The fact is that GW2 is not going to have a monthly fee so a cash shop is a good way to get additional income. Apparently, most, if not all, of the items in the cash shop can be acquired in the game by normal means--drops, vendors. etc. The gems (cash shop currency) can be traded to other players for in-game currency, so you don't have to ever spend real money as long as you have gold. Gear in GW2 does not have the same impact as it does in other games. So even if ANet were to sell gear in the cash shop, you can get equivalent gear just by playing the game.
I see a lot of people overreacting in this thread but the fact of the matter is that virtually every single AAA MMO already has a cash shop on top of a subscription fee. GW2 will have a similar cash shop and no subscription fee. There is not a single item that I saw in those leaked images that is essential for true enjoyment of the game. Moreover, leveling in GW2 is pretty easy and painless so the various "boost" items are not required. I see most of those items used by powerlevelers and those who have only a few hours to play per week, yet still want to keep up with their friends.
With that being said, as much as I'm anticipating GW2, if the cash shop will offer items that give players an unfair advantage over others, I will be right here with you with tar, feathers and a pitchfork.
1) Release it retail. $60 per sale x ~1 million purchases in 1st month = $60 million. That's assuming they sell 1 million copies in the first month, considering what we've seen so far they'll most likely be closer to 1 million in the 1st week. If it takes off in Asia you can expect them to make more than enough to cover the initial production costs.
Just as a side note, 1 million Beta signups within 48 (and a bit) hours just shows a fraction of the interest out there. People like myself who would rather just play the finished game didn’t sign up at all. Be it a roaring success or a RFOnline flop people will still be buying it on release day. Just don’t write it off before it’s even finished. My EQ server was bashing wow for months before it’s release saying it looked naff and would fail.
2) Sponsorship - Either though their website or in GW's case from the e-sports/tournament events. Also physical items. (T-Shirts, Plushies, etc). Wonder how much the south Park creators paid to use the wow engine in that episode, you know, the only one gamers can ever remember.
3) Micro transactions. Any WoW players reading this would probably know already that one of the biggest selling items in their store was that flying horse mount made of stars (Sparkles!). People will buy anything that they like the look of, even if it doesn‘t have a game changing use.
GW1 had;
* Costumes.
* Mission Packs.
* Character slots.
* Skill packs - exactly the same skills that are found in game.
* Character makeovers.
* Character/Account storage slots.
I dare say they had a few things I missed but never did they have anything that was a "Must Have" item. It was all about making the game more enjoyable or interesting for people who wanted to spend a bit of money. They obviously sold enough to keep them all in work and to keep content flowing into the game to keep the masses entertained…and still does. Not all F2P games "Have" to have P2W items. If the game is engaging enough and genuinely fun to play then they wouldn't need to have them to make money.
4) Expansions - The major work has already been done with the original release, if the game is still popular then releasing a major content expansion is a huge cash injection. If they've done a good job to begin with then it'll be a case of tweaks and content. Content being easy to add once you have the core game, just look at blizzards ability to make the same cave look totally different 100+ times. Not saying A.Net would stoop to reusing old structures/skins.
And that's how to make money from a F2P MMO like GW1/2, I'm sure if I sat here thinking about it longer I could come up with more ways but that's the jist of it. Arena Net know their business alot better than I do and I dare say they have other ideas up their sleaves, however they have made their position clear on the cash shop;
Will GW2 have P2W items? Most definitely not! They have said at every single interview and press release when asked that the cash shop wont be selling things that you MUST buy, it'll be for services like name change/server change and for vanity items like costumes, pets character slots ..etc.etc......erm...same as GW1.
The game itself is being build around the players skill, NOT the gear he/she's wearing. If you feel you need better gear to win then your sadly missing something else.
Old MMO system Gear>Skill
GW2's system Skill>Gear
If you think A.Net are just trying to sneak money out of your wallet then my suggestion is don't buy it, stop "trying" to troll/bait the fans and continue playing a game you like. Once the game is finally released you can look at the shop before buying. Also read up on the game before you start making uninformed assumptions about a game that isn’t even released yet.
And please, please, please, stop trying to describe the Ferrari before you've seen it!
TL;DR - Quit moaning and wait and see. In the mean time read the last paragraph.
So who's still thinking about p2w in wvwvw,pve, an pvp?
Lmao
*Starts drinking his koolaid" this is amusing.
