About this payment thing..

[TecyGoldfish]

Well some people may not have bank accounts. So then they don't have credit cards or checks. Can we send the money in cash? Also, can we send the $10 in monthly sendings? It's not really fair to make us pay $100 for a whole year if we aren't going to play the whole year. Say we want to skip a month or so? Is it possible? Sorry for the bother.


~Marima~:(

[Govan]

One thing about cash though:

If you don't hide it in paper, tape the envelope closed with duct tape, 9/10 it will be stolen on you. Your mail goes through a lot of hands before it gets to where it is going: carriers, post office staff, sorters, more carriers, sorters, planes, carries, your box, etc. There are a lot of people who'd take ten dollars - would definately take 100 - because they can open the envelope easily and reseal it just as easily.

If you go to your post office, however, you could get money orders. You should be also able to get these at a bank.

All you do is say "I need a money order for $10 american/$25 american/$100 american" (depending on what you're paying). You give them the amount of money you're putting into the money order (can't remember if there's any tax/fees on it, I know there are taxes in Canada, but I can't speak for anywhere else).

Then you write down the information for skotos there, write your account info on a piece of paper (don't include your password because, believe it or not, staff will never need your password - if they ask, I'd be damned suspicious). Then put the order in an envelope with the info and send it in to the address :)

Of course, since I paid by CC, dunno if Skotos will take money orders - but I'm pretty sure they don't take cash because of the risk involved with mailing it. They'll not be responsible for your money being stolen mid-mail.

Uhm. I hope that helped ;p

[Lyrad]

There is no $10 per month, or $25 per quarter option when paying my check or money order. The only option is $100 per year. The reason for this is (as stated by one of the administrators in another post) checks and money orders have to be processed manually by the staff. Skotos just isn't equiped to handle that much work each month. Think about it. If you had to process that many checks and update that many accounts individually each month, by the time you got through, it'd be time to start all over again with another group of checks. It's just too much work for the staff to handle, and keep the site up and running as it should be.

[illabrat]

If you live outside the states and don't have a credit card or checking account, try and see if you can get your hands on a western union money order. It's a money order that's in US dollars no matter where you send it from.

Now I just gotta save the dosh.

[Roxanna]

Hey Illabrat, thanks for that tip :)
I found a western union money agent in my little old town *chuckles*
... and here I was thinking there'd be no way I could pay for TEC without a CC and living in Europe. :rolleyes:

Thanks! You made my day! :D

[Jolee]

Seems that I read they will no longer take money orders.

[illabrat]

Could someone clear this up for me? Either Jolee post the link to where she saw this or someone tell me otherwise. A check and a money order are the same thing, right? Or are Skotos at war with the post office? I felt okay this morning until I read that.

To post in a one-sentence question: Skotos accepts Western Union money orders, right?

[Roxanna]

:starts pouting again:

In the faq it states cheque or money order... where was it posted then that money order won't be accepted any longer?

If that's true, a lot of people aren't going to be able to pay for skotos I think.

[Jolee]

Okay, give me a bit. It was on a different thread posted by Prometheus regarding the new policy that was to be posted next week.

I'll try to C/P it here.

I had posted in response because I knew it would keep some of our friends, even those with the funds, from playing TEC.

[Jolee]

Okay, this is one time when I am happy to be oh, so wrong. I could have sworn the phrase money order was taken out. Here is Prometheus' post in its entirety.

Promethus
This is from the revised Skotos Billing FAQ which is going to be posted/updated next week...

Q: How much does it cost to play?

A: Your first month of play at Skotos is a free trial period. After that, the cost is $9.95 USD per month for an account. This will give you access to all of the basic Skotos games, currently including Castle Marrach and Galactic Emperor: Succession. By the end of 2001 we expect to have about half-a-dozen games. Credit card or debit card using customers can purchase our services at a rate of $25 for three months, a discount over the usual rate. Those customers who wish to pay by check or money order are restricted to purchasing a year (12 months) in advance at a discounted rate: $100 USD for 1 year. A summary of these rates can be found below.

