Transmogable gear added to in game store, sigh - here were go...

[Yarathir]

As far as applications are concerned, they are a means for guilds to filter their prospective members. You cannot just invite anybody without knowing anything about them.

Rude behavior is a big problem, I agree and it sheds bad light on the raiding community, the proverbial basement dwellers, as it were. In such a case it is most appropriate to just leave the guild and find another one with, hopefully, better mannered members.

Oh, I know. But the problem is not in that. It's more in the robotic, typical job-form like way in which it is done. There are many ways to see if someone is good enough for the job. Out of all, the majority of the raiding guilds go for the way that most seems like you are applying for a job instead of for a friendly raid group that wants to progress in a game.



And sadly, I've tried. I don't know if I'm just unlucky, but I don't think it's very uncommon to have a raid group that focuses on WoW as a job rather than a game while still being serious enough. I tend to hear these nightmare stories all the time, and it's essentially what keeps me away from raiding again.

[Noctifer616]

I don't think this is true at all. I'll let someone else confirm or disproove this when they have the numbers available.

Would be cool. Can't get exact revenue streams from the financial reports because they group subscription money with boxed products, expansion packs, licensing royalties, and value-added services.

However, in 2012 their online subscription revenue was 986 with CoD Elite membership and MoP release, while in 2011 it was 1,357 without any expansion release and without the COD Elite membership.

That's a rather large dip.

[Thimagryn]

I do, however, strongly support the precept of having to be challenged to receive a reward for that reward to be worthwhile. It's basic psychology.

I would agree with your stance, but you're projecting that idea onto things that aren't meant to be a reward. You're creating the assumption that everything (you want) should be a reward, despite being obtainable through alternative or exclusive means.

[Jessicka]

You might have a point about the reduced expenses, but the quarterly revenue received from online wow subscriptions (+account services and sales) is listed independantly from their other franchises. And as far as I recall their revenue has gone up every single quarter, earning more money nowadays with 8m subscribers than they did with 12m subscribers in WotLK.

Account services are one thing, as they are repeatable transactions and is a whole other discussion. Pet store products haven't been thus far, so the only way to they can keep the pet store viable is to continually add more content to it, or add 'consumable' content such as the Iron Warhorse thing. It's repeat transactions that will make them money - not one offs like pets or transmog gear.

[Deleted]

I remember the time when people would actually like the good parts of a game and actually voice their dislikes on bad ones. Now looking through the thread, many people (even some that said they'd quit if Blizzard would sell anything besides pets and mounts) cheer on this decision like sheep.

As for the decision itself:
-you pay 15 dollars/region equivalent currency per month. And why? to Enjoy the game, to improve your character, to have fun.
-let's check the "to improve your character" part. How do you do this? Well, you get gear with better stats and you get new looks for gear.
-for now, you can't get items from the cash shop that improve your stats (for now) but... now you'll be able to get items to improve looks? And people did say that the current tiers are some of the ugliest ever... see the pattern?
-but surely you pay 15$ a month, you're a valued customer, you could probably farm these things somewhere else in the game too even without money, right? Well... no.

Overall, I can't see any way to not classify this decision as greedy from Blizzard.

[Santoryu]

However, it's not for everyone. Not everyone likes to be challenged. Some people play games to turn off their brain and be entertained. I, for one, am somewhere in the middle. I'll do repetitive things, or challenging things when I feel up to it, and sometimes I'll level an alt or do dailies just to turn off my brain for a bit. Just because you like the feeling of earning something, doesn't mean everyone does.

Furthermore, rewards are about perception. I'll use battle pets as an example. One of my favorite battle pets in-game is the Gilnean Raven. I like Gilneas, I like ravens. I didn't have to earn it, really. I just went to the vendor and bought it on my worgen. However, another favorite pet of mine is the Unborn Val'kyr. One could argue, I had to earn that one. I don't really see it that way. I waited for a while in Zul'Drak until it popped up and I got it. But, I mostly like it since it's a val'kyr. Both of those pets are equally rewarding to me because I simply own them, not because I worked hard to get them.

It's much the same for many people about these transmog helms. They like the way they look, and it'll be fun for them to look at. If it's easy, who does it hurt, really? There are plenty of cool-looking helms in-game from various raids, challenge modes, dungeons, etc that are all cool and transmogrifiable as well. It's very optional.

I am sure they like the way they look and like to look at them. But there will come a time where 4 in 5 people you see will have them. What's gonna happen then?

[Deleted]

I haven't been on the wow part of MMO champion for a while, but damn it seems like it's just hardcore blizzard fanboys left judging by this thread. If this was any other mmo, people would complain about it greatly, not defend it.

Many f2p mmo's have cheaper cosmetic items than these that look much better. It's a good thing these ones look so horrible that you'd look like an idiot for wearing them, but the idea of making the most attractive items available only through additional costs outside of the already expensive subscription is just a rip off. Unfortunately the wow fanbase has not exactly gotten smarter over the years, so Blizzard can easily get away with something like this, and earn a ton of money on it as well.

Exactly this.

[Jessicka]

I am sure they like the way they look and like to look at them. But there will come a time where 4 in 5 people you see will have them. What's gonna happen then?

Same as with the sparkle pony, people will see them around a lot but people revert to their previously preferred item. If they like it still though, they keep using it. Same with any other 'new' stuff, you see it around a lot for a while but after some time only those who really wanted it keep showing it off. No different to the fads and fashions of real life.

