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Mike O'Brien (ArenaNet founder) on microtransactions

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  • TheDarkrayneTheDarkrayne Member EpicPosts: 5,297

    Most pople are missing the important point.. there are 3 currencies, not 2. What you can buy with Gold and what you can buy with Karma is what will determine this system.

    I don't suffer from insanity, I enjoy every minute of it.
  • kadepsysonkadepsyson Member UncommonPosts: 1,919

    Originally posted by Twilight33

    ffs im really tired of you retards that have no clue what your talking about. pick up a copy of GW1 and learn how gear is going to fing work in GW2 before you whine. their is no best gear. its all side grades, or cosmetic changes. their is no super rare gear with insane stats. this inst a fing gear treadmill.

    My point isn't that the gear being bought has "insane stats."  My point is, that if one player can purchase something for real money that another player cannot afford through actually playing the game, that's an unfair advantage.

    Edit: Also, I'd hesitate to call others retards when you haven't learned the differences between "your" and you're", and "there and their".

  • AutemOxAutemOx Member Posts: 1,704

    This is a very disappointing article...  :-(   It makes it sound very much like $$ = unfair advantage.

    I guess now that I am older I should not care as much, because I have so little time and considerably more money, but I still do not prefer it.  It turns what was a fun game into a $$ sink and creates a negative attitude towards the game for me.  Every game I have put $$ into for microtransactions thus far, I look at in retrospect as a game that was 'screwing me' out of my money.

     

    Play as your fav retro characters: cnd-online.net. My site: www.lysle.net. Blog: creatingaworld.blogspot.com.

  • FangrimFangrim Member UncommonPosts: 616

    Then i see no problem with this at all.In EQ2 i had 26 000 plat and nothing to spend it on,at least here I can spend my gold on something....a new hat! :)

    Edit: Cosmetic only ofc :)


    image

  • BlahTeebBlahTeeb Member UncommonPosts: 624

    Originally posted by Madimorga

    Almost everything which is attainable by using karma is also purchasable using coin.[1]

     

    That is according to the Guid Wars 2 official wiki:  http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Karma

     

     

    Here would be my questions regarding this:

     

    Is karma gear easily obtainable at regular intervals during the leveling process so that, while leveling, I don't have to rely on an auction house with potentially inflated prices due to a real money influx?

     

    Will there be gear gaps that would make it better to obtain crafted or dropped gear over the karma gear at certain levels for pvp and pve?

     

    Will it be time consuming or difficult to obtain the best crafted or dropped gear in game?

     

    If the answer to the first is no and the answer to the second two is yes:  Will prices have a cap on the auction house?

     

    If this is really all about vanity items, why not simply sell Bind on Account vanity gear and do away with this entire issue?

     

     

    Yes, coin can also buy karma items, however the price of coin is much higher than the price of using karma. Karma is mainly attained through dynamic events, and if you base it off demos and press footage, you actually get quite a bit of karma in relation to the gold you get. So in the end it SHOULD function in a way that karma is used to buy gear (since karma is not tradeable, you are pretty much forced to use it or just save it up and waste it.)

    If you have a handful of gold and a handful of karma and are looking to buy an armor, its better to use the karma, because the gold can be traded to get various other things, whereas karma is ONLY usable at karma vendors. There are many more gold vendors than there are karma vendors.

    Any gap between levels and gear will not be known until a huge amount of players actually play the game. The goal was and still is that ArenaNet have wanted you to have gear equal to your level. If you want different and rare looking armor, then you might want to spend karma or buy gems, but for the most part, you shouldn't be at a disadvantage. Certainly not in PvP since everyone starts with top of the line gear.

    But no, it will NOT be time consuming to get top gear for your level. We know that top gear is top gear. There is no ultra top gear that is better than the topest gear. There is just ultra rare looking gear that will be time consuming. If we take ArenaNets word on it though, these are strictly vanity gears that should not provide unspeakable power. 

  • asianbboy101asianbboy101 Member Posts: 82

     


    The more I think about this system the more it makes sense.


     


    Player A (the poor hard worker) :


    Damn I really want that micro-transaction golem banker, but I don't have (IRL) money to spend on it. Wait a minute, I can use my in-game gold to purchase gems from another player and still get it any way! 


     


    Player B (the rich lazy guy) :


    I want this cool looking armor but I really don't feel like farming a lot of gold. Wait a minute, I'll just buy some gems and sell them to players. I get the armor I want that way! 


     


    In essence player B payed for player A's micro transaction and player A simply provided a service to player B in return (in-game gold). There's no money creation, because the money was hard-earned gold by player A all along. This is great because it does not affect the economy!


     


    Player A gets his micro transaction. Player B gets his shiny armor. ArenaNet gets paid.


     


     


    In addition, you can't buy dungon gear with gold, karma, or gems and GW2 not being gear driven.


     



    Originally Posted by Martin Kerstein View Post


    Everything that is in the store will basically be available for gold with this system - so it doesn't really matter what is in the store, as it is also available for players who play and don't want to spend additional money.



     

  • 2D34DLY4U2D34DLY4U Member UncommonPosts: 62

    It's basically the best possible system and makes total sense, I applaud ArenaNet for having the courage to apply EVE PLEX system on their MMO. Has pros and cons but it's the best the industry has come up with so far.

    That said...incoming community reaction!!!

    I love the smell of fresh fanboy charred corpses in the afternoon :)

    Burn, fanbabies, burn.

  • ExilorExilor Member Posts: 391

    Originally posted by asianbboy101




     



    Originally Posted by Martin Kerstein View Post


    Everything that is in the store will basically be available for gold with this system - so it doesn't really matter what is in the store, as it is also available for players who play and don't want to spend additional money.



     

    Now I'm scared LOL.

  • MwynForeverMwynForever Member Posts: 139

    Originally posted by Twilight33

    ffs im really tired of you retards that have no clue what your talking about. pick up a copy of GW1 and learn how gear is going to fing work in GW2 before you whine. their is no best gear. its all side grades, or cosmetic changes. their is no super rare gear with insane stats. this inst a fing gear treadmill.

    I know it's frustrating beyond belief because I PLAY GW1. I pvp with people with EQUAL gear who have NO skill and thus suck so bad. Money will not buy you an I WIN button lol. People with all the tools in front of them are guarenteed nothing without thought.

    One of life's lil hand grenades

  • adam_noxadam_nox Member UncommonPosts: 2,148

    Originally posted by Twilight33

    ffs im really tired of you retards that have no clue what your talking about. pick up a copy of GW1 and learn how gear is going to fing work in GW2 before you whine. their is no best gear. its all side grades, or cosmetic changes. their is no super rare gear with insane stats. this inst a fing gear treadmill.

    yeah uh bro, I guess you missed the memo that this game bears almost no resemblance in any way outside of Lore to GW1.

  • stragen001stragen001 Member UncommonPosts: 1,720

    Originally posted by rojo6934

    Originally posted by Alot

    And all of a sudden the forums exploded. I don't really like it, it is way too similar to Diablo 3's Auction House.

    Edit to the poster above me: But doesn't a system like this allow players to gain power by spending Real Money? Is this a problem in EvE?

    you wont be able to gain power by spending real money. I dont know about EVE because ive never played it or even looked into it, but Mark O Briens message its pretty clear that theres no power to the player (who spends real money) over the one who spends time.

     

    The items that they are going to sell in the cash shop are now irrelevant. Thats (hopefully) not going to be a problem as they will all (hopefully) be vanity items. 

    $$ --> Gems --> In Game Gold quite simply means the game is now pay to win.

    For example(numbers pulled outa my ass):

    Person A plays 20 hours to get 10,000 gold to buy excellent gear

    Person B plays 1 hour and spends $ to get gems, sells them for gold and buys the same excellent gear 

    Person B wins because he gets the same gear in a fraction of the time

    Cluck Cluck, Gibber Gibber, My Old Mans A Mushroom

  • ForumPvPForumPvP Member Posts: 871

    Originally posted by StriderXed

    Originally posted by ForumPvP

    Most hyped MMO went to top carebear MMO.

     

    Elaborate

    ***In Guild Wars 2 we have three currencies: gold, karma, and gems. Gold is the common in-game currency. Karma, which players earn in-game but cannot trade, is used for unique rewards. And gems are the currency that’s bought and used to purchase microtransactions.

    We have a new player-driven market that allows players to trade gold for gems and gems for gold. If you want something, whether it’s an in-game item or a microtransaction, you ultimately have two ways to get it: you can play to earn gold or you can use money to buy gems.***

     

    GW2 carebear formula v1.0 (beta)

    a)real money for gems

    b)gems for gold

    c)gold for karma ,items whatever. help me to kill this and that i pay 10,000 gold gems whatever.

    looks absolute carebear game to me.

