A "stop freaking out, micro transactions are fine" article from a managing editor at a site that sells advertising space superimposed OVER THE TOP of the content at their site......
I'm not agreeing with this article, not even in vague fuzzy terms. Until folks recognize the difference between making a profit and sheer greed we'll get stuck with this lot and as consumers we sorta have it coming. Blizzard was by no means hurting prior to the MT pet store, so at this point it's just more money on the piles of money they already make. Why is the staff of MMORPG so pumped about anything and everything MT? The whole, "you're freaking out relax or we'll marginalize you" tactic is a bit much as well. I've noticed a lot of game sites for various types of video games (MW2, L4D2 pick a boycott) all spouting this to degrees. I say, by all means those of you who are going to, go ahead and embrace the corporate culture so we can weed out the sites that are about gamers and for gamers and the ones who are about self-service and making money. And why are you so trusting of companies and the...oh, wait, I see what you did there. Quick, add more banners. Keep chanting; "Wave of the future. Don't overreact! Silly gamers! Silly gamers! Silly!" Yeah, you know what's best for us, my bad.
Ok, then YOU tell me(in non subjective terms) just what is this "greed"(sheer or other wise) you speak of? Simply because Blizzard has made billions on WoW, does that some how translate to them not looking for methods to make more money? At what point does a *business* have "enough" profit and then "should" lose interest in more?
As for the second, given some of the hysterical "the sky is falling" posts, its no wonder some of us have taken to teasing about this. Some of you need to check your tin foil hats for leaks, so that Blizzards orbital mind control lasers don't cause you to rush out and purchase those vanity pets...<grin>
I hate to bring this up... But one of the major motivational factors behind business in general(and games are a business) is to make a profit. I now that comes as a horrible shock to some of you, but its the ugly, unavoidable truth. Now the best businesses know that such is best done by supplying a market demand. Absent government intervention(aka the bail out for bankers, and GM etc...) any business that doesn't meet market demands eventually goes out of business. Which is as it should be.
I'm not agreeing with this article, not even in vague fuzzy terms. Until folks recognize the difference between making a profit and sheer greed we'll get stuck with this lot and as consumers we sorta have it coming. Blizzard was by no means hurting prior to the MT pet store, so at this point it's just more money on the piles of money they already make. Why is the staff of MMORPG so pumped about anything and everything MT? The whole, "you're freaking out relax or we'll marginalize you" tactic is a bit much as well. I've noticed a lot of game sites for various types of video games (MW2, L4D2 pick a boycott) all spouting this to degrees. I say, by all means those of you who are going to, go ahead and embrace the corporate culture so we can weed out the sites that are about gamers and for gamers and the ones who are about self-service and making money. And why are you so trusting of companies and the...oh, wait, I see what you did there. Quick, add more banners. Keep chanting; "Wave of the future. Don't overreact! Silly gamers! Silly gamers! Silly!" Yeah, you know what's best for us, my bad.
Ok, then YOU tell me(in non subjective terms) just what is this "greed"(sheer or other wise) you speak of? Simply because Blizzard has made billions on WoW, does that some how translate to them not looking for methods to make more money? At what point does a *business* have "enough" profit and then "should" lose interest in more?
As for the second, given some of the hysterical "the sky is falling" posts, its no wonder some of us have taken to teasing about this. Some of you need to check your tin foil hats for leaks, so that Blizzards orbital mind control lasers don't cause you to rush out and purchase those vanity pets...<grin>
I hate to bring this up... But one of the major motivational factors behind business in general(and games are a business) is to make a profit. I now that comes as a horrible shock to some of you, but its the ugly, unavoidable truth. Now the best businesses know that such is best done by supplying a market demand.
Honestly, its indicitive of the entire games market. I just bought dragon age. Single player game. They released paid dlc for it the day it launched. NOw....if the dlc was ready on launch day, what good reason is there to have not just include it in the game? Several companies are purposely holding back content at release to sell to you later. Is that not greed? Is giving me 3/4 of a game and doling the rest out to me at 7.99 a pop not greedy?
I know, that is unrelated, ...or is it? At what point does protecting the companies bottom ;line cross into the realm of going too far? Imo, charging box sales, a sub fee, and mts crosses that line. They aren't "double dipping" as jon implies...most mmorpgs already double dip. Blizz is going to the next level. Triple dipping!
Originally posted by Wraithone Who says that monthly subs and micro transactions can't be part of the same game? Just so long as they aren't selling gear, I see no problem. No one is forcing anyone to take part. If you don't want the pets(or what ever) you need not purchase them.
And when a companies does start selling gear there will be people lining up to tell you that it isn't a problem and that you don't need to buy them. See how flawed your viewpoint is. You are saying the exact same thing that Loke is saying, but your tolerance is a little deeper. Why is lokes opinion any different than yours?
I think everyone in this thread has admitted to cash shops being bad in one way or another, but we all just do not agree on the same point of when they go beyond our personal tolerance of the items being sold. To me that shows a clear majority of people do think they are bad, even if they have not crossed your personal beliefs yet.
What I do not see people in this thread saying is how cash shops are good. No one is showing how removing content from free patches and demanding payment for them in order to be accessed is good. How this is a benefit for the entier playerbase.
I just cannot understand why people are lining up to defend cash shops as trivial when almost everyone has stated they can be a huge gamebreaking problem for them. The logic is just so flawed that I cannot even begin to describe it.
This isn't a good analogy by any means, but it gets the general point across.
Lets say a friend offers to drive you to a party as the designated driver. When they pick you up, they have a 12 pack of beer for you and a 12 pack for them. Would you wait for them to drink so many that they could not possibly drive before you start to question their actions or would you ask as soon as you get into the car?
How would you feel if your other friends told you to shut up and that you were complaining about something that has not happened yet?
This isn't a good analogy by any means, but it gets the general point across. Lets say a friend offers to drive you to a party as the designated driver. When they pick you up, they have a 12 pack of beer for you and a 12 pack for them. Would you wait for them to drink so many that they could not possibly drive before you start to question their actions or would you ask as soon as you get into the car? How would you feel if your other friends told you to shut up and that you were complaining about something that has not happened yet?
I don't see anyone chastising Bioware over RMT. Lets take a look at Dragon Age, i bought the CE and got some nice extra stuff, but guess what, there is more content but i have to pay for it, i don't get free access to wardens keep, i have to pay 15 more dollars for it, sounds like RMT to me. Whats some of the arguements around here? "Oh well witholding content to charge for it later is bad bad bad, its RMT blah blah blah, but here we have Bioware introducing RMT into a Single Player Game.
Not only this but they plan on adding Additional content for 2 more years, you think any of that is gonna be free? Bioware = cash shop right there. So where's the outrage? Where's the people saying they won't play a Bioware game ever again?
