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Recently every game I have bought contained various items available in-game for your characters. SW:TOR did so aswell, and though I was tempted to buy the CE for the many physical items, the price in EU is beyond insanity. However, this thread does not concern the prices, but rather the need for people to be handed free in-game items.
I decided not to pre-order for many reasons that I shall not elaborate here. Suffice to say, I'd rather play the game when its completely done and released. Nevertheless, I now plan on getting a standard copy simply to avoid the in-game items. Though they serve little else other than vanity, I'd rather achieve such items through gaming. Some items are 'sadly' more effective than others and while the advantage may not be obvious I have come to dislike them. Starter mounts, as an example, ruins the joy of earning a proper mount, the feeling of accomplishment you get after all the work you went through.
Perhaps the keyword is 'work'? Whereas earlier games required much more dedication, many games nowadays are more easy and simple to approach. Are we tired of the work? Can work not also be entertaining? However you put it I, for one, like to achieve my items through work. That is one of the great feelings I get when gaming.
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With that whopping 150 dollar price tag, I can't blame you.
Gonna lmao when this game comes out and all these people spent 150 for the CE and realize they just been had.
"When it comes to GW2 any game is fair game"
It's a brilliant marketing ploy. It's far cheaper to create an ingame fluff item to get people to pay a little extra to buy your game. So as soon as the first companies started to do this successfully, the industry took notice and now almost ever game has them.
As far as work and accomplishment go. Here is my little rant.
You have 90% of the mmo market that are casuals who have full time jobs and lots of disposable income. They already work many hours so when they get home they want to relax.
Then you have the other 10%. Mmo's are their job, so they have less disposable income. They want to be challenged constantly because their sense of achievement comes from gaming. They don't have an outlet outside of gaming that gives it to them. These people will tear through content in a fraction of time as the casuals and will always demand more.
If you owned a business and wanted to make money, which group would you cater to?
Good points and the answer is obvious of course. Nevertheless, I consider myself a casual player and more or less fit the the group you described first. I too do not always have more than a couple of hours to play but I'd still prefer to have the journey instead of the result. I realize the word 'work' is a bit misleading in this case and should be replaced with journey. With that in mind is the journey no longer enjoyable?
I didn't get the CE but the CE is worth $150.00. The statue alone retails for at least $75 on the manufacturers website.
In Bioware we trust!
I absolutely feel the same and extend that sentiment to buying in game rewards through cash shops.
I get no pleasure or joy from 'owning' pixels for the sheer act of owning them... leanring, experiencing, and (hopefully) beating the game is what motivates me to play. The pixels are just a mark of that, they mean nothing on their own.
To make it worse, you don't actually own anything you buy in these games... you spend your RL money to buy that new fancy looking sword but you don NOT own it, you are renting it. If they shut the game down the next day you don't get to keep anything.
It really is all the biggest scam, and to make it worst it's a scam the victims fight to support. Crazy.
Scam? Dark and Light was scam, not this. Also please stop labeling everyone who is willing to pay 150 bucks for CE as victims. Because i am sure they won't agree to this.
True. That is also why I have come to hate the concept of Veteran Rewards. In AoC you could use your points to buy mounts or XP boosters, In FE you could use them on mounts and fast travel. Where's the fun in that? Again, while I don't always have the time to play I'd much rather achieve mounts, gear or other items through playing. If you cannot enjoy the journey then I don't know where the game industry is heading
What I love most is when a game lures you in with pre release items and then goes belly up. For example Age of Conan offered some interesting items for Pre-Order and then ended up having to go free to play cause it died. Leads me to believe that in some cases company's do it because they are not confident in the title and NEED to add that little extra something to spark interest. I for one do not get sucked in to the Pre-Order ploy. Like you, I would rather feel like I accomplished something significant, even if it means I will never have a certain mount/Item for my character. Also Like the "10%" I have more money than time, but I don't feel the need to waste the money I worked hard for. Especially when that chunk of change could be used for the subscription cost. Interesting thread none the less, and I am curious how others feel regarding this.
MMO's are not about the journey any more. It is about reaching the end as fast as possible so you can "enjoy" the game. I could never understand this mentality but it works for a lot of people.
Imagine if people did not do things in game that they did not find fun at the moment they were doing them. It is all about chasing the carrot. It is always the "if i do this now even though it sucks and I am not having fun I will have fun when I get the item" but then there is another item and another not fun thing to do. It is a never ending cycle.
Sorry went off topic there.
So the thinly-veiled attempts to bash SWTOR continue, huh? I noticed how this turned from a general query about in-game items into a Bioware-Bash. Good job there..
We don't need in-game goodies, but they're nice to have, no? Some games with really nice ones too. Tabula Rasa came with this funky robot thing that followed you about. I liked that. It was fluff, and I don't mind paying a bit extra for fluff.
And it's true that spending all our hard-earned cash on software we don't own is a huge scam. But check this:
The same rule applies to every single piece of software you have ever purchased.
So why aren't you on that game's forums right now, complaining that you're being scammed?
No, it's easier to jump on the "let's shiv SWTOR!" bandwagon, right?
OP, I'm sorry your general query got turned into a Bioware-Bash, but then again, you posted it in the SWTOR forum, so I can only imagine that was your actual goal.
