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Thursday, April 17, 2008
Blizzard introduces micro-transaction servers
After their great success in selling people a completely equipped level 70 character on an arena server for $20, Blizzard nevertheless received countless complaints that the freshly bought characters were only useable for arena PvP. Battlegrounds and all forms of PvE are disabled on the arena servers. Sensing a business opportunity, Blizzard reacted and will introduce micro-transaction servers: These work exactly like a normal server, only that you can buy various achievements for dollars. There are scrolls that let you earn a level, getting more expensive the higher you already are. Going from level 1 to 60 will cost you about $20, from there to level 70 is another $20. You can buy gold at a very advantageous rate of $20 for 1,000 gold, making an epic flying mount cost $100. And you can buy various PvE and PvP epic, although they are pricey, and a complete set of the best available epic gear will set you back $200. NOT! Blizzard isn't that stupid, they know very well that this business model would destroy World of Warcraft.
I'm only raising the spectre of micro-transactions to show up how the rewards of World of Warcraft lose value if they aren't actually achieved the regular way. You were probably disgusted by the thought that somebody could pay dollars to reach a certain level or get a set of epic gear without playing the game. But the sad truth is that some people do exactly that. There are powerleveling services, honor point grinding services, arena point services, and anything else you can think of. If you wanted, you could create a fresh account, make a level 1 character on it, then give the userID and password plus a bundle of dollars to a powerleveling company, and receive the account back some weeks later with your character now level 70, having an epic flying mount, two tradeskills at 375, and a complete set of PvP epics. Only it costs more than I wrote in the first paragraph, and there is a risk you'd get banned or "hacked" a while later. Alternatively you could spend money on a bot program, and achieve all this by botting yourself, although again you'll most likely get banned.
But the existence of powerleveling services, bot programs, and battleground afkers shows that for some people reaching the reward has become more important than actually playing the game. And that leads to the question whether WoW is too reward driven. As some commenters yesterday remarked, you have to grind boring stuff to get to the fun stuff. Want to do arena combat and actually win occasionally? Well, you better grind battlegrounds for resilience gear first. Want to travel faster? Grind gold for a mount. Want to see new dungeons? Grind the old dungeons for gear first.
Imagine that once you leveled up to level 70, you could get a set of blue gear with useful stats for your class relatively easily by various means, and that this was the best gear available in the game. No raid epics, no PvP epics, nothing. It would mean that if you entered an arena, you'd be sure that your opponent had exactly the same gear as you do, and suddenly the whole system becomes skill-based instead of gear-based. It would mean that all raid dungeons from Karazhan to Sunwell Plateau would necessarily be much closer to each other in difficulty level, and your guild could go raiding whereever they wanted, just based on your skills in beating the various boss encounters, not on your gear. The only rewards would be things like titles and trophies.
The reason why neither micro-transactions nor a skill-based, gear-free World of Warcraft will ever happen is that Blizzard is earning more by having this reward driven system, where every reward takes even longer to achieve than the previous one. You ARE paying Blizzard X dollars for your epic mount, only you do it in the form of monthly fees and the weeks it takes you to gather all that gold. By making the final rewards insanely hard to achieve, Blizzard guarantees that 99%+ of the population never gets there, and keeps spinning the treadmill, always creating revenue for Blizzard. The system isn't designed for maximum fun, but for maximum profit. Players "outsourcing" the grind is a sad consequence of that sort of game design. Maybe selling us those epics outright would be the better solution after all.
- posted by Tobold @ 8:28 AM Permanent Link
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Guild Wars comes very close to the game you describe where all top level players have very similar stats an players continue to play for titles and cosmetic rewards. Personally I think it is a much better model - more player friendly but I have to admit it lacks the addictiveness that makes WOW such a profit engine for Blizzard.
Actually if those micro-transactions would only take place on special servers, I wouldn't mind. When I read your description of how those servers would look like, the grin in my face was rather broad. The whole concept is not so much different from the normal one, but the direct change from money to epics alienates it enough to let you step back a bit and get a good laugh. We are absurd beings, aren't we?
# posted by 
: 17/4/08 11:00
: 17/4/08 11:00
You ARE paying Blizzard X dollars for your epic mount, only you do it in the form of monthly fees and the weeks it takes you to gather all that gold.
