Geirskoegul
Soul-Strike
134
   |
Posted - 2012.09.28 11:45:00 -
[1] - Quote
As others have pointed out, the point is that it's taking something some of us already bought BEFORE THE GAME IS OUT, and offerring extras on it. This isn't a promotional item to get more people to play in general once the game is released, this isn't "just the new items" (which would be more than reasonable), this is "hey guys, we know a ton of you bought it even though you already had all-access codes, but now we're going to give people that DIDN"T want to jump in early the chance for EXTRA free goodies.
All that said, I'll be buying another one just to cover my ass (and hopefully they let me transfer aurum to my EVE toon eventually, since there're no Dust AUR items that interest me), since I don't expect we'll get an answer in time, but I'm not pleased about the idea of this.
At a bare minimum, all of the extra permanent items this promotion includes should have been offerred, simultaneously, as a separate purchase for those of us already in / who already have the merc pack. I get the promotional nature of it, but from a PR and perception angle, this just leaves a bad taste in the mouth. The game isn't even released, let alone has it been that long since the merc pack was made available. This is stuff so that those that really want in early can pay in and support development to get the ACTUAL release, this isn't supposed to be the primary method of monetization, but doing something like this certainly makes it feel like it is.
Is Dust 514 actually free-to-play, but in closed beta right now? Or is it a $19.95 game that's already released to the public and comes with some extras to get you started? Because doing a promotion like this, especially without grandfathering those of us with the pack already, sure as hell feels like it.
EDIT:
And by the way, I don't give a damn about the AUR or ANY of the consumables. The only thing I care about are the actual BPOs. I'm a cheap SOB, and even before they brought in mouse support, i managed to make a very nice showing for myself using BPO equipment almost exclusively. I just want the damn BPOs; to hell with the rest. Even if they weren't that good, it's a matter of collecting for me.
EDIT 2:
The merc pack most closely resembles a pre-order bonus: early access, extra goodies, etc. Traditionally, when things are added to the list of pre-order bonuses on a game, all those that had already pre-ordered ALSO get the new stuff that was added. Doing something like this merely discourages anyone from buying in, because who knows what extra goodies they'll get if they wait?
Failing to grandfather the additions to those that already had it sets a bad precident and will cause fewer people to buy in, in the future; they'll simply keep waiting and listening to any rumor, because who knows what they'll add in if they just wait a bit longer? Meanwhile cash-flow trickles down to nothing because no one buys in, because they just know they'll get a better deal if they wait.
I want this game to rock, especially since PlanetSide 2 is proving to be even worse than post-BFR PlanetSide (it's already nothing but aircraft using rocket-spam against infantry, and a single aircraft can pin down dozens of ground troops), this is the game with the most potential right now. Don't kill it before it starts by monetizing it improperly, punishing early adopters, and getting greedy or double-dipping by making us rebuy crap we don't want, just to get a couple new extras we do. |
Geirskoegul
Soul-Strike
134
|
Posted - 2012.09.28 11:54:00 -
[2] - Quote
jpmannu wrote:sorry guys, let me get this straight, I went for the second merc pack purchase, now I have some double items, double AUR plus the MAG dropsuits...I just dont understand whether I have to assign all the stuff to the character or I'll have to keep it not assigned until final commercial release or maybe this doesn't matter...its just I dont speak good english and dont understand fully...with redeeming dropsuits you mean assigning them?...thanx
It resets like everything else when they do character wipes. You can assign now, and after the next wipe, it'll be available to assign again. |
Geirskoegul
Soul-Strike
134
|
Posted - 2012.09.30 20:17:00 -
[3] - Quote
Lord Pheal wrote:2012.09.28 13:14:00 -á GM Vegas
Hello,
Thanks for your email.
Unfortunately the Merc Pack Dropsuits offer only applies to new purchases and as such the 3x Dropsuits will not be allocated to users who previoulsy purchased the Merc Pack.
Regards,
GM Bishop
DUST 514 Customer Support Team
2012.09.28 13:10:00 -á None
Hi if we bought the merc pack when it first got out will we be eligible for
the tribute skins? Would be sad to be penalized because we bought it first
and no reason to buy it again... Please advise. Thanks.
Ok, seriously, if this alleged GM quote is legit, this seriously needs to be addressed. That's some seriously ****** up ****, especially since many probably already repurchased the pack to get the new additions. I've got nearly a decade in eve and supporting ccp, i intend to continue doing so, but this is some actiblizzion/WoW-type screw and milk the customer ****. |