Bar0th
Gallente
Industrial Forge Works Inc
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Posted - 2011.06.23 22:17:00 -
[1]
Edited by: Bar0th on 23/06/2011 22:25:15
The problem I see with the current selection for purchase with AUR is the price. Either divide the costs of these "micro-transaction" items by at least 20, or multiply the AUR from PLEX by at least 20 (whichever is easier to correct in the database after the change). That way, even the most expensive item is currently $3. By reducing the prices 95%, you are making 1/20 the income per sale, but will have more than 20x the sales = more profit.
As for other areas of sales: No advantage should be able to be purchased, including SP, standings, more powerful weapons, ammo, ships, etc. A brand new toon should not be able to have a ton of cash dumped on it and be equal to a 5+ year vet, and standing losses should be earned back not purchased. In the case of SP: it's an advantage compared to other new players, and with standings it allows you to buy your way back from wrongdoing (intentional or not) - negating part of the consequences. People play games as something to occupy their time. Removing all of the time sinks means they have no reason to play.
Purely cosmetic items (ship outward appearance, fancier looking weapons on ships with the same stats, CQ decorations, avatar clothes, etc are all fine - as long as they provide NO benefit at all. I personally want logos on ships, option for new appearance items, and ability to customize the CQ (I'm from SWG after all - decorating houses was another time sink), and will pay for the ability to (provided the price is much lower than current).
Having spent quite a bit on a F2P game (Battlefield Heroes) for outfits, weapons and widgets I can say that the one thing most players hate are those with the Uber/Super weapons which give an advantage over non-paying (not even a huge advantage - slightly more criticals, and a slight damage increase). Many rage quits on maps over them, and some servers ban on sight if you use them. Why do people pay for outfits there? Unique appearance, and supports development of the game. (BTW: in BF:H an entire 5-piece outfit can be purchased for as low as $10. A monocle in BF:H is $2.71 for lifetime ownership.)
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