ChazDoit Posted July 8, 2012 Share Posted July 8, 2012 I can't belive these guys don't have any Microtransaction yet, not only for things like server transfers or XP Boosts, but also for cosmetics Items as well, a bunch of games are jumping to or already are making money with Pay2Pretty. This game has so much potential for cool speeders, pets, social gear, color crystals, if they put some effort they could even make an exclusive spaceship. There are still many people playing this game that would be interested in buying this stuff, I'll sure buy a thing or two, I even bought an Ahri skin the other day. I dont know, looks to me like they are sitting on their hands while they are losing subs when they should be hiring an art team and start pumping out cosmetic items like crazy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heist Posted July 8, 2012 Share Posted July 8, 2012 The fact that you think microtransactions in a pay to play game are a good idea disturbs me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dibdabs Posted July 8, 2012 Share Posted July 8, 2012 I'd rather they didn't waste time on designing eye candy purely to line their own pockets. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
llesna Posted July 8, 2012 Share Posted July 8, 2012 There was a good system used by Cryptic (as strange as it might seem to say that) for microtransactions whereby you could buy cosmetic changes or account services (like name changes etc.), but where subscribing members also got given a stipend of so many points each month. As such, you never had to buy any points if you stayed subbed for long enough. I'd really like to hope that we'll be able to get more character slots and other services soon, even if we have to pay for them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senatsu Posted July 8, 2012 Share Posted July 8, 2012 It is definitely a goldmine, in both microtransactions and subscribers. The only thing keeping it back is EA's monumental greed. As it is right now, the current team working on SWTOR are having major issues fixing bugs and overall management (shutting down the servers for a 4 hour maintenance on a wednesday to fix 1 bug about updated mods that no one even knew existed does NOT qualify for maintenance worthy bug). If they put in more people, more money and more effort, then this game will flourish, but right now there is nothing more than a skeleton crew running SWTOR. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Decrisit Posted July 8, 2012 Share Posted July 8, 2012 Do you have ANY idea on the number of people that would flee this game faster than being chased by a tornado? Microtransactions are the invention of a madman hell-bent on making money hand over fist, consequences be damned. Say NO to Microtransactions. It's the only way to remain sane. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valkirus Posted July 8, 2012 Share Posted July 8, 2012 It is definitely a goldmine, in both microtransactions and subscribers. The only thing keeping it back is EA's monumental greed. As it is right now, the current team working on SWTOR are having major issues fixing bugs and overall management (shutting down the servers for a 4 hour maintenance on a wednesday to fix 1 bug about updated mods that no one even knew existed does NOT qualify for maintenance worthy bug). If they put in more people, more money and more effort, then this game will flourish, but right now there is nothing more than a skeleton crew running SWTOR. Only a skeleton crew is running the game now? If so, one reason is they donot have that many players left anymore. Of all the NA servers, only a dozen or so have healthy populations. Of the remaining 100+ ones, they are for all practical purposes, dead. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valkirus Posted July 8, 2012 Share Posted July 8, 2012 Do you have ANY idea on the number of people that would flee this game faster than being chased by a tornado? Microtransactions are the invention of a madman hell-bent on making money hand over fist, consequences be damned. Say NO to Microtransactions. It's the only way to remain sane. They will come to TOR also. Just a matter of time. All MMO's have some sort of Microtransactions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChazDoit Posted July 8, 2012 Author Share Posted July 8, 2012 (edited) I've read some comments, you may or may not like MTs, but they are the way of the future and it's beign adopted by more and more games, to the point that a free little moba called League of Legends dethroned Starcraft 2 on the esport scene. Now, many games that are coming out want to have MTs from launch, GW2 will have them, Planetside 2, Neverwinter, End of Nations, Mechwarrior online. They want their main source of revenue to be Commodities and Cosmetic Items. I hope that EA/Bioware release MTs soon in this game and are not just derping around, besides, developing cosmetic items will not hold back new features and content, because they mostly use art assets, and it doesnt take much programing to implement Edited July 8, 2012 by ChazDoit Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Betri Posted July 8, 2012 Share Posted July 8, 2012 There was a good system used by Cryptic (as strange as it might seem to say that) for microtransactions whereby you could buy cosmetic changes or account services (like name changes etc.), but where subscribing members also got given a stipend of so many points each month. As such, you never had to buy any points if you stayed subbed for long enough. I'd really like to hope that we'll be able to get more character slots and other services soon, even if we have to pay for them. I might go for that system, as long as the stipend was fair, otherwise BioWare could jump in their unfinished Sarlacc pit Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jakarn Posted July 8, 2012 Share Posted July 8, 2012 Do you have ANY idea on the number of people that would flee this game faster than being chased by a tornado? Microtransactions are the invention of a madman hell-bent on making money hand over fist, consequences be damned. Say NO to Microtransactions. It's the only way to remain sane. Totally agree, I played in the TSW beta and was seriously thinking about moving over to it. Than I read that not only do you have to sub to play but they are also going to have MTs. I was debating it, but reading that just tipped the balance for me, back enjoying SWTOR. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senatsu Posted July 8, 2012 Share Posted July 8, 2012 (edited) Only a skeleton crew is running the game now? If so, one reason is they donot have that many players left anymore. Of all the NA servers, only a dozen or so have healthy populations. Of the remaining 100+ ones, they are for all practical purposes, dead. That is just a sign of even more bad management. Instead of forcefully sending characters over to a few select servers and shut the others down, they just let them sit there and waste resources. BW opened up servers like a madman without any consideration for what would happen when the initial launch hype died down. We have about 150 to 200 servers world wide for a population of 1M, WoW has 400 servers spread over 10 times the population SWTOR has. Half the amount of servers with 1/10th of the population. Speaks for itself that it's a major discrepancy. EA cut down the SWTOR department because they don't even consider SWTOR one of their top 10 current projects. I doubt there is more than a total of 30-40 people working on SWTOR, that is as many as a big high school class. If EA were to put more people on the team, then we would see an increase in bug fixes, QoL additions, and more content patches, hopefully better management as well. MMOs can be a HUGE "gold mine", or it can be a huge waste, but unless the company running it is actually willing to put effort into it, then the waste-option becomes an absolute outcome. Risky, yes, but the rewards for a successful MMO gains the associated company/companies a lot of good rep with their costumers and in the overall gaming community, and the potential financial gains are massive, just look at how much Blizzard makes from WoW. Microtransactions can mean a lot of things; cosmetic items/services, server transfers for guilds and/or characters, boosts, high-tier items etc. WoW has microtransactions, so does Aion, AoC and many more, even SWTOR has microtransactions in a way, if they make server transfers cost money. Don't go all hell-over-heels when you hear the word "microtransactions", in subscription based MMOs that usually means server transfers, race/gender changes, and such. Edited July 8, 2012 by Senatsu Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valkirus Posted July 8, 2012 Share Posted July 8, 2012 That is just a sign of even more bad management. Instead of forcefully sending characters over to a few select servers and shut the others down, they just let them sit there and waste resources. BW opened up servers like a madman without any consideration for what would happen when the initial launch hype died down. We have about 150 to 200 servers world wide for a population of 1M, WoW has 400 servers spread over 10 times the population SWTOR has. Half the amount of servers with 1/10th of the population. Speaks for itself that it's a major discrepancy. EA cut down the SWTOR department because they don't even consider SWTOR one of their top 10 current projects. I doubt there is more than a total of 30-40 people working on SWTOR, that is as many as a big high school class. If EA were to put more people on the team, then we would see an increase in bug fixes, QoL additions, and more content patches, hopefully better management as well. MMOs can be a HUGE "gold mine", or it can be a huge waste, but unless the company running it is actually willing to put effort into it, then the waste-option becomes an absolute outcome. Risky, yes, but the rewards for a successful MMO gains the associated company/companies a lot of good rep with their costumers and in the overall gaming community, and the potential financial gains are massive, just look at how much Blizzard makes from WoW. Microtransactions can mean a lot of things; cosmetic items/services, server transfers for guilds and/or characters, boosts, high-tier items etc. WoW has microtransactions, so does Aion, AoC and many more, even SWTOR has microtransactions in a way, if they make server transfers cost money. Don't go all hell-over-heels when you hear the word "microtransactions", in subscription based MMOs that usually means server transfers, race/gender changes, and such. Well said. I agree. I donot have anything against any microtransactions as long as they donot give a player a edge in any way within the game. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChazDoit Posted July 8, 2012 Author Share Posted July 8, 2012 EA cut down the SWTOR department because they don't even consider SWTOR one of their top 10 current projects. I doubt there is more than a total of 30-40 people working on SWTOR, that is as many as a big high school class. Thats pretty sad. One of the reasons I kept playing this game is because I expect to see a continuation of my class story beyond Chapter 3. At this point Im starting to doubt we are even going to see that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Isaiahsdad Posted July 8, 2012 Share Posted July 8, 2012 I'd rather they didn't waste time on designing eye candy purely to line their own pockets. this x100 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Isaiahsdad Posted July 8, 2012 Share Posted July 8, 2012 The fact that you think microtransactions in a pay to play game are a good idea disturbs me. And this! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChazDoit Posted July 8, 2012 Author Share Posted July 8, 2012 And this! And double post, apparently. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senatsu Posted July 8, 2012 Share Posted July 8, 2012 (edited) Well said. I agree. I donot have anything against any microtransactions as long as they donot give a player a edge in any way within the game. Absolutely. Games like APB Reloaded are Pay-to-Win games; you buy equipment for real money instead of either saving up in-game currency, or performing difficult tasks to get it, some times you can buy stuff for real money that is even better than anything you can ever buy through in-game currency. I hate games like that with every fiber of my body. Thats pretty sad. One of the reasons I kept playing this game is because I expect to see a continuation of my class story beyond Chapter 3. At this point Im starting to doubt we are even going to see that. BioWare said they were going to expand the class stories before 2012 is over, but I highly doubt that. It's just another one of those things they want and should do, but due to EA's greed with money or staff constraints, they never get around to doing it. I expect expanded class stories won't happen until late 2013. Edited July 8, 2012 by Senatsu Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grandmthethird Posted July 8, 2012 Share Posted July 8, 2012 (edited) every once in a while you get some1 that comes along and has an idea that is pure gold, the rest of the time ppl should really think before they put there idea forward. this idea does not fall into the "pure gold" side of things. micro transactions should have no or very little place in a game we are paying a monthly sub for. and if this was an under the radar way to ask for it to go F2P, then i whole heartedly say "NO" Edited July 8, 2012 by grandmthethird Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deewe Posted July 8, 2012 Share Posted July 8, 2012 (edited) Depends on price really. If they go the Tera way with gear appearance at $10 and mounts at $25 it's going to be a huge failure. Now if they go the Coke™ way like $0.99 for most of the stuff then they're going to make insane amount of money for sure. People are way more eager to spend $15 or $25 or even more on multiple items, even fluffy ones, than say a lot on one. First because displaying a $15 or $25 mount/item in game is not really looked well by the less rich players. It separates rich players from others and in MMO that's not a good thing. Then even rich player think twice before spending that amount of money on one single transaction on virtual items. Edited July 8, 2012 by Deewe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kourage Posted July 8, 2012 Share Posted July 8, 2012 People would quit over it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gokkus Posted July 8, 2012 Share Posted July 8, 2012 Yeah no, for $15 a month I want access to all content. As it should be. If they are hellbound on adding MT then they have to lower the monthly subs and the MT has to be vanity only. Then I will stay, slightly less happy... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChazDoit Posted July 8, 2012 Author Share Posted July 8, 2012 Yeah no, for $15 a month I want access to all content. As it should be. . I hardly consider cosmetic items as content (we are not talking about selling new companions or chapter 4) unless they provide some sort of gameplay or mechanic it's just fluff. Also, nobody said that those cosmetic items couldnt be available so players could get them ingame if they don't want to pay. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gokkus Posted July 8, 2012 Share Posted July 8, 2012 I hardly consider cosmetic items as content (we are not talking about selling new companions or chapter 4) unless they provide some sort of gameplay or mechanic it's just fluff. Also, nobody said that those cosmetic items couldnt be available so players could get them ingame if they don't want to pay. If you could get them in-game as well for a reasonable price I could be ok with it. But I dont want to pay real cash for a different space ship for instance. Another serious concern would be the advertising though. Cash shop often brings out the worst in the marketing department. My previous game had in-game promotional messages... which I despised. Neither would I want my mailbox to be stuffed with those or this website to be polluted with constant advertising. That is not such an unlikely scenario. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Revchong Posted July 8, 2012 Share Posted July 8, 2012 (edited) MTs ? big no thank you from me. I played LOTRO from the very early days when it was a purely subs game and it was great. Then turbine decided it wasnt making enough money and brought in a shop selling as they put it " convenience not advantage". And "nothing would be sold in the shop that wasnt available in game." I think those statements rang true till the next update. Then, suddenly, items we had been earning in game became ultra rare or in the case of relic removal scrolls. only available in the store. Now with each expac, more and more items are store exclusive. More time and effort is devoted to store items than gameplay. Turbine runs a hybrid F2P model now, some people still pay subs and are forced to pay again for certain required items. Its an awful system based on greed and lost turbine a huge number of longterm, dedicated players.Now, aside from a hardcore group of diehards, the population is made up of transient F2Pers who move from F2P game to F2P game at the drop of a hat.usually at the point where it actually starts to cost them money. Since it went F2P the amount and quality of new content has decreased, except for shop items. In my opinion, MTs and F2P formats are game killers.The company sets out with the best of intentions but it is a slippery slope and from purely anecdotal info,loses more of the players likely to spend money than it gains. Edit, forgot about the advertising. Each and every splashscreen and the UI has overpowering "buy this" symbols. Edited July 8, 2012 by Revchong Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts