I've spoken to several people today that were thinking of going back for Cataclysm but because of this are having serious doubts with the way the game is heading and fear a true cash shop ( the kind that sells non-vanity items) is just around the corner . Blizzard are making a quick profit yes but at the cost of their integrity as a company which in the long run is worth more .
Their "integrity" as a company? How does adding a mount and pet have anything what so ever do do with that? Anyone who is upset about something trival like that, wouldn't be likely to come back in any event. To each their own <shrug>
Like I've said in other threads; I truly believe WOW has already commenced it's descent into the inevitable. I certainly don't agree with Blizzard's latest move, but I'm not surprised they want to snag as much money possible, as WOW slowly sails off into the sunset.
Keep in mind they have a new beautiful MMO baby in the oven to worry about. One that needs as much attention ($) as possible
How many people are they turning off that new game with their behaviour with WoW? I know I was VERY excited about their new project - until these cash shop shenanigans. Now, I have quit WoW and am boycotting Blizzard games.
Well, best of luck in what ever game you decide to play. I personally see nothing wrong with their actions, so I'll continue playing, and also try their new MMO.
You know, I really dont care about the fact that they are selling the mount for $25.
What I do care about is the fact that its fugly and that a ton of people spent $25 for something that fugly. I mean if it were an interesting looking mount or even a newer model then I wouldnt wonder.
But that thing is just a fugly reskin.
What I find funny though is I decided to log in yesterday to see how many people bought the mount. By 6pm EST I could count at least 40+ in Dalaran, about 30+ in SW maybe about 30+ in IF. A few guildies said they were all over the place in various zones and BGs. Hell, there was even a 'Fugly Horse Pride' parade in Dalaran last night.
Today I log in and saw maybe 5 total between the 3 major cities. It was probably the quickest fad ever.
And this was on Alleria.
There are 3 types of people in the world. 1.) Those who make things happen 2.) Those who watch things happen 3.) And those who wonder "What the %#*& just happened?!"
Apparently you aren't aware that the traffic was throttled. Most people had a queue of 100k+ in front of them to get into the store.
In any case, if you bought one great for you. Personally, I see this as a start to a rapid downhill trend.
Gee, look at how much we got off a mount. Just imagine how much we'd make if we offered to purchase emblem gear. We'd be rolling if we applied it to heirlooms!
Congrats to Blizz for proving to me that it's rapidly becoming "how much money can we leech out of these suckers" instead of "how much quality can we put into our product to attract players".
Moreso, thanks to proving to me that they are hyocrites. As I stated in a previous post:
the Pet Store service is entirely optional and intended to provide players another means to enjoy World of Warcraft in a way that isn't detrimental to the game and that doesn't detract from the gameplay experience for players who choose not to use the service
With the release of the Twilight Pony, this statement no longer applies. Whether the incoming fanboi responders admit it or not, buying the mount certainly has a detrimental effect on the game and gameplay compared to those who don't buy it. They now have the option to never buy a mount again, where the rest of the players will still need to farm up gold (yes I realize a couple hundred isn't much, but it's the principle we're dealing with).
Let's cover these responses now from the collection of retards who are soon to follow this post: No, I don't care if you bought one. Yes, I can afford one. No, just because I don't own one doesn't mean that I shouldn't be playing the game. Yes, I have a job. No, I don't live my parents. Yes, I have a real-life woman who I don't have to pay for sex.
Back on topic, I just found this bit of hypocrisy amusing. It is, in fact, a matter of time before more "detrimental" things are sold, like "Buy the 2nd-most-current tier gear for all your toons for just $30!"
Offer an in-game alternative method like most other payshops (DDO) and I'd have no issue with this at all.
NEWS FLASH! PAYING THE SUB IN F2P = NO DIFFERENCE THAN P2P GAMES!
Skimming through the pages I probably read more than I can imagine of ignorance.