Payment Plan/Method of Payment/Amount/Savings Per Month
Monthly/Credit or Debit Card Only/$9.95 USD/None
Quarterly/Credit or Debit Card Only/$25.00 per quarter/$1.62 per month, $19.44 per year
Yearly/Check or Money Order Only/$100 per year/$1.62 per month, $19.44 per year

Q: What do I get for my money?

A: An account with Skotos entitles you to unlimited playing time on any of Skotos' released games, including, at this point, any future games that we offer to the general public of Skotos customers. We may release in the future games which are only available to certain Skotos customers, at our discretion. Terms and conditions are subject to future revision and change. At the time of this writing, Skotos offers two games for its players: Castle Marrach, a Grand Theatre consent-based multiplayer role-playing game, and Galactic Emporer: Succession, a strategic Stage that runs on a weekly basis.

Q: What methods of payment are available? Do I need a credit card?

A: You do not need a credit card, but it's the easiest and most versatile method of payment. You can pay us via credit card, check, or money order. We accept MasterCard? and Visa only at this time. If you pay via credit card, you can purchase our services on a month-to-month basis (for $9.95USD per month) or a quarterly basis (for $25.00USD per three months) at a discounted rate. Customers paying via check or money order may only purchase a yearly account at a discounted $100.00/year rate. Remember that in either case, your first month is a free trial period, and if you cancel before that first month is over, we will not charge your credit card or cash your check.

Q: Are any taxes charged?

A: No.

Q: How do renewals work?

A: Your credit card will be charged each billing cycle (monthly or quarterly) if that is your chosen method of payment. To cancel your account and stop renewals, simply send an email to ce@skotos.net asking to have your account cancelled. Note that you will not be refunded for remaining time in the billing cycle (i.e., if you've paid for a quarter in advance and cancel, you will not get a partial refund). Customers who pay by check will not be automatically renewed and must send us a new check to cover the following year before their billing cycle is up.

Q: How is my monthly, quarterly, or yearly billing cycle calculated?

A: On signing up with Skotos, all customers begin a one-month trial period immediately after creating their account. Provided you submit payment before the end of your trial period, your billing cycle begins each month on the date you receive when you start your trial period. For example, if you create an account on March 17th, and the system says, your billing cycle will begin on April 17th, then you will be billed on either the 17th of each succeeding month (for monthly customers), the 17th of July and every succeeding third month (for quarterly customers) or on April 17th of the following year if you have chosen to pre-pay a year in advance. You may only purchase a year in advance by check.

If we do not receive payment from you after the end of your trial period, or after the end of a billing cycle for which you have paid, your account will be disabled. If we do receive payment from you after your billing cycle is over but before your account has been deleted, your account will be re-activated, and your billing cycle will then occur on the date which we received your payment and every month or year thereafter. There will be a three month 'grace period' during which you can send in payment to resume service if your account has been disabled. If we do not receive payment within three months, your account and all associated characters will be deleted at any point thereafter at our convenience.

Q: What is the Skotos refund policy?

A: Skotos offers no refunds for its services if the customer cancels at any point after the first trial month. Payment is for either a month in advance or a year in advance, and cancellation before the pre-paid time period is up does not entitle the customer to a refund.

Q: Does Skotos offer any Internet-based payment services, like PayPal??

A: Not at this time.

Q: Who should I make my check out to?

A: Checks and money orders can be sent to:

Subscriptions
Skotos Tech Inc.
1512 Walnut Street
Berkeley, CA 94709


Checks should be made out to "Skotos Tech Inc." (there no comma in the company name).

Checks or money orders must be in the amount of $100.00, U.S. dollars only, and are for a year's worth of service in advance. Please include account, username and email address with any check or money order payment.

Q: Does Skotos accept payment in any currency other than U.S. dollars?

A: No, Skotos does not accept payment in anything but US dollars. Most credit card companies, however, will make the appropriate translation between US dollars and your local currency when a charge is made. For checks and money orders, we only accept US funds at this time.

--StoryHost Prometheus
--Director of Customer Experience and Quality Assurance
--Skotos Tech Inc.


My apologies to all.

