Every time you want to HAMSTER and moan about how this is "bind on equip" now, or that the dragon hordes are nerfed, or you can't get ahead 'cos of all the "pay 2 win" people, sit back and ask yourself WHY. Cryptic has been FORCED to limit in-game AD gains as much as possible, 'cos this game is FULL of a bunch of "Free 2 Play" crybabies that want to throw fits they can't compete with the people that have been in the game since the beginning and have invested a lot of time, money and effort into the game. Most of the people complaining about "Leadership Armies" are people that didn't think to do professions, so they missed out, don't spend a dime on the game, since it's "Free 2 Play" or when they do put money in the game, they buy it from Gold Sellers, 'cos they "get more."
They've had to do this because they've broken their economy multiple times with bugs and never fixed it.
What most people DON'T seem to understand, though, is Cryptic is STILL a business. Yes, the game is "Free 2 Play", but in reality, that's a privilege. They need money to survive, which is why we have the Zen store. You think it's easy to run a business, especially a game developer? For the art department, alone, you need high end machines, all of which require a license for the Operating System. You need a license for your 3D application of choice (in Cryptic's case, much to my dismay, is 3DMax) . You need a license for your 2D Paint programs, to create diffuse, spec, displacement, normal and bump maps, all of which the Cryptic Engine uses. Your audio department needs Audition or Vegas, to create the sounds and effects needed in game. Your audio department also needs music development software, such as Cubase, Logic, Reason. You need Office software for internal emails, database structure and writing. Let's not forget any web development software they may need. Each machine that uses this software, requires a license.
All studios face these same problems. That doesn't excuse studios incapable of properly managing their games.
Go look at Warframe. They're sitting at top ten on Steam (when the majority of their players use DE's launcher) because they don't **** up as much as cryptic does. They don't make players bend over when they change something. They compensate players for server down time even. One of the recent downtimes was because there were so many people trying to get in game that their login servers couldn't handle it.
If a studio doesn't constantly screw over their players they can afford the costs of development because their players are willing to actually pay for stuff when they do that.
None of this I "had" to do. I CHOSE to, 'cos I had extra to give, but some of you can't even drop Cryptic 10$ for Zen, yet you feel you have the "right" to complain when there are bugs, or they do something you don't like. Not even 10 months ago, I sunk 100$ into Zen, for Cryptic in *ONE* month and this wasn't the first time. That's almost the equivalent of a years subscription with other games. I haven't put any more money since, as I, too, got irritated with the direction Cryptic was going, but *I* am not blowing smoke, I "put money into the game." I actually did it.
And that just means you're one of the suckers that is willing to bend over whenever Cryptic screws up.
I've spent $60. I'm not spending a cent more until they bother making it possible to progress with constantly spending money. Or heck, at the very least they would have to at least put purchases in a spot where they don't feel like they're going to lose "value" whenever Cryptic decides something isn't working the way they want it to.
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instynctiveMember, NW M9 PlaytestPosts: 1,885Arc User
$430 in the last two months between my partner and I.
Most of that was for Dragonborn packs for both of us, a couple Stronghold Starter packs, the $3 SH booster packs, and miscellaneous Zen for Scrolls of Life (before we joined NW_Legit and started beating epics), dyepacks, AD...
Even though the past couple months have been frivolous for us, it's not the norm... but we will typically drop $30-$50 a month, each.
As an example, I want to get that 1M AD 80% spider mount for my SW even though I already have an account-wide 110% mount.. Why? Because it's pretty. I'll drop the extra AD to get the training manual so I can upgrade it. Why? Because I like the luxury of moving that fast.
Oh, and that spider mount is really pretty. And fits a certain roleplaying aspect for my SW.
People blindly charging into endgame BiS whatever whatever whatever really need to just *enjoy* the game. Do things because they are fun. Stop and smell the roses. I don't care that Leadership AD got nerfed... so it will take me a little longer to get that really pretty spider mount for my SW. Whatever.
But if people what to continue to nerdrage and give themselves cardiac hypertrophy for their rage-filled hypertension, that's on them.
I just wish they'd keep their endless whining either in the forums or to themselves, regardless if they're new, old or in-between players. Whining isn't going to help.
They've had to do this because they've broken their economy multiple times with bugs and never fixed it.
Yes, Cryptic just woke up last Friday and thought, "Hey, I'll just remove AD from Leadership jobs, with no rhyme or reason and not even pay attention to the job rewards. I'm just gonna do it, 'cos I've broken the economy multiple times." This wasn't a "fix." It was an order from upper management, ie Perfect World.
