In your example of LOTRO, I see no deal at all for short term NONE !.... On the other side of the coin, I see $200 that would give a player almost life time subscription.... But that's $200.... How is that a blow out sale !.... Add to the fact, this deal locks the player into " better like the game forever or no deal ".
- No deal? They have a lot, for a start Quad pack, 10 bucks. (HD too) - $200 is not "almost" lifer, that's the purpose of it, since the LTA is not available anymore. That bracket is for starters, who doesn't have anything just a free account, with that many TP they can buy everything. (btw. not a wise choice, you can get the whole game much cheaper with some smart purchases, or even totally free if you don't mind the grind) - "deal locks the player" wait, that's not how lifer works in every game? You gave a one-time large sum, and that's it. Except the forever part, usually lifer buyers used to count 1 or 2 years, depending on the subscription offers available. So if you play for that long, then the purchase already worthed it. (I still regret not buying LotRO's LTA.... /sad_panda )
Since
I'm between games right now, I'm thinking about playing around with
LOTRO. I'm starving for a community mmo.
Well, if LotRO won't be good enough after a couple weeks, TSW has the Complete Edition on sale currently for about 20 bucks, with an awesome community, and without free players (since it's a b2p game )
So glad I bought the lieftime pass back in 2008. I even paid more than 200 but for me more than paid for itself and I receive 500 TP a month. Still love this game.
Kyleran: "Now there's the real trick, learning to accept and enjoy a game for what
it offers rather than pass on what might be a great playing experience
because it lacks a few features you prefer."
John Henry Newman: "A man would do nothing if he waited until he could do it so well that no one could find fault."
FreddyNoNose: "A good game needs no defense; a bad game has no defense." "Easily digested content is just as easily forgotten."
LacedOpium: "So the question that begs to be asked is, if you are not interested in
the game mechanics that define the MMORPG genre, then why are you
playing an MMORPG?"
I don't know what is difficult to understand. The price is listed and what you get is listed. Seems easy to me.
/win the thread. Pricing has been defended.
Argue about the price all you want. Everything is stated though. There is nothing misleading or hard to understand about this.
You are aware I said you won the thread?
For many getting the last word in is winning. Look at any thread about VR.
"I used to think the worst thing in life was to be all alone. It's not. The worst thing in life is to end up with people who make you feel all alone." Robin Williams
I believe most transaction shops are preying on people's addiction. I think its just like gambling. Most of us will not fall for these schemes, but there are people out there who think dropping 200 bucks will make the game more enjoyable. Perhaps for a day or a few days it does. But, imo, I can spend that 200 bucks in much better ways. Its sick to see what this industry has become. But, its the way it is now.
I believe most transaction shops are preying on people's addiction. I think its just like gambling. Most of us will not fall for these schemes, but there are people out there who think dropping 200 bucks will make the game more enjoyable. Perhaps for a day or a few days it does. But, imo, I can spend that 200 bucks in much better ways. Its sick to see what this industry has become. But, its the way it is now.
Agreed. The main problem is competition. If you compare online game now to 10-15 years ago, you'll see that the market was way less than what it is today. This is important because devs had the ability to create something they wanted and people either had to like it or try to find something else to play, which werent too many titles. Now, devs/publishers have to compromise features and such if they want to stay competitive since relying on your original ideas aren't going to guarantee a stable player base/income especially if games are utilizing similar methods with their own twists to make it seem more inviting. Then you have those that are just out for greed, trying to get as much as they can before the game shut downs or going into "minimum viable product state." Lets not forget the types wanting money for a product that isn't even released yet. Oversaturated market.
Dunno why anyone would defend something like this. Maybe if this post was about SOE instead, people wouldn't defend it. Or if it was about EA, everyone would be up in arms. Imagine if EA did something like this? The whole internet would be hating on them. Complete hypocrites in this thread.