No seriousely please try though.
I might get banned for this. - Rizel Star.
I'm not afraid to tell trolls what they [need] to hear, even if that means for me to have an forced absence afterwards.
P2P LOGIC = If it's P2P it means longevity, overall better game, and THE BEST SUPPORT EVER!!!!!(Which has been rinsed and repeated about a thousand times)
Common Sense Logic = P2P logic is no better than F2P Logic.
Yeah, cash shop's are never a good thing. The reason they exist is only because players have allowed them to exist, and the profit they provide these companies is purely ancillary. What does that mean? They're getting richer for providing you something that used to come with your subscription, or in the case of Guild Wars, came with your fucking box purchase.
Wanna know why the gaming community isn't united for the grand ol' cause of microtransactions? Because the only people who benefit are the developers, and the players are forced to pay more for something that was previously expected to come with their product. Even cosmetic items, as harmless as they are to the game world, simply give developers more creativity in the ways in which they charge you now, and expands upon the possibilities of new, undiscovered ways in which to fuck us monetarily.
Did you guys ever read that child's book, "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie"? The premise is pretty easy to understand, regardless, but if you give a mouse a cookie, he's going to want a glass of milk.
I have to say that this post is one of the most incredibly rational, level headed and downright brilliant explinations as to why some gamers have such a passionite dislike of cash shops that I have ever seen.
"Gypsies, tramps, and thieves, we were called by the Admin of the site . . . "
If you think A.Net are just trying to sneak money out of your wallet then my suggestion is don't buy it, stop "trying" to troll/bait the fans and continue playing a game you like. Once the game is finally released you can look at the shop before buying. Also read up on the game before you start making uninformed assumptions about a game that isn’t even released yet.
And this is why the community is split. Well done that people have stooped to name calling at every turn. Haters and trolls=Guild Wars 2 fanbase who aren't happy about the cash shop. Even those who go on to say they will still play it but not happily, they are trolls too. Wait and see? Trolls. Why this is allowed is beyond me and the longer it's allowed the further the community will fracture. Who's fault? ANet's? No. Not at all.
I like how everyone forgot that gems (what you use to buy in cash shop) are tradable between players... Anet has no control over what they are worth, and the laws of supply and demand state that it will reach a fair price eventually, where demand equals supply and vise versa. Of course, it will change at points, but everyone again will be able to buy things from the shop if you wish. Please, please read before you spout it's a unfair cash shop, especially when it is simple to get your own gems to buy from the shop...
Man poor people like to whine a lot. Get a friggin job and get off the welfare, geesh.
many people against the cash shop would prefer a monthly sub. truth is, a cash shop is a way to make MORE money than a monthly sub, while allowing many more people to play the game. They know eventually most people who play long enough will spend money.
The thing that's most upsetting to me is how anet said they wouldn't have to do this, that box price was all they needed. I was skeptical and was shouted down by fanboys. Now that this happens, I complain and I'm still shouted down by fanboys. Just can't win.
Point out just one thing in that item mall that you "have" to buy in order to play at the same level as everyone else. Just one.
Hi, you're missing the point of his post. ArenaNet said during early development that they (meaning ArenaNet) would not have to resort to a F2P or subscription model of the game, because they would make enough money from the box sale of the game to produce and keep the game running, like they do (or at least did) with GW1.
The poster here isn't suggsting that people will have to buy anything from the cash shop.
Unrelated to any of that, the thing that so often gets overlooked in these discussions is the fact that F2P is anything but free, and with few exceptions, the average F2P player spends FAR more per month than a fixed subscription price. I would be willing to say that close to 100% of the people who are against microtransactions or F2P game models would happily pay a monthly subscription fee instead.
Give gamers an option, pay $15 per month to have unlimited access to the entire game, including as much of anything as they want off the cash shop, or just keep the game subscription free with microtransactions for the items you want. You know why ArenaNet would never do that? Because they KNOW that they will make MORE money from the microtransactions than they ever could from a subscription.
Microtransactions benefit the company, and ultimately they screw over the players.
I like how everyone forgot that gems (what you use to buy in cash shop) are tradable between players... Anet has no control over what they are worth, and the laws of supply and demand state that it will reach a fair price eventually, where demand equals supply and vise versa. Of course, it will change at points, but everyone again will be able to buy things from the shop if you wish. Please, please read before you spout it's a unfair cash shop, especially when it is simple to get your own gems to buy from the shop...
