1) Account services - name change, sex change, race change, server transfer, etc.
Yes
2) Purely cosmetic items which are also available in-game (transmutation stones, hair or face change, etc)
Yes
3) Purely Cosmetic Items which are NOT available in-game - exclusive to microtransaction shop (transmutation stones, hair or face change, etc)
Since this conditions of this survey states only "yes" or "no" answers, I'm going to go with YES. In reality, it depends on what this "purely cosmetic item" is.
4) Armor and weapons that provide no statistical or power advantage, and are also available in game. (armor / weapons "skins")
Since this conditions of this survey states only "yes" or "no" answers, I'm going to go with YES. It depends on how easy it is for these items to come across inside the game.
5) Armor and weapons that provide no statistical or power advantage, but are not available in-game ("skins" exclusive to microtransaction shop)
Since this conditions of this survey states only "yes" or "no" answers, I'm going to go with YES. Truly, I'd prefer not, but I'm OK with it. It just cannot provide any advantage what-so-ever inside the game.
6) Armor and weapons which provide a stistical or power advantage over what is available in-game.
NO. The term "no", imo is not strong enough to convey how much I dislike this idea.
7) Skills, talents, traits, etc. - packs or piecemeal selling of abilities which you would normally earn in-game by playing the game.
No
8) Collectibles (items with no stats or power or value other than as a collectible) which are also available to earn in-game (mini pets, dyes, etc)
Yes
9) Collectibles (items with no stats or power or value other than as a collectible) which are not available in-game (mini pets, dyes, etc) - exclusive to the microtransaction shop.
Yes
10) DLC - packs of content smaller and cheaper than expansions.... dungeons, chapters of personal story, etc.
For the conditions of this survey, YES. However, it truly depends on what is being offered as the DLC. If it's something like the BMP in GW1, I'm fine with it. If it's a whole different zone, I'm fine with it. As long, of course, as it doesn't provide items that are statistically more powerful than those that can be obtained anywhere else in the game. Dungeons...eh iffy. Depends on the size of the dungeon, and how content is in the dungeon. To many dungeons in dlc, you risk splitting the community.
11) Items which "shortcut" the normal play of the game (experience potions, travel speed boosts, treasure maps, etc)
No
12) Items which increase a player's power or statistics for a limited time (stat or hp or mana potions, buffs, etc)
No
13A) Additional Character slots Yes
13B) Pre-made characters (mid-level or max-level characters) No
14) Content "unlocks" - selling the keys to some content which is already in the game, but blocked from use.
No
15) Recipes / materials for crafting
In general, no. However, Id be fine with recipe packs after the first couple months or so. So long as the recipes are obtainable in-game, and the packs don't contain any extremely difficult to get recipes. However, definitely no to materials.
Anyways: All kinds of fluff is fine to me, like skins, minipets and so on. As long as there are plenty of choices I don't care if you can get them in game or not. Same thing with extra character slots and storage space.
The transmution stones should however be something you can get in game, even though it is fine if it is pretty hard.
DLCs are bad, pack them together in a expansion instead.
And no XP pots.
These would be my choices. Any kind of Stat boosts are bad as well.
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?"
A mod closed my thread on GW2Guru. Too bad, I was finding the data interesting, even if other people don't. I sent a PM to try and request it be re-opened.
I wish ArenaNet would either check out my results or do a poll of their own. I'm not sure how they expect to provide the community what they want, and avoid the things we don't want, if they never ask. I'm assuming that they will probably just mention things being in the shop one by one and see how much an uproar is created.
If they decide to sell expansion like DLC's and such in the shop it's fine, I just dont like the idea of quest per quest cashcow idea for content distribution. Cash shops are fine imo in mmorpgs as long as they are not built around the idea of robbing you if you want to fully enjoy the gameplay and content.
For those of you with no XP pots on your list... why?
We're not competing against each other to level, are we? So, why are you against someone else paying to level a little faster than you?
