Why can't I just buy my gear with real money?

[CorellianWannabe]

Gear in a MMO is more than just the barrier to higher content. It's a trophy. It says "look at what I've accomplished with my own two hands".

 

If you don't see why allowing players to buy their trophies rather than earn them is a bad idea, well.....I guess I feel sorry for you. Because some of the best times I've ever had on MMOs are when my guild finally makes that progression kill we've been working on for a month and parading around <insert capital city of choice> on my brand new <super epic mount> wearing <super epic gear>. Sure, maybe no one else really cares; but dammit, the adrenaline and feeling of satisfaction of a job well done makes it all worth it.

 

If you could buy all those super epic trophies, you then rob the people who enjoy earning those trophies of that feeling of accomplishment.

 

I'm sorry you don't have time to do end game content, but you made a commitment to your family (which I applaud). That means making sacrifices.

 

You mean 'Look what I may have earned with the help of several other people, although I could have just as easilty been carried by people who have the op on farm status!'

 

So you admit to getting an epeen from showing off shiny gear to the masses (who likely couldn't care less)? And it somehow devalues that shiny gear if someone who isn't unemployed prefers to waste money rather than time getting it?

 

You're honestly comparing raising a family to playing a game? What would you tell parents that neglect their kids to play MMOs?

[CorellianWannabe]

Yeah. But every player has a generally equal means and ability to get credits. That doesn't apply to real world money. At all.

 

Are you saying that capitalism only works when everyone starts out equal? Isn't that more of a socialist approach?

[Darth_Pants]

Gear in a MMO is more than just the barrier to higher content. It's a trophy. It says "look at what I've accomplished with my own two hands".

 

If you don't see why allowing players to buy their trophies rather than earn them is a bad idea, well.....I guess I feel sorry for you. Because some of the best times I've ever had on MMOs are when my guild finally makes that progression kill we've been working on for a month and parading around <insert capital city of choice> on my brand new <super epic mount> wearing <super epic gear>. Sure, maybe no one else really cares; but dammit, the adrenaline and feeling of satisfaction of a job well done makes it all worth it.

 

If you could buy all those super epic trophies, you then rob the people who enjoy earning those trophies of that feeling of accomplishment.

 

I'm sorry you don't have time to do end game content, but you made a commitment to your family (which I applaud). That means making sacrifices.

 

and this attitude is exactly what is wrong with mmo gaming. you only play the game to feel better than other ppl. you do not play WITH the server, you play in its face. your own two hands? nothing that can be solod is worth bragging about in a capitol city. unless ofc you actually think you solod that raid with the help of 7 / 9 other ppl watching?

 

The journey to get the gear is what should be enjoyable. The group atmosphere and playing with friends should be what is enjoyable. walking around a capitol city and saying "hahaha, im better than you because i have this and you dont" means nothing in MOST of the current mmos.

 

the fact that seeing someone else in the same gear as you devalues your play experience is so, so, so pathetic. and amusingly, based on your logic, you should stop trying to get a piece of armor once someone else on your server gets it, so as not to decrease his enjoyment of the item. in fact, all items should be first in first served, one item per server. no, screw that. 1 copy of each item over ALL servers. so everyone has a chance to get a world first and once they get it, no one can EVER match what they have achieved

 

This attitude you are showing, which is blatantly obvious by your "my own two hands" comment, is a sad sign of how bad things have become.

[VincentWolf]

Personally, if not too expensive, I'd buy gear with pleasure. I'm sick and tired of having to work my *** off for best gear in every mmo out there. I want to play without worrying that some skilless 12 yo imp with loads of time on his hands would kill me in pvp because he's much better geared. But I don't want to farm gear for month or more either.

[Knorlac]

Tell that to the players that claim to make virtual fortunes on the GTN. Hell nearly every mission gives credits and vendor trash exists to make money. If players wanted to get away from 'capitalist BS' they would play something like Call of Duty which I don't believe drops cash from bodies.

 

Hopefully you give away all your credits to avoid the 'capitalist BS' as you so eloquently put it.

 

You do understand, that there's quite some difference between the real world and this ingame economy, right?! As I have hinted, the "BS" about capitalism is in my opinion the inherent inequalities it breeds and thrives on. In real life, you need lots of money to have access to a high standard of living, the best healthcare, the healthiest diet, the safest and healthiest living space, the best education etc. Those are all things that play no role in this game.

In this game everyone can become that GTN millionaire if he/she enjoys crafting or playing the GTN because we start from an equal footing. Furthermore being rich ingame doesn't give you nearly as many advantages as in real life...you can buy a lot of fluff to parade around and why shouldn't you, if you spend a lot of time and effort to earn those credits ingame? In this game you don't have to be rich in order to be competitive in PvE or PvP environments. You don't need to grind money without end just to progress your character, I know I havn't and I still arrived at a mix of BM and WH gear for PvP and a set comprised of columi, rakata, blackhole and campaign gear for PvE.

All you have to invest is some time and effort and if you don't have that much time it doesn't really matter. You will take a bit longer to gear your character but it's not like BW is rushing out a new tier of gear and content every other month. You have a lot of time to gear up..the whole concept of an mmo is centered about the player spending a long time with it. They want you to play this game for years after all.

[Saurakk]

Why can no one understand how blinded they have become?

 

You are so focused on "earning" and "working" and "effort" to get gear that you have all forgotten this is a game. The actual path you take to get gear is supposed to fun.

 

I see no reason at all to feel upset that someone is wearing the same gear as you and you feel somehow that you "deserve" it more than them.

 

Amazing concept but some people find that fun. Do not tag negative meaning to the words effort and earn.

 

In any game, you put forth effort to meet the game's objectives. From kickball to monopoly to SWTOR. You earn the rewards from those actions....all the while hopefully having fun. If that game is not fun for you, go find another.

 

Fun does not need to be mutually exclusive from effort.

 

Semantics is for debate class and people who are trying to pigeonhole arguments.

Edited July 18, 2012 by Saurakk

[mangarrage]

Well you will get your wish very soon. This game will be taking on the ftp model very soon then you can buy whatever you want from the cash shop. Then you can pay to win granted you will be doing it with maybe 300k people but hey buy away

 

There are many games out there that are pay to win with a cash shop. You should look around

[Anzel]

I would like one of the two options...

 

1.) Just let me buy whatever I want with real $$$$$

2.) Change it so that I acquire the gear by some other means than repeating the same content over and over and over again.

 

Killing the same boss, doing the same dailies, killing the same 10 people in PvP is boooooooooooorrrrrrrrinnnnnnng. It's lame. It's not "hard" or "challenging" by any stretch of the imagination. Running around in War Hero gear is basically saying, "Look at me!!!!! I killed the same 10 people on 4 whole maps 1000000000 times!!!! Yeah!!! I'm so 1337!!!!".

 

I mean really. Just let me use cash and let's save each other a bunch of time. Doing the same BS content over and over is LAME.

 

How about making legacy "rewards" actual rewards? How about "rewarding" people for playing all 8 stories? You have all of this content that NOBODY will every see because they are killing each other over and over and over again on 4 different maps. Not even good maps.

 

You have a TON of content for people to play:

 

1. Class Stores (The BEST part of SWTOR)
   
2. PvP - Only 4 WZ's but still fun.
   
3. Heroic Missions
   
4. Flash Points
   
5. Operations
   
6. Datacrons
   
7. Heroic World Bosses
   
8. Exploration
   
9. Lore Objects
   

 

REMOVE DAILIES. Remove the grind. You have the content.

[Ramahospitality]

If you don't have the time, you shouldn't play MMO's which are notorious for time-sinks. This is my last MMO as I'm going into management as soon as I get out of school and I simply won't have the time to play the way I want. Secondly, Gear should be a reward, letting people pay for their gear will mean that every 12 year old who comes from any kind of money will buy their gear, then say they can do things that their gear says they can, but they simply don't have the skill to back up. It is a cheap and lazy method of going about this issue. My suggestion to you, if you really don't have the time, is to unsub, and start playing console games again. Black Ops 2 is coming out and the PS3 is getting a lot of other good titles, Dishonored looks really interesting.

 

But if gear can ever be bought with real money, then what is the point in even playing. Yes, the standard argument is that gear is a reward for time-sink, but that really isn't the case. When it only takes about 2-4 hours of actual play time, and not just standing around in fleet, a week to get your gear, a better argument would be that they put in the work and deserve the gear. You can't get something for nothing, that's the problem with people now-a-days. Always wanting something for nothing.

[arestesian]

FUBAR means F@cked up beyond all recognition, what does ED stand for?

 

well the implied it becomes effed up beyond all recognition, exceptionally destroyed. or they forgot the apostrophe and verbed fubar to show past tense fubar'ed

[Monoth]

 

So why can't I just pay Bioware, or EA or whoever money to furnish my character with the required gear? I have some money but little time.

!

 

Probably because once you buy all your end game gear there is no reason to play this game after you done the ops once or twice, there will be no more carrot and you will start to complain in the forums there isn't anything to do and the game is boring.

 

Pay to Win is always fail and it will drive off many customers if Bioware switched to that model. Best to lose the small percentage of players who have more Money then Time then to cater to them and lose a huge percentage of there player base who don't like Pay to Win.

 

Although if they made campaign gear cost $1000.00 per piece I say let the suckers pay it

Edited July 18, 2012 by Monoth

[Urael]

REMOVE DAILIES. Remove the grind. You have the content.

 

This is circular logic. In the end all the "content" becomes the grind. You end up with the same result: a grind.

 

MMORPGs are by their nature a skinner box.

Edited July 18, 2012 by Urael

[oMGitsree]

Okay like the person who is complaining:

 

I too have kids and a job. I clean my house and cook for my family. My kids go to bed at 8:00. Then I play the game. There is plenty of time between 8-11 or beyond to play and do at least ONE FP if not one OP. Everyday I can play I can get in at least 2 Hardmodes and Lost ISland Hardmode after 9 pm with my guild. It took me not even a week to have comparable gear and I have a family.

 

Not everything should be bought with a credit card. What the post is really saying is that you are lazy and want everything handed to you.

 

Everyone of us has real life and stuff going on. But we still make time to do what is necessary. What you want is to use money to earn something that is easily attainable through minor work. This has got to be one of the easiest mmos to make money and get gear. I really don't understand where this whine is coming from.

[CosmicKat]

If you don't have the time, you shouldn't play MMO's which are notorious for time-sinks. This is my last MMO as I'm going into management as soon as I get out of school and I simply won't have the time to play the way I want. Secondly, Gear should be a reward, letting people pay for their gear will mean that every 12 year old who comes from any kind of money will buy their gear, then say they can do things that their gear says they can, but they simply don't have the skill to back up. It is a cheap and lazy method of going about this issue. My suggestion to you, if you really don't have the time, is to unsub, and start playing console games again. Black Ops 2 is coming out and the PS3 is getting a lot of other good titles, Dishonored looks really interesting.

 

But if gear can ever be bought with real money, then what is the point in even playing. Yes, the standard argument is that gear is a reward for time-sink, but that really isn't the case. When it only takes about 2-4 hours of actual play time, and not just standing around in fleet, a week to get your gear, a better argument would be that they put in the work and deserve the gear. You can't get something for nothing, that's the problem with people now-a-days. Always wanting something for nothing.

 

You haven't stopped playing console games. TOR is a console game in terms of gameplay. It's simple and fast with no downtime or penalty for failure.

 

Trophies of uberness lose their meaning and value when they are simple to accomplish.

 

All of which makes wanting to pay for them as opposed to the minor inconvenience of 'working' for them all the more ludicrous.

[Styxx]

I will reiterate an older question:

 

"Why do you need gear for content you have no time to play, anyway?"

[SolHalcon]

This almost sounds like the Battlestar Galactica Online scheme. There you buy your cubits because it's almost impossible to earn them in game because of the PvP fighting over resources. Finding a water roid to mine and keeping it is almost impossible. I saw people spend thousands of dollars in that game to kit out their ships. I spent 272 USD in 2 months just trying to "keep up with the Jones's" and said screw that. That was more than 2 years of EVE subscription. Pay to win is a terrible way to go in any game. With BGO I thought I finally found the Jumpgate replacement, then that came along. They ruined a good game for me.

 

Pay to win would be the one thing that would drive me off this game for sure.

[Ramahospitality]

I will reiterate an older question:

 

"Why do you need gear for content you have no time to play, anyway?"

 

love this answer^

[GalaxyStrong]

I will reiterate an older question:

 

"Why do you need gear for content you have no time to play, anyway?"

 

WOW, I never thought of it like that!!!

Brilliant

[Aaroneus]

I hope they never allow players to buy gear with real money. I don't want TOR gear acquisition to be like D3.

[ZackAlklazaris]

This is the easiest most casual friendly endgame gear grind I've ever seen. There is absolutely no reason you can't get loaded up in 136+ rating gear easily doing only a handful of runs each week. A Hardcore raider can get loaded within 2-3 weeks. Even a family man who only has time for one raid a night only once or twice a week can easily get geared up in a month or two. It's not like their adding new content THAT fast.

 

<---- Man with wife, Raids only once maybe twice a week.

 

2 Months later has half black hole half rakata gear.

[Saurakk]

I will reiterate an older question:

 

"Why do you need gear for content you have no time to play, anyway?"

 

This question is posed almost every time someone brings up this ridiculous topic.

 

Let me see the normal answers:

 

"That's none of your business!" 100% deflection

"No one needs gear, but I want it and have a right to it!" 100% entitlement answer

"I like the look! You can not get that look with other gear!" Aesthetic approach. Maybe true, but not realizing that the unique look is part of the reward for completing the more difficult content.

"Why are you entitled to it simply because you have no life!" The insult approach.

"This loot driven carrot on a stick system is sooo outdated!" The visionary approach

"I pay my money and have a right to anything in the database!" Another entitlement approach

 

I am sure it can go on and on other than the true answer of, "I don't"

[Taurusaud]

Your fault for getting married.

 

And then your fault again for getting her pregnant. Multiple times.

 

Sorry bro but you dug your own grave.

[BJWyler]

This question is posed almost every time someone brings up this ridiculous topic.

 

Let me see the normal answers:

 

"That's none of your business!" 100% deflection

"No one needs gear, but I want it and have a right to it!" 100% entitlement answer

"I like the look! You can not get that look with other gear!" Aesthetic approach. Maybe true, but not realizing that the unique look is part of the reward for completing the more difficult content.

"Why are you entitled to it simply because you have no life!" The insult approach.

"This loot driven carrot on a stick system is sooo outdated!" The visionary approach

"I pay my money and have a right to anything in the database!" Another entitlement approach

 

I am sure it can go on and on other than the true answer of, "I don't"

 

You forgot the "Giving players more options on how they want to play and complete content is a good thing." The 100% I really don't care either way response because it's just a game and epeen is irrelevant. You know - the group that thinks giving players as many ways to enjoy the game as befits their gameplay style and time commitment helps drive more interest in the game.

 

BJ

Edited July 18, 2012 by BJWyler

[Saurakk]

You forgot the "Giving players more options on how they want to play and complete content is a good thing." The 100% I really don't care either way response because it's just a game and epeen is irrelevant. You know - the group that thinks giving players as many ways to enjoy the game as befits their gameplay style and time commitment helps drive more interest in the game.

 

BJ

 

Buying content is not completing content.

 

Players have many ways to enjoy content in this game. However games, all of them, have rules. Following those rules is what makes games different from one another.

 

Purchasing an "I WIN" button does not really make you win anything, it simply gives you the button.

 

That is not "playing" a game.

 

"ePeen" is not the point...maybe for some, but that is simply another approach to insult the players who think differently about the way people go about acquiring game rewards.

 

The same approach that take by insulting those players can be turned right around, "Oh, will it make your ePeen hurt if I get the same gear as you?!?! Boo hoo!" can be redirected right back as, "Is your ePeen feeling small because you do not have the same loot?"

 

It's not just about ePeen. That is simply another way to minimize the stance that certain things should be earned in game the way the company meant them to be as opposed to purchasing them....you know...by actually playing and completing the content.

 

What a concept.

[H-aTreD]

I will reiterate an older question:

 

"Why do you need gear for content you have no time to play, anyway?"

 

Not everything is about PvE. For me personally, I am close to my 6th level 50 and I am burnt out on "the grind". I only log in to PvP anymore and even that's becoming a rarity as I've grown bored with the game. However if someone had the option to have the same gear as the people who "worked for it" by being able to buy it I honestly don't see a problem in this (for PvP). It evens the playing field and brings a more competitive edge and more people to PvP with. The only people who ever argue this point are the ones who like to beat up on the lowbies in their recruit gear.

 

Coming from SWG where there wasn't "PvP Gear" this system they have in SWTOR is just plain stupid in my opinion. PvP should be about personal skill, knowledge of your class, build and teamwork... not who has the better gear.

 

As for PvE, well to be quite honest I couldn't care less so I wont even comment on it.