     

    Let's internet

  • MadimorgaMadimorga Member UncommonPosts: 1,920

    Originally posted by Twilight33

    ffs im really tired of you retards that have no clue what your talking about. pick up a copy of GW1 and learn how gear is going to fing work in GW2 before you whine. their is no best gear. its all side grades, or cosmetic changes. their is no super rare gear with insane stats. this inst a fing gear treadmill.

    Funny, I played Guild Wars for a bit, and it seemed to me there was gear that dropped or could be crafted that was better than other gear that dropped or could be crafted. 

     

    True or false:  Gear drops in Guild wars had value and many can be sold on the auction house for gold.

     

    Here, I'll answer that for you:

     

    http://www.guildwarsguru.com/forum/post-your-best-drops-t10343904.html

    image

    I am convinced there is only one way to eliminate these grave evils, namely through the establishment of a socialist economy, accompanied by an educational system which would be oriented toward social goals.

    ~Albert Einstein

  • OnomicOnomic Member Posts: 196

    Originally posted by asianbboy101

     


    The more I think about this system the more it makes sense.


     


    Player A (the poor hard worker) :


    Damn I really want that micro-transaction golem banker, but I don't have (IRL) money to spend on it. Wait a minute, I can use my in-game gold to purchase gems from another player and still get it any way! 


     


    Player B (the rich lazy guy) :


    I want this cool looking armor but I really don't feel like farming a lot of gold. Wait a minute, I'll just buy some gems and sell them to players. I get the armor I want that way! 


     


    In essence player B payed for player A's micro transaction and player A simply provided a service to player B in return (in-game gold). There's no money creation, because the money was hard-earned gold by player A all along. This is great because it does not affect the economy!


     


    Player A gets his micro transaction. Player B gets his shiny armor. ArenaNet gets paid.


     


     


    In addition, you can't buy dungon gear with gold, karma, or gems and GW2 not being gear driven.


     

    I agree with you there, this is better for everyone. it would be more unfair to restrict the shop for paying costumers only.

  • AlotAlot Member Posts: 1,948

    Originally posted by Exilor

    Originally posted by asianbboy101





     



    Originally Posted by Martin Kerstein View Post


    Everything that is in the store will basically be available for gold with this system - so it doesn't really matter what is in the store, as it is also available for players who play and don't want to spend additional money.



     

    Now I'm scared LOL.

    Not necessary. There is no reason to have gameplay-affecting items in the cashshop because you can use the Gems<>Gold transition to acquire items/advantages.

  • kadepsysonkadepsyson Member UncommonPosts: 1,919

    Originally posted by stragen001

    Originally posted by rojo6934


    Originally posted by Alot

    And all of a sudden the forums exploded. I don't really like it, it is way too similar to Diablo 3's Auction House.

    Edit to the poster above me: But doesn't a system like this allow players to gain power by spending Real Money? Is this a problem in EvE?

    you wont be able to gain power by spending real money. I dont know about EVE because ive never played it or even looked into it, but Mark O Briens message its pretty clear that theres no power to the player (who spends real money) over the one who spends time.

     

    The items that they are going to sell in the cash shop are now irrelevant. Thats (hopefully) not going to be a problem as they will all (hopefully) be vanity items. 

    $$ --> Gems --> In Game Gold quite simply means the game is now pay to win.

    For example(numbers pulled outa my ass):

    Person A plays 20 hours to get 10,000 gold to buy excellent gear

    Person B plays 1 hour and spends $ to get gems, sells them for gold and buys the same excellent gear 

    Person B wins because he gets the same gear in a fraction of the time

    This is true, because with the time saved Person B could be advancing in other ways.

  • mazutmazut Member UncommonPosts: 988

    Originally posted by kadepsyson

    Originally posted by Twilight33

    ffs im really tired of you retards that have no clue what your talking about. pick up a copy of GW1 and learn how gear is going to fing work in GW2 before you whine. their is no best gear. its all side grades, or cosmetic changes. their is no super rare gear with insane stats. this inst a fing gear treadmill.

    My point isn't that the gear being bought has "insane stats."  My point is, that if one player can purchase something for real money that another player cannot afford through actually playing the game, that's an unfair advantage.

    Edit: Also, I'd hesitate to call others retards when you haven't learned the differences between "your" and you're", and "there and their".

