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Mike O'Brien (ArenaNet founder) on microtransactions

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Comments

  • aionixaionix Member UncommonPosts: 288

     l love EvE's PLEX system, so the fact that they are taking that philosophy and allowing in game gold be used to purchase gems for micotransactions is fantastic.

     

    As long as Anet can keep the gold farmers at bay, I think they nailed a perfect system.

  • AlotAlot Member Posts: 1,948

    And all of a sudden the forums exploded. I don't really like it, it is way too similar to Diablo 3's Auction House.

    Edit to the poster above me: But doesn't a system like this allow players to gain power by spending Real Money? Is this a problem in EvE?

  • KuppaKuppa Member UncommonPosts: 3,292

    key take away:

    "Here’s our philosophy on microtransactions: We think players should have the opportunity to spend money on items that provide visual distinction and offer more ways to express themselves. They should also be able to spend money on account services and on time-saving convenience items. But it’s never OK for players to buy a game and not be able to enjoy what they paid for without additional purchases, and it’s never OK for players who spend money to have an unfair advantage over players who don’t."

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  • aionixaionix Member UncommonPosts: 288

    Originally posted by Alot

    And all of a sudden the forums exploded. I don't really like it, it is way too similar to Diablo 3's Auction House.

    Edit to the poster above me: But doesn't a system like this allow players to gain power by spending Real Money? Is this a problem in EvE?

    As Kuppa just said, you can only buy vanity items in the cash shop.  In D3, you can buy gear that gives you a statitical advantage over other players.  That is a HUGE difference, so they really arn't the same.  All this does is allow playares who devote more time to playing GW2 to use ingame currency for cash shop vanity items rather than using real money. 

  • drumchannelldrumchannell Member UncommonPosts: 182

    So you can purchase gems with money, that can be traded for gold in game. If I'm reading this correctly, this gives advantage to players who spend real money as opposed to those who don't.

  • AlotAlot Member Posts: 1,948

    Originally posted by aionix

    Originally posted by Alot

    And all of a sudden the forums exploded. I don't really like it, it is way too similar to Diablo 3's Auction House.

    Edit to the poster above me: But doesn't a system like this allow players to gain power by spending Real Money? Is this a problem in EvE?

    As Kuppa just said, you can only buy vanity items in the cash shop.  In D3, you can buy gear that gives you a statitical advantage over other players.  That is a HUGE difference, so they really arn't the same.  All this does is allow playares who devote more time to playing GW2 to use ingame currency for cash shop vanity items rather than using real money. 

    But what if someone would buy hundreds of Gems for example and offer to sell them to others for gold, couldn't that potentially give him an enormous advantage over others in terms of in-game wealth?

  • XerithXerith Member Posts: 970

    D3 you can sell armor, weapons, all sorts of stuff, and if it is anything like D2 then there will be legendary type equipment that can make you godlike essentially. GW2 has none of that and instead is stuff like new outfits, probably dyes, things like that. 

  • ApraxisApraxis Member UncommonPosts: 1,518

    Hmm.. but that also means you can buy with real money everything ingame.. high level crafting stuff. Well, as long as there is no item spiral (like in WoW), and is capped like in DAoC with Shrouded Island (the capped Spellcrafting Stuff), it might be ok.

    But if they begin to start with the WoW crap item spiral, and bring better and better gear into the game this could be worst.

    What about the items you find in Dungeons, are the bind on equip?

    But anyways, with RMTs and goldfarmers you could have done it anyway in any game.. so it might be ok. And if it avoids Goldfarmers and Goldfarming advertising all over the place it could be even something good.

    Well.. i guess we will see...

  • kadepsysonkadepsyson Member UncommonPosts: 1,919

    All in game items are now available for purchase with real life money and it's legal.

    Game over.

  • AlotAlot Member Posts: 1,948

    Originally posted by kadepsyson

    All in game items are now available for purchase with real life money and it's legal.

    Game over.

    No, not to that extent.

  • kadepsysonkadepsyson Member UncommonPosts: 1,919

    Originally posted by Alot

    Originally posted by kadepsyson

    All in game items are now available for purchase with real life money and it's legal.

    Game over.

    No, not to that extent.

    Fine, any in game item available for gold purchase, is now available by spending real money.

  • aionixaionix Member UncommonPosts: 288

    Originally posted by Alot

    Originally posted by aionix


    Originally posted by Alot

    And all of a sudden the forums exploded. I don't really like it, it is way too similar to Diablo 3's Auction House.

    Edit to the poster above me: But doesn't a system like this allow players to gain power by spending Real Money? Is this a problem in EvE?

    As Kuppa just said, you can only buy vanity items in the cash shop.  In D3, you can buy gear that gives you a statitical advantage over other players.  That is a HUGE difference, so they really arn't the same.  All this does is allow playares who devote more time to playing GW2 to use ingame currency for cash shop vanity items rather than using real money. 