"The great thing about human language is that it prevents us from sticking to the matter at hand." - Lewis Thomas
I don't see anyone chastising Bioware over RMT. Lets take a look at Dragon Age, i bought the CE and got some nice extra stuff, but guess what, there is more content but i have to pay for it, i don't get free access to wardens keep, i have to pay 15 more dollars for it, sounds like RMT to me. Whats some of the arguements around here? "Oh well witholding content to charge for it later is bad bad bad, its RMT blah blah blah, but here we have Bioware introducing RMT into a Single Player Game. Not only this but they plan on adding Additional content for 2 more years, you think any of that is gonna be free? Bioware = cash shop right there. So where's the outrage? Where's the people saying they won't play a Bioware game ever again?
I don't see anyone chastising Bioware over RMT. Lets take a look at Dragon Age, i bought the CE and got some nice extra stuff, but guess what, there is more content but i have to pay for it, i don't get free access to wardens keep, i have to pay 15 more dollars for it, sounds like RMT to me. Whats some of the arguements around here? "Oh well witholding content to charge for it later is bad bad bad, its RMT blah blah blah, but here we have Bioware introducing RMT into a Single Player Game. Not only this but they plan on adding Additional content for 2 more years, you think any of that is gonna be free? Bioware = cash shop right there. So where's the outrage? Where's the people saying they won't play a Bioware game ever again?
I just want to ask "Is the story in the game complete without the extra content?" and "Does the extra content just allow you to continue playing the game after the main story, or offer side quest to be done at any point?" if so it's ok. It's what some of us like to call expansions, you pay for the content cause you realize its not free for them to design it, and by buying you let the company know that you enjoyed the product and want to see more like it.
Up to T12 gear for your strawman argument now? How about you stick to the claims that we are actually making? - That this is the thin edge of the wedge. A small step towards game-affecting gear being sold eventually.
Even if it isn't - it's still a case of content that used to be added for free now being charged for in excess of the sub fee.
Right now - it's bad, and we are worried that it will get much worse. Is THAT clear?
Blizzard has always had vanity pets 'for sale' with real currency. DirectTV Blizzcon stream, collector's editions and The Trading Card Game. Every one of those involved a real money transaction to get a rare or exclusive vanity pet.
Up to T12 gear for your strawman argument now? How about you stick to the claims that we are actually making? - That this is the thin edge of the wedge. A small step towards game-affecting gear being sold eventually.
Even if it isn't - it's still a case of content that used to be added for free now being charged for in excess of the sub fee.
Right now - it's bad, and we are worried that it will get much worse. Is THAT clear?
Find new stuff to worry about, go make a kid and be a good parent or something.
The point is this, Blizzard knows that the path to making money in this genre is player retention, by offering RMT gear, they cut the time people play the game down severly, if you can just buy your items, then what? You obviously didn't enjoy raiding, cause you would have rather bought your gear, and everyone who PvP's will have just the same stuff, so there is no incentive to do that either. only thing to do is show it off in a city how long you think someone will pay for that?
I hear your worries, the whole slippery slope thing, but seriously, do you think after years of being on top do you think Blizzard is going to make a move that only the bottom games imploy?
Quit spending so much time doubting and try to grow a brain everytime you post its always about an issue not too far from your nose, when if you would uncross your eyes and look down the road aways, you could actually see potholes before you fall into them.
It is a microtransaction. This is a single zebra for sale at an orange stand to use your metaphor. Your article aims to remove the tag because it's not 'required' in game. Well guess what, every part of a game is not required either. Blizzard has been slowly introducing more micro-transactions into it's game, and I'm happy to see it's customers telling them what they think of it.
Your ranting is completely illogical.....no part of a game is required? Then what would you be playing? The game wouldnt exsist in the first place if not one part of it was required.
Up to T12 gear for your strawman argument now? How about you stick to the claims that we are actually making? - That this is the thin edge of the wedge. A small step towards game-affecting gear being sold eventually.
Even if it isn't - it's still a case of content that used to be added for free now being charged for in excess of the sub fee.
Right now - it's bad, and we are worried that it will get much worse. Is THAT clear?
Find new stuff to worry about, go make a kid and be a good parent or something.
The point is this, Blizzard knows that the path to making money in this genre is player retention, by offering RMT gear, they cut the time people play the game down severly, if you can just buy your items, then what? You obviously didn't enjoy raiding, cause you would have rather bought your gear, and everyone who PvP's will have just the same stuff, so there is no incentive to do that either. only thing to do is show it off in a city how long you think someone will pay for that?
I hear your worries, the whole slippery slope thing, but seriously, do you think after years of being on top do you think Blizzard is going to make a move that only the bottom games imploy?
Quit spending so much time doubting and try to grow a brain everytime you post its always about an issue not too far from your nose, when if you would uncross your eyes and look down the road aways, you could actually see potholes before you fall into them.
thats at least 3 posts in this thread where you are name calling ,ranting, and/or flaming. Yet you seem to have no issue telling others what/how they should post. Odd.
However I do understand and agree with many points the OP has made.
I think the problem with the reaction is multi-fold here.
Most mmorpg fans, do not like microtransactions. Some because they are not used to them and some others simply opposing them out of principle.
The truth is that no matter how it is done, fundamentally, in my view as well, microstransactions are a form of RMT, a milder form of RMT perpetrated by the Game's Developer themselves.
So it feels, hypocritical, when Blizzard does not condone RMT from third parties, then turn around and does it themselves.
It would be like a Churche preached not to give donations to different denomination Churches, but then every sunday goes around with the basket asking for donations themselves. It is Hypocritical and obvious.
Now if you say, that "this is a business", and like any other, its goal is to make more money independently of it being Hypocritical, and actually this is what the OP is saying, then one may just accept this, but loyal fans would not easily accept it, because, in reality everyone knows that this is a business, yet no everyone wants to be associated with a bad behavior such as Hypocrisy.
On the other hand it could be argued, why would a successful enterprise such as Blizzard, which makes roughly 164 Millions of Dollar per month, in gross income, (that is more than a Billion per year), would need to make something like this?
The answer is not Bill and expenses, these are payed in this case long before a year ends. The answer is simply that Blizzard is an Enterprise in a Capitalist system and it has to be more profitable every year compared to the previous one, in order to fulfill its mandate towards its shareholders.
It is as simple as that really. As in reality it does not "need" to make more profit when it already makes much profit, but it needs as a company to be able to show growth...even if it made a good number of hundreds of millions of profit every year, if that profit was the same every year, it would not be good as the company would show no growth. That is how many western economies work, it is all a matter of perceived value, blame it on the system if you must, yet that would be a discussion in and of itself.
