Curse

Silent Coyote · Apr 25, 2009, 10:15 PM // 22:15

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bowman Artemis

I'm going to hazard a guess that the main reason it's set at the price point it is (and the reason the basic makeovers are sold in packs of 5) is that covering the transaction fees for cheaper credit card transactions would get quite expensive.

Maybe if they implemented a system like the Microsoft Points for the Xbox Live Marketplace that wouldn't be so much of a problem.

That's a good point. I could see a point system working quite well if they continue in this direction for GW2.

Asyntyche · Apr 25, 2009, 10:52 PM // 22:52

I think the prices on these may drop or get offered at some special bundle deal price thing in a couple of months after the initial uptake dies off, so i'll be holding out til then. All of the offered services are great though IMO - if the money Anet makes is being used to fund additional content then I'm all for it - none of these additional options will negatively affect anyone who decides they don't want to pay any money above the cost of the game.

This to me is why the GW business model is the best of any MMO - those who want to be able to use the additional services (or just support the game development) can, while the casual player benefits in his experience due to additional support for the game.

Of course this is all assuming the profits are being put back into GW. With GW2 in development, i suppose it is safe to assume that this is funding both projects in some way.

Qing Guang · Apr 25, 2009, 11:40 PM // 23:40

I'm glad they didn't hype the stylist, or I'd be mad. When I thought they were only going to do this with storage, I was annoyed but generally meh. But if this is their new business model... well, if I wanted to play Perfect World, I would. But I don't - I want to play Guild Wars. So I don't support this new system in any way, shape, or form.

It's not a matter of me not caring about ANet or the maintenance of the game. I have bought and probably will buy again a character slot. Why? Because I can justify it. I can't justify either of these new things. Let's take a look:
With a new slot, I can get a new character (maybe try a different profession), with the chance to replay all the campaigns +EotN again, from the very beginning, leveling and molding my character... without deleting any of the characters I've worked so hard on. All this for $10? Sounds like a deal to me.
With a new storage pane... I can store what? 20 more items? Why would I do that when I could buy a character slot for a mule who, with full bags/equipment packs, could carry 65 items? I'm not so lazy as to not be able to switch characters.
With a makeover... I can morph 5 of my characters into completely different women (or change 1 into a completely different person, were I so inclined). Whoop-de-do. I only want to fix my eles' hair and maybe change one of their faces (but I could live without that). So I'm paying $10 to be able to use ONE of FOUR aspects of the makeover on TWO characters? If you were to chunk it out, it's $2 a character or $0.50 per change (hair color, skin tone, hairstyle, face)... so I'd be paying 10x what it's worth to me. I'll pass, thanks.

Let's put it this way: I'm feeling about ANet right now what many of us Star Wars fans feel about George Lucas. We respect him for creating the series we love, but we hate him for running it down the toilet. And that's about where I am here.

What I fail to understand is why people WOULDN'T want free stuff. People come in here and call us whiners, moaners, crybabies, etc... but why? If by "whining" about it we can get ANet to make it free, where's the harm done? Don't say they don't listen - if there's one good thing this storage/stylist fiasco has done, it's that it's proven ANet does have ears, does hear our pleas, does actually give a damn. Well, mostly. But anyway, if we tell them how we feel about it, maybe they'll change it. So what are you so afraid of? Are you worried ANet's going to revoke these new privileges? Not bloody likely. If they did that, you can bet the playerbase is going to revolt, and some people will likely throw a temper tantrum and quit. It may not affect ANet directly (because unlike with a P2P, ANet's better off if you buy everything, then quit... they get cash, without the extra person using the servers), but it'd be bad publicity... and when (if) GW2 finally comes out, there'll be backlash. Or are you just afraid that we'll get what we want, and it'll be free... but you've already paid for it? Are you afraid of feeling stupid? It just boggles my mind that people are unhappy with us for trying to get this free for ALL the players - it's not like we're just asking for us.

Anyhow, I was totally ready to drop tons of plat on makeovers... but I'm not wasting $10 on that. Not when, for the same amount, I could get:
Lunch at a fast food place (maybe lunch for 2 people if we didn't eat a lot)
An interesting book
A birthday present for my friend
New earrings
A week's bus fare
A second account (Proph only)... okay admittedly this is more like $10.50
etc.

So yeah. I'll pay for new content, or for the ability to replay all the games from scratch without deleting anyone. But I WILL NOT PAY for 1-time cosmetic changes or overpriced laziness-enablers.

