Cosmetic items & micro transactions

Post » Fri May 29, 2009 10:19 pm

This was taken from a post I made that seemed to go off topic a bit so I made this thread.

First thing I want to say is I know some people don't like micro transactions. While others like micro transactions. A micro transaction is when you spend real world money on points that you use for in game stuff like account options or items for the game.

I would like to see some micro transactions although I don't know what you would buy. Perhaps special vanity pets....I love pets. Heck some cosmetic stuff like a dynamic cigar or a cigarette that glows every few seconds and your character puffs out smoke. I don't know what else as long as it doesn't make it to unbalanced for people that don't or can't use micro transactions.

As far as cosmetic items go I hope they add the cigar and cigarette in the game without the need to make it a micro transaction item. I would also like to see some stuff for your character like tattoos and piercings. Some of the tattoos you could get would be faction specific tattoos like a Brotherhood of Steel tattoo. Also faction specific armor so for example; you have leather armor, BoS leather armor, Enclave leather armor, and (insert raider clan name here) leather armor. All the same stats but look different. I'm assuming you can join factions....so if not then disregard what I just said. :D
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Christine
 
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Post » Fri May 29, 2009 9:59 pm

Personally, I don't like the idea of micro transactions at all. Cosmetic items are often something to work towards in mmos and I don't count spending a few pounds or dollars as really working towards something. If you want a nice tasting glowing cigar you should not simply be able to buy it, but really should have waded through a group of nasty super mutants who had taken refuge at the Bill Clinton memorial in downtown (enter city name here). Micro transactions put me off a game as I'm sure it does others.
I don't have a problem with faction based rewards though. Work hard for a faction and they can perhaps give you a cool tattoo. I hear that you get a pretty cool free tattoo when you join the slaver faction.
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Genocidal Cry
 
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Post » Fri May 29, 2009 8:51 pm

+1 rick01457

Why everybody wants to make this game "The next cheap MMO" ? :evil: Image
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Kill Bill
 
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Post » Fri May 29, 2009 2:12 pm

I'm not a fan of micro-transactions. I like good old fashioned subscription based games. TANSTAAFL
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Smokey
 
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Post » Fri May 29, 2009 10:22 pm

Micro-transactions destroy a game in my opinion. I know several games where to keep with the pack, people have spent far, far more money than they ever would in just subs.

If it's subs, there should be no MT's at all, unless, and I begrudge this, unless it was purely asthetic and affected your stats in no way whatsoever.

Really though, if you're paying a sub for a game, you should be out earning game money with which to buy things. They can just make the vanity items more expensive to make them harder to get.

MT's are a bad, bad thing.
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Connie Thomas
 
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Post » Sat May 30, 2009 12:01 am



totally agree. take the regular subscription, take a month to get your pet or whatever you want and there, you spent your $12 or whatever :p the less effort you put in a game the less you will have to do thus making the game boring in the end. strive and enjoy instead! :) In gaming terms... Life's a die, then you bich.
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Gill Mackin
 
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Post » Fri May 29, 2009 10:45 pm

I really dislike micro-transactions in general, no matter if you're buying cosmetic items or gear or something else.

I feel things in-game should be earned through work, dedication, luck, skill, and for the really impressive stuff, teamwork.
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Nadia Nad
 
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Post » Fri May 29, 2009 1:53 pm

what if there was both.

have the micro transactions for stuff that would otherwise just take time to get one way or another.
then the basic subsciption could be less for all :D

or like i said somewhere else, different servers for each.
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Jason Rice
 
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Post » Fri May 29, 2009 5:46 pm

I'm not saying have it all MT based but... you know this was going to be an example at some point. World of Warcraft has a MT system for items you can't get in the game. I just think it would be a nice option, nothing game changing. More money for the developers means more content for us.
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Nicole Elocin
 
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Post » Fri May 29, 2009 1:00 pm

