If this appeared as me wanting to start drama, I assure you it is not. I have played WoW on and off for many years and I was actually shocked that the exp. potion they were considering selling turned into this. While imo this is bad business procedure I suppose numbers don't lie and if Blizzard knows people are okay with this, then they won't stop until enough people are not "okay" with it.
This post is simply to show those who may have not seen this yet (As I haven't seen it and was quite surprised by the decision) and to ask for the opinions of others to see when enough is enough. So far I have noticed people seem to be alright with Blizzard almost selling anything as long as its not flat-out power for endgame.
In the end, all I will do is stop playing the game. My money is my vote and they have probably lost it for many years to come. I hope you are able to see some of my reasoning and forgive me if it seemed rash. I only wish for meaningful conversation, as we only know are own opinion before hearing others and looking at it from other views is not a bad thing.
As much as you protest it, it does seem like you are stirring up a drama because how does this affect your gaming experience in any way what so ever?
Does someone purchasing a L90 character stop you doing anything within the game as it stands?
Does someone else spending their hard earned money on something that they see as useful affect you in any way?
Does Blizzard making a little more money from this new shop item (if or when they decide to do it) affect you in any way?
I think that the answer to all of those is a resounding no, so making statements about leaving the game because of something that has absolutely no adverse affect on your gaming experience to my mind smacks very much of a little drama, but hey, that is just me.
It must be Thursday, i never could get the hang of Thursdays.
Originally posted by Gravarg I don't get why you would buy a 90 anyways. It's easy to level these days, especially with RaF. You can easily get to 85 in about 8-10 hours of playtime with RaF. 85-90 about another 10 hours. I can do it in 2 days easily.
You just answered to your own question. Leveling content 1-89 is worthless, and doesn't even qualify as a gaming experience. Blizzard knows this, and sells short cut to skip the whole boredom those early levels have become.
This is getting ridiculous. Lotro cash shop already has an item for sale that stops your experience gain for a short period of time. Now WoW sells auto leveling services in their CS to bypass content they've deliberately made tedious and boring. So it's a good idea business-wise to f*** up your own game and then sell fixes for real money?
Pathetic!
Actually the 1-60 experience is quite fresh and awesome thanks to the Cata updates.
70-80 is awesome because Northrend kicks ass and is great storytelling and interesting quests/locales.
85-90 is the best questing Blizzard has done yet, even if you don't like all the Eastern themes.
So really, only 60-70 TBC and 80-85 Cata zones are poorly designed and tediously oppressive.
The free 90 idea is brilliant to help keep the game relevant and encourage people who left after TBC or Wrath or Cata to come back and be caught up.
As Blizzard themselves says, the number of completely new "never played WoW' players is quite low, but the number of people who could return for WoD is high enough to make the 90 boost a great persuasion point.
Sorry, I probably should have cut the normal post down. I am referring to ability to purchase a level 90 character. I am completely okay with the free 90 and I can entirely see why they did that. I feel that it was a great move on their part.
I think what he means is that being able to pay for a shortcut is Blizzard simply saying "Yeah, we know a lot of you don't like leveling, so here, buy your way out of it."
As a matter of fact the Cata revamp for 1-60 was the reason i quit WoW for good. I've always loved leveling and i used to spend countless of hours running instances, crafting and occasional PvP in BGs. When Cataclysm hit Azeroth, everything changed. Yes, quests improved a lot from story telling POV, but the meaning to craft, run dungeons or kill mobs disappeared. The only thing that matters now is the endgame, not the journey to get there.
So in a way, by revamping 1-60 in Cata Blizzard screwed the game for those who loved leveling, but they still force those who hate it to do this content in order to get to the max level and end game. I see it as a lose-lose situation.
Buying a max level character in an MMO makes no sense to me, but i can see why many people are willing to do so. It's the end game only that matters.
If there was an item in WoW cash shop that allowed me to restore the old world (before cataclysm hit), slowed down experience gains by x100 and removed all nerfs applied after 2008, i'd buy it in a blink of an eye.
Someone should tell Blizzard the whole point of an MMO is the journey, not the destination.