NO it does not add any additional functionality to what you have
NO it does not give you an "edge" to normal gameplay
NO it does not allow you to "buy" your way through the game by paying 25$
NO it does not DO ANYTHING MORE THAN GIVE YOU A COSMETIC MOUNT
Let me repeat that for those of you that "didn't have the time" to read what the mount actually does. The mount only goes as fast as the fastest mount you own.
It is amazing to me the amount of people that don't do ANY research to the ridiculous claims that they spout from their noise hole.
EDIT: I did a search that took me all of 2 seconds to back up my argument. Imagine that.
Let me repeat that for those of you that "didn't have the time" to read what the mount actually does. The mount only goes as fast as the fastest mount you own.
It is amazing to me the amount of people that don't do ANY research to the ridiculous claims that they spout from their noise hole.
EDIT: I did a search that took me all of 2 seconds to back up my argument. Imagine that.
Let me repeat that for those of you that "didn't have the time" to read what the mount actually does. The mount only goes as fast as the fastest mount you own.
It is amazing to me the amount of people that don't do ANY research to the ridiculous claims that they spout from their noise hole.
EDIT: I did a search that took me all of 2 seconds to back up my argument. Imagine that.
Show me where it says that the new mount is limited to the level of what you already own. That seems only to apply to the +310% mount.
People have already admitted that the mount does scale with your skill - not your current highest mount.
from your link:
"So saddle up, because this supernatural warhorse will fly as fast as your riding skill will take you,".
The fastest riding skill in the game you can buy is capped at 280% flying speed. The only way to get to 310% flying speed is to own a special mount that allows it. This is where it gets sticky and I think people are misunderstanding. The only way that the $25 "Celestial Steed" mount will give you 310% flying speed is if you already own one of those special mounts that would give you the ability to fly at 310% speed. So for instance, the Violet Proto-Drake mount that you get for the "What a Long, Strange Trip It's Been" achievement. If you do not have a special mount like that you can only fly at the normal maximum of 280%. This Celestial Steed is similar in functionality to the Headless Horseman Mount .
I also actually just went and looked a the Blizzard Store and looked at the Celestial Steed description...
"Freshly born from the Twisting Nether, the Celestial Steed flying mount lets you travel in style astride wings of pure elemental stardust. So saddle up, because this supernatural warhorse will fly as fast as your riding skill will take you, and it will travel at 310% speed if you have at least one other 310% mount. "
Pretty self-explanatory there...
------------------------- "Searchers after horror haunt strange, far places..." ~ H.P.Lovecraft, "From Beyond"
I also actually just went and looked a the Blizzard Store and looked at the Celestial Steed description...
"Freshly born from the Twisting Nether, the Celestial Steed flying mount lets you travel in style astride wings of pure elemental stardust. So saddle up, because this supernatural warhorse will fly as fast as your riding skill will take you, and it will travel at 310% speed if you have at least one other 310% mount. "
Pretty self-explanatory there...
It's clear that you have to already have a +310% mount to fly at +310% with the cash mount. Now, does that mean you have to have a +310 mount on one of your characters on that account - or on each one that wants that benefit?
The other thing that is not clear is whether that requirement to have an equal mount already is only for the +310% bonus - because (I believe) that is a function of the special mount itself, not your riding skill. What I mean is this: if a character of mine has +100% riding skill (150 points) will the cash mount act as a +100% mount - without that character having to buy a +100% mount?
"" Voice acting isn't an RPG element....it's just a production value." - grumpymel2
Well, if it's greedy to be smart, then yes. They are greedy. This happens to all large companies. It's more about the investors than the customers at this point. In a way, it saddens me. But I fully understand it.
Something very interesting I read about the DDO store is that the most commonly purchased item is platemail +2. This is a fairly standard quest/chest reward at around level 4 (max level is 20).
Mind-boggling isn't it. And the implications for just how much money WoW could make from a fully fledged cash shop kind of makes me feel faint.
I will never use a cash shop (I subscribe to DDO). I just think they are a particularly lame form of progressing a character in a game where character progression is really at the heart of the fun. The game has rules, and using a credit card to side-step them, even for cosmetic reasons, is as lame as using exploits.
