Free accounts

On 3/10/2015 (5 Moliko 415), a free option became available to players creating new accounts.

Currently, there is no option for subscribers to downgrade their accounts to free accounts.

Impact on Trial Accounts

Trial accounts were automatically converted to free accounts.

Role-playing Considerations

The IC term for a character on a free account is "explorer."

Differences Between Free Accounts and Standard Accounts

Free accounts operate under several different mechanics, some of which can be upgraded with SimuCoin purchases. See below for a list of such upgrades.

Inventory

• Can wear one item in every slot except for body (10), over the shoulder (2), finger (2), and belt (2). A pass exists to unlock the bonus slots that subscribers have.
• Can carry a maximum of 100 (75) items normally. A pass unlocks bonus capacity to go up to 300 (250) items. Numbers in ()s denote when the junk room nags start (different messaging).
• Many verbs were updated to respect these numbers -- GET, ACCEPT, FORAGE, ORDER, SKIN, SLIP and some others.

Experience

• Early level experience gains are similar to subscribers, but it slows with moderate ranks. A pass can bonus it to subscriber-like levels regardless of current rank.
• Log-in experience drain can be unlocked with a pass. Warnings will still affect this, whether a pass is active or not.

Loot

• Free players still get loot, including the chance for special items. A pass will allow subscriber-like rates, amounts, and chances at scrolls.
• There is a (rare) chance, ONLY available to Free subscribers, to get a short-duration pass when LOOTing creatures. This is a way to experience items from the store from time to time without buying it. It is not a reliable means, and certainly not for getting any particular pass.
• STUDY a pass to examine the details. REDEEM pass to get access.

Communication, Customization and Expression

• The SAY verb will allow you to manually specify emotes, but a pass is needed to unlock setting a permanent emote style.
• ALL titles are available to review, but a pass is needed to CHOOSE a new one.
• Item hiders can be unlocked with a pass.
• Merchant lists and spinners (for alterers) CAN be used by Free players, at the merchant's discretion.
• Raffles require a pass in order to purchase a ticket. These passes function as charges instead of duration. Each raffle ticket you buy with in-game coins (only one per raffle allowed, as normal) will consume one of the pass's charges, whether you win the raffle or not.
• Free players can become a citizen of any province they like with a pass to join.
• Most of PROFILE can be used, though a pass is needed to set a new IM, Quote or URL.

Travel

• Free players will primarily populate Zoluren. Passports exist for each of the other 4 provinces.
• If your passport expires while in another province, you can remain there. However, if you leave the province (return to Zoluren or use another passport to go elsewhere), you won't be allowed back without a new passport.
• A caveat to the above -- some spells, abilities or items may not function even within the same province if your pass for it has expired.
• Tricky candy teleporters from Hollow Eve will only zap free players to or around Zoluren.
• The Riverhaven ferries require a passport for Therengia to board. Likewise, you can't dive into the river without a passport. Those hidden protectors are rather insistent.
• The Gondola to Shard requires a passport for Ilithi to board.
• The barges from Ilaya Taipa to Ain Ghazal require a Forfedhdar pass.
• The Gear Gate of Raven's Point and the dark hole that leads to Cragstone Vale, the Black Spire, and more bar further access to Forfedhdar without a passport.
• Route ships require a passport to the destination province, unless it's same-province travel (Night Sky, Jolas, Halasa Selhin, etc). You can always disembark from these ships, even if your passport expires en route.
• Ranger trails require a valid passport for their destinations to be used.
• The sea mammoths to Fang Cove require an active Ilithi passport.
• The balloon from Langenfirth to M'Riss requires a passport for Qi'Reshalia.

Temporary Visas

Free to play players who have a certain guild quests outside of Zoluren can get a temporary visa to access the providence they need. Currently this system works for:

Warrior Mages - The Pathway Quests in Throne City

Clerics - Infusion, Resurrection, Murrula's Flames, and Truffenyi

Thieves - Signs, Ambushes

Free to play players can visit the Citizenship Office in the Town Hall in Crossing and ASK CLERK ABOUT "visa" or "travel", the clerk will let you know if you qualify for a temporary travel visa, and how much gold it will cost. The visa will always be for the earliest guild ability you are missing, so unless you happen to want to go to the same province as the earliest one you are missing, then you will need to finish up your old ability quests before working on newer ones.

Once you confirm that you'd like the visa, and pay the kindly clerk, you will have 24 hours access to the province that is mentioned. You will be given dire warnings of those who flaunt the guild visa system by overstaying. These warnings are serious. If your visa expires and you are still in an area that you don't normally have access to, you will be hunted down, tied up, beaten, mugged, fined, and spoken down to by an underpaid civil servant. You will also have a much longer period of time to wait before receiving a new visa for some new ability that you may need to get later. If you return on time, or at the very least, before the bounty hunters find you, then you can apply for another visa sooner. Returning does not require going back to the Citizenship office. You merely need to be somewhere in P1, or any province you have a passport for, or no longer be F2P.