That only applies if you think of the epic mount just as an end, or even just as a means to an end.
Personally, I want to see the whole Warcraft story being told. Everything else is a bonus.
Yes, level 70, epic mount and T6 are means to see the end of the story, but that doesn't mean that I didn't have fun during the journey.
Naturally, I understand that I might be an exception to the rule. I know people who have several epicced out level 70 characters, yet I struggle to even get a second level 70. I've seen it all before, so motivation to do so is.. lacking.
That only applies if you think of the epic mount just as an end, or even just as a means to an end.
Personally, I want to see the whole Warcraft story being told. Everything else is a bonus.
Yes, level 70, epic mount and T6 are means to see the end of the story, but that doesn't mean that I didn't have fun during the journey.
Naturally, I understand that I might be an exception to the rule. I know people who have several epicced out level 70 characters, yet I struggle to even get a second level 70. I've seen it all before, so motivation to do so is.. lacking.
The whole game is driven by loot progression; better loot allows you to go further, see more things.
Once you have killed the final boss and got the best gear that he drops (might take a lot of farming to do it, but even so), what is left?
Cancel your subscription and wait for the next expansion? Start a new character? Keep playing so that your guildies can have the same level of loot as you, and then you are all ready for the next round of instances?
My Alliance character is at the stage where getting even one gear upgrade takes a lot of time and commitment. I'm way down the dkp list, so I'm not going to get anything new any time soon.
At the moment I can't really be bothered to put the hours in, which is why I am playing my alt Horde character a lot.
The only people to benefit from power levelling are going to be raiders who want an alt to raid with, but don't have the time or don't want to grind that alt up to a decent standard.
For the casual player I can see no point in it. It only brings the end nearer.
Once you have killed the final boss and got the best gear that he drops (might take a lot of farming to do it, but even so), what is left?
Cancel your subscription and wait for the next expansion? Start a new character? Keep playing so that your guildies can have the same level of loot as you, and then you are all ready for the next round of instances?
My Alliance character is at the stage where getting even one gear upgrade takes a lot of time and commitment. I'm way down the dkp list, so I'm not going to get anything new any time soon.
At the moment I can't really be bothered to put the hours in, which is why I am playing my alt Horde character a lot.
The only people to benefit from power levelling are going to be raiders who want an alt to raid with, but don't have the time or don't want to grind that alt up to a decent standard.
For the casual player I can see no point in it. It only brings the end nearer.
# posted by : 17/4/08 11:26
: 17/4/08 11:26
The system isn't designed for maximum fun, but for maximum profit. Players "outsourcing" the grind is a sad consequence of that sort of game design. Maybe selling us those epics outright would be the better solution after all.
It would.
But it'd put a much heavier focus on game design. And I reckon it's extremely difficult to make everlasting fun game mechanics that's purely skill-based.
As soon as the player masters the control scheme and mechanics, the sense of progression/development ends (at least in a PvE environment). Exit variety. Enter monotony.
Then what? Endless content? Evolving game mechanics?
So far, numerical value-based progression IS the most viable solution. It's tried and true... and it's cheap.
Well, even Tobold with all his insight of and reflection on the game design state of WoW is still playing this game - now, that's a testament to the power of WoW and its mechanics! :)
It would.
But it'd put a much heavier focus on game design. And I reckon it's extremely difficult to make everlasting fun game mechanics that's purely skill-based.
As soon as the player masters the control scheme and mechanics, the sense of progression/development ends (at least in a PvE environment). Exit variety. Enter monotony.
Then what? Endless content? Evolving game mechanics?
So far, numerical value-based progression IS the most viable solution. It's tried and true... and it's cheap.
Well, even Tobold with all his insight of and reflection on the game design state of WoW is still playing this game - now, that's a testament to the power of WoW and its mechanics! :)
"You were probably disgusted by the thought that somebody could pay dollars to reach a certain level or get a set of epic gear without playing the game."
Not really. Why would I be?
Currently I'm levelling yet another alt. Now, bits of that are fun, but honestly, if I could pay $20 to catch up to my friends (who are the reason I started playing the character in the first place, so that we could go to dungeons and so on), that'd be cool by me.
