Curse

Pong · Nov 17, 2005, 08:08 PM // 20:08

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mindcrime

The main reason is as statement before to "weed the bad seeds" from entering the academy. We seek only serious players who are dedicated to play guildwars in a new way, experienced or not. And remember also that we provide a highly quality running-service. Thats why we need this tuition fee to not be swarmed with new students and spend all our time learning the build to others. To bring balance into the academy in other words.

Hmm..what a coincidence Lady Blue Steel, Mindcrime, and Dreamex2 all created accounts on the same month. lol.

Let me answer these few question as if you didn't know how I would answer already.

Do I think the enrollment fee is a good idea? No, there shouldn't be one.

Do I think everything they're doing is a good idea? Yes, it's a great idea. sad thing is that 75% of the people who play this game have less than 20 plat of gold in there account, and could never be a part of it.

Do I agree with the 'locked' enrollment fee despite increased inflation? No, I'm expecting this will change in the near future. If not it just strengthens my point that there after the money.

Do I think that everyone will get their money's worth? Hmm. No

Do I think that some will? No, how could you get your moneys worth when your basically giving 200k to a person. I wouldn't give 5k to learn this build as I'm sure a ton of people already have it. Why throw away 15 ecto.

Do I think it discourages some potentially great people from joining? Yes.

Do I think that there's a better way to do it? Definitly

Do I think the actions are justifiable? Hmmm

Really, what I dont get out of this entire thing is that the LBS members think they are the only ones that have this particular build and have this amazing community that is worth nearly 150k-200k. There were over 1 million copies of this game sold. So, you are telling me this is the only guild that has this build. If you just sat down and gave it some effort, and studied some running builds for awhile anyone could probably figure it out. I figured out a beacons to drok run in less than 10 min, and have no problem making the run.

On the whole balancing out thing. Thats just a front in my opinion. If anyone in LBS believes that the only reason you are charging 15 ecto is because you have a ridiculous amount of people joining I would find this very hard to beleive. Even the original 10 ecto and 10 shards price is ridiculous. Im sure you have enough officers and members to handle all the training responsibilities that need be. If the people that are running this whole thing aren't trying to make a little something off of it why even post the thread to begin with. Tell the mods to close it down and that will solve your balancing problems.

Just put yourself in the shoes of the leader of this guild. What can he offer that other guilds cannot. A running build, a few tips about the game, a good conversation. The guy is making a fortune off this. If you look at some of the running packages that are offered here you will notice they are almost twice of what the average person would ask. But I guess you can charge like that when you have the greatest guild wars community and running build of all time. I think its a whole joke, and people are just taking the bait. Sure, i bet you'll have some really great people in your guild, and I'm sure your running build is a good one. But charging for a build and to be a part of the greatest guild wars community of all time is hilarious. Looks like Mindcrime is on the payroll. lol

dreamex2 · Nov 17, 2005, 08:29 PM // 20:29

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pong

Hmm..what a coincidence Lady Blue Steel, Mindcrime, and Dreamex2 all created accounts on the same month. lol.

Eh, I haven't actively started posting here until the past few weeks. If I was a cover-up alt I think I would've been around a lot sooner than that

(check my post history if you don't believe me).

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pong

Let me answer these few question as if you didn't know how I would answer already.

Do I think the enrollment fee is a good idea? No, there shouldn't be one.

Do I think everything they're doing is a good idea? Yes, it's a great idea. sad thing is that 75% of the people who play this game have less than 20 plat of gold in there account, and could never be a part of it.

Do I agree with the 'locked' enrollment fee despite increased inflation? No, I'm expecting this will change in the near future. If not it just strengthens my point that there after the money.

Do I think that everyone will get their money's worth? Hmm. No

Do I think that some will? No, how could you get your moneys worth when your basically giving 200k to a person. I wouldn't give 5k to learn this build as I'm sure a ton of people already have it. Why throw away 15 ecto.

Do I think it discourages some potentially great people from joining? Yes.

