Discussion: Retiring Booster Packs, Expansions and Boxed Sets on the NCsoft store on August 30
By
Aggelakis,
Posted on: 2011-08-23 09:48 in News, Events and Announcement Discussion
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I'm not sure its the other posters that need to "unclinch". This is, by title and redname declaration, a discussion thread about an announced change. What people in this thread have said is "hey, if you are getting rid of bundled sales, we don't like that". Waiting until they announce that this is definitely happening before saying we wouldn't like them to do that would be pretty moronic. There's absolutely no reason we can't mention it now, in a context that's relevant.
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Originally Posted by DevilYouKnow
So unclinch and relax. All that is known for certain is that they are discontinuing the booster packs.
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Blue
American Steele: 50 BS/Inv
Nightfall: 50 DDD
Sable Slayer: 50 DM/Rgn
Fortune's Shadow: 50 Dark/Psi
WinterStrike: 47 Ice/Dev
Quantum Well: 43 Inv/EM
Twilit Destiny: 43 MA/DA
Red
Shadowslip: 50 DDC
Final Rest: 50 MA/Rgn
Abyssal Frost: 50 Ice/Dark
Golden Ember: 50 SM/FA
When they announced that they were going to stop issuing trial accounts on the 17th, I made the prediction that Freedom would be launching on the 31st. With the announcement that Boosters will be retired on the 30th, I feel even MORE strongly about this.
Yes, I know they typically announce an issue launch a week or two ahead of time, but, in this case, it would be counterproductive for them to do it. If you are a new customer, trying to decide whether or not to buy the game or a current customer trying to decide whether to renew your subscription, the knowledge that the game is going to be free in a week may push you to decide NOT to make the purchase.
Similarly, if you are looking at a particularly appealing costume part or power that is part of a booster pack, and that is all you want, it may push you to just wait until Freedom when you can buy just that one piece you want. Yes, I know it's cheaper to buy the booster pack, but that is only really true if you want everything in the pack, and not just one or two items.
Soooo.... I am once again predicting that Freedom will hit the live servers on the 30th or 31st.
- Garielle
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Originally Posted by Frosty_Femme
I said "ur" which is not a word. It's a sound dumb people make when you ask them to spell out "you are".
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just to clarify we will still be able to purchase the elements of the various booster packs via the new store?
Id love to have some of them but moneys tight at the moment.
So you mean you'll put down your rock, and I'll put down my sword; and we'll try and kill each other like civilized people?
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Yes - every single item from every single booster pack will be available in the new Paragon Market.
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Originally Posted by catsi563
just to clarify we will still be able to purchase the elements of the various booster packs via the new store?
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@Golden Girl
City of Heroes comics and artwork
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The time for changes of any decent magnitude is Closed Beta at the latest. Once it hits Open, IMO, there will be no major changes barring something extreme happening that wasn't caught in Closed. Open is not really the point of offering feedback that is going to be meaningfully acted upon. It's the point of finding gamebreaking bugs that slipped past in Closed.
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Originally Posted by IanTheM1
Pretty much what Dark One said. My point was that from what I've seen, the "it's beta, it can change" line has been bandied about a bit as some sort of counter-argument to those dissatisfied with the current set-up, and it may have been reasonable thing to say on day one of open beta to the influx of folks going WTF, but the further we go without any updates on the situation, the less relevant it becomes.
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Thank you for the warning. However the prices currently on Beta make it abundantly clear that Paragon Studios intends to raise prices by up to 3.5x the current rate. |
Originally Posted by Avatea
With the launch of City of Heroes Freedom™ drawing nearer, and all the new and exciting things coming your way in Issue 21, we also have to say goodbye to some of the products you have come to love over the years.
As a result, we will be discontinuing the sale of all Booster Packs, Expansions and Boxed sets in the NCsoft store on August 30, 2011. The good news is that players who wish to take advantage of the current pricing are still able to do so before these items are officially discontinued. |
I doubt I'll use the new store, even with the monthly stipend, because the prices are too high in most cases.
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Comparison with Paragon Market.