That being said some of you may ask, but why did they have to go with microtransactions? The answer is, because they can;t any longer show growth with new subscriptions, truth is WoW is a "old" game now, it is nothing new and it does not attract that many new players which could have an impact on its growth numbers, because there is other games out there too, and the influx of players (if any) is balanced by those that quit WoW for another game.
My only concern is that eventually, this store may have other items in it, that are not just cosmetic, unless Blizzard comes up with yet another way to raise its profitability numbers.
All in all, this is but an indication that WoW had run its course. Business aside, I am really interested to see how many people playing WoW are actually driven by Vanity...I think the results may surprise some.
- Duke Suraknar - Order of the Silver Star, OSS
ESKA, Playing MMORPG's since Ultima Online 1997 - Order of the Silver Serpent, Atlantic Shard
Up to T12 gear for your strawman argument now? How about you stick to the claims that we are actually making? - That this is the thin edge of the wedge. A small step towards game-affecting gear being sold eventually.
Even if it isn't - it's still a case of content that used to be added for free now being charged for in excess of the sub fee.
Right now - it's bad, and we are worried that it will get much worse. Is THAT clear?
Find new stuff to worry about, go make a kid and be a good parent or something.
The point is this, Blizzard knows that the path to making money in this genre is player retention, by offering RMT gear, they cut the time people play the game down severly, if you can just buy your items, then what? You obviously didn't enjoy raiding, cause you would have rather bought your gear, and everyone who PvP's will have just the same stuff, so there is no incentive to do that either. only thing to do is show it off in a city how long you think someone will pay for that?
I hear your worries, the whole slippery slope thing, but seriously, do you think after years of being on top do you think Blizzard is going to make a move that only the bottom games imploy?
Quit spending so much time doubting and try to grow a brain everytime you post its always about an issue not too far from your nose, when if you would uncross your eyes and look down the road aways, you could actually see potholes before you fall into them.
thats at least 3 posts in this thread where you are name calling ,ranting, and/or flaming. Yet you seem to have no issue telling others what/how they should post. Odd.
well you only have what five post on the site, if you go and look back, most of my post are rather well thought out, I try to be inoffensive, ect.
BUT
I'm really getting tired of the community on this site, its all a bunch of WoW haters, EVE elitist, normal Trolls, and otherwise people who have the inability to talk on a rational level. Firstly I figured I'd try just blowing off some steam, and try talking at the same level as most of the people on this site.
Did you even read the article, especially the part about the boy who cried wolf?
If they do ever realease game breaking items in the RMT, you community will have no voice cause of the monkey poo throwing sh!t fit that people have when ever anything like this is done, ala, 600 some odd post over it here.
I hope your jsut new to the site, and not some troll who made a new account cause your old name is associated with troll, cause if your new, one day...you'll get what I'm talking about.
I don't see anyone chastising Bioware over RMT. Lets take a look at Dragon Age, i bought the CE and got some nice extra stuff, but guess what, there is more content but i have to pay for it, i don't get free access to wardens keep, i have to pay 15 more dollars for it, sounds like RMT to me. Whats some of the arguements around here? "Oh well witholding content to charge for it later is bad bad bad, its RMT blah blah blah, but here we have Bioware introducing RMT into a Single Player Game. Not only this but they plan on adding Additional content for 2 more years, you think any of that is gonna be free? Bioware = cash shop right there. So where's the outrage? Where's the people saying they won't play a Bioware game ever again?
I just want to ask "Is the story in the game complete without the extra content?" and "Does the extra content just allow you to continue playing the game after the main story, or offer side quest to be done at any point?" if so it's ok. It's what some of us like to call expansions, you pay for the content cause you realize its not free for them to design it, and by buying you let the company know that you enjoyed the product and want to see more like it.
Hey i don't have an issue with companies doing this, this is more of a callout to those that think this is the end of the world, i'm just trying to gauge there reaction on Bioware doing this RMT besides blizzard, and on a single player game of all things.
I'm sure they won't say a word though or they will make excuses for Bioware, i already know the Hypocrisy from these people, they just want to trash Blizzard but its okay if Bioware does it.
you wont see these same people denouncing Bioware or saying they will never play a Bioware game again. You won't hear them say Bioware is greedy or anything bad at all.
"The great thing about human language is that it prevents us from sticking to the matter at hand." - Lewis Thomas
I am surprised by the news to say the least. However I do understand and agree with many points the OP has made. I think the problem with the reaction is multi-fold here. Most mmorpg fans, do not like microtransactions. Some because they are not used to them and some others simply opposing them out of principle. The truth is that no matter how it is done, fundamentally, in my view as well, microstransactions are a form of RMT, a milder form of RMT perpetrated by the Game's Developer themselves. So it feels, hypocritical, when Blizzard does not condone RMT from third parties, then turn around and does it themselves. It would be like a Churche preached not to give donations to different denomination Churches, but then every sunday goes around with the basket asking for donations themselves. It is Hypocritical and obvious. Now if you say, that "this is a business", and like any other, its goal is to make more money independently of it being Hypocritical, and actually this is what the OP is saying, then one may just accept this, but loyal fans would not easily accept it, because, in reality everyone knows that this is a business, yet no everyone wants to be associated with a bad behavior such as Hypocrisy. On the other hand it could be argued, why would a successful enterprise such as Blizzard, which makes roughly 164 Millions of Dollar per month, in gross income, (that is more than a Billion per year), would need to make something like this? The answer is not Bill and expenses, these are payed in this case long before a year ends. The answer is simply that Blizzard is an Enterprise in a Capitalist system and it has to be more profitable every year compared to the previous one, in order to fulfill its mandate towards its shareholders. It is as simple as that really. As in reality it does not "need" to make more profit when it already makes much profit, but it needs as a company to be able to show growth...even if it made a good number of hundreds of millions of profit every year, if that profit was the same every year, it would not be good as the company would show no growth. That is how many western economies work, it is all a matter of perceived value, blame it on the system if you must, yet that would be a discussion in and of itself. That being said some of you may ask, but why did they have to go with microtransactions? The answer is, because they can;t any longer show growth with new subscriptions, truth is WoW is a "old" game now, it is nothing new and it does not attract that many new players which could have an impact on its growth numbers, because there is other games out there too, and the influx of players (if any) is balanced by those that quit WoW for another game. My only concern is that eventually, this store may have other items in it, that are not just cosmetic, unless Blizzard comes up with yet another way to raise its profitability numbers. All in all, this is but an indication that WoW had run its course. Business aside, I am really interested to see how many people playing WoW are actually driven by Vanity...I think the results may surprise some.
Like this, stuff like this gets lost in the 60 pages of, WoW sucks, Vanity pets are game breaking, slippery slope, ect.