Do I think that there's a better way to do it? Definitly

Do I think the actions are justifiable? Hmmm

Well, those weren't meant for you to answer, they were to give you an idea of what I thought about questions that you might've asked me about this whole thing.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pong

Really, what I dont get out of this entire thing is that the LBS members think they are the only ones that have this particular build and have this amazing community that is worth nearly 150k-200k. There were over 1 million copies of this game sold. So, you are telling me this is the only guild that has this build. If you just sat down and gave it some effort, and studied some running builds for awhile anyone could probably figure it out. I figured out a beacons to drok run in less than 10 min, and have no problem making the run.

The point isn't the build like I said, it's mostly the hands-on tutelage that some players may feel that they need. You're probably right that it's proven profitable in the past which is why they haven't changed their prices despite the inflated Ectoplasm cost, but what they're offering isn't exactly a running build, I can already do all the runs that they've listed, but I wouldn't mind being part of their community.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pong

On the whole balancing out thing. Thats just a front in my opinion. If anyone in LBS believes that the only reason you are charging 15 ecto is because you have a ridiculous amount of people joining I would find this very hard to beleive. Even the original 10 ecto and 10 shards price is ridiculous. Im sure you have enough officers and members to handle all the training responsibilities that need be. If the people that are running this whole thing aren't trying to make a little something off of it why even post the thread to begin with. Tell the mods to close it down and that will solve your balancing problems.

They want to offer a great service to people who are serious about them. I won't make the pretense that they don't enjoy their profit (because I don't know if they do:P) but I would stake a claim that a lot of 'players' will take this service and abuse it if there were no enrollment fee, they'd try to use this type of credibility to scam other players...

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pong

Just put yourself in the shoes of the leader of this guild. What can he offer that other guilds cannot. A running build, a few tips about the game, a good conversation. The guy is making a fortune off this. If you look at some of the running packages that are offered here you will notice they are almost twice of what the average person would ask. But I guess you can charge like that when you have the greatest guild wars community and running build of all time. I think its a whole joke, and people are just taking the bait. Sure, i bet you'll have some really great people in your guild, and I'm sure your running build is a good one. But charging for a build and to be a part of the greatest guild wars community of all time is hilarious. Looks like Mindcrime is on the payroll. lol

I think the cost is high, I'll iterate that again, I agree with you there. However, I think that for some players, they would've easily gotten their money's worth back when Ectoplasm was only ~8k. That's not saying everyone has something to learn, but I'm sure some of the people did/do.

As for the integrity of LBS, well I haven't met him before, only his presence in posts on this forum, but I don't see a reason to doubt that he is trying to provide the services he stated. It's quite simple really, if people don't like the price, they don't have to apply right? No one's forcing them to enroll in this 'Academy.'

This conversation doesn't feel as friendly anymore:\ I'm detecting slight hostility and tension in the air, perhaps we should take it to pms before someone says something they'll regret later?

Welcome back from wherever it is you went

Blue Steel · Nov 17, 2005, 09:08 PM // 21:08

Let me respond to this ongoing discussion of my motivation in forming this wildly successful and incredibly popular Academy:

I have been running since the game was first sold, and when I wanted an interesting challenge in the PvE game, and to reduce the running scamming which was a blight upon the Guild Wars community, I formed the first ever professional running service. I ran people because it was a fantastic way to meet interesting people, make incredible money in the game, and find a constantly changing and thrilling challenge.

Running is so much more fun when you are famous and well respected, because you don't spend twice as long as the run time trying to justify your price or win the confidence of the customer. They know you will never, ever cheat them and are thus willing to pay in advance; you can spend your time answering their questions about the game and sharing jokes instead of defending yourself.

Because I was the very best, the first, able to do every single run and rush and beat the hardest missions, help people capture elusive elite skills in a tiny fraction of the time it took them with PUGs and henchmen, and was willing to come and help people when they were willing to pay my premium rates, my running was in incredible demand. I have droves of people messaging me for help whenever I log on, despite the fact that I charge many times what the imitators charge and require payment in advance.