I am honestly only against xp pots on the first character. Maybe odd view, but the first time through the game I think everyone should have to go the pace fo the game and enjoy it. After that if you are making alts, it doesn't bother me if someone uses xp pots. Maybe I am the only one who sees it this way? :P
For those of you with no XP pots on your list... why?
We're not competing against each other to level, are we? So, why are you against someone else paying to level a little faster than you?
I thought about it and I did come to the same conclusion as you when it comes to PVE. There's no endgame to rush to and there is an emphasis on replayability, so in essence an XP potion would be paying to make your game worse.
However, in World PVP, people are automatically scaled up, but it depends on your level. A level 20 in WvW will not be as powerful as a level 40. Being that they have to add servers in groups of 3s, it makes sense that the first match after doing that would be 3 fresh servers against one another. it's at least possible to imagine a situation where XP potions would give an advantage even if it might end up being miniscule.
Going back to PVE, even if XP potions don't give any real advantage for the reasons you say, that might be reason enough to not sell them, just to not have to deal with customers who feel like they got no real value for their money.
"Gamers will no longer buy the argument that every MMO requires a subscription fee to offset server and bandwidth costs. It's not true you know it, and they know it."-Jeff Strain, co-founder of ArenaNet, 2007
For those of you with no XP pots on your list... why?
We're not competing against each other to level, are we? So, why are you against someone else paying to level a little faster than you?
I thought about it and I did come to the same conclusion as you when it comes to PVE. There's no endgame to rush to and there is an emphasis on replayability, so in essence an XP potion would be paying to make your game worse.
However, in World PVP, people are automatically scaled up, but it depends on your level. A level 20 in WvW will not be as powerful as a level 40. Being that they have to add servers in groups of 3s, it makes sense that the first match after doing that would be 3 fresh servers against one another. it's at least possible to imagine a situation where XP potions would give an advantage even if it might end up being miniscule.
Going back to PVE, even if XP potions don't give any real advantage for the reasons you say, that might be reason enough to not sell them, just to not have to deal with customers who feel like they got no real value for their money.
It's a fine line, and this is one of those items that seem to get people in an uproar. As for people not getting real value... heh If they're dumb enough to pay for it, that's not my concern!
A mod closed my thread on GW2Guru. Too bad, I was finding the data interesting, even if other people don't. I sent a PM to try and request it be re-opened.
I wish ArenaNet would either check out my results or do a poll of their own. I'm not sure how they expect to provide the community what they want, and avoid the things we don't want, if they never ask. I'm assuming that they will probably just mention things being in the shop one by one and see how much an uproar is created.
What people say they will do and what people actually do are often two different things. Also, what you get from the posts of the forum crowd seems very different in most cases from what you get from the actionsof the players in game. The most classic example is XP potions. Around here, it's Devil Water, created by the souless to feed the immoral as they both spiral toward Hell with cash in one hand and a big ePeen in the other. The reality is that in most MMOs, the XP potion is one of the hottest sellers because most people are playing to have fun and not measuring the lengthof their xp bar to the next guy's. For a lot of people, feeling like they have a fasterthan average gain is fun. *cue judgemental generalizations about the unwashed masses from the self-righteous elite*
That being said, there are a few microtransaction plans that came to be in a couple MMOs where... well, yeah... sometimes the players' warnings or concerns were spot on.
There isn't a "right" or "wrong" way to play, if you want to use a screwdriver to put nails into wood, have at it, simply don't complain when the guy next to you with the hammer is doing it much better and easier. - Allein "Graphics are often supplied by Engines that (some) MMORPG's are built in" - Spuffyre
A mod closed my thread on GW2Guru. Too bad, I was finding the data interesting, even if other people don't. I sent a PM to try and request it be re-opened.
I wish ArenaNet would either check out my results or do a poll of their own. I'm not sure how they expect to provide the community what they want, and avoid the things we don't want, if they never ask. I'm assuming that they will probably just mention things being in the shop one by one and see how much an uproar is created.