Back in the old days of MMOs, you paid for the base game and a straight monthly fee. There was no nickle and diming, no pay to win cash shops (except for maybe the random asian MMO). There was no gated content locked through a cash shop. You could experience the whole story, and didn't need to pay to unlock it. Of course did have to buy expansions, but still do today, so that isn't different. You just paid a straight up fee, no extras except for expansions.
The only people who benefit from a system like this is not even the developers but the guys on top. The people who lose? The consumers. The whales pay a huge amount, furthering the decline of the MMO genre. Heck in LOTRO you are bombarded with a HUGE cash shop button. Right in your face. Hard to ignore something like that and completely un-immersive.
People on mmorpg.com wonder why MMORPGs are dying? Its things like this. And people who support things like this are further destroying the MMORPG genre.
its why people have moved to survival games like Ark, or smaller multiplayer games or back to singleplayer games. No nickle and diming, and the things they do charge for are DLCs or OPTIONAL content. Not crap like what is seen in original post and many other cash shop games.
My Skyrim, Fallout 4, Starbound and WoW + other game mods at MODDB:
Ah yes the predictable "don't like it don't buy it" (which I always read as "love it or leave it") canned pro F2P responses
Anything to not discuss whether something is well-priced or too pricey or whether intermediary game currencies are just a way to disguise the true $ cost of playing games.
It's funny that people fall all over themselves finding and buying the great Black Friday deals but they park their bargain hunting selves at the door when discussing the cost of F2P games.
"Social media gives legions of idiots the right to speak when they once only spoke at a bar after a glass of wine, without harming the community ... but now they have the same right to speak as a Nobel Prize winner. It's the invasion of the idiots”
― Umberto Eco
“Microtransactions? In a single player role-playing game? Are you nuts?” ― CD PROJEKT RED
Hey guys, its cool if some people want to defend this company/game/pricing model - its not my money im spending on it so if people want to buy it they are more than free too.
My point still stands though at the level of cringe this picture induces for me. The fact that they need to add "Bonus points" is what really gets me.
I checked some videos and this point ratio hasn't changed at least within the past year, so for the past year you've been spending for example:
$7.99 = 600 Pts.
But its not marketed like that, its marketed as ($7.99 gets you 500 Pts + 100 BONUS POINTS)
Thats Cringe as hell! If you guys cant understand that, Im ok with it, but they tack on all these 10,000 extra bonus points to make it seem like your getting "Value" when its all an arbitrary system.
At the lowest end your spending $7.99 to get (87.5) points to the dollar. Which means Less than a cent per point.
Only once you breach the $34.99 bracket do you get MORE points per cent. Again its just silly and a poor business model for people who want to "Understand" what they are buying.
Not to mention the fact that you have to buy some things on the Squeenix store or an external website and then add a code. They have an entire cash shop they're pretending that doesn't exist (because you can't see it in game) but really means you need to log all the way out of the game to do a transaction, make sure it's applied in the right way to the right account, and then log back in to check that it processed properly.
There are two tiers of subscription, additional monthly fees for more storage, and a hidden full-blown cash shop.
Is the OP confused or does he just need to work on critical thinking and maths a bit.
Unfortunately, a good portion of the FFXIV community feels the cash shop is justified because "it helps improve FFXIV with more consistent updates over other mmorpg games on the market" without any acknowledgement from SE that the money is recycled into the game or other projects. Plus, these "consistent updates" are blown over within the month since many people have found the weekly currency grind/raid lockouts to be lackluster and unsub till the next patch. Doesn't help getting a message from the lead dev telling its community that its okay to unsub until the next patch. Also, FFXIV's cash shop has been updated monthly with many of the items not being account bound like say WoW's cash shop which rarely updates throughout the year and applies most of the stuff (pets/mounts) to the account.
Base on my experience playing f2p games, there are always 1 or 2 guys in the guild that spend more money than the rest of guild combines. So that's probably why cashshop games are designed the way they do.
Hey guys, its cool if some people want to defend this company/game/pricing model - its not my money im spending on it so if people want to buy it they are more than free too.