I had a vision for the running community that everyone would be as honest as I am and there would be no scamming at all. I envisioned runners who were certified and who could prove their credentials, just like professionals in the real world. And I needed help taking care of the incredible volume of repeat customers I had and the people that they kept recommending me to. So I let people join me.

I created the Academy for exactly the reason it states in the title of this very thread: popular demand. I had thousands of customers, I had hundreds of people asking me for build tips, and I have very limited time (as an attorney in the real world). So I created the Academy to teach the build, yes, but more importantly to share my fame and reputation with legendary runners who I could personally and vicariously witness and work with in order to have some assurance of their integrity of character. Everything about the way the Academy operates is to both (1) teach skills, and (2) find the honest and those willing to serve others and work together.

People know who to come to for premium runs: a trusted source. While it is true that running in the game (even with my limited time) and my operating the Academy have probably made me the single wealthiest individual in the game world, wealth is not why I started the Academy. The Academy was started because I had no choice: either get some help or let all those thousands of people not get the best possible rushes and have to either waste their time redoing parts they didn't enjoy with PUGs that didn't know how to listen or play or risk getting scammed by lesser runners.

The people who defend the Academy have seen it from its earliest days of glory to now, where it stands as the only professional Guild Wars group I know of, and certainly the oldest and most prestigous. While they have not made as much as I have, many, many people in the Academy made tens of millions of gold through their hard work and my name and reputation.

Why do we charge 15 ecto? It is a lot of work running the Academy. It is also a threshold that keeps our numbers reasonable for the game economy. Even now we still recieve applications on a daily basis. It filters almost all of the dishonest out. It represents enough of an investment that it helps protect our builds, manuals, videos, and other resources. It shows me that you are serious about learning and running.

Do I keep it all? I invest it back into the Academy in various ways. Those runners who have worked directly for me in the past have all made millions, and I have in the past asked some profit sharing. I no longer do. We hold events within the Academy to keep skills sharp and that have ecto prizes. I am currently seeking from within the Academy a person willing to lead the PvP activities of the Guild in exchange for ecto: a person to organize our practices and coordinate innovative strategies with some of our most experienced gamers.

We have an incredible amount of fun. We make an incredible amount of money. We play too much sometimes, and there are other great communities of honest and helpful people out there, but this one has so many honest gamers, intelligent people, and legendary figures of Guild Wars, that it is definitely worth the investment. If there is anywhere else where you can find all of that (videos, manuals, forum assistance, great friends, strategic gameplay, and so forth) I'd like to hear about it.

The tuition is fixed at ecto because I want it to float with the market. When gold is overabundant, ecto is more costly. When times are very tough, there is not as much competition for the ecto and the price drops.

Any other questions? Oh yes, am I a guy or a girl? Here is your cryptic answer: Blue Steel and Lady Blue Steel are two separate, real people. I hope that helps . . .

dreamex2 · Nov 17, 2005, 09:14 PM // 21:14

Quote:

Originally Posted by Blue Steel

The tuition is fixed at ecto because I want it to float with the market. When gold is overabundant, ecto is more costly. When times are very tough, there is not as much competition for the ecto and the price drops.

Yes that's generally true, but recently the Ecto spike has outgrown the gold-supply spike which is evident seeing as how many other items have not doubled in value since september

Quote:

Originally Posted by Blue Steel

Any other questions? Oh yes, am I a guy or a girl? Here is your cryptic answer: Blue Steel and Lady Blue Steel are two separate, real people. I hope that helps . . .

That REALLY doesn't answer anything...

striderkaaru · Nov 17, 2005, 09:28 PM // 21:28

blue, how cryptic. =P

i believe that the debate over your gender has risen more out of necessity. pronouns in the english language are gendered, so people will often wonder which to use when referring to you. as you are mentioned more and more, the need to use these pronouns will also rise. eventually, people will wonder if they are using the right one.

doesn't really matter much to me, though. you'll always be blue. =)

Quote:

Originally Posted by dreamex2

Yes that's generally true, but recently the Ecto spike has outgrown the gold-supply spike which is evident seeing as how many other items have not doubled in value since september

the rise in ecto price is more of a result of supply. before, the price was stable around 8k when everyone and their mothers had a solo monk. when they nerfed prot bond and introduced nightmares, less skilled solo monks were filtered out, and price went up to 10-12k. with the recent aoe patch, even more solo monks have been filtered out and only the more skilled or innovative still do it. with the reduced supply, the price has risen to what it is now.

dreamex2 · Nov 17, 2005, 10:00 PM // 22:00

Quote:

Originally Posted by striderkaaru

the rise in ecto price is more of a result of supply. before, the price was stable around 8k when everyone and their mothers had a solo monk. when they nerfed prot bond and introduced nightmares, less skilled solo monks were filtered out, and price went up to 10-12k. with the recent aoe patch, even more solo monks have been filtered out and only the more skilled or innovative still do it. with the reduced supply, the price has risen to what it is now.

Mmhm. It's not exactly an accurate measure of the market anymore. The supply has gone down, but that doesn't necessarily mean the gold supply has increased... The demand for Ecto has remained relatively similar and the supply has gone down allowing people to charge more for it to the same pool of gold in the economy...

Mmmm. Food for thought

Pong · Nov 17, 2005, 11:38 PM // 23:38

Sounds like a grand marketing scheme in my opinion. Kind of like one of those infomercials i saw last night. Seriously, I still think the whole thing is an absolute joke.

I'm sure there were plenty of honest runners and people willing to run when the game first got introduced. Running is not that difficult as there are a multitude of builds to do this. I think you were probably the first person that actively thought to broaden the whole scope on this running stuff.

You say that these services were in such high demand and there were all these people messaging you to run them. I bet you were a fairly good runner and when you found out you could make a little gold in the process it just motivated you that much more. I know of no famous figures in this game. Just because you have a thread in a forum thats been running for a few months doesn't mean a thing to me.

You started playing the game approximatly around the time i did. What is the point of all this. Do you get a high of running from portal to portal. Or was it the vision about being some famous figure in a video game. To tell you the truth I didn't even know who you were until the first time i saw this thread. I’m not even going to start questioning anything think on you being an attorney. Do think that’s rather amusing tho.

So, from what I have heard the main reason you started this whole contraption was to basically help people from getting scammed, and to help the thousands of people that needed runs because it was in such a high demand. Who cares if someone needs a run. There are tons of runners in this game and even quite a few when the game was introduced and I know for a fact not all of them were scammers. Really this sounds like a bunch of crap in my opinion based on the sole purpose that no one in there right mind would care if people got ran. If meeting new people was the thing for you. I still don’t see fit why you would charge them to be a part of your amazingly, awesome, unbelievable, wildly, fantastic guild.

I absolutely hate scammers and hate the fact that someone would get scammed for anything, but to start some academy as you call it because you were worried someone might get scammed or your services were in such high demand sounds absurd. I personally think you get a high out of having more gold then a lot of folks, and the idea of fame I guess appeals to you as well.

Paying 15 ectos is not right in my opinion. Like I said in some of my other posts. There is a very few people in this game who even have 20 plat of gold. So basically you are weeding out the scammers and the dishonest in the top 25%. Theres tons of people who might want to be a part of this that would never have a chance with the gold issue. No way I would want anything to do with this. Sounds more like racket. Cloud peoples minds with the idea of gaining all this gold when in fact you’re the one making the bulk of it. And it sounds like you don’t even play that much anymore because of your busy schedule.

I personally don’t think any of this is right. These build are all over the net. There are tons of great people and guilds out there people can be a part of where they don’t have to pay to get in. Paying gold to learn a build or get into a guild is not right. Even if you have so many applicants that this is the only way to weed them all out. Seriously there are tons of other methods you could implement to stop making people have to pay a ridiculous amount to get in this wildy, amazing, ubelievable community. Maybe I’m just to narrowminded to see your great community as you see it. I personally think the idea is awesome, and extremely appealing to those who don’t have a lot wealth. But I highly disagree with you charging people to learn builds that are very commonplace now.

Hockster · Nov 17, 2005, 11:53 PM // 23:53

Quote:

Seriously, I still think the whole thing is an absolute joke.

Maybe it's time that you just moved on then. You appear to be completely closed minded and set with your opinion. You have no intention of listening to anything said, so just carry on your merry way.

Pong · Nov 18, 2005, 12:13 AM // 00:13

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hockster

Maybe it's time that you just moved on then. You appear to be completely closed minded and set with your opinion. You have no intention of listening to anything said, so just carry on your merry way.

I think I will mate. Long live the runners academy.

YunSooJin · Nov 18, 2005, 12:20 AM // 00:20

I am known as Yun Soo Jin in game, and you may verify this whenever you'd like~.

I first became interested in joining LBS because of the name. I am one of the first 5 or so certified runners in LBS that passed her certification exam. The reason I joined Lady Blue Steel's academy was mostly because I wanted to have a recognition of trust and respect as a runner, since I was already an accomplished one beforehand. Apart from that, I was particularly interested in any new dieas and builds LBS had as a runner, and I was suitably impressed.

Our academy provides an unparalleled service to the community. We are trustworthy, fast, consistent, and we work with a unified theme of honor and commitment to the customer. There is *no* other community that does this. Anyone who approaches us with the means to hire our services knows that they will receive the best of treatment, and as such, our prices reflect such.

The 15 ectos (which I paid as well, mind you) is a way to weed out those who would try to scam people under the LBS name, to attempt to disseminate valuable materials and information we have gathered as a running acedemy, and to pretty much do anything that would not fit under the line of honor, trust and commitment we are known as.

Those who are willing to pay 15 ectos have indicated that they have a serious commitment, and they are really interested in being with our academy. Lady Blue Steel is OFFERING a service, not forcing it down your throat. No one has to pay 15 ectos. No one in our academy is complaining about the price. I gladly paid LBS 15 ectos, and I am glad she still has them.

Honestly Pong, you sound a skeptical and a bit jealous - but realize this, LBS has had hundreds of customers, and every single one of them has walked away smiling. We have our own training videos, guidance by other members, and all this information concentrated into one academy. If you have the means but not the knowledge, and you don't want to look through the entire Internet for some scraps of knowledge that may or may not be optimal, then you could simply join LBS. That is all.

Also, your accusation that previous posters are all from the same person should be criminal. I know most of the LBS members in game, and they are not the same person. It is patently ridiculous and blindly defensive to start accusing our academy of trying to cheat people out of their money.

Please, enough with your posts. We have addressed them and more.

Sergio Leone · Nov 18, 2005, 01:09 AM // 01:09

Wow! Just this morning at 6:15 a.m. (Central) there were no posts really at all. Then I get on after school and BOOM! It's insane how fast this thread became so much more popular.

lord_shar · Nov 18, 2005, 01:34 AM // 01:34

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pong

I think I will mate. Long live the runners academy.

I'm not a part of LBSRA, yet I have full respect for their regular processes, codes, and regulations. Someone had to set a professional operating standard, so LBS took the initiative and filled in a big GW market void.

The critics in this thread are always amusing, especially given 1) GW's general player base's maturity (or lack thereof) and 2) knowing what LBS does for a living...

November Raine · Nov 18, 2005, 02:28 AM // 02:28

Alright, I've read enough.

After myself, being in the academy and hearing from someone complain about our academy who isnt in the academy; i have this to say.

Most of what you've complained about (pong) has been about money in some way shape or form. I dont know if you just don't have the money and is jealous or if you do have the money and are just money hungry and wont give it up to possibly make a lot more money (which 99% of us have, including myself). Now, you've been asked in a very kind way to stop telling us about you're opinion if you're not going to be open-minded about others. And out of the goodness of my heart im going to ask you again, please leave this thread (leave you're opinions) for these very simple reasons: 1. This thread is not about what specifically YOU think 2. This thread is to help the guild get to know people who are interested in joining the academy, not those who just want to fight about it and who are down right angered by a simple tuition fee.