If I had my way there would be no micro transactions at all. None, nada, zip. But it seems unlikely that I'll get my wish. A lot of MMO companies are making money with them. So gamesas will probably join the bandwagon. I just hope they don't go too far. Thinking that you know anything about MMOs because you play WoW. Is like thinking you're a master chef because you work at McDonalds.
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Gwen
 
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Post » Fri May 29, 2009 7:57 pm

Purely cosmetic items that do not affect stats or gameplay and are strictly eyecandy would be alright. Especially if they were transferrable afterward. If someone else had one and I could pay for it in bottlecaps and have the chance to have the same item without needing actual cash then it would be an even chance for everyone regardless of whether they wanted to participate in microtransactions or not.

There should never be any stat, gameplay, or character altering item available though. Especially mounts.
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Jessica White
 
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Post » Fri May 29, 2009 5:13 pm

I think that microtransactions are tough, because they're hard to sell (conceptually) to the playerbase. This thread is evidence of that, with a lot of people voicing opposition to them. I feel the same sort of thing, but it's nothing that I can put my finger on. Just the concept makes me slightly uneasy for some reason.

That said, I also think that a lot of the problem is that players don't necessarily see the benefits gained from MTs. WoW is an example that's come up a few times in this thread. It launched nearly six years ago, and has maintained the same subscription fee for those six years. Adjusted for inflation, $15 from 2004 would be roughly ~$17-18 today. In that light, things like the remote AH functionality, or $25 (~$3 a month for eight months) for a horse, don't really seem that egregious. The fact that WoW's price has remained steady at $15/month isn't something that customers often associate with microtransactions, but it's a pretty safe bet that Blizzard has considered, and decided against, raising the monthly fee before.

Ultimately, if microtransactions can increase the game's profitability* without damaging my experience, then I am willing to support them. It would be fantastic to live in a world where financial constraints didn't hamper the creation of excellent games, but as long as that's not the case, the key becomes picking your battles, and deciding which features you can probably live with, and which need to be vehemently opposed from the outset.

* This is important for two reasons. The first is that those responsible for making the game need to be rewarded and recognised for the amount of effort and talent that they put in. The second is that quite simply, the more profit a company is likely to make, the more likely investors are to invest money in it. That money is what's used to fuel further development, refinement, features, additions, etc. When a new patch is released with brand new questing areas and loot and dungeons, it rarely has a sign on it saying "this content brought to you by microtransactions", but that's often the case. Maybe you'll sit and sigh, wishing that I were near
Then maybe you'll ask me to come back again
And maybe I'll say "Maybe"
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Kayla Oatney
 
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Post » Sat May 30, 2009 1:08 am



i dont think that this reason is such a mystery, there is 2 kind of transactions one that change gameplay and one that supplement it.
for the first additional powerful items that are accessible only to those who pay is a good example, best case scenario ppl antagonized by all those with the extra cash who can buy their way to power instead of grinding or worst case scenario the game become with to class citizents those who can buy the good stuff and those who cant.
the second one is ok, its unique cloth pets etc, stuff that makes you unique and "cool" (it depends on how much time you log :D ) which is nice, the worst case scenario is that ppl are jealous and feel that the time that spent on this could have better spent on an expansion. (personally i dont have problem with the latter)
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Camden Unglesbee
 
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Post » Fri May 29, 2009 10:19 pm



I joined the forums just to say this.

NO.

Look at what InfinityWard/ActivitionBlizzard is doing, that is not more content then the money people have payed for, but then again, I know people who have bought both map packs despite hating the fact they're 15$ each.
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Vicky Keeler
 
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Post » Sat May 30, 2009 5:09 am



I joined the forums just to say this.

NO.

Look at what InfinityWard/ActivitionBlizzard is doing, that is not more content then the money people have payed for, but then again, I know people who have bought both map packs despite hating the fact they're 15$ each.
CCP from eve... they give contents for free and they give massive ones, they beat any frikkin game in giving out expansions...

its all about the developing company, some just don't give back the money we payed them via the game .P Image
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lilmissparty
 
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