Introducing the Remote Auction House

[woxingma]

Hai guyz, I already haev this app.






It's called a laptop.

Actually a web based AH is not like a laptop. Mainly because a web base app it going to be completely exploitable. Unless they run warden 24/7, you'll be able to press a button to get your expired goods from the mail and back on the ah without even sitting at your comp. In the real game you still have to run back and forth and deal with the clunky mailbox interface. This is what makes this game changing. NOT the mobile part.

[S@thi]

Ingame advertising would also be a great idea to make some more money blizzard, don't u think?

Maybee for an extra small fee we could play the premium client without advertising.

you win.
pls don't let this happen

[Sylari]

Actually a web based AH is not like a laptop. Mainly because a web base app it going to be completely exploitable. Unless they run warden 24/7, you'll be able to press a button to get your expired goods from the mail and back on the ah without even sitting at your comp. In the real game you still have to run back and forth and deal with the clunky mailbox interface. This is what makes this game changing. NOT the mobile part.

the literal three seconds it takes to get from the AH to the mailbox is comparable, or quicker, than the time it takes to hop through the menus on the mobile AH though..... Unless you do your auctioneering in Ironforge or something stupid like that >.>

Not to mention the inherent disadvantages in not being able to run your addons and having to enter your information fairly frequently

[Deleted]

if it's lame don't buy it... But.. What's unfair? Is it that you're just mad it isn't free?

Yes. One of the reasons why I signed up for this game is because when there's a subscription-based game I don't expect any additional/optional ways to ease/customize your game for more $.
But they are slowly moving away from that and I don't like it.

[Rainei]

Tell me, please, that this is a joke...tell me it's April 1st again....PLEASE!!!

This is SO STUPID! GG blizz...the game continues its downward spiral to oblivion as you continue to F up one thing after another. No, im not mad its not free, I'm mad that this entire thing was even IMPLIMENTED. First faction change, then race change, now this? I think I'm done...

[steale]

So with a laptop u can put ur stuff in the ah from nordend?

Must be a pretty cool laptop bro

any confirmation that you can use app to transfer items from a character that is online to AH?
Engineering. Bank alts. This app isn't doing anything that adds an in-game advantage.

[Florentzia]

any confirmation that you can use app to transfer items from a character that is online to AH?
Engineering. Bank alts. This app isn't doing anything that adds an in-game advantage.

Logout, login with app, sell, logout at app, login.

It is an ingame advantage!
Maybe a small, but it is.

[Tripp]

WoW is finished. Only the addicts left.

[Darth_Keno83]

WoW is finished. Only the addicts left.

Yep.

[Aprus]

It makes sense. When was the last time you heard an announcement about the number of active accounts? A while. They probably realize there are indeed alot of dolts who would pay for these services, and since they already hit the apex of the amount of active accounts (and declining), they need to find a way to cover lost ground. I'm guessing that within a year we will see a full blown micro transaction store (think DDO) just because of the fact that the release of SC2 this year, D3 next year (a guess), and the game becoming non-innovative, they'll want to make up lost revenue from loss of subscriptions.

It's not going to get better from here, since basically every zone is just to level through real quick and then you're sitting in the city waiting on a dungeon or BG queue or arena queue. It's just getting to that point.

[Sylari]

WoW is finished. Only the addicts left.

Nothing says "the end is nigh" like being able to access the AH from an iPhone
nothing says "end of the world" like remote access to the auction house

Yes. One of the reasons why I signed up for this game is because when there's a subscription-based game I don't expect any additional/optional ways to ease/customize your game for more $.
But they are slowly moving away from that and I don't like it.

but why though? As you just said, it's optional and not any sort of mechanic that confers an in game advantage, you're not being charged extra for the actual content that means anything ( well... Expansion packs, which are overpriced, but that's another topic)

slippery slope argument is even sillier, there's a huge difference between a race change, vanity pet, or remote access to a full blown cash shop.... There's a reason slippery slope is a logical fallacy though >_>

[Smitzelplix]

No new content but they have time to weasel more money out of people big FAIL...

I guess all the stuff their doing like the Ruby Sanctum, working on Cataclysm, creating the realID feature with a revamped chat system can't be considered new content huh?

[grdja]

Pure, unrefined corporate greed.

A game that makes 1.7 billion dollars a year. One for which some time ago a dev blabbed out that yearly maintenance and support of all realms was in $50-70 million range. (OK that might have been when WOW had "only" 6-8 million subs. But it cant be over $100-150 million at this time no matter what.)
Edit. I'm very confident that those figures are overkill and actual "running the game" cost to ActiBlizz is much lower, but I wanted to be safe and avoid anyone accusing me of underestimating the cost of running such a majestic game as WOW.
Add in the next expansion development costs, those also cant be more than 50-100 $mill per year, a brand new AAA multiplatform title rarely reaches those figures, a expansion with all tools in place can not possibly get near that cost.
Further there is box sales for the game itself.