And no, I don't have a lot of time to play, or terribly much skill really, so I rarely get everything I want. That's ok. It's all part of the game to see how far I get with the skill and time I do have.
The video - THR, that retarded horse - someone else posted was hilarious and spot on. IF I was playing WoW I would certainly think *worse* of someone riding the horse, and would tend to stay away from them.
So all those who paid $25 to look like an idiot... umm, think about what you are doing next time.
You do realize Bilizzard just made two million dollars for making a database entry in a few files. That's truly obscene when you think about it. Nothing real was actually made or sold. No lives were substantially improved. No real work of any sort was done. Think how much work goes into a simple loaf of bread and what it costs. Think of how much difference that loaf of bread could make in the life of a child doomed to starvation by an accident of birth. And Blizzard reaped two million for moving a few electrons. It's insane.
I wouldn't say it's insane, personally. More sad really... very, very sad.
Not to get on a soapbox here but thousands of children die every day around the world from 100% preventable conditions. Curable illness, starvation, living conditions, etc. And instead of sending $25 to the Red Cross or some other reputable charity people are spending it on virtual pixels that they may use for a few hours/days and then forget about.
Don't get me wrong. I completely agree with the statement that everyone has the right to spend their money on whatever they want'; but I can't help being disappointed in our current global economical situation that pixles on a computer screen are more important than human lives.
I'm sure some of those people that have bought the mount have donated to charities, but I doubt it was a huge precentage, or with as much haste as paying for something with no substantial value.
And before someone asks, I donate what I can when I can.
"There is as yet insufficient data for a meaningful answer."
IF I was playing WoW I would certainly think *worse* of someone riding the horse, and would tend to stay away from them.
So all those who paid $25 to look like an idiot... umm, think about what you are doing next time.
Really? God for bid that there are some people who are passionate about a hobby. But then, I dare say you have never purchased a vanity item in the real world before? Ohh thought not.
You do realize Bilizzard just made two million dollars for making a database entry in a few files. That's truly obscene when you think about it. Nothing real was actually made or sold. No lives were substantially improved. No real work of any sort was done. Think how much work goes into a simple loaf of bread and what it costs. Think of how much difference that loaf of bread could make in the life of a child doomed to starvation by an accident of birth. And Blizzard reaped two million for moving a few electrons. It's insane.
I wouldn't say it's insane, personally. More sad really... very, very sad.
Not to get on a soapbox here but thousands of children die every day around the world from 100% preventable conditions. Curable illness, starvation, living conditions, etc. And instead of sending $25 to the Red Cross or some other reputable charity people are spending it on virtual pixels that they may use for a few hours/days and then forget about.
Don't get me wrong. I completely agree with the statement that everyone has the right to spend their money on whatever they want'; but I can't help being disappointed in our current global economical situation that pixles on a computer screen are more important than human lives.
I'm sure some of those people that have bought the mount have donated to charities, but I doubt it was a huge precentage, or with as much haste as paying for something with no substantial value.
And before someone asks, I donate what I can when I can.
You do realize Bilizzard just made two million dollars for making a database entry in a few files. That's truly obscene when you think about it. Nothing real was actually made or sold. No lives were substantially improved. No real work of any sort was done. Think how much work goes into a simple loaf of bread and what it costs. Think of how much difference that loaf of bread could make in the life of a child doomed to starvation by an accident of birth. And Blizzard reaped two million for moving a few electrons. It's insane.
I wouldn't say it's insane, personally. More sad really... very, very sad.
Not to get on a soapbox here but thousands of children die every day around the world from 100% preventable conditions. Curable illness, starvation, living conditions, etc. And instead of sending $25 to the Red Cross or some other reputable charity people are spending it on virtual pixels that they may use for a few hours/days and then forget about.
Don't get me wrong. I completely agree with the statement that everyone has the right to spend their money on whatever they want'; but I can't help being disappointed in our current global economical situation that pixles on a computer screen are more important than human lives.
