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First look at the Cryptic Store (Microtransactions)
Blurr
Member UncommonPosts: 2,155
Well the day everyone's been waiting for (or dreading) is here. We now get our first look at what the microtransaction store for Champions Online is really going to be like.
This page shows the costs for the "cryptic points", the currency used to buy items in the store. This price sets them at 80 cryptic points per dollar (US$).
The first items for sale are "action figures" (which are like mini pets you've seen in other games), there are twelve available as of now, which you can see here . The figures are 80 points each making them $1 US per figure.
This price is slightly higher than I would personally pay but not far off from it. So far there is nothing that affects gameplay in the store, as you can see.
Also it should be noted that at least 2 of the action figures are (or were) available in other ways. If you signed up for the Champions Online newsletter before Aug 31, you'll be getting the Defender mini pet for free. One of the preorder bonuses also comes with the Civilian Helicopter mini pet.
So far, it seems that there's nothing to worry about. People were just blowing things out of proportion.
"Because it's easier to nitpick something than to be constructive." -roach5000
Comments
Key word is "so far".
Exactly.
Crpytic have stated that there will be gameplay changing micro-transactions. It does not matter if you can get it in other ways, the kiddies with daddies credit card can buy unlimited amounts of them, while the in-game way of obtaining them will take a long time and effort. Guess who's gonna win?
Noone is blowing anything out of proportion, Cryptic stated it themselves. The fact that these items are not in the store from day 1 is completely irrelevant.
I like this
Cryptic Points are:
* Universally accepted across all Cryptic games.
* Stored with a player's Cryptic user account, and never expire.
but it kinda points towards Star Trek Online having MT's
It won't matter if they have action figures and costume peices available for the next 2 years. Folks will always be saying 'Wait! The XP boosters are coming!'
The action figures are available as rewards for deep sixing X amount of bad guys similar to badges in CoH. And, yes, the prices will be about $1 = 500 points.
There is NO miracle patch.
95% of what you see in beta won't change by launch.
Hope is not a stategy.
______________________________
"This kind of topic is like one of those little cartoon boxes held up by a stick on a string, with a piece of meat under it. In other words, bait."
So they decided to start showing whats in the store AFTER the lifetime deal expired?
Damn this company is shady...
Champions was supposed to be much chepaer to make than other MMOs but still you have to pay more for it? makes no sense.
If WoW = The Beatles
and WAR = Led Zeppelin
Then LotrO = Pink Floyd
Actually I'm pretty sure they never said there "will" be, they've said "if there is" gameplay changing mechanics. But then again they haven't actually shown any proof of what or how that will come about, so really you're just running the "doom and gloom" game again as I pointed out in my original post.
Who's gonna win? Win what? The leveling race? The "i have more money race"? The "i'm cooler than you" contest?
I hate to break it to you but there will always be someone with more money to spend, or more time to spend, or a better system, or whatever. These "kiddies" you talk about probably have no responsibilities and can play more than you too. Are you going to get mad because they have more time they can spend ingame and therefore level faster than you? I'm sorry but that's real life. They probably get more cable channels and get express shipping on their packages so they can get it before you too.
There are those of us who work hard all day, and come home to relax playing Champions. Maybe we want to get a special item, so we spend a dollar or two in the store instead of 3 hours questing, then we can spend some more time with family and friends.
There has to be more to this than just "I'm mad cause billy's daddy can buy him things and my dad can't".
"Because it's easier to nitpick something than to be constructive." -roach5000
What does the store have to do with lifetime subs?
XP comes so easy in theis game that if you wanted to power level to the end cap you can pretty easily. All the best loot is craftable or for sale at the auction house. Boosters and special loot would be pointless in a game like this. The only thing that would be worth buying are cosmetics.
There is NO miracle patch.
95% of what you see in beta won't change by launch.
Hope is not a stategy.
______________________________
"This kind of topic is like one of those little cartoon boxes held up by a stick on a string, with a piece of meat under it. In other words, bait."
Ofc it points to ST, what did you think? Champions would have them and not Star Trek, they are the same company
You don't have to pay for it!
Just like in EQ2. You don't have to pay for it and can just ignore it! Altho in EQ2 there are no game changing items. So eventho I hate it and piss on Smedly's lies.... it's durable and you can continue to enjoy the game.
It's just a waiting game to see what the store is going to bring and how hard it is to get the stuff (that is game changing) in the game itself.
But then again, CO isn't that gear centric anyway compaired to other MMO's like WoW or EQ2 in wich a cash shop with gear would have a huge impact.
So, so far Im not bothered by it and I can easily ignore it.
There are two apparent trends in MMO today, one is the approach that sees developers try to involve and immerse players in the gameworld to make them care and want to keep subscribing..... the other is to deploy all the most basic and grindy mechanics to consume as much time with minimal dev input with an accountant cynically assessing disposable incomes to dangle lifetim sub offers and follow up with a carefully judged wave of microtransactions.