You might be interested in this thread and the video linked in the OP.
In short, EASY polled Battlefield Heroes players about what the features they would be interested in purchasing as DLC or as part of a cash shop. They went with the most popular choices. Players (the vocal forum minority) freaked the hell out. The game got horrible PR. All signs (on forums and in the news) pointed to the game failing horribly. But the data showed the exact opposite: more people were playing, their revenue stream was revitalized, and most telling of all the exact same players who started up the QQ storm began paying almost 2000% (that's right, thousand) more than the average user (over $20 per month, while the average was $2 per month.)
Anything that gives your chars advantage over others ingame = probably not going to play.
Anything that ALSO drops in the game = hate it, everyone should play the game on equal terms. May accept some, but it counts as a negative.
DLC, microtransactions = not a fan since it messes with above statements. DLC will give those who buy it advantages over others who cant get those drops/quests etc.
Character transfer, community services and anything not ingame = No problem with this.
Bag spaces, Bank spaces, Character slots = fine with me.
Above all, none of this matters if the game is shallow or does not hold a suficient amount of interesting content.
Good to see from the votes that a very high majority atleast takes a distance to the worst game breaking suggestions.
A mod closed my thread on GW2Guru. Too bad, I was finding the data interesting, even if other people don't. I sent a PM to try and request it be re-opened.
I wish ArenaNet would either check out my results or do a poll of their own. I'm not sure how they expect to provide the community what they want, and avoid the things we don't want, if they never ask. I'm assuming that they will probably just mention things being in the shop one by one and see how much an uproar is created.
You might be interested in this thread and the video linked in the OP.
In short, EASY polled Battlefield Heroes players about what the features they would be interested in purchasing as DLC or as part of a cash shop. They went with the most popular choices. Players (the vocal forum minority) freaked the hell out. The game got horrible PR. All signs (on forums and in the news) pointed to the game failing horribly. But the data showed the exact opposite: more people were playing, their revenue stream was revitalized, and most telling of all the exact same players who started up the QQ storm began paying almost 2000% (that's right, thousand) more than the average user (over $20 per month, while the average was $2 per month.)
Just a really interesting situation I thought.
Thats one of the reasons i dont visit GW2Guru.. It is highly overmoderated...
AS to the example of BfH, it just porrves my gut feeling to be right.... If they make the shop fair enough without any I-win items (and i am sure they wil) and keep the prices acceptable... If the game is as good as it looks right now, everyone will play the game and buy whatever they seem neccesary from the Shop, wether it be content or cosmetic items...
Personally i dont like ingame shops all that much, but i could live with them in the games i played... In game like Lotro, D&D and EQ2E chooosing the sub option instead of the buying content option.... But i am willing to try this game anyhow... Just hoping that if they sell content (DLC) that prices will be fair...
Because there will be a shop containing these things, so much i have accepted by now
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)
A mod closed my thread on GW2Guru. Too bad, I was finding the data interesting, even if other people don't. I sent a PM to try and request it be re-opened.
I wish ArenaNet would either check out my results or do a poll of their own. I'm not sure how they expect to provide the community what they want, and avoid the things we don't want, if they never ask. I'm assuming that they will probably just mention things being in the shop one by one and see how much an uproar is created.
Did they have the common courtesy to tell you why they were killing it or did it just disappear into the ether like so many other posts on that site? I actually think it's a pretty thought-provoking subject since I really needed to evaluate all those options for once. It wasn't just another cash shop good/bad thread.
Serves you right for trucking with fascists anyways.
AS to the example of BfH, it just porrves my gut feeling to be right.... If they make the shop fair enough without any I-win items (and i am sure they wil) and keep the prices acceptable... If the game is as good as it looks right now, everyone will play the game and buy whatever they seem neccesary from the Shop, wether it be content or cosmetic items...
Personally i dont like ingame shops all that much, but i could live with them in the games i played... In game like Lotro, D&D and EQ2E chooosing the sub option instead of the buying content option.... But i am willing to try this game anyhow... Just hoping that if they sell content (DLC) that prices will be fair...
