So, today I got "caught" by the heroic, never-false-positive fraud prevention system. Even better, there was no warning I would be flagged when I paid my cash. Only after, once I had the Zen, did the forces of justice and goodness descend on me with their red text of probation-tude.
But,
before you decide this is just a complaint thread, I have a funny joke for you. You see, I got so mad, I decided to count exactly how much money I had spent on STO via steam wallet. The results were... saddening.
Nay, terrifying.
http://imgur.com/a/pNWZ1
Honestly, I never realized. But it makes sense. I got about 5 gamer friends in the game - a lot of them are poor starving students, and I have a decent job. So I definitely remember buying a few Lock box ships as gifts to them with the 'ol Cash -> Zen -> Lock Box Keys -> Exchange methods. But still, 1719.09??? Holy ****.
So,
I would like to express my undying thanks to the Fraud prevention team of PWE. Without you,
I never would have paused to consider how much cash I have wasted in this game. It is clear I need to delete my characters immediately. I have issues. Thank-you for helping me un-become a customer. My wallet is in your debt.
Like, it literally is in debt, to you. Get it? -chuckle-
TRIBBLE. But seriously, no I'm never spending a cent more on this game. Ever. Considering how the devs have completely messed everything up, it isn't even worth 17 dollars. Let alone 1700. Please proceed to mock and laugh at me. I deserve it.
Comments
As for ragequitting over the fraud prevention system, I was also hit with the red box of doom. I just changed my payment method to use the Google Wallet and I was good to go.
If you find you don't like the game any more, well... I wish you the best and I hope you find a good long game in the 50 to 60 dollar range that will be more satisfying.
Captaincy, Excelsior-Class U.S.S. Bianca Beauchamp NCC-99947-F
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
Can you buy me a lockbox ship? I have none.
Is Google Wallet somehow more trustworthy than Steam wallet? I'm confused as to why actually changing your payment method to one without a long history is fine, but my... uhm... lengthy history, is not.
Everything is working as intended.
In the battle between you and an even vaguely effective sales department, you're f***ed. You know nothing. The simplest of techniques will pull a psychological wedgie up over your head and leave you looking at your own butt, and when they really get started you end up finding out that they know which clock face direction people in different countries prefer to walk when they're shopping.
Modern media and marketing makes previous attempts at propaganda and psychological warfare look like a crowd of blind, bumbling idiots trying to find the pin in the haystack on the moon.
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:cool:
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Forever a STO Veteran-Minion
It's possible, but ironically, I'm actually good with money in most other ways.
STO was my first "freemium" MMO, and by God, I need to keep an eye on that kinda stuff in the future.
In the good ol' days of my youth, I usually had around 2 "MMO accounts". That means 2 x 15 USD per month, or (with tax and conversion), about 350$ per year. I also had/have a boring, binary life. I work, I come home, I relax with an hour of casual MMO. I don't drink, don't smoke, don't buy much stuff. So, in a world-wide way, I don't budget a lot for entertainment.
I stopped monthly's after awhile and only play STO now.
So, I would even say that around 6, or 700$ for MMOing for a 2 year period isn't all that bad. That's what I thought I was at. Hell, I thought I was under that.
But, as sfosfk pointed out
I think I got into the trap where I started telling myself that "Oh, if it was a paid MMO, I would have thrown 20 bucks this month at it." Except I started doing it...like... every day :P.
Not consistent. Last November seems the worst. I know about 3-400 of that cash wasn't even spent on me. It was to mega-buy Dil to help my fleet level (and assorted gift ships to friends for xmas). But even at 1400, that's twice what I thought I put in. Heh.
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What are you looking for some kind of prize or accolade? compared to some ppl i know you havent spent a shat of sh**. what is the point of this post.. are we supposed to applaud you or feel sorry?
Good god man. L2Contraband!!
Fleet leader Nova Elite
Fleet Leader House of Nova elite
@ren_larreck
If you spent $1700.00 for "entertainment", big deal. If you do the math (hours played, time
enjoyed), I think you'll find it was a VERY small price compared to what others outside of
MMO's pay for thier "entertainment". I've got a friend who goes to Aspen each year for
skiing. Drops say $3000.00 to $4000.00 a pop. And that does'nt count the cost of his
equipment. We ALL spend money on something for fun (movies, theater, concerts, sporting
events, vacations, etc.).