And somone should tell all other MMO developers that we need menaingfull content once we reach the destination, seeing as that is where we spend most of our time.
That is percisly the reason WoW is still the big dog in town.
Why do I want to continuously play though the content I've already been through multiple times before? Give me an option to be max level (if I already have a max level toon) and I'd be more than happy to drop a buck or two for that rather than wasting my time running through the same old content I've seen a hundred times.
If this appeared as me wanting to start drama, I assure you it is not. I have played WoW on and off for many years and I was actually shocked that the exp. potion they were considering selling turned into this. While imo this is bad business procedure I suppose numbers don't lie and if Blizzard knows people are okay with this, then they won't stop until enough people are not "okay" with it.
This post is simply to show those who may have not seen this yet (As I haven't seen it and was quite surprised by the decision) and to ask for the opinions of others to see when enough is enough. So far I have noticed people seem to be alright with Blizzard almost selling anything as long as its not flat-out power for endgame.
In the end, all I will do is stop playing the game. My money is my vote and they have probably lost it for many years to come. I hope you are able to see some of my reasoning and forgive me if it seemed rash. I only wish for meaningful conversation, as we only know are own opinion before hearing others and looking at it from other views is not a bad thing.
As much as you protest it, it does seem like you are stirring up a drama because how does this affect your gaming experience in any way what so ever?
Does someone purchasing a L90 character stop you doing anything within the game as it stands?
Does someone else spending their hard earned money on something that they see as useful affect you in any way?
Does Blizzard making a little more money from this new shop item (if or when they decide to do it) affect you in any way?
I think that the answer to all of those is a resounding no, so making statements about leaving the game because of something that has absolutely no adverse affect on your gaming experience to my mind smacks very much of a little drama, but hey, that is just me.
Its simply a matter of business practice and how far they are willing to take it. No it doesn't effect me in any sort of way except that leveling is now clearly just a pointless chore to get to the "Good stuff". I stated I will stop paying for way, because that is what I am going to do. Drama is more towards the overreaction of something that didn't mean much to begin with. I find this simply my opinion rather than stirring up a fight. You're free to your own opinion as well. If you wish to look at this as drama, by all means go for it, but it is nothing more than a discussion.
I don't see the issue. They have a cash shop yes but its all mounts and pets at this time. The truth is u can see a possible free 2 play coming , Where u get access to everything but they sell cosmetic items , like transmog gear now that they have transmog in game.
i have played wow for a long time and i have no issue with them selling mounts and companion pets and transmog gear if they decide to do so. I also have no issue with them selling realm transfers and race changes and faction changes.
I have paid for mounts and companion pets as has my gf. There are so many u can get just for free in game with quests, rep, dungeon drops, raid drops that u don't have to buy the new shiny mount if u don't want to as well as other wasy to get mounts or companion pets.
Like refer and freind and scroll of resurection. The boost to 90 so people can play with freinds doesn't bother me either. Now if they started selling gear that was top end then id have an issue but simple cosmetic items u don't need isn't that big a deal.
Im giving my free boost to my nephew on my account anyways. i like to level from 1- max so im never gonna boost a character but the 90 boost is aimed at players who have been out of wow for a while and want to play with freinds in warlords.
Players are willing and able to pay for a 90 boost let them. It doesn't hurt me anyways, i can still go level 1- max or 58-max if i play a dk and it doesn't affect me at all. Its not liek they are given u top end gear with boost. Just quest level gear i believe
I vote yes because this combined with the accelerating rate they release cash shop items and their bevy of paid services and paid expansions more people are going to be wondering why a subscription is even necessary any more.
Originally posted by Geeky Why do I want to continuously play though the content I've already been through multiple times before? Give me an option to be max level (if I already have a max level toon) and I'd be more than happy to drop a buck or two for that rather than wasting my time running through the same old content I've seen a hundred times.
I guess that brings me to the point of why they couldn't have added something in-game to obtain these lvl 90s. Remember BoA's? I suppose what I'm getting at is why they didn't just add a means of obtaining a new character lvl 90 by simply playing the End-game. Granted they would have to make it somewhat difficult to do, but I feel it would come off better in the long run.
