I debated quite a bit about posting here, but since it keeps being repeated that the feedback on Discord goes nowhere, I felt I should add my opinion.

The strength of DR has been that it is a skill-based game, not a level-based game. In general, any build could be successful, any race can be any guild, virtually any skill can be mastered with enough time and effort by any character. This flexibility is what has created an environment of no "best build" and what has continued to capture my interest. The core of that flexibility is best expressed in the current TDP model.

This is a fundamental, foundation level change to a 20+ year old text game with a dedicated player base who log in frequently and pay you a healthy subscription fee based in large part on nostalgia. Many people have come and gone and DR has changed over the years, but the foundation of the game has remained largely stable. Each time I left and returned, I found some things to be different and in many ways better, but this was built on the back of the core remaining stable. At best this change will create a game I do not recognize and at worst create an existential crisis for DR.

There is a novel worth of half finished, underperforming or neglected projects, areas, guilds and abilities. I can really only think of a few reasons why this would be the change chosen to pursue:

1) a lack of concern or understanding of what the current population considers to be issues and a focus on attracting that ever mysterious "new" population, of which no proof is available that it exists.
2) dissatisfaction that the unintended consequences of the 3.0 rollout + REXP implementation is an accelerated arms race now that even the casual gamer can be as productive as power scripters.
3) a desire to cap the ability for the player to enhance the character in order to promote yet-to-be-released MT stat enhancing items.

Right on the back of promoting these changes (which is either "definitely happening" or "might not be, give your feedback!" depending on which GM is correct), a new lore-specific almanac is released to further promote the current training paradigm already in place. Each subsequent MT event this year has made an extremely expensive, game changing item that is quickly turned into a relic by the time the next is released. The first almanac was made less desirable by the second, the second's strength was the ability to choose and most people would choose crafting skills, and now a lore specific almanac is released. At this point it would be foolish for anyone to invest in this or any skill based MT item.

When this feedback was given on Discord, it was said that the fact that almanacs were going to be released per skillset was never a secret.

>LyneyaToday at 3:18 PM
>We have never made a secret of eventually releasing almanacs for each skill set.

I found no evidence of this on Discord or on these forums. I doubt the majority of those who spent up to $1,000 on the last almanacs would have made that purchase knowing this new almanac would be released.

This latest investment of time and resources from those who are in charge of the game shows me that this is not worth my time or money. The strongest way as a customer to communicate my dissatisfaction is with my wallet, and as such I have canceled my accounts and will no longer contribute my ~$120 per month.

- Hank