Presumably you're thinking I'd be disgusted because of all the hard work I had to put in myself to level to 70, get an epic flyer, get a set of blues and epics. But I don't get why I should be. Just because someone else can spend $100 for an epic flyer, doesn't devalue the achievement or the fun I had in getting mine, figuring out the most efficient way to do it, overcoming the humps in the path to getting it, and so on.
Sure, it'd be a bit of a pain in the ass if everyone had full epics - there'd be a lot less people wanting to do regular dungeons, which would be a pity, and you'd basically only go to instances with your existing friends. This clearly isn't an ideal solution.
But I don't see why it's anathema either.
Not really. Why would I be?
Currently I'm levelling yet another alt. Now, bits of that are fun, but honestly, if I could pay $20 to catch up to my friends (who are the reason I started playing the character in the first place, so that we could go to dungeons and so on), that'd be cool by me.
Presumably you're thinking I'd be disgusted because of all the hard work I had to put in myself to level to 70, get an epic flyer, get a set of blues and epics. But I don't get why I should be. Just because someone else can spend $100 for an epic flyer, doesn't devalue the achievement or the fun I had in getting mine, figuring out the most efficient way to do it, overcoming the humps in the path to getting it, and so on.
Sure, it'd be a bit of a pain in the ass if everyone had full epics - there'd be a lot less people wanting to do regular dungeons, which would be a pity, and you'd basically only go to instances with your existing friends. This clearly isn't an ideal solution.
But I don't see why it's anathema either.
I think the server you describe would quickly become WoW's most popular server.
# posted by : 17/4/08 12:53
: 17/4/08 12:53
Blizzard should do what Eve online does.
Eve Online officially supports the selling of 30 and 90 day game time cards in exchange for in game money.
So basically those that make enough money in the game can just keep buying these game time cards and not have to pay a monthly fee, while those that feel real life time is more valuable than the money can buy a game card time and exchange it for gold.
It really is win-win-win for everyone.
I'm astounded why Blizzard hasn't already picked this up.
Eve Online officially supports the selling of 30 and 90 day game time cards in exchange for in game money.
So basically those that make enough money in the game can just keep buying these game time cards and not have to pay a monthly fee, while those that feel real life time is more valuable than the money can buy a game card time and exchange it for gold.
It really is win-win-win for everyone.
I'm astounded why Blizzard hasn't already picked this up.
That's a very nice compromise, robert.
But you still have the problem that gold doesn't buy levels, BoP gear, faction rep, and so on... i.e. time spend dependent progression.
But you still have the problem that gold doesn't buy levels, BoP gear, faction rep, and so on... i.e. time spend dependent progression.
The whole game is driven by loot progression; better loot allows you to go further, see more things.
Once you have killed the final boss and got the best gear that he drops (might take a lot of farming to do it, but even so), what is left?
I don't think that people in general would find this annoying, but long time WoW players probably would, because these players would be the ones who get something out of the play style described above.
Once you have killed the final boss and got the best gear that he drops (might take a lot of farming to do it, but even so), what is left?
I don't think that people in general would find this annoying, but long time WoW players probably would, because these players would be the ones who get something out of the play style described above.
As a self proclaimed casual player myself. Meaning Maybe 10 hours per week, I would love to be able to use an authorized service from Blizzard to level an alt for instance. I currently have a top level hunter all that I join my guild of 10 people with every Thursday night for our raid nights to KZ or ZA. It's great fun, and I really enjoy it. But then maybe one other night per week I need to log on to him to run some dailies for some cash, make some change selling gems etc in the AH, and generally try to advance my own gear. However, I'm also trying to level a pally tankadin alt to join my guild on these adventures. With only maybe 3-4 hours per week to dedicate time to the pally, I'm currently at lvl 49, but I'm not sure if I'll even make it to 70 before WotLK comes out. I wish I had more time to put to it, but the reality of my situation is I just don't have the available time in real life.
But much like yourself Tobold, I am in a position in my life where I have the cash available, but not the time. So to get to that level 70 action with my guild, I would gladly pay Blizzard, $5 per level or something similar. That would be the best thing going for me.
I actually have a 60 pally on the Alliance side that we started back 2 months after release. Then switched over to Horde a year later and haven't looked back since.
