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Sooo, cash shop?
Xtromass
Member Posts: 662
Seeing how this is a free mmorpg, am I right to guess its gonna have a cash shop? Think the game looks awesome, but I just dont want to invest my time in a pay-to-win game..
Comments
Gonna have to agree here. Free-to-play is never free, and it is a business model that benefits the company and screws the player.
As long as paid transactions do not give access to exclusive items or equipment that have any impact on gameplay or performance, I usually don't mind. For example, using the Blizzard model, you can buy non-combat pets, mounts, name changes, race changes, transfers, etc. Those are all okay for a microtransaction model. As soon as you offer any item or service that gives the player who spends money an advantage over the player who doesn't, the microtransaction model becomes pay-to-win, and the game loses virutally all appeal.
I would rather pay $15 a month to play the same game as everyone else than play a "free" game where the guy/girl who buys in-game items or services that gives them an advantage over everyone else.
Free-to-play needs to die. It NEVER EVER benefits the player. I would wager that anyone who actually spends money on a free-to-play game spends more than, or exceptionally more than, someone who would just rather pay a monthly fee.
I'm currently downloading the beta client, so we'll see how it goes once I get in game.
In a way, I agree with you but I'm open to playing a game with a cash shop if everything in the cash shop can be acquired through in-game means.
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"Chemistry: 'We do stuff in lab that would be a felony in your garage.'"
The most awesomest after school special T-shirt:
Front: UNO Chemistry Club
Back: /\OH --> Bad Decisions
The Cash shop items in the game are in no way are pay to win...In fact the only thing the cash shop does it help you pve wise and cosmetic wise. An example would be an xp boost for a certain amount of time. The items don't provide you with an edge and in fact every item that you obtain in the cash shop can be obtained through game play however it will take you longer. The idea behind the cash shop is to simply allow those who dont have as much time to play a chance to stay competitive with those that do have the time to play.
We have yet to see where this will go, but if history is any teacher, this is probably what we will see:
XL Widget 2 Mk IV - does something really cool and useful. In-game this object can be acquired by completing a 16 part quest arc, mining asteroids for 6 weeks to obtain necessary ore to build the item, spending 100M credits to buy the items required to combine the ore with the quest reward, and 2 months to train the skills necessary to complete the manufacturing of the item (this doesn't include the 6 months and billions of credits you had to spend in order to get your skill to the point where you can actually learn the blueprint), but in the end, you can get this item.
XL Widget 2 Mk IV - can be purchased on the cash shop for the equivalent of $10 worth of in-game Gamingo-credits.
Which are you going to do?
I agree with the poster above, as long as items in the cash shop are all available in game without spending the money (and are available with a REASONABLE amount of effort, then okay. But this never happens, because if it did, why would anyone actually spend money to buy the cash-shop item.
The rules of the cash shop are simple. Make items that players can't get any other way, or make items that players can get so painful to acquire that they break down and buy them from the store anyway.
Give me a $50 client and $15/mo subscription cost, and full access to every element of the game that has any meaningful impact on gameplay over a free game with a cash shop. If the cash shop includes some new paintjob for your ship, fine. If it includes a logo for the side of your ship that you can't get any other way, fine. If it gives you access to a different hairstyle, or visual (but non-functional) improvement to your avatar, fine. BUT, if the cash shop gives anyone an advantage (PvE or PvP doesn't matter) over someone who doesn't or can't spend the money to buy it, you have crossed the line and all but required players to pay to play.
Free2Play is an abomination and should never have been supported by gamers. People are short-sighted and in an effort to try to save themselves $15 / mo to play a game, they are now spending $30 / mo (or more) to play that same game.
totally agree.. and its the main reason why the only F2P games i play you can count on 1 hand using no fingers....
You make a very good point, but forgot one aspect of it. CONTENT
Do you think they would make you pay to be able to access areas of the game? I think Lord of the Rings does this.