No, it's not a redundant question.

Currently when you purchase a pet, you buy it in the store with C-Store points and you can have one for every character you have, both now and future characters that you create. If you delete the pet, you just go to the store and 'claim' it again (in other words you purchase it once and only once).

On the Tribble F2P test server, you purchase the pet, and what you get in your inventory is a 'crate' which you right click and select 'use' (which gives you the pet) or you can sell the crate on the exchange instead. However if you go to another character, (or if you delete it, or want another) you have to purchase the pet with C-Store points again (and again and again).

So people (like me) bought the pet with the 'impression' it was forever and for all our characters both now and future characters (and that was the case) but on the test server it 'appears' that is no longer the case and we will have to buy the pet for any new characters we create, or if we decide to delete it to free up some inventory space. What is of concern, is that this pattern will continue, and will extend to uniforms, ships and really everything that was sold under the 'unlocks for all characters on an account' umbrella.

Oh okay. I hadn't had the chance to go on tribble, so was just going by the pictures.

i really hope this is a mistake on cryptic's part, or that they just haven't worked out the kinks yet (making them exchangeable but not in a way that can be abused while still being fair to people).

I really hope that too.

A couple of items from the ToS:

A) (From 9. Cryptic Points.)
The Cryptic Points service offering is a redeemable point system (" Cryptic Points ") which can be used to license in-game virtual items through the Service.

B) ( From 10. Ownership/Selling of the Account or Virtual Items.)
Cryptic owns, has licensed, or otherwise has rights to all of the content that appears in the Game. You agree that you have no right or title in or to any such content, including the virtual goods or currency appearing or originating in the Game, Cryptic Points or any other attributes associated with the Account or stored on the Service ("Game Assets").

What we buy on the C-Store isn't ours, it's Cryptics, they can do whatever they want with them, at least that's my understanding of it and I'm no expert on legal stuff.

All we can do is protest and convey our distaste in what Cryptic do in the hopes they will listen and change, and until they clarify what they are doing with the C-Store I will reserve my rant.....

They have had a tendency to push new things on to Tribble without fine-tuning them (as the EEPH has said), and it seems to be a constant with them. I suppose I can understand the logic, in the sense that they get stuff out more regularly (even if it's broke as ****), and they get feedback right away, and generally try to fix things for the most part.

I generally give them the benefit of the doubt, so I'll give this one a few days and wait until we get some sort of DEV response about it.

Thanks Dane, that is very helpful (of you). That basically negates any thoughts of 'legal' rights. Basically, we don't have any.

(That is of course assuming that what is on Tribble, the wording and how it is working is the intended outcome.)

Just wanted to address this, as I had missed it the first time.

Honestly I agree; I've bought things from the C-Store (even when I probably shouldn't), and more than once have dropped them for whatever reason, only to claim them later.

All I know is, I'll give Cryptic the benefit of the doubt until December, which is how far ahead I've subbed. When renewal day is upon me, i'll look at the game as it is then. Up until now, i've been largely happy with what they're doing, and even now will give them the benefit of the doubt and assume they're going to make it all right somehow, like they have many times before.

If they don't, well, I can use the extra 15 dollars a month on ice-cream, or something.

Please don't quote the ToS. When you get down to it they could have sold LTS at the launch and immediately put everything on it to the C-Store or even shut down the game. In no way does that make it right. Don't use it as a cop-out to every situation.

Dane_Strife is slightly confused....

A comment on the legality of changing our C-Store items was made earlier in the thread and Quoting the ToS seemed to have relevance here.

And as for using it as a "Cop-Out to every situation"..... Correct me if I'm wrong but I don't think I have quoted the ToS before.....

Sorry, I meant in a general sense. Some people (again, generalizing) think ToS gives them a carte blanché to do anything they like. While it's 'legally' their right they soon won't have any players left.

They also have the 'right' to take away all your ships and make you pay for them again. That doesn't really change the discussion.