World of Warcraft: When neither subscription or services are enough...

[Itzena]

Originally Posted by Daezuel

They aren't doing this on every server though, just the exchange server? So people not on the exchange server are not affected by micro-transitions or are they? (outside of LDON)

Exchange server is legitimate character/gold/etc sales. The Marketplace is on all servers:

[Grave]

People whined about the TCG stuff at first too. As long as its only cosmetic, I really don't mind.

Just keep it all outside of the game, please. Screenshots like that one above of EQ2 are gross. I don't want an in-game thing popping up asking me to buy something.

[Yutnopash]

Honestly, I can see how most people are weary of this kind of thing beginning in WoW and MMOs in general. But, I have to ask...if it eventually turns into pay X for tier Y, I fail to see how it effects the majority of the player base.

The only people I could see being a problem is if they started charging for special abilities, more glyph slots, and stuff that buffs a character beyond what is currently in game.

PvP sets would have to be restricted, but PvE? I don't see the harm in allowing John Doe Moneybags buy a full set of Tier 9 for 5 bucks a slot. Sure, guilds might end up requiring you to have it if its available but then no one is forcing you to join a guild like that. If anything it would squash the ridiculous "gear checking" shit that has run rampant since the introduction of the addon/sites to the masses. Who knows you may have to actually see if a person is qualified beyond what their gear level may indicate.

The slippery slope argument is always a fun one to witness in MMOs when stuff is introduced.

[Bixxby]

How would it squash gear checking? Are you fucking stupid? It would mean that instead of hitting 80 and working your ass off instancing and all that you shell out 100 bucks for gear. It would completely destroy their own game. It doesn't even make sense for them to sell gear. The whole business is built on farming gear and bullshitting and if you remove one side the other doesn't exist.

[Daezuel]

What if you have zero interest in cosmetic fluff but you have a Wife/Kids playing that AW COME ON DAD, I JUST GOTTA HAVE THAT CUTE PANDA!!! PLEAAAASEEEE

As said before, not only is this a slippery slope, but cosmetics ARE a part of online gaming, and withholding certain rewards for only those willing to pay extra is IMO, wrong.

I didn't realize marketplace was available on all EQ2 servers, I never used it when I played but I did play LDON quite a bit. (never got anything useful to use in game, but did get things in game to use for LDON) I guess my main point is, even if the marketplace has not adversely affected EQ2s subscription numbers, we are talking about a vastly smaller population in the first place. If Blizzard went all out and offered their own marketplace they would be taking a MUCH larger gamble than Sony.

And there is harm for allowing people to get equivalent levels of power and achievement by allowing people to just buy their way in...first, these people are generally going to be unqualified to play up to the level of their gear and content progression, and second it belittles the time and effort that other people put into obtaining said gear.

Queue the "I only play to see the content" people, because of course no cool people care about the way their character looks compared to everyone else.

I guess I'm shallow, I used to be pretty impressed when I saw someone in Vanilla rocking full tier 3 or with a Thunderfury.

[Vagoo]

Originally Posted by Grave

People whined about the TCG stuff at first too. As long as its only cosmetic, I really don't mind.

Just keep it all outside of the game, please. Screenshots like that one above of EQ2 are gross. I don't want an in-game thing popping up asking me to buy something.

wait... wait... i got it here somewhere

[Erronius]

Originally Posted by Burning_Samurai

As much as you don't like it, as long as they don't sell anything with +better to a character's statistics, not much is changing. I personally hate the idea of exchanging real cash for anything in-game other than subscriptions/expansions. But when your on the recieving side of the cash, you would be insane not to consider something like this. Its almost free money.

Well, first no one can say that even if it starts out not having any bearing on stats or what have you, that it wont eventually. If Blizzard were to do that now, a lot of people might be pissed and consider quitting, but they'll have to weigh all the time invested in the game and their characters. It's quite possible that things would slowly progress to the point that it would no longer be a large step but rather a small one. For example, if you already have pets, special mounts and character transfer/server/race/class changes, it would be easier to segue into other items then it would be to just plop microtransactions for gear into a game out of the blue. Myself, personally, I don't want to start an MMO w/o micros, only to find out later that I'm a sort of prisoner to the system, when they start micros, and my choices are either to 86 my character and go play something else, or swallow microtransactions even if I don't like them.