All studios face these same problems. That doesn't excuse studios incapable of properly managing their games.
There are more factors than just "incapability of managing (and maintaining) their games." Cryptic has at most, 50 employees, including management. They have 4 games to support. When I was at BioWare, we had skeleton crews too. It doesn't exempt them from making poor decisions and mistakes, but THIS one was not theirs. They had *NO* choice. Are you going to risk losing your job, if someone tells you to do something you don't agree with? Take morality completely out of the equation. There's a reason the Developers and Moderators have been so silent.
Go look at Warframe. They're sitting at top ten on Steam (when the majority of their players use DE's launcher) because they don't **** up as much as cryptic does. They don't make players bend over when they change something. They compensate players for server down time even. One of the recent downtimes was because there were so many people trying to get in game that their login servers couldn't handle it.
If a studio doesn't constantly screw over their players they can afford the costs of development because their players are willing to actually pay for stuff when they do that.
Good for Warframe. We're talking about Neverwinter. Once again, you go back to finger pointing on how bad they are. So why did you (allegedly) spend 60$ on the game? If it's so crappy, why are you here and playing it?
I was one of the most vocal complainers about the Caturday fisaco (where you even around back then? ) and the lackluster recompense we were offered, but I also have worked in the Industry and I know how publishers can be about taking care of mistakes they've made. Yes, Cryptic has dropped the ball, numerous times, but I doubt 30% of the current player base has even invested money in the game. Cryptic needs money.
And that just means you're one of the suckers that is willing to bend over whenever Cryptic screws up.
I've spent $60. I'm not spending a cent more until they bother making it possible to progress with constantly spending money. Or heck, at the very least they would have to at least put purchases in a spot where they don't feel like they're going to lose "value" whenever Cryptic decides something isn't working the way they want it to.
Prove it. Show us that you actually spent money on the game. Don't SAY you did it. Prove it. Otherwise, you're just another whiner talking about how much "Cryptic screwed up." It took me less than 5 minutes to prove a point with my bank statement. I have a RIGHT to be unhappy. I'm an actual investor.
I've been playing this game, since beta. I spent money on it as recently, as 10 months ago. I even stated that I STOPPED (you should REALLY learn to read), when Cryptic took the game in a direction I didn't agree with. I showed that. All you've done is trash the company for something that *NO* sane developer would do and said, "but I spent money."
Yes, Cryptic just woke up last Friday and thought, "Hey, I'll just remove AD from Leadership jobs, with no rhyme or reason and not even pay attention to the job rewards. I'm just gonna do it, 'cos I've broken the economy multiple times." This wasn't a "fix." It was an order from upper management, ie Perfect World.
Yeah I'm sure. People like to try to let studios and publishers play good cop/bad cop but it's really never that complex.
There are more factors than just "incapability of managing (and maintaining) their games." Cryptic has at most, 50 employees, including management. They have 4 games to support. When I was at BioWare, we had skeleton crews too. It doesn't exempt them from making poor decisions and mistakes, but THIS one was not theirs. They had *NO* choice. Are you going to risk losing your job, if someone tells you to do something you don't agree with? Take morality completely out of the equation. There's a reason the Developers and Moderators have been so silent.
And if they didn't constantly screw up maybe they could've been in a position to hire more employees.
Good for Warframe. We're talking about Neverwinter. Once again, you go back to finger pointing on how bad they are. So why did you (allegedly) spend 60$ on the game? If it's so crappy, why are you here and playing it?
I played because prior to these changes the grind seemed reasonable.
And a successful game like Warframe is a good counterpoint to your irrational blather.
I was one of the most vocal complainers about the Caturday fisaco (where you even around back then? ) and the lackluster recompense we were offered, but I also have worked in the Industry and I know how publishers can be about taking care of mistakes they've made. Yes, Cryptic has dropped the ball, numerous times, but I doubt 30% of the current player base has even invested money in the game. Cryptic needs money.
Prove it. Show us that you actually spent money on the game. Don't SAY you did it. Prove it. Otherwise, you're just another whiner talking about how much "Cryptic screwed up." It took me less than 5 minutes to prove a point with my bank statement. I have a RIGHT to be unhappy. I'm an actual investor.
I've been playing this game, since beta. I spent money on it as recently, as 10 months ago. I even stated that I STOPPED (you should REALLY learn to read), when Cryptic took the game in a direction I didn't agree with. I showed that. All you've done is trash the company for something that *NO* sane developer would do and said, "but I spent money."