I'm sure some of those people that have bought the mount have donated to charities, but I doubt it was a huge precentage, or with as much haste as paying for something with no substantial value.
And before someone asks, I donate what I can when I can.
This sounds all nice and kind, but really...really? Why are you not out working for the Peace Corps instead of working a job for your personal gain. Do you donate every bit of your money so that you live on bread and water. Do you volunteer all your free time. It is always nice and kind to say how dissappointed one is in things. It makes a nice tear jerker piece for those that want to flash the peace sign, but I call bullshit. If people want to spend their money supporting a habit they like good for them. Worry more about what you are doing to save the world than what others are doing to save it.
.... generate $2 million in sales over a four hour period.
Blizzard should fund some indie studios - you know to "give back" to the gaming community.
Yeah because the business world is all about supporting their competition. Also does anyone know what Blizzards operating costs are? How much the new projects are costing? In the business that Blizzard is in you have to make your money when you can because tomorrow your crap might be on the scrap heap for something new. The gaming industry works on Build, Bubble, Burst. It is not art, a charity, or a global social network. It is a business for profit nothing more or less. Blizzard uses their cash to commercialize their stuff on a level that games have not really seen till now. That gets them big numbers and in return bigger costs to operate. Why would they "give back"? They are "giving back" to their new project. I did not see EQ in the hay day "giving back" to other up and coming games.
Wow, pages and pages on this still. People just love to hate WOW or Blizz or anything to do with them. Bottom line is, they re making a ton of cash off of peoples addiction to their game. Who cares, it s a smart business decision. Why do people get all bent out of shape on this. I m sure if it was any other company people would have no problem with it or at least it wouldn t have pages and pages about it. I personally wouldn t even pay $1 on this item or any other fluff item, but they know theres enough that will so they did it. Obviously it s making them alot of revenue and people just can t see it as a good move on their part. Let it go, it isn t hurting anyone.
You do realize Bilizzard just made two million dollars for making a database entry in a few files. That's truly obscene when you think about it. Nothing real was actually made or sold. No lives were substantially improved. No real work of any sort was done. Think how much work goes into a simple loaf of bread and what it costs. Think of how much difference that loaf of bread could make in the life of a child doomed to starvation by an accident of birth. And Blizzard reaped two million for moving a few electrons. It's insane.
I wouldn't say it's insane, personally. More sad really... very, very sad.
Not to get on a soapbox here but thousands of children die every day around the world from 100% preventable conditions. Curable illness, starvation, living conditions, etc. And instead of sending $25 to the Red Cross or some other reputable charity people are spending it on virtual pixels that they may use for a few hours/days and then forget about.
Don't get me wrong. I completely agree with the statement that everyone has the right to spend their money on whatever they want'; but I can't help being disappointed in our current global economical situation that pixles on a computer screen are more important than human lives.
I'm sure some of those people that have bought the mount have donated to charities, but I doubt it was a huge precentage, or with as much haste as paying for something with no substantial value.
And before someone asks, I donate what I can when I can.
This sounds all nice and kind, but really...really? Why are you not out working for the Peace Corps instead of working a job for your personal gain. Do you donate every bit of your money so that you live on bread and water. Do you volunteer all your free time. It is always nice and kind to say how dissappointed one is in things. It makes a nice tear jerker piece for those that want to flash the peace sign, but I call bullshit. If people want to spend their money supporting a habit they like good for them. Worry more about what you are doing to save the world than what others are doing to save it.
Which is better? Doing something or doing nothing? I'd rather do something, even if it's not enough. If everyone did something this world would be a very different place. But this is a whole other issue which is not something specific to wow and the celestial mount. Bottomline, I can't blame blizzard for doing this or people for buying into it. It's just how the world works unfortunately.