Cathode_Reborn · Apr 26, 2009, 12:52 AM // 00:52

The people defending the costs have a really bad sense of business and probably allow themselves to be ripped off alot when it comes to money.

You can buy one of the low-budget games on ps3/xbox for $5-10, and many of them are great. The Orange Box is on sale for this weekend at $10, which is an absolute steal. Sure these things arn't GW related, but were talkin real money here....not virtual gold.

I think plenty of people here understand that Anet is trying to make some cash (they still need to make money for themselves) but I don't think Anet fully understands what you can buy with $10 when it comes to both gaming and non-gaming related things. I can only imagine super hardcore players buying this stuff. These costs are just unrealistic. They could've made much more profit if they played their cards right.

Anet really is behind on the times...

spamslayer · Apr 26, 2009, 12:58 AM // 00:58

i bet with all the money they are making there will be some uber cinematics in GW2

-- those things are not cheap ya know...

bhavv · Apr 26, 2009, 03:19 AM // 03:19

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cathode_Reborn

The people defending the costs have a really bad sense of business and probably allow themselves to be ripped off alot when it comes to money.

Anet really is behind on the times...

1) I have never been ripped off by paying no fees to play Guild Wars. The millions of people playing WoW must have a worse business sense then?

2) Actually, just about every other free to play MMO already has a cash shop for optional purchases. I have always supported this model being made available for GW, snd now we have it.

I will be buying one makeover pack and customising my Elly and Monk because I want to. I have played GW for free for 3+ years, and now make one $9.99 purchase, I hardly consider that to be being ripped off.

pamelf · Apr 26, 2009, 03:57 AM // 03:57

As these things are what we've been begging for for a very long time, and Anet has actually listened to us to provide them I feel no anger at the costs involved. I do feel some things are a little exploitative, i.e. the cost of a such a small storage pane, and the fact that a makeover is bought but only gives you 5 points! Still, I'm not about to complain about it, because at the end of the day it's still a relatively small amount of money, and this is not something I HAVE to buy to make my game experience any better.

Purchasing these things is a choice. It is purely asthetic. Everything they are selling can be achieved in other methods throughout the game, whether that be re-rolling a character, or creating a new one as a mule. It is personal choice whetther you want to take advantage of the simplicity that Anet are affording us. The day they sell extra armour is the day we can get up in arms about the abuse of the online store, until then Anet have stuck to their business model, and actually LISTENED to the players.

I for one thank them. (but would thank them more if as an Australian I didn't have to pay in British Pounds).

Kamakazi112 · Apr 26, 2009, 04:31 AM // 04:31

I really dont see why people are complaining because of the fee to get these features.

1- You played Guild Wars from 1day to 4 years without these features so you can live without them.
2- Guild wars doesn't have monthly fee they need some way to make money.
3 - Its $10.00 - $15.00 it's not even that much.
4 - ITS OPTIONAL so why complain they're not forcing you to buy it.

As for me ill buy it when i need them

.

Laylat · Apr 26, 2009, 06:06 AM // 06:06

The community is a lot larger then GWG. A lot of people are going to be buying the features, so it doesn't matter how much people whine here...

DreamWind · Apr 26, 2009, 08:43 AM // 08:43

Quote:

Originally Posted by Laylat

The community is a lot larger then GWG. A lot of people are going to be buying the features, so it doesn't matter how much people whine here...

Therein lies the problem. It will only get worse from here because a lot of people will buy with the excuse that they don't have to pay fees, so they have no problem buying this. Man Anet suckered us all. Congrats.

higaru · Apr 26, 2009, 08:50 AM // 08:50

6 million copies sold, if half of that only buys 1 xunlai pane that 3 mill x 10 USD =30 million USD ....

overpriced or no?

no comment!

EPO Bot · Apr 26, 2009, 09:04 AM // 09:04

You can be the best player in the world without any of those things. All you need to compete is the campaingns. Or one campaign and the skill unlocks.

Craywulf · Apr 26, 2009, 10:21 AM // 10:21

These options via transactions are just that...options. Nobody is forcing you to spend your hard earned money to play Guild Wars.

Are these options expensive? Maybe, for those interested making cosmetic to multiple characters and accounts.

I've spent about $100 total for all three campaigns and the Eye of the North expansion, plus I've bought 2 characters slots. That was quite long time ago and I'd do it again because it's the best value you can buy for 4 years of an MMO.

I can't imagine myself paying $15 a month for 4 years. That's $720 dollars for all you mathematically-challenged.

So I'd have no problems $9.99 an extra slot or makeover package, because in the long run Guild Wars is the best deal for your money.

BadgerznPie · Apr 26, 2009, 10:25 PM // 22:25

This is silly. I was excited about this update (especially the Nicholas the Traveler stuff). I was excited about the makeover/ gender change too until I saw the prices. As for me, I'm fine with paying for these things. But it's ridiculous to have to pay $10 for 5 characters to change hair style/face/hair color but then have to pay the same price for the same thing but a gender change (which is really what I want anyway). Also, $15 for a name change? Crazy. Add this to the makeover person and make it a one-time fee for permanent access to these features. I'd gladly support that.

Eragon Zarroc · Apr 27, 2009, 05:33 AM // 05:33

not bothering with any of em, made my characters the right way the first time ;-). although i might be willing to pay for a chance to get survivor title on my 3 1/2 year old war =D.

fb2000 · Apr 27, 2009, 05:39 AM // 05:39

Quote:

Originally Posted by Winterclaw

$1 for complete transformation options would have been reasonable.
10 plat in game (as a money sink) would have been a great option.

10p? Gold sink?? More like 100k imo.. who the hell changes their characters all the time...
$2.50 wouldve been better, but meh.. Wouldve loved to change my warriors appearance (hot tyrian face with some nice canthan hair

) but dunno now

Perfected Shadow · May 07, 2009, 01:41 AM // 01:41

Quote:

Everything they are selling can be achieved in other methods throughout the game, whether that be re-rolling a character, or creating a new one as a mule.

I don't think you can make a char with a Tyrian face and a Canthan hairstyle or can you? I've recently started trolling gw again so enlighten me.

The costs of these microtransactions seem RED ENGINE GORED ENGINE GORED ENGINE GORED ENGINE GOed up to me. What does a prophecies key cost nowadays? WTFLOL if the name change has a higher price...

ogre_jd · May 07, 2009, 04:09 AM // 04:09

Quote:

Originally Posted by Perfected Shadow

I don't think you can make a char with a Tyrian face and a Canthan hairstyle or can you? I've recently started trolling gw again so enlighten me.

The makeovers allow you to mix and match features from the 3 campaigns.

Quote:

The costs of these microtransactions seem RED ENGINE GORED ENGINE GORED ENGINE GORED ENGINE GOed up to me. What does a prophecies key cost nowadays? WTFLOL if the name change has a higher price...

The prices aren't bad, really, when you compare them to other games. $15 for a name change is a bit much when you look at WoW's $10 name changes. $10 for an Extreme Makeover (everything but name) beats WoW's $15 character recustomizations (though those *do* include a name change). It's sad that we don't have a Stylist that takes in-game currency for minor makeovers (everything but name and gender) like WoW's Barbers, but $10 for 5 makeover tokens isn't so bad. (I'd say give us a Stylist that takes gold as well - but limit it to hair color & style, face and skin color (no gender, height, or name) of the campaign the character is from, unlike the paid makeovers)

Qing Guang · May 07, 2009, 04:51 AM // 04:51

[QUOTE=ogre_jd;4621942]It's sad that we don't have a Stylist that takes in-game currency for minor makeovers (everything but name and gender) like WoW's Barbers, but $10 for 5 makeover tokens isn't so bad.[QUOTE]
I dunno, I find it is when one token costs half again as much as a bus ride that actually ACCOMPLISHES something important (aka getting me home from school/to piano lesson) irl; I find it is when the required minimum purchase costs more than I paid for the entirety of Jade Empire (5 bucks plus shipping off Amazon last fall); I find it is when two purchases cost the same as over 140 minutes for my TracFone (usually enough to last me several months).

Please, please, let us have a one-time price, o ANet people if you are reading (which I doubt given all the complaining that's been done) - I'd buy this in a moment if I'd get permanent access; I wouldn't even mind paying ingame cash every single time if I could just pay once irl.

Perfected Shadow · May 07, 2009, 06:00 AM // 06:00

Quote:

Originally Posted by ogre_jd

The makeovers allow you to mix and match features from the 3 campaigns.

I was replying to someone who said "Everything they are selling can be achieved in other methods throughout the game, whether that be re-rolling a character, or creating a new one as a mule. ".

So are you saying that in character creation you can mix and match features from the 3 campaigns? I could check but I don't wanna download a sh i t load of updates.

In-game currency for all changes except name and gender sounds like a good idea to me.