Lilliana Stelles
Caldari Nagrom Security Syndicate
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Posted - 2011.06.24 03:07:00 -
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I'll play the devil's advocate and side with CCP on the newsletter. But this opens up a bunch of new questions.
Lets assume CCP is going to keep going in the direction it's currently headed and increase micropayment transactions. I'm personally fine with this, as I've played many games that rely entirely on micropayments. I think it's a brilliant system; however, I'm wondering how much thought has been put into some of it.
Why are the items (outside of the monocle) so generic? They're ordinary pieces of clothing. Shouldn't ordinary items be added as FREE updates to the character creator? I'd expect micropayments to bring outlandish, insanely custom and elite items and those prices. Such as elegant dresses, sexy exotic-dancer wear, cool trenchcoats, tuxedos, or sci-fi pilot suits. Currently, the items available in NEX are too similar in quality to free items to justify the prices.
Finally, why, exactly, are the prices so high? That's everyone's question. You sell more stuff if your prices are lower. Much more. Players WILL buy ten times the item if they're 1/10th the price. How many people do you see with monocles? I've seen two on the forums altogether. They're probably be several dozen in this thread alone if they were only $6, however. Nothing, should, under ANY circumstances, cost more than the game itself.
I also think you should specify what, exactly, money from micropayments is intended to fund. If NEX items are used to fund an art team that only works on NEX items, then no development time from core game features is lost. However, most players are afraid that SUBSCRIPTIONS will fund NEX items. (And that will turn out the be the case if the prices aren't lowered, since none will be sold).
What, if anything, will be the benefit to players from these micropayments? I don't mean in-game benefits, but what are we actually paying for? Increased and speedier development? Reduced subscription costs? More free unique-redeemable items? If you want players to embrace microtransactions, there needs to be an obvious benefit to players. Remember that for everything that costs money, there should be at least twice as many free things added to the game. The micropayment items' quality should be higher and these items should be more exclusive.
Does CCP plan to offer faster character progression through micropayments? This is the big question on everyone's mind. How will this "greed" affect gameplay? I'm not opposed to something similar to the officers edition of EVE, whereas you get a super-implant, but players probably won't react kindly to money-for-sp. Micropayment funded stat reallocation, on the other hand, would likely be accepted.
Sorry if anything I've said is redundant, I'm reading back through the thread and have only made it halfway so far.
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