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Originally Posted by MrDead
I'm not searching for anything not being presented upfront. I'm concerned they're going to drive people away with this model (though I can think of a couple I wouldn't mind...)
I'm concerned this will be the death of free content, and that we'll quietly be being charged ever so slightly more for everything, and WILL be charged for EVERYTHING that isn't a mission from now on. |
A profit center for everything and for everything a marketing plan.
Nahhh could never happen. I mean you start thinking like that next thing you will ask are what problems were left/put in the game just so we could be sold the fixes.
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I didn't realize this was the crazy train express. Please, take my seat: this would be my stop.
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Originally Posted by Another_Fan
A profit center for everything and for everything a marketing plan.
Nahhh could never happen. I mean you start thinking like that next thing you will ask are what problems were left/put in the game just so we could be sold the fixes. |
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And normally you are so much more verbose and layered in your deflections.|
Originally Posted by Arcanaville
I didn't realize this was the crazy train express. Please, take my seat: this would be my stop.
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I can see your position its not like much demanded and needed features haven't been part of a sale in the past. I mean there isn't an example or examples of them saying oh its ok for you get stuff faster if you pay us, but otherwise that rate of earning is an exploit is there ?
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Ok, I have no idea what just happened, but seriously, that was hysterical.
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Originally Posted by Arcanaville
I didn't realize this was the crazy train express. Please, take my seat: this would be my stop.
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Apparently I'm to stupid right now to make an awesome link with a picture and stuff but neverthelss sign the petition! [u]http://www.change.org/petitions/ncso...city-of-heroes[u]
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Well apparently Arcanaville thinks it crazy that money spent by a company would have to be justified against expected profits.|
Originally Posted by MrDead
Ok, I have no idea what just happened, but seriously, that was hysterical.
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Give him/her a little bit and I am sure there will be a convincing argument why paragon studios won't act in a manner to maximize their profit.
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You are suggesting that Paragon Studios will intentionally introduce bugs, or intentionally leave bugs unfixed, just so they can charge for the fix. Normal ITF is free, but Special Premium ITF With No Lag In Lag Valley costs $5, or such. $10 to upgrade your Henchmen to cycle their attacks smoothly instead of getting hung up on their one melee attack! $5 for an Oil Slick Arrow that always lights!|
Originally Posted by Another_Fan
Well apparently Arcanaville thinks it crazy that money spent by a company would have to be justified against expected profits.
Give him/her a little bit and I am sure there will be a convincing argument why paragon studios won't act in a manner to maximize their profit. |
It's hard to tell what's crazier. Believing something so completely insane, or not realizing that it's completely insane.
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Well.. though I didn't put forward this idea and don't agree with it.. Microsoft and Intel did exactly that. Or was it Norton and Intel. Anyway it's been done.
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Originally Posted by MagicFlyingHippy
You are suggesting that Paragon Studios will intentionally introduce bugs, or intentionally leave bugs unfixed, just so they can charge for the fix. Normal ITF is free, but Special Premium ITF With No Lag In Lag Valley costs $5, or such. $10 to upgrade your Henchmen to cycle their attacks smoothly instead of getting hung up on their one melee attack! $5 for an Oil Slick Arrow that always lights!
It's hard to tell what's crazier. Believing something so completely insane, or not realizing that it's completely insane. |
Apparently I'm to stupid right now to make an awesome link with a picture and stuff but neverthelss sign the petition! [u]http://www.change.org/petitions/ncso...city-of-heroes[u]
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No what I am suggesting, is regular merits are free, alignment merits need a purchase, and astral/empyrean merits require more. The current Itrial drops are free, something better may be purchaseable. |
Originally Posted by MagicFlyingHippy
You are suggesting that Paragon Studios will intentionally introduce bugs, or intentionally leave bugs unfixed, just so they can charge for the fix. Normal ITF is free, but Special Premium ITF With No Lag In Lag Valley costs $5, or such. $10 to upgrade your Henchmen to cycle their attacks smoothly instead of getting hung up on their one melee attack! $5 for an Oil Slick Arrow that always lights!