No,I am sure they wouldnt. but thats the beauty of the scam.
See what I mean though? The victims fight to support it...
And, BTW, we are talking about pixels being given as an incentive for for pre orders, we are not dicsussing the price of the CE right now. Just to clarify for you.
It wasn't my intention to bash SW:TOR in any way. Please know that I'm a huge fan of the game and intend to play, but I have not preordered because I'd like to wait until the servers have settled, the initial bugs have been removed and the full experience is as good as it can get. I hope this explanation will make you understand that I have no intention to bash SW:TOR. I simply posted in this forum because TOR is the most recent game to offer pre-order items.
This thread should only discuss why we like or dislike 'free items'. If its location is a problem I'll gladly have a Admin move it
I hope I have managed to change your opinion of my post.
EDIT: Unlike you I like to start from scratch with no help whatsoever. I do so for the sake of immersion. But I do understand that many find fluff items to be a funny addition and as long they do not tip the scale (offer an advantage) I have no problems with them. But what is your opinion on pre-order items such as mounts?
Yes but you are still calling them victims. And i know what you are talking about and pixels too add to the cost of the CE. For some people in game items are as important as say that statue. Different strokes for different folks. Only because you do not see the value in it does not mean it is a scam. All i am asking you to be a little reasonable with your opinions and not over react.
Most companies gives free items with preorders. It usually means that some people buy the game without checking it out first, which in turn leads to ore boxe sales and 20 whiny threads here.
Still, I don't care what they give you, never preorder a MMO you havn't tried out yet. In fact never buy any MMO you havn't tried out, saves you money and frustration.
But this is general MMO wisdom which means that it was a long time ago since I regretted buying a MMO, something few of the people preordering games can say the same about.
And that is not about TOR but any MMO, particularly with monthly fees as well.
No one is a victim that willingly walks into something, I am sure you can find better names for them.
People who are tricked into walking into things by the lies and false realities of others are victims, whether it's of their own 'free will' or not.
The word was chosen for a reason, I don't need to look for another.
There is no over reaction here, just a reaction you apparently do not like.
What I am saying, and how I am saying it, is perfectly reasonable.
Unless you only consider those who share your PoV to be 'reasonable' ofc.
could question if the statue is worth 75$, and maybe more important where is it produced, properbly not USA...am certain they have quite a profit on it...either way 75$ sounds like a high price to me, especially if it is produced in asia
Doesn't mean your choice of word is right. No one got tricked, clearly i didn't because i read every detail before i ordered two CE. And since i got a chance to play SWTOR on more than one ocassion i clearly do not feel i am a victim of some scam. I think you are just trying to get rise out of people on purpose.
Then you should stop buying and playing MMOS since all you are doing is renting pixels anyway.
In Bioware we trust!
Calm maybe but reasoned point of view? not even close. Also if you think you have the right to label me as a victim i surely have the right to tell you that you are wrong. Who are you to decide i was a victim (or anyone else for that matter) of scam or not? or you are trying to insinuate that i am too stupid to realise that i was scamed? i have no idea where are you going with this labeling and name calling.
I think what most people miss about MMOs is that they are not an "owned" or even rented item.
I liken them to going to see a movie in the theaters. You can't take the movie home with you. You are paying for the journey, not the destination. SWTOR is made more for those who want the journey, not the bum-rush to the end and lots of grindy top-level stuff. Either way, when the movie is over, it's over, and they close down the servers.
Just like a movie theater; when the movie is over, it's time to go.
Value to the dollar (even for a CE) is fine under these circumstances; if you wanted to go to a movie which was 1 month long, you'd pay about $420.00 if you went 10 hours a week for a month. It's just a different medium, you use your own hardware. Fluff is simply that; fluff. If you have the income, why not? It's not like they are gouging; they have a market, they are tapping it.
Aside from the above (which many people will tear this analogy apart, I am sure - it is flawed by nature), the bottom line is: If you can't afford it, or it causes you that much concern over amounts, why pay?
I certainly spend more than $15 a month on Starbucks, and get more enjoyment out of the game than a cuppa. Well, except first thing in the morning. If it agonizes anyone that much, then simply don't play - save your money. I personally have the disposable income to enjoy it, and not be concerned.
It's much like buying a car. Buy a Hyundai if you're making less than 30K a year. If you're making $100K per year, you can buy an Audi or something a little higher-end. You have that option. I know people in that income bracket with Hyundai. They just didn't want to spend the money. They certainly don't go on and on about how an Audi is a rip-off.
I personally didn't buy the CE; I don't consider it value for the dollar. But I don't deride those who do, or that they offer it. From a business standpoint, it makes sense. Those getting CE aren't going to have undue power, they're not immortalized in any way, they can't play more content than I can. They're playing the same game with reskinned stuff. More power to them.
No,you are wrong.
When I play an MMORPG I am paying it for the challenge of learning it and beating it, the experience of the world they have created and the stories within it, and the pleasure of doing that with friends.
Spending RL money on renting new cosmentic armour bypasses all that and shortcuts consumers straight to the reward.
It's a fundamental difference in how you are sold content- playable DLC or dress up pixels for your avatar- Play to Achieve vs Pay to Achieve.
I play to achieve, because I am a gamer.