I don't see the issue. They have a cash shop yes but its all mounts and pets at this time. The truth is u can see a possible free 2 play coming , Where u get access to everything but they sell cosmetic items , like transmog gear now that they have transmog in game.
i have played wow for a long time and i have no issue with them selling mounts and companion pets and transmog gear if they decide to do so. I also have no issue with them selling realm transfers and race changes and faction changes.
I have paid for mounts and companion pets as has my gf. There are so many u can get just for free in game with quests, rep, dungeon drops, raid drops that u don't have to buy the new shiny mount if u don't want to as well as other wasy to get mounts or companion pets.
Like refer and freind and scroll of resurection. The boost to 90 so people can play with freinds doesn't bother me either. Now if they started selling gear that was top end then id have an issue but simple cosmetic items u don't need isn't that big a deal.
My issue isn't with the 90 with the expansion. I am completely okay with that. If you read into the article you will notice they are also wanting to "Sell" lvl 90 characters, not just the one free expansion 90, but as an actual item of sorts. I actually think the lvl 90 with the expansion is a fantastic idea and pretty much supported it from when I heard it.
Mounts are okay, transmog gear is okay, I am only asking the opinion of others on the ability to purchase a lvl 90 character almost whenever they want to.
Originally posted by DamonVile Blizzard went too far the day they added a cash shop to a sub game.
Yeah definetly, also there cash shops are one of the most expensives.
$15 for helms, $20-40 for mounts or somthing stupid
Blizzard tactic = The triple dipping
Cash Shop
Subscription
Usualy Full price box/expansions aswell
Truely the most greedy company ive ever seen.
Agreed. I'm not one to complain about business's making money, because that's their entire purpose, but for a subscription game I feel it is getting a bit out of hand.
Originally posted by Geeky Why do I want to continuously play though the content I've already been through multiple times before? Give me an option to be max level (if I already have a max level toon) and I'd be more than happy to drop a buck or two for that rather than wasting my time running through the same old content I've seen a hundred times.
I guess that brings me to the point of why they couldn't have added something in-game to obtain these lvl 90s. Remember BoA's? I suppose what I'm getting at is why they didn't just add a means of obtaining a new character lvl 90 by simply playing the End-game. Granted they would have to make it somewhat difficult to do, but I feel it would come off better in the long run.
There is so much at end game that u can get. A free boost isn't aimed at players who just like playign one player. It is really aimed at returning playeers who haven't played since cata came out or left during cata but want to come back and play with freinds. They pay boost is aimed at players who want to create characters on other realms with freinds and play with them there, Cross realm stuff has helped but sometimes players don't want to level 1- max on a diffrent realm just to play with freinds. making it an end game achievement defeats the point.
Originally posted by Geeky Why do I want to continuously play though the content I've already been through multiple times before? Give me an option to be max level (if I already have a max level toon) and I'd be more than happy to drop a buck or two for that rather than wasting my time running through the same old content I've seen a hundred times.
I guess that brings me to the point of why they couldn't have added something in-game to obtain these lvl 90s. Remember BoA's? I suppose what I'm getting at is why they didn't just add a means of obtaining a new character lvl 90 by simply playing the End-game. Granted they would have to make it somewhat difficult to do, but I feel it would come off better in the long run.
There is so much at end game that u can get. A free boost isn't aimed at players who just like playign one player. It is really aimed at returning playeers who haven't played since cata came out or left during cata but want to come back and play with freinds. They pay boost is aimed at players who want to create characters on other realms with freinds and play with them there, Cross realm stuff has helped but sometimes players don't want to level 1- max on a diffrent realm just to play with freinds. making it an end game achievement defeats the point.
You make a valid point with wanting to play with your friends on another server, I feel it isn't aimed at them though (Realm transfers already exist) and more for the people who simply don't want to level. Though a system to be able to buy a lvl 90 on another server that you don't have a lvl 90 on, would actually be a great idea. As long as there was a requirement to have a lvl 90+ to begin with.