My point is if you want to fix the world go out and do it. Do not poo poo people for doing what they want to do with their time and money with a tear jerk post about them spending their $25 better. In the end I am sure we could follow anyone around and contantly nitpick things they are doing that would "save the world." "You are super sizing that...shame shame." "You should ride the bus." "You are not recycling that *shakes head*." Etc. When a person is doing everything humanly possible in their life to "save the world" then I will listen to them about what I should be doing with $25 that I might want to spend on a hobby. (not that I am buying this horse as I do not play WoW at the moment, but shame shame on me I do have 5 different pay accounts across a few games that I could be spending to save the world.)
I foresee that anything blizzard thinks is 'cool looking' will only be obtainable through RMT means... as soon as anything that modifies gear, be it stats or cosmetics, i'm dropping my subscription. I pay a sub to get the whole game, not just a portion. It seems like they are slowly easing in that direction and they are just easing people into it.
A lot of people have this mount right now and a good number of them bought it to feel 'different'. Whats funny is they were suckered into buying something that everyone has now, you can't look at the screen without seeing that mount.
It is like kid their their alternative, goth, punk, etc look. They all want to be original but instead end up all looking the same. Wow you are so rebellious you got a tongue ring like all of your friends.
.... generate $2 million in sales over a four hour period.
Blizzard should fund some indie studios - you know to "give back" to the gaming community.
Yeah because the business world is all about supporting their competition. Also does anyone know what Blizzards operating costs are? How much the new projects are costing? In the business that Blizzard is in you have to make your money when you can because tomorrow your crap might be on the scrap heap for something new. The gaming industry works on Build, Bubble, Burst. It is not art, a charity, or a global social network. It is a business for profit nothing more or less. Blizzard uses their cash to commercialize their stuff on a level that games have not really seen till now. That gets them big numbers and in return bigger costs to operate. Why would they "give back"? They are "giving back" to their new project. I did not see EQ in the hay day "giving back" to other up and coming games.
LOL, damn you took that personal, maybe your mum would like to fund an indie studio?
Nah, seriously it's good business to balance operating costs and income. I don't know what the costs are but I'm certain blizzard has it covered and have a few backup plans if things go sour. Hell they could take a shit and sell it so take it easy mr. trump, money isn't an issue with them.
Second competition is only a state of reference. Football and paintball are both sports but don't directly compete with each other. How different would it be from what a publisher does? This could even show that blizzard actually cares about the gaming industry instead of being the large brutal inmate having their way with the fishbois.
The genre needs some new money and so far Blizzard is getting it all. Since they took any good idea from every game in the last 5 years, it'd be nice to see some money go into new projects (other than their own).
I'm sure a lot of people feel that games have just went to shit. Big devs lost their courage, publishers become too invovled and no one hardly listens to the players anymore - so who better to make new games than the players/indies themselves? They probably won't be blockbusters but I'm sure with a little bit of business sense they could balance that whole build,bubble, burst thingie.
...but this is only my opinion, you don't have to ride in on a horse and save anyone.
My point is if you want to fix the world go out and do it. Do not poo poo people for doing what they want to do with their time and money with a tear jerk post about them spending their $25 better. In the end I am sure we could follow anyone around and contantly nitpick things they are doing that would "save the world." "You are super sizing that...shame shame." "You should ride the bus." "You are not recycling that *shakes head*." Etc. When a person is doing everything humanly possible in their life to "save the world" then I will listen to them about what I should be doing with $25 that I might want to spend on a hobby. (not that I am buying this horse as I do not play WoW at the moment, but shame shame on me I do have 5 different pay accounts across a few games that I could be spending to save the world.)
You are avoiding my question, but that's ok. You just want to win this argument. No one person can save the world. It's a global effort. As I said, I can't blame anyone for buying this mount. But if I or anyone else want to try and make people aware that there actually is a world outside of azeroth that needs saving, then I think we are entitled to.
to everyone who bought or plan to buy this mount.....enjoy your happy meal, and thank you for ruin the MMO as a game.
to me cash shops in a P2P game is just disgusting, when you already paying anything you gain should be included in events, not ow this thing looks cool *pay 25$* no it should be ow that guys mount look awesome. /tell JD how did you get that ?!? it looks awesome.
if you do not find any kind of pleasure in this, well to me you ruin the MMO virtual worlds. and really should be playing F2P, there is by now plenty of great F2P games, instead go about promote this kind of greed and lazy game design.
sure anyone can afford 25$ if playing WoW am sure, but you just bought something that should have been in an epic event.