I do not agree with everything this poster said, but I'm sure he understands which parts of his post are more opinion than fact, and knows what parts people can disagree with, and what parts are just how it is, and if you don't understand, you don't need to be talking economics.
I'm not agreeing with this article, not even in vague fuzzy terms. Until folks recognize the difference between making a profit and sheer greed we'll get stuck with this lot and as consumers we sorta have it coming. Blizzard was by no means hurting prior to the MT pet store, so at this point it's just more money on the piles of money they already make. Why is the staff of MMORPG so pumped about anything and everything MT? The whole, "you're freaking out relax or we'll marginalize you" tactic is a bit much as well. I've noticed a lot of game sites for various types of video games (MW2, L4D2 pick a boycott) all spouting this to degrees. I say, by all means those of you who are going to, go ahead and embrace the corporate culture so we can weed out the sites that are about gamers and for gamers and the ones who are about self-service and making money. And why are you so trusting of companies and the...oh, wait, I see what you did there. Quick, add more banners. Keep chanting; "Wave of the future. Don't overreact! Silly gamers! Silly gamers! Silly!" Yeah, you know what's best for us, my bad.
Ok, then YOU tell me(in non subjective terms) just what is this "greed"(sheer or other wise) you speak of? Simply because Blizzard has made billions on WoW, does that some how translate to them not looking for methods to make more money? At what point does a *business* have "enough" profit and then "should" lose interest in more?
As for the second, given some of the hysterical "the sky is falling" posts, its no wonder some of us have taken to teasing about this. Some of you need to check your tin foil hats for leaks, so that Blizzards orbital mind control lasers don't cause you to rush out and purchase those vanity pets...<grin>
I hate to bring this up... But one of the major motivational factors behind business in general(and games are a business) is to make a profit. I now that comes as a horrible shock to some of you, but its the ugly, unavoidable truth. Now the best businesses know that such is best done by supplying a market demand. Absent government intervention(aka the bail out for bankers, and GM etc...) any business that doesn't meet market demands eventually goes out of business. Which is as it should be.
You honestly believe it's just about two pets? Blizzard has given us a shit load of pets in the past, why are they worth ten bucks now? It's a testbed. Willful ignorance on anyone's part is their failing not my flaw.
We've had this conversation in another thread before. All profit is not greed, stop acting like I denounce a penny's worth of profit as another example of the man keeping me down. To be completely honest I'm only shocked you wish to parse English, if you wish to ignore my point so as to allow you a platform for a pro-corporate rant, fine. Just don't pretend I'm a wide-eyed child confused at the goings on of you gosh darn grown ups.
And to answer your demi-question, certain facts make me believe there is no free market to speak off, it's highly controlled (you cited references already), and greed is not good for us as a whole or even for a single individual/entity in the long run. I have nothing against profits, but greed for the sake of greed repels me. You can not say one single thing that will change my mind on that subject. Carry on with the attempt at marginalizing and chalk this one up as a "WINAR" or whatever it is you're looking for.
I don't see anyone chastising Bioware over RMT. Lets take a look at Dragon Age, i bought the CE and got some nice extra stuff, but guess what, there is more content but i have to pay for it, i don't get free access to wardens keep, i have to pay 15 more dollars for it, sounds like RMT to me. Whats some of the arguements around here? "Oh well witholding content to charge for it later is bad bad bad, its RMT blah blah blah, but here we have Bioware introducing RMT into a Single Player Game. Not only this but they plan on adding Additional content for 2 more years, you think any of that is gonna be free? Bioware = cash shop right there. So where's the outrage? Where's the people saying they won't play a Bioware game ever again?
I just want to ask "Is the story in the game complete without the extra content?" and "Does the extra content just allow you to continue playing the game after the main story, or offer side quest to be done at any point?" if so it's ok. It's what some of us like to call expansions, you pay for the content cause you realize its not free for them to design it, and by buying you let the company know that you enjoyed the product and want to see more like it.
Hey i don't have an issue with companies doing this, this is more of a callout to those that think this is the end of the world, i'm just trying to gauge there reaction on Bioware doing this RMT besides blizzard, and on a single player game of all things.
I'm sure they won't say a word though or they will make excuses for Bioware, i already know the Hypocrisy from these people, they just want to trash Blizzard but its okay if Bioware does it.
you wont see these same people denouncing Bioware or saying they will never play a Bioware game again. You won't here them say Bioware is greedy or anything bad at all.
That I can agree with, although I must say that if I get at least a couple days enjoyment out of the new content, I don't mind paying for it, cause after all, it is still cheap entertainment. buy the game get 80 hours of ebtertainment, pay another 15 bucks, get another 10 hours, I'm cool with that.
I'm not one to be disillusioned into believing that there is just one ticket price for evolving entertainment.
Up to T12 gear for your strawman argument now? How about you stick to the claims that we are actually making? - That this is the thin edge of the wedge. A small step towards game-affecting gear being sold eventually.
Even if it isn't - it's still a case of content that used to be added for free now being charged for in excess of the sub fee.
Right now - it's bad, and we are worried that it will get much worse. Is THAT clear?
Find new stuff to worry about, go make a kid and be a good parent or something.
The point is this, Blizzard knows that the path to making money in this genre is player retention, by offering RMT gear, they cut the time people play the game down severly, if you can just buy your items, then what? You obviously didn't enjoy raiding, cause you would have rather bought your gear, and everyone who PvP's will have just the same stuff, so there is no incentive to do that either. only thing to do is show it off in a city how long you think someone will pay for that?
I hear your worries, the whole slippery slope thing, but seriously, do you think after years of being on top do you think Blizzard is going to make a move that only the bottom games imploy?
Quit spending so much time doubting and try to grow a brain everytime you post its always about an issue not too far from your nose, when if you would uncross your eyes and look down the road aways, you could actually see potholes before you fall into them.
thats at least 3 posts in this thread where you are name calling ,ranting, and/or flaming. Yet you seem to have no issue telling others what/how they should post. Odd.
well you only have what five post on the site, if you go and look back, most of my post are rather well thought out, I try to be inoffensive, ect.
BUT
I'm really getting tired of the community on this site, its all a bunch of WoW haters, EVE elitist, normal Trolls, and otherwise people who have the inability to talk on a rational level. Firstly I figured I'd try just blowing off some steam, and try talking at the same level as most of the people on this site.
Did you even read the article, especially the part about the boy who cried wolf?
If they do ever realease game breaking items in the RMT, you community will have no voice cause of the monkey poo throwing sh!t fit that people have when ever anything like this is done, ala, 600 some odd post over it here.
I hope your jsut new to the site, and not some troll who made a new account cause your old name is associated with troll, cause if your new, one day...you'll get what I'm talking about.