My point still stands though at the level of cringe this picture induces for me. The fact that they need to add "Bonus points" is what really gets me.
I checked some videos and this point ratio hasn't changed at least within the past year, so for the past year you've been spending for example:
$7.99 = 600 Pts.
But its not marketed like that, its marketed as ($7.99 gets you 500 Pts + 100 BONUS POINTS)
Thats Cringe as hell! If you guys cant understand that, Im ok with it, but they tack on all these 10,000 extra bonus points to make it seem like your getting "Value" when its all an arbitrary system.
At the lowest end your spending $7.99 to get (87.5) points to the dollar. Which means Less than a cent per point.
Only once you breach the $34.99 bracket do you get MORE points per cent. Again its just silly and a poor business model for people who want to "Understand" what they are buying.
Everything in gaming is an arbitrary system. There are no laws or rules to govern pricing. $14.99 a month or $99 per year is arbitrary. Most of these sub games cost $150+ a year to play.
LOTRO does have a monthly and yearly sub and you get everything. Or you can play for free and buy what you want. For the $199, 33000 TP points you can get everything you need for a few years. All expansions cost about 8000 points and all additional quest packs cost about an additional 4000 points. Much cheaper than playing monthly for 3 years, and you can still play after that for free.
I always go by how much fun and how much content vs how many dollars to figure out if it is worth it. Shoot, I do this for everything! To blindly go its a monthly sub or its FTP so it must be worth it is just stupid.
Actually just about every FTP game that I have played had big sales and special equipment etc available, trying their darndest to get you to SPEND SPEND SPEND in the months before they go under. When they near the pulling the plug point, they go for the jugular.
I mean how dare they list the exact cost of things!
Hey DMKano, so are you currently playing LOTRO?
Can you tell me how these prices would stack up to in game items?
For example lets say I get the base pack, at 700 (Points).
What does that get you in game?
So are you complaining about a video game you don't even play? That makes this post even more cringe worthy.
I've played Lotro in the past, but when it was a B2P model. I wont play a F2P that doesnt have obvious pricing thats easy for the consumer to understand. Its not worth my money and its shady.
The reason I was asking DMKano was because he was saying the prices are clear, yet you can only see what the Points get you if you access the game, their store page isnt available online.
Thats another huge point.
To me its very poor form for a F2P game NOT allowing you access to the online store outside the game.
A good example would be similar to how Elder Scrolls online does it with their Crowns system Where you can access the Crown Store from the internet at any time, or on your home console.
The points are laid out simple and easy to understand, and the prices of items and buffs are given in an easy to understand method.
Again Lotro is just a cringe-inducing money grab. There's nothing more to it.
I currently have a bunch of peso's. I don't know what I can buy with them without first going to the country or online store for something in the country and seeing what the value of items are.
I also have some yen and some rubles. Again I don't know what I can buy with them without going to the country or online store for something in the country to see.
Lotro has listed the price of the crown. And they have listed how many you get. You can go into the game for free to see what you can buy for the amounts. You know exactly what you are purchasing before you purchase.
It is completely straight forward and easily understandable.
Just because you don't like it doesn't mean it is bad.
I mean how dare they list the exact cost of things!
Hey DMKano, so are you currently playing LOTRO?
Can you tell me how these prices would stack up to in game items?
For example lets say I get the base pack, at 700 (Points).
What does that get you in game?
So are you complaining about a video game you don't even play? That makes this post even more cringe worthy.
I've played Lotro in the past, but when it was a B2P model. I wont play a F2P that doesnt have obvious pricing thats easy for the consumer to understand. Its not worth my money and its shady.
The reason I was asking DMKano was because he was saying the prices are clear, yet you can only see what the Points get you if you access the game, their store page isnt available online.
Thats another huge point.
To me its very poor form for a F2P game NOT allowing you access to the online store outside the game.
A good example would be similar to how Elder Scrolls online does it with their Crowns system Where you can access the Crown Store from the internet at any time, or on your home console.
The points are laid out simple and easy to understand, and the prices of items and buffs are given in an easy to understand method.