[Roxanna]

Thanks for going through the trouble of finding his post, Jolee. :)

[Jolee]

Hey, that search button up there is an amazing lil critter :) I'm just so happy to be wrong!

[ShannonA]

And just to offer a final clarification: we definitely accept money orders.

If you're outside of the U.S. you should be able to get money orders drawn on U.S. dollars.

Shannon

[illabrat]

Thanks for the information. And now: back to saving money.

[bigpete88]

That's all good to hear. My brother's been trying to work up the courage to ask my parents to use their credit card for it. Well now he just needs to save :)

"Live to fight another day." --Laverous Solaris

[Ozymandius]

This may be an ignorant question, but... The fine people at Skotos Know who sent the check by the return adress right?
*is excited he has the cash*

Ozymandius the man with a sword i his eye.

[ShannonA]

Originally posted by Ozymandius
This may be an ignorant question, but... The fine people at Skotos Know who sent the check by the return adress right?
*is excited he has the cash*

To be safest, include your user name with the check.

Shannon

[Jetal]

1) If we don't sign up to Skotos for a month or more after our initial trial period is over then will our accounts be safe in the meantime?

2) Will we get a new SKOTOS account that logs us into TEC as our old account did or will we get our old account as is for this trial period?

3) What is up with the little glowy bulbs next to the forum threads?

4) I still don't see a way to mark off read forums. Check out Annatar's forums. He uses E-Z Boards or somethin' like that. I find it very convenient for reading, and only complicated in the areas of searching through and old topics that ran too long.

[ChristopherA]

Originally posted by Jetal
I still don't see a way to mark off read forums

Some people have run into cookie problems that keep the forums always thinking that you are new. To stop this, click on the "log out" button at the bottom of the forums home page, and relog in. You should now see that your date since last logged in is correct, and you can do searches on only new messages.

-- Christopher Allen

[kiro]

OK i am gonna have to save 25 my lil brother save 25 and my older brother is gonna pay 50 since he has a job. But anyway So we have to pay The 100$ at one time we can not pay 25$ quarterly if we use money orders. *parents would never let me use their CC*. That is the only question i had thanks.







Artarian, The healer/Staver :cool:

[Maximillion]

Are you really dedicated or just addicted to TEC, Artarian?
*smirks and grins* well that would kind of fit my description...

I'm just using my parents CC. *shrugs* Hopefully they won't "count" it as a Birthday or Christmas present.

[Atama]

If it isn't by credit card it needs to be paid for at once, at $100 for a year. The good thing is, you don't need to worry about paying for a whole year.

By credit card, you pay either $10 a month of $25 a quarter.

So yeah, by money order it needs to be $100.

[av3]

Why are you going to pay for Eternal City? I know that it has great gameplay and an interesting world, but honestly. Think about all the other online games you could play. Asheron's Call has a world that evolves every month to include new stories, quests, and mysteries. Everything included in TEC is there, but with a graphical interface to back it up. I just don't know why you would consider paying for something that a good team of programmers could make in just a week or two...
I'm just asking, and I know some people will take this the wrong way. I await many hatemails in my inbox.

[marc1105]

I agree that there are many other good games on-line that are free, and even though my character is but an ant in the TEC Community the reason I am staying is fairly simple... History.

I love the fact that Shade has lived through the stories I read about and I can hear her tell them, if I act inconspicuous enough, whenever she is in such a mood.

I love the fact that I can stand in the bank where Captain Pompeiinius decided to be the clerk in a drunken act of charity... whether this be fantasy or fiction.

I love that Tondrin, on top of his obligations with the new court system, still has time to talk to my character about some of his experiences while resting in the baths.

In short, it is the people and their dedication to building a complete society that makes me more than willing to unload $AU200... I hold this game as dear as a good novel and I have already spent the equivalent on Robert Jordan's pathetically lingering works. ;)

But I thank you for asking... it gave me a chance to remember why I do love this game.

[Atama]

Sorry to say this, but Asheron's Call has no sense of community or real role-playing. All of the big graphical games suffer from this. I left EQ after playing solidly over a year, because I need MORE. Asheron's Call is almost the same.

