Let me see if I can help you out here. The mount is not necessary for any aspect of the game. Trion will not snatch you off the street and attach electrodes to your nuts for not buying the mount. As a matter of fact, the only effect this will actually have is that you will not have a white tiger mount. Now, if a white tiger mount is absolutely essential to your gaming experience but you have some fundamental opposition to paying directly for such an essential item, then I would direct you to WoW and the nightelf race, whose white tiger will cost you in game gold only. Most gamers do not actually require one specific mount to enjoy the game. I guess what I'm trying to say here is, this is not necessary for absolutely anything in the game and it gives you absolutely no advantage over those who do not have it, Ergo, it is a non-issue. Hopefully this answered your question.
Wow mmo players are the biggest babies I have ever delt with. Its a mount people. It gives you NO gain. So what its 15 bucks. That effin pocket change for me and if its not for you then OH WELL *shades down* DEAL WITH IT!!. From what im reading you all should NEVER own a house. Even though I paid a shit ton for my house, I still have to pay for electric, water, gas, shit even internet so i can play mmo's. WAIT..... SO EVEN THOUGHT I PAID FOR A HOUSE, I STILL HAVE TO PAY FOR UTILITIES??? THATS BS!!! I CANT BELIEVE I PAID ALL THIS MONEY AND NOW I HAVE TO PAY MORE!!!! Ya thats what you clowns sound like. Good God, the human race has absoutly NO chance!!!!
I play Rift and I agree with the OP. I think it undermines the whole reason for paying a sub.
That said, It's not my biggest gripe. If that's all they ever sell, I can live with it. Or companion pets too. But if they ever start selling something that can be traded or offers any type of ingame advantage, that will be the day I cancel my sub.
I'd rather they fix what ever is wrong with the dam game client so it stops crashing every time I enter Sanctum.
Let me see if I can help you out here. The mount is not necessary for any aspect of the game. Trion will not snatch you off the street and attach electrodes to your nuts for not buying the mount. As a matter of fact, the only effect this will actually have is that you will not have a white tiger mount. Now, if a white tiger mount is absolutely essential to your gaming experience but you have some fundamental opposition to paying directly for such an essential item, then I would direct you to WoW and the nightelf race, whose white tiger will cost you in game gold only. Most gamers do not actually require one specific mount to enjoy the game. I guess what I'm trying to say here is, this is not necessary for absolutely anything in the game and it gives you absolutely no advantage over those who do not have it, Ergo, it is a non-issue. Hopefully this answered your question.
Not really. That side of the coin is not really an issue to me, but it is to others. On the other hand, the milking the cow mentality, a.k.a. good business, conflicts with the main reason I used to be attracted to mmorpg's, which is an issue to me.
You see, I play games as a form of escapism. I like to be in the game world and not being reminded of the real world while I am playing. Seeing characters on mounts and knowing they paid for it with real cash spoils the game experience I'd prefer to have for me. When Trion has to make extra money, I'd rather see them selling t-shirts, mouse pads, figurines, etc. That would not be game breaking. The fact that Trion sells in game items as most companies do nowadays, just means that my type of games are not being made anymore, which makes me sad. I still play mmorpg's, but these kind of practices drive me away when they become too invasive.
However, that did not motivate my question, and you answering instead does not help at all. So, no, your answer was not helpful. But thanks anyway.
i've supported Rift since launch, but this latest issue really bugs me for some reason. here's the announcement and link:
"Hail Ascended!
Introducing the ferocious “Armored White War Tiger”. Originally offered exclusively in Korea, this beastly mount can be yours for a limited time! Just visit your account page to check out the offer, you’ll find it right next to the Collector’s Edition and Ashes of History Edition upgrades.
We’re always trying out new ways to add more options to your RIFT experience and this is no exception – have fun!"
here's another post from Trion on the mount talking about the temperary low price.
