What Would You Like (or not like) To See In The Cash Shop?
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What is the purpose of this list and how can you help? Click the spoiler for an intro.
Spoiler
I wanted to make an easy to read list for both the developers and the community to get a fair idea on where their item shop should stand. People vary on what they think is okay, and what would make them flat out quit playing. The purpose of discussion here is to help make the item mall during release something that not only helps GGG maintain capital to make this game as good as it possibly can be, but to also make an item mall that is agreeable to the majority.
Before we start I want you guys to keep in mind that they plan to keep the shop "ethical" meaning that it should be fair to the entire community, including people who can't afford to or choose not to buy anything. This means no items that go beyond the limit of what you can get otherwise and nothing overwhelming that turns away players that don't pay. So here is the layout. Item: Dev: +: -: Item is the idea. This is not restricted to items as defined in-game, it can be services or other, it is just the 'item' that up for discussion. Dev will be anything that the developers weigh in on, I will list their opinions/concerns or summarize their views to my best ability from their comments. Devs feel free to just edit my post and put your thoughts there. + and - will be summaries of the pros and cons as voiced by the community. I will try to go through and get a consensus. What do you have to do? Simply voice your opinion or thoughts on any given item(s) you see (including current opinions), I'll try to consolidate the information. You can also come up with new ideas and, as long as it seems reasonable, I will add it to the list for discussion. So here it is... ------------------------------------------------------- THE LIST Item: Vanity Items Vanity Items are clothing and effects that don't effect anything but visuals. I.E. Spell particles and clothing. Dev: +: -: Item: 'Fun' Items Fun Items are things such as fire works or other that have no actual effect on the competitive aspect of the game, but still do things. Dev: +: -: Item: Respecialization Returns all your passive tree points for you to reallocate. Dev: +: -: -There is an orb for it now Item: Exp Boosts Self explanatory. Dev: +: -: -Would have to be disabled in race or ladder situations. -Most people have spoken against any kind of boost so far. Item: Drop Rate Boosters Self explanatory Dev: +: -: -Would most likely shorten the lifespan of many players. -Most people have spoken against any kind of boost so far. Item: Random Mod Boosters (from crafting etc...) Self explanatory Dev: +: -Would sell well to those interested in using them. -: -Could ruin farming for non-payers as would be too hard to beat if bought a lot -Most people have spoken against any kind of boost so far. Item: Scrolls Non-tradable ID and Portal scrolls. Dev: +: -: -Buying these free up your normal scrolls for trading. Item: Extra Stash Pages Self explanatory. More than the current amount. Dev: -Currently being implemented. -Looked upon as convenience since you can achieve the same thing by a second free account. +: -More item hoarding means more characters means more playtime. -Very useful to a lot of people -: -Makes it easier to save for specific currency recipes over non-buyers. Item: Extra Character Slots Self explanatory. More than the current amount. Dev: -Currently being implemented. -Looked upon as convenience since you can achieve the same thing by a second free account. +: -: Item: Emotes Emotes are animations such as dancing and such. Also a vanity item, but not as obvious when you think vanity item. Dev: +: -: Item: Non-Combat Pets Little buggers that just look cute (think WoW). Another vanity item that I figured I would mention separately. Dev: +: -: Item: Megaphone Allows you to send a message that appears on screen for everyone on the server. Dev: -Not directly a dev comment, but the current chat system isn't the final one. So if they don't plan to add global chat in the final solution, this would be doubly nice. +: -This seem to sell exceedingly well in other games -Allows for a global non-botted channel of communication -: -potentially annoying Item: Resurrection Token Revives you on death. Dev: +: -: -Would require it to be disabled in lots of places, making purchasing it confusing. Item: Shop Restock Upon use it restocks the shops. Dev: +: -: -Could buy lots and farm items easily. Maybe add a 24 hour shared cooldown? Item: Item Rename Allows you to name an item whatever you want. Dev: +: -: Item: Character Renames Self explanatory Dev: +: -: -Allows players with bad reputation to 'hide' from it or go broke trying. Item: Custom League Options Not sure exactly how this would work, but could be cool considering the possibilities. Dev: +: -: Item: PK Counters Item that records player kills. Dev: +: -: -If a tracking stat is implemented should probably just be accessible to all on a stat page for free Item: VIP Server Same exact game. Separate server. Basically nothing new just consists only of people who paid the entry fee. -Another take could be a seperate log in server with the same database. Meaning you can log in the VIP server or Normal server with the same toon at any point. -Could also just open it up to people after they buy a certain amount of in-game currency. Dev: +: -Little to no 'gold spammers' -Less stereotypical bad manner f2p players -: -Could result in too low of a population - perhaps invite those active in beta feedback to jump start it? Item: Random Chance Buys Boxes that give you a random cash shop item out of a list. Dev: +: -People are susceptible to gambling -: ------------------------------------------------------- Please help by adding ideas, concerns, and suggestions. This list is by far from done. P.S. Please read the list before suggesting things on it already. One final question. Should Cash Items be trade-able? This lets people who don't have the money have a chance at items, but also gives those with money in-game buying power (meaning they can buy vanity items and trade them for actual gear) -A gifting system also doesn't deter trading by much, and often results in scamming attempts Last edited by jcjunglebob#3232 on Jan 16, 2012, 8:01:10 AM
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Heh, well I kinda think "pros and cons" is naturally going to come out con-heavy on everything. Because really, the only "pro" that matters is that selling a particular item isn't hated by the community.
