Mount pricing and Level

captainrevo1

Sorry, I'm new to the neverwinter forums, so I guess this has been discussed but is there any logic to the mount pricing and level?

Epic one seem to range from 2500 to 400 zen (which is pretty expensive when you compare them to say a ship from STO). The new legendary mount from the lockbox has the same stats as the epic one but is just a different colour, and the mount in the guardian of the north is medium but has epic stats.

Even the current lockbox one seems to be going for about 450k of diamonds which equates down to like 1200 zen or something at current conversion.

It seems to me like there is no logic to the pricing or what the stats say.

I'm I missing something, am I in error with anything I said above? Thanks.

dardove

captainrevo1 wrote: »

Even the current lockbox one seems to be going for about 450k of diamonds which equates down to like 1200 zen or something at current conversion.

However the lockbox gives you 1 mount. A zen store purchase gives you an account wide unlock.

Pricing in the store seems to be based on 2 things, rank and "coolness factor". If you want just a basic rank 3 mount, you can buy the basic horse. If you want something more interesting it will cost you extra. Of course, you can also always wait for the mount you want to go on sale to get it a little cheaper.

angrysprite

One thing we long-time STO and CO players also forget when comparing Z-Store/C-Store pricing: CO and STO are also subsidized by Gold and Lifetime accounts, they bring in a lot of money monthly because of that. Neverwinter, on the other hand, is 100% free to play, built that way from the ground-up.

Neverwinter has no subscription format whatsoever. So all the money they must make, meaning 100% of it comes from the Z-Store or optional Package units (such as Hero of the North pack, just like Legacy of Romulus at STO). So it kind of explains the cost difference between a Mount in Neverwinter and a Starship in STO.

I agree: it's a real shock-adjustment to get used to.

captainrevo1

angrysprite wrote: »

One thing we long-time STO and CO players also forget when comparing Z-Store/C-Store pricing: CO and STO are also subsidized by Gold and Lifetime accounts, they bring in a lot of money monthly because of that. Neverwinter, on the other hand, is 100% free to play, built that way from the ground-up.

That is a good point that I did not consider.

I guess I'm also used to, and like, a certain level of conformity on STO. Prices seem to follow a logical pattern, where here they differ by sometimes quite considerable amounts based on how cool it looks. Something I will just have to get used to.

Thanks.

vehementinacon

angrysprite wrote: »

One thing we long-time STO and CO players also forget when comparing Z-Store/C-Store pricing: CO and STO are also subsidized by Gold and Lifetime accounts, they bring in a lot of money monthly because of that. Neverwinter, on the other hand, is 100% free to play, built that way from the ground-up.

Neverwinter has no subscription format whatsoever. So all the money they must make, meaning 100% of it comes from the Z-Store or optional Package units (such as Hero of the North pack, just like Legacy of Romulus at STO). So it kind of explains the cost difference between a Mount in Neverwinter and a Starship in STO.

I agree: it's a real shock-adjustment to get used to.

This is why I don't understand why some games that had a sub model and dropped it... didn't bother to just keep it but give a f2p alternative; or in this case add one. Seems like you'd make for a better profit margin having both systems, rather then just one. It's sorta like a gas station that refuses to sell diesel fuel.

readytoredrum

Do you need to buy a mount or are you just here to make a topic complaining about something?

If you are the former, then just go buy one in the auction house, they are much cheaper.

If you are the latter, then just go wait for the sales. I can't tell you anything too much. Cryptic is a bit slow in making updates but those zen items do sell even the horribly expensive Dusk Unicorn one.

alvadimarco

I don't know how you lot can live with white and green horses that only increase your speed by 50%. Even on my 80% Warg I blow past everyone on their horses like they were on foot.

Well, whatever.

cerebralpyre

alvadimarco wrote: »

I don't know how you lot can live with white and green horses that only increase your speed by 50%. Even on my 80% Warg I blow past everyone on their horses like they were on foot.

Well, whatever.

So cool. Much wow.

Unknown

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captainrevo1

readytoredrum wrote: »

Do you need to buy a mount or are you just here to make a topic complaining about something?

Neither. I already have a mount, and even if i did not its pretty much irrelevant to the questions.

I'm also not complaining about anything. I was calmly asking more experienced players why the pricing was what it was and the logic of the level/quality ranks that seems to break its own rules. it seemed to make little sense to me. someone answered and i thanked them.

ordensmarschall

As to your question about mount stats and colour. There are 4 colours but only three stat sets, this is why it seems as though there is no logic. White will be 50%, Green can be 50% or 80%, Blue can be80% or 110%, and Purple will be 110%. While it may seem illogical, it does give Devs a bit of flexibility.

melodywhr

vehementinacon wrote: »

This is why I don't understand why some games that had a sub model and dropped it... didn't bother to just keep it but give a f2p alternative; or in this case add one. Seems like you'd make for a better profit margin having both systems, rather then just one. It's sorta like a gas station that refuses to sell diesel fuel.

per cryptic's CEO, jack emmert, the f2p model is the way the industry is going at the moment. here's an excerpt from a forbes article where emmert is discussing this:

How was the decision made to go free-to-play with Neverwinter and other Cryptic titles?

The market simply had changed. Subscription games and boxed product were not the only way, and the business model had shifted. Some games were seeing a large degree of success with free to play. We were acquired by Perfect World Entertainment, they are a Chinese MMORPG company primarily, and they do films and other things as well. They are entirely free-to-play. They taught us an awful lot about what to do and what not to do, and we saw how powerful that business model can be.

We saw how their games were performing in the West, in the U.S. and Europe. It was far beyond anything we could possibly imagine. It’s just funny, the magnitude, if people knew the size of Perfect World they would just be astonished. They’re one of the larger MMO players in America and Europe, I’m not talking about China, I’m talking about in America and Europe. Sony Online Entertainment is a household name but it’s amazing to me that given the number of players that Perfect World has how that isn’t better known in the gaming industry. It’s kind of baffling to me.

We listened because we could see how powerful the model was. Neverwinter is our first fully free-to-play game and we have no intent to ever go to a subscription model.

We’ve seen a lot of games go to free-to-play after they’ve been a subscription title, especially recently. Do you think the subscription model is dying off for the MMORPG?

It’s hard to say because I know World of Warcraft is still sporting millions of subscribers. I would say that it’s out there as an option, but it’s no longer the default option for MMOs. In order to be competitive in the marketplace… The hurdle with subscription is very simple. You’re asking people to pay a monthly subscription, give their credit card, do everything at once. The beauty of free-to-play is “come in and play, if you don’t like it don’t pay!” So you have a better opportunity to overcome initial obstacles. With a traditional box product, traditional subscription, you’ve got to market and advertise just to get someone over the hump. With free-to-play, it depends on the game. Is it good or is isn’t it. It forces us to be good designers and good developers and put out the best possible product.

Has the free-to-play model shown growth for Cryptic?

It’s explosive. Star Trek Online today is as large as City of Heroes ever was, and it’s entirely due to free-to-play.

kreatyve

I always found the Zen mount prices a little confusing as well. To me, the best value has been getting the Knight of the Feywild pack, as I get the epic mount, epic companion, some AD to play with, and a few other cool things. With 9 characters, it's paid for itself.