This game has been around for a long time now. They have many dedicated players that would love to have a way to take a second toon to max level without the hassle. The way I read the article, this is who Blizzard is targeting for this service. A new person is not going to be able to pay for a max character. My understanding is they will have some criteria on who can purchase this service... probably have to have one max character already.... so I do not find this "going too far".
Its simply a matter of business practice and how far they are willing to take it. No it doesn't effect me in any sort of way except that leveling is now clearly just a pointless chore to get to the "Good stuff". I stated I will stop paying for way, because that is what I am going to do. Drama is more towards the overreaction of something that didn't mean much to begin with. I find this simply my opinion rather than stirring up a fight. You're free to your own opinion as well. If you wish to look at this as drama, by all means go for it, but it is nothing more than a discussion.
As far as business practice is concerned, it makes perfect business sense to provide your customer base with items that they are willing to buy to increase your revenue, especially if it doesn't harm your core product which is as far as i can see the whole case here. Again, if they were starting to charge for legendary gear or something along those lines then i would have an issue with that myself, but all of this is completely optional.
On levelling, that is purely a personal thing as i still enjoy levelling and questing and again it is all about choice, you can choose to fly through and level like the wind or you can put some thought in to it and enjoy it on your own terms, that is the beauty and flexibility of the game.
My overall point is that the shop at the moment means nothing unless you particularly want to buy something that is in there, with over 200 mounts in game and only 6 in the shop, several hundred battle pets and 11 in the shop it really isn't a major assault on the subscriber and there has been far more in game content in terms of both added to the game since the shop has been operational than there has been added to the store by far. Now if it had been the other way around where they had only added a couple of pets to the game and 70 to the store i can see a case to be annoyed about it, but that is no-where near the case.
So that is the point i was attempting to make, that if it has no impact on you or your gameplay, why be bothered about it? You can speculate that they will go further and draw up scenario's where it could have an effect on the subscribers, but that is purely speculation and guesswork, it isn't the current situation.
It must be Thursday, i never could get the hang of Thursdays.
Originally posted by DamonVile Blizzard went too far the day they added a cash shop to a sub game.
Yeah definetly, also there cash shops are one of the most expensives.
$15 for helms, $20-40 for mounts or somthing stupid
Blizzard tactic = The triple dipping
Cash Shop
Subscription
Usualy Full price box/expansions aswell
Truely the most greedy company ive ever seen.
Agreed. I'm not one to complain about business's making money, because that's their entire purpose, but for a subscription game I feel it is getting a bit out of hand.
You would be right. Really can't believe that they are even considering this at all. So the game from 1-90 is boring ? Well don't play it then. If we the consumer pay into this carp then other companies will follow suit. Also from some of the responses , people don't even think it's a bad idea. You wait and see what happens towards the end of the year. How many subbs have they at the last count was it 7.3 million ? Expect that to fall below 6 million by the end of 2014. No titan on the horizon either , silly boys and gilrs of Blizzard.
It's a total joke , but not very funny.
Cheers,
BadOrb.
PSO 4 years , EQOA 4 months , PSU 7 years , SWTOR launch ongoing , PSO2 SEA launch ongoing , Destiny 360 launch ongoing. "SWG was not fun. Let it go buddy." quote from iiNoSkillzii 10/18/13 The original propoganda pixie dust villain :[]
Originally posted by Gravarg I don't get why you would buy a 90 anyways. It's easy to level these days, especially with RaF. You can easily get to 85 in about 8-10 hours of playtime with RaF. 85-90 about another 10 hours. I can do it in 2 days easily.
Some people have jobs and other commitments that allow a few hours a week to play, so it can easily be too time consuming for these people. Additionally once you've seen the levelling content a million times already its not fun, sometimes you want to get to the fun part with friends. Blizzard also want to milk every last drop of WoW as it continues its inevitable slow decline so hey.
It proved to be the end of the line for me. I always said that I'd quit the day that the cash shop intruded into offering real gameplay advantages, and skipping 90 levels of content is nothing if not that. You can repeat the phrase "if you don't like it, don't use it" as many times as you like. But I've got a better one: "I didn't like it, so I quit."
It's an old game anyway, and the experience was tired. This will likely be a good change.