"The once-exclusive Armored White War Tiger mount, previously offered only to Korean RIFT players, is now available as an optional purchase with a limited-time price on the Account Management Page for those interested in checking it out!"
---------------
so it's 15$ for a mount that's better then the 36 month vet mount. it's a mount for money like blizz has been doing. to me this feels like flat out greed.
I found it hilarious the 'Cikila' guy on like the 2nd page of their forum's thread said he hated the direction it was going, and that he quit TERA the day they did the same thing... but that he bought the mount because he wanted it and just hopes they dont keep doing it. LOL seriously, how dumb can you get
I'm really quite upset that Rift is starting to head in this direction. When Tera implemented a cash shop before it was even out a month, I quit on the spot. That being said, I've WANTED this mount. So I got it. But PLEASE Trion, don't head this way. We pay our subscription fees. ALL content should be obtainable IN GAME.
Let me see if I can help you out here. The mount is not necessary for any aspect of the game. Trion will not snatch you off the street and attach electrodes to your nuts for not buying the mount. As a matter of fact, the only effect this will actually have is that you will not have a white tiger mount. Now, if a white tiger mount is absolutely essential to your gaming experience but you have some fundamental opposition to paying directly for such an essential item, then I would direct you to WoW and the nightelf race, whose white tiger will cost you in game gold only. Most gamers do not actually require one specific mount to enjoy the game. I guess what I'm trying to say here is, this is not necessary for absolutely anything in the game and it gives you absolutely no advantage over those who do not have it, Ergo, it is a non-issue. Hopefully this answered your question.
Not really. That side of the coin is not really an issue to me, but it is to others. On the other hand, the milking the cow mentality, a.k.a. good business, conflicts with the main reason I used to be attracted to mmorpg's, which is an issue to me.
You see, I play games as a form of escapism. I like to be in the game world and not being reminded of the real world while I am playing. Seeing characters on mounts and knowing they paid for it with real cash spoils the game experience I'd prefer to have for me. When Trion has to make extra money, I'd rather see them selling t-shirts, mouse pads, figurines, etc. That would not be game breaking. The fact that Trion sells in game items as most companies do nowadays, just means that my type of games are not being made anymore, which makes me sad. I still play mmorpg's, but these kind of practices drive me away when they become too invasive.
However, that did not motivate my question, and you answering instead does not help at all. So, no, your answer was not helpful. But thanks anyway.
Sorry, didn't realize playing with items that have absolutely zero effect on your ability to play the game and gives them no advantage over you whatsoever would still engender so much bitterness and hostility. Let me ask this, do you also get very angry at people who drive nicers cars than yours? Say, if I were to drive past in my Corvette and you were driving a Cobalt, would you hit the message boards and rail against Chevy for allowing me to purchase a car that you have chosen not to purchase (despite you having the option with the only real obstacle being your wallet or your personal belief that everyone should have to drive a Cobalt because that's the choice you made and everyone has to make your choices or it makes you feel angry and bitter)?
Self-pity imprisons us in the walls of our own self-absorption. The whole world shrinks down to the size of our problem, and the more we dwell on it, the smaller we are and the larger the problem seems to grow.
This mount was in the Korean CE so they're offering it to us for $15.They did the same with the spider as it was in a pack for $10.Supposedly that spider was in the Canadian CE.It's just fluff and they rarely do this so I don't have a problem with it.
This is it right here.
This is the second time this has taken place.
The spider was offered exclusively in the Canadian CE and people complained, so Trion offered it to everyone else for small fee($10 USD) to satiate everyone. This is no different, and I have no problem with it.
Einherjar_LC says: WTB the true successor to UO or Asheron's Call pst!
Not really. That side of the coin is not really an issue to me, but it is to others. On the other hand, the milking the cow mentality, a.k.a. good business, conflicts with the main reason I used to be attracted to mmorpg's, which is an issue to me.
