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DusterBuster
DUST University
Ivy League
8
   |
Posted - 2013.03.14 00:55:00 -
[1] - Quote
Hiya everybody,
I decided to make a series of threads addressing some of the most common complaints I hear when asking other players about their opinions of the game. The people I asked ranged from friends that played for the first time, to experienced Dust players, to experienced EVE players who gave Dust a try. I am going to provide the issue themselves, as well as try to come up with some good solutions. I know I am not perfect however, and some of these solutions may be straight-up bad. If that is the case, please provide some constructive criticism, and maybe we will be able to come up with some better solutions. I also know that many of these things are already in the pipeline, but I am going to include them anyway for completeness. And finally, I am not going to include any balance issues (though there definitely are some) as there are countless other threads that beat these to death. Some of these threads may have lists (!) (Sorry CCP), but they will all contribute to the same overall theme.
A couple questions I may receive:
Q: Why in the world do you feel important enough to make multiple new threads for this, you noob?
A: I have been playing Dust since the closed beta, with multiple different characters playing many different styles. Throughout that time, I have seen the immense progress CCP has made with Dust, and I would like to see it go even further. This is a beta, which has a sole purpose of providing the developer with feedback on its prototype, before releasing a final product.
Q: QQ more, l2p noob, etc.
A: Firstly, that isn't a question. Secondly, I have been playing EVE for years, and have subsequently been bombarded with some of the finest in the art form of trolling, and know how to deal with it. This Tomfoolery you bring here from other console games is no match for my superior anti-flame coating. And thirdly, this thread is doing exactly what I promised to do when I signed up for the beta, which is provide feedback to the development team on the status of their product, so they can figure out what the players want and improve it.
And, check out some of my other threads in the series:
#1: The Mercenary Quarters User Interface
#2: In Game Controls
#3: Information Display
#4: Level Design
#5: Microtransactions
#x: (More to come later?)
Now, with all of that out of the way, lets move on to the actual content of this thread: Microtransactions
Microtransactions are the only way CCP will make money from this game. So far, they are doing a pretty good job at it. However, there are a few things that need to be changed, tweaked, or added.
a. Firstly, the Universal Voice Transmitter should not be a real money item. Being able to effectively chat with others is one of the main aspects of MMOs, and not everyone on the PS3 will have a keyboard. Add to that the fact that some of my fondest memories of EVE are when I was sitting in mumble chatting with corpmates, and I think the pros of making everyone be able to chat in any channel outweigh the lost income to CCP, which can be made up with other items.
b. More permanent items should be available. Being able to enter pub matches without having to worry about losing money. More than that though, I am just lazy, and don't want to restock everything. Prototype gear should remain an isk-only item, and be a hefty investment. I would also be willing to spend a pretty penny on a permanent skill booster.
c. Cosmetic Items should be sold in themed packs, for less than $5. For example, a 'Caldari Camo' pack could be released, which includes multiple different patterns that look caldari, which could then be recolored by the player.
d. More themed packs, like the mercenary pack. I know this is probably already in the works, but the Mercenary Pack is a great deal, and there should be similar packs that include different items.
e. Bulk orders should get a discount. Currently there is no point in buying 100k aurum, as buying 5 mercenary packs would be a much better deal. The more you buy, the better deal you should get.
Other than these few points, CCP is doing a great job managing the real-money market. I hope it turns into a successful source of income for them. Ensuring that this game never becomes a pay-to-win should stay at the top of their list. The current implementation is good, now we just need more options.
That is all for now. If I receive any good suggestions or criticisms, I will edit the above or add more points. Please check out some of the other threads in the series as well, and provide feedback or support. Thank you. |
Cross Atu
Conspiratus Immortalis
822
|
Posted - 2013.03.14 03:25:00 -
[2] - Quote
ltp n00b!!! [:p} (sorry couldn't resist) all kidding aside +1 to you sir, now on to a (hopefully) meaningful response.
a. opening the social aspect of an MMO could very well lead to greater player retention and thus more overall income I think this idea is sound. Operating under the assumption (for the sake of debate) that CCP must have an income stream based off of UVT to defray certain costs it would be preferable that the market offer longer running UVT at 'bulk' discounts as this is at least a hybrid of the 'two sides' of the UVT spectrum.
