Super Packs Update - 12/12/2011

It is 5 out of 205, not 6 out of 205.

Either way they will continue to add 'better' stuff until a percentage of sales are achieved. At which point they'll use that as a standard as to how much to include in any future packs. This is wholly a predatory marketing tactic. Will the packs sell? Of course they will sell. There is no doubt in my mind that they will sell. That kind of revenue is addictive to the marketing team.

The problem is that this kind of revenue stream is incredibly short-sighted in that it will turn off their core customers: The VIP. Once the VIPs realize that they'll not be able to keep up unless they spend a lot of money, they'll likely quit. The VIPs will be less likely to recommend the game to their friends at that point, and the marketing team will put even more desirable items in the packs in a desperate hope to continue the revenue stream.

That is the problem these packs will have: They mask the fact that the production schedule is too much too fast.

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

Hm. Will repeated buys have a chance to get doubles?

Eco

Originally Posted by Samuel_Tow [The Incarnate System is] Jack Emmert all over again, only this time it's not "1 hero = 3 white minions" it's "1 hero = 3 white rocks."

On some things.

Actually, it does change that fact. Quite a bit, really. At least, it changes the value you've assigned to them substantially.

a) shouldn't be playing this game at all, then. Practically everything you do in the game is gambling in some form.... Whether it's the hunt for random drops or being at the mercy of the RNG for every single attack and defense roll...

*Points out you delibrtly left out the 'with real money' part.*

Originally Posted by Samuel_Tow [The Incarnate System is] Jack Emmert all over again, only this time it's not "1 hero = 3 white minions" it's "1 hero = 3 white rocks."

Of everything except account-wide things. So far, the only account wide things that have been listed are the costumes.

That has NOTHING to do with real money. Nice attempt at spin though.

When they roll these out, will they give us a complete list of all 205 things that are the complete pool? Then we can know when we've got all the costume pieces, for example, and also work out our chances of getting individual items before we commit to spending.

Eco

Originally Posted by Samuel_Tow [The Incarnate System is] Jack Emmert all over again, only this time it's not "1 hero = 3 white minions" it's "1 hero = 3 white rocks."

No, it doesn't substantially change the fact that the developers (probably specifically Ghost Falcon) have assigned a value to the Reward Tokens. The basic facts remain the same: Paragon Reward Tokens are a perk that has a value that anyone can measure with a little diligence.

The developer's value of the Paragon Reward Token seems to be $10. Yet this token "purchase" of the super packs is being assigned a $5 value.

The VIP costumes, by the same math, has a high premium attached to them. 3x800 PP (2,400 PP) for a complete set of costume parts. So we are getting "charged" an extra $25 (2,000 PP) for the Celestial Set compared with a regular costume pack.

Again, the math is easy to do. So easy that a player has to wonder if someone had bothered to do the math in the first place.

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

Absolutely, no way, nein, not going to happen, no no no.

Bwahahahahahaha.

I'm glad Zwimmerschitzel already replied.

This about sums it up for me (though I don't hate gambling all that much objectively even if I avoid it).

The fact that the ATOs can be obtained using astrals and reward merits solves any concerns I had. Costume stuff doesn't really concern me, though of course it is of note to others.

So what happens when a player gets two of the same costume piece?


Is it "Oh you got a duplicate you can't use? Sucks to be you. Go buy another pack."

Or are these costume pieces only usable by the character that opens the pack?

If the costume piece can only be used by one character, can it be traded to another that can use it before being claimed?

If the costume pieces can be traded before being claimed, will they be account bound or tradable between players?

If they are tradable between players how long do you think it'll be before people start selling them for real money outside the game? (That's one of the current problems STO is having with the ultra rare starship in their xmas grab bag)


IMHO items like costume pieces should not be in these packs unless 1. they aren't ultra rare , 2. there is an alternative method of getting them, and 3. players aren't screwed out of points if they happen to get duplicates they can't use.

All of this was answered at the pummit. They're account wide, and once you unlock them, they get removed from the drop pool, thereby slightly increasing the chances of everything else.

There was a half mention of possibly considering making the costume unlocks tradeable, maybe. I kind of doubt there's a way to make that happen in the time frame they're looking at, but if it were done then all bets are off on the above.

Still agree with 1 and 2 though.

Once you get a costume piece in a pack, it's unlocked for your account and you'll never get that costume piece again.

Never saw the pummit and this was my first time in this thread so thanks for the info.

I know I'm a few days behind now, but I want to address this a bit.

I have a few reasons why I feel this way, but I'll try to explain the least emotional one.

Let's say that they put the costume set on sale after 6 months. During those six months, I buy a pack a month, and wind up with 4 costume parts. I may use them, I may not, but those 4 costume parts are mine.

Now, when the costume set goes on sale, it will likely be as a bundle. This bundle will include ALL the costume parts, even the ones I've won in the Super Packs. If I add up the cost for all the individual parts of the set that I do NOT have, will it be cheaper than the entire set as a bundle? Most likely, it will not. So, I'll get the bundle, and have the entire set at last.

What about the parts I won, however? At that point, I've basically lost the draws that had costume parts in them, as I've just paid for those parts again. I could have gotten Reward Merits, Converters, or maybe even ATIOs in those draws, but instead I got costume parts I wound up paying for anyway.

Avoiding this problem leaves me with two choices: One, I can buy MORE Super Packs, and hope to get lucky enough with drawing costume parts that I come out ahead by buying the remaining parts seperately. Or two, I can wait until the costume is for sale by other means and buy it then, removing the costume parts from the list of possible prizes in the packs.

I will not be spending enough on the Super Packs to make option one a possibility. If I have that many points sitting around, then I have enough for an actual costume set, vanity pet, or power set and I will save them for such. That leaves me with option two, pay for the costume parts outright and remove them from the pool of reward options in the packs. I can only do that if the costume set is for sale, and I will not buy Super Packs until it is. If that means no packs for six months, then I will not buy any super packs for six months. If they put a NEW costume set into the packs when the put the Elemental costume set up for sale, then the problem just repeats itself and I'll continue to not buy them.

Does this make sense to you guys?

Originally Posted by Samuel_Tow [The Incarnate System is] Jack Emmert all over again, only this time it's not "1 hero = 3 white minions" it's "1 hero = 3 white rocks."

And why not? If it's acceptable that fans of costumes and Enhancements must buy endless boosters, then why is gating badges behind the same mechanic beyond the pale?

-D

We've made the ATO's available to earn through in game means. It's already an accepted convention players purchase some costume parts, albeit in a different manner than we've implemented within the Super Packs, however that's a different discussion.

We're not interested in selling badges. Badges are something players earn in game and, as far as we're concerned, that's just fine. The *only* exception we're making with Freedom is the "Knowledgeable" badge which costs a whopping zero points.

Edited to correct inaccuracies.

-Z