I am annoyed with Patch 1.5.0.11. Specifically:

  • All chat channels now have a level 10 restriction, both to join and participate.
  • Whispering now has a level 10 restriction.
  • Players can receive whispers but cannot respond below level 10.
  • Players cannot send in game mail until level 10.
  • Players cannot search for ‘who’ in game until level 10.
  • Players are now limited at the amount of in game mail you can send per hour.

I was frustrated with the restrictions placed at level 5, but I had thought that was a temporary fix until they had a better solution for clearing out the spammers. This new patch goes too far into the realm of punishing the innocent instead of the offenders and I’m starting to wonder if these restrictions are actually thought of as a solution and how temporary they’ll be.

I logged into an alt in Poeta last night to get a feel for new patch. That feeling is isolation. True, there was no spam, but there was also no requests or replies for help with Tutty or the Cube or legion invitations or discussion of any kind at all. Add to that my inability to who and PM my friends for an invite to the legion and this MMO felt more like a solo-play game. Being someone who enjoys helping people and the social interaction that MMOs provide, I couldn’t help but think that we, as a community, are losing more than we’re gaining with this new patch.

To add insult to injury, when I shifted back to my main and entered the Eltnen Fortress, the goldseller shopgirl was sitting in the same spot I saw her the day before with the website and price for kinah typed above her head. It only made me feel more like the problem was being hidden from new players instead of fixed.