cr or CE to build armor past 2, I die a lot in Tier 2. Thus, I have to revive myself, and spend more ME. The cr intake is nowhere near necessary to bolster the CE tank for extended runs or armor building.
I understand the design schema; it's the business model for modern MMOs to have crippled gameplay for free play. I think the necessity for energy has far outstripped the playability of the game. I feel like I'm just getting warmed up and in the "zone", so to speak, and I have to go back to Haven to wait another day.
suggestions?
Have energy drop. ME only. You have HP, Cr, and Heat drop, why not add some little blue dots for ME?
Get rid of CE costs for items and double, triple, or quadruple the amount of materials needed. Make everything bound as well. If there's going to be a player-derived economy in your game, make it on materials alone.
Also, make it easier to get recipes. Just put Basil in the Level 0 lobby, and make him a ME charge to access.
I've only been on a short time, and the game has really endeared itself to me, but I just can't invest enough playtime into it to care.
If you need T2 stuff, ask around, there are many people willing to make gear for newbies (myself included).
But since you've already given up, I guess that offer is moot anyway.
Also, linking this guide again for any other newbies who might find this thread: http://forums.spiralknights.com/en/node/2909