    GW sells many custumes that only money can buy. Do we care? What do you think? Do we care?

  • adam_noxadam_nox Member UncommonPosts: 2,148

    Originally posted by 2D34DLY4U

    It's basically the best possible system and makes total sense, I applaud ArenaNet for having the courage to apply EVE PLEX system on their MMO. Has pros and cons but it's the best the industry has come up with so far.

    That said...incoming community reaction!!!

    I love the smell of fresh fanboy charred corpses in the afternoon :)

    Burn, fanbabies, burn.

    I think you may be confused.  fanboys defend everything a company does.

     

    The best system is a subscription fee.  Cash shops are simply an attempt to get more than 15 bucks per player per month on average.

  • TheDarkrayneTheDarkrayne Member EpicPosts: 5,297

    Originally posted by stragen001

    Originally posted by rojo6934


    Originally posted by Alot

    And all of a sudden the forums exploded. I don't really like it, it is way too similar to Diablo 3's Auction House.

    Edit to the poster above me: But doesn't a system like this allow players to gain power by spending Real Money? Is this a problem in EvE?

    you wont be able to gain power by spending real money. I dont know about EVE because ive never played it or even looked into it, but Mark O Briens message its pretty clear that theres no power to the player (who spends real money) over the one who spends time.

     

    The items that they are going to sell in the cash shop are now irrelevant. Thats (hopefully) not going to be a problem as they will all (hopefully) be vanity items. 

    $$ --> Gems --> In Game Gold quite simply means the game is now pay to win.

    For example(numbers pulled outa my ass):

    Person A plays 20 hours to get 10,000 gold to buy excellent gear

    Person B plays 1 hour and spends $ to get gems, sells them for gold and buys the same excellent gear 

    Person B wins because he gets the same gear in a fraction of the time

    Person C who bought Person B's gems get whatever excellent stuff they want from the cash shop, without spending a penny. Don't leave that out.

    I don't suffer from insanity, I enjoy every minute of it.
  • mazutmazut Member UncommonPosts: 988

    Originally posted by kadepsyson

    Originally posted by stragen001


    Originally posted by rojo6934


    Originally posted by Alot

    And all of a sudden the forums exploded. I don't really like it, it is way too similar to Diablo 3's Auction House.

    Edit to the poster above me: But doesn't a system like this allow players to gain power by spending Real Money? Is this a problem in EvE?

    you wont be able to gain power by spending real money. I dont know about EVE because ive never played it or even looked into it, but Mark O Briens message its pretty clear that theres no power to the player (who spends real money) over the one who spends time.

     

    The items that they are going to sell in the cash shop are now irrelevant. Thats (hopefully) not going to be a problem as they will all (hopefully) be vanity items. 

    $$ --> Gems --> In Game Gold quite simply means the game is now pay to win.

    For example(numbers pulled outa my ass):

    Person A plays 20 hours to get 10,000 gold to buy excellent gear

    Person B plays 1 hour and spends $ to get gems, sells them for gold and buys the same excellent gear 

    Person B wins because he gets the same gear in a fraction of the time

    This is true, because with the time saved Person B could be advancing in other ways.

    Who force you to grind o.O I cant understand you. Nobody and nothing force you to grind.

  • KuinnKuinn Member UncommonPosts: 2,072

    Nvm /5

  • PNM_JenningsPNM_Jennings Member UncommonPosts: 1,093

    reading these posts is like reading the arguments against same sex relationships in bioware games: "but it's evil!!!! i don't want it in my game!!!!!" IT'S NOT IN YOUR GAME UNLESS YOU PUT IT THERE. so someone can get a bunch of ingame money, and buy the slightly more better gear, slightly faster. GW2 IS NOT A GEAR TREADMILL. you aren't aiming for the best gear in the game. time and again i have seen GW2 beta videos where a skilled player does things an unskilled player would get destroyed doing. it's not about your sword of 1337ness anymore! remember? you can't buy skill. all you can do is speed up the process of getting marginally better stats. no one is going to be uber because of this. they're just getting something a little faster than someone else. the cash shop only has vanity items, and all of the in game loot can be easily obtained. live with it.