The problem, which they even state in the information you quoted, is that there are ways to get as many 90's as you want anyway. With 1 free 90 per account, people who cared enough would simply buy another copy of the game to get another free 90 then either play two accounts or transfer the characters to the same account. Blizzard knows this, so rather than just push out a system knowing it has loopholes they're exploring their options. I think they should either not allow instant 90's at all or allow you to buy additional ones after the first free 90. Giving one free 90 then having no way to get another without buying another copy of the game would just be a pita to anyone who wants another 90. To say you like the idea of 1 free 90, but don't like the idea of someone buying another 90 after that is pretty dumb to be honest, because no matter how they implement it there's going to be ways for someone to get as many 90's as they want. The only thing they have any power over is how many hoops they make you jump through to get it done.
It is another 'option' for players who wish to take it up, they aren't forcing people to buy it, they aren't making an extra charge on the sub for it, it is an optional extra that you may purchase if you want it.
I dont understand people taking it up their ass like you sir. You paid for the game, you pay a sub fee, and still it's okay to have huge price tags on some "optional" stuff? By your logic they could add two hundred new services into the game and smack a 20$ price tag on each one because, hey, they are not forcing you to pay it.
I used to vote yes when people made polls if I like monthly fee over B2P or F2P, because monthly fee used to cover all the cash shop stuff. Not anymore, because of possessed entities like Blizzard, who are ready to implement cash shops into cash shops in a box price + a monthly fee game. Blizzard has a famously slow like hell development cycles in their titles and ironically it's because theirs fans finance that uber slowness, they dont need more devs and they dont need to release games/patches faster because the addicted fans will pay them whatever they ask anyway.
I dont think it's cool to hate on Blizzard, there's nothing cool in hating generally speaking, but on some cases I think it's simply the right thing to do.
It is another 'option' for players who wish to take it up, they aren't forcing people to buy it, they aren't making an extra charge on the sub for it, it is an optional extra that you may purchase if you want it.
I dont understand people taking it up their ass like you sir. You paid for the game, you pay a sub fee, and still it's okay to have huge price tags on some "optional" stuff? By your logic they could add two hundred new services into the game and smack a 20$ price tag on each one because, hey, they are not forcing you to pay it.
...and i, sir, will never understand those that get so emotional about what is purely business!
Blizzard run a business with this game, not a charity (although i will come back to that in a second) and as such are entitled to produce as much or as little content as they see fit and charge for it in any way they see fit. Up to now they have produced non-essential items in tiny amounts compared to the in game content and decided to charge for it and in some cases also use some of that money to bolster various charities in the process (told you i would get back to that).
As a gamer, my choice is to decide whether the sub they charge for their game is worth the entertainment value i get from it and in my case i think it is and the store has no effect on my gaming experience in any way at all, so doesn't even factor in to that decision. I find it stranger that someone would get butt-hurt over something that makes no real difference to them in terms of the gaming experience, but that is just me.
As i have said already (if you have read the whole thread that is), if they started to produce more items for the store than in game and also started to give people a real advantage in the game by spending there i would have some reservations, but this isn't the case.
It must be Thursday, i never could get the hang of Thursdays.
These days WoW can be engaged at such a casual level I'm just surprised Blizzard haven't thought of this sooner.
Considering the RAF, heirloom and guild perks you can litterally get to 90 in less then a week and have no idea how to play at endgame, and, crucially, still see everything the game has to offer.
Why not just buy a boosted character? Makes little difference these days...
Hey guys. Thanks for starting this thread, it was very interesting to read.
My two cents: I agree with the guy who said that this is drama. I've played WoW on and off for ten years. I've got a few level 90s but really only play one. I started my first toon, as well as all the other toons, on the Draenor server. I have never server transfered, bought an item from a cash shop, changed factions, race changed, gender changed or anything else that Blizzard offers for cash. I leveled a Monk about a year ago. I made him a tank, leveled him with dungeon runs and had a blast.
I just don't see what the fuss is about even though I've enjoyed reading the posts. If you want to spend extra cash on bling, spend it. If you want to server transfer, knock yourself out. You want to pay for a level 90? Dig deep and go for it. I come across guys in battlegrounds all the time who can’t play their class. They add to my hk stats.
