The dillema

[Crystalite]

Yes, but I'd bet very close to the truth. I can tell you for certain that my assumptions about PL plat spending are the truth. I know tons of big plat spenders in PL, and all of them spend most of it on elixirs and entry fees to plat dungeons. None of them spend most of their plat on vanities. In fact, even if you bought all the "items" in the PL plat store, you couldn't spend more than maybe 3k plat. The big plat spenders who keep these games profitable spend that much on a monthly basis.

Let's consider the pay-per-month model... How much do they charge per month? $20-30? That is per player, per month. Now with this "free" model, you still have to raise the same amount of cash ($20-30 per month, per player). So how do you do that when so many players don't pay anything? You need some players who spend $100+ per month. And I can tell you that nobody is going to spend $100+ per month (2k+ plat per month) on buying vanity items, elixirs that cost 2 plat each, or new character/inventory slots which all cost minimal plat. Now on the other hand, shelling out 500 plat for 500k gold is where the money is.

They need players to be spending hundreds of plat at a time, not 2 plat at a time. And nobody is going to spend hundreds of plat at a time unless it offers them significant improvements/advantages in gameplay. You can sell them elixirs that offer big advantages (like shamus elixir in PL which gives 100% luck boost). You could charge an entry fee to enter the elite dungeons where the good items drop. Or you could just sell gold for plat. I don't like this solution any more than the rest of you, but it is a necessary evil. Personally I'd rather just pay $20/month.

I agree with this view. Developing games do not come cheap, and especially not on the mobile platform, where you get lots of competition from new apps every week. There have been articles written on this: about how the freemium+iap model appears the most plausible way out for such app developers, as opposed to the more traditional and (archaic) pay-per-month from the WoW era.

In any MMO, we get players who are interested in the game for various specific reasons. Among these one common reasons stands out: and that is the desire to 'be powerful', especially when compared to others. There is actually nothing wrong with this, pure simple psychology at work here. We all need time to let off steam, recharge or simply make ourselves feel better. As one browses these forums, one gets to witness many animated personalities, for example, players who feel the need to be recognized as the strongest or best player of their class, etc. In AL we get leaderboards to further encourage this type of mentality, as well as encourage player spending on items, respec, elixirs, etc.

As such, the original poster probably started this thread because he/she wanted to acquire certain top-end gear but felt the plat for gold feature was making it difficult for him/her to do so. With all due respect, and since in cases like this very few are willing to stand out and proclaim themselves as willing plat spenders who do make use of such a feature, I would like to ask those who feel opposed to this plat for gold concept to consider what they are really asking: assuming they are small or even non-plat spenders, why complain about other players who are spending money so that you can continue to enjoy this game for free?

At the same time, what you want and what they want are the same: both parties want to acquire top endgame gear. By complaining about this feature, is it not selfish in a way to deprive others of a chance to achieve their ingame objectives, which happen, ultimately, to be the same as yours. You may have no money, but more time to farm. They may have less time to play, but willing to spend. Sounds like a fair trade-off for both parties, and the plus side is we all get to enjoy this game, whether we pay or not.

I am sure STS and many freemium+iap models out there on the app market would be interested in any possible alternative solutions as well. Ultimately, as mentioned before me, selling plat for gold, or any other iap that actually grants the player a realistic benefit is regrettable, but a necessary evil. Moreover, if one reads the STS interview in e other thread, where they expressed the need to avoid a pay-to-win situation while still maintaining a free-to-pay model, would you not feel like AL has so far been quite fair where acquisition of top end gear is concerned?

Someone mentioned plat for gold felt too similar to buying plat items from store, but the difference is distinct: in the former, access to top gear is free for all, but not so for the latter. If you feel someone is spending too much for a piece of gear, you can always farm yours on your own. Likewise, should you ever get an extra piece of gear, would you be willing to sell it for way less than the market price? I think we have to be honest with ourselves: selfishness is regrettable, but one has got to be practical.