No, I've trashed them for improperly managing their game. You want to blame this all on PWE when frankly we went through the same round of shenanigans with Blacklight. It turned out that we were really getting screwed by Zombie (the publisher) because they were doing so poorly they were planning on closing up shop. This game that publishers and developers like to play where they're not transparent about anything and let players speculate who is really making the decision is just something they play to maintain some goodwill from tools like you. The reality is that the blame can be placed squarely on Cryptic AND PWE's shoulders as opposed to acting as if PWE is some evil overlord that is responsible for everything bad that ever happens to a game.
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tripsofthrymrMember, Neverwinter Moderator, NW M9 PlaytestPosts: 1,624Community Moderator
People expressing anger isn't "whining", it is expressing anger.
Massive complaints have helped before. You can get a coalescent ward from the invoke coffer because people complained massively when they removed it. I have my T. Terror now just from coalescent wards gained from invoking for 24 months on my 14 toons.
I have also spent real money on the game, even though I understood early on that through professions, I would not have to (I ran the non-Leadership professions for a long time, before that became a waste of time, in addition to Leadership). I wanted to support the game, I wanted it to do well. I recently started spending real money again even though I have significant AD stashed to support the game. I'm not against modifying Leadership, but you have to make changes with a scalpel, not an axe.
Ummm.... I get my trade bars EVERY time I use my VIP key. Minimum of 4 trade bars, I've seen as many as 10 though. But I've never once gotten 0.
I plan on doing a live stream today. I will use my VIP key on the stream.
I'm only reporting my experience and the experience of some guildmate. Every evening I ask them how many taralume they got. Anyway this is off-topic. I will open a dedicated post in the future showing the evidence of it
Oltreverso guild leader Maga Othelma - DC | Svalvolo - SW | Dente Avvelenato- GWF
Just for the record: PWE doesn't dictate game-related specifics to Cryptic, they merely dictate overall revenue targets and provide marketing. This decision, and all others, are 100% made by Cryptic. Not saying PWE is all wine and roses, but Cryptic is 100% at fault for making awful design decisions and driving players away.
Long Answer: It was stated in another livesteam that all the game's employees are required to play a certain amount of hours per week. I assume they get paid for that time though, but still. As well, as others have stated, it's also been said and witnessed that they do in fact play the game. So, in conjunction with them all having to play and many playing of their own accord, the Short Answer is: Yes, they play.
Do they grind their own boons? Are they given BiS gear? Are they given fully refined Artifact Equipment, Artifacts, and Enchantments? Are they given their pick of Lockbox Mounts?
A yes answer to any of the above means that they are out of touch and don't have a clue about what it takes for just one character to get any of the above.
I saw Strumslinger on the livestream and he had BiS everything and he hasn't been here long enough to grind anything. He wanted to know what a player would do once he had all BiS? Only someone out of touch who doesn't really play the game would ask such a question. The answer is that he would work on another class.
Do they play the game? No, because it would be a full time job or cost them a fortune just to get one character BiS legitimately.
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tripsofthrymrMember, Neverwinter Moderator, NW M9 PlaytestPosts: 1,624Community Moderator
This game that publishers and developers like to play where they're not transparent about anything and let players speculate who is really making the decision is just something they play to maintain some goodwill from tools like you. The reality is that the blame can be placed squarely on Cryptic AND PWE's shoulders as opposed to acting as if PWE is some evil overlord that is responsible for everything bad that ever happens to a game.
Perfect World purchased Cryptic in 2011. Cryptic is a wholly owned subsidiary of PWE, not an independent entity.
Ummm.... I get my trade bars EVERY time I use my VIP key. Minimum of 4 trade bars, I've seen as many as 10 though. But I've never once gotten 0.
I plan on doing a live stream today. I will use my VIP key on the stream.
I'm only reporting my experience and the experience of some guildmate. Every evening I ask them how many taralume they got. Anyway this is off-topic. I will open a dedicated post in the future showing the evidence of it
I got 10 trade bars from my VIP key today. Opened it fairly early into streaming. You can view the video here.
My opinions are my own. I do not work for PWE or Cryptic. - Forum Rules - Protector's Enclave Discord - I play on Xbox Any of my comments not posted in orange are based on my own personal opinion and not official. Any messages written in orange are official moderation messages. Signature images are now fixed!
Nope, they're run as a wholly-owned subsidiary. There's some cross-over, especially in the back office (like customer service for example) and the community stuff, but Cryptic management maintains creative control over their games.
This game that publishers and developers like to play where they're not transparent about anything and let players speculate who is really making the decision is just something they play to maintain some goodwill from tools like you. The reality is that the blame can be placed squarely on Cryptic AND PWE's shoulders as opposed to acting as if PWE is some evil overlord that is responsible for everything bad that ever happens to a game.