I think it is quite safe to say that ActiBlizz gets around one and a half billion dollars in pure profit a year from WOW.

And yer they are so desperate to suck every penny they can from their customers they venture into these waters. AFAIR the "pay for a out of game access to AH" was announced some months ago.

Please, don't compare TRH and this to the old pet store. AFAIK those originally had started as charity blah blah whatever actions/donations.

Way to go ActiBlizz, way to go, risking the game itself in order to make couple dozen million, on top of above $1.5 BILLION in pure profits you are already taking. God I love capitalism.

[steale]

Logout, login with app, sell, logout at app, login.

It is an ingame advantage!
Maybe a small, but it is.

so tell me.... how is that different from logging over to a bank alt? the time save is minimal. no advantage gained.

[Deleted]

I don't see why you guys are complaining. If you think it's ridiculous to spend money on this app, then.. don't buy it.

Sure, it's a shameless ploy to squeeze more money out of subscribers, but it's totally voluntary and to be honest I don't think it's going to make that big of a difference economy-wise (assuming Blizzard is able to prevent abuse). Blizzard making more money = more content for us to have fun with, so whatever imo. :P

This might be a game and while you are quite right in what you are saying, there comes a point where the addicted and the outright stupid end up becoming victims. "Victim" might sound like a strong word to describe someone who buys something willingly, but Blizzard do prey on the stupid, those who pay for a plethora of micro-sales like the race change and the faction change, or the celestial steed and in-game pets. And now, not only do the stupid people - those who think that they actually need this app - get milked for a little more, but now those who are addicted will even have WoW in their lives during the brief periods when they find the urge to peel themselves from their seats. Blizzard knows what will sell, but they ought to also know what they should sell. There is a loading screen tip that says: Enjoy all things in moderation, even World of Warcraft. It might be hard to even attempt to feel any sort of sympathy for the people who buy this, but this is exploitation, plain and simple.

[Sylari]

This might be a game and while you are quite right in what you are saying, there comes a point where the addicted and the outright stupid end up becoming victims. "Victim" might sound like a strong word to describe someone who buys something willingly, but Blizzard do prey on the stupid, those who pay for a plethora of micro-sales like the race change and the faction change, or the celestial steed and in-game pets. And now, not only do the stupid people - those who think that they actually need this app - get milked for a little more, but now those who are addicted will even have WoW in their lives during the brief periods when they find the urge to peel themselves from their seats. Blizzard knows what will sell, but they ought to also know what they should sell. There is a loading screen tip that says: Enjoy all things in moderation, even World of Warcraft. It might be hard to even attempt to feel any sort of sympathy for the people who buy this, but this is exploitation, plain and simple.

Two points

1) Calling everyone who buys a service you view as unnecessary stupid is banally trollish and unproductive... It's just a bit absurd since everyone will have different things they feel their money should be spent on.

2) It's called personal responsibility, it's no ones fault but the guy who buys the damn application or vanity pet FFS. Everyone's always looking for a scapegoat though... There's nothing even remotely exploitative about this service. It's something someone can pay for if they feel the convenience is worth it, nothing more. There is no one being coerced or extorted into buying the application in any way...

On a more serious note since people like to talk about how the sky is falling... All of the brutally ignorant anti-captialist rhetoric has me greatly worried about the future of the USA, and the rest of the world for that matter, simply terrifying when a company offers an optional service and people view it as some sort of rabid corporate evil

[Florentzia]

so tell me.... how is that different from logging over to a bank alt? the time save is minimal. no advantage gained.

You must have an bank alt?
There are players who have all slots full with lvl 80?
Or with no twink that is in the main city?

All the time players are complaining about that there is no ah in shatt or dalaran, and now u can buy an ah everywhere and now ist's no ingame advantage?
C'mon!

[Sylari]

You must have an bank alt?
There are players who have all slots full with lvl 80?
Or with no twink that is in the main city?

All the time players are complaining about that there is no ah in shatt or dalaran, and now u can buy an ah everywhere and now ist's no ingame advantage?
C'mon!

Park an alt in Darnassus or Orgrimmar or UC, you just overcame their "in game advantage" .. For free.

[Deleted]

Calling everyone who buys a service you view as unnecessary stupid is banally trollish and unproductive... It's just a bit absurd since everyone will have different things they feel their money should be spent on.

That's true, but features like these could be implemented for free. Mobile Armory is free to use...

They are milking those cash-cows hard imho.

Just my two cents

[Sylari]

That's true, but features like these could be implemented for free. Mobile Armory is free to use...

They are milking those cash-cows hard imho.

Just my two cents

yeah, I'd prefer it to be free and 3 dollars a month is pretty steep for somethin like that, but that's life.... Certainly don't think it's somethinf worth getting a upset a some people have about it.... We'll see how it pans out.