Cryptic have elected to be directed by their accountants, breeding out creativtiy and imagination so they can hit the wallet hard and fast. Inevitably the initial items were going to be low key, each successive wave will be targetted to liberate funds from successively affluent player groups, ensuring it overall to be more financially beneficial to them than the standard mmo sub would have delivered (like admitting your game hasn't got the legs to do it on its own merits really).
Who do you want in charge of your MMO, the company accountant or the creative developer....
CO is a throwback mechanically and conceptually, I think its time to see something new and imaginative but sadly success for CO (more than possible seeing as some were happy to buy a lifesub without seeing the game!) is very likely to plunge the mmo into a period of extended stagnation.
Actually I'm pretty sure they never said there "will" be, they've said "if there is" gameplay changing mechanics.
http://news.bigdownload.com/2009/07/16/champions-online-to-support-micro-transactions-at-launch/
"Most of them will be for non-gameplay affecting items like costume additions, action figures, and the like. You can also spend money on things like renaming one of your characters. You can also purchase items that do affect gameplay but Cryptic adds, "Any micro-transaction that has a game effect can also be earned in the game through play."
But then again they haven't actually shown any proof of what or how that will come about, so really you're just running the "doom and gloom" game again as I pointed out in my original post.
Who's gonna win? Win what? The leveling race? The "i have more money race"? The "i'm cooler than you" contest?
Which IS part of why many people play these games.
I hate to break it to you but there will always be someone with more money to spend, or more time to spend, or a better system, or whatever. These "kiddies" you talk about probably have no responsibilities and can play more than you too. Are you going to get mad because they have more time they can spend ingame and therefore level faster than you? I'm sorry but that's real life.
Indeed, it is real life, but I play games to get away from real life shit.
They probably get more cable channels and get express shipping on their packages so they can get it before you too.
Their access to cable TV won't be a competitive advantage over anyone else.
Even though I can easily afford to spend a hundred bucks a month on gaming, lots of people can't. I don't want to play a game where success is decided by the size of your wallet.
"" Voice acting isn't an RPG element....it's just a production value." - grumpymel2
Actually I'm pretty sure they never said there "will" be, they've said "if there is" gameplay changing mechanics.
http://news.bigdownload.com/2009/07/16/champions-online-to-support-micro-transactions-at-launch/
"Most of them will be for non-gameplay affecting items like costume additions, action figures, and the like. You can also spend money on things like renaming one of your characters. You can also purchase items that do affect gameplay but Cryptic adds, "Any micro-transaction that has a game effect can also be earned in the game through play."
But then again they haven't actually shown any proof of what or how that will come about, so really you're just running the "doom and gloom" game again as I pointed out in my original post.
Who's gonna win? Win what? The leveling race? The "i have more money race"? The "i'm cooler than you" contest?
Which IS part of why many people play these games.
I hate to break it to you but there will always be someone with more money to spend, or more time to spend, or a better system, or whatever. These "kiddies" you talk about probably have no responsibilities and can play more than you too. Are you going to get mad because they have more time they can spend ingame and therefore level faster than you? I'm sorry but that's real life.
Indeed, it is real life, but I play games to get away from real life shit.
They probably get more cable channels and get express shipping on their packages so they can get it before you too.
Their access to cable TV won't be a competitive advantage over anyone else.
Even though I can easily afford to spend a hundred bucks a month on gaming, lots of people can't. I don't want to play a game where success is decided by the size of your wallet.
And some won't play a game where success is determined by your will to quit working, cancel your social life and live on social welfare.
Uh huh. I would favour a game that limits your progression to a certain number of hours a day. Three or four perhaps. A weekly total might be better, say 12 hours a week. That would allow flexibility in your scheduling. After that, you can still run instances and kill mobs if you like, but you gain nothing for doing so.
"" Voice acting isn't an RPG element....it's just a production value." - grumpymel2
I believe Blizzard tried to promote such a thing with WoW, but was removed due to the negative uproar. It was working like rested exp, only with the opposite mechanism, the more you played, the less the exp and money you were getting.
Any change is going to anger some people.
I think a mechanic like this would have to be in at release, so new players know what they are getting into. Such a system would appeal to a lot of players, I think. As long as there are non-leveling (and non-earning) activities to have fun with.
WoW would be better off making rested exp more effective and tied to the account, rather than the character.
"" Voice acting isn't an RPG element....it's just a production value." - grumpymel2
Bottom line.
MT are there to make money. They cost money to set up and run.
Therefore either CO's MT shop will make money and continue or it will not make money and CO will close it down (Second option being damm unlikly since they have invested in it and thier investors have a predicted dividend from it)
If its there to make money it has to offer a product that the gamers will buy.
Now maby I am cynical and Cryptic did all thier homework and the demographic for CO is a bunch of people that love costumes and will pay for them. In the long run though "Fluff" only goes so far and eventually they will add items that impact gameplay.
"But you can get those items in game too" thats true. However, if your selling a product for $$ you want it to sell, sure it will be available in game too but you can be damm sure its not gonna be easy to get. If it was then theres no point putting it in a cash shop is there?