Also, with Ash you get 1 game for $10 a month. With Skotos, you get to play ALL their games. Right now that means 2 (3 in a couple months when GE comes back) but in the future, there will probably be dozens.

[av3]

I'd have to say that Asheron's Call is a really good game. It gave you the same sense of description and history that you get from TEC. I remember looking over a place called Cragstone Falls and reading the mysteries about a monster-filled cavern that supposedly laid behind the falls.
Also, you don't run into the problems encountered with text-based games.
*Put item into sack
*No, not that sack
*Put item into other sack
*No, wrong sack again!
I would just like an easier interface as far as that goes.
Also, I think it's just the fact that you're paying for more than what they're giving. TEC is a medium-sized community with a fair amount of players. Asheron's Call is a community with 10000 players. You don't need that much hardware to run a small server for TEC, with Asheron's Call you need to run in some T3 lines so your network doesn't run slow *cough Blizzard*.
And I just don't like the fact that I would be paying for something that is such a small program. I want to know that a team of professional programmers with years of experience that are highly paid worked around the clock to produce my game. I just don't see the same work in TEC.
Please respond to all this, most message boards would've said for me to just go away and (bleep) myself. It's nice to see that there are dignified people left on message boards.

[Annatar]

And so you go with a product coded by Microsoft? Hate to burst your bubble but Microsoft programmers don't have 'years' of expierence, nor do they continually update their code unless they have to because it's causing massive problems with the game. RPing on Asheron's call is not possible, on virtually any level, the game tends to simple turn into a massive hack and slash fest, with the focus on Player Killing rather then on Roleplaying. Bah, I like Ultima Online more then I like Asheron's call. At least some people attempt to Role Play on UO.

Code on TEC is, and was written by proffetionals, and unlike Asheron's call, is updated constantly to better fix those minor little things, stuff Asheron's call wouldn't bother fixing.

[av3]

Asheron's Call doesn't just sit there as the same program you bought. If you've seen it then you know that it introduces a new grand quest every month. One had you stopping a giant sea creature from destroying a town. They work hard to produce new material for their players. Also, it's hard to say that TEC was coded by 'professionals.' It's a text-based game, the programmers aren't what counts, it's the storyline creators and content managers. And even if the people that worked on Asheron's Call aren't professionals, their work sure looks the part. Their game ran on my 166 computer with great graphics. (I've upgraded since.)
Also, PKing on Asheron's Call is almost non-existant, if a person wants to be a PK then they have to go on some kind of PK quest. (Which I don't know too much about.) On average I see only one PK-er per day and even then I've never seen a person PK-ed. You could've thought out that post a little bit more...

[Govan]

Wow. One quest a month? We usually have big GM run events every week 8)

[Atama]

Av, you're missing the point. $10 doesn't pay for TEC, it pays for ALL of the Skotos games. AC is a rip-off by comparison.

Not that it's the worst game in the world, but it's not even as good as EQ, and the games here are far better than EQ.

[Exit]

The whole reason to play TEC is roleplaying. AC, Everquest, UO, all have little or no actuall role playing going on. Hell in Everquest if you actually try to roleplay other players make fun of you. Sure, TEC may not be as purdy, it may not be as big, but it is FAR more detailed and it gives an illusion of a true world, the world that TEC takes place in feels far more real then nearly any other game I've ever played.

[av3]

Just because you have a bunch of little events doesn't mean it beats the big quest that Asheron's Call introduces every month. First, you usually have to journey to a far-away land, which could take a few hours, along the way you'll probably stop to see all the wonders the land of Asheron has to offer. Then when you get there you spend another little while asking around about what's going on, collecting info, etc. Then the rest is detective work, fighting, etc. It should take about a month if you're a normal person and play about an hour per day or less. Of course I guess you could have those people that breathe, eat, and sleep AC and will just blow through it without doing anything else.
As far as AC not being better than EQ, I'd have to say no. Asheron's Call is much better. I've been in both, and EQ lacks the depth and involvement that Asheron's Call has.