Anyway. Extra stash pages are the first addition that comes to mind. No harm in people storing more stuff, especially since they can just mule the excess anyway if they're not allowed to store it conveniently. Personally I really wouldn't mind if the devs were to sell XP boosts, drop boosts etc. You can talk about equality per player and whatever, but in a game like this, much of a character's power comes from how long it's been played - including how much XP and how many drops it's had. Given that not everyone has the same amount of time to devote to the game, it's not an equal playing field to begin with anyway, so I hardly see the point in pretending it is and then trying to enforce that. Respec tokens also make perfect sense to me as something to sell. I probably wouldn't buy them because I'm pretty content not having an optimal character, but I don't see any harm in other people being able to alter their build quickly. What difference does it make to me? Edit: on respecs, it seems better, if it's not obvious, to be selling the points directly, not the orbs. Only because otherwise people will just buy them and trade them, since they're bound to be valuable. But again, like with drop boosters, even if they could do that, it really wouldn't concern me very much; they could have farmed them anyway for all I'd know. Last edited by GusTheCrocodile#5954 on Jan 8, 2012, 11:53:04 PM
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Pros are about things such as why people would want them. Basically a pro about exp boosts would be things such as 'allows low playtime characters to progress' etc... Also if a lot of people are interested in something, that would also be a pro, as its a highly sought item which = $$$
As for equality think of it more like a hard wall. Boosters speed you up towards the wall, but they won't allow you to break through it. That wall being end game of course. Drop boosters of course are a different matter, and should be discussed. Last edited by jcjunglebob#3232 on Jan 9, 2012, 1:34:04 AM
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In my opinion exp boosters should be allowed up to a certain point, such as lvl 30 or even 50, but boosters in the endgame detract from gameplay as they can feel required to keep up with everyone using them.
Drop boosters are an extremely bad idea in a game with such random drops. |
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Drop rate boosters give an advantage over those who don't pay.
XP boosters, same thing. Possible if it removes the character from ladder or if there's a level cap on using one. Extra stash pages allow more hoarding, and makes some recipes easier (regal/alchemy/whetstones), and indirectly gives an advantage in amount of orbs over those who don't pay. There's the idea on limiting and buying character slots, but I'm not exactly sure what's the advantage of having more characters. It's not an MMO where if you have characters that have all professions you're at a clear advantage. |
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Top hat for all classes.
Pet rock on a string. (It follows you.) Leisure suit - when idle, disco balls come down from the sky and Turn Up The Radio starts playing while your character dances like John Travolta in Saturday Night Fever. Costs $30. IRON MAN
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I would like tons of optical stuff, but NOT one single gameplay-advantage.
even the greater stash is a gameplay-advantage: ---> store much more stuff = u can find recipes more easy. atm i cannot store more rare items (for the alchemy orb recipe) and so a player with a bigger stash would have that advantage and so he gets "cheaper" alchs/orbs. I played alot cashshop-games, and nothing annoys more than one feeling: the publishers are greedy. a fair cashshop, a n1 game, = i pay with gratification. the feeling, they are greedy = i will not spend a cent If there would be a shop right now, i would be the first to buy optical stuff, just that i can support the good work of the devs, but to much gameplay-relevant items would alienate me. excuse my english :) excuse my english - i am from sauerkraut & bratwurst land ;)
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Pants. Just let me wear some pants.
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" witch or temp :P |
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I would like people to keep in mind that the majority of time in this game is around building a character, not grinding. That means Exp Boosts don't really give an 'edge' except maybe for new servers where its a race.
Maybe make them not purchasable for the first month or two on new servers, and never available on hardcore? |
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