Legacy Micro-transaction?

[Revenaught]

I'm honestly surprised how against this everyone seems to be. How does MT as a alternative method of legacy unlocks hurt gameplay for anyone? If it helps to bring more revenue to Bioware, isn't that a good thing? Clearly I think there's a line that shouldn't be crossed. No "pay to win", so to speak, but how does cosmetic, or any of the legacy unlocks equate to "pay to win"?

 

Once you start down the Dark Side forever will it dominate your destiny.

 

It's a very slippery slope that almost always ends up being pay extra to remain competitive or fail. Even if it doesn't start out with any intentions of ending up that way.

[usefullidiot]

Once you start down the Dark Side forever will it dominate your destiny.

 

It's a very slippery slope that almost always ends up being pay extra to remain competitive or fail. Even if it doesn't start out with any intentions of ending up that way.

 

Slippery slope is always a poor argument. It ignores humans most powerful tool, the ability to reason.

[jtobscure]

Slippery slope is always a poor argument. It ignores humans most powerful tool, the ability to reason.

 

Slippery slope is not an inherently faulty argument; just frequently is one.

 

I mean, have you ever been on an actual slippery slope? They're real.

[Revenaught]

Slippery slope is always a poor argument. It ignores humans most powerful tool, the ability to reason.

 

Those who refuse to learn from the lessons of the past usually say this.

[Akella]

Am I the only one that looks at the legacy system and see that it screams that it would be perfect for micro-transactions to buy the unlocks?

 

Seriously how many of us would rather drop $5-$10 in a micro-transaction for the GTN on our ship rather than plop down $5million credits??

 

Dare we start a petition asking for EA to graciously take more of our money?

 

 

Edit: I mean micro transactions in addition to the current ways of unlocking not as a replacement.

 

Absolutely not.

[Deluged]

Change comes hard for some. Think outside the box. You can have a very pleasurable gaming experience for free, But if you want to have more options for your playing time you get to order precisely what you want. PvP zones segregated much like the commonly used..normal PvP and rated PvP .

If having to look at other players in their recently purchased armor makes you feel like a have-not, be real, you already feel that in the subscription based mmo's. Because there are always those players who devote much more time to the game than you do.

Don't be afraid of change....this could do SWTOR the world of good.

[TalkingDinosaur]

Pay $10-15 for a cosmetic. I'll never understand that.

[tahyri]

I'm honestly surprised how against this everyone seems to be. How does MT as a alternative method of legacy unlocks hurt gameplay for anyone? If it helps to bring more revenue to Bioware, isn't that a good thing? Clearly I think there's a line that shouldn't be crossed. No "pay to win", so to speak, but how does cosmetic, or any of the legacy unlocks equate to "pay to win"?

 

Some of the legacy unlocks are more than just fluff, especially those in the coming soon section. Paying real money for unlocking Crafting Crit would be a "pay to win"

[Drudenfusz]

I wouldn't mind a MT option on most of teh legacy stuff, as long one still also can buy the stuff with credits. Still one would have to unlock the legacy first, and the legacy level requirement should also stay.

[JRonnie]

Once you start down the dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny.....

 

Just look at LOTRO. It was all 'No advantage, just convenience' at the start. That was quickly quashed as the store only consumables, buffs and gear started appearing to make more cash.

 

Slippery slope is very pertinent to cash shops.

Edited April 26, 2012 by JRonnie

[testszag]

No. They are not. You simply refuse to even consider the possibility of them not being bad.

 

1) Paid character transfers

2) Paid character name/legacy-name changes

3) Paid character gender changes

4) Paid cosmetic items, such as mini-pets (that a very large portion of the player base doesn't care about at all)

5) Paid extra character slots (beyond the original 8 we all paid for, that many people will never even use all of...)

6) Paid extra "fluff" customizations, such as in-ship cosmetic features that the "Sims-hating-elitist-end-game-powergamers" would flip out over if they felt development effort was being "wasted" on them. (Let access to the features be available through in-game means as well, via rare drops/raid items/etc.)

 

Micro-transaction does not always mean "pay-to-win." Many times it means making available "niche" features that only appeal to a smaller subset of the customer base without taking development effort away from the core game. Micro-transactions can fund the development of such features.

 

You also didn't watch the video.

 

i don't think 1 and 2 are really mt's. don't really care about 3,not sure why people would want this, but i don't see bw/ea allowing it seeing as how the stories are written differently for the males an females.