[av3]

True, you don't get to role play as much in AC, EQ, UO, or any other two-letter combinations you can think of, but that's what real life is for. I'd take real life over any game anyday. My favorite way of role playing is to just go out and have a night on the town. You get to set your own personality, the way you act, interact, etc. It's more fun than TEC. (And there's less typing.)
I'm not accusing everyone in here of being nerds (though some will sure take it that way), I'm just saying I only role-play when it's really fun, and I never thought pretending to be some guy with a sword that rescues damsels (did I mispell that?) in distress fun.

[Exit]

If you don't think playing as a guy with a sword saving girls (I don't know how to spell damsel either) is fun, play as a different sort of charcter. You make your charcter be what he/she is, so if you don't like what your character is like, it's your own fault.

One thing I'd like to point out, most of the girls in this game(like me) are just as tough as the guys and seldom need recueing :p

[Morgantik]

And back to the original topic... I think it would be really good if Skotos would accept the American Express Card as anyone can pre-pay for one at thier local 7-11. It is a great option and I use it for another on-line game I play. I dont see any reason they shouldnt be able to pick up one more card. hint hint

[ShannonA]

Originally posted by Morgantik
And back to the original topic... I think it would be really good if Skotos would accept the American Express Card as anyone can pre-pay for one at thier local 7-11. It is a great option and I use it for another on-line game I play. I dont see any reason they shouldnt be able to pick up one more card. hint hint

Thanks for the heads-up. I was unaware of the AmEx/7-11 thing. It looks like the easiest way I've seen to set up a prepaid credit card thus far (though not all 7-11s have the service, including my local one).

I'm going to talk to our credit card people and see what can be done about accepting AmEx, but it'll probably take a week or two as I know there's more paperwork involved.

Shannon

[Vladmir]

First of all, as a one time player of EQ, and a current player of AC, I gotta say EQ is the worst of any online game I've played.

Second...AC has pretty graphics and a great sense of humor and fun, but it has no real depth. If I didn't have friends there to play with, I would play it. TEC on the other hand...well, I've played EverQuest, I've played Asheron's Call. Neither had enough depth to satisy my urge for real stories and real character's. They're just a teched up arcade game you can play with your buddies...which is fun, don't get me wrong...but TEC, or any good text game, has more to offer anyone who uses their imagination as something other than an aid for their *cough* personal fantasies.

[Shade]

Many merchats do not accept Amex for a very simple reason.. its costs more. Amex charges the merchant for the priviledge. I'd hesitate to accept it too.

[ShannonA]

Originally posted by Shade
Many merchats do not accept Amex for a very simple reason.. its costs more. Amex charges the merchant for the priviledge. I'd hesitate to accept it too.

That's exactly why we haven't accepted it to date, and I hope most people will keep using MasterCard and Visa.

But, I've hunted long and hard, and no one seems to make it *easy* to buy prepaid Visa or MasterCards. The easy prepaid AmEx cards you can buy at some 7-11s makes it well worth accepting them.

Shannon

[Devilsown]

Instead of bitching about how you think TEC id inferior, why not just go off and play the games you think are superior to TEC, and not babble on about it, we don't mind if you like another game better, just don't bitch about it, most people here prefer tec, and play tec for that reason, you prefer AC so play AC or whatever *shrugs*

[Enkar]

I know this is off topic, but I feel it needs to be said.

Role-playing is not simply embarking on quests. Role-playing is simply this: guiding a fictional character through everyday life in an alternate world. That is way I like to define it. You pretend like you are someone else and, basically, live.

In my opinion, the Big Three, are labeled wrong. They are not RPGs. They are hack-and-slash games with nice graphics. Quests are trials. After you complete them, you get some piece of armor, weapon, whatever.

The goal of these games is to be able to say "Mine is bigger than yours." I have a sword that does +30 damage, has fire elemental and glows.

Granted, there are some people in games claiming to be RPGs that do roleplay. However, they are, by far, outnumbered by powergamers.

To me, it is sad to see a promising "RPG", like Shadowbane, be flooded with powergamers. They bicker on thier forums about which is best--roleplaying or powergaming. In all honesty, people are different.

People like different things. But don't ever say that the Big Three are better than TEC. However, TEC is not pure role-playing. It has its hack-and-slashers.