Some people's hate for microtransactions is so irrational at times that no matter how trivial the cash shop is, the rage will continue.
What's funny is that most of these people who hate cash shop are probably pay a subscription fee to an MMO which has a cash shop as well. It's OK for Blizzard, EA, Funcom and Turbine to have one but as soon as ANet does it, GW2 is pay2win.
I have played GW on and off for over 5 years. To this day, besides the box prices for all of the campaigns, I have payed ~$20 for some costumes. I never bought any skill packs, character and bank slots and yet, I was able to get 30/50 HoM stuff pretty painlessly. I have faith in ANet to offer a fair cash shop in GW2 just like they did in the original. They have a lot riding on this game and they will not ruin it by trying to nickel and dime people.
Man poor people like to whine a lot. Get a friggin job and get off the welfare, geesh.
many people against the cash shop would prefer a monthly sub. truth is, a cash shop is a way to make MORE money than a monthly sub, while allowing many more people to play the game. They know eventually most people who play long enough will spend money.
The thing that's most upsetting to me is how anet said they wouldn't have to do this, that box price was all they needed. I was skeptical and was shouted down by fanboys. Now that this happens, I complain and I'm still shouted down by fanboys. Just can't win.
Point out just one thing in that item mall that you "have" to buy in order to play at the same level as everyone else. Just one.
Hi, you're missing the point of his post. ArenaNet said during early development that they (meaning ArenaNet) would not have to resort to a F2P or subscription model of the game, because they would make enough money from the box sale of the game to produce and keep the game running, like they do (or at least did) with GW1.
That is absolutely not true. I would like to know your source for this claim.
It has been known from the start that GW2 will have a cash shop similar to GW1's cash shop. AKA optional cosmetic and quality of life items and judging by the leaks, that's exactly what they are. The no subscription fee is true though.
yunno i am not one of those people who has a problem with any micro transaction or a person that blindly labels any microtransaction as pay to win, because sorry a cute hat is not the same as a buff i can pay for and take into pvp or a xp rate buff. But bottom line MT's piss off a lot of people, unite ........my big fat booty it willl.....i'm sorry that is just a silly statement.
Some people's hate for microtransactions is so irrational at times that no matter how trivial the cash shop is, the rage will continue.
What's funny is that most of these people who hate cash shop are probably pay a subscription fee to an MMO which has a cash shop as well. It's OK for Blizzard, EA, Funcom and Turbine to have one but as soon as ANet does it, GW2 is pay2win.
I've noticed that the opposite is true. Many people have bashed EA, Funcom, Turbine, PWE, Cryptic, etc relentlessly as being greedy and pay to win because of their cash shops.
Suddenly, many of those same people are now singing the praises of cash shops, and how they have no impact on the game, simply because, well, now it's GW2.
In short, the mantra here appears to be: if another game does it, it's horrible, but if GW2 does the exact same thing, it's awesome. It's plain, flat-out dishonest.
I dont see why no lifers who spend 30-40 hours a week should have a huge gear advantage on me.
Allow me to provide you a different perspective. I am employed older and stable. I can't spend 40 hours a week on a game, never have been able to really. I make more than enough money to really win in a pay 2 win type game, especially given that most of my competition would consist of teens and 20 somethings either still living at home or living on rammen noodles. I am against cash shops because you're bringing real world economic(purchasing) power into my fantasy world, you know the place I go to get away from it all. A game in my eyes is sullied by the addition of cash shops. This is just my opinion. I will get flamed for this, but this is how i feel about it.
I'm older, employed and stable (arguably) as well.
However, microtransactions allow ArenaNet to leave the door open for more unscrupulous behavior down the road if their bottom line begins to look more red than black. The "I'm too busy to get things done as much" argument, to me, as a busy, employed person such as yourself, still doesn't hold water. If I'm a gamer, then I'll make time to game and get to where I need to be.
Guild Wars 2 isn't being designed as a grind game, so there's no need to speed-level through content to get where your guildies/friends are. The game allows you to side-kick up to your friend's levels. These features of the game completely invalidate ArenaNet's argument.
I'm the biggest GW apologist on the boards - but don't try and couch the microtransactions as a feature that supposedly alleviates the common problems of the MMORPG genre that you're arguing your new game design takes care of in the first place. (This is directed at Mike O'Brien's argument - not yours necessarily.)