Such folks have no more to show for thier money spent than you. What, some pictures, and
good memories. Have you gotten less?
Remember the game for the good times it brought you. NOTHING stupid at ALL.
BCW.
That's a pretty good point actually.
Real join date September 2012
The fact of the matter is that the freemium model works for two reasons.
The first are the proverbial whales who have disposable income and spend in games for the sake of spending.
The second are people who have psychological tendencies that make it easy to impulsively spend money for shinies. Most gamblers fall into this category, as do many people who compulsively get a new smartphone every generation, and similar tendencies.
There really isn't a problem with the old guard whales. In bygone days, they used to spend money on works of art, or hiring a string quartet to play at dinner parties, or just have things like dinner parties, or do the most awesome holiday spread on the lawn of anyone on the block. They know what they are spending, and more often than not have long term plans that benefit their own personal enjoyment of life. They really aren't the staple of the freemium model at this point - there just aren't enough of them to generate really huge returns.
The second group, pathological shiny hunters, often intentionally or unintentionally will avoid any long term thoughts about spending, and buy shinies when the mood strikes. These are the real whales of the freemium model. Everything in freemium games is made to hit those certain weaknesses with cheap thrill rewards. It's exploitative at best, and downright unethical at worst. It's the reason casinos always come back, it's the reason addictive substances will never go away, and it's the reason I still smoke - physically, endorphin response mechanisms are very powerful motivators.
The key here is that the OP didn't really think of how much the shiny hunting cost until by chance, he happened to look back. Now that he knows, he won't spend more. That's not stupid, even though he calls it that himself. That's being taken for a ride, because you have a certain personality profile.
Many companies now employ very smart people who have degrees in things like psychology and sociology, and know very well how to exploit human weakness. To think that they wouldn't, as long as they can get away with it, its silly. Eventually, it will be regulated, the same as gambling, smoking, and heroin. Parts of Europe are already taking the first steps, and it will continue - that may be one reason there was an increase in new virtual goods pricing, with no logical reduction in the pricing of now obsolete purchases. The powers that be know that the golden teat is starting to swell closed via legalistic hemorrhoids.
My point is, PWE pursues very aggressively a system that perpetuates the exploitation of certain people - and not a whole lot of others seem to care.
Which I find odd, especially in a Trek game.
Well, thanks for saying that, probably a great way to think about it. I don't even always log in using Steam - and Steam claims I've spent like 700+ hours or something insane like that in STO.
Basically means I've been entertained at a rate of about 2 or 2.50$ at most per hour....
.... which, ironically, is about what I used to spend in quarters for an hour at the arcade back when arcade's existed.
Hmm :rolleyes:
(And yet)
I still think I'm done parting with my cash, at any rate. I can grind for stuff I need. 2 grand is enough lol. The "stupid" remark was literally what I said to myself upon actually seeing it. Like, "Holy mother of God, I'm an idiot. Why the hell don't I keep a tally of this TRIBBLE." Being opposed by professional moneymakers and psychologists aside, I almost feel that's a natural reaction. Lol.
Consider the fact that you discovered what you've actually spent over said period in a matter
of seconds, as opposed to just playing the game and spending as you went along. Regardless
of what our "resident psycologists" say, all at once, it can seem worse than it really is. If the
amount were $17,000.00, then MAYBE some concern would be warranted.
BCW.
Considering some of the replies in this thread have amounted to, "Hah, 1700. That's cute", your statement may have more truth to it than people may suspect.
I spent somewhat more than you before I took a quick retrospective. In fairness, some of that was sub costs pre-P2W, but like most people who get hooked in these things, I refused to actually tally costs until I really forced myself too.
I stopped paying for anything in STO about a year ago. I stopped recommending it about 9 months ago, and I stopped playing entirely except for some testing of DR and to say hello to what little remains of my once proud Tier 5 fleet about 4 months ago.
I know that I have an addictive personality, and it's always a bit of a fight, especially now that gamers are the "it" market for this type of exploitation.
I've gone back to my old sub-based MMOs, which admittedly have less impulsive shinies, but leave me with a better taste in my mouth, and more money in my wallet.