Triumph: White Succubus: 50 Ill/Emp/PF Snow Globe: 50 Ice/FF/Ice Strobe: 50 PB Shi Otomi: 50 Ninja/Ninjistu/GW Stalker My other characters
Someone posted in the beta forums somewhere a comparison of packs and their beta prices. I can't recall where I saw that, but can amyone repost it? I want to buy the most expensive ones post-freedom for $10 while I still can.
Umm...
1 week notice? That's a bit short. Any chance this could be extended at least til after labor day? I had a cyborg pack purchase planned for the 1st. :/
Okay, I found the list.
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Remember the prices are not final. They will likely be cheaper at launch, but this should still give an idea of their relative costs in comparison to each other. Luckily I already got the most expensive ones.
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Originally Posted by Dr_Darkspeed
Animal Pack 2280 Booster 1: Technology 1120 Booster 2: Magic 2800 Booster 3: Super Science 1640 Booster 4: Martial Arts 2520 Booster 5: Mutant 1820 Going Rogue: Basic 7940 Going Rogue: Complete 1000 Good vs Evil 1380 Origins Pack 1100 Mac/Valkyrie Pack 1620 Party/Recreation Pack 320 Steampunk Pack 2460 Vanguard Pack 1895 Wedding Pack 495 |
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Did the announcement say that they'd never bring back some form of bundled deal? No? Then why are you acting like it did? All it said is that the current boosters, etc were being discontinued. They have costume sets at one price, they have IO sets at a bundled price, why can't they come up with something down the road that puts more things together for one price?|
Originally Posted by UberGuy
I'm not sure its the other posters that need to "unclinch". This is, by title and redname declaration, a discussion thread about an announced change. What people in this thread have said is "hey, if you are getting rid of bundled sales, we don't like that". Waiting until they announce that this is definitely happening before saying we wouldn't like them to do that would be pretty moronic. There's absolutely no reason we can't mention it now, in a context that's relevant.
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The reactions this is getting definitely deserves the "unclinch" response.
The Devs HAVE changed numbers after something went Live, and if traffic in the new Market system isn't where they'd like it to be, don't you think they'd lower the prices or offer more deals to get more business? To think otherwise doesn't make a lot of sense, especially when we're talking about real money, not game mechanics.
Loose --> not tight.
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One extra 'o' makes a big difference.
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I've been seeing such behavior from fellow forumites quite often, and I may have expressed it in someway before as well. But yeah, everyone is reacting defensively about anything concerning freedom. No one wants to lose opportunities. It isn't that freedom is a bad thing, we just want to be secure about what we're getting here. Some people are insecure about the changes and end up turning this into worst possible scenario predictions. Maybe we really just need to chill and trust developers a bit more.
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Originally Posted by White Hot Flash
Did the announcement say that they'd never bring back some form of bundled deal? No? Then why are you acting like it did?
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Normally, I would agree that what you see towards the end of a closed beta is what you will see on live. It's generally a bad idea to tweak things at the same time as the launch. For a classic example of this, do some research into launch day of the other, far inferior, superhero MMO out there. |
Originally Posted by IanTheM1
Pretty much what Dark One said. My point was that from what I've seen, the "it's beta, it can change" line has been bandied about a bit as some sort of counter-argument to those dissatisfied with the current set-up, and it may have been reasonable thing to say on day one of open beta to the influx of folks going WTF, but the further we go without any updates on the situation, the less relevant it becomes.
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In this case though, I would certainly not be surprised if the prices aren't lowered slightly. The reason for this is that it is a market/pricing test. You ALWAYS test prices high, NEVER low. For one thing, if you are selling something, you don't care what the lowest price you can sell it for is, you care what the highest price is that you can sell it and generate the sales volume (in dollars) that you are aiming for.
But there is another reason. Let's say they listed something on the beta server at 100 points. They decide, either during testing or after launch, to change the price to 150 points. Can you imagine the outrage on the forums as people cry, "WHAT!?!?! THIS WAS ONLY 100 POINTS IN BETA! NOW YOU ARE SNEAKING IN AT THE LAST SECOND AND MARKING UP THE PRICE ON US! YOU CHEAP PANCAKE PANCAKE PANCAKES!"
