Howdy, Stranger!
It looks like you're new here. If you want to get involved, click one of these buttons!
Quick Links
[Column] Elder Scrolls Online: A Preview of the Tamriel Unlimited Crown Shop
SBFord
Former Associate EditorMember LegendaryPosts: 33,129
Changes are in full swing in The Elder Scrolls Online, first on the PTS, where update 1.6 has been released and players have also been given the opportunity to test out the game's upcoming cash shop, the Crown Store. The Crown Store opened up for testing with players on the PTS given Crowns to use as they please and test an array of items that will likely make their debut when the game transitions over to subscription-optional Tamriel Unlimited.
Read more of Christina Gonzalez's Elder Scrolls Online: Crown Shop Preview.
)
Comments
"and repair kit packs in the store"
Hahahaha...ugh.
You know this means repair kits are going to become rare outside of the shop right?
"People who tell you youre awesome are useless. No, dangerous.
They are worse than useless because you want to believe them. They will defend you against critiques that are valid. They will seduce you into believing you are done learning, or into thinking that your work is better than it actually is." ~Raph Koster
http://www.raphkoster.com/2013/10/14/on-getting-criticism/
I constantly vendor soul gems to free up inventory. They drop so often that it's hardly on the edge. Filling them is extremely easy as well.
If they don't adjust drop rates, then your point in valid. We have seen SOE and Trion adjust drop rates in EQ2 and AA respectively to boost microtransactions, so we'll have to see.
you know you can buy soul gems from mystic vendors, right?
A creative person is motivated by the desire to achieve, not the desire to beat others.
I can agree with that. Adjusting drop rates can ruin this game very fast. So far the cash shop is very tame though.
LOL... repair kits are not free drops nor do many people even bother with them. Any vendor in game that sells anything has a cheap "repair all" option which is what everyone uses and they all carry repair kits you can buy if you want to do that. Good try though...
“Microtransactions? In a single player role-playing game? Are you nuts?”
― CD PROJEKT RED
Interested to see how this game shapes up for XB1.
Really desiring a good fantasy MMO for console for a long time now, and with no chance of FFXIV coming to XB1, and really not much interest in NW, ESO might be my ticket.
Yes, but that's for gold, not real money. I'm not that fussed about it to be honest, it's a small thing, just cautious of how they'll walk the fine line between "must have" items and things that affect the game. Of course I hope they'll be sensible and not start selling stuff like motifs and rare crafting materials or upgrade items.
here is the problem.. good thing about p2p games is you only spend 15euro a month and have access to every thing with acceptable/reasonable level of grind..when goes so called free to play the level of grind is massive for free accounts and even when you subscribe to the game still some of the cool looking stuff like mount or skins etc are locked behind the pay wall.
i was playing rift when it was p2p and got all cool stuff with acceptable grind.. went free to play and now i have pay extra even as patron.
same story for swtor and now eso joins the cash grab f2p or b2p machine.
That's not even the point of what makes those soul gems more attractive: they level to your level just like the potions from the cash shop do. This is great for anyone 10-49 who PVPs because when you get bolstered to VR1, whatever gems you had with you couldn't be used to rezz anyone -- The crown store ones can.
And I've been playing in the PTS exclusively for a week now - drop rates are identical for potions and soul gems. You're still guaranteed a filled soul gem from the mini-boss at the end of every delve and "advanced" chests and potions drop from everything, everywhere.
So those of you who want to find negatives in the most benign cash store ever in the history of MMO cash stores, go with your smug "Haha... you just wait and see... it'll change"... it's all you got.
“Microtransactions? In a single player role-playing game? Are you nuts?”
― CD PROJEKT RED
Dude.. You can fill 30 soul gems in 5 minutes... As a pvpr for the first 6 months of the game I got no soul gem drops.... This is a complete non-issue.
"but the initial rush to get all of the books to be able to craft in each available style was great since it expanded options for player characters' looks. Now it seems as if there might not be any further changes on that front and any new look options will have to be purchased."
I feel this quote by Christina is a bit misleading. I'm not sure if it's intentional or if it's because she doesn't follow the forums she reports from closely. ZOS has said motifs "books" as she calls them will not be sold in the crown store. However when DLCs are introduced there my be motifs found in the new areas.
