Cash Shop vs Monthly Fee

[rofltroll]

So which would you rather have? Cash Shop/Online Store or a monthly sub fee?

I prefer monthly fee, for a few reasons. But I don't want to taint others opinions so I'll keep them to myself.

Please no comments about Blizz's use of both or premium services or how they are allowing real money in D3. This is about games in general and which you would rather have, since every game most likely has one or the other attached to it.

[jvbastel]

Cash shop, if a f2p/b2p game has the same production quality as a subscription model game, it means that I can play for less money.
If the game is good I have no problem paying some cash for cosmetic items or xp potions.

Most sub games still have a cash shop anyway, with wow's being just greedy

[Pancaspe]

All games will be sub with $AH within the year.

[Aammadan]

It depends entirely on the nature of the cash shop. Cosmetic items, cool. Buying power or money, not cool at all. And it's a much finer line that it sounds, mostly because it's easy to make an item/service that appears to be optional become mandatory. Microtransactions seem to piss players off most of the time, but honestly it's probably the lesser of two evils when it comes to MMORPGs. Monthly fees promote grind, but they also promote frequent updates from the developers. B2P with a cash shop promotes overpriced services and often heads into dangerous territory with what is offered, but also means you'll be seeing expansions more frequently.

[Underskilled]

Provided the quality of the game is the same, Cash shop. Less money spent, plus you can choose if you want to spend money, and guarantee you're getting your money's worth, as you choose what to spend your money on

[georgevonfranken]

Provided the quality of the game is the same, Cash shop. Less money spent, plus you can choose if you want to spend money, and guarantee you're getting your money's worth, as you choose what to spend your money on

And you can play whenever you want, dont have to make sure you have time before you start playing

[paperfire]

Cash shop. It guarantees a larger playerbase, and you only have to buy what you want.

[Riathy]

Rather have monthly fees.

The problem I have with cash shops are:

-Selling power/in-game currency?
-Once you start spending you will spend more and more.

Selling power/currency is something a lot of them have. (yes even WoW)

Don't believe me? Check the flying mount for instance, it cost 25 euro and it can save you up to thousands of gold coins depending how many characters you have.
Since it also scales with your flying skill it is the perfect mount and can be used all the time and anywhere.

Once you start paying you will spend more.
This is true for a lot of people, check those who played League of Legends. It is "Free 2 Play" but a lot of people have spend at least 30 euro/dollar on it, if not more.

[Badpaladin]

Easily Cash shop. Pay-to-play is for people with stable time on their hands. I also like the idea of after purchasing something, it's mine. I can do whatever the fuck I want with it, because it's now my own.

[Edge-]

What game DOESN'T have a cash shop nowadays? It's been adopted by every P2P game because it works and makes great money.

But if I had to choose, I'd choose a F2P/hybrid with a cash shop. You can pick it up and put it down without feeling like you're "wasting" subscription money. As for the quality, there are plenty of high quality F2P/hybrid games, a subscription doesn't make a game any "better".

[llDemonll]

Cash shop, if a f2p/b2p game has the same production quality as a subscription model game, it means that I can play for less money.
If the game is good I have no problem paying some cash for cosmetic items or xp potions.

Most sub games still have a cash shop anyway, with wow's being just greedy

Problem is that the cash shops almost always give in-game advantages that are more than cosmetic or convenient (wow pets and mounts = fine, battlefield heroes weapons and trinkets = not fine)

[jvbastel]

well, in wow you can buy 300% xp potions from lvl 1-80 and it's perfectly legal

[Edge-]

Problem is that the cash shops almost always give in-game advantages that are more than cosmetic or convenient (wow pets and mounts = fine, battlefield heroes weapons and trinkets = not fine)

It depends on the game. Most give things like additional content (new questing area's), cosmetic items and other assorted things that don't really give you any benefit. The biggest benefit I've seen in most of the games that are F2P that I've played are XP boosts, which while nice, don't really give you an advantage for very long (once you're level cap they're worthless). As long as the game doesn't sell stat boosts or powerful gear, I prefer them. Once they do, I won't touch the game with a 20 foot pole.

[Kewi]

Eh, I don't view xp potions as 'power'..

I'm opposed to cash shops for top-end power (as in, max level doing pvp or pve)...

Cosmetics, Mounts, Vanity items, xp, heirlooms (that cant be used in pvp)... sure

[Leonne]

Cash shop, it allows you to chose what is worth spending money on and there's no bigger feedback than profit feedback. Would you pay for a 3.2 ToC patch if you could? Would you pay for appearance tab if you could?

But it's absurd when you put the two together. Most games would be flamed to hell and back for being p2p and having a RMT at the same time, yet wow can get away with it, funny huh?

[drwelfare]

Monthly fee. I just dont like the idea of someone being able to cry and have their momma buy them the same items that others spent months busting their ass to get. Cheapens everything.

[Deleted]

Cash shop, it allows you to chose what is worth spending money on and there's no bigger feedback than profit feedback. Would you pay for a 3.2 ToC patch if you could? Would you pay for appearance tab if you could?

But it's absurd when you put the two together. Most games would be flamed to hell and back for being p2p and having a RMT at the same time, yet wow can get away with it, funny huh?

That's because once you critique Blizz on anything there will be a legion of those that protect Blizz with anything they can.

I prefer a subscription based game because cash shop games usualy are of very low quality compared to subscriber based games.
(Also those games with cash shops easier get away with little to no updates besides from stuff from the cash shop)

[Mothhive]

Monthly fee. I just dont like the idea of someone being able to cry and have their momma buy them the same items that others spent months busting their ass to get. Cheapens everything.

That's not what all cash shops are like though. Many just offer cosmetic items and don't sell gear or advantages whatsoever.

[Fojos]

People keep saying games with "cash shops" IF they have the same quality. The problem is - they're never going to have the same quality.

[jvbastel]

People keep saying games with "cash shops" IF they have the same quality. The problem is - they're never going to have the same quality.

because the companies that have the money to make AAA titles are usually to greedy to make a game without a sub fee?