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the war on microtransactions: we win the remap battle but the war is not over
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Firstoff, nice use of vulgar language to suggest ignorance of a better vocabulary. And secondly, your post is ungrounded since there is no basis or proof for your point that there is a decreasing number of MMO's that don't have blah blah blah what you said. I love how people love to spout supposed facts without any references or proof. That there is the real BS.
First off, just to be clear, the part in italics was a quote from the dev blog.
Second, it is a reference to global changes on online gaming market. You could also read it as:
There is a constantly increasing number of MMOs out there that incorporate virtual goods sales at some level. - games that aren't responding to this trend are dying out.
It is a natural adaptation to changes affecting your business. Business that is not adapting, evolving and innovating cannot grow and will die out sooner or later.
At this very moment hundreds, if not thousands, of players are buying ISK using GTCs and Plexes. ISK that is that used to buy ships, toons, ammo, skills, implants... and that is happening on a daily basis, and that includes capitalships too...
For all your market mambo jumbo, today it is legal in EvE to buy yourself a titan with cash. People with the means are doing it RIGHT NOW, LEGALLY, and the market isn't crashing. You can try yourself, nothing prevents you from spending your hard earned cash buying a capital ship or ten and some skilled toons to pilot them... so stop the crying about how allowing remaps for PLEX would doom EvE. It is utter nonsense.
Played: UO, SWG, TR, WoW, AoC, EvE
Playing:
Interested in: JGE, LotR, TSW
Yep, it is all about supply and demand thus once 1000 people will flood the market with PLEXes, the price of the PLEX will drop dramatically.
PLEX system is smarter than you and just pwned you.
The point is, there isn't really a conversion nor relation of Real Money to Virtual currency. It is just a commodity like anything else in the game, just it has got a bit different 'manufacturing process'.
"There is a constantly decreasing number of MMO‘s out there that don‘t incorporate virtual goods sales at some level. - games that aren't responding to this trend are dying out."
Bull fucking shit. That trend of MMOs not incorporating a cash shop of some sort going down? That's a BAD thing. I was seriously thinking about giving the game a shot again, but this turned my ass right around. Fuck this double dipping shit. I used to think CCP were pretty cool and had principals/cared about what they were doing. Wrong again I guess!
"What WAY too many people forget before they lapse into hysterics over microtransactions(or F2P dynamics) is that no one is forcing you to take part."
Tell that to the people who invested years in this game and are suddenly being subjected to it. How about the people who are finding fewer and fewer games they can go to that aren't pulling this shit. Money has no place in MMOs outside of the price of access.
Come on now. While there does seem to be a trend line of *some* companies abusing their player base, its a bit early to add CCP to that list. There will be more than enough time for tar and feathers, once there is evidence that such is warranted. Until that time, all the hysterics are doing is making those who express them look silly and unreasonable.
Those people who have invested years into the game, have also benefited from all of the entertainment and enjoyment over the years, or they'd not still be in the game. On the contrary, with your last, money is the motivating factor that results in these games being created in the first place. They take years of time and many millions(of other peoples money) to create.
That being the case, its an on going expression of self interest that drives these games, and the adoption of various types of business models. Different ones work in different markets. I personally do not care about the business model, just so long as the game is fun and entertaining. Others, obviously have a different opinion. Bottom line, if you don't like the games business model, don't play the game.
Then EvE is really not for you. I started playing EvE more than three years ago and it was possible already back then to legally buy virtual currency (ISK) using real money.
I for one love the system as it is. I have sold ISK for an estimated amount of €150 so far. It is not like I can play the game for free, I keep losing too many ships that I have to replace, but it allows me to play EvE for half normal subscription price, give or take.
CCP wants to bring Micro Transactions (MT) to EvE and with it new toys (haircuts for the toons, faster neural remaps, corp logos in your ships, whatever). Some players will spend real money in the new toys, some will spend their ISK, some won't buy them. What is your problem with that?
It is easier with an example. Some years ago CCP introduced a new toy, the Titan ships. Nowadays there are industrial corps dedicated to building and selling them. They go for a few thousand REAL dollars I was told once. I have been killed by these behemonts in a couple of occasions, these ships have an impact in the game and alliances that have the money to buy them from the industrial corps have an edge in the game over alliances that build their own capital ships.