 

the biggest problem i have with 5-6 is that this will lead to more and more paid for cosmetics, and less being made for the general players. as long as any of the cosmetic stuff that is available for mt are also available in game, i'm fine with it.

 

as for the legacy unlocks, they should not be allowed to be paid for. they include buffs and such that should be earned. whether by in game currency or getting the needed legacy level, people should not be able to pay for something that will give them an advantage in a p2p game.

Edited April 26, 2012 by testszag

[EJedi]

Those who refuse to learn from the lessons of the past usually say this.

 

Those who cling to the past miss out on their future.

 

The lessons of the past do not tell us that micro-transactions are bad. They simply tell us bad ways to use micro-transactions.

 

the biggest problem i have with 5-6 is that this will lead to more and more paid for cosmetics, and less being made for the general players. as long as any of the cosmetic stuff that is available for mt are also available in game, i'm fine with it.

 

as for the legacy unlocks, they should not be allowed to be paid for. they include buffs and such that should be earned. whether by in game currency or getting the needed legacy level, people should not be able to pay for something that will give them an advantage in a p2p game.

 

There are plenty of us who disagree with you.

Edited April 26, 2012 by EJedi

[LilSaihah]

I'm fine with microtransactions so long as there's a reasonable way to acquire them by playing the game. Legacy would be a good option, but I think Legacy as it is is just limp- A lot of the stuff you can buy is really weak. 6 minutes off QT isn't a hell of a lot.

[Revenaught]

Those who cling to the past miss out on their future.

 

The lessons of the past do not tell us that micro-transactions are bad. They simply tell us bad ways to use micro-transactions.

 

Ah but those lessons do tell me that they are bad. Time after time they end up as pay to win routes that cause lazy players who refuse to play the game to earn in game items when they can instead just drop a few dollars to get what they want right away.

 

Regardless of the intentions the developers start out with when the money starts flooding in from the lazy players the game producers will insist that the games micro transactions sink further and further down the dark side.

 

I'm not going to argue this point further. I will merely restate that the day this game gets a micro transaction system in it, no matter how benign it is to begin with and no matter whether the game goes free to play at the same time, is the day I drop game without looking back.

[testszag]

........There are plenty of us who disagree with you.

 

the question then becomes, are there enough of you, willing to give enough money, to cover the loss of those of us who will stop playing the day this happens?

[Calsetes]

Microtransactions ruin online games. Cryptic and its purchasable lockbox system is the worst.

 

Their MT store up until that point wasn't too shabby. Some costumes, some extra stuff, but it was that one thing that made me just give up on it. Someone who pays to play that game monthly, and they can't let us use those costume bits that they threw into grab bags and stuff?

 

I'm behind a microtransaction store that has good stuff - character slots, maybe a rename token or something - but it's when they hit "play the lotto" items that it all goes downhill.

[Drakkip]

Count me in about micro transaction if it comes here it's an immediate cancellation, no second thoughts, no thinking involved

 

Agreed, not when I am already paying $15/mo

[TheSuperD]

Those who cling to the past miss out on their future.

 

The lessons of the past do not tell us that micro-transactions are bad. They simply tell us bad ways to use micro-transactions.

 

 

 

There are plenty of us who disagree with you.

If you're really dying to send more money to Bioware, I'm sure they'd accept a check. As for me, I've already paid for the game and continue to pay for my subscription. I told Blizzard to get bent when they wanted to charge me more for items and features of the game I had already paid quite a bit for, and I would tell Bioware the same.

[EJedi]

the question then becomes, are there enough of you, willing to give enough money, to cover the loss of those of us who will stop playing the day this happens?

 

Yes.

 

The number of players who post on these forums is most certainly dwarfed by the number of players who happily play the game without caring about any such drama.

 

It's not about us being willing to spend extra money. It's about there being so few people who would really quit in protest that it might not be a big enough deal for them to care.

 

If you're really dying to send more money to Bioware, I'm sure they'd accept a check. As for me, I've already paid for the game and continue to pay for my subscription. I told Blizzard to get bent when they wanted to charge me more for items and features of the game I had already paid quite a bit for, and I would tell Bioware the same.

 

Yet WoW is still going strong. You can stand on your principles, but there was a time when people said they would never pay a subscription to play a game. Those people still exist, but they are insignificant.