I'm sorry if this was harsh, I'm not a mean person but I'm also not a person to let somebody pick a fight with innocent people who simply have a different opinion then yours.

Now Pong, if you are angered by anything I, any interested person, or any other LBS member, I myself am willing to talk to you one on one and maybe we can work things out in a calmer manner and environment. After all, there is no need to make us look like we cause a lot of trouble when we don't.

I will leave you with this one last thing: who said "You can't put a price on friends." I think 15 ectos is a great deal to make 40 friends who work together, talk, joke (laugh),trade, communicate, ect. with.

Sergio Leone · Nov 18, 2005, 03:01 AM // 03:01

Right on November!

MrDoomMaster · Nov 18, 2005, 04:12 AM // 04:12

I met lady a very long time ago. I met her when she was solo. I messaged her on the forums asking if she'd be interested in a partnership. I knew I was good; but after reading a couple of her posts I knew we'd be one hell of a team together. Indeed, she barely needed to teach me anything. We were naturally a perfect team.

Ever since that day she's pretty much been my best friend on the game. Sure, I have MANY friends now (thanks to the academy) but she'll always be the start of it all.

I know Lady better than anyone here. I know that she's honest and very generous. Money has never really been an issue between us, especially during our partnership and share of profits. Lady first mentioned the academy to me personally a long time before it was made. I mentioned to her that it might not be a good idea because of how it may affect the economy (in terms of the runner's economy) and our ability to make a profit.

Soon after Kelly (Charia) joined us, Lady made her academy. I was worried at first that it would ruin our business, but I was very wrong. Tons of people poured in and we met some excellent people. I could go on forever listing names but it wouldn't be possible. To this day I know pretty much every single person in the academy.

I was the first to actually appear on the guild list of the Academy Guild, so I was able to watch how fast it grew. Day after day, more people joined and I made new friends. With so many people, we all began teaming up to run customers through various jobs and sharing profits. No one was greedy at all.

I had recently left the academy guild to join a different guild more heavily involved in PvP. I'm actually starting to regret the decision because I really miss all of the good folks. I find that being gone for even a week causes me to miss out on meeting the tons of new students we get into the academy.

The point of my little story is to express how nothing in the history our friendship was corrupted by profit. Lady was the beginning of an evolutionary change in the Guild Wars economy that meant more interaction for academy members, more choices and trust for customers, and more friendships than anyone has ever seen in one centralized location.

Lady does indeed get a lot of gold out of this academy, and no one else really benefits from that specific enrollment income. But the ironic part about that is that no one cares. Dispite the imbalance of profits based on enrollment, no one is really bothered by it. This is excellent proof that we're all here for the sake of friendship and interaction, versus for profit. As lady mentioned, she is being generous enough to distribute the profits between hard working academy graduates that help manage the academy while she's away on business. Other forms of profit are customers. The academy members are very kind and we all share customers. One person doesn't get more runs than the other; we're all just naturally kind like this.

I could go on all day consuming 5 Gigabytes of server space on Guild Wars Guru in this post about how good the academy is, but this is not possible with words. I guess a good way to put it... the academy is a representation of Love. Love, generally, cannot be expressed with words (unless you're Jesus or something). Thus, I draw the line here with the sob stories on how lady and I met and how good things are.

In conclusion, if you haven't had the honor of knowing Lady as well as I and so many others have, you have NO right to speak. You cannot possibly understand the community and how amazing it is unless you attend. Those who have close-minded opinions about us are obviously not capable of benefitting from and learning the secrets of our academy. The secret of the academy is not our builds, our fancy prices, or what armor we use. The secret is love and friendship. These are things Pong and other close-minded individuals will never be able to experience.

Spare everyone the pointless and implicitly offensive "opinions". There will always be haters, but the academy will always live on. People will continue to join and find out what a wonderful community Lady has developed here. Those who are capable of friendship, love, and kindness see past the ectoplasm fee. Those are the people we want with us. Those are the people that make this community such an eternally, wonderful place.

tomrandie · Nov 18, 2005, 04:59 AM // 04:59

I have to give in my two cents here. It is just COMPLETELY needed. Here is the deal. I just joined LSBRA and I love it. Case and point.