First, yes I am new. New to posting here at least. This "column" was the first one that pissed me off enough to feel i needed to respond. Generally i just pop in read the news, check the darkfall forums to see what nonsense is happening over there and leave.
See, the issue with this article (this is my opinion)...is that the boy who cried wolf analogy doesn't fit because, there IS A WOLF. Adding a cash shop to a game that already has a sub fee IS the negative thing we are worried about. It isn't nothing as the "columnist" would have us believe. This IS THE THING we are worried about happening right now. Granted, it is a first step so less severe than it will be in the future (and it will) but it IS happening.
Don't tell me not to cry wolf when the goddamn wolf is right effing there!
Well I personnally think that your fears are because you've seen what this has done to other games, so you have a warranted fear, I'll give you that.
But I think that everyone should acknowledge that what is on the table right now, two vanity pets, is not game breaking.
I agree that this IS testing the water, but not for future game breaking features, if that were the case they would have just come out and started selling low level armor to "help leveling" or xp potions, or free profession manuels that teach you how to be at 300 with a prfression.
Selling vanity pets isn't going to give them an accurate measure as to how people will resond to things that directly effect game mechanics and the economy. Now if they sell good you can expect to see more pets, maybe more options for the barber chair, or tabards, (which really wouldn't garner anything, who is gonna respect the person with the "RMT tabard" versus the one for Killing Illidan)
Well I personnally think that your fears are because you've seen what this has done to other games, so you have a warranted fear, I'll give you that. But I think that everyone should acknowledge that what is on the table right now, two vanity pets, is not game breaking. I agree that this IS testing the water, but not for future game breaking features, if that were the case they would have just come out and started selling low level armor to "help leveling" or xp potions, or free profession manuels that teach you how to be at 300 with a prfression. If those were in the shop right now, would you condemn it? Selling vanity pets isn't going to give them an accurate measure as to how people will resond to things that directly effect game mechanics and the economy. Now if they sell good you can expect to see more pets, maybe more options for the barber chair, or tabards, (which really wouldn't garner anything, who is gonna respect the person with the "RMT tabard" versus the one for Killing Illidan)
IF I was still playing, I would ridicule anyone using those two cash pets, and look for a guild which outlawed them.
I wonder when they will start selling things that are currently high level boss drops.
As I said before - profit is their goal. If their net profit is higher selling game-changing items to a smaller gaming community, then that is what they will do.
"" Voice acting isn't an RPG element....it's just a production value." - grumpymel2
Well I personnally think that your fears are because you've seen what this has done to other games, so you have a warranted fear, I'll give you that. But I think that everyone should acknowledge that what is on the table right now, two vanity pets, is not game breaking. I agree that this IS testing the water, but not for future game breaking features, if that were the case they would have just come out and started selling low level armor to "help leveling" or xp potions, or free profession manuels that teach you how to be at 300 with a prfression. If those were in the shop right now, would you condemn it? Yes I would, that crosses the line of harmless fluff, into the wolf that everyone is really afraid of, I'm not, i believe blizzard is smart enough to know where the line is really drawn, and dares to not cross it. Selling vanity pets isn't going to give them an accurate measure as to how people will resond to things that directly effect game mechanics and the economy. Now if they sell good you can expect to see more pets, maybe more options for the barber chair, or tabards, (which really wouldn't garner anything, who is gonna respect the person with the "RMT tabard" versus the one for Killing Illidan)
IF I was still playing, I would ridicule anyone using those two cash pets, and look for a guild which outlawed them.
I wonder when they will start selling things that are currently high level boss drops.
As I said before - profit is their goal. If their net profit is higher selling game-changing items to a smaller gaming community, then that is what they will do.
It is more complex than that, if you want to get technical, you have to go over tons of data, and see how long it takes most people to get "geared" for the casual gamers they are appealing to today who knows, for giggles lets say an average of 6 months, or $90 in sub money, then you have to add that into factoring, how long it takes to make the content that gives out the next set of gear, is that enough time to allow people to be geared and then enjoy it for a while?, then how many people will leave the game if we introduce buyable gear? (There would be alot) and is this amount of people lost going to be returnable in new customers that like this new set up? probably not seeing as how WoW is a pop culture phenomenon, and an MMO fluke, and this would be a major change in how the game is played. plus how many new players won't level cause the challenge they all heard about is essentially destroyed. How will this new feature effect our reputaion, and effect sales on out future products?You can go on and on with how they would go about determining if its profitable.
Lets stop making the mistake that criminals make with the police, you know, that they are incompetent. This company is making billions on this game, are they really going to rock the boa that hard? Do you really think the creators of the most successful MMO in history don't know how people feel about game breaking RMT? I mean its not like they researched any of this stuff as in depth as we mighty forum users have.
Well, I'll say this and let it go. I unsubbed from WoW a while back with every intention of going back when cataclysm released. I will not be going back. I won't buy cataclysm, I won't buy whatever blizz's next mmo is, I won't buy starcraft 2. diablo 3 , or whatever other games they offer.
It's a principle thing. Cash shop + sub fee= bad. That opinion is shared by many of us. And a managing editor on this sight who is so condescending as to tell those of that feel this way that "we are wrong" is laughable.
Thank you Mr. Wood, but I don't need you to tell me when I should worry. Seriously, coming from a site who willingly plasters ads across the top of their content...do you really believe you are a good authority on when we should worry about companies going too far to protect the bottom line? Do you not see the irony there jonny?
The 2 pets aren't gamebreaking. No I don't need to buy them. However, Blizz traded the "potential" that I would buy a 10 dollar pet for the almost certainty that I would have spent hundreds on their games in the future.
I have voted with my wallet. Another grand concept that mr wood , along with al gore , invented.
Comments
A "stop freaking out, micro transactions are fine" article from a managing editor at a site that sells advertising space superimposed OVER THE TOP of the content at their site......
lol
***sigh***
go on little lawnmower troll, go play in traffic, you, uhhh, you just don't get it, good luck paying bills when you grow up.
My Thoughts on Content Locust
says the guy who thinks he is sephiroth....
Ok, then YOU tell me(in non subjective terms) just what is this "greed"(sheer or other wise) you speak of? Simply because Blizzard has made billions on WoW, does that some how translate to them not looking for methods to make more money? At what point does a *business* have "enough" profit and then "should" lose interest in more?
As for the second, given some of the hysterical "the sky is falling" posts, its no wonder some of us have taken to teasing about this. Some of you need to check your tin foil hats for leaks, so that Blizzards orbital mind control lasers don't cause you to rush out and purchase those vanity pets...<grin>
I hate to bring this up... But one of the major motivational factors behind business in general(and games are a business) is to make a profit. I now that comes as a horrible shock to some of you, but its the ugly, unavoidable truth. Now the best businesses know that such is best done by supplying a market demand. Absent government intervention(aka the bail out for bankers, and GM etc...) any business that doesn't meet market demands eventually goes out of business. Which is as it should be.
