Microtransactions?

[Fillory]

Over time, I've tried numerous MMOs, played them for years, then eventually abandoned them because of the introduction of Pay-2-Win microtransactions.

 

I see a commercial for this game, decide to give it a shot since I've been curious about South Korean MMOs for a long while, and immediately after downloading the game get a prompt for microtransactions.

 

I know that a lot of people are unlikely to care, but for those of you who do: Is anyone else as sick of Pay-2-Win microtransactions as I am? Seems like I may as well give up on MMOs altogether at this point. What was once a rarity is now an industry standard, which is disappointing for those of us who don't love to sling hundreds (or in some mind-blowing cases, thousands) of real world dollars at the games we play.

[UnitedStrafes]

2 sides to that coin. Being F2P they need to make their money somewhere, I blame all the broke kiddies and unemployed neckbeards on that one.

 

One the other hand charging what they do for QoL items like training pages and dragon pouches is ridiculous, charge a little, fine, but offer premium members a STEEP discount on these types of things.

[BestWaifu]

These micro transactions arnt pay2win the stuff in materials are gainable in game not only that but like 40 ncoins for 10 I just see it as "hey if you got nccoins left over waste them on these cheap things."

Not only that but the same items can be bought with Hongmoon coins. Earned currency.

Supply is just full of field stuff like revive charms repair hammers and keys which you can also get in game. Unless inventory size packs is considered pay to win as well.

[Felivath]

As it has been said many times before, the micro transactions in this game are not P2W. They are simply Pay-2-Convenience. There is nothing in the item shop that you can get that can't be earned through normal play. The item mall is how F2P games stay in business.

[Fillory]

2 minutes ago, UnitedStrafes said:

2 sides to that coin. Being F2P they need to make their money somewhere, I blame all the broke kiddies and unemployed neckbeards on that one.

 

One the other hand charging what they do for QoL items like training pages and dragon pouches is ridiculous, charge a little, fine, but offer premium members a STEEP discount on these types of things.

I'd have no problem if MMOs were just subscription-based in the way that many were just a few years ago. Even for as much as $20 USD per month, I'd be fine with it.

Microtransactions, though... really frustrating to spend a large amount of time doing something when some anon with a fat wallet can just buy it and skip that process.

 

 

[Fillory]

3 minutes ago, BestWaifu said:

These micro transactions arnt pay2win the stuff in materials are gainable in game not only that but like 40 ncoins for 10 I just see it as "hey if you got nccoins left over waste them on these cheap things."

Not only that but the same items can be bought with Hongmoon coins. Earned currency.

Supply is just full of field stuff like revive charms repair hammers and keys which you can also get in game. Unless inventory size packs is considered pay to win as well.

The point is that they can save you time in-game. Whether it's really expensive or really cheap, that's Pay-2-Win in my book.

[ManStapler]

I haven't checked too much of the shop, but from what I gathered, everything in the shop, once you reach max level (which can be REALLY fast for some people) is obtainable fast and easy. Or if you play casual as I do, you will not ever feel that you're lacking something. 

[Fillory]

3 minutes ago, Felivath said:

As it has been said many times before, the micro transactions in this game are not P2W. They are simply Pay-2-Convenience. There is nothing in the item shop that you can get that can't be earned through normal play. The item mall is how F2P games stay in business.

Both of my other responses serve as a response to this.

Pay-2-Win doesn't apply to stuff that can /only/ be obtained via microtransactions. If spending real world money allows you to save even a little bit of time in-game, it can be considered a Pay-2-Win mechanic. That's especially true for the players who are making six or seven figure sallaries in the real world (the ones who occasionally spend several thousand dollars buying stuff).

 

As for the F2P thing, it's pointless argument. Nobody forced the game to be F2P and even if it wasn't it would likely still have microtransactions just like almost every other P2P MMO now does.

[BestWaifu]

Uhm no pay to win is when they sell you stuff that give you an advantage. Such as gear that gives you huge stat boost and just flat out selling you high tier weapons.

If the player is too lazy to do a few runs of blackram narrows for blight fangs then thats the player's problem and choice to be lazy. Besides blight fangs are like 9-12 copper for one they can even buy off other players to be lazy.

[Boctoona]

But it's not about whats in your book, or your opinion on something,  

 

Pay to win is where you can pay to win against other people, buying stronger better armor or weapons that you can only acquire for money in the store or being able to buy the endgame weapons skipping the dungeons completely that is what pay to win is. 

 

 

Buying something for crafting instead of taking 10 seconds to go and harvest it is not pay to win.  You may not like that, but it doesn't make the game pay to win, the other player is not "winning" anything substantial over you. 

 

 

 

[fruitie]

I don't really see anything pay2win here. As long as f2p can progress at a fair speed so that I can buy things that appeal to me, I'm happy.