Now to address some other people's conflicting viewpoints. For everyone that wants to use this thread a "flaming" area, please move some where else or go make your own pathetic thread. We are trying to run a business and we would appreciate it if you could get your comments away from this particular thread. This is where we inform people about our business. This is not your own "pissed-off cuz its 15 ecto" stomping ground. If you choose to be childish, I bid you good luck on your journey and hope that you can find a professional run from someone else.

Like LBS and Blurr are trying to say, we put that tuiton fee there to get rid of scammers or people that wish to steal the secrets of the guilds. We want this to be a great enivornment for everyone. And I can tell you right now, those 15 ectos are worth it. If you are truly interested in the running academy, please visit our forums at lbsra.net and fill out an application. What could it hurt to try? If you want to learn from the best and brightest, then look no further than LBSRA; professionally certified runners.

Brutaniu Mason · Nov 18, 2005, 10:16 AM // 10:16

To prevent myself from having to reply in this forum within the next two months; questions upon who I am:
IGN Brutaniu Mason, LBS Officer, Admissions Board Member, Student & Mentor. Running Extraordinair. Might I need an attitude check? Yes.

I almost never respond to this argument. It is always the same issue spoken out by some dude who just doesn't get it. Plenty of our minions, or "academy members", are bored and/or concerned enough to entertain these flamers with responses--so I generally don't feel compelled to step in.

Yet this one has sparked a larger than usual flame, in a short time period. So I will give my very simple, very easy to comprehend, Two Cents.

If you don't like it, don't join it. If you don't want to join, why hate it?
Let's not be haters boys and girls. Let the players play...this is, afterall, just a game.

Me NoFat · Nov 18, 2005, 10:42 AM // 10:42

Lady,

Why not let one of your graduates start a Jr academy? She/He could teach the runners up to the point of forge running. Why not pass the knowlege on to "little runners" for the runs that you don't reallly want to do. I would love to attend this but at the price most of us can't and rightfully shouldn't be able to afford it. I usually have about 30k in the bank and that is no where near the tuition.

Just a thought for those of us that are trying to learn by trying. I would pay 30K for some good pointers from a professional. It would be money well spent helping my guild with runs to Droks.

lishi · Nov 18, 2005, 11:23 AM // 11:23

Quote:

Originally Posted by Me NoFat

Lady,

Why not let one of your graduates start a Jr academy? She/He could teach the runners up to the point of forge running. Why not pass the knowlege on to "little runners" for the runs that you don't reallly want to do. I would love to attend this but at the price most of us can't and rightfully shouldn't be able to afford it. I usually have about 30k in the bank and that is no where near the tuition.

Just a thought for those of us that are trying to learn by trying. I would pay 30K for some good pointers from a professional. It would be money well spent helping my guild with runs to Droks.

really for all the "easier run" you need only lev 20 war or ranger , and know the route , the mob simple can't kill you.

Sciros Darkblade · Nov 18, 2005, 01:27 PM // 13:27

Perhaps someone really wealthy should start a trust fund that would give poor warriors scholarships to the Runners Academy ^_^

Of course I do not volunteer; I am probably not rich enough considering how many people want to join and how bad I am at saying "no".

I just want to add that it's really neat to have a sort of player-created academy in an online game. It makes the fact that it is a player-driven game that much more apparent, and makes GW slightly more special in comparison to single-player RPGs (not better, but definitely more unique).

In fact, I wouldn't mind seeing more things like this for "specializations" other than running. I think we need a merchant training course, a melee combat course, a healing/protection/conditions monk course, etc. However, 15 ecto is very restrictive and should probably not be the model price point for all these things. ANet disclosed that 50% of all active accounts have less than 10plat and 75% have less than 20plat. I would imagine that having 15 ectos *to spare* would restrict the number of potential candidates to something like .05% of the active accounts.