I assume they get in the money on the same thing as they get in GW2:
Character slots
Extra bank slots
Expansions (buying it digitally instead of a box and straight from the shop means a lot more money to ANET)
Fluff (particularly seasonal costumes)
These stuff have sold very well earlier and while they will add a few things like those stones to morph your gear.
It seems however like skill unlocks wont be as useful here so they probably scrap that.
I been playing the first game for over 5 years, never really felt the need to buy anything besides the campaigns and the expansion but I guess I will have to buy a few char slots extra in this case.
Anyways, GW1s prices have been very fair and it is likely they will continue with that. Overpriceing really is just dumb, once you made something digitally you wont have more cost no matter how many you sell and games with too high prices have lost a lot on that, it only leads to people not buying anything.
Originally posted by Unlight Did they have the common courtesy to tell you why they were killing it or did it just disappear into the ether like so many other posts on that site? I actually think it's a pretty thought-provoking subject since I really needed to evaluate all those options for once. It wasn't just another cash shop good/bad thread. Serves you right for trucking with fascists anyways.
The reason given was that there was already a general discussion thread about microtransactions.
The problem is, as you correctly point out, general discussions on the topic are completely useless. People just randomly suggest things, use completely subjective and ambiguous language, and we really learn absolutely nothing about what people REALLY will and won't accept in a cash shop. You have to get specific, and track actual numbers, if you want to know where the community comes down.
I do recognize that the wider gaming community is quite a bit different than the community on gaming forums. There's no denying that. I'm sure the masses probably don't give a crap what ArenaNet sells in their store.
MMORPGs are a bit different than other games in that a core long-term player base is absolutely vital to forming a solid community...and these games USED to revolve around (and gain their success from) their community. You can't screw your base and expect your MMORPG to be as successful, at least that's my opinion. There have been plenty of examples of games that had tremendous communities until the developer screwed over their base and the games never really recovered their popularity or realized their potential success (SWG, Vanguard, etc.).
I think I am going to stop posting at GW2Guru. My old stomping grounds are back up and running at Silky Venom, and I created a new GW2 section in case anyone would like to get away from the current...options...when it comes to discussing GW2. Swing by and say hello.
If you sell xp pots, it's extremely difficult not to design the game in such a way as to introduce pointless grind, so that people would be forced to buy XP pots to escape that grind.
Originally posted by Grahor The only controversional item: XP pots.
In itself, I'm okay with it. However.
If you sell xp pots, it's extremely difficult not to design the game in such a way as to introduce pointless grind, so that people would be forced to buy XP pots to escape that grind.
Yeah, it throws off the balance of the system. The developer either has to adjust the normal experience curve to make it slower so that the exp pots don't unbalance, which then means the experience is miserable for people who don't buy them, or else they have to accept the fact that those buying pots are going to screw up the game over time (character distribution, value of items, economy, etc.) These games are much too complicated to just throw in an arbitrary variable for some players and expect things to still work.
But it really comes down to whether the developer cares about creating a lasting virtual world with balance and consistency in the system...or if they just want a sloppy playground to wring money out of people. There are plenty of developers out there who obviously have no respect for their own work, other than as a cash machine.
1) Of course. Every MMO charges for this. Well most do anyway.
2) Depends. If its something hard to get like a special costume from an instance that is really really tough to finish then I probably would NOT be ok with it. If its items that are not hard to get but may be somewhat of a grind then I am totally fine with it.
3) Yup. This is one of the biggest ways for a cash shop to bring in money. I would throw in the price has to be reasonable but Anet has shown to be reasonable in GW1
4 and 5) Same as my awnsers for 2 and 3.
6) HELL NO. This would cause me to never buy the game or support the game further if its added in after initial purchase of the game.
7) So long as they wait untill the first expansion to add the core game skills ect. To add these things at launch or new ones with a new expansion would be an unfair advantage in PvP.