You see, I play games as a form of escapism. I like to be in the game world and not being reminded of the real world while I am playing. Seeing characters on mounts and knowing they paid for it with real cash spoils the game experience I'd prefer to have for me. When Trion has to make extra money, I'd rather see them selling t-shirts, mouse pads, figurines, etc. That would not be game breaking. The fact that Trion sells in game items as most companies do nowadays, just means that my type of games are not being made anymore, which makes me sad. I still play mmorpg's, but these kind of practices drive me away when they become too invasive.
However, that did not motivate my question, and you answering instead does not help at all. So, no, your answer was not helpful. But thanks anyway.
Sorry, didn't realize playing with items that have absolutely zero effect on your ability to play the game and gives them no advantage over you whatsoever would still engender so much bitterness and hostility. Let me ask this, do you also get very angry at people who drive nicers cars than yours? Say, if I were to drive past in my Corvette and you were driving a Cobalt, would you hit the message boards and rail against Chevy for allowing me to purchase a car that you have chosen not to purchase (despite you having the option with the only real obstacle being your wallet or your personal belief that everyone should have to drive a Cobalt because that's the choice you made and everyone has to make your choices or it makes you feel angry and bitter)?
I find it difficult to believe you do not understand and not just trying to troll me.
Personally I find it funny .. Especially when you consider the people that defend monthly subs, over F2P or B2P, then turn around in the same breath and defend cash shop items like this.. Hasnt' the argument been for the past year that Trions monthly sub pays for ALL the added content.. Appearantly when it comes to money grabs like mounts are excluded from such debate.. LOL What's next?
Appearantly when it comes to money grabs like mounts are excluded from such debate.. LOL What's next?
Haven't mounts been a traditional offering in vanity shops? Lots of examples, lots of titles.
WoW drew the little line at "this is an in-game advantage, but a tiny one; we can get away with this".
When you have 80%+ of the market share, you can make the rules too. Promise.
Self-pity imprisons us in the walls of our own self-absorption. The whole world shrinks down to the size of our problem, and the more we dwell on it, the smaller we are and the larger the problem seems to grow.
Never have i seen mounts, armor, weapons, or such thigns that you gain from doing true content in the game as actual content but as a reward instead. Content to me is what you are doing in the game such as quests, zones, instances, raids, bg maps, area features, and such that actually are played in the game. As such no they are not getting greedy at all, as they are giving the layer base a chance to gain a mount that is or was only given out to a small group of players. Will they make money off it? yes but that i would expect they are a company after all, not a charity that gives out thgins for free. Also they are making a expansion which they might have wanted to get more money to produce, yet did not want to ask their investors for it, and thought that the community would be glad to pay money for a mount that was exclusive for one group of people, and then use that money to improve the expansion.
Well, I guess you can say it's greedy, but hasn't Trion been giving out free subscriptions constantly? I don't see any other P2P game giving away 1 year subscriptions by the dozen. Anyway, didn't we already have this whole greed discussion when Blizzard decided to sell a unicorn in WoW?
"so it's 15$ for a mount that's better then the 36 month vet mount."
Define better.
When it comes to mounts/travel the only thing that really matters is speed. Is it faster?
It's only a 60% mount (unless you have something faster). That's no "better" than any of the starting mounts.
It looks different. That does not make it better..
If it was a pay to win item, like a mount that went faster than anything else available just playing the game, I'd be right there with ya. But it's not. It's just a different looking, basic mount that wasn't available here before. Having it or not will not effect gameplay.
I don't think Trion is "greedy" for releasing it here. I think having the option to buy it if you really want it is a good thing for their players.
"so it's 15$ for a mount that's better then the 36 month vet mount."
Define better.
It looks different. That does not make it better..
it's armored and all pimped out. it's why i think it's a better mount. they do it with a few of the mounts in game. everyone is going to see it a different way, but everyone in my guild says it looks better then the vet mount.
that mount is not required to play the game, and doesnt affect your game in any way. if they're greedy, you're selfish.
ah but it does effect my game. i dig the mounts and pets in game and work to get em all. studios know people are into these and figure it's an easy way to get some extra income. if no one cared, then they wouldn't be sellin them. this mount costs more then my monthly sub at 15$, when i pay 12 for founders pricing.