[ManStapler]

1 minute ago, Fillory said:

Both of my other responses serve as a response to this.

Pay-2-Win doesn't apply to stuff that can /only/ be obtained via microtransactions. If spending real world money allows you to save even a little bit of time in-game, it can be considered a Pay-2-Win mechanic. That's especially true for the players who are making six or seven figure sallaries in the real world (the ones who occasionally spend several thousand dollars buying stuff).

 

As for the F2P thing, it's pointless argument. Nobody forced the game to be F2P and even if it wasn't it would likely still have microtransactions just like almost every other P2P MMO now does.

 

Games can no longer survive being free to play. If you will recall, when pay to play games were a thing, production value of free to play games was none existant, they all looked cheap and horrible. Now no one pays monthly fees because there are so many free to play high quality games, that for someone to pay for it, it has to be AMAZEBALLS. Best they can do now is pay once to play, but the server maintenance costs eventually would consume the game and shut it down.

[Felivath]

Just now, Fillory said:

Both of my other responses serve as a response to this.

Pay-2-Win doesn't apply to stuff that can /only/ be obtained via microtransactions. If spending real world money allows you to save even a little bit of time in-game, it can be considered a Pay-2-Win mechanic. That's especially true for the players who are making six or seven figure sallaries in the real world (the ones who occasionally spend several thousand dollars buying stuff).

 

As for the F2P thing, it's pointless argument. Nobody forced the game to be F2P and even if it wasn't it would likely still have microtransactions just like almost every other P2P MMO now does.

I don't mean to start a fight, so this will be my last post, but your argument is that the game is P2W because you consider it to be. That is not the case, you are just misusing the term. P2W refers to a game where players have an unfair advantage due to things only accessible through real world currency. For example, weapons and gear that are twice as strong as anything that can be earned in game. Not having to craft keys, and getting some extra inventory space quicker being called P2W is on par with saying the market place is disgusting because players with gold can just buy what they need instead of farming it like players without gold. The masses don't want to see a MMO that they HAVE to pay to play these days. So making a game subscription based is really a bad move for the companies. That's why so many subscription based MMOs move to F2P models, it just doesn't earn the kind of money and support that a game everyone has the chance to play does. As a premium member I would hate if the game was sub based because I don't always have extra money each month, so I would hate to put months of money and time into a game only to be locked out because I can't afford it. I'd rather pay prem when I can and still be able to play when I can't.

Bottom line, this game has one of the most balanced pay/free ratios I've seen yet, and instead of whining about what people who spend money get, just consider it them ruining their own experience because the grind is part of the game.

[skydevil10]

25 minutes ago, Fillory said:

Both of my other responses serve as a response to this.

Pay-2-Win doesn't apply to stuff that can /only/ be obtained via microtransactions. If spending real world money allows you to save even a little bit of time in-game, it can be considered a Pay-2-Win mechanic. That's especially true for the players who are making six or seven figure sallaries in the real world (the ones who occasionally spend several thousand dollars buying stuff).

 

As for the F2P thing, it's pointless argument. Nobody forced the game to be F2P and even if it wasn't it would likely still have microtransactions just like almost every other P2P MMO now does.

Thats not a pay 2 win mechanic, it doesn't win you anything. "So I can spend real money on this costume or run the dungeon to get it" the costume doesn't do anything but just make you look pretty. I can say for sure that the discount isn't steep at all, its barely much to make a hassle over.  hell WoW lets you buy a lvl 100 character boost. THATS pay2win and that game still uses a subscription model. You want to support a game like that? a game that still uses a subscription but still has microtransaction in it. They see the value in microtransaction so they still implement it. Unlike f2p games that use it in order to pay for the server maintenance. 

Also you have that completely backwards, if there's something in the cash shop that can be obtained ingame, then its not pay2win, for it to be pay2win, it would have to be solely exclusive to the cash shop and have a complete advantage over free2play players. Where nobody can obtain it through normal means and those who can pay for it has access to it. Thats pay2win. 

You're just wasting your money if you have to buy mats on the cash shop too, you can make twice the amount by farming the dungeon without the need too. Plus it matters especially at end game, all those mats are worthless at end game because crafting items like moonwater tears, Sap, recipes can't be obtained in the cash shop and those are the mats you need to get in order to strengthen your character. The items in the cash shop don't even diminish the time at all. You get all your mats at a steady pace as you level normally, even if you buy the mats ahead of time, you wouldn't be able to use them because you need to level up your crafting guilds before using them, and by the time you get it leveled up, you'd already have a good supply of it from quests and dungeons.

[RobynTheTiny]

A bigger pouch is not P2W. You need to place yourself smartly or do a few extra runs. As long as he cant hit you over the ehad with that big pouch it isn't P2W. And making a second account for more character slots is also a little bit more work. Those that have their chars all in one account have it a bit easier, but that is about it. Still doesn't make them any stronger in the game....