I personally think its very shadey to have a P2P plan and a MT shop. I'd rather pay $20 a mo for the game and be done with it. Now your gonna say *why dont you pay the $15 and buget $5 then?" and my answer is simple, Cryptic is not making a game just for you to have fun on .. its a money making venture and you can be damm sure that like all companys prices will go up and more and more will be added to the MT. Initially it prob wont be an issue .. couple of bucks here couple of bucks there. When you come to roll an alt though in 6 mos and are looking at all those compounded "couple of bucks" you may change your tune.
That sums it up very well, Demarc0.
"" Voice acting isn't an RPG element....it's just a production value." - grumpymel2
Fixed that for ya.
Nothing shady about MT and P2P, they have been quite upfront about wanting your money and i think that's less shady and more honest.
You don't like the way Cryptic plan to make money out of you? Go play something else, plenty of other MMO's and shortly there will be plenty of other Superhero based MMO's.
But then again if you can't understand that MMO companies are here to make money and not just to keep you entertained then perhaps it's time to find some other form of fun.
The problem for me is starting a game with this concept.... MT's are fine to supplement a free game, as long as the the free aspect is functional to access the games fuller features.... I dont mind a subscription model, while you enjoy a game its not a pain to contirbute to further delvelopment. But regardless of Cryptics implementation here, success is likely to open the door for other developers and the ease and impact with which a system that uses both MT's and Subs can be manipulated and exploited is really something that can only do harm in the future imo.
Well there are games like that, some would say EVE has a fixed progression model, but that's kinda beside the point of the thread.
Don't you guys realize how rediculous it sounds when you go around running and screaming "microtransactions are the end of the world as we know it!! Someone can pay money to get something before me! This is the worst thing evarrr!" ? Microtransactions are a fact of life now. Sorry but that's just the way it is. They're present in every other facet of our culture. If you play games solely to escape from real life, well, maybe microtransactions aren't your biggest problem.
If you don't like it, don't play it. If you like the game but don't want to buy anything, don't buy anything. Simple as that. Worried that somebody is going to get an advantage over you by spending money? That's life. In WoW, they just buy gold.
Not only that, but as I've pointed out, there's no evidence yet about any of these big bad "gameplay affecting" items you guys have your panties in a bunch over.
Also MMO_Doubter, the quote you linked was mostly from a journalist who appeared to be reading into what he thought things were going to be like, not actual quotes from crytpic themselves. I'll put a few here for you now
Actual quotes from cryptic:
Champions Online will support micro-transactions, but contrary to the concerns of some people, the game is not ‘based’ on them. There are the basic tenets for our micro-transactions:
Also, it’s important to note that the overwhelming majority of micro-transactions are account-wide. This means if you buy a costume piece or an action figure, every character on your account gets it.
I've highlighted a few of the points that the people who seem to think the sky is falling might be overlooking.
"Because it's easier to nitpick something than to be constructive." -roach5000
Fixed that for ya.
Nothing shady about MT and P2P, they have been quite upfront about wanting your money and i think that's less shady and more honest.
You don't like the way Cryptic plan to make money out of you? Go play something else, plenty of other MMO's and shortly there will be plenty of other Superhero based MMO's.
But then again if you can't understand that MMO companies are here to make money and not just to keep you entertained then perhaps it's time to find some other form of fun.
I guess you did'ent actually read my post. I fully understand that MMOs are there to make money for thier investors. It seems alot of people dont though and think its all ice cream and candyland.
As for the "fix" ... this thread was about the MT shop .. so I was being specific. I could have said *Companys are there to make money* or "Stores are there to make money* ... as I said though I was staying on topic with the thread so its not a fix its just you trying to derail. Thanks.
The MT store is shadey IMO (sorry you cant refute my opinion as much as you'd like to) because they have given no overview about what it will include. Just some vague "fluff items" and "Some game impacting items" comments. If you went to a restaurant and they told you the special contained "some meat and maby some veggies" you'd want them to be more specific before handing over your money ... dont see why you find it odd that I demand the same of a MT store.
BTW if you want CO to succeed you really should'ent be telling everyone with a different opinion from you to "go play something else" .. I may .. I may not. For now I'll wait until I have more info on the MT store before I deceide if I'll pick up CO or not.
RMT is the sole reason I won't be touching CO or other games with similar schemes. So it is kind of a big deal for me. And no, I won't get over it, too old and stubborn for that.
There are 2 things that may appear in the item shop:
- additional character slots.
- full respecs.
I'd argue that neither are 'gameplay changing' and the character slots should justifiably be in the shop. The full respecs I have huge concerns about, as this should not be a $$$ item... but I do have a very strong feeling that this is going to appear in the shop
.
Has there been another game launch with MT's and SUB's from the start? If so then I am doing CO a disservice, I realise other games intorduce MT's later in life, but as a principle and an opening game model it instinctively feels something that the consumer should resist for fear of future exploit.
Prove it.
I don't how how you can honestly say that, when no one outside the company has seen the cash shop yet.
I oppose RMT in a P2P game, because it promotes unfairness. As a gamer, that should concern you, but perhaps you have other motives.
"" Voice acting isn't an RPG element....it's just a production value." - grumpymel2