    But what if someone would buy hundreds of Gems for example and offer to sell them to others for gold, couldn't that potentially give him an enormous advantage over others in terms of in-game wealth?

    I see what your saying, but what would you be spending in game gold on that would give you an advantage?  Not gear, since at endgame its horizontal in statistical nature.  Not anything in PvP, since everyone is on equal footing when entering the matches.  So I guess we will have to wait and see what can actually be bought with gold that gives players advantages over others. 

  • Lord.BachusLord.Bachus Member RarePosts: 9,686

    Originally posted by style360

    http://www.arena.net/blog/mike-obrien-on-microtransactions-in-guild-wars-2

    - but we think we can provide additional content and services

    - But it’s never OK for players to buy a game and not be able to enjoy what they paid for without additional purchases

    Does that mean that the only purchasable content will be cool looks and no actuall game content like dungeons, quests packs and new zones.

     

    I just love the trade gems for ingame gold part. i think it will work really well.

    Best MMO experiences : EQ(PvE), DAoC(PvP), WoW(total package) LOTRO (worldfeel) GW2 (Artstyle and animations and worlddesign) SWTOR (Story immersion) TSW (story) ESO (character advancement)

  • UnlightUnlight Member Posts: 2,540

    Originally posted by Alot

    Originally posted by aionix


    Originally posted by Alot

    And all of a sudden the forums exploded. I don't really like it, it is way too similar to Diablo 3's Auction House.

    Edit to the poster above me: But doesn't a system like this allow players to gain power by spending Real Money? Is this a problem in EvE?

    As Kuppa just said, you can only buy vanity items in the cash shop.  In D3, you can buy gear that gives you a statitical advantage over other players.  That is a HUGE difference, so they really arn't the same.  All this does is allow playares who devote more time to playing GW2 to use ingame currency for cash shop vanity items rather than using real money. 

    But what if someone would buy hundreds of Gems for example and offer to sell them to others for gold, couldn't that potentially give him an enormous advantage over others in terms of in-game wealth?

    Also, if players can trade gems for gold, can't they also trade gems for items?  Isn't that the same as buying items for actual money, just with an intermediary step?

  • KuppaKuppa Member UncommonPosts: 3,292

    Originally posted by Alot

    Originally posted by aionix


    Originally posted by Alot

    And all of a sudden the forums exploded. I don't really like it, it is way too similar to Diablo 3's Auction House.

    Edit to the poster above me: But doesn't a system like this allow players to gain power by spending Real Money? Is this a problem in EvE?

    As Kuppa just said, you can only buy vanity items in the cash shop.  In D3, you can buy gear that gives you a statitical advantage over other players.  That is a HUGE difference, so they really arn't the same.  All this does is allow playares who devote more time to playing GW2 to use ingame currency for cash shop vanity items rather than using real money. 

    But what if someone would buy hundreds of Gems for example and offer to sell them to others for gold, couldn't that potentially give him an enormous advantage over others in terms of in-game wealth?

    You know, this is AN INCREDIBLY GOOD question for MMORPG.com to ask in the beta.

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  • aionixaionix Member UncommonPosts: 288

    Originally posted by kadepsyson

    Originally posted by Alot


    Originally posted by kadepsyson

    All in game items are now available for purchase with real life money and it's legal.

    Game over.

    No, not to that extent.

    Fine, any in game item available for gold purchase, is now available by spending real money.

    But what can you buy that gives you an advantage over other players?  This is what we need to know before we start stating "game over".

  • kadepsysonkadepsyson Member UncommonPosts: 1,919

    Originally posted by aionix

    Originally posted by kadepsyson


    Originally posted by Alot


    Originally posted by kadepsyson

    All in game items are now available for purchase with real life money and it's legal.

    Game over.

    No, not to that extent.

    Fine, any in game item available for gold purchase, is now available by spending real money.

    But what can you buy that gives you an advantage over other players?  This is what we need to know before we start stating "game over".

    If there's any, ANY one item you can buy with gold, that another player cannot afford, that's an unfair advantage due to the real money cash shop.

  • KholeKhole Member CommonPosts: 136

    You can only trade gold for gems,which are used for microtransactions. So instead of paying real money players have options to pay for it with in game gold.

     

    I'm not seeing the big issue. Its not like you are buying gear or crafting items. Its all just currency.

  • aionixaionix Member UncommonPosts: 288

    Originally posted by kadepsyson

    Originally posted by aionix


    Originally posted by kadepsyson


    Originally posted by Alot


    Originally posted by kadepsyson

    All in game items are now available for purchase with real life money and it's legal.

    Game over.

    No, not to that extent.

    Fine, any in game item available for gold purchase, is now available by spending real money.

