I currently only play Shin Megami Tensei: Imagine Online, as my only Aeria's and only MMO game I've ever played, and maybe, will ever play in my life.

It doesn't mean I haven't ever touched any MMO before. In fact, I registered into a lot of free games, as long as I heard of them, or wanted to try them. But considering "true playing", it's only MegaTen. The others, I played for 1 or 2 days, then quit. They don't entertain me as much as MegaTen, and as much to keep me stick with them.
My previous job was a Game Designer for offline games (allow me to not tell which genre and which company). So yea, I know a bit about games to feel if it's good (for me) or not. I don't try P2P MMO cause I don't have credit card, and I don't want to have one. MegaTen has been entertainng me a lot, ever since I started playing it in 2009.

I am an AP user. I spend a bit of money every month to buy some stuffs for my characters. It's really not about "Pay to Win" for me, but rather, it's my habit. Shopping is my habit. Like every lady, I love shopping for bags, shoes, clothes, perfums (my favourite is Lolita Lempicka Forbidden Flower, but I am kinda attracted to Kenzo's Flower as well) etc. Spending money for things I want is a way I enjoy the life. So in Megaten, every now and then I put in a few dollars, log in to buy some stuffs and feel satisfied, like I paid for a new pair of shoes or a movie ticket with my friends.

But for a few months, I gradually lose my interest. It seems, the game can no longer entertain me.

New few contents always seem to be for highbies with huge AP expenses on outfit. For example, the Shiva/vishnu runs and the Wildcat runs. If not strong enough and not have enough good gears, you will never make it in time. Yea, in time, cause there is a timer for those runs. Shibuya gold? You need AP item to open it, and though you can make it via item mixing, the prizes are lame enough to just ignore it and leave it in dust forever. Poor thing, shining in one second when they announced it and be forgotten forever. Runs that need only macca now can never be profit, like Ichigaya Camp gold run. If they can't fix the loot for now, why don't they reduce the plate's price? Or add something for newbies to make money? There is always more than one way to fix some bug, why not act instead of waiting for some cure from the neighbour? Yes, Shiva/Vishnu run is blamed for the great inflation, but not Ichigaya camp gold. Why? Shiva/Vishnu run is originally designed as an event, they are meant to be hard and temporary and to be in a moment of glory, to praise those who have played this game for long enough to deal with them and get the prizes. Isn't the event was originally an Anniversary Event? It's not the permanent design for the game. If Aeria wants to make it permanent, it should reduce the diamonds in prize boxes by 1/8 and the Experience Points by 1/20 or more, and remove the timer if necessary. Work on designing Aeria, you seems not very good at it.

And wildcat will be more fun when there is no timer, just like the original runs. The newbies or low levels can try it, just like how we players did without overpowered gears years ago, in gold runs of Ichigaya Camp, Suginami Tunnels and Celu Tower. It's more fun when you get beaten, getting up, trying again and again and finally achieving it. That's the joy of success after failures that keeps a man up for more games. But the timer ruins it all. You are forced to give up, even if you don't want to. 50 minutes for Wildcat Celu gold run maybe long enough for some, but not for some others.

There are new contents that I didn't mention I think, but my memory doesn't serve me well now, so I will pass.

And Promotions! Dear Lord, it seems Aeria is flooding the players with promotions. There's like, new promotion every 1 or 2 days. The promotions are so many in quantity and so attractive in product that, they become the main purchased product, rather than the on-show ones of Item Mall. The permanent products of Item mall are pretty useful though, but not very strong compare to those in the promotion. But hey, if you buy those permanent stuffs, you can get the stronger ones with promotion along with it, then what's the deal of keeping those so-so and old-fashioned permanent stuffs after purchasing?

Some players would spend money on every new promotion, no matter how expensive they are in AP, no matter how similar or even weaker to the old stuffs they already owned. Is it the theory of "new stuffs = cool stuffs = must have stuffs"? Some outfits are never be used but showed only (let's say, Glare set?). But playing the game just for getting new outfits, showing up, then putting them in depository or reselling and getting the newer ones, those are more like playing a MMO Dressing up game rather than a MMO Role-playing game.

The game now is full of showing-up guys and gals with expensive stuffs that can become highbie in a week or two, the new experiences are not for those without strength, the strength is not for those without very large amount of money to spend on, the free-for-all are the old things that make people get more and more bored and finally find something else to spend money and time on to get joy. An endless circle. Some players want to stop spending money on this game, and new players don't want to spend money on it, for it's not entertaining enough for them to pay for it. And when the game is no long entertaining, what's the point to keep up? One day, when the remaining players cannot fund the game enough any more, the server is closed down.

I will keep playing this game until I can no more. But I think my giving up on this game is not far away from now.

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