It's hard to tell what's crazier. Believing something so completely insane, or not realizing that it's completely insane. |
If there is a needed fix, that can be morphed into something that can be purchased it will get done in a timely fashion. If it can't it will be fixed soon.
Edit: Just to take your example. No the old ITF just never gets fixed, instead you get a new Cimerora content expansion pack, has a new repeatable contact, a couple of roman themed costume pieces, and a task force that is much like the ITF, but doesn't have the lag can be done faster and rewards better, threads or a component and some astrals ?
Ok I used search and I did't see an answer to this: What if we AREN'T using a re-occurring payment method like a time card or paypal?
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No cost but time? Time *is* money. And there are more productive ways to earn money than caretake 100 free accounts over the course of 25 days.|
Originally Posted by Psyte
Well, a better concern is if they can get 25pp's then they can buy a costume part. If that can turn a Free player into a Premium player, then they can send tells and use gleemail. Since there's no actual cost to them except time, they can earn influence, salvage, etc., to sell, then at 30 days unload that character's stuff, become Premium, do a mass email/tell spam-a-thon, and throw the account away. This is more than they can do currrently without resorting to credit card fraud (not that I think they have anything against it).
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Besides, we don't know if just one tiny purchase is enough to become Premium. And if it is, it may well be still a very limited account.
Besides, if the bar for becoming Premium is that low, then the RMTs will spend the $5 to become Premium immediately to do all the things you think they can get away with as a Premium account and then earn $20 for each account they invested $5 in.
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True, true. /le sigh|
Originally Posted by Zombie Man
No cost but time? Time *is* money. And there are more productive ways to earn money than caretake 100 free accounts over the course of 25 days.
Besides, we don't know if just one tiny purchase is enough to become Premium. And if it is, it may well be still a very limited account. Besides, if the bar for becoming Premium is that low, then the RMTs will spend the $5 to become Premium immediately to do all the things you think they can get away with as a Premium account and then earn $20 for each account they invested $5 in. |
And, I might be wrong about this, PL/RMT jerkwads could offer PP earning services - just be stupid enough to give them your login and password, they'll make a character and earn PP for you.
Granted, I can't say I think particularly highly of the morons that are dumb enough to use these guys' services.
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This we CRAZY agree on.
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Originally Posted by Psyte
Granted, I can't say I think particularly highly of the morons that are dumb enough to use these guys' services. |
Apparently I'm to stupid right now to make an awesome link with a picture and stuff but neverthelss sign the petition! [u]http://www.change.org/petitions/ncso...city-of-heroes[u]
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So you're saying that an à la carte*, purchase-only-what-you-want option shoudn't cost more? Isn't that argument the opposite of the one for discount pricing? If you waited until the day before your granny's birthday to mail her birthday present, no doubt you would castigate the Postal Service for dreaming of charging extra for Express Delivery?|
Originally Posted by MrDead
I'd have to say charging more for an existing product by breaking it into components and charging ever so slightly more is shady at best.
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Observe the following scenario:
YOU: I want to buy some Magic costume pieces. How much are they?
NCsoft vendor: $1.25 each.
YOU: Hmmm *calculates* If I buy them all, it's $15. Do you have a bundle discount?
NC: Yes, you can have the entire bundle for $12.
YOU: Naw, that's too much. I just want this hat and the baron collar. How much are they?
NC: A dollar twenty-five.
YOU: What?!? If I buy it as part of the bundle, they're a dollar each !
NC: *sighs* Fine. You can have them for a dollar.
YOU: How much if I add the rest of the costumes?
NC: Twelve dollars.
YOU: But you were going to sell me all ten at a dollar each! I won't pay more than $10 for the bundle!
et cetera, et cetera, ad infinitum
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| -sigh- If I'm paying more to get the complete contents of a booster pack that already exists at a pre-established price being able to NOT buy parts doesn't actually make it NOT cost more to buy an item for $12 I could previously buy for $10. |
"Operators are standing by."