-1080p
But much like yourself Tobold, I am in a position in my life where I have the cash available, but not the time. So to get to that level 70 action with my guild, I would gladly pay Blizzard, $5 per level or something similar. That would be the best thing going for me.
I actually have a 60 pally on the Alliance side that we started back 2 months after release. Then switched over to Horde a year later and haven't looked back since.
-1080p
# posted by : 17/4/08 16:04
: 17/4/08 16:04
I have a level 70 toon I levelled on my own about a year ago. Since my wife and I recently had a child, my play time has been cut down to about an solid hour per night.
I recently had and alt power levelled from 60 to 70. The reason? I have done that content and want to enjoy raiding and instances, I don't want to redo the same quests again.
Some people might frown upon that, but to them I say this... If you only had an hour to play a night, would you rather have fun in instances with guildies or be doing the same quests you did 8-10 months ago for weeks on end?
Like you always mention Tobold, the only currency in WoW is time and because of RL, I'm pretty broke right now but I still want to enjoy the game.
Some people enjoy the leveling process, I personally enjoy the level 70 raiding/instances. To eaches own.
I wish blizzard would give you a token to allow you to create a level 50 or 60 alt once you hit 70.
I recently had and alt power levelled from 60 to 70. The reason? I have done that content and want to enjoy raiding and instances, I don't want to redo the same quests again.
Some people might frown upon that, but to them I say this... If you only had an hour to play a night, would you rather have fun in instances with guildies or be doing the same quests you did 8-10 months ago for weeks on end?
Like you always mention Tobold, the only currency in WoW is time and because of RL, I'm pretty broke right now but I still want to enjoy the game.
Some people enjoy the leveling process, I personally enjoy the level 70 raiding/instances. To eaches own.
I wish blizzard would give you a token to allow you to create a level 50 or 60 alt once you hit 70.
# posted by : 17/4/08 16:08
: 17/4/08 16:08
Why does it have to be either the current system of "reward for everything" and a hypothetical "reward for nothing"?
What if the reward system wasn't so heavy on the minds of the players? I think WoW players have been on a sugar-rich diet for too long and now will not touch anything without a reward.
Consider PVP evolution:
1) There is no reward for killing other players. People do it out of pure fun, whether it's ganking, random zerging of level 20-30 cities, baiting, etc. People PVP because they dislike the other faction.
2) Honor system: now you're paid to PVP. Before BG's, you have bands of roving killers combing the 50's zones for honor. It's already starting to feel like work.
3) A few months later, battlegrounds: ahh, the real rewards kick in. Battlegrounds are a huge success. Why? It's not just the High Warlord title. It's the weapon that comes with it.
4) Arenas: the movement away from uncontrolled action goes further. We started with a bunch of random players killing each other, then went to a big instance (40v40, 15v15, 10v10), now we're down to a very small instance (5, 3, 2). And why again am I trying to cave in the head of the priest that was healing me through Prince's SW:P? Oh, that's right. Epics!
5) Arena tournament: talk about being paid to PVP! Now the character and faction identity are completely gone. But why? Not just epics, but REAL CASH MONEY! Woo!
Games need rewards to incent players, but I fear WoW has been too generous. It makes for a great sticky game, but it programs the players to expect something new at every turn. Just look at how the various seasonal content items are received: those with a useful reward are played heavily, those without are ignored. Even good, cool content is just skipped by as the player struggles to get his next hit.
(I'm not touching the botting topic, btw)
What if the reward system wasn't so heavy on the minds of the players? I think WoW players have been on a sugar-rich diet for too long and now will not touch anything without a reward.
Consider PVP evolution:
1) There is no reward for killing other players. People do it out of pure fun, whether it's ganking, random zerging of level 20-30 cities, baiting, etc. People PVP because they dislike the other faction.
2) Honor system: now you're paid to PVP. Before BG's, you have bands of roving killers combing the 50's zones for honor. It's already starting to feel like work.
3) A few months later, battlegrounds: ahh, the real rewards kick in. Battlegrounds are a huge success. Why? It's not just the High Warlord title. It's the weapon that comes with it.