8 and 9) Same as awnsers for 2 and 3.
10) 80% no. I say 80% because its not something that I would not buy the game or leave over but it would definitly piss me off.
11 and 12) HELL NO.
13A) Fine with it so long as we get at least 2 with the game initially.
13B) See #'s 6, 11, and 12. Add in a /middlefinger
14) Um. No.
15) No. The only crafting things I would be ok with is cosmetic items. Since that would be completely pointless when they could sell said item directly it would make no sense.
Would like to say I am a former cashshop-o-holic. The ONLY reason I am a former is because I got tired of having to buy my way to a powerfull toon. If they make a cash shop of everything I agreed to I would gladly buy everything they come out with. If they add one single thing that gives an advantage over other players or sell non cosmetic game content (dungeons/zones ect) I will most likely stop playing.
Comments
These would be my choices. Any kind of Stat boosts are bad as well.
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?"
A mod closed my thread on GW2Guru. Too bad, I was finding the data interesting, even if other people don't. I sent a PM to try and request it be re-opened.
I wish ArenaNet would either check out my results or do a poll of their own. I'm not sure how they expect to provide the community what they want, and avoid the things we don't want, if they never ask. I'm assuming that they will probably just mention things being in the shop one by one and see how much an uproar is created.
Fluff (cosmetic, pets, skins, etc) = Yes.
Gameplay affecting stuff (abilities, races/chars, content, items, etc) = No.
If they decide to sell expansion like DLC's and such in the shop it's fine, I just dont like the idea of quest per quest cashcow idea for content distribution. Cash shops are fine imo in mmorpgs as long as they are not built around the idea of robbing you if you want to fully enjoy the gameplay and content.
1. yes
2. yes
3. yes
4. yes
5. yes
6. no, pay to win is bad,always bad
7. no, why play the game if you are not going to play the game
8. yes
9. yes
10. no, content should be there for everyone, cash shop should be fluff
11. no, again why play the game if you are not going to play it? exception to this would be xp potions are ok if you are using them on an alt
12. no, no pay to win, no no no, not even temporary pay to win, blah
13A. yes 13B. no, ruins the spirit of the game
14. no, earn it or don't go there
15. yes, if available ingame also, exception being recipes for social-only items is fine even if cash shop only
16. yes
For those of you with no XP pots on your list... why?
We're not competing against each other to level, are we? So, why are you against someone else paying to level a little faster than you?
1) Yes
2) yes
3) yes
4) yes
5) yes
6) no
7) no
8) yes
9) yes
10) yes
11) no
12) no
13A) yes
13B) no
14) no
15) no
16) yes
I am honestly only against xp pots on the first character. Maybe odd view, but the first time through the game I think everyone should have to go the pace fo the game and enjoy it. After that if you are making alts, it doesn't bother me if someone uses xp pots. Maybe I am the only one who sees it this way? :P
I thought about it and I did come to the same conclusion as you when it comes to PVE. There's no endgame to rush to and there is an emphasis on replayability, so in essence an XP potion would be paying to make your game worse.
However, in World PVP, people are automatically scaled up, but it depends on your level. A level 20 in WvW will not be as powerful as a level 40. Being that they have to add servers in groups of 3s, it makes sense that the first match after doing that would be 3 fresh servers against one another. it's at least possible to imagine a situation where XP potions would give an advantage even if it might end up being miniscule.
Going back to PVE, even if XP potions don't give any real advantage for the reasons you say, that might be reason enough to not sell them, just to not have to deal with customers who feel like they got no real value for their money.
"Gamers will no longer buy the argument that every MMO requires a subscription fee to offset server and bandwidth costs. It's not true you know it, and they know it." -Jeff Strain, co-founder of ArenaNet, 2007
It's a fine line, and this is one of those items that seem to get people in an uproar. As for people not getting real value... heh If they're dumb enough to pay for it, that's not my concern!
