You might be interested to know that a certain divine made a similar promise over six years ago and managed to keep it.

The purchase of credits is just to give your character a fast increase, there are many different ways though much slower then buying credits to increase your character. Winning contests and gambling *coughs* the point is, buying credits is good but major credit purchase may ruin the character and its growth in my opinion and Shiro kept a promise not to buy credits for an hour! so I win!

I'd like to jump on the not having bought credits bandwagon. Supporting the game is fine but I really can't afford it. Luckily life isn't all that impossible - I had a character who was tri-trans and another who was.. let's see... I think tri-trans, trans tattoos, near trans in vision and survival, and trans in two craft skills. Took me 8 or 10 months for that last one, and only about 20 credits of that was from protege purchases.

I would say my experience with that taught me two things... 1) Don't ever say that such-and-such is not a problem because there's a skill to fix it that's "only half way up in survival," and 2) guides that get paid a decent amount are happy guides, blessings upon Avasyu and curses upon Varian.

Oh, and P.S. who're these "notable" people you talk about? Honest, I only remember one who was just a little kiddling when I quit Aetolia... I feel so old now.