I don't waste time thinking about others people's game, I just focus on mine and have a good time. Blizzard has gone too far when the server pops crash.
Like I said, my two cents.
PS I think Wildstar is going to be amazing. Hope too see you all there.
Comments
Why quit, when it makes millions of ppl happy and they make profit off it. Doesnt make sense.
I havent played it in 2/3 years, but if it was mine company, I would run it till it loses money.
As much as you protest it, it does seem like you are stirring up a drama because how does this affect your gaming experience in any way what so ever?
Does someone purchasing a L90 character stop you doing anything within the game as it stands?
Does someone else spending their hard earned money on something that they see as useful affect you in any way?
Does Blizzard making a little more money from this new shop item (if or when they decide to do it) affect you in any way?
I think that the answer to all of those is a resounding no, so making statements about leaving the game because of something that has absolutely no adverse affect on your gaming experience to my mind smacks very much of a little drama, but hey, that is just me.
It must be Thursday, i never could get the hang of Thursdays.
Bravo for Blizzard. I don't think they went to far why not find ways to make cash
I believe it was P.T. Barnum that popularized "A fool and his money are soon parted."
If someone is willing to spend money for power level. Than I don't believe they deserved to have that money in the first place.
Ea is like a poo fingered midas ~ShakyMo
As a matter of fact the Cata revamp for 1-60 was the reason i quit WoW for good. I've always loved leveling and i used to spend countless of hours running instances, crafting and occasional PvP in BGs. When Cataclysm hit Azeroth, everything changed. Yes, quests improved a lot from story telling POV, but the meaning to craft, run dungeons or kill mobs disappeared. The only thing that matters now is the endgame, not the journey to get there.
So in a way, by revamping 1-60 in Cata Blizzard screwed the game for those who loved leveling, but they still force those who hate it to do this content in order to get to the max level and end game. I see it as a lose-lose situation.
Buying a max level character in an MMO makes no sense to me, but i can see why many people are willing to do so. It's the end game only that matters.
If there was an item in WoW cash shop that allowed me to restore the old world (before cataclysm hit), slowed down experience gains by x100 and removed all nerfs applied after 2008, i'd buy it in a blink of an eye.
And somone should tell all other MMO developers that we need menaingfull content once we reach the destination, seeing as that is where we spend most of our time.
That is percisly the reason WoW is still the big dog in town.
Its simply a matter of business practice and how far they are willing to take it. No it doesn't effect me in any sort of way except that leveling is now clearly just a pointless chore to get to the "Good stuff". I stated I will stop paying for way, because that is what I am going to do. Drama is more towards the overreaction of something that didn't mean much to begin with. I find this simply my opinion rather than stirring up a fight. You're free to your own opinion as well. If you wish to look at this as drama, by all means go for it, but it is nothing more than a discussion.
I don't see the issue. They have a cash shop yes but its all mounts and pets at this time. The truth is u can see a possible free 2 play coming , Where u get access to everything but they sell cosmetic items , like transmog gear now that they have transmog in game.
i have played wow for a long time and i have no issue with them selling mounts and companion pets and transmog gear if they decide to do so. I also have no issue with them selling realm transfers and race changes and faction changes.
I have paid for mounts and companion pets as has my gf. There are so many u can get just for free in game with quests, rep, dungeon drops, raid drops that u don't have to buy the new shiny mount if u don't want to as well as other wasy to get mounts or companion pets.
Like refer and freind and scroll of resurection. The boost to 90 so people can play with freinds doesn't bother me either. Now if they started selling gear that was top end then id have an issue but simple cosmetic items u don't need isn't that big a deal.
Im giving my free boost to my nephew on my account anyways. i like to level from 1- max so im never gonna boost a character but the 90 boost is aimed at players who have been out of wow for a while and want to play with freinds in warlords.
Players are willing and able to pay for a 90 boost let them. It doesn't hurt me anyways, i can still go level 1- max or 58-max if i play a dk and it doesn't affect me at all. Its not liek they are given u top end gear with boost. Just quest level gear i believe
I vote yes because this combined with the accelerating rate they release cash shop items and their bevy of paid services and paid expansions more people are going to be wondering why a subscription is even necessary any more.