What people say they will do and what people actually do are often two different things. Also, what you get from the posts of the forum crowd seems very different in most cases from what you get from the actionsof the players in game. The most classic example is XP potions. Around here, it's Devil Water, created by the souless to feed the immoral as they both spiral toward Hell with cash in one hand and a big ePeen in the other. The reality is that in most MMOs, the XP potion is one of the hottest sellers because most people are playing to have fun and not measuring the lengthof their xp bar to the next guy's. For a lot of people, feeling like they have a fasterthan average gain is fun. *cue judgemental generalizations about the unwashed masses from the self-righteous elite*
That being said, there are a few microtransaction plans that came to be in a couple MMOs where... well, yeah... sometimes the players' warnings or concerns were spot on.
There isn't a "right" or "wrong" way to play, if you want to use a screwdriver to put nails into wood, have at it, simply don't complain when the guy next to you with the hammer is doing it much better and easier. - Allein
"Graphics are often supplied by Engines that (some) MMORPG's are built in" - Spuffyre
You might be interested in this thread and the video linked in the OP.
In short, EASY polled Battlefield Heroes players about what the features they would be interested in purchasing as DLC or as part of a cash shop. They went with the most popular choices. Players (the vocal forum minority) freaked the hell out. The game got horrible PR. All signs (on forums and in the news) pointed to the game failing horribly. But the data showed the exact opposite: more people were playing, their revenue stream was revitalized, and most telling of all the exact same players who started up the QQ storm began paying almost 2000% (that's right, thousand) more than the average user (over $20 per month, while the average was $2 per month.)
Just a really interesting situation I thought.
Well hopefully they have some frackin' sense and avoid animal fur, children, or drugs.
I'm up for anything else. Even /pizza
Because honestly I don't fret about other people's business like all the bossy betty bitches that find their way into MMOs.
Seriously it's like the kid who smelled like piss on the playground trying to boss how everyone played house on forums when this topic comes up.
I used to play MMOs like you, but then I took an arrow to the knee.
Anything that gives your chars advantage over others ingame = probably not going to play.
Anything that ALSO drops in the game = hate it, everyone should play the game on equal terms. May accept some, but it counts as a negative.
DLC, microtransactions = not a fan since it messes with above statements. DLC will give those who buy it advantages over others who cant get those drops/quests etc.
Character transfer, community services and anything not ingame = No problem with this.
Bag spaces, Bank spaces, Character slots = fine with me.
Above all, none of this matters if the game is shallow or does not hold a suficient amount of interesting content.
Good to see from the votes that a very high majority atleast takes a distance to the worst game breaking suggestions.
"I am my connectome" https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=HA7GwKXfJB0
Thats one of the reasons i dont visit GW2Guru.. It is highly overmoderated...
AS to the example of BfH, it just porrves my gut feeling to be right.... If they make the shop fair enough without any I-win items (and i am sure they wil) and keep the prices acceptable... If the game is as good as it looks right now, everyone will play the game and buy whatever they seem neccesary from the Shop, wether it be content or cosmetic items...
Personally i dont like ingame shops all that much, but i could live with them in the games i played... In game like Lotro, D&D and EQ2E chooosing the sub option instead of the buying content option.... But i am willing to try this game anyhow... Just hoping that if they sell content (DLC) that prices will be fair...
Because there will be a shop containing these things, so much i have accepted by now
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)
Did they have the common courtesy to tell you why they were killing it or did it just disappear into the ether like so many other posts on that site? I actually think it's a pretty thought-provoking subject since I really needed to evaluate all those options for once. It wasn't just another cash shop good/bad thread.
Serves you right for trucking with fascists anyways.
I assume they get in the money on the same thing as they get in GW2:
Character slots
Extra bank slots
Expansions (buying it digitally instead of a box and straight from the shop means a lot more money to ANET)
Fluff (particularly seasonal costumes)
These stuff have sold very well earlier and while they will add a few things like those stones to morph your gear.