Mule / Troublemaker Avoidance

• Can listen and learn from classes, but cannot teach classes.
• Teachers (subscribers) do not gain experience from Free listeners, UNLESS you only have one student who happens to be free.
• Banks are limited to 10 platinum, total, whether you split it between banks or put it all into one. A pass can unlock unlimitted bank limits.
• No base storage (vault use), but expansions can be unlocked up to 250 items.
• THUMP can be used on free players.

Staff and Player Assistance

• A new ASSIST queue exists for Free accounts.
• GameMasters can easily identify REPORTs from Free accounts.
• CHATTER is enabled for all free players up to level 15. This is an OOC, global channel to be used for getting help and learning the game -- the mentors have access. Staff can and will be monitoring for abuse, vulgarity, etc; and we can block those who are disruptive.

Miscellaneous

• Crossing is the only starting city allowed when creating a character.

Completely Blocked

• Empaths

"In addition to mule issues, wounds are a limited resource that are required for direct early Empath advancement and we do not wish to create an excessive demand. In addition to the "economic" issue, an Empath start is harder and more complex than virtually any other guild." --GM Armifer

• Traders

"In addition to mule issues, some Trader systems are limited resources (shops, tables) and we don't want to create excessive demand." --GM Armifer

• Necromancers

"A fairly obvious one. It's an advanced option that is utterly unsuited for a newbie, and we wish to keep the Necromancer population down." --GM Armifer

• Teaching classes
• Some teleporting items, spells and systems. Many were updated to respect passports, but some just flat aren't available.
• Moneybelts
• Travel via player owned ships
• Gwethsmashers
• Astral guides
• Shadow Servants -- the spell can be learned, but not cast. It can be unlearned via the existing spell forgetting mechanics.
• Player Owned Caravan interiors.
• Rare metals from mining.
• ASSASSIN game / system.
• CONVERT for moving experience out of mech lore and into crafting skills. Some kind of pass could happen for this down the line, but it's not currently planned.

Upgrades for Free Accounts

The following is a list of the items for free accounts (filtered by "FREE TO PLAY") that are sold at the SimuCoins store as of 3/18/2015. (Unless otherwise noted, all of these items just grant access to the mechanics used by standard accounts.)

The "Dollar" column is the equivalent price in dollars using the median rate of 4,025 SimuCoins for $34.99.

Item	Duration	SimuCoins	Dollars	Description
Experience Absorption Booster	1 day	20	$0.17
Experience Absorption Booster	3 days	60	$0.52
Experience Absorption Booster	5 days	90	$0.78
Experience Absorption Booster	30 days	450	$3.91
Offline Experience Drain	30 days	300	$2.61
Offline Experience Drain	90 days	850	$7.39
Therengian Passport	30 days	200	$1.74
Therengian Passport	60 days	350	$3.04
Therengian Passport	90 days	500	$4.35
Ilithi Passport	30 days	200	$1.74
Ilithi Passport	60 days	350	$3.04
Ilithi Passport	90 days	500	$4.35
Qi Passport	30 days	200	$1.74
Qi Passport	60 days	350	$3.04
Qi Passport	90 days	500	$4.35
Forfedhdar Passport	30 days	200	$1.74
Forfedhdar Passport	60 days	350	$3.04
Forfedhdar Passport	90 days	500	$4.35
Inventory Slot Booster	30 days	250	$2.17	over the shoulder (+1), finger (+2), belt (+2), and generally worn (+20)
Inventory Slot Booster	60 days	475	$4.13	over the shoulder (+1), finger (+2), belt (+2), and generally worn (+20)
Inventory Slot Booster	90 days	700	$6.09	over the shoulder (+1), finger (+2), belt (+2), and generally worn (+20)
Item Hider Activation	30 days	75	$0.65	allows use of item hiders
Item Hider Activation	60 days	140	$1.22	allows use of item hiders
Item Hider Activation	90 days	200	$1.74	allows use of item hiders
Personal Inventory Upgrade	30 days	300	$2.61	carry up to 300 items
Personal Inventory Upgrade	60 days	575	$5.00	carry up to 300 items
Raffle Passes	5 raffles	25	$0.22	allows raffle play
Raffle Passes	10 raffles	50	$0.43	allows raffle play
Remove Bank Balance Cap	30 days	250	$2.17
Remove Bank Balance Cap	60 days	475	$4.13
Remove Bank Balance Cap	90 days	700	$6.09
Speaker Pass	24 hours	25	$0.22	allows permanent emote for speech (lasts until changed)
Title Change Scroll	7 days	25	$0.22	allows title change (lasts until changed)
Writ of Citizenship	7 days	150	$1.30	become a citizen of a province (lasts until renounced)
Treasure Boost Token	1 day	15	$0.13
Treasure Boost Token	3 days	45	$0.39
Treasure Boost Token	5 days	75	$0.65
Treasure Boost Token	30 days	405	$3.52

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