wvhills
05-29-2012, 12:57 PM
hello all. I, like many of you, do not have a favorable opinion of gamble packs. I have no problem with the best weapons/gems/outfits being available for plat- in fact, i think the best gear SHOULD be available for plat. The thing I'm disappointed in is the method of purchase.
I think I understand the reasoning behind them: first off nothing is available for cash in game (i.e. you don't see firebrands with a price of $10). You purchase plat with cash and this creates a disconnect in your brain (i.e. this items doesn't cost $10, it's 40 plats). Secondly, to create a further disconnect, you don't list the desired item for sale individually at the price you want, you put it for sale at a lower cost within the gamble packs at a specific drop rate. I believe this is done to eliminate "sticker shock"- the firebrand doesn't cost 100 plats, it cost 25 plats but has a 1/4 drop rate. However, this only lasts for about a month until your credit card statement comes in and you see the charges and think "holy crap! I spent $120 on this game last month"! Then you look in your inventory and the only thing you have to show for it is a bunch of greens. That leads to people raging and not buying plat. Yes, you've gotten $120 out of them but that's all you get because you've alienated that person. Then you have to constant think of promotions/vanities, special weekends, etc. to try to entice them to come back.
I feel like it would be best just to list the items for sale individually and do away with gamble packs. I'm sure you'll get some who complain "a 100 plat for a firebrand!" but I feel like most will be happy to get what they pay for. You may not get that $120 from the person all at once but you'll have a happy player who'll spend $20-30 a month for years to come.
If you're dead set on having gamble packs, that's fine. I'm just you also consider having the items for sale individually because I would definitely buy them but refuse to participate in the gamble packs.
In the end it depends on how the community acts. If people continue to buy up gamble packs like they're hotcakes (tasty hotcakes, not the kind I make, hehe) then all the complaining in the world won't change things.
I think I understand the reasoning behind them: first off nothing is available for cash in game (i.e. you don't see firebrands with a price of $10). You purchase plat with cash and this creates a disconnect in your brain (i.e. this items doesn't cost $10, it's 40 plats). Secondly, to create a further disconnect, you don't list the desired item for sale individually at the price you want, you put it for sale at a lower cost within the gamble packs at a specific drop rate. I believe this is done to eliminate "sticker shock"- the firebrand doesn't cost 100 plats, it cost 25 plats but has a 1/4 drop rate. However, this only lasts for about a month until your credit card statement comes in and you see the charges and think "holy crap! I spent $120 on this game last month"! Then you look in your inventory and the only thing you have to show for it is a bunch of greens. That leads to people raging and not buying plat. Yes, you've gotten $120 out of them but that's all you get because you've alienated that person. Then you have to constant think of promotions/vanities, special weekends, etc. to try to entice them to come back.
I feel like it would be best just to list the items for sale individually and do away with gamble packs. I'm sure you'll get some who complain "a 100 plat for a firebrand!" but I feel like most will be happy to get what they pay for. You may not get that $120 from the person all at once but you'll have a happy player who'll spend $20-30 a month for years to come.
If you're dead set on having gamble packs, that's fine. I'm just you also consider having the items for sale individually because I would definitely buy them but refuse to participate in the gamble packs.
In the end it depends on how the community acts. If people continue to buy up gamble packs like they're hotcakes (tasty hotcakes, not the kind I make, hehe) then all the complaining in the world won't change things.