Now, can you explain to me how MT may have more of an impact in the game that the introduction of Titans or T3 cruisers? In this previous example real money DOES impact the game. Heavily.
So what is the big fuss about MT again?
Played: UO, SWG, TR, WoW, AoC, EvE
Playing:
Interested in: JGE, LotR, TSW
Same fuss I have with PLEX. There's a good reason I don't play this crap anymore. I'm not wasting time on a game where people can throw money at the devs to cheat.
Cheat how? It's not speeding your progression or anything.
Playing - EVE, Wurm
Retired - Final Fantasy XI, Anarchy Online, Mabinogi
Waiting - ArcheAge, Salem
Your above contains its own contradiction... The Dev's create the rules. By definotion, anything thats allowed by *them* is not cheating within the context of the game.
in addition to all of the above and many of the other things in this thread...the more other people throw money at the devs most especially for vanity items...the less money the devs will need to squeeze from you. In addition they will use a portion of that vanity money to simply make a better game for everyone including those who do not purchase the items. The last point being it looks like they are setting up their MT economy on PLEX. Meaning you can buy all the vanity items in the game by using In game money to purchase PLEX and thus anyone can "throw money" at the devs and "cheat" if they wish to spend the in game time do get the funds to do so. The only difference in this case is the individual who is a professional in RL making 80k to 100k a year with only 10 hours a week to play might be willing to spend a lot more on a game for various hard to get perks than someone making $10 an hour who plays 40 hours a week. The first guy will end up subsidizing the 2nd guy by spending a lot more RL money and making everyone a lot happier...unless your the jealous type.
So long as the line remains drawn on vanity items versus gameplay items I am highly in favor of it.
Im wondering, who the hell would sit there and think , SUPER, now i can customize my spaceship with logo's , or YAY now i can make clothes, i mean please.........
This is Eve Online were on about here, not some cartoon fantasy game like WoW, i've been a somewhat happy eve gamer since 2002-03, if they make this all queer and faggy like....... well what havent the world come to.
List of SOE lies
Have you seen the character creator on youtube? The models don't look childish at all. They look realistic. CCP said there keeping the color schemes realistic, and not to expect flamboyant neon trench coats everywhere.
Playing - EVE, Wurm
Retired - Final Fantasy XI, Anarchy Online, Mabinogi
Waiting - ArcheAge, Salem
I thought those come as a standard with the Gallente.
NO offense anyone- Don't forget that Dust 514 will not have a subscription fee and will have a shopping Mall. Incarna will have a shopping mall for vanity items. That means that right now as you read this CCP is making a shopping mall for Eve Online for Incarna and Dust 514. This is going to impact our games integrity. Personally I am a little sick of the shopping mall mentality I have seen in LOTRO, DDO, and the MMO community in general and will be disgusted to see this happen in the Eve Universe for gaming. I am tired of the recipient generation allowing this to occur. I play Eve because of their integrity. If the business models calls for human beings to enter the coliseum for massive TV ratings do we follow that one as well? Frak economic global governance.
Edited to add on: Hmmm...head shots!!!!
The responses in this thread make it quite clear why bullshit like this keeps infecting games and is slowly milking the blood out of the industry. Fools actually believe this is in their best interests...
The minute EVE starts Microtransactions for vanity items I am leaving. I have left every game i have ever played that started selling stuff for real money AND charging a subscription. If you are going to put effort into a game I could care less if its vanity I want that item for my 15 dollars a month.
I have no problem with f2p + micro but sub + micro....give me a break.
Playing: PO, EVE
Waiting for: WoD
Favourite MMOs: VG, EVE, FE and DDO
Any person who expresses rage and loathing for an MMO is preposterous. He or she is like a person who has put on full armor and attacked a hot fudge sundae.
Healthy games are in gamers best interests. Different business models are being tried. If people don't like a given model, let them vote with their feet(and money). Way too many forget what one of the main purposes of these games is. To many money back on the millions and millions it takes to make them. If that takes a different business model, then so be it.
Many "right/wrong" opinions in this thread regarding MT and how they affect the playerbase but in the end it's all decided by the publisher and how they listen to their current customers needs and plan aswell for future ones - considering many long term EvE players still play, i think CCP will give further MT implementations a good thought before fitting all lows with wallet dmg mods.
