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Cross Atu
Conspiratus Immortalis
775
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Posted - 2012.09.27 17:24:00 -
[1] - Quote
Zorasth wrote:I wouldn't mind CCP doing this if the game was released but doing this during beta just feels like a desperate grab for money. Everyone who bought the merc pack early was told that its content might change but we would get equivalents in exchange.
There's been 3 versions so far, the original merc pack who most bought early because they wanted to encourage CCP in making this game. The 10$ PS+ pack from a few weeks ago and now this one with bullshit extras. The game is still in beta yet its cost some of us as much as a full game simply because we wanted what amounts to the equivalent of day 1 dlc in real games.
This is my issue as well. I have no problem with "the game will change" in a live game. I play EVE and that's a reality, you adapt or you die, that's fine and honestly even something that adds fun to the game. But that's in a live game, in a beta things are a bit different, value is much more in flux, items are much more in flux, in fact everything is much more in flux. Beside the flux we're not getting the value of our play time reflected in game, due to character wipes. Wipes are fine it's a beta, that's part of beta, but here's the rub when you start to sell merchandise (virtual in this case) within the contest of a game in flux with beta wipes? And then offer the same merchandise (again for IRL cash) with a limited promotion tagged on that the prior purchases don't qualify for? Hummm 
See if a buy a Merc Pack in the live game and do it early and am benefiting from it starting the day I buy it and then later and new promotion comes out with extras then that's fine, I've gotten some actual value from the purchase (compared to the new one) because I've gotten to use it for the intervening time and have something to show for it.
However when all ISK, skill points, etc. are reset then the value of the Merc Pack purchase is only derived from the contents so when the same contents are offered plus extras at an equivalent price point then that does get pretty questionable.
It'd sort of be like CCP calling for a subscription fee to play on sisi.... oh wait
In a market economy value is subjective, which means devaluing your own product by releasing another that undercuts it is bad marketing even if it works in the short term (from a PR stand point alone tho it effects more). Something that I expect CCP knows considering their work in the real world econ and that EVE has a huge economic component. Which makes this move weird to me...
My 0.02 ISK
Cross
EDIT: The cynic in me wants to comment on the addition of new "limited time" BPO dropsuits to the new Merc Pack right after CCP announce that milita gear is going to become BPC... but aside from mentioning that it happened I'll leave it alone for now. |
Cross Atu
Conspiratus Immortalis
775
|
Posted - 2012.09.28 04:20:00 -
[2] - Quote
Encharrion wrote:The problem isn't that they are promoting a limited time sale, the problem is that they are promoting the merc pack with gear that provides a definite in game advantage by being a non-militia BPOs, and then not providing a way to acquire those items without repurchasing the merc pack. I've already paid for the merc pack once, and if I wanted a second one I would have gotten it by now. I don't want to buy a second merc pack JUST to get the extra bonus. If I could purchase just the new suits for $9, sure. It would likely be better to buy the merc pack because you get the suits for free, but I would feel less ripped off. It would be more like "Hey, we are selling new suits, and if you buy the merc pack now you get the new stuff thrown in for free."
And doing so within such a short time frame of announcing that milita BPOs are going to become BPCs.
So we have a Merc Pack to buy, we buy it, we use it.
We have milita BPOs we buy them we use them. (less of an issue here, they're ISK buys and we all know resets are coming)
Then comes the announcement that 'for in game economic reasons' milita BPOs will become BPCs
Now we have a "new" Merc Pack, with limited time extras that are BPO dropsuits... oh and the "buy before this date" promo is also "buy after that other date".
Which is effectively pretty close to "for a limited time you can re-buy this product to retain the functionality you currently have". Of course the Merc Pack, even with the promo won't actually give the same degree of coverage as the current milita BPOs, and of course the Merc Pack has value even without the promotion (the skill booster anyone?). But as previously stated devaluing ones own goods (or creating an artificial need) is bad practice in a dynamic where one would like to maintain and/or cultivate general good will.
Cheers,
Cross
ps ~ all the "I see nothing but QQ'ing" style posters need not respond. I've purchased 4 Merc Packs, some of them during the current promotion. I play EVE on more than one account and I think CCP is one of the best in the business development wise (one of the only ones I respect that's not either Indy or CD Projekt Red). But none of that actually makes this a good move and all those posts waving the above reasons as flags are basically a straw man style evasion of the actual concern/issue that other Dust players are raising. |
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