Much of the utility of BM (and other such sites) is for hardcore crafters who would normally either fill entire notebooks or make elaborate spreadsheets of mat stats on their own anyways, and those who are not fond of flagging their maps. For those that don't mind a bit of exploring and flagging, and who are not min/max crafters who will go to great lengths for small increases to the stats of their crafted items, BM is actually more confusing and cumbersome than useful or informative. The same goes for other sites of Ryzom-related reference material. At best, they cut down on duplication of effort, nothing more. There are no secrets there, only reference material.
And that assumes that you don't tap into the wonderful and knowledgable Atysian community. Unlike other games, the majority of people are quite happy to answer questions. The Ryzom Wiki and BM contain considerably less information than Uni, so don't be afraid of chat! Mini-masters can go just about anywhere a multi-master can go. Sure, some places are more dangerous for mini-masters than for multi-masters. But I've seen players as low as 100 successfully tanking Great Kinchers and Super-herbis; the mobs that many subbed players use to get their last few levels on. If a mini-master can take such an important role on a team in a 250-zone then, to my mind, they are not really all that limited. Even having to be part of a team to do certain things (like fight in a 250-zone) isn't really all that limiting in a game where some things (like fighting in a 250-zone without resting for a couple minutes between kills) require even subbed players to be part of a team.
Now, I will concede that Ryzom has a little bit more of a learning curve than many other games, and that does make those who are used to games with less depth feel a bit overwhelmed. But the only difference between the weapons an F2P player makes and the weapons a multi-master makes is the Damage stat; all the other stats are the same whether you make q10 or q250, so even a "trial" player can explore the intricacies of crafting jsut as deeply as a subbed player. Likewise, since diggers are generally not equipped for fighting anyways (most leave their HP gear and weapons in town when they dig), most high-level diggers dig in places that are safe even for lower-level characters. Sure, mini master diggers can't pop 10 spots and pull 50+ mats in a single prospection, but the basic principles and the best digging locations are the same. When if comes to fighting, the "sliding scale" XP system means that someone with Fight 100 soloing a lvl 120 mob gets the same XP as a lvl 220 character taking on a lvl 240 mob, and the XP cap means that that level 100 character would not get more XP for trying to solo anything too big for them to fight in the first place.
In short, even an F2P player can experience the same fighting, harvesting, and crafting things that a subbed player can, as well as explore the entire planet. Definitely enough to test the game... and then some.
And that assumes that you don't tap into the wonderful and knowledgable Atysian community. Unlike other games, the majority of people are quite happy to answer questions. The Ryzom Wiki and BM contain considerably less information than Uni, so don't be afraid of chat! Mini-masters can go just about anywhere a multi-master can go. Sure, some places are more dangerous for mini-masters than for multi-masters. But I've seen players as low as 100 successfully tanking Great Kinchers and Super-herbis; the mobs that many subbed players use to get their last few levels on. If a mini-master can take such an important role on a team in a 250-zone then, to my mind, they are not really all that limited. Even having to be part of a team to do certain things (like fight in a 250-zone) isn't really all that limiting in a game where some things (like fighting in a 250-zone without resting for a couple minutes between kills) require even subbed players to be part of a team.
Now, I will concede that Ryzom has a little bit more of a learning curve than many other games, and that does make those who are used to games with less depth feel a bit overwhelmed. But the only difference between the weapons an F2P player makes and the weapons a multi-master makes is the Damage stat; all the other stats are the same whether you make q10 or q250, so even a "trial" player can explore the intricacies of crafting jsut as deeply as a subbed player. Likewise, since diggers are generally not equipped for fighting anyways (most leave their HP gear and weapons in town when they dig), most high-level diggers dig in places that are safe even for lower-level characters. Sure, mini master diggers can't pop 10 spots and pull 50+ mats in a single prospection, but the basic principles and the best digging locations are the same. When if comes to fighting, the "sliding scale" XP system means that someone with Fight 100 soloing a lvl 120 mob gets the same XP as a lvl 220 character taking on a lvl 240 mob, and the XP cap means that that level 100 character would not get more XP for trying to solo anything too big for them to fight in the first place.
In short, even an F2P player can experience the same fighting, harvesting, and crafting things that a subbed player can, as well as explore the entire planet. Definitely enough to test the game... and then some.
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Do not assume that you speak for all just because you are the loudest voice; there are many who disagree that simply have no desire to waste words on you.