    But what can you buy that gives you an advantage over other players?  This is what we need to know before we start stating "game over".

    If there's any, ANY one item you can buy with gold, that another player cannot afford, that's an unfair advantage due to the real money cash shop.

    Ahh so what your saying is that the only way someone should be able to buy something merely cosmetic in nature should be by playing more rather than spending their own money.....yea thats fair.....

  • Lord.BachusLord.Bachus Member RarePosts: 9,686

    Originally posted by kadepsyson

    Originally posted by aionix


    Originally posted by kadepsyson


    Originally posted by Alot


    Originally posted by kadepsyson

    All in game items are now available for purchase with real life money and it's legal.

    Game over.

    No, not to that extent.

    Fine, any in game item available for gold purchase, is now available by spending real money.

    But what can you buy that gives you an advantage over other players?  This is what we need to know before we start stating "game over".

    If there's any, ANY one item you can buy with gold, that another player cannot afford, that's an unfair advantage due to the real money cash shop.



    Thats not an unfair advantage, because the game is not build on gear power, everyone is equall in the end... there is an easy attainable max level for gear. end of story

    Best MMO experiences : EQ(PvE), DAoC(PvP), WoW(total package) LOTRO (worldfeel) GW2 (Artstyle and animations and worlddesign) SWTOR (Story immersion) TSW (story) ESO (character advancement)

  • MadimorgaMadimorga Member UncommonPosts: 1,920

    Originally posted by drumchannell

    So you can purchase gems with money, that can be traded for gold in game. If I'm reading this correctly, this gives advantage to players who spend real money as opposed to those who don't.

    Yeah, this worries me a bit.  If rare BoE armor, weapons, or craftables that give a major advantage in pvp and pve exist, everyone will want to buy those.  Because some people will be willing to turn real money into ingame currency, prices will skyrocket on those items.   Gold farmers will farm those items, then turn around and sell the gold they make from them to players, so this won't get rid of the farmers, either.

     

    If everything is relatively easy for anyone to craft or farm, then this won't be as much of an issue.  But if even a few items worth having are difficult to obtain, it could get ugly.

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    I am convinced there is only one way to eliminate these grave evils, namely through the establishment of a socialist economy, accompanied by an educational system which would be oriented toward social goals.

    ~Albert Einstein

  • DJJazzyDJJazzy Member UncommonPosts: 2,053

    Originally posted by kadepsyson

    Originally posted by aionix


    Originally posted by kadepsyson


    Originally posted by Alot


    Originally posted by kadepsyson

    All in game items are now available for purchase with real life money and it's legal.

    Game over.

    No, not to that extent.

    Fine, any in game item available for gold purchase, is now available by spending real money.

    But what can you buy that gives you an advantage over other players?  This is what we need to know before we start stating "game over".

    If there's any, ANY one item you can buy with gold, that another player cannot afford, that's an unfair advantage due to the real money cash shop.

    unfair advantage in what way? It won't be power. Only way would be for vanity and to say someone has an advantage by their looks is...well just lulzy.

  • kadepsysonkadepsyson Member UncommonPosts: 1,919

    Originally posted by Khole

    You can only trade gold for gems,which are used for microtransactions. So instead of paying real money players have options to pay for it with in game gold.

     

    I'm not seeing the big issue. Its not like you are buying gear or crafting items. Its all just currency.

    The issue comes because it works both ways!

    You trade gems for gold, and gold can buy gear or crafting items.

     

    I would have been so much happier had they only had a cash shop that sold cosmetic items, account services, etc., without the gem -> gold -> most in game items.

  • UnlightUnlight Member Posts: 2,540

    Originally posted by Khole

    You can only trade gold for gems,which are used for microtransactions. So instead of paying real money players have options to pay for it with in game gold.

     

    I'm not seeing the big issue. Its not like you are buying gear or crafting items. Its all just currency.

    Actually, you are buying gear and craftng items with real money.  Money -> Gems -> Gold -> Gear.  Not sure what that really means though.  I've heard good things about EVE's plex system, but I have no first hand experience with it.  I don't really know what effect it's going to have.

  • KuppaKuppa Member UncommonPosts: 3,292

    Originally posted by Unlight

    Originally posted by Khole

    You can only trade gold for gems,which are used for microtransactions. So instead of paying real money players have options to pay for it with in game gold.

     

    I'm not seeing the big issue. Its not like you are buying gear or crafting items. Its all just currency.

    Actually, you are buying gear and craftng items with real money.  Money -> Gems -> Gold -> Gear.  Not sure what that really means though.  I've heard good things about EVE's plex system, but I have no first hand experience with it.  I don't really know what effect it's going to have.

    I think they will have to be more clear with the info, cause if that is the case its just one extra level of abstraction from beign able to get anything you want with money image

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