Another thing, with regards to WoW - we know another Blizz MMO is on the way, and WoW might very well be close to seeing the inevitable decline in subs. People who are on the fence will eventually leeave, that's a given. If they're already close to leaving, micros will drive them away, but on the other side of the coin, if you are going to lose them as subs anyways and the remaining players won't balk, then why not go to microtransactions? I'll tell you right now, that WoW will have players that will continue to play it LONG past it's prime, just like people stayed with DaoC, AC or EQ, and those players are less likely (almost guaranteed) to take microtransactions in stride and continue playing.

Now I know that I'm in the minority, if we consider gamers in general and not just the people from forums here (and even them, possibly the minority). That's one reason why I'm leery about it, is because so many people are going to poo-poo it, and say they are ok with it as long as it doesn't have an in-game effect amitire?, that imo that could very well signal to Devs everywhere that we're on the cusp of some sort of microtransaction sea change.

[Dis]

Originally Posted by Bixxby

How would it squash gear checking? Are you fucking stupid? It would mean that instead of hitting 80 and working your ass off instancing and all that you shell out 100 bucks for gear. It would completely destroy their own game. It doesn't even make sense for them to sell gear. The whole business is built on farming gear and bullshitting and if you remove one side the other doesn't exist.

Have you heard of outside character sells? I sold a Shaman in BC geared with a mix of T2 and T3 raid gear for 1200 bucks. People do it all the time, the only difference would be doing it "legit" with ToS, and how we do it now outside of it.

I just worry that with pay to play, box sells, XBOX Live service, paying a premium for storage space, this is just another way to squeeze my ever decreasing entertainment budget. /shrug I am sure gamers will survive one way or another, just doesnt seem like the path I was hoping we would go down.

[Mist]

Originally Posted by Erronius

Another thing, with regards to WoW - we know another Blizz MMO is on the way, and WoW might very well be close to seeing the inevitable decline in subs. People who are on the fence will eventually leeave, that's a given. If they're already close to leaving, micros will drive them away, but on the other side of the coin, if you are going to lose them as subs anyways and the remaining players won't balk, then why not go to microtransactions? I'll tell you right now, that WoW will have players that will continue to play it LONG past it's prime, just like people stayed with DaoC, AC or EQ, and those players are less likely (almost guaranteed) to take microtransactions in stride and continue playing.

Anything that goes into WoW right now will likely be in their next MMO from the start. So if WoW has pay-for-pets, the next MMO will likely launch with that on day 1.

[Burning_Samurai]

I thought that was called 'Collector's Edition'.

[Cuppycake]

The thread title alone is frustrating here. You're a business interested in making money...does the word "enough" ever mean anything to you? Why would 3 or 5 or 10 ways of making money ever be enough?

Blizzard have smart marketing. They're going to monopolize on any opportunity they can, and continue to rake in outrageous amounts of cash. Have you seen many of these pets on your server? I know I certainly have already. They are going to make plenty of cash on this, and they will surely start selling cosmetic gear, holdables, etc. You're all going to complain and be sad about it, but you'll keep playing. And people will buy the shit out of these items.

[Vandyn]

I don't necessarily agree with it either but it's not like they are going to lost a ton of subs over it. People are going to whine and cry about it for a month (or less) then it'll be forgotten. Meanwhile Blizzard will probably make a killing to compensate for any lost subs.

Welcome to business 101.

[James]

Blast from the past? Bobby Kotick is such a goddamn pimp.

[Arbitrary]

Originally Posted by Cuppycake

The thread title alone is frustrating here. You're a business interested in making money...does the word "enough" ever mean anything to you? Why would 3 or 5 or 10 ways of making money ever be enough?

Remind me to never let you near any golden geese. You'd have them hanging upside with their bellies slit open before I could even finish explaining the rest of the Aesop.

[ruination]

Newsflash, this game still fucking sucks; and so do all of you for playing it, and supporting it.

Eat shit, faggots. That is all.