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| I'm concerned this will be the death of free content, and that we'll quietly be being charged ever so slightly more for everything, and WILL be charged for EVERYTHING that isn't a mission from now on. |
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Full disclosure I'm totally one of those people (you're all so surprised I can tell) but I also bought every booster pack.. twice... edit: except the party pack. |
How . . . . nice. *backs away slowly*
*Did you realize the opposite of "à la carte" is "table d'hôte", at which a menu with limited or no choice is served at a fixed price?
@ Purgatorio
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It's $5 per Month. How many arcs might come out in a month isn't stated.
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Originally Posted by Liquid
So that answers my question: it's $5 per arc, not $5 to unlock Sig Story Arcs for the account forever.
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Wavicle, Energy/Energy Blaster, dinged 50 in Issue 4, summer of 2005.
@Wavicle, mostly on the Justice server.
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Or you can be a VIP and have a free transfer every month...
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Originally Posted by StratoNexus
I know this is water under the bridge, but with the new system coming online, I want to once again attempt to make the argument for more rational pricing for this one feature. Currently, this feature is implemented so that people can move a character to a new server to be with friends or to move an old toon people do not want to delete to a less used server to make room on their "primary" server for a new character. For that use, the price point listed is reasonable (I think high, but reasonable).
However, this could be so much more. Since it feels like cross-server teaming is Sadly a long way off (not even on a production schedule?), this could be used to solve the primary reason for cross-server teaming. Maybe I am near unique, but I know several of my friends have the same situation. Characters strewn across 3, 4, or sometimes more servers. Sometimes I log-in and really want to play character X on server P, but my friends want to play on server G. Sometimes I log-in just to fool around and wait to see what is going on; I may see a team forming in one of my globals to run a TF/trial on server P, but I really want to do that TF/trial with a character on server G. Maybe I have joined a team for a TF on server L, but the team really wants buff/debuff, while I would love to switch to one of my buff/debuff toons, I do not have any on server L. If you make server transfers cost 10 bucks, I will never buy one. If you make server transfers cost 5 bucks, I may buy one or two a year. If you make server transfers cost 1 dollar, I will buy 1 every 6 weeks or so. If you make server transfers cost $0.50, I will buy 4 or 5 a month. If you make server transfers cost $0.25, I will use them like candy, especially if that 25 cents is 20 PPs. I think more money can be made at the lower price point, on top of more convenience for the players. It looks like a win-win to me. |
Wavicle, Energy/Energy Blaster, dinged 50 in Issue 4, summer of 2005.
@Wavicle, mostly on the Justice server.
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One transfer a month is useless for the purpose of bypassing the server lock. I find myself wanting to play a character on the "wrong" server 3 or 4 times a week.
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Originally Posted by Wavicle
Or you can be a VIP and have a free transfer every month...
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Why Blasters? Empathy Sucks.
So, you want to be Mental?
What the hell? Let's buff defenders.
Tactics are for those who do not have a big enough hammer. Wisdom is knowing how big your hammer is.
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While your general argument is reasonable, you're actually incorrect about this - the subscription price used to be $12. If I recall correctly, they Have raised the subscription price, twice, in those 7-plus years. The fact that the change was completely reasonable doesn't negate the fact of the change.|
Originally Posted by Noobian_Prince
Let's see. . . . They've had TWENTY free expansions so far and haven't raised their subscription rates in SEVEN YEARS. What are the odds that NOW they're going to start nickel-and-diming subscribers? ESPECIALLY when those same subscribers can PLAY FOR FREE if they don't feel they're getting their money's worth?
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I would add that Paragon Studios is not the group who is receiving our payments - NCSoft is who the charges are made out to. The Devs are not in charge of how much the game costs us. Even if we love and trust the Devs, it's the giant, faceless Conglomerate that collects our money.
Be Well!
Fireheart
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Hello.|
Originally Posted by Ghost Falcon
Hello everyone!