I started playing EvE on Winter of 2003 (it was actually my first "real" MMO) and been taking breaks and returning since then and one of the reasons behind this "come back home" moves is because i always liked the game's plain (and working) business model considering what it offered in return (gameplay, features, community, youknowthedrill, etc..) with no cheap moves like CS items others have.
With the introduction of PLEX things changed a bit and it's now possible to ISK fund a player's subscription and whatnot so CCP is looking at ways of getting profit back and then some, with possible future MT items i think.... - basically, it's like the game went F2P and they are planing on CS like many other MMO's do.
While i understand the reasoning behind this, i don't totally agree with it. The fact i keep going back to EvE like i stated above is because i don't mind to subscribe knowing the game offers quality content without the need to appeal to a "wider" audience with their "fluffy toys" which crits the player's wallet for xXx of Jovian cuteness.
But the reality is different on pretty much all of the current and future MMO's. This genre IS a business "niche" expanding at an alarming rate and opportunities to make profit are plenty and implemented differently into the gameplay - some more cold blooded like Pay2Win and others more subtle like pink hemp underwear to match your pod's dashboard...
I'm kind of an "old fashioned" player who don't mind paying upfront for a game provided its content hasn't been cut out to be later released as "addons" if you get my drift... so aslong it's all there and aditional content is optional and non game breaking it's ... ok, i guess.
Dear CCP:
from your announcement...
"Its important to clarify that virtual goods sales isnt an arbitrary - or particularly greedy - decision. There is a constantly decreasing number of MMOs out there that dont incorporate virtual goods sales at some level. - games that aren't responding to this trend are dying out."
Perhaps those games are dying out, but every single MMO I used to play that now has a cash shop and/MT I have also quit permanently, (with only one exception...and that one I am not allowed to quit since my wife plays it.)
PLEX is the number ONE reason I quit EVE. Are you prepared to loose more customers when you follow in the footsteps of the other MMOs? Sure you will gain more customers than you lose, but will they be the types of customers you really want for your game? Are you ready to lose the loyalty of customers that have been with you for years?
Only you CCP can answer those questions.
I am the Player that wonders... "What the %#*& just happened?!"
...............
"I Believe... There should be NO financial connection or portals between the Real World and the Virtual in MMOs. "
__Ever Present Cockroach of the MMO Verses__
...scurrying to and fro... .munching on bits of garbage... always under foot...
Fine. However along the merry way to profits this gamer (me) has been lost due to this "business model experimentation". I would have played MMOs for another 30 years... not now.... I am one MMO from being gone from the genre for good (and that MMO I barely play at all).
So enjoy the genre with those who take my place. I hope you have a much fun as I did.
I am the Player that wonders... "What the %#*& just happened?!"
...............
"I Believe... There should be NO financial connection or portals between the Real World and the Virtual in MMOs. "
__Ever Present Cockroach of the MMO Verses__
...scurrying to and fro... .munching on bits of garbage... always under foot...
I think you severely lack understanding on how PLEX work or I just misread whats in red.
CCP made a lot more money with PLEX as it allows vets to fund multiple accounts for free. Many players most probably wouldn't have a bunch of accounts if they had to pay for them. Ultimatly though, every single PLEX is paid with real money by someone.
CCP is looking at ways of getting profit back my a$$... They are trying to find new ways to milk their fanatic player base plain & simple.
I hope its clearer for you now.
So, I have a simple question. If you guys are so dead set against microtransactions for vanity items then what would you have CCP do? Are you arguing CCP should just give the stuff to you free? Does CCP owe you these vanity items? Would you be happier if they didn't put these items in the game so you can claim a shallow sense of victory?
Vanity items are a choice, you can buy them or not buy them. They won't affect gameplay. I don't know why I'm trying to talk sense into you people though. The game will be a better place with out all these entitled brats.
I hate EVE btw... but to answer your question, when you pay a sub for a game, everything in that game should be gain by playing it & not put into a cash shop... thats simple logic.
You want to have to pay for a prodcut that you have to pay again to have access to what your money helped develop? Fail
IMO the Plex should be the one and only microtransaction used - the ultimate microtransaction. Of course, I am talking about monthly fee P2P games.