Again Lotro is just a cringe-inducing money grab. There's nothing more to it.
Again your OP and every post since is the only thing cringe worthy. Lotro has been mentioned over and over as one of the better f2p model games. It's not lotro fault you can't comprehend their pricing plan or have the mental capacity to download the game for FREE and look in the store. It's clear something happened and you feel lotro hurt your little feelings and you thought I'd show them and make a cringe inducing thread.
Like I said you create this pathetic thread crying about a video game you don't even play...pretty sad little buddy.
I mean how dare they list the exact cost of things!
Hey DMKano, so are you currently playing LOTRO?
Can you tell me how these prices would stack up to in game items?
For example lets say I get the base pack, at 700 (Points).
What does that get you in game?
So are you complaining about a video game you don't even play? That makes this post even more cringe worthy.
I've played Lotro in the past, but when it was a B2P model. I wont play a F2P that doesnt have obvious pricing thats easy for the consumer to understand. Its not worth my money and its shady.
The reason I was asking DMKano was because he was saying the prices are clear, yet you can only see what the Points get you if you access the game, their store page isnt available online.
Thats another huge point.
To me its very poor form for a F2P game NOT allowing you access to the online store outside the game.
A good example would be similar to how Elder Scrolls online does it with their Crowns system Where you can access the Crown Store from the internet at any time, or on your home console.
The points are laid out simple and easy to understand, and the prices of items and buffs are given in an easy to understand method.
Again Lotro is just a cringe-inducing money grab. There's nothing more to it.
Again your OP and every post since is the only thing cringe worthy. Lotro has been mentioned over and over as one of the better f2p model games. It's not lotro fault you can't comprehend their pricing plan or have the mental capacity to download the game for FREE and look in the store. It's clear something happened and you feel lotro hurt your little feelings and you thought I'd show them and make a cringe inducing thread.
Like I said you create this pathetic thread crying about a video game you don't even play...pretty sad little buddy.
Haha its alright man, again I think the way its presented is very poorly done. From an outside perspective it looks shady, and the "Bonus Points" just is way too much cringe for me. Your completely welcome to your opinion, I have no ill feelings towards LOTRO other than what ive posted, which is that they have a bad way of representing the "Deals" they are giving out to people.
Comments
- $200 is not "almost" lifer, that's the purpose of it, since the LTA is not available anymore. That bracket is for starters, who doesn't have anything just a free account, with that many TP they can buy everything. (btw. not a wise choice, you can get the whole game much cheaper with some smart purchases, or even totally free if you don't mind the grind)
- "deal locks the player" wait, that's not how lifer works in every game?
Well, if LotRO won't be good enough after a couple weeks, TSW has the Complete Edition on sale currently for about 20 bucks, with an awesome community, and without free players (since it's a b2p game
You are aware I said you won the thread?
Epic Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vAigCvelkhQ&list=PLo9FRw1AkDuQLEz7Gvvaz3ideB2NpFtT1
https://archive.org/details/softwarelibrary_msdos?&sort=-downloads&page=1
Kyleran: "Now there's the real trick, learning to accept and enjoy a game for what it offers rather than pass on what might be a great playing experience because it lacks a few features you prefer."
John Henry Newman: "A man would do nothing if he waited until he could do it so well that no one could find fault."
FreddyNoNose: "A good game needs no defense; a bad game has no defense." "Easily digested content is just as easily forgotten."
LacedOpium: "So the question that begs to be asked is, if you are not interested in the game mechanics that define the MMORPG genre, then why are you playing an MMORPG?"
Can you tell me how these prices would stack up to in game items?
For example lets say I get the base pack, at 700 (Points).
What does that get you in game?
Back in the old days of MMOs, you paid for the base game and a straight monthly fee. There was no nickle and diming, no pay to win cash shops (except for maybe the random asian MMO). There was no gated content locked through a cash shop. You could experience the whole story, and didn't need to pay to unlock it. Of course did have to buy expansions, but still do today, so that isn't different. You just paid a straight up fee, no extras except for expansions.
