Super Packs Update 2/13/2012 - The Numbers

I have 2 points... I wont buy points for these packs but I do like the idea, I may spend 160 to 240 on them when I get my monthly points in a week or so. I don't mind waiting. Could care less about the wolf, I want the costume and the ATOs...

I still find this to be a horrible idea, and one I definitely will not spend any real money on, no question.

I want the costume pieces, so as soon as there is a less idiotic way to get them, I am all over that.

I normally spend 400 points every 3 weeks or so to buy 5 xp boosters. According to the figures if I spend that on Packs I should end up with more than 5 (unless I'm really unlucky) plus some other things. So it's a win for me.

Edit: I have just seen a list of rewards from 24 packs and in total there were 6 xp boosts so it's a no from me.

In a true sense of the word this is not really gambling. If I go to the casino with $100 I can walk out with nothing. If I go buy a $5 scratch ticket I can walk away with nothing. If I spend $15 on these packs I get something every time. Might not be exactly what I want but I do get a return on the investment.

I miss the "old days" when I could throw down $10 and get a guaranteed costume set and power with the Booster Packs. Getting the Martial Arts booster was probably the best extra $10 I ever spent on the game.

I'd gladly throw another $10 at Paragon Studios if they released the Elemental Order set with the Wolf pet in a combined pack. As it is now, I guess I'll probably never get the costume set or the Wolf pet unless by some chance they are able to be purchased directly some day.

I'll grab some of the ATIO's when the option for purchasing them with reward merits appears. Or just use inf to buy them from the auction house.

I'm using my Paragon Merits for the T9 VIP costume sets so I won't be getting the packs that way either.

So, while I appreciate the new 'options' the Devs are giving us, I won't support these. I hated the idea when I first saw these Super Packs, still hate it now. I could win the lottery and I still wouldn't waste the money on these.

Super Packs = No Sale

I like the old days when people RAGED against the Super Booster Packs...

This is a business, it has to make money to continue development... I like playing this game... I want it to continue so I don't mind spending on the game when I have it to spend.

I for sure wont get all pissy for them trying to make money.

It's not gambling IMO because you walk away with items that are of use even if you dont really want them.

The basic problem here is someone has forgotten that people want OPTIONS in how they acquire things. What keeps happening here is that they keep handing us "The One True Way" to do something.

We get costume packs that are "limited time only", when they should be doing "discount now, more expensive later".

We get costume packs that can ONLY be gotten in a random, gambling-esque manner with a bunch of other (admittedly valuable) crap many people don't care about.

It's like trying to get cable TV and your provider telling you that all you can get is the $150 "everything and the kitchen sink" package (plus $50/month for premium channels), when all you want is basic cable.

Yeah, these things are OPTIONAL. But people still want them and are being told they're REQUIRED to participate in a system they detest to get the stuff.

It's bullcrap, plain and simple.

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I have a request, make these costume pieces into recipes like some of the wings options so we can trade them on the market. My objections would go away then.

All I've been saving my freebie points for are powersets and bits of costume sets.

I may be using my freebie points on the packs for the ATOs instead (I don't need a whole set of ATOs; just 1 or two that I can convert in-game to ATO procs) and adding a 20-spot to my account to cover the 'oh so slow' release of what I'd rather throw a few bones at.

If I get costume pieces and pets along the way; cool... but they're not make or break for me.

Well, heck, I won't even have to do that (although I've already eaten through this month's allotment); I can get them at the Merit Vendor (and elsewhere, apparently).

I haven't yet decided if I will buy any Super Packs or not, but it has made me more aware of my changing expectations about the game

There was a time when I tried to be a completist: get as many badges as possible, buy all the booster packs, and so on. But as time has gone by and more items have been released with limited windows of availability, gated behind onerous grinding, or requiring a combination of cash expenditure and luck, I've accepted that being a completist just isn't feasible any longer.

That wouldn't be a big deal, but it's actually pushing the edge cases to the "no sale" side of things. The Carnival, Roman, and Gunslinger packs were in that middle ground, but knowing it's unlikely I'll ever play enough iTrials to get the Ascension armor made me less interested in buying them. Having a set put out of reach by the random number generator just pushes those sets that much further across the line.

I'm not arrogant enough to say that Paragon's made a mistake here. I may be the only person who is feeling a bit squeezed out by these marketing decisions. Still, I've been a continuous subscriber since the game's release, so I'd feel remiss if I didn't say something.

Well at least eventually we will be able to get them with Merits...so I guess it's not to bad .

Yep. I'll spent merits on the ATOs I want for Kestrel... and thankfully the Wents trading on those is functional now. I already bought the one proc I was interested in from the auction house, for a not-too-outrageous price. (It's a little round Valentine's gift for FCM's favorite stalker. )

That said... I did cave a little, even as bad as I know my luck is.

I really wanted that Elemental Order jacket for Mei, so I used some of my monthly points to buy a few packs. (Six all together-)

From those six... I got a pile of merits, one catalyst, a Brute ATO, the SoA proc ATO (Alas, my widow has nowhere to put it-), a couple of costume bits (The jacket and sleeves, which are what I was really after, and the gloves-), a few inspirations, one Windfall... and the Black Wolf.

Six packs... and I got the freakin' wolf that took me more than SEVEN HUNDRED pulls to get on Beta. I guess the Random Number Fairy figured she owed me a break after the crap she's given me with iTrial and shard drops or something.

I still don't think spending extra money on these is a good idea, and I really dislike the idea of putting things like the costume set in there with no other avenue to get them. But yeah... Throwing spare points from the monthly stipend paid off in my case, so guess getting lucky is possible.

Could someone remind me how man Astral Merits one can get in a BAF, LAM or KEYEES?

Is it 20 Astrals? It has been a while since I've participated in one.