"at least it isn't 25$". so people are talkin on the forums and saw something i didn't. it says available for a limited time. they're just guessing, but they're thinking it will go up to around 25$ after a month or two. like right now would just be the introductory sale. (edit: i put the post from trion about this in the OP. looks like it will cost more soon)
and the difference between this mount and the 36 month vet mount is this one is all armored up. looks a hell of a lot better imo.
i pay a sub for all content in game, not for most of it. this is just how i feel.
I could argue your complaint that some mounts, as difficult as they may be to aquire, may take up to a month to get. That's $15 right there.
You see, I play games as a form of escapism. I like to be in the game world and not being reminded of the real world while I am playing. Seeing characters on mounts and knowing they paid for it with real cash spoils the game experience I'd prefer to have for me.
this is how i feel as well. not everything has to give an edge in a game to change how some players get down in these games. i'm not a hardcore role player or anything, but the R in RPG doesn't stand for Raid.
people in this thread are telling people how to get down. it's a forum and people are allowed different opinions.
that mount is not required to play the game, and doesnt affect your game in any way. if they're greedy, you're selfish.
ah but it does effect my game. i dig the mounts and pets in game and work to get em all. studios know people are into these and figure it's an easy way to get some extra income. if no one cared, then they wouldn't be sellin them. this mount costs more then my monthly sub at 15$, when i pay 12 for founders pricing.
"at least it isn't 25$". so people are talkin on the forums and saw something i didn't. it says available for a limited time. they're just guessing, but they're thinking it will go up to around 25$ after a month or two. like right now would just be the introductory sale. (edit: i put the post from trion about this in the OP. looks like it will cost more soon)
and the difference between this mount and the 36 month vet mount is this one is all armored up. looks a hell of a lot better imo.
i pay a sub for all content in game, not for most of it. this is just how i feel.
I could argue your complaint that some mounts, as difficult as they may be to aquire, may take up to a month to get. That's $15 right there.
but that's gameplay vs paycheck. i play games to play them for the month, not just kick out cash and have my free loot. it's just how i feel.
I don't know if I would call it greed. Rift saw all the other folks selling my little pony in wow for 25 bucks, mounts of all kinds in lotro for 15-20 bucks, 25 bucks in eq2.
They say folks wanted to pay for these types of things, and decided to go down the slippery slope. So it was a business decision to tap into folks who had extra money to spend.
Is it greed yes but all the other kids on the block are doing it.
The way I see it you either ignore the mounts in the store or you buy them. Either way it does not affect game play unless it has stats on it, then it becomes the pay to win situation.
that mount is not required to play the game, and doesnt affect your game in any way. if they're greedy, you're selfish.
ah but it does effect my game. i dig the mounts and pets in game and work to get em all. studios know people are into these and figure it's an easy way to get some extra income. if no one cared, then they wouldn't be sellin them. this mount costs more then my monthly sub at 15$, when i pay 12 for founders pricing.
"at least it isn't 25$". so people are talkin on the forums and saw something i didn't. it says available for a limited time. they're just guessing, but they're thinking it will go up to around 25$ after a month or two. like right now would just be the introductory sale. (edit: i put the post from trion about this in the OP. looks like it will cost more soon)
and the difference between this mount and the 36 month vet mount is this one is all armored up. looks a hell of a lot better imo.
i pay a sub for all content in game, not for most of it. this is just how i feel.
I could argue your complaint that some mounts, as difficult as they may be to aquire, may take up to a month to get. That's $15 right there.
but that's gameplay vs paycheck. i play games to play them for the month, not just kick out cash and have my free loot. it's just how i feel.