[Asmekiel]

-players: let us buy fun stuff in the store
-Blizzard: here you go!
-other players: so next week we'll see heroic gear in the store?

I really don't see the problem. People have been asking for since for years now. Don't want it, don't buy it.

[Santoryu]

I would agree with your stance, but you're projecting that idea onto things that aren't meant to be a reward. You're creating the assumption that everything (you want) should be a reward, despite being obtainable through alternative or exclusive means.

Why can't they be a reward? That would make them all the more worthwhile.

Exactly this.

Yep, exactly.

[Johnkie]

To bad that their business model has taken a dump on their playerbase... I guess they are making all the wrong choices... Maybe people want to be stimulated and be challenged rather then being fed wellfare.
Or maybe thats just me.

[Deleted]

You might have a point about the reduced expenses, but the quarterly revenue received from online wow subscriptions (+account services and sales) is listed independantly from their other franchises. And as far as I recall their revenue has gone up every single quarter, earning more money nowadays with 8m subscribers than they did with 12m subscribers in WotLK.

It just in a way shows how much more dependant on micro-transactions WoW has become.

Which is bad, as this shows they can't be bothered with actually trying to get new players to fill up the game again, and this is interesting, since, if few players come and more leave it shows that there is a problem with the game itself.

[Destinas]

I am sure they like the way they look and like to look at them. But there will come a time where 4 in 5 people you see will have them. What's gonna happen then?

It'll be like with the blizzard store mounts. For a week or so, everyone will have it out, displayed proudly. Then as time goes on, we'll see less and less people using it. I virtually never see people using the first 3 Blizzard Store mounts, and I hardly see people with the older store pets out. This will be no different in time.

[Santoryu]

Same as with the sparkle pony, people will see them around a lot but people revert to their previously preferred item. If they like it still though, they keep using it. Same with any other 'new' stuff, you see it around a lot for a while but after some time only those who really wanted it keep showing it off. No different to the fads and fashions of real life.

I'd feel cheated for the money I paid for the item in question. Wouldn't you?

[Noctifer616]

Which is bad, as this shows they can't be bothered with actually trying to get new players to fill up the game again, and this is interesting, since, if few players come and more leave it shows that there is a problem with the game itself.

Or it shows that the MMO market is a lot larger today than it was a few years ago, with a ton of alternatives that actually don't cost anything.

[Kayb]

http://www.wowhead.com/news=216619/t...blizzard-store

And the game is still 15 dollars a month.

I'm so disappointed in Blizzard..

Because you're totally being held at gun point and forced to purchase them...

[Jessicka]

I'd feel cheated for the money I paid for the item in question. Wouldn't you?

That's why I made the choice not to buy it, or any of the other mounts. I don't feel cheated when I see a fire kitten though, they always make me smile and I have to click them to see their name

[Drithien]

Ethics is debateable, because the topic of discussion is absolutely subjective. It depends on what you value the optional items that are being sold.

It would be an unethical practice if they were providing services to give an unfair advantage to players who pay. It would be unethical if they let players obtain the best items in the game through paying. This, however, is a purely cosmetic item that has no bearing on gameplay. Some people consider this the best looking gear, others do not. Again, it's subjective, so what we're debating is mostly 'what's it worth to you?'.

And apparantly, these items are worthy enough that people want it, but are unwilling to pay for it. Or they feel it should be accessible because they pay a monthly fee. Considering these are optional items, I don't find these convincing arguments against ethics.

But the thing is, this is a game. Nothing is required except for the player to have fun. High-performance PvE or PvP-wise pets, mounts and transmogrification gear is useless. It offers no boost to performance. However, the vast majority of players are not concerned much about performance. Maybe MMOC's forums seem like a represantation of the game's playerbase, but 35k posters are hardly representative of 8 million plus people; even less when the posters actively secure an account on the forums, and are not chosen in random from among the game's players.

And if one gets past this echo-chamber effect in these forums, he may realise that all those "awful baddies" in LFR, the players that join social guilds en masse, the odd fellows that spend "unheard of" amounts of time to gain a new level, those are the majority of the game's playerbase, its lifeblood economically. And they care about pets. And mounts. And looking "pretty". They actually usher in such content because it is so accessible, caters to their "weakness" of collecting stuff, and provides a fun time in the game. Then, some of that stuff, instead of being implemeted in the game, is taken to a shop outside of it. That's less gameplay right there. And so, for these people to get to enjoy those items, not only do they not have to play something, like tame a pet; they have to pay real money, on a game they already pay a subscription.

To me that is unethical. I would expect it from Rift, Conan, Aion, and in general any mmorpg that didn't get to surpass expectations (or realise them) and got stuck in the hundred-thousands. Because it's a tough place down there. One major shift is all it takes for problems to arise. Fatal, for the game, problems. But World of WarCraft? It needs nothing. Some higher-ups at Vivendi expect some things of course. But that doesn't change the fact that it doesn't feel right to me.

[Santoryu]

That's why I made the choice not to buy it, or any of the other mounts. I don't feel cheated when I see a fire kitten though, they always make me smile

But that's because the money gathered was given to charity

[Destinas]

I'd feel cheated for the money I paid for the item in question. Wouldn't you?

Not if you enjoy it. I enjoy all the things I've bought in the store. I haven't gotten everything, mind you. I don't have the last 3 mounts. But I don't value what I have based on what other people have, or how they obtained it. I like it because I like it. My character is my own, so I get them things I enjoy seeing.