It seems however like skill unlocks wont be as useful here so they probably scrap that.
I been playing the first game for over 5 years, never really felt the need to buy anything besides the campaigns and the expansion but I guess I will have to buy a few char slots extra in this case.
Anyways, GW1s prices have been very fair and it is likely they will continue with that. Overpriceing really is just dumb, once you made something digitally you wont have more cost no matter how many you sell and games with too high prices have lost a lot on that, it only leads to people not buying anything.
Nothing, If you have ever bought a life-time subscription to any other game.
MAGA
The reason given was that there was already a general discussion thread about microtransactions.
The problem is, as you correctly point out, general discussions on the topic are completely useless. People just randomly suggest things, use completely subjective and ambiguous language, and we really learn absolutely nothing about what people REALLY will and won't accept in a cash shop. You have to get specific, and track actual numbers, if you want to know where the community comes down.
I do recognize that the wider gaming community is quite a bit different than the community on gaming forums. There's no denying that. I'm sure the masses probably don't give a crap what ArenaNet sells in their store.
MMORPGs are a bit different than other games in that a core long-term player base is absolutely vital to forming a solid community...and these games USED to revolve around (and gain their success from) their community. You can't screw your base and expect your MMORPG to be as successful, at least that's my opinion. There have been plenty of examples of games that had tremendous communities until the developer screwed over their base and the games never really recovered their popularity or realized their potential success (SWG, Vanguard, etc.).
I think I am going to stop posting at GW2Guru. My old stomping grounds are back up and running at Silky Venom, and I created a new GW2 section in case anyone would like to get away from the current...options...when it comes to discussing GW2. Swing by and say hello.
The only controversional item: XP pots.
In itself, I'm okay with it. However.
If you sell xp pots, it's extremely difficult not to design the game in such a way as to introduce pointless grind, so that people would be forced to buy XP pots to escape that grind.
Yeah, it throws off the balance of the system. The developer either has to adjust the normal experience curve to make it slower so that the exp pots don't unbalance, which then means the experience is miserable for people who don't buy them, or else they have to accept the fact that those buying pots are going to screw up the game over time (character distribution, value of items, economy, etc.) These games are much too complicated to just throw in an arbitrary variable for some players and expect things to still work.
But it really comes down to whether the developer cares about creating a lasting virtual world with balance and consistency in the system...or if they just want a sloppy playground to wring money out of people. There are plenty of developers out there who obviously have no respect for their own work, other than as a cash machine.
1) Of course. Every MMO charges for this. Well most do anyway.
2) Depends. If its something hard to get like a special costume from an instance that is really really tough to finish then I probably would NOT be ok with it. If its items that are not hard to get but may be somewhat of a grind then I am totally fine with it.
3) Yup. This is one of the biggest ways for a cash shop to bring in money. I would throw in the price has to be reasonable but Anet has shown to be reasonable in GW1
4 and 5) Same as my awnsers for 2 and 3.
6) HELL NO. This would cause me to never buy the game or support the game further if its added in after initial purchase of the game.
7) So long as they wait untill the first expansion to add the core game skills ect. To add these things at launch or new ones with a new expansion would be an unfair advantage in PvP.
8 and 9) Same as awnsers for 2 and 3.
10) 80% no. I say 80% because its not something that I would not buy the game or leave over but it would definitly piss me off.
11 and 12) HELL NO.
13A) Fine with it so long as we get at least 2 with the game initially.
13B) See #'s 6, 11, and 12. Add in a /middlefinger
14) Um. No.
15) No. The only crafting things I would be ok with is cosmetic items. Since that would be completely pointless when they could sell said item directly it would make no sense.
Would like to say I am a former cashshop-o-holic. The ONLY reason I am a former is because I got tired of having to buy my way to a powerfull toon. If they make a cash shop of everything I agreed to I would gladly buy everything they come out with. If they add one single thing that gives an advantage over other players or sell non cosmetic game content (dungeons/zones ect) I will most likely stop playing.