Some people's hate for microtransactions is so irrational at times that no matter how trivial the cash shop is, the rage will continue.
What's funny is that most of these people who hate cash shop are probably pay a subscription fee to an MMO which has a cash shop as well. It's OK for Blizzard, EA, Funcom and Turbine to have one but as soon as ANet does it, GW2 is pay2win.
I've noticed that the opposite is true. Many people have bashed EA, Funcom, Turbine, PWE, Cryptic, etc relentlessly as being greedy and pay to win because of their cash shops.
Suddenly, many of those same people are now singing the praises of cash shops, and how they have no impact on the game, simply because, well, now it's GW2.
In short, the mantra here appears to be: if another game does it, it's horrible, but if GW2 does the exact same thing, it's awesome. It's plain, flat-out dishonest.
Please don't turn my port into a p2p vs b2p or anything like that. Just educate people on how the system really works, and we won't have this problem... K? Thanks. So again, gems can be bought with gold and vise versa from other players. While those with money may have the advantage at first, gems will be rolled around and everyone will have access to them. Supply and Demand, that is how it works. Please learn of the system! There are several ideas to this as well as economics, it is a capitalist system with Anet as the small gov't.
Some people's hate for microtransactions is so irrational at times that no matter how trivial the cash shop is, the rage will continue.
What's funny is that most of these people who hate cash shop are probably pay a subscription fee to an MMO which has a cash shop as well. It's OK for Blizzard, EA, Funcom and Turbine to have one but as soon as ANet does it, GW2 is pay2win.
I've noticed that the opposite is true. Many people have bashed EA, Funcom, Turbine, PWE, Cryptic, etc relentlessly as being greedy and pay to win because of their cash shops.
Suddenly, many of those same people are now singing the praises of cash shops, and how they have no impact on the game, simply because, well, now it's GW2.
In short, the mantra here appears to be: if another game does it, it's horrible, but if GW2 does the exact same thing, it's awesome. It's plain, flat-out dishonest.
Welcome to GW2 forums where Anet gets free pass on everything. if you spend some time checking post history of these CS defenders you will find out how they bashed other companies for doing the same. Most of them are either bi polar or have very weak memories.
Some people's hate for microtransactions is so irrational at times that no matter how trivial the cash shop is, the rage will continue.
What's funny is that most of these people who hate cash shop are probably pay a subscription fee to an MMO which has a cash shop as well. It's OK for Blizzard, EA, Funcom and Turbine to have one but as soon as ANet does it, GW2 is pay2win.
I've noticed that the opposite is true. Many people have bashed EA, Funcom, Turbine, PWE, Cryptic, etc relentlessly as being greedy and pay to win because of their cash shops.
Suddenly, many of those same people are now singing the praises of cash shops, and how they have no impact on the game, simply because, well, now it's GW2.
In short, the mantra here appears to be: if another game does it, it's horrible, but if GW2 does the exact same thing, it's awesome. It's plain, flat-out dishonest.
Welcome to GW2 forums where Anet gets free pass on everything. if you spend some time checking post history of these CS defenders you will find out how they bashed other companies for doing the same. Most of them are either bi polar or have very weak memories.
The difference is that ANet's cash shop does not offer any pay2win items and most of those items will be attainable just by playing the game. Personaly, I don't see any harm in a cash shop like that, especially when there is no subscription fee involved.
Now if ANet starts selling items that actually give an unfair advantage, then that would be a different story.
maybe Anet can setup different server types. They do not have to make pvp or pve servers, so they can give us Cashshop Servers and Cashshop Free Servers?
sorry anet you made nearly an identical model to that of Runes of Magic. Don't turn yourself into frogster. You have failed us with this design. Defend yourself all you want. We would have preffered p2p.
Some people's hate for microtransactions is so irrational at times that no matter how trivial the cash shop is, the rage will continue.
What's funny is that most of these people who hate cash shop are probably pay a subscription fee to an MMO which has a cash shop as well. It's OK for Blizzard, EA, Funcom and Turbine to have one but as soon as ANet does it, GW2 is pay2win.
I've noticed that the opposite is true. Many people have bashed EA, Funcom, Turbine, PWE, Cryptic, etc relentlessly as being greedy and pay to win because of their cash shops.
Suddenly, many of those same people are now singing the praises of cash shops, and how they have no impact on the game, simply because, well, now it's GW2.
In short, the mantra here appears to be: if another game does it, it's horrible, but if GW2 does the exact same thing, it's awesome. It's plain, flat-out dishonest.
Welcome to GW2 forums where Anet gets free pass on everything. if you spend some time checking post history of these CS defenders you will find out how they bashed other companies for doing the same. Most of them are either bi polar or have very weak memories.
The difference is that ANet's cash shop does not offer any pay2win items and most of those items will be attainable just by playing the game. Personaly, I don't see any harm in a cash shop like that, especially when there is no subscription fee involved.
Now if ANet starts selling items that actually give an unfair advantage, then that would be a different story.
you can buy gems, and then use those to buy gold... so, they're selling gold. And if you're able to convince yourself that in-game gold buys nothing that gives you any kind of advantage, then how can anyone possibly prove otherwise?
XP potions are an advantage, are they not? Having better gear NOW is an advantage over having better gear later, is it not?
Maybe you're fine with the advantages, but that doesn't stop them from being just that...
Comments
The fact is that GW2 is not going to have a monthly fee so a cash shop is a good way to get additional income. Apparently, most, if not all, of the items in the cash shop can be acquired in the game by normal means--drops, vendors. etc. The gems (cash shop currency) can be traded to other players for in-game currency, so you don't have to ever spend real money as long as you have gold. Gear in GW2 does not have the same impact as it does in other games. So even if ANet were to sell gear in the cash shop, you can get equivalent gear just by playing the game.
I see a lot of people overreacting in this thread but the fact of the matter is that virtually every single AAA MMO already has a cash shop on top of a subscription fee. GW2 will have a similar cash shop and no subscription fee. There is not a single item that I saw in those leaked images that is essential for true enjoyment of the game. Moreover, leveling in GW2 is pretty easy and painless so the various "boost" items are not required. I see most of those items used by powerlevelers and those who have only a few hours to play per week, yet still want to keep up with their friends.
With that being said, as much as I'm anticipating GW2, if the cash shop will offer items that give players an unfair advantage over others, I will be right here with you with tar, feathers and a pitchfork.
How to make a "Profitable" F2P MMORPG.
1) Release it retail. $60 per sale x ~1 million purchases in 1st month = $60 million. That's assuming they sell 1 million copies in the first month, considering what we've seen so far they'll most likely be closer to 1 million in the 1st week. If it takes off in Asia you can expect them to make more than enough to cover the initial production costs.
Just as a side note, 1 million Beta signups within 48 (and a bit) hours just shows a fraction of the interest out there. People like myself who would rather just play the finished game didn’t sign up at all. Be it a roaring success or a RFOnline flop people will still be buying it on release day. Just don’t write it off before it’s even finished. My EQ server was bashing wow for months before it’s release saying it looked naff and would fail.
2) Sponsorship - Either though their website or in GW's case from the e-sports/tournament events. Also physical items. (T-Shirts, Plushies, etc). Wonder how much the south Park creators paid to use the wow engine in that episode, you know, the only one gamers can ever remember.
3) Micro transactions. Any WoW players reading this would probably know already that one of the biggest selling items in their store was that flying horse mount made of stars (Sparkles!). People will buy anything that they like the look of, even if it doesn‘t have a game changing use.
GW1 had;
* Costumes.
* Mission Packs.
* Character slots.
* Skill packs - exactly the same skills that are found in game.
* Character makeovers.
* Character/Account storage slots.
I dare say they had a few things I missed but never did they have anything that was a "Must Have" item. It was all about making the game more enjoyable or interesting for people who wanted to spend a bit of money. They obviously sold enough to keep them all in work and to keep content flowing into the game to keep the masses entertained…and still does. Not all F2P games "Have" to have P2W items. If the game is engaging enough and genuinely fun to play then they wouldn't need to have them to make money.
4) Expansions - The major work has already been done with the original release, if the game is still popular then releasing a major content expansion is a huge cash injection. If they've done a good job to begin with then it'll be a case of tweaks and content. Content being easy to add once you have the core game, just look at blizzards ability to make the same cave look totally different 100+ times. Not saying A.Net would stoop to reusing old structures/skins.