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Question: Do you have measures in place so that if someone already owns a Booster now that they can't accidentally pay for an item they already have unlocked?
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| We are exploring additional options for purchasing Paragon Points, and will update you once those plans have been solidified and set in stone. |
City of Heroes: Freedom has been brought to you by Sprite and Coke Zero.
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You mean it is ran by an Evil capitalist company? Say it aint so!!!!!!! Because a company is big does not mean bad. It just means they know what they are doing cause that's how they got big to begin with. I will be the first to bail if I feel I am getting robbed. As it is I am today going out to buy a graphics card so I can play more easily that should tell you the confidence I have in them.
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Originally Posted by Fireheart
While your general argument is reasonable, you're actually incorrect about this - the subscription price used to be $12. If I recall correctly, they Have raised the subscription price, twice, in those 7-plus years. The fact that the change was completely reasonable doesn't negate the fact of the change.
I would add that Paragon Studios is not the group who is receiving our payments - NCSoft is who the charges are made out to. The Devs are not in charge of how much the game costs us. Even if we love and trust the Devs, it's the giant, faceless Conglomerate that collects our money. Be Well! Fireheart |
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This happens all the time outside the MMO world....|
Originally Posted by MrDead
-sigh- If I'm paying more to get the complete contents of a booster pack that already exists at a pre-established price being able to NOT buy parts doesn't actually make it NOT cost more to buy an item for $12 I could previously buy for $10.
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An item comes out, and eventually the price goes up.
Is that screwing people who didn't buy it in the first place? Possibly.
But the reverse happens as well.
An item comes out, and the price eventually goes down.
Is that screwing people who bought it in the first place? Possibly.
It just sounds like the business world to me.
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hahaha yeah I remember so many of those stupid missions where they'd follow you around and then POW! LEEEROOYYY JENNKINSSSS!! right into an easily avoidable mob, only to die and then you had to start all over.
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Originally Posted by Psyte
They're d-listers? I could've sworn they were disads or handicaps the devs put in to hinder players :P
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Djeannie's Costume Creator Overhaul Wishlist
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Have never used the online game store...but at the first post by Ghost Falcon he says we will be able to buy things within the game. Also they said something in the original announcement that you will be able to buy things without leaving what you are doing.
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Originally Posted by Gothenem
Actually, I do not believe that you can use your credit card/paypal within the game itself. The online store in the game simply facilitates the usage of paragon points.
I do not recall them stating anywhere that you could purchase these points in the game, only spend them. |
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No, they haven't. It's been $14.95/mo in US dollars since the game launched in April 2004.|
Originally Posted by Fireheart
While your general argument is reasonable, you're actually incorrect about this - the subscription price used to be $12. If I recall correctly, they Have raised the subscription price, twice, in those 7-plus years. The fact that the change was completely reasonable doesn't negate the fact of the change.
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If you pay in a currency other than US dollars, then I can't say for sure whether your subscription rate changed or not... but US players have always been $14.95 for a one month subscription.
(It is still about $12/mo as a lump payment for a full year subscription in advance.)
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Originally Posted by Nethergoat
it's NEVER too late to pad your /ignore list!
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Yeah, I listed those NPC Allies for their notoriety in being Ranged fighters, which means their AI goes: "I have a ranged attack ready, so, let me run to the full range of the attack and use it." And that full range just so happens to be standing in the middle of the next foe spawn.|
Originally Posted by Djeannie
hahaha yeah I remember so many of those stupid missions where they'd follow you around and then POW! LEEEROOYYY JENNKINSSSS!! right into an easily avoidable mob, only to die and then you had to start all over.
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I wonder if Synapse can aggro 5 groups in 3 seconds.
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In Arcanaville's defense, it was a LOT worse before the devs clamped down on communication options for trial players. And, unfortunately, pp rewards could be around those restrictions.
Apparently I'm to stupid right now to make an awesome link with a picture and stuff but neverthelss sign the petition! [u]http://www.change.org/petitions/ncso...city-of-heroes[u]