Comments
Their "integrity" as a company? How does adding a mount and pet have anything what so ever do do with that? Anyone who is upset about something trival like that, wouldn't be likely to come back in any event. To each their own <shrug>
Well, best of luck in what ever game you decide to play. I personally see nothing wrong with their actions, so I'll continue playing, and also try their new MMO.
You know, I really dont care about the fact that they are selling the mount for $25.
What I do care about is the fact that its fugly and that a ton of people spent $25 for something that fugly. I mean if it were an interesting looking mount or even a newer model then I wouldnt wonder.
But that thing is just a fugly reskin.
What I find funny though is I decided to log in yesterday to see how many people bought the mount. By 6pm EST I could count at least 40+ in Dalaran, about 30+ in SW maybe about 30+ in IF. A few guildies said they were all over the place in various zones and BGs. Hell, there was even a 'Fugly Horse Pride' parade in Dalaran last night.
Today I log in and saw maybe 5 total between the 3 major cities. It was probably the quickest fad ever.
And this was on Alleria.
There are 3 types of people in the world.
1.) Those who make things happen
2.) Those who watch things happen
3.) And those who wonder "What the %#*& just happened?!"
Apparently you aren't aware that the traffic was throttled. Most people had a queue of 100k+ in front of them to get into the store.
Congrats to Blizz for proving to me that it's rapidly becoming "how much money can we leech out of these suckers" instead of "how much quality can we put into our product to attract players".In any case, if you bought one great for you. Personally, I see this as a start to a rapid downhill trend.
Moreso, thanks to proving to me that they are hyocrites. As I stated in a previous post:
Offer an in-game alternative method like most other payshops (DDO) and I'd have no issue with this at all.
NEWS FLASH! PAYING THE SUB IN F2P = NO DIFFERENCE THAN P2P GAMES!
Why the hell can't the whiners comprehend this?
Skimming through the pages I probably read more than I can imagine of ignorance.
NO it does not add any additional functionality to what you have
NO it does not give you an "edge" to normal gameplay
NO it does not allow you to "buy" your way through the game by paying 25$
NO it does not DO ANYTHING MORE THAN GIVE YOU A COSMETIC MOUNT
Let me repeat that for those of you that "didn't have the time" to read what the mount actually does. The mount only goes as fast as the fastest mount you own.
It is amazing to me the amount of people that don't do ANY research to the ridiculous claims that they spout from their noise hole.
EDIT: I did a search that took me all of 2 seconds to back up my argument. Imagine that.
http://us.blizzard.com/store/details.xml?id=1100000942
Show me where it says that the new mount is limited to the level of what you already own. That seems only to apply to the +310% mount.
People have already admitted that the mount does scale with your skill - not your current highest mount.
from your link:
"So saddle up, because this supernatural warhorse will fly as fast as your riding skill will take you,".
"" Voice acting isn't an RPG element....it's just a production value." - grumpymel2
The fastest riding skill in the game you can buy is capped at 280% flying speed. The only way to get to 310% flying speed is to own a special mount that allows it. This is where it gets sticky and I think people are misunderstanding. The only way that the $25 "Celestial Steed" mount will give you 310% flying speed is if you already own one of those special mounts that would give you the ability to fly at 310% speed. So for instance, the Violet Proto-Drake mount that you get for the "What a Long, Strange Trip It's Been" achievement. If you do not have a special mount like that you can only fly at the normal maximum of 280%. This Celestial Steed is similar in functionality to the Headless Horseman Mount .
I also actually just went and looked a the Blizzard Store and looked at the Celestial Steed description...
"Freshly born from the Twisting Nether, the Celestial Steed flying mount lets you travel in style astride wings of pure elemental stardust. So saddle up, because this supernatural warhorse will fly as fast as your riding skill will take you, and it will travel at 310% speed if you have at least one other 310% mount. "
Pretty self-explanatory there...