And that's how to make money from a F2P MMO like GW1/2, I'm sure if I sat here thinking about it longer I could come up with more ways but that's the jist of it. Arena Net know their business alot better than I do and I dare say they have other ideas up their sleaves, however they have made their position clear on the cash shop;
Will GW2 have P2W items? Most definitely not! They have said at every single interview and press release when asked that the cash shop wont be selling things that you MUST buy, it'll be for services like name change/server change and for vanity items like costumes, pets character slots ..etc.etc......erm...same as GW1.
The game itself is being build around the players skill, NOT the gear he/she's wearing. If you feel you need better gear to win then your sadly missing something else.
Old MMO system Gear>Skill
GW2's system Skill>Gear
If you think A.Net are just trying to sneak money out of your wallet then my suggestion is don't buy it, stop "trying" to troll/bait the fans and continue playing a game you like. Once the game is finally released you can look at the shop before buying. Also read up on the game before you start making uninformed assumptions about a game that isn’t even released yet.
And please, please, please, stop trying to describe the Ferrari before you've seen it!
TL;DR - Quit moaning and wait and see. In the mean time read the last paragraph.
SO THIS THEME IS GONNA CONTINUE IN ALL POST AND ALL NEW THREAT????? EVEN THO ANET HAS NOT CONFIRM NOTHING.. ALREADY BOOOORINGGGGG
So who's still thinking about p2w in wvwvw,pve, an pvp?
Lmao
*Starts drinking his koolaid" this is amusing.
No seriousely please try though.
I might get banned for this. - Rizel Star.
I'm not afraid to tell trolls what they [need] to hear, even if that means for me to have an forced absence afterwards.
P2P LOGIC = If it's P2P it means longevity, overall better game, and THE BEST SUPPORT EVER!!!!!(Which has been rinsed and repeated about a thousand times)
Common Sense Logic = P2P logic is no better than F2P Logic.
P2w=epic faill
Do you want to play a p2w game???
about the topic title.
yeah it should unite the community against it.
I have to say that this post is one of the most incredibly rational, level headed and downright brilliant explinations as to why some gamers have such a passionite dislike of cash shops that I have ever seen.
"Gypsies, tramps, and thieves, we were called by the Admin of the site . . . "
And this is why the community is split. Well done that people have stooped to name calling at every turn. Haters and trolls=Guild Wars 2 fanbase who aren't happy about the cash shop. Even those who go on to say they will still play it but not happily, they are trolls too. Wait and see? Trolls. Why this is allowed is beyond me and the longer it's allowed the further the community will fracture. Who's fault? ANet's? No. Not at all.
the poster formerly known as melangel :P
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/innovation
there is alot of work to do in this game or it will become another swotor.
Hi, you're missing the point of his post. ArenaNet said during early development that they (meaning ArenaNet) would not have to resort to a F2P or subscription model of the game, because they would make enough money from the box sale of the game to produce and keep the game running, like they do (or at least did) with GW1.
The poster here isn't suggsting that people will have to buy anything from the cash shop.
Unrelated to any of that, the thing that so often gets overlooked in these discussions is the fact that F2P is anything but free, and with few exceptions, the average F2P player spends FAR more per month than a fixed subscription price. I would be willing to say that close to 100% of the people who are against microtransactions or F2P game models would happily pay a monthly subscription fee instead.
Give gamers an option, pay $15 per month to have unlimited access to the entire game, including as much of anything as they want off the cash shop, or just keep the game subscription free with microtransactions for the items you want. You know why ArenaNet would never do that? Because they KNOW that they will make MORE money from the microtransactions than they ever could from a subscription.
Microtransactions benefit the company, and ultimately they screw over the players.
Some people's hate for microtransactions is so irrational at times that no matter how trivial the cash shop is, the rage will continue.
What's funny is that most of these people who hate cash shop are probably pay a subscription fee to an MMO which has a cash shop as well. It's OK for Blizzard, EA, Funcom and Turbine to have one but as soon as ANet does it, GW2 is pay2win.
I have played GW on and off for over 5 years. To this day, besides the box prices for all of the campaigns, I have payed ~$20 for some costumes. I never bought any skill packs, character and bank slots and yet, I was able to get 30/50 HoM stuff pretty painlessly. I have faith in ANet to offer a fair cash shop in GW2 just like they did in the original. They have a lot riding on this game and they will not ruin it by trying to nickel and dime people.
That is absolutely not true. I would like to know your source for this claim.