I guess that brings me to the point of why they couldn't have added something in-game to obtain these lvl 90s. Remember BoA's? I suppose what I'm getting at is why they didn't just add a means of obtaining a new character lvl 90 by simply playing the End-game. Granted they would have to make it somewhat difficult to do, but I feel it would come off better in the long run.
Yeah definetly, also there cash shops are one of the most expensives.
$15 for helms, $20-40 for mounts or somthing stupid
Blizzard tactic = The triple dipping
Cash Shop
Subscription
Usualy Full price box/expansions aswell
Truely the most greedy company ive ever seen.
My issue isn't with the 90 with the expansion. I am completely okay with that. If you read into the article you will notice they are also wanting to "Sell" lvl 90 characters, not just the one free expansion 90, but as an actual item of sorts. I actually think the lvl 90 with the expansion is a fantastic idea and pretty much supported it from when I heard it.
Mounts are okay, transmog gear is okay, I am only asking the opinion of others on the ability to purchase a lvl 90 character almost whenever they want to.
Agreed. I'm not one to complain about business's making money, because that's their entire purpose, but for a subscription game I feel it is getting a bit out of hand.
There is so much at end game that u can get. A free boost isn't aimed at players who just like playign one player. It is really aimed at returning playeers who haven't played since cata came out or left during cata but want to come back and play with freinds. They pay boost is aimed at players who want to create characters on other realms with freinds and play with them there, Cross realm stuff has helped but sometimes players don't want to level 1- max on a diffrent realm just to play with freinds. making it an end game achievement defeats the point.
You make a valid point with wanting to play with your friends on another server, I feel it isn't aimed at them though (Realm transfers already exist) and more for the people who simply don't want to level. Though a system to be able to buy a lvl 90 on another server that you don't have a lvl 90 on, would actually be a great idea. As long as there was a requirement to have a lvl 90+ to begin with.
This game has been around for a long time now. They have many dedicated players that would love to have a way to take a second toon to max level without the hassle. The way I read the article, this is who Blizzard is targeting for this service. A new person is not going to be able to pay for a max character. My understanding is they will have some criteria on who can purchase this service... probably have to have one max character already.... so I do not find this "going too far".
Now the cash shop is a whole different story!
As far as business practice is concerned, it makes perfect business sense to provide your customer base with items that they are willing to buy to increase your revenue, especially if it doesn't harm your core product which is as far as i can see the whole case here. Again, if they were starting to charge for legendary gear or something along those lines then i would have an issue with that myself, but all of this is completely optional.
On levelling, that is purely a personal thing as i still enjoy levelling and questing and again it is all about choice, you can choose to fly through and level like the wind or you can put some thought in to it and enjoy it on your own terms, that is the beauty and flexibility of the game.
My overall point is that the shop at the moment means nothing unless you particularly want to buy something that is in there, with over 200 mounts in game and only 6 in the shop, several hundred battle pets and 11 in the shop it really isn't a major assault on the subscriber and there has been far more in game content in terms of both added to the game since the shop has been operational than there has been added to the store by far. Now if it had been the other way around where they had only added a couple of pets to the game and 70 to the store i can see a case to be annoyed about it, but that is no-where near the case.
So that is the point i was attempting to make, that if it has no impact on you or your gameplay, why be bothered about it? You can speculate that they will go further and draw up scenario's where it could have an effect on the subscribers, but that is purely speculation and guesswork, it isn't the current situation.
It must be Thursday, i never could get the hang of Thursdays.
You would be right. Really can't believe that they are even considering this at all. So the game from 1-90 is boring ? Well don't play it then. If we the consumer pay into this carp then other companies will follow suit. Also from some of the responses , people don't even think it's a bad idea. You wait and see what happens towards the end of the year. How many subbs have they at the last count was it 7.3 million ? Expect that to fall below 6 million by the end of 2014. No titan on the horizon either , silly boys and gilrs of Blizzard.
It's a total joke , but not very funny.
Cheers,
BadOrb.
PSO 4 years , EQOA 4 months , PSU 7 years , SWTOR launch ongoing , PSO2 SEA launch ongoing , Destiny 360 launch ongoing.
"SWG was not fun. Let it go buddy." quote from iiNoSkillzii 10/18/13
The original propoganda pixie dust villain :[]
Some people have jobs and other commitments that allow a few hours a week to play, so it can easily be too time consuming for these people. Additionally once you've seen the levelling content a million times already its not fun, sometimes you want to get to the fun part with friends. Blizzard also want to milk every last drop of WoW as it continues its inevitable slow decline so hey.
It proved to be the end of the line for me. I always said that I'd quit the day that the cash shop intruded into offering real gameplay advantages, and skipping 90 levels of content is nothing if not that. You can repeat the phrase "if you don't like it, don't use it" as many times as you like. But I've got a better one: "I didn't like it, so I quit."
It's an old game anyway, and the experience was tired. This will likely be a good change.
I dont understand people taking it up their ass like you sir. You paid for the game, you pay a sub fee, and still it's okay to have huge price tags on some "optional" stuff? By your logic they could add two hundred new services into the game and smack a 20$ price tag on each one because, hey, they are not forcing you to pay it.
I used to vote yes when people made polls if I like monthly fee over B2P or F2P, because monthly fee used to cover all the cash shop stuff. Not anymore, because of possessed entities like Blizzard, who are ready to implement cash shops into cash shops in a box price + a monthly fee game. Blizzard has a famously slow like hell development cycles in their titles and ironically it's because theirs fans finance that uber slowness, they dont need more devs and they dont need to release games/patches faster because the addicted fans will pay them whatever they ask anyway.
I dont think it's cool to hate on Blizzard, there's nothing cool in hating generally speaking, but on some cases I think it's simply the right thing to do.
...and i, sir, will never understand those that get so emotional about what is purely business!
Blizzard run a business with this game, not a charity (although i will come back to that in a second) and as such are entitled to produce as much or as little content as they see fit and charge for it in any way they see fit. Up to now they have produced non-essential items in tiny amounts compared to the in game content and decided to charge for it and in some cases also use some of that money to bolster various charities in the process (told you i would get back to that).
As a gamer, my choice is to decide whether the sub they charge for their game is worth the entertainment value i get from it and in my case i think it is and the store has no effect on my gaming experience in any way at all, so doesn't even factor in to that decision. I find it stranger that someone would get butt-hurt over something that makes no real difference to them in terms of the gaming experience, but that is just me.
As i have said already (if you have read the whole thread that is), if they started to produce more items for the store than in game and also started to give people a real advantage in the game by spending there i would have some reservations, but this isn't the case.
It must be Thursday, i never could get the hang of Thursdays.
These days WoW can be engaged at such a casual level I'm just surprised Blizzard haven't thought of this sooner.
Considering the RAF, heirloom and guild perks you can litterally get to 90 in less then a week and have no idea how to play at endgame, and, crucially, still see everything the game has to offer.
Why not just buy a boosted character? Makes little difference these days...
This looks like a job for....The Riviera Kid!
Hey guys. Thanks for starting this thread, it was very interesting to read.
My two cents: I agree with the guy who said that this is drama. I've played WoW on and off for ten years. I've got a few level 90s but really only play one. I started my first toon, as well as all the other toons, on the Draenor server. I have never server transfered, bought an item from a cash shop, changed factions, race changed, gender changed or anything else that Blizzard offers for cash. I leveled a Monk about a year ago. I made him a tank, leveled him with dungeon runs and had a blast.
I just don't see what the fuss is about even though I've enjoyed reading the posts. If you want to spend extra cash on bling, spend it. If you want to server transfer, knock yourself out. You want to pay for a level 90? Dig deep and go for it. I come across guys in battlegrounds all the time who can’t play their class. They add to my hk stats.
I don't waste time thinking about others people's game, I just focus on mine and have a good time. Blizzard has gone too far when the server pops crash.
Like I said, my two cents.
PS I think Wildstar is going to be amazing. Hope too see you all there.
Sneaky