-------------------------
"Searchers after horror haunt strange, far places..." ~ H.P.Lovecraft, "From Beyond"
Member Since March 2004
blizzard proved greedy as hell.
It's clear that you have to already have a +310% mount to fly at +310% with the cash mount. Now, does that mean you have to have a +310 mount on one of your characters on that account - or on each one that wants that benefit?
The other thing that is not clear is whether that requirement to have an equal mount already is only for the +310% bonus - because (I believe) that is a function of the special mount itself, not your riding skill. What I mean is this: if a character of mine has +100% riding skill (150 points) will the cash mount act as a +100% mount - without that character having to buy a +100% mount?
"" Voice acting isn't an RPG element....it's just a production value." - grumpymel2
Well, if it's greedy to be smart, then yes. They are greedy. This happens to all large companies. It's more about the investors than the customers at this point. In a way, it saddens me. But I fully understand it.
Something very interesting I read about the DDO store is that the most commonly purchased item is platemail +2. This is a fairly standard quest/chest reward at around level 4 (max level is 20).
Mind-boggling isn't it. And the implications for just how much money WoW could make from a fully fledged cash shop kind of makes me feel faint.
I will never use a cash shop (I subscribe to DDO). I just think they are a particularly lame form of progressing a character in a game where character progression is really at the heart of the fun. The game has rules, and using a credit card to side-step them, even for cosmetic reasons, is as lame as using exploits.
And no, I don't have a lot of time to play, or terribly much skill really, so I rarely get everything I want. That's ok. It's all part of the game to see how far I get with the skill and time I do have.
The video - THR, that retarded horse - someone else posted was hilarious and spot on. IF I was playing WoW I would certainly think *worse* of someone riding the horse, and would tend to stay away from them.
So all those who paid $25 to look like an idiot... umm, think about what you are doing next time.
I wouldn't say it's insane, personally. More sad really... very, very sad.
Not to get on a soapbox here but thousands of children die every day around the world from 100% preventable conditions. Curable illness, starvation, living conditions, etc. And instead of sending $25 to the Red Cross or some other reputable charity people are spending it on virtual pixels that they may use for a few hours/days and then forget about.
Don't get me wrong. I completely agree with the statement that everyone has the right to spend their money on whatever they want'; but I can't help being disappointed in our current global economical situation that pixles on a computer screen are more important than human lives.
I'm sure some of those people that have bought the mount have donated to charities, but I doubt it was a huge precentage, or with as much haste as paying for something with no substantial value.
And before someone asks, I donate what I can when I can.
"There is as yet insufficient data for a meaningful answer."
Really? God for bid that there are some people who are passionate about a hobby. But then, I dare say you have never purchased a vanity item in the real world before? Ohh thought not.
I 100% agree with this.
Blizzard should fund some indie studios - you know to "give back" to the gaming community.
This sounds all nice and kind, but really...really? Why are you not out working for the Peace Corps instead of working a job for your personal gain. Do you donate every bit of your money so that you live on bread and water. Do you volunteer all your free time. It is always nice and kind to say how dissappointed one is in things. It makes a nice tear jerker piece for those that want to flash the peace sign, but I call bullshit. If people want to spend their money supporting a habit they like good for them. Worry more about what you are doing to save the world than what others are doing to save it.
Yeah because the business world is all about supporting their competition. Also does anyone know what Blizzards operating costs are? How much the new projects are costing? In the business that Blizzard is in you have to make your money when you can because tomorrow your crap might be on the scrap heap for something new. The gaming industry works on Build, Bubble, Burst. It is not art, a charity, or a global social network. It is a business for profit nothing more or less. Blizzard uses their cash to commercialize their stuff on a level that games have not really seen till now. That gets them big numbers and in return bigger costs to operate. Why would they "give back"? They are "giving back" to their new project. I did not see EQ in the hay day "giving back" to other up and coming games.