Ok, then YOU tell me(in non subjective terms) just what is this "greed"(sheer or other wise) you speak of? Simply because Blizzard has made billions on WoW, does that some how translate to them not looking for methods to make more money? At what point does a *business* have "enough" profit and then "should" lose interest in more?
As for the second, given some of the hysterical "the sky is falling" posts, its no wonder some of us have taken to teasing about this. Some of you need to check your tin foil hats for leaks, so that Blizzards orbital mind control lasers don't cause you to rush out and purchase those vanity pets...<grin>
I hate to bring this up... But one of the major motivational factors behind business in general(and games are a business) is to make a profit. I now that comes as a horrible shock to some of you, but its the ugly, unavoidable truth. Now the best businesses know that such is best done by supplying a market demand.
Honestly, its indicitive of the entire games market. I just bought dragon age. Single player game. They released paid dlc for it the day it launched. NOw....if the dlc was ready on launch day, what good reason is there to have not just include it in the game? Several companies are purposely holding back content at release to sell to you later. Is that not greed? Is giving me 3/4 of a game and doling the rest out to me at 7.99 a pop not greedy?
I know, that is unrelated, ...or is it? At what point does protecting the companies bottom ;line cross into the realm of going too far? Imo, charging box sales, a sub fee, and mts crosses that line. They aren't "double dipping" as jon implies...most mmorpgs already double dip. Blizz is going to the next level. Triple dipping!
And when a companies does start selling gear there will be people lining up to tell you that it isn't a problem and that you don't need to buy them. See how flawed your viewpoint is. You are saying the exact same thing that Loke is saying, but your tolerance is a little deeper. Why is lokes opinion any different than yours?
I think everyone in this thread has admitted to cash shops being bad in one way or another, but we all just do not agree on the same point of when they go beyond our personal tolerance of the items being sold. To me that shows a clear majority of people do think they are bad, even if they have not crossed your personal beliefs yet.
What I do not see people in this thread saying is how cash shops are good. No one is showing how removing content from free patches and demanding payment for them in order to be accessed is good. How this is a benefit for the entier playerbase.
I just cannot understand why people are lining up to defend cash shops as trivial when almost everyone has stated they can be a huge gamebreaking problem for them. The logic is just so flawed that I cannot even begin to describe it.
This isn't a good analogy by any means, but it gets the general point across.
Lets say a friend offers to drive you to a party as the designated driver. When they pick you up, they have a 12 pack of beer for you and a 12 pack for them. Would you wait for them to drink so many that they could not possibly drive before you start to question their actions or would you ask as soon as you get into the car?
How would you feel if your other friends told you to shut up and that you were complaining about something that has not happened yet?
youre wrong. It is a very good analogy.
I don't see anyone chastising Bioware over RMT. Lets take a look at Dragon Age, i bought the CE and got some nice extra stuff, but guess what, there is more content but i have to pay for it, i don't get free access to wardens keep, i have to pay 15 more dollars for it, sounds like RMT to me. Whats some of the arguements around here? "Oh well witholding content to charge for it later is bad bad bad, its RMT blah blah blah, but here we have Bioware introducing RMT into a Single Player Game.
Not only this but they plan on adding Additional content for 2 more years, you think any of that is gonna be free? Bioware = cash shop right there. So where's the outrage? Where's the people saying they won't play a Bioware game ever again?
"The great thing about human language is that it prevents us from sticking to the matter at hand."
- Lewis Thomas
umm...4 posts up.
I just want to ask "Is the story in the game complete without the extra content?" and "Does the extra content just allow you to continue playing the game after the main story, or offer side quest to be done at any point?" if so it's ok. It's what some of us like to call expansions, you pay for the content cause you realize its not free for them to design it, and by buying you let the company know that you enjoyed the product and want to see more like it.
My Thoughts on Content Locust
Blizzard has always had vanity pets 'for sale' with real currency. DirectTV Blizzcon stream, collector's editions and The Trading Card Game. Every one of those involved a real money transaction to get a rare or exclusive vanity pet.
Find new stuff to worry about, go make a kid and be a good parent or something.
The point is this, Blizzard knows that the path to making money in this genre is player retention, by offering RMT gear, they cut the time people play the game down severly, if you can just buy your items, then what? You obviously didn't enjoy raiding, cause you would have rather bought your gear, and everyone who PvP's will have just the same stuff, so there is no incentive to do that either. only thing to do is show it off in a city how long you think someone will pay for that?
I hear your worries, the whole slippery slope thing, but seriously, do you think after years of being on top do you think Blizzard is going to make a move that only the bottom games imploy?
Quit spending so much time doubting and try to grow a brain everytime you post its always about an issue not too far from your nose, when if you would uncross your eyes and look down the road aways, you could actually see potholes before you fall into them.
My Thoughts on Content Locust
Your ranting is completely illogical.....no part of a game is required? Then what would you be playing? The game wouldnt exsist in the first place if not one part of it was required.
Which Final Fantasy Character Are You?
Final Fantasy 7
Find new stuff to worry about, go make a kid and be a good parent or something.
The point is this, Blizzard knows that the path to making money in this genre is player retention, by offering RMT gear, they cut the time people play the game down severly, if you can just buy your items, then what? You obviously didn't enjoy raiding, cause you would have rather bought your gear, and everyone who PvP's will have just the same stuff, so there is no incentive to do that either. only thing to do is show it off in a city how long you think someone will pay for that?
I hear your worries, the whole slippery slope thing, but seriously, do you think after years of being on top do you think Blizzard is going to make a move that only the bottom games imploy?
Quit spending so much time doubting and try to grow a brain everytime you post its always about an issue not too far from your nose, when if you would uncross your eyes and look down the road aways, you could actually see potholes before you fall into them.
thats at least 3 posts in this thread where you are name calling ,ranting, and/or flaming. Yet you seem to have no issue telling others what/how they should post. Odd.
I am surprised by the news to say the least.
However I do understand and agree with many points the OP has made.
I think the problem with the reaction is multi-fold here.
Most mmorpg fans, do not like microtransactions. Some because they are not used to them and some others simply opposing them out of principle.
The truth is that no matter how it is done, fundamentally, in my view as well, microstransactions are a form of RMT, a milder form of RMT perpetrated by the Game's Developer themselves.
So it feels, hypocritical, when Blizzard does not condone RMT from third parties, then turn around and does it themselves.
It would be like a Churche preached not to give donations to different denomination Churches, but then every sunday goes around with the basket asking for donations themselves. It is Hypocritical and obvious.