4) Arenas: the movement away from uncontrolled action goes further. We started with a bunch of random players killing each other, then went to a big instance (40v40, 15v15, 10v10), now we're down to a very small instance (5, 3, 2). And why again am I trying to cave in the head of the priest that was healing me through Prince's SW:P? Oh, that's right. Epics!
5) Arena tournament: talk about being paid to PVP! Now the character and faction identity are completely gone. But why? Not just epics, but REAL CASH MONEY! Woo!
Games need rewards to incent players, but I fear WoW has been too generous. It makes for a great sticky game, but it programs the players to expect something new at every turn. Just look at how the various seasonal content items are received: those with a useful reward are played heavily, those without are ignored. Even good, cool content is just skipped by as the player struggles to get his next hit.
(I'm not touching the botting topic, btw)
# posted by : 17/4/08 16:34
: 17/4/08 16:34
Games need rewards to incent players, but I fear WoW has been too generous.
I think it was tobold who said once that BC made everything epic and thus nothing was special Or something to that effect.
To quote the Dash in the incredibles “Everyone’s special, so no one’s special."
Yes you need rewards. Yes if they are too far out there they really aren't motivators. But if you give everyone comparable rewards with less and less effort you train them to wait for the next easiest way to get it.
It's similar to the problems you have with welfare. If you don't give someone a positive incentive to go out and find work and get off of it they won't.
Blizzard was too far one way in vanilla wow and have swung too far the other way in BC. The interesting thing is I think too many easy rewards seem to be hurting the game more than not enough. I guess the question there is. "is it because of the rewards or is it because of nothing new or exciting in BC????, Or both"
I think it was tobold who said once that BC made everything epic and thus nothing was special Or something to that effect.
To quote the Dash in the incredibles “Everyone’s special, so no one’s special."
Yes you need rewards. Yes if they are too far out there they really aren't motivators. But if you give everyone comparable rewards with less and less effort you train them to wait for the next easiest way to get it.
It's similar to the problems you have with welfare. If you don't give someone a positive incentive to go out and find work and get off of it they won't.
Blizzard was too far one way in vanilla wow and have swung too far the other way in BC. The interesting thing is I think too many easy rewards seem to be hurting the game more than not enough. I guess the question there is. "is it because of the rewards or is it because of nothing new or exciting in BC????, Or both"
well my friend, first you must understand that it's ALL business in the first place, than comes fun! gaming is no longer casual hobby, it's multi-BILLION dollar business ... you can't expect from Blizzard or any other major player to "do it just for fun" ... Blizzard saw that MANY are ready to pay real cash to skip boring parts of the game and decided to grab some money from those that allow such "skips"! true, it's shity if you wasted few months on something someone gets for not so big money, but ask yourself: do i play for MYSELF or i play for title, fame and glory? if you're playing for yourself than why complain on anything really? avoid being victim of artificially created value systems and you'll have fun, belive me ;o)
# posted by : 17/4/08 17:42
: 17/4/08 17:42
I didn't finish reading all of the comments before I had a great idea!
How does this sound...?
Place the pvp gear vendors at the pvp arena/bg NPCs and let players gear themselves with the pvp gear for a rental fee.
As long as the players use the gear in pvp settings (arenas and bgs) the pay a small rental fee for the gear (10 gold per hour? per piece) and they have to pay repair costs when they return the gear.
If they engage in any PVE combat or suffer any PVE damage before entering an Arena or BG they will be notified that a new timer has started and indicate that they are now renting the gear at a higher flat rate (20 gold per piece per hour/half hour??).
They have 1 minute from the point of the rental timers starting to return the gear or their account will start to be depleted (paying for the first hour right away and at the beginning of every following hour) to pay for the gear rental.
They can automatically return all of the gear at once by clicking on an icon (that appeared next to their minimap after they have taken some gear from a vendor).
Alternatively, If they want to return individual pieces while keeping others longer, they can right click on specific pieces and an option for it to be automatically returned will be available.
Of course if they can't afford the rental fees, the gear will automatically be returned.
How does this sound...?
Place the pvp gear vendors at the pvp arena/bg NPCs and let players gear themselves with the pvp gear for a rental fee.
As long as the players use the gear in pvp settings (arenas and bgs) the pay a small rental fee for the gear (10 gold per hour? per piece) and they have to pay repair costs when they return the gear.