Perfect World purchased Cryptic in 2011. Cryptic is a department within PWE, not an independent entity.
Nope, they're run as a wholly-owned subsidiary. There's some cross-over, especially in the back office (like customer service for example) and the community stuff, but Cryptic management maintains creative control over their games.
As Kvet said, Cryptic Studios is a Development Studio that isn't even in the same place as PWE. Cryptic is a subsidiary company of PWE and PWE itself is even a subsidiary of Perfect World Beijing. Check out what being a subsidiary company means and you'll then understand that they are indeed their own entities apart of the other companies.
As Kvet said, Cryptic Studios is a Development Studio that isn't even in the same place as PWE. Cryptic is a subsidiary company of PWE and PWE itself is even a subsidiary of Perfect World Beijing. Check out what being a subsidiary company means and you'll then understand that they are indeed their own entities apart of the other companies.
I edited my post to correct the relationship, but it does not change the meaning.
Wholly owned subsidiaries are entirely responsible to their parent company. Depending on the specific company, and the point in time, the parent may exert more or less operational control. Being in the same location has nothing to do with the degree of operational control that the parent elects to exert.
Cryptic is not just creating Neverwinter on a contract basis for the publisher, they are owned by and controlled by the publisher.
in addition to being a "founder" spending $200 on the game before it launched ... and older tansactions prior to 2014 are not shown
Dude ... that's a LOT of money for a F2P game ... oh, and I've played a LOT of hours in the game too, probably at par with the monitary contributions (at what I expect is CRYPTIC's time:AD rate).
AND I for one am VERY with the recent updates:
The complete destruction of tempation SW The Brutal nerf of equipement The removal of much of the end game content (dungeons) The removal of ADs from Leadersip
I have no problem supporting a game that I ENJOY playing ... but ... I will not support the changes since Mod6. I will not support the game until I can progress like I ENJOY.
Make me happy (by providing a fulfilling and vibrant experiance), or I do not donate to the game, that simple. I doubt I'm the only one.
@ methuselas -- For someone who supposedly worked/works in the gaming industry I am surprised that you continue to state that the change in Leadership is going to slow down those who sell in game currency for cash when the the reality is the opposite. They raised their prices because it is still cheaper to buy AD from them versus converting ZEN to AD and players still need an exorbitant amount of AD to progress within this game. This move clearly will put more money into the pockets of the currency sellers than this game will ever see in the future.
Personally, I am tired of all the whiny developers/designers who make excuses in order to rationalize their poor decisions and/or their lack of ability to deliver upon what they promise. From what I have seen in the 10 months I have been playing this game, Neverwinter has become no different that of any of the other games that failed and I had the misfortune of playing. I am hearing nothing but the same, worn out excuses I have heard in my 12 years of playing MMO's as cover for the clear mismanagement of this game.
I have spent $100 on this game, which equates to $10/month and pretty darn close to what one would pay if they had bought a year long subscription to a game with monthly fees. I have invested time, money, and effort to improve my 'toons so I can progress in the game. I will not spend another dime on this game as it has become next to impossible to progress thru the content unless I grind for 30-40hrs per week. If I wanted to play a Korean Grindfest, there are much better offerings out there than this(once upon a time) casual friendly MMO that I would be playing.
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theycallmetomuMember, NW M9 PlaytestPosts: 1,861Arc User
It will ALWAYS be cheaper to buy AD for RL cash from third party sites. Otherwise the third party sites wouldn't exist.
But, it is true that the DEMAND for said services is based on the required amount of AD to properly play through the game.
1. to put (money) to use, by purchase or expenditure, in something offering potential profitable returns, as interest, income, or appreciation in value.
When you put money in the game, you're investing your own capital in a Free 2 Play game and want something in return for your investment. I don't just give money away.
Also, this is the SECOND time you've resorted to name calling, yet you want to be taken seriously?
No, I've trashed them for improperly managing their game. You want to blame this all on PWE when frankly we went through the same round of shenanigans with Blacklight. It turned out that we were really getting screwed by Zombie (the publisher) because they were doing so poorly they were planning on closing up shop. This game that publishers and developers like to play where they're not transparent about anything and let players speculate who is really making the decision is just something they play to maintain some goodwill from tools like you. The reality is that the blame can be placed squarely on Cryptic AND PWE's shoulders as opposed to acting as if PWE is some evil overlord that is responsible for everything bad that ever happens to a game.