It has been known from the start that GW2 will have a cash shop similar to GW1's cash shop. AKA optional cosmetic and quality of life items and judging by the leaks, that's exactly what they are. The no subscription fee is true though.
yunno i am not one of those people who has a problem with any micro transaction or a person that blindly labels any microtransaction as pay to win, because sorry a cute hat is not the same as a buff i can pay for and take into pvp or a xp rate buff. But bottom line MT's piss off a lot of people, unite ........my big fat booty it willl.....i'm sorry that is just a silly statement.
I've noticed that the opposite is true. Many people have bashed EA, Funcom, Turbine, PWE, Cryptic, etc relentlessly as being greedy and pay to win because of their cash shops.
Suddenly, many of those same people are now singing the praises of cash shops, and how they have no impact on the game, simply because, well, now it's GW2.
In short, the mantra here appears to be: if another game does it, it's horrible, but if GW2 does the exact same thing, it's awesome. It's plain, flat-out dishonest.
Hell hath no fury like an MMORPG player scorned.
I'm older, employed and stable (arguably) as well.
However, microtransactions allow ArenaNet to leave the door open for more unscrupulous behavior down the road if their bottom line begins to look more red than black. The "I'm too busy to get things done as much" argument, to me, as a busy, employed person such as yourself, still doesn't hold water. If I'm a gamer, then I'll make time to game and get to where I need to be.
Guild Wars 2 isn't being designed as a grind game, so there's no need to speed-level through content to get where your guildies/friends are. The game allows you to side-kick up to your friend's levels. These features of the game completely invalidate ArenaNet's argument.
I'm the biggest GW apologist on the boards - but don't try and couch the microtransactions as a feature that supposedly alleviates the common problems of the MMORPG genre that you're arguing your new game design takes care of in the first place. (This is directed at Mike O'Brien's argument - not yours necessarily.)
Re: SWTOR
"Remember, remember - Kakk says 'December.'"
Some people's hate for microtransactions is so irrational at times that no matter how trivial the cash shop is, the rage will continue.
What's funny is that most of these people who hate cash shop are probably pay a subscription fee to an MMO which has a cash shop as well. It's OK for Blizzard, EA, Funcom and Turbine to have one but as soon as ANet does it, GW2 is pay2win.
I've noticed that the opposite is true. Many people have bashed EA, Funcom, Turbine, PWE, Cryptic, etc relentlessly as being greedy and pay to win because of their cash shops.
Suddenly, many of those same people are now singing the praises of cash shops, and how they have no impact on the game, simply because, well, now it's GW2.
In short, the mantra here appears to be: if another game does it, it's horrible, but if GW2 does the exact same thing, it's awesome. It's plain, flat-out dishonest.
Please don't turn my port into a p2p vs b2p or anything like that. Just educate people on how the system really works, and we won't have this problem... K? Thanks.So again, gems can be bought with gold and vise versa from other players. While those with money may have the advantage at first, gems will be rolled around and everyone will have access to them. Supply and Demand, that is how it works. Please learn of the system! There are several ideas to this as well as economics, it is a capitalist system with Anet as the small gov't.
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/innovation
Welcome to GW2 forums where Anet gets free pass on everything. if you spend some time checking post history of these CS defenders you will find out how they bashed other companies for doing the same. Most of them are either bi polar or have very weak memories.
Thank you, someone had to do it.
The difference is that ANet's cash shop does not offer any pay2win items and most of those items will be attainable just by playing the game. Personaly, I don't see any harm in a cash shop like that, especially when there is no subscription fee involved.
Now if ANet starts selling items that actually give an unfair advantage, then that would be a different story.
maybe Anet can setup different server types. They do not have to make pvp or pve servers, so they can give us Cashshop Servers and Cashshop Free Servers?
No, "we" wouldn't. You would.
Nice, but this interview does not really address my concerns about how the gems can affect player economy.
you can buy gems, and then use those to buy gold... so, they're selling gold. And if you're able to convince yourself that in-game gold buys nothing that gives you any kind of advantage, then how can anyone possibly prove otherwise?
XP potions are an advantage, are they not? Having better gear NOW is an advantage over having better gear later, is it not?
Maybe you're fine with the advantages, but that doesn't stop them from being just that...
The gems will dictate the entire economy, encouraging people to buy them, thus making the company money just as they intended.