b. I'm somewhat wary of BPO boosters for various reasons (though even at 100k AUR each I'd eventually end up with a full set) but I believe an exception could be made for UVT. As to other BPO items I would highly urge they be limited to militia grade gear (or at most meta 1 as there is already a precedence for BPOs of that level). In my perception BPOs of a higher meta are flirting with both P2W and game breaking imbalance. That being said I see no issue with a full range of militia BPOs.
c. not my personal cup of tea but I see no problem with it.
d. Yes please, I cannot emphasize enough my support for this concept becoming a reality.
e. Agreed, it is strange to me that this is not already the case. I did the math three times just to make sure I hadn't gotten it wrong.
As a general trend I am greatly turned off by microtrasactions and tend to quickly lose interest in games which employ them. It is to CCPs credit that their management of real money transactions has yet to evoke my usual sour response on the subject. And speaking as someone who's put real money into D514 I believe it is vital that the game never become (or hopefully even approach) being pay to win.
All in all good post 
Cheers,
Cross |
DusterBuster
DUST University
Ivy League
10
|
Posted - 2013.03.14 18:42:00 -
[3] - Quote
Thanks for your support. I completely sympathize with some of your concerns, and think you raise some very valid points. I will address some of your points here, just to make mine clearer.
Cross Atu wrote:a. opening the social aspect of an MMO could very well lead to greater player retention and thus more overall income I think this idea is sound. Operating under the assumption (for the sake of debate) that CCP must have an income stream based off of UVT to defray certain costs it would be preferable that the market offer longer running UVT at 'bulk' discounts as this is at least a hybrid of the 'two sides' of the UVT spectrum.
If the UVT is indeed a large money maker for CCP (although I don't think it is), then by all means they should make sure that they keep it the way it is, or change it in a way that still allows them to make an income.
However, this is an MMO, in which communication is one of the most important aspects. Frankly, I think CCP asking money for something that should be a free feature of the game is a bit greedy. Allowing people to speak in multiple channels in order to organize, share knowledge, or just chit-chat while tweaking fits is arguably just as important as making sure the gunplay works, especially considering the majority of Dust players will probably end up not having a physical keyboard. I am not sure if you play EVE, or even any other MMO, but how long would you have stuck with it if you were not able to talk with other players?
Cross Atu wrote:b. I'm somewhat wary of BPO boosters for various reasons (though even at 100k AUR each I'd eventually end up with a full set) but I believe an exception could be made for UVT. As to other BPO items I would highly urge they be limited to militia grade gear (or at most meta 1 as there is already a precedence for BPOs of that level). In my perception BPOs of a higher meta are flirting with both P2W and game breaking imbalance. That being said I see no issue with a full range of militia BPOs.
I completely understand your concerns about balance and the game becoming P2W. I also feel that CCP has done a pretty good walking the fine line so far. The main way to maintain balance is to make sure that people who do decide to pay with real money do not have access to anything that people paying with ISK cannot get.
Having advanced level and below gear being available as BPOs would not cause a problem with balance in my opinion. People could still buy the limited-variations with ISK, and the only advantage the people who bought it with Aurum would have was a savings in ISK and time.
I do feel that prototype gear (and above) should not have BPOs though. They should remain as a hefty investment, and should hurt if one is lost. ;)
As for boosters, they are a little more complicated. They are also currently a huge source of income for CCP, being the top sellers on the store front. A 7-day active or passive booster currently cost 7,000 Aurum, which is a little less than $4. So that means, to maintain boosters on a character, it would cost $8/week, or $32/month. I am sure that there are people who could afford that, and will keep there characters maintained with boosters. Therefore, I do not think having a permanent variation would be much of a balance issue, other than the fact it will be available to a larger amount of people, and probably make CCP less money. However, it could also make them more money, as people like me would not be willing to spend the monthly amount to keep both boosters on your character, but I would be willing to spend to get permanent boosters. For pricing I was thinking that they should cost 100,000 Aurum, or $50, each.
Cross Atu wrote:As a general trend I am greatly turned off by microtrasactions and tend to quickly lose interest in games which employ them. It is to CCPs credit that their management of real money transactions has yet to evoke my usual sour response on the subject. And speaking as someone who's put real money into D514 I believe it is vital that the game never become (or hopefully even approach) being pay to win.