That's great an all, but understand this. You don't "need" the mount... no one does. Those that wish to collect have the option to. Whether or not it costs time or money to get it doesn't matter. If you want it then get it, stop your sub for a month if your REALLY have to.
Trion as a company is a business, they have the right to make money in any way they feel they can. People want to stick out, collect, and just throw their money around. There's nothing wrong with reaching out to those people... If it were an item that effected gameplay then it would be an issue, but it's not.
As others have already explained, it is a fluff item that no one needs to buy. The game has been losing subs and something like this can only help them keep it running.
As others have already explained, it is a fluff item that no one needs to buy. The game has been losing subs and something like this can only help them keep it running.
How is charging extra for microtransactions supposed to help them keep it running? If their P2P sub model isn't viable charging more isn't really going to help them. Some part of the population will pay more for a bit, but others will not buy into sub + microtransactions. Now if this is just a one-off deal, albeit their third such instance, then maybe it won't make that many waves. If this is a trend then I think that P2P will really be in trouble as a viable model.
It is a trend and has been getting more and more prevalent the past year. About 2 years ago when ddo went free to play they put in a cash store on top of their sub, really free to play is a lie you got to unlock a lot of stuff via the store. Turbine did the same thing to lotro. STO had a cash shop day one to where you could buy advanced ships, races and other goodies. Wow picked up on it with my little pony for 25 bucks other games have done it as well eq, eq2, terra even has it. It is a trend and I expect swtor to pick up on it soon as well.
Now the real question is if they are actually taking the bucks from the cash shops and improving the game. I really don't think they are. I think they are padding the profit margins. All I see is them adding more and more stuff to the cash shop, and folks being greedy a jumping on it and goblin it up.
I mostly ignored the cash shops in a lot of games, but they are here and more games are looking at it going look at all the extra cash floating around. .
Comments
Let me see if I can help you out here. The mount is not necessary for any aspect of the game. Trion will not snatch you off the street and attach electrodes to your nuts for not buying the mount. As a matter of fact, the only effect this will actually have is that you will not have a white tiger mount. Now, if a white tiger mount is absolutely essential to your gaming experience but you have some fundamental opposition to paying directly for such an essential item, then I would direct you to WoW and the nightelf race, whose white tiger will cost you in game gold only. Most gamers do not actually require one specific mount to enjoy the game. I guess what I'm trying to say here is, this is not necessary for absolutely anything in the game and it gives you absolutely no advantage over those who do not have it, Ergo, it is a non-issue. Hopefully this answered your question.
Wow mmo players are the biggest babies I have ever delt with. Its a mount people. It gives you NO gain. So what its 15 bucks. That effin pocket change for me and if its not for you then OH WELL *shades down* DEAL WITH IT!!. From what im reading you all should NEVER own a house. Even though I paid a shit ton for my house, I still have to pay for electric, water, gas, shit even internet so i can play mmo's. WAIT..... SO EVEN THOUGHT I PAID FOR A HOUSE, I STILL HAVE TO PAY FOR UTILITIES??? THATS BS!!! I CANT BELIEVE I PAID ALL THIS MONEY AND NOW I HAVE TO PAY MORE!!!! Ya thats what you clowns sound like. Good God, the human race has absoutly NO chance!!!!
I play Rift and I agree with the OP. I think it undermines the whole reason for paying a sub.
That said, It's not my biggest gripe. If that's all they ever sell, I can live with it. Or companion pets too. But if they ever start selling something that can be traded or offers any type of ingame advantage, that will be the day I cancel my sub.
I'd rather they fix what ever is wrong with the dam game client so it stops crashing every time I enter Sanctum.
Not really. That side of the coin is not really an issue to me, but it is to others. On the other hand, the milking the cow mentality, a.k.a. good business, conflicts with the main reason I used to be attracted to mmorpg's, which is an issue to me.