Edited April 26, 2012 by EJedi

[SithEater]

I"m not one to come on the forums and threaten to unsub unless this or that is done to my preferences, however should micro transactions ever arise in this game that shall be the day I do vote with my wallet and leave.

Secondthousanded

 

They start doing micro-transactions and I am going to find a new game to play.

[EJedi]

Secondthousanded

 

They start doing micro-transactions and I am going to find a new game to play.

 

It's coming. Look at Mass Effect DLC appearance packs.

 

It's the way the industry is moving. Try not to be too surprised.

[lightSaberAddiCt]

Yeah I am of the same opinion. IF they start any type of micro-transactions I am gone. Not sure why some people keep harping this F2P model and wishing for it, it is a terrible model. If your so into F2P Guild Wars is coming out soon, go to that.

 

The day this game starts any F2P models, on stores etc, is the day I cancel my subscription.

[Fornix]

Wow what happened to just earning the credits and getting what you want? No need for RL money when ingame credits work. Heck do all the dailies on Ilum , Corellia and Belsavis and you can have 5 million in under a week.

 

Because not everybody has the time for doing those dailies to such an extent in order to gain 5 million under a week, due to being occupied with work 10+ hours a day and frequent weekend shifts along with it.

 

MMO's should steer away from forcing people into the grinding nature the genre started out with. It has been done on many aspects, however these sort of unlock requirements fall dead on into the category again. Microtransactions can combat that.

 

Many of those unlocks don't hurt a single soul, for example the racial unlocks for different classes. If I want to roll a sith jedi knight, who cares if I leveled a sith to 50, laid down 1.500.000 credits or paid 5$ for unlocking it? Does it give an unfair advantage to being a sith jedi knight? No, it does not. Is it something exclusive available only to those willing to use micro-transactions? No, it's not.

 

It's a harmless transaction, which is beneficial to both BioWare/EA as well as the consumer.

[Fiachsidhe]

It's coming. Look at Mass Effect DLC appearance packs.

 

It's the way the industry is moving. Try not to be too surprised.

 

....WOW...just...wow.

It's almost like you have this smug, sense of self-satisfaction over your willingness to be utterly gouged by game companies. Are you a consumer? Or a shill?

 

You know why the industry is moving that way? Because enough people like yourself stop caring about your dollar, and dignity. You accused someone earlier of standing by their principles, like it was a bad thing.

Edited April 26, 2012 by Fiachsidhe

[Fiachsidhe]

 

Many of those unlocks don't hurt a single soul, for example the racial unlocks for different classes. If I want to roll a sith jedi knight, who cares if I leveled a sith to 50, laid down 1.500.000 credits or paid 5$ for unlocking it? Does it give an unfair advantage to being a sith jedi knight? No, it does not. Is it something exclusive available only to those willing to use micro-transactions? No, it's not.

 

It's a harmless transaction, which is beneficial to both BioWare/EA as well as the consumer.

 

Maybe, if you're completely thoughtless, and willfully ignore all the staggering examples of cash shops that started off innocuous and gradually got worse. Say what you will about slippery slopes, but this is one slippery slope that has been proven so many times it's amazing people still believe it won't happen. It's exactly like saying a new new oil company, may not be as greedy as all the others, but it probably will.

 

You may not see anything wrong with it, but anyone with actual experience in games with cash shops, knows that when game publishers see a gold mine, they'll strip it dry. This is EA for Christ sake!

 

This is EA/BIOWARE.

The company that went from Mass Effect 1 DLC later - To Mass Effect 2 Day one DLC, but free for all new purchases - to Mass Effect 3 Day one DLC, free for CE pre-orders only.

 

The problem with your five dollar 'purchase and forget' method, is the message it sends to EA. Anyone who knows ANYTHING about business, will tell you corporations will continue to increase the amount they screw you, until you refuse to take it. Bioware themselves have been reaching the bottom of the DLC slippery slope as we speak. You really think they'll stick with simple crap in a cash shop?

 

That's not even naivety at this point.

 

Look at Blizzard's cash shop. Every good mount model they put real effort into, is in the cash shop, ditto small pets. They charge ten bucks for the Panda Monk with it's unique animations and better model, and stick the cheap recolored snake, or cat, in the game for players.

 

Cash shops are for games with no other means of income.

Choose one or the other, if you don't have time for the various parts of an mmorpg, then find another hobby, or go without.

Edited April 26, 2012 by Fiachsidhe