I don't think continuous respecs are a good idea, nor what this poster was suggesting, thereby eliminating the 'flavor of the month' following. I do, however, believe that a one time respec be given to new characters who may make choices before fully understanding them. This respec should only be available for a week after character creation, simply to help reduce the frustration and potential cancellation of new players.

Most of us have gamed for years and understand the pitfalls of bad character creation decisions and can live with them just fine. However, players unfamiliar with this type of game, or MMOs in general, may not be prepared for the inability to correct a mistake that was made when they were still learning the ropes.

I read an article somewhere that said the average MMO has an opportunity lasting less than a day to convince a new player to stick with it. A little kindness towards those who are trying out this product and deciding whether or not to continue subscribing to it will do wonders to help you capitalize on that small window of opportunity.

I understand, and personally enjoy, the sandbox environment. It just seems that many veteran players now equate 'sandbox' with a hardcore, no mistakes allowed, 'deal with it' mentality. Sandbox means 'here's a world, do what you want/can with it.'

If anyone can give a reason as to which detriments of a 1-week respec would outweigh the benefits, I'd love to hear them. How does doing this negatively affect you as a player, the other players, or the game world in general?

I've already listed the benefits, and I'm pretty sure we can all agree that impressing a new subscriber, and welcoming them, rather than alienating them or chastising them for not having researched their career path ahead of time, is an important goal to have. Even using a planner and being meticulous may not be enough.

I personally had a character planned out weeks in advance, which I had tuned several times. Then I got into the game, trained him, and after two days realized that, while effective, I just plain hated the way the character played. It didn't suit my style. Luckily I had already researched this game and committed to it. Most newcomers won't have done so.

He's talking about containers you buy in your private storage. They do not remember their last position when closed and reopened.

I really agree with this idea.