Now if you say, that "this is a business", and like any other, its goal is to make more money independently of it being Hypocritical, and actually this is what the OP is saying, then one may just accept this, but loyal fans would not easily accept it, because, in reality everyone knows that this is a business, yet no everyone wants to be associated with a bad behavior such as Hypocrisy.
On the other hand it could be argued, why would a successful enterprise such as Blizzard, which makes roughly 164 Millions of Dollar per month, in gross income, (that is more than a Billion per year), would need to make something like this?
The answer is not Bill and expenses, these are payed in this case long before a year ends. The answer is simply that Blizzard is an Enterprise in a Capitalist system and it has to be more profitable every year compared to the previous one, in order to fulfill its mandate towards its shareholders.
It is as simple as that really. As in reality it does not "need" to make more profit when it already makes much profit, but it needs as a company to be able to show growth...even if it made a good number of hundreds of millions of profit every year, if that profit was the same every year, it would not be good as the company would show no growth. That is how many western economies work, it is all a matter of perceived value, blame it on the system if you must, yet that would be a discussion in and of itself.
That being said some of you may ask, but why did they have to go with microtransactions? The answer is, because they can;t any longer show growth with new subscriptions, truth is WoW is a "old" game now, it is nothing new and it does not attract that many new players which could have an impact on its growth numbers, because there is other games out there too, and the influx of players (if any) is balanced by those that quit WoW for another game.
My only concern is that eventually, this store may have other items in it, that are not just cosmetic, unless Blizzard comes up with yet another way to raise its profitability numbers.
All in all, this is but an indication that WoW had run its course. Business aside, I am really interested to see how many people playing WoW are actually driven by Vanity...I think the results may surprise some.
Order of the Silver Star, OSS
ESKA, Playing MMORPG's since Ultima Online 1997 - Order of the Silver Serpent, Atlantic Shard
Find new stuff to worry about, go make a kid and be a good parent or something.
The point is this, Blizzard knows that the path to making money in this genre is player retention, by offering RMT gear, they cut the time people play the game down severly, if you can just buy your items, then what? You obviously didn't enjoy raiding, cause you would have rather bought your gear, and everyone who PvP's will have just the same stuff, so there is no incentive to do that either. only thing to do is show it off in a city how long you think someone will pay for that?
I hear your worries, the whole slippery slope thing, but seriously, do you think after years of being on top do you think Blizzard is going to make a move that only the bottom games imploy?
Quit spending so much time doubting and try to grow a brain everytime you post its always about an issue not too far from your nose, when if you would uncross your eyes and look down the road aways, you could actually see potholes before you fall into them.
thats at least 3 posts in this thread where you are name calling ,ranting, and/or flaming. Yet you seem to have no issue telling others what/how they should post. Odd.
well you only have what five post on the site, if you go and look back, most of my post are rather well thought out, I try to be inoffensive, ect.
BUT
I'm really getting tired of the community on this site, its all a bunch of WoW haters, EVE elitist, normal Trolls, and otherwise people who have the inability to talk on a rational level. Firstly I figured I'd try just blowing off some steam, and try talking at the same level as most of the people on this site.
Did you even read the article, especially the part about the boy who cried wolf?
If they do ever realease game breaking items in the RMT, you community will have no voice cause of the monkey poo throwing sh!t fit that people have when ever anything like this is done, ala, 600 some odd post over it here.
I hope your jsut new to the site, and not some troll who made a new account cause your old name is associated with troll, cause if your new, one day...you'll get what I'm talking about.
My Thoughts on Content Locust
I just want to ask "Is the story in the game complete without the extra content?" and "Does the extra content just allow you to continue playing the game after the main story, or offer side quest to be done at any point?" if so it's ok. It's what some of us like to call expansions, you pay for the content cause you realize its not free for them to design it, and by buying you let the company know that you enjoyed the product and want to see more like it.
Hey i don't have an issue with companies doing this, this is more of a callout to those that think this is the end of the world, i'm just trying to gauge there reaction on Bioware doing this RMT besides blizzard, and on a single player game of all things.
I'm sure they won't say a word though or they will make excuses for Bioware, i already know the Hypocrisy from these people, they just want to trash Blizzard but its okay if Bioware does it.
you wont see these same people denouncing Bioware or saying they will never play a Bioware game again. You won't hear them say Bioware is greedy or anything bad at all.
"The great thing about human language is that it prevents us from sticking to the matter at hand."
- Lewis Thomas
Like this, stuff like this gets lost in the 60 pages of, WoW sucks, Vanity pets are game breaking, slippery slope, ect.
I do not agree with everything this poster said, but I'm sure he understands which parts of his post are more opinion than fact, and knows what parts people can disagree with, and what parts are just how it is, and if you don't understand, you don't need to be talking economics.
My Thoughts on Content Locust
Ok, then YOU tell me(in non subjective terms) just what is this "greed"(sheer or other wise) you speak of? Simply because Blizzard has made billions on WoW, does that some how translate to them not looking for methods to make more money? At what point does a *business* have "enough" profit and then "should" lose interest in more?
As for the second, given some of the hysterical "the sky is falling" posts, its no wonder some of us have taken to teasing about this. Some of you need to check your tin foil hats for leaks, so that Blizzards orbital mind control lasers don't cause you to rush out and purchase those vanity pets...<grin>
I hate to bring this up... But one of the major motivational factors behind business in general(and games are a business) is to make a profit. I now that comes as a horrible shock to some of you, but its the ugly, unavoidable truth. Now the best businesses know that such is best done by supplying a market demand. Absent government intervention(aka the bail out for bankers, and GM etc...) any business that doesn't meet market demands eventually goes out of business. Which is as it should be.
You honestly believe it's just about two pets? Blizzard has given us a shit load of pets in the past, why are they worth ten bucks now? It's a testbed. Willful ignorance on anyone's part is their failing not my flaw.
We've had this conversation in another thread before. All profit is not greed, stop acting like I denounce a penny's worth of profit as another example of the man keeping me down. To be completely honest I'm only shocked you wish to parse English, if you wish to ignore my point so as to allow you a platform for a pro-corporate rant, fine. Just don't pretend I'm a wide-eyed child confused at the goings on of you gosh darn grown ups.
And to answer your demi-question, certain facts make me believe there is no free market to speak off, it's highly controlled (you cited references already), and greed is not good for us as a whole or even for a single individual/entity in the long run. I have nothing against profits, but greed for the sake of greed repels me. You can not say one single thing that will change my mind on that subject. Carry on with the attempt at marginalizing and chalk this one up as a "WINAR" or whatever it is you're looking for.
I just want to ask "Is the story in the game complete without the extra content?" and "Does the extra content just allow you to continue playing the game after the main story, or offer side quest to be done at any point?" if so it's ok. It's what some of us like to call expansions, you pay for the content cause you realize its not free for them to design it, and by buying you let the company know that you enjoyed the product and want to see more like it.