You see, I play games as a form of escapism. I like to be in the game world and not being reminded of the real world while I am playing. Seeing characters on mounts and knowing they paid for it with real cash spoils the game experience I'd prefer to have for me. When Trion has to make extra money, I'd rather see them selling t-shirts, mouse pads, figurines, etc. That would not be game breaking. The fact that Trion sells in game items as most companies do nowadays, just means that my type of games are not being made anymore, which makes me sad. I still play mmorpg's, but these kind of practices drive me away when they become too invasive.
However, that did not motivate my question, and you answering instead does not help at all. So, no, your answer was not helpful. But thanks anyway.
It takes one to know one.
Seriously? What? Too much for your piggy-bank?
Then don't buy it.
Ah cmon! Greedy because they sell mount?? Do not buy that stupid mount
I found it hilarious the 'Cikila' guy on like the 2nd page of their forum's thread said he hated the direction it was going, and that he quit TERA the day they did the same thing... but that he bought the mount because he wanted it and just hopes they dont keep doing it. LOL seriously, how dumb can you get
I'm really quite upset that Rift is starting to head in this direction. When Tera implemented a cash shop before it was even out a month, I quit on the spot. That being said, I've WANTED this mount. So I got it. But PLEASE Trion, don't head this way. We pay our subscription fees. ALL content should be obtainable IN GAME.
Sorry, didn't realize playing with items that have absolutely zero effect on your ability to play the game and gives them no advantage over you whatsoever would still engender so much bitterness and hostility. Let me ask this, do you also get very angry at people who drive nicers cars than yours? Say, if I were to drive past in my Corvette and you were driving a Cobalt, would you hit the message boards and rail against Chevy for allowing me to purchase a car that you have chosen not to purchase (despite you having the option with the only real obstacle being your wallet or your personal belief that everyone should have to drive a Cobalt because that's the choice you made and everyone has to make your choices or it makes you feel angry and bitter)?
Oh, damn, is Trion the Villain of the Month?
Forgot to mark my new score card.
Self-pity imprisons us in the walls of our own self-absorption. The whole world shrinks down to the size of our problem, and the more we dwell on it, the smaller we are and the larger the problem seems to grow.
I purchased the mount, it's just cosmetic, liked the way it looked.
And I know for sure Trion will make use of the well earned cash injection from it, not just a cash cow like most other mmo's.
Core i5 13600KF, BeQuiet Pure Loop FX 360, 32gb DDR5-6000 XPG, WD SN850 NVMe ,PNY 3090 XLR8, Asus Prime Z790-A, Lian-Li O11 PCMR case (limited ed 1045/2000), 32" LG Ultragear 4k Monitor, Logitech G560 LightSync Sound, Razer Deathadder V2 and Razer Blackwidow V3 Keyboard
This is it right here.
This is the second time this has taken place.
The spider was offered exclusively in the Canadian CE and people complained, so Trion offered it to everyone else for small fee($10 USD) to satiate everyone. This is no different, and I have no problem with it.
Einherjar_LC says: WTB the true successor to UO or Asheron's Call pst!
I find it difficult to believe you do not understand and not just trying to troll me.
It takes one to know one.
Personally I find it funny .. Especially when you consider the people that defend monthly subs, over F2P or B2P, then turn around in the same breath and defend cash shop items like this.. Hasnt' the argument been for the past year that Trions monthly sub pays for ALL the added content.. Appearantly when it comes to money grabs like mounts are excluded from such debate.. LOL What's next?
Haven't mounts been a traditional offering in vanity shops? Lots of examples, lots of titles.
WoW drew the little line at "this is an in-game advantage, but a tiny one; we can get away with this".
When you have 80%+ of the market share, you can make the rules too. Promise.
Self-pity imprisons us in the walls of our own self-absorption. The whole world shrinks down to the size of our problem, and the more we dwell on it, the smaller we are and the larger the problem seems to grow.