The only people who benefit from a system like this is not even the developers but the guys on top. The people who lose? The consumers. The whales pay a huge amount, furthering the decline of the MMO genre. Heck in LOTRO you are bombarded with a HUGE cash shop button. Right in your face. Hard to ignore something like that and completely un-immersive.
People on mmorpg.com wonder why MMORPGs are dying? Its things like this. And people who support things like this are further destroying the MMORPG genre.
its why people have moved to survival games like Ark, or smaller multiplayer games or back to singleplayer games. No nickle and diming, and the things they do charge for are DLCs or OPTIONAL content. Not crap like what is seen in original post and many other cash shop games.
My Skyrim, Fallout 4, Starbound and WoW + other game mods at MODDB:
https://www.moddb.com/mods/skyrim-anime-overhaul
Anything to not discuss whether something is well-priced or too pricey or whether intermediary game currencies are just a way to disguise the true $ cost of playing games.
It's funny that people fall all over themselves finding and buying the great Black Friday deals but they park their bargain hunting selves at the door when discussing the cost of F2P games.
“Microtransactions? In a single player role-playing game? Are you nuts?”
― CD PROJEKT RED
My point still stands though at the level of cringe this picture induces for me. The fact that they need to add "Bonus points" is what really gets me.
I checked some videos and this point ratio hasn't changed at least within the past year, so for the past year you've been spending for example:
$7.99 = 600 Pts.
But its not marketed like that, its marketed as ($7.99 gets you 500 Pts + 100 BONUS POINTS)
Thats Cringe as hell! If you guys cant understand that, Im ok with it, but they tack on all these 10,000 extra bonus points to make it seem like your getting "Value" when its all an arbitrary system.
At the lowest end your spending $7.99 to get (87.5) points to the dollar. Which means Less than a cent per point.
Only once you breach the $34.99 bracket do you get MORE points per cent. Again its just silly and a poor business model for people who want to "Understand" what they are buying.
Sell the game,if too costly to operate servers,then charge 2-5 bucks a month,end of story.If you can't sell your game,it is obviously NOT good enough.
Never forget 3 mile Island and never trust a government official or company spokesman.
LOTRO does have a monthly and yearly sub and you get everything. Or you can play for free and buy what you want. For the $199, 33000 TP points you can get everything you need for a few years. All expansions cost about 8000 points and all additional quest packs cost about an additional 4000 points. Much cheaper than playing monthly for 3 years, and you can still play after that for free.
I always go by how much fun and how much content vs how many dollars to figure out if it is worth it. Shoot, I do this for everything! To blindly go its a monthly sub or its FTP so it must be worth it is just stupid.
The reason I was asking DMKano was because he was saying the prices are clear, yet you can only see what the Points get you if you access the game, their store page isnt available online.
Thats another huge point.
To me its very poor form for a F2P game NOT allowing you access to the online store outside the game.
A good example would be similar to how Elder Scrolls online does it with their Crowns system Where you can access the Crown Store from the internet at any time, or on your home console.
The points are laid out simple and easy to understand, and the prices of items and buffs are given in an easy to understand method.
Again Lotro is just a cringe-inducing money grab. There's nothing more to it.
I also have some yen and some rubles. Again I don't know what I can buy with them without going to the country or online store for something in the country to see.
Lotro has listed the price of the crown. And they have listed how many you get. You can go into the game for free to see what you can buy for the amounts. You know exactly what you are purchasing before you purchase.
It is completely straight forward and easily understandable.
Like I said you create this pathetic thread crying about a video game you don't even play...pretty sad little buddy.
All they have to do is look in this thread and everyone can see those who support the decline of the MMO genre.
Not like when they were huge and successful, and had a straight up fee with no nickel and diming going on.
My Skyrim, Fallout 4, Starbound and WoW + other game mods at MODDB:
https://www.moddb.com/mods/skyrim-anime-overhaul