Hey i don't have an issue with companies doing this, this is more of a callout to those that think this is the end of the world, i'm just trying to gauge there reaction on Bioware doing this RMT besides blizzard, and on a single player game of all things.
I'm sure they won't say a word though or they will make excuses for Bioware, i already know the Hypocrisy from these people, they just want to trash Blizzard but its okay if Bioware does it.
you wont see these same people denouncing Bioware or saying they will never play a Bioware game again. You won't here them say Bioware is greedy or anything bad at all.
That I can agree with, although I must say that if I get at least a couple days enjoyment out of the new content, I don't mind paying for it, cause after all, it is still cheap entertainment. buy the game get 80 hours of ebtertainment, pay another 15 bucks, get another 10 hours, I'm cool with that.
I'm not one to be disillusioned into believing that there is just one ticket price for evolving entertainment.
My Thoughts on Content Locust
Find new stuff to worry about, go make a kid and be a good parent or something.
The point is this, Blizzard knows that the path to making money in this genre is player retention, by offering RMT gear, they cut the time people play the game down severly, if you can just buy your items, then what? You obviously didn't enjoy raiding, cause you would have rather bought your gear, and everyone who PvP's will have just the same stuff, so there is no incentive to do that either. only thing to do is show it off in a city how long you think someone will pay for that?
I hear your worries, the whole slippery slope thing, but seriously, do you think after years of being on top do you think Blizzard is going to make a move that only the bottom games imploy?
Quit spending so much time doubting and try to grow a brain everytime you post its always about an issue not too far from your nose, when if you would uncross your eyes and look down the road aways, you could actually see potholes before you fall into them.
thats at least 3 posts in this thread where you are name calling ,ranting, and/or flaming. Yet you seem to have no issue telling others what/how they should post. Odd.
well you only have what five post on the site, if you go and look back, most of my post are rather well thought out, I try to be inoffensive, ect.
BUT
I'm really getting tired of the community on this site, its all a bunch of WoW haters, EVE elitist, normal Trolls, and otherwise people who have the inability to talk on a rational level. Firstly I figured I'd try just blowing off some steam, and try talking at the same level as most of the people on this site.
Did you even read the article, especially the part about the boy who cried wolf?
If they do ever realease game breaking items in the RMT, you community will have no voice cause of the monkey poo throwing sh!t fit that people have when ever anything like this is done, ala, 600 some odd post over it here.
I hope your jsut new to the site, and not some troll who made a new account cause your old name is associated with troll, cause if your new, one day...you'll get what I'm talking about.
First, yes I am new. New to posting here at least. This "column" was the first one that pissed me off enough to feel i needed to respond. Generally i just pop in read the news, check the darkfall forums to see what nonsense is happening over there and leave.
See, the issue with this article (this is my opinion)...is that the boy who cried wolf analogy doesn't fit because, there IS A WOLF. Adding a cash shop to a game that already has a sub fee IS the negative thing we are worried about. It isn't nothing as the "columnist" would have us believe. This IS THE THING we are worried about happening right now. Granted, it is a first step so less severe than it will be in the future (and it will) but it IS happening.
Don't tell me not to cry wolf when the goddamn wolf is right effing there!
Well I personnally think that your fears are because you've seen what this has done to other games, so you have a warranted fear, I'll give you that.
But I think that everyone should acknowledge that what is on the table right now, two vanity pets, is not game breaking.
I agree that this IS testing the water, but not for future game breaking features, if that were the case they would have just come out and started selling low level armor to "help leveling" or xp potions, or free profession manuels that teach you how to be at 300 with a prfression.
Selling vanity pets isn't going to give them an accurate measure as to how people will resond to things that directly effect game mechanics and the economy. Now if they sell good you can expect to see more pets, maybe more options for the barber chair, or tabards, (which really wouldn't garner anything, who is gonna respect the person with the "RMT tabard" versus the one for Killing Illidan)
My Thoughts on Content Locust
IF I was still playing, I would ridicule anyone using those two cash pets, and look for a guild which outlawed them.
I wonder when they will start selling things that are currently high level boss drops.
As I said before - profit is their goal. If their net profit is higher selling game-changing items to a smaller gaming community, then that is what they will do.
"" Voice acting isn't an RPG element....it's just a production value." - grumpymel2
IF I was still playing, I would ridicule anyone using those two cash pets, and look for a guild which outlawed them.
I wonder when they will start selling things that are currently high level boss drops.
As I said before - profit is their goal. If their net profit is higher selling game-changing items to a smaller gaming community, then that is what they will do.
It is more complex than that, if you want to get technical, you have to go over tons of data, and see how long it takes most people to get "geared" for the casual gamers they are appealing to today who knows, for giggles lets say an average of 6 months, or $90 in sub money, then you have to add that into factoring, how long it takes to make the content that gives out the next set of gear, is that enough time to allow people to be geared and then enjoy it for a while?, then how many people will leave the game if we introduce buyable gear? (There would be alot) and is this amount of people lost going to be returnable in new customers that like this new set up? probably not seeing as how WoW is a pop culture phenomenon, and an MMO fluke, and this would be a major change in how the game is played. plus how many new players won't level cause the challenge they all heard about is essentially destroyed. How will this new feature effect our reputaion, and effect sales on out future products?You can go on and on with how they would go about determining if its profitable.
Lets stop making the mistake that criminals make with the police, you know, that they are incompetent. This company is making billions on this game, are they really going to rock the boa that hard? Do you really think the creators of the most successful MMO in history don't know how people feel about game breaking RMT? I mean its not like they researched any of this stuff as in depth as we mighty forum users have.
My Thoughts on Content Locust
Well, I'll say this and let it go. I unsubbed from WoW a while back with every intention of going back when cataclysm released. I will not be going back. I won't buy cataclysm, I won't buy whatever blizz's next mmo is, I won't buy starcraft 2. diablo 3 , or whatever other games they offer.
It's a principle thing. Cash shop + sub fee= bad. That opinion is shared by many of us. And a managing editor on this sight who is so condescending as to tell those of that feel this way that "we are wrong" is laughable.
Thank you Mr. Wood, but I don't need you to tell me when I should worry. Seriously, coming from a site who willingly plasters ads across the top of their content...do you really believe you are a good authority on when we should worry about companies going too far to protect the bottom line? Do you not see the irony there jonny?
The 2 pets aren't gamebreaking. No I don't need to buy them. However, Blizz traded the "potential" that I would buy a 10 dollar pet for the almost certainty that I would have spent hundreds on their games in the future.
I have voted with my wallet. Another grand concept that mr wood , along with al gore , invented.