If they engage in any PVE combat or suffer any PVE damage before entering an Arena or BG they will be notified that a new timer has started and indicate that they are now renting the gear at a higher flat rate (20 gold per piece per hour/half hour??).
They have 1 minute from the point of the rental timers starting to return the gear or their account will start to be depleted (paying for the first hour right away and at the beginning of every following hour) to pay for the gear rental.
They can automatically return all of the gear at once by clicking on an icon (that appeared next to their minimap after they have taken some gear from a vendor).
Alternatively, If they want to return individual pieces while keeping others longer, they can right click on specific pieces and an option for it to be automatically returned will be available.
Of course if they can't afford the rental fees, the gear will automatically be returned.
# posted by : 17/4/08 18:20
: 17/4/08 18:20
To follow up on my last comment...
Players would still be able to buy pvp gear through the current rewards system so they would no longer need or desire to rent pvp gear.
Meanwhile, the pvp gear rental option would contribute to the reduction of gold inflation.
Additionally, if players who recently hit 70 need good gear to quickly join their raiding guild in high level content, the best pvp gear would be available to them so they can more quickly step into a raiding role (if they can afford the rental cost).
Players would still be able to buy pvp gear through the current rewards system so they would no longer need or desire to rent pvp gear.
Meanwhile, the pvp gear rental option would contribute to the reduction of gold inflation.
Additionally, if players who recently hit 70 need good gear to quickly join their raiding guild in high level content, the best pvp gear would be available to them so they can more quickly step into a raiding role (if they can afford the rental cost).
# posted by : 17/4/08 18:42
: 17/4/08 18:42
Want to do arena combat and actually win occasionally? Well, you better grind battlegrounds for resilience gear first. Want to travel faster? Grind gold for a mount. Want to see new dungeons? Grind the old dungeons for gear first.
There's an inherent problem with this in that all things are not equal. Grinding old dungeons to do new dungeons would be great except that someone new to level 70 can't do heroics and there are very few people (at least on the servers I play on) running regular instances.
As for grinding Bg's so I can get gear to be competitive, I think it's unreasonable to play in a BG and be someone's pinata for 2 weeks so I can finally be on even ground to PvP. I'm not saying I think gear should just be handed out for free, but the system is inherently flawed when you have to lose for a period of time before you're able to compete.
There's an inherent problem with this in that all things are not equal. Grinding old dungeons to do new dungeons would be great except that someone new to level 70 can't do heroics and there are very few people (at least on the servers I play on) running regular instances.
As for grinding Bg's so I can get gear to be competitive, I think it's unreasonable to play in a BG and be someone's pinata for 2 weeks so I can finally be on even ground to PvP. I'm not saying I think gear should just be handed out for free, but the system is inherently flawed when you have to lose for a period of time before you're able to compete.
What is "fun" about WoW? It's this: being in a persistent world where everyone starts on even footing (level-1 and dirt-poor), and your success is determined by your skill, dedication, and work.
Naturally, just like the real world, there will be bad apples that try to beat the system by buying gold or botting. And also, like the real world, if you have rich friends or relatives, they can give you a hand up.
Allowing micro-transactions to replace the current advancement systems would invalidate all such achievements. Seeing someone in S3 shoulders means that they know how to play arenas. (It's virtually impossible get powerleveled to a 2k personal rating). Seeing someone in T6 gear means they and their guild know how to raid.
Another part of "fun" is the wanting, not the having. If it were easy to get endgame gear, who would want it? Value is inversely correlated with supply.
If you just want to see all the content, go play god-mode on a private server. The "real" World of Warcraft, with its achievement ladders, is not for you.
Naturally, just like the real world, there will be bad apples that try to beat the system by buying gold or botting. And also, like the real world, if you have rich friends or relatives, they can give you a hand up.
Allowing micro-transactions to replace the current advancement systems would invalidate all such achievements. Seeing someone in S3 shoulders means that they know how to play arenas. (It's virtually impossible get powerleveled to a 2k personal rating). Seeing someone in T6 gear means they and their guild know how to raid.
Another part of "fun" is the wanting, not the having. If it were easy to get endgame gear, who would want it? Value is inversely correlated with supply.
If you just want to see all the content, go play god-mode on a private server. The "real" World of Warcraft, with its achievement ladders, is not for you.