Lol. So now I'm a "Tool?" Well, you've just lost all credibility. I never said this was all on PWE. You might want to go check the Lower Depths and see how much I've trolled Cryptic for their incompetence. What I did, point out, however, is that Cryptic is OWNED by Perfect World and if they made this call, Cryptic HAS to comply. It's suicide to make such a rash decision, such as stripping Leadership from the Gateway and AD from Leadership jobs. The only way you're going to stop the transfer of AD from Gold Seller to Player is to shut down the Auction House. That's how they pass the AD around. It doesn't take a genius to figure that out. No more 100m AD dungeoneering kits. As for the ones complaining that they'll just trade the items, what do you think they're doing even now? Oh, you want that rank 12 radiant, but don't want to spend the time to make it? Well, you can just BUY it from them and they'll HAND it to you, via the trade option or through the mail system.
I've been saying for a while, that Cryptic wanted out of this license (you can find that in the lower depths too!), so spare me your diatribe that I'm a "cheerleader."
Yeah, you spent money, as have I and a few others and we've shown that, but just 'cos you SAY you do something, doesn't mean it actually HAPPENS.
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theycallmetomuMember, NW M9 PlaytestPosts: 1,861Arc User
Your defense of "what do you think they're doing now?" is just bizarre.
"If you shut down the AH, they'll just do X." "They're already doing X!" "Well, yes, they'll just do X more." "Shut down the AH!" "Huh?"
@ methuselas -- For someone who supposedly worked/works in the gaming industry I am surprised that you continue to state that the change in Leadership is going to slow down those who sell in game currency for cash when the the reality is the opposite. They raised their prices because it is still cheaper to buy AD from them versus converting ZEN to AD and players still need an exorbitant amount of AD to progress within this game. This move clearly will put more money into the pockets of the currency sellers than this game will ever see in the future.
You have me pegged wrong, Son. I'm actually one of the ones BITCHING about the leadership nerf, 'cos it's not doing anything but SENDING players to 3rd party Gold Sellers and they've got BILLIONS stockpiled, on top of Zen they've gobbled up. As I've said, numerous times, you have to close the Auction House to stop the trade of AD. Yeah, it won't stop the trade of items, but it WILL stop the trade of AD, 'cos now, it can't be moved. It's stuck on the players who have it. People don't want items. They want AD. They need it for boons, professions, strongholds, etc.
It's not hard to figure out.
Personally, I am tired of all the whiny developers/designers who make excuses in order to rationalize their poor decisions and/or their lack of ability to deliver upon what they promise. From what I have seen in the 10 months I have been playing this game, Neverwinter has become no different that of any of the other games that failed and I had the misfortune of playing. I am hearing nothing but the same, worn out excuses I have heard in my 12 years of playing MMO's as cover for the clear mismanagement of this game.
Yup. I stopped putting money into the game, as soon as I found out that we're getting new artifacts, to replace all the ones we upgraded during Tyranny, due to them "leveling too fast." I'm sick of all the BS excuses, as well, but I'm also tired of "everyone" putting money in this game, when I know for a fact, that many, do not. Not a single person on this forum says "I only play for free", yet we know that some of them, are in fact, playing for free, but we also have a lot of bitching about how the power creep/difference "isn't fair." People should know that a game like this requires an investment to "play with the big boys." I'm still saddened Atari sold Cryptic off. I have fond memories of City of Heroes.
Yes, I know what it's like working for a incompetent game company. Google Digital Tome.
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theycallmetomuMember, NW M9 PlaytestPosts: 1,861Arc User
edited September 2015
Who cares if it stops the trade of AD. all that will do is cause players to purchase items from botters instead.
If you want to stop trade entirely, you shut down the AH and make items bind to character on pickup.
That being said? If they took down the AH, no matter what else they did, I'd probably leave. Finangling the AD and selling stuff via professions is the most fun part of the game for finance types like myself.
An ACTUAL temporary disconnection of the AH would be ... passable. But it'd have to be short lived.
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ghoulz66Member, NW M9 PlaytestPosts: 3,748Arc User
Want money cryptic? If you can fix this whole mess and make a majority of the playerbase satisfied, I'll give you actual money you so crave. But definitely not when half the game quits and 99% of the rest are screaming out of their teeth.
You're not going to make money while kicking customers on the ground! You wouldn't go to a restaurant and see the waiter take your food away after you ate a quarter of it and start punching you in the face demanding more money.
Lol. So now I'm a "Tool?" Well, you've just lost all credibility. I never said this was all on PWE. You might want to go check the Lower Depths and see how much I've trolled