Now reverse that. Let's say they list something for 150 points. When they launch they drop it to 100 points. The people who were upset at the 150 point price feel grateful. They feel like the developers have given them something. They don't even consider the fact that they never had to pay the higher price in the first place. It is a perceived discount or gift, and everyone is happy.
- Garielle
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Originally Posted by Frosty_Femme
I said "ur" which is not a word. It's a sound dumb people make when you ask them to spell out "you are".
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I didn't. Read my response to it, ponder the concept of reading comprehension, and then try again.|
Originally Posted by White Hot Flash
Did the announcement say that they'd never bring back some form of bundled deal? No? Then why are you acting like it did?
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| The reactions this is getting definitely deserves the "unclinch" response. |
- That bundled packs may not be back because they are not back now.
- That the a-la-cart method buying all the parts of what are, today, bundled packs is based on current beta prices more expensive than buying the packs.
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| The Devs HAVE changed numbers after something went Live, and if traffic in the new Market system isn't where they'd like it to be, don't you think they'd lower the prices or offer more deals to get more business? To think otherwise doesn't make a lot of sense, especially when we're talking about real money, not game mechanics. |
Blue
American Steele: 50 BS/Inv
Nightfall: 50 DDD
Sable Slayer: 50 DM/Rgn
Fortune's Shadow: 50 Dark/Psi
WinterStrike: 47 Ice/Dev
Quantum Well: 43 Inv/EM
Twilit Destiny: 43 MA/DA
Red
Shadowslip: 50 DDC
Final Rest: 50 MA/Rgn
Abyssal Frost: 50 Ice/Dark
Golden Ember: 50 SM/FA
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Originally Posted by DevilYouKnow
I could see it launching on Labor Day weekend if most of the bugs have been worked out in testing. Maybe on the 1st?
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I so hope this wont come true, i just played a bit (like 30 minutes) on beta yesterday and found 2 major for me gamestopping bugs that i dont wanna see on live, and yeah ive /bugged em.
In details, my Options got reset 2 times to basics in that time only reason was i was zoning to another map.....
Same reason zoning into another map = all zone map options got unchecked.....
Greetings
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Hopefully they get those fixed, but I wouldn't count on them not launching it within the next week or so. They have already cut off one source of generating new players. As of Tuesday, they will also completely cut off their income streams except for subscriptions and account services (rename, transfers, slots, etc). I can't see them doing that for more than one or two days.|
Originally Posted by SuggestorK
I so hope this wont come true, i just played a bit (like 30 minutes) on beta yesterday and found 2 major for me gamestopping bugs that i dont wanna see on live, and yeah ive /bugged em.
In details, my Options got reset 2 times to basics in that time only reason was i was zoning to another map..... Same reason zoning into another map = all zone map options got unchecked..... Greetings |
So yeah, I am looking for Tuesday or Wednesday of next week.
- Garielle
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Originally Posted by Frosty_Femme
I said "ur" which is not a word. It's a sound dumb people make when you ask them to spell out "you are".
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Yeah, thinking the big announcement at pax is going to be "hey, we're launching in a couple days". Guess I wont be getting my brother going rogue for his account now. Tho I may have to quickly consider getting him the martial arts pack that he wants. Anyone know how much ninja run equals to in cash on the new market? If it's 5 dollars or more i'll prolly just get him the pack so he gets all the cool costume pieces with it.
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Ninja Run is currently 500 Paragon Points or $6.25 USD.
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Originally Posted by RevolverMike
Yeah, thinking the big announcement at pax is going to be "hey, we're launching in a couple days". Guess I wont be getting my brother going rogue for his account now. Tho I may have to quickly consider getting him the martial arts pack that he wants. Anyone know how much ninja run equals to in cash on the new market? If it's 5 dollars or more i'll prolly just get him the pack so he gets all the cool costume pieces with it.
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Triumph: White Succubus: 50 Ill/Emp/PF Snow Globe: 50 Ice/FF/Ice Strobe: 50 PB Shi Otomi: 50 Ninja/Ninjistu/GW Stalker My other characters
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For those that want a glance at prices in USD:|
Originally Posted by Dal
Okay, I found the list.