@changed
That doesn't really let you experience the content, as private servers don't really work anything close to a normal one (at least the ones I've seen).
It would be nice to be able to go back and explore the pre BC raid instances which is pretty much impossible now, on one of those servers if it was actually anything like it really is.
That doesn't really let you experience the content, as private servers don't really work anything close to a normal one (at least the ones I've seen).
It would be nice to be able to go back and explore the pre BC raid instances which is pretty much impossible now, on one of those servers if it was actually anything like it really is.
# posted by : 17/4/08 22:14
: 17/4/08 22:14
Hey Tobold, isn't this hypocritical of you, considering your rather enthusiastic support for RMT? How do you reconcile being against what you propose here and in favor of RMT?
# posted by : 18/4/08 02:33
: 18/4/08 02:33
Vendors providing games that encourage any form of micro payment for typically 'earned' items will be focusing their game design on increasing revenue, not on game-play to an even greater extent.
# posted by : 18/4/08 11:19
: 18/4/08 11:19
Vendors providing games that encourage any form of micro payment for typically 'earned' items will be focusing their game design on increasing revenue, not on game-play to an even greater extent.
That's an interesting statement. But is it true?
Isn't a game developer always working towards the highest possible revenue - regardless of payment structure?
And isn't 'the good gameplay' the single most effective asset, when trying to attract droves of long term customers (= the highest possible revenue)?
If games (regardless of payment structure) doesn't deliver a quality experience, will anyone pay for it?
In each micropayment, no matter how small, the player/customer will have to decide if the content is worth the price. I believe it's called 'high price granularity'.
Isn't that going to make a stronger relation between gameplay quality and price?
That's an interesting statement. But is it true?
Isn't a game developer always working towards the highest possible revenue - regardless of payment structure?
And isn't 'the good gameplay' the single most effective asset, when trying to attract droves of long term customers (= the highest possible revenue)?
If games (regardless of payment structure) doesn't deliver a quality experience, will anyone pay for it?
In each micropayment, no matter how small, the player/customer will have to decide if the content is worth the price. I believe it's called 'high price granularity'.
Isn't that going to make a stronger relation between gameplay quality and price?
coprolit look at wow. I know many players that would quite willingly spend insane amounts of RL money to buy the best epics they could if it would bypass the raiding or PVP grind. They have so much time invested in thier characters they won't quit playing even though they've become unfun. Go to the forums its filled with people like that. They have 2 or more years invested in the character. It must be worth something right?
I think you'd be really horrified at how many people for a long time would just buy stuff bypass the content and be unhappy because they were unwilling to just stop paying for the account and move on to something else and start over.
Like the poster on the WOW2 thread that was hoping to move characters and gold over if it happened?
But its human nature if you do something for a long time you have to rationalize that its valuable. at least most do. Some are able to rationalize that its just entertainment and won't last forever. Some cant
I think you'd be really horrified at how many people for a long time would just buy stuff bypass the content and be unhappy because they were unwilling to just stop paying for the account and move on to something else and start over.
Like the poster on the WOW2 thread that was hoping to move characters and gold over if it happened?
But its human nature if you do something for a long time you have to rationalize that its valuable. at least most do. Some are able to rationalize that its just entertainment and won't last forever. Some cant
coprolit,
No, it's not the same thing.
Today, focusing on game-play to ensure retention is really the priority.
With built in RMT, creating scenarios that encourage spending that little bit extra become a higher priority, and the vendor may be willing to sacrifice a certain percentage of players due to less ideal game-play for the higher revenue per customer for those that will accept the weaker version.
As a business, would you rather support 100 people paying an average of 25 a month or 167 people paying 15 a month?
"Would you like to upsize that?"
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No, it's not the same thing.
Today, focusing on game-play to ensure retention is really the priority.
With built in RMT, creating scenarios that encourage spending that little bit extra become a higher priority, and the vendor may be willing to sacrifice a certain percentage of players due to less ideal game-play for the higher revenue per customer for those that will accept the weaker version.
As a business, would you rather support 100 people paying an average of 25 a month or 167 people paying 15 a month?
"Would you like to upsize that?"
# posted by : 20/4/08 21:08
: 20/4/08 21:08<< Home