Wow, pages and pages on this still. People just love to hate WOW or Blizz or anything to do with them. Bottom line is, they re making a ton of cash off of peoples addiction to their game. Who cares, it s a smart business decision. Why do people get all bent out of shape on this. I m sure if it was any other company people would have no problem with it or at least it wouldn t have pages and pages about it. I personally wouldn t even pay $1 on this item or any other fluff item, but they know theres enough that will so they did it. Obviously it s making them alot of revenue and people just can t see it as a good move on their part. Let it go, it isn t hurting anyone.
Which is better? Doing something or doing nothing? I'd rather do something, even if it's not enough. If everyone did something this world would be a very different place. But this is a whole other issue which is not something specific to wow and the celestial mount. Bottomline, I can't blame blizzard for doing this or people for buying into it. It's just how the world works unfortunately.
My point is if you want to fix the world go out and do it. Do not poo poo people for doing what they want to do with their time and money with a tear jerk post about them spending their $25 better. In the end I am sure we could follow anyone around and contantly nitpick things they are doing that would "save the world." "You are super sizing that...shame shame." "You should ride the bus." "You are not recycling that *shakes head*." Etc. When a person is doing everything humanly possible in their life to "save the world" then I will listen to them about what I should be doing with $25 that I might want to spend on a hobby. (not that I am buying this horse as I do not play WoW at the moment, but shame shame on me I do have 5 different pay accounts across a few games that I could be spending to save the world.)
I foresee that anything blizzard thinks is 'cool looking' will only be obtainable through RMT means... as soon as anything that modifies gear, be it stats or cosmetics, i'm dropping my subscription. I pay a sub to get the whole game, not just a portion. It seems like they are slowly easing in that direction and they are just easing people into it.
A lot of people have this mount right now and a good number of them bought it to feel 'different'. Whats funny is they were suckered into buying something that everyone has now, you can't look at the screen without seeing that mount.
It is like kid their their alternative, goth, punk, etc look. They all want to be original but instead end up all looking the same. Wow you are so rebellious you got a tongue ring like all of your friends.
LOL, damn you took that personal, maybe your mum would like to fund an indie studio?
Nah, seriously it's good business to balance operating costs and income. I don't know what the costs are but I'm certain blizzard has it covered and have a few backup plans if things go sour. Hell they could take a shit and sell it so take it easy mr. trump, money isn't an issue with them.
Second competition is only a state of reference. Football and paintball are both sports but don't directly compete with each other. How different would it be from what a publisher does? This could even show that blizzard actually cares about the gaming industry instead of being the large brutal inmate having their way with the fishbois.
The genre needs some new money and so far Blizzard is getting it all. Since they took any good idea from every game in the last 5 years, it'd be nice to see some money go into new projects (other than their own).
I'm sure a lot of people feel that games have just went to shit. Big devs lost their courage, publishers become too invovled and no one hardly listens to the players anymore - so who better to make new games than the players/indies themselves? They probably won't be blockbusters but I'm sure with a little bit of business sense they could balance that whole build,bubble, burst thingie.
...but this is only my opinion, you don't have to ride in on a horse and save anyone.
You are avoiding my question, but that's ok. You just want to win this argument. No one person can save the world. It's a global effort. As I said, I can't blame anyone for buying this mount. But if I or anyone else want to try and make people aware that there actually is a world outside of azeroth that needs saving, then I think we are entitled to.
to everyone who bought or plan to buy this mount.....enjoy your happy meal, and thank you for ruin the MMO as a game.
to me cash shops in a P2P game is just disgusting, when you already paying anything you gain should be included in events, not ow this thing looks cool *pay 25$* no it should be ow that guys mount look awesome. /tell JD how did you get that ?!? it looks awesome.
if you do not find any kind of pleasure in this, well to me you ruin the MMO virtual worlds. and really should be playing F2P, there is by now plenty of great F2P games, instead go about promote this kind of greed and lazy game design.
sure anyone can afford 25$ if playing WoW am sure, but you just bought something that should have been in an epic event.