    EDIT: the the guy above me


    Originally posted by Kuinn

    So let me get this right, if you see an epic destroyer of worlds hammer in the auction house, huge upgrade to your char, an item that you would have to farm for months to get otherwise, you can now buy it with real life money if you so wish / can afford, by trading gems to gold?

    remember the part where THERE ISN'T A GEAR TREADMILL?!? no one has to grind for anything. like the spoon, there is no destroyer of anything hammer!!!

  • DJJazzyDJJazzy Member UncommonPosts: 2,053

    Originally posted by ForumPvP

    Originally posted by StriderXed


    Originally posted by ForumPvP

    Most hyped MMO went to top carebear MMO.

     

    Elaborate

    ***In Guild Wars 2 we have three currencies: gold, karma, and gems. Gold is the common in-game currency. Karma, which players earn in-game but cannot trade, is used for unique rewards. And gems are the currency that’s bought and used to purchase microtransactions.

    We have a new player-driven market that allows players to trade gold for gems and gems for gold. If you want something, whether it’s an in-game item or a microtransaction, you ultimately have two ways to get it: you can play to earn gold or you can use money to buy gems.***

     

    GW2 carebear formula v1.0

    a)real money for gems

    b)gems for gold

    c)gold for karma ,items whatever. help me to kill this and that i pay 10,000 golg gems whatever.

    looks absolute carebear game to me.

     

    You can't buy Karma. You also can't buy Power. So explain how it is carebear again?

  • CrackboneCrackbone Member Posts: 212

    Originally posted by adam_nox

    Originally posted by Twilight33

    ffs im really tired of you retards that have no clue what your talking about. pick up a copy of GW1 and learn how gear is going to fing work in GW2 before you whine. their is no best gear. its all side grades, or cosmetic changes. their is no super rare gear with insane stats. this inst a fing gear treadmill.

    yeah uh bro, I guess you missed the memo that this game bears almost no resemblance in any way outside of Lore to GW1.

    The game itself perhaps not, but the design philosophies around MTs are very similiar. 

    Everyone who trying to create havoc over this MT blog, it's a Tempest in a Teapot.   

     

    When all is said and done, endgame gear being equal(horizontal), makes all of the arguments against this model completely irrelevant. 

  • MadimorgaMadimorga Member UncommonPosts: 1,920

    Originally posted by BlahTeeb

    Originally posted by Madimorga

    Almost everything which is attainable by using karma is also purchasable using coin.[1]

     

    That is according to the Guid Wars 2 official wiki:  http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Karma

     

     

    Here would be my questions regarding this:

     

    Is karma gear easily obtainable at regular intervals during the leveling process so that, while leveling, I don't have to rely on an auction house with potentially inflated prices due to a real money influx?

     

    Will there be gear gaps that would make it better to obtain crafted or dropped gear over the karma gear at certain levels for pvp and pve?

     

    Will it be time consuming or difficult to obtain the best crafted or dropped gear in game?

     

    If the answer to the first is no and the answer to the second two is yes:  Will prices have a cap on the auction house?

     

    If this is really all about vanity items, why not simply sell Bind on Account vanity gear and do away with this entire issue?

     

     

    Yes, coin can also buy karma items, however the price of coin is much higher than the price of using karma. Karma is mainly attained through dynamic events, and if you base it off demos and press footage, you actually get quite a bit of karma in relation to the gold you get. So in the end it SHOULD function in a way that karma is used to buy gear (since karma is not tradeable, you are pretty much forced to use it or just save it up and waste it.)

    If you have a handful of gold and a handful of karma and are looking to buy an armor, its better to use the karma, because the gold can be traded to get various other things, whereas karma is ONLY usable at karma vendors. There are many more gold vendors than there are karma vendors.

    Any gap between levels and gear will not be known until a huge amount of players actually play the game. The goal was and still is that ArenaNet have wanted you to have gear equal to your level. If you want different and rare looking armor, then you might want to spend karma or buy gems, but for the most part, you shouldn't be at a disadvantage. Certainly not in PvP since everyone starts with top of the line gear.

    But no, it will NOT be time consuming to get top gear for your level. We know that top gear is top gear. There is no ultra top gear that is better than the topest gear. There is just ultra rare looking gear that will be time consuming. If we take ArenaNets word on it though, these are strictly vanity gears that should not provide unspeakable power. 

    It was my understanding that in WvWvW gear is NOT equalized, am I wrong?

    image

    I am convinced there is only one way to eliminate these grave evils, namely through the establishment of a socialist economy, accompanied by an educational system which would be oriented toward social goals.

    ~Albert Einstein

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