That's aggressive for you Iselin! You may remember we agreed with each other a lot before ESO launched
My "we'll have to see" is what it says, not "you wait and see". I am no soothsayer of doom, I want to see it'll be fine and I can continue to enjoy the game (I am not on the PTS).
Sorry didn't mean to come across that grumpy... the quoted part was not even directed at you but more at the habitual ESO haters who always try to find negatives.
I'm rather pleased with their cash shop implementation. Things can change, of course. but as it currently is, it sets a new standard for B2P especially as compared to the more aggressive cash shop GW2 launched with: no inventory or bank expansions nor gambling chests nor XP boots potions here... although there are some in the game's forums already asking for those things and more (race change, faction change, motifs and accelerated horse riding training to name just a few) so if they do want to expand it and make it worse, there is already enough justification to say "because you asked for it"
But for now, it's a job well done.
“Microtransactions? In a single player role-playing game? Are you nuts?”
― CD PROJEKT RED
My FFXIV ARR referral code for new EU accounts: 5JPF7ZQ3
Step into the amazing world of Eorzea! Use this reference code on a new account and we'll both get goodies for it!
If anything, going by some low-level characters I've been playing with in the PTS, drops in general have been boosted. I seem to be getting more "green" random drops and chest loot has been improved for "Intermediate" difficulty and up. All the containers that are now marked "steal" also have much better loot including green and blue armor and weapons, soul gems, etc.
Potion and soul gem drops - both filled and unfilled drop at exactly the same rate as before. You generate a surplus of them pretty quickly.
“Microtransactions? In a single player role-playing game? Are you nuts?”
― CD PROJEKT RED
Remember the threads last year? It is not a cash shop it is only a horse?
Stuff changes.
Zenimax says .... pretty clear that it doesn't matter. The 6 month subs were withdrawn because ... stuff changes.
Will IC be DLC when it launches? If not that could make the first DLC many months off ...
I have a hope that the cash shop won't prove popular and that will prompt Zenimax to focus on content. Probably a forlorn hope though
atm dont see anything pay2win
but only time say it , since i see alot games become pay2win after fews moths(HI AGE OF WUSHU)
The cash shop doesnt have nearly enough stuff in it. For the price of a yearly subscription (18K crowns) you can buy everything it has and still have crowns left over. So people thinking you will spend beyond 15 bux a month solely fr the crown store (as it is right now) are completely clueless or trolling.
The one thing theyre finally doing is laying to the RPG geeks out there who like costumes and mounts and pets.
The only thing remotely useful are the soul gems and repair kits and only because theyre one size fits all and not level restricted like the ones in game. But you can still get them in game for in game gold so who would spend real money on them? Unless they were part of some bundle and they were just thrown in?
It looks to me that they are going to focus on a few things that go hand in hand. Subs and crowns Looks to me like subs will generate enough crowns to buy everything in the game they release in the store. That doesnt include buying DLCs though. Although it might be an after effect if people dont buy every possible skin in the crown store and stay subbed for extended periods of time. The other is more than likely just selling stuff direct with crowns and not having to subscribe. I suspect the prices to be similar. So if someone spend 150 a year for a 12 month sub (example) then they can basically buy everything in the cash shop they want and probably have some left over. If they want to just buy the DLCs (so they dont have to sub) it will more than likely cost them much less than 150 bucks (depending on the number and price of DLCs) So in essense guys that like to sub can do it and get everything still those that want to be a little cheaper can buy things they want and more than likely spend a little less money. But not own everything some one who subs can own or access.
Sounds like a good balance to me, and will make them money. Like I have said a hundred times its all about volume. The more people you have playing or staying the more chances you have to sell something. Sure some people might (over)spend on things but selling 100 thousand items for 29.99 isnt as good as selling 300 thousand items at 19.99, and losing people due to greed is even more costly.
Wouldn´t surprise me if they going to remove that "repair all" feature either all together or remove it for free players.
They put those repair kits in there for a reason, so no worries. They going to make adjustments in the game to make these kits viable.
Maybe they will and maybe they won't. But it's pretty obvious they've done a good job if the only thing the doom and gloom crowd can find to bitch about is what they might do in the future... it's actually kind of funny watching ya'll scrambling.
“Microtransactions? In a single player role-playing game? Are you nuts?”
― CD PROJEKT RED