Never have i seen mounts, armor, weapons, or such thigns that you gain from doing true content in the game as actual content but as a reward instead. Content to me is what you are doing in the game such as quests, zones, instances, raids, bg maps, area features, and such that actually are played in the game. As such no they are not getting greedy at all, as they are giving the layer base a chance to gain a mount that is or was only given out to a small group of players. Will they make money off it? yes but that i would expect they are a company after all, not a charity that gives out thgins for free. Also they are making a expansion which they might have wanted to get more money to produce, yet did not want to ask their investors for it, and thought that the community would be glad to pay money for a mount that was exclusive for one group of people, and then use that money to improve the expansion.
Well, I guess you can say it's greedy, but hasn't Trion been giving out free subscriptions constantly? I don't see any other P2P game giving away 1 year subscriptions by the dozen. Anyway, didn't we already have this whole greed discussion when Blizzard decided to sell a unicorn in WoW?
"so it's 15$ for a mount that's better then the 36 month vet mount."
Define better.
When it comes to mounts/travel the only thing that really matters is speed. Is it faster?
It's only a 60% mount (unless you have something faster). That's no "better" than any of the starting mounts.
It looks different. That does not make it better..
If it was a pay to win item, like a mount that went faster than anything else available just playing the game, I'd be right there with ya. But it's not. It's just a different looking, basic mount that wasn't available here before. Having it or not will not effect gameplay.
I don't think Trion is "greedy" for releasing it here. I think having the option to buy it if you really want it is a good thing for their players.
it's armored and all pimped out. it's why i think it's a better mount. they do it with a few of the mounts in game. everyone is going to see it a different way, but everyone in my guild says it looks better then the vet mount.
I could argue your complaint that some mounts, as difficult as they may be to aquire, may take up to a month to get. That's $15 right there.
this is how i feel as well. not everything has to give an edge in a game to change how some players get down in these games. i'm not a hardcore role player or anything, but the R in RPG doesn't stand for Raid.
people in this thread are telling people how to get down. it's a forum and people are allowed different opinions.
but that's gameplay vs paycheck. i play games to play them for the month, not just kick out cash and have my free loot. it's just how i feel.
I don't know if I would call it greed. Rift saw all the other folks selling my little pony in wow for 25 bucks, mounts of all kinds in lotro for 15-20 bucks, 25 bucks in eq2.
They say folks wanted to pay for these types of things, and decided to go down the slippery slope. So it was a business decision to tap into folks who had extra money to spend.
Is it greed yes but all the other kids on the block are doing it.
The way I see it you either ignore the mounts in the store or you buy them. Either way it does not affect game play unless it has stats on it, then it becomes the pay to win situation.
That's great an all, but understand this. You don't "need" the mount... no one does. Those that wish to collect have the option to. Whether or not it costs time or money to get it doesn't matter. If you want it then get it, stop your sub for a month if your REALLY have to.
Trion as a company is a business, they have the right to make money in any way they feel they can. People want to stick out, collect, and just throw their money around. There's nothing wrong with reaching out to those people... If it were an item that effected gameplay then it would be an issue, but it's not.
As others have already explained, it is a fluff item that no one needs to buy. The game has been losing subs and something like this can only help them keep it running.
It is a trend and has been getting more and more prevalent the past year. About 2 years ago when ddo went free to play they put in a cash store on top of their sub, really free to play is a lie you got to unlock a lot of stuff via the store. Turbine did the same thing to lotro. STO had a cash shop day one to where you could buy advanced ships, races and other goodies. Wow picked up on it with my little pony for 25 bucks other games have done it as well eq, eq2, terra even has it. It is a trend and I expect swtor to pick up on it soon as well.
Now the real question is if they are actually taking the bucks from the cash shops and improving the game. I really don't think they are. I think they are padding the profit margins. All I see is them adding more and more stuff to the cash shop, and folks being greedy a jumping on it and goblin it up.
I mostly ignored the cash shops in a lot of games, but they are here and more games are looking at it going look at all the extra cash floating around. .