I am quoting this simply because I agree 100%. I generally agree with you across the board, I just wanted to use some of your points above to better reiterate my own. I was not trying to be argumentative or flammatory, however I was in a bit of a rush, so the above may be hard to read.
Once again thank you for taking the time to reply with an intelligent, informative, and friendly post. +1 to you.
If you would like to explain some of your concerns with balance in a little more detail, I would be more than happy to take those into consideration. If you have the time, I would also be very appreciative if you could read some of my other threads listed in the OP, and pick those apart as well. They may be a few pages deep by now, but they are still relevant. |
Jetteh22
DUST University
Ivy League
23
|
Posted - 2013.03.17 16:13:00 -
[4] - Quote
I have no clue why some companies don't give bulk discounts for purchasing these special items. It just makes the most sense. Give somebody a reason to spend more money and they most likely will spend more money. Give somebody AUR to use and they'll probably use it faster.
$5 = 10,000 AUR
$10 = 20,000 AUR + 1k AUR free (21k total)
$20 = 40,000 AUR + 3k AUR free (43k total)
$50 = 100,000 AUR + 5k AUR Free (105k total)
Just a little something. If they buy $50 worth then they would get $2.50 of AUR free basically. I don't know if those rates are the current rates for AUR but yeah... |
Jetteh22
DUST University
Ivy League
23
|
Posted - 2013.03.17 16:15:00 -
[5] - Quote
Cross Atu wrote:
As a general trend I am greatly turned off by microtrasactions and tend to quickly lose interest in games which employ them. It is to CCPs credit that their management of real money transactions has yet to evoke my usual sour response on the subject. And speaking as someone who's put real money into D514 I believe it is vital that the game never become (or hopefully even approach) being pay to win.
I'm actually completely opposite of this. I would MUCH rather spend $20 a month on a free game using microtransactions for a few years than to pay $60 for a regular game that I end up only playing for a few weeks before I get bored of it / end up hating it. |
DusterBuster
DUST University
Ivy League
47
|
Posted - 2013.03.17 16:36:00 -
[6] - Quote
Jetteh22 wrote:I have no clue why some companies don't give bulk discounts for purchasing these special items. It just makes the most sense. Give somebody a reason to spend more money and they most likely will spend more money. Give somebody AUR to use and they'll probably use it faster.
$5 = 10,000 AUR
$10 = 20,000 AUR + 1k AUR free (21k total)
$20 = 40,000 AUR + 3k AUR free (43k total)
$50 = 100,000 AUR + 5k AUR Free (105k total)
Just a little something. If they buy $50 worth then they would get $2.50 of AUR free basically. I don't know if those rates are the current rates for AUR but yeah...
This is exactly what I was thinking, but think the discount/free AUR should be much greater. With what you listed above, I would still rather buy multiple mercenary packs than spend the money on the AUR. Maybe the problem is that the mercenary pack is just too good of a deal, but don't tell them that, I don't want it to get nerfed.
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Jetteh22
DUST University
Ivy League
30
|
Posted - 2013.03.17 18:03:00 -
[7] - Quote
DusterBuster wrote:Jetteh22 wrote:I have no clue why some companies don't give bulk discounts for purchasing these special items. It just makes the most sense. Give somebody a reason to spend more money and they most likely will spend more money. Give somebody AUR to use and they'll probably use it faster.
$5 = 10,000 AUR
$10 = 20,000 AUR + 1k AUR free (21k total)
$20 = 40,000 AUR + 3k AUR free (43k total)
$50 = 100,000 AUR + 5k AUR Free (105k total)
Just a little something. If they buy $50 worth then they would get $2.50 of AUR free basically. I don't know if those rates are the current rates for AUR but yeah... This is exactly what I was thinking, but think the discount/free AUR should be much greater. With what you listed above, I would still rather buy multiple mercenary packs than spend the money on the AUR. Maybe the problem is that the mercenary pack is just too good of a deal, but don't tell them that, I don't want it to get nerfed.
It really is too good of a deal. You may get duplicates of the blueprints and never be able to use them but for $20 you get $20 worth of AUR, 30 days active booster AND other stuff. I know I'll be buying the mercenary pack until they either nerf it or something :P |
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