Remember the prices are not final. They will likely be cheaper at launch, but this should still give an idea of their relative costs in comparison to each other. Luckily I already got the most expensive ones. |
Prices in yellow are more expensive than the store, the prices in green are lower.
Edit:
At least one person didn't get the warning properly. Yellow items will increase (in some cases dramatically) after Issue 21. Wedding Pack, Good vs. Evil pack, and the Party Pack will all be cheaper with Issue 21.
Triumph: White Succubus: 50 Ill/Emp/PF Snow Globe: 50 Ice/FF/Ice Strobe: 50 PB Shi Otomi: 50 Ninja/Ninjistu/GW Stalker My other characters
One other thing I seem to remember was that there was going to be a discount when buying a larger number of points, There were no details given, because they hadn't decided how it was going to work
It's possible that buying enough points to buy a booster pack MIGHT lower price to comparable to what we have regrading pricing.
BTW, my post was not aimed at any individual, but rather at the whole atmosphere of "Oh Noez! Dooooom!" If you were offended, I'm sorry. But the only fact that we know is that Booster packs are going to be retired. That's it. Until more is known, I don't see any reason to react at all.
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Hmm...thanks for that Snow_Globe |
Originally Posted by Snow Globe
For those that want a glance at prices in USD:
Prices in yellow are more expensive than the store, the prices in green are lower. |
Just might have to buy the Origins pack and Steampunk pack before August 29th with knowing about the price differences.
If I do that, then I'll worry about the Science pack and Party pack later (I swore to myself I wouldn't buy the science pack so won't buy it...plus not really interested in costume pieces..just the 'powers' in the packs usually).
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Oh, thanks, that's much better to compare. And ouch, I really should get steampunk for cheap while I still can.
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Originally Posted by Snow Globe
For those that want a glance at prices in USD:
Prices in yellow are more expensive than the store, the prices in green are lower. |
I don't think any of us concerned about this are foolish for doing so. The packs are going away, and there is not currently a replacement for them on the current store. The current store also has much higher prices to get everything currently in the packs, as Snow Globe's data shows.
The store currently DOES have packs for things like enhancement sets, and the devs have never said definitively that they will be added. All we have had (that I know of) a listing of a potential magic pack cost, and not in an official page or something like that. That's enough to be worrisome, and to warrant people saying "hey, we would like the option, and there should be, given current prices we are seeing."
Guide: Tanking, Wall of Fire Style (Updated for I19!), and the Four Rules of Tanking
Story Arc: Belated Justice, #88003
Synopsis: Explore the fine line between justice and vengeance as you help a hero of Talos Island bring his friend's murderer to justice.
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Just quick question.
Will the temp 30 day jet pack be purchable via points? If so how much? Also will there be a non temp version?
Would be nice since we have 2 run/jump temp powers and 2 superjump temp powers.
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Buy rocket board.|
Originally Posted by GPBunny
Just quick question.
Will the temp 30 day jet pack be purchable via points? If so how much? Also will there be a non temp version? Would be nice since we have 2 run/jump temp powers and 2 superjump temp powers. |
awesome; faster than flight permanent travel power.
Can we finally get word on whether you are going to offer these packs in the new store for City of Heroes? The magic pack was given as an example by a producer (can't recall who) when giving some potential price examples, but I still haven't seen this on the store in beta.
I'm not sure what the reasoning is behind this reticence, but an answer would be nice. I personally do not like having to get all the parts piecemeal, and think it would be a great idea to still offer these boosters for a certain amount of points. If you're planning on removing this option entirely, let me say that this is a BAD idea. Yes, sometimes a booster only had a couple things someone would want, but at others, people want the whole thing. And you should have competitively priced options for both camps.
Guide: Tanking, Wall of Fire Style (Updated for I19!), and the Four Rules of Tanking
Story Arc: Belated Justice, #88003
Synopsis: Explore the fine line between justice and vengeance as you help a hero of Talos Island bring his friend's murderer to justice.
Grey Pilgrim: Fire/Fire Tanker (50), Victory