I tried this game years ago and did not like it but at that time I suppose you could say I was looking at the game incorrectly.

This is not a game where you rush to the top or max out your character in a few short months or even years, in fact I do not think there is such a thing as maxing out your character, ever. Those who play that way will lose money quickly and likely have an bad time.

I downloaded the game a couple weeks ago again because I heard they upgraded the avatars as the old ones were pretty bad.

Anyway, the OP asked about $15 a month and I just wanted to say that I have met people in this game that  never made a deposit and have been playing for years and have some nice stuff.

Sweating animals is indeed a very slow way of making game money. There are two sweat camps, one north of Port Atlantis where you begin and another called Nea's place. Once you collect 1k sweat which would take a new player about 8 hours you sell them to a player for about 5 peds. That is enough for a rifle and some ammo.

One aspect of sweating animals that was not mentioned is that as you sweat animals you also gain skills. In this game skills can be sold and sweating earns some very nice skills like evade and some others.

If you play this game looking to beat it within a few months and move on then don't bother downloading it. This is the type of game that one should consider thinking of in years, maybe many many years.

The OP asked about $15 a months and I would say you certainly could enjoy the game for that because as I mentioned thousands of players are active and they never have made a deposit at all.

After 6 months or a year you can always sell some of your skills and then use that money for the bigger upgrades in gear.

I wrote some rather nasty remarks about this game after I first tried it years ago but at that time I came from games like Diablo and EQ and Earth and Beyond. This game is very different, you should pace yourself and watch where you spend your peds very carefully. At $15 a month and some patience, I would say your character would be in very good shape 3-5 years from now.

Add to this that those gamers that played years without a deposit have financed their game mostly on Raising item prices and because a few years ago the competition in the trading market (selling high buy low). Was much easier. I traded myself the first ½ year which was the first ½ year of 2004. and managed to scrab in 1700 ped without a single deposit. If say i did buy a Meckel and loch for 1500 ped which was the price back then. and kept it to today. i could sell it for problaly easy in the range of 15000 - 20000 ped. Through time you might also buy a certain item. Use it a month or 2. and sell it for a good profit since items kept raising. = Money to play for.

Starting now. Trading buisness is very popular. This meens very high competition and bargains are hard to find as others pick them up first. The good contacts to suppliers to sell for are mostly taken. Sure its possible. but i knew a few guys and girls trying to start up trading or sweating or anything similiar. And they dident succes alot. But sure they profitted. But we talk maybe 50 -100 ped on 2 months active work. 1/2 hours a day minium. On that time you could make way more back in time.

Look at the post before yours. Hes a example on how you profit in this game today. Deposit 50$ and Cross your fingers  + You simply play smart as he does. If you dont get a deposit in your first 10 bombs. Chances are its not giving out much there simply. Its not because your "Global or HOF" might be around the corner.

I just had to add that what was possible a few years ago is not possible today. Also back then most sweaters was hanging around S for Camp phoenix ( i were myself) In the bee camp sweating. They dident attack or move. So you simply kept sucking sweat out of them all day. When one was dry you moved on to the next one. and kept circling around. You can't compare back then and today at all. And sweat prices was 2 pec / bottle if i recall right (anyone around here remember exactly). You got a bit less amounts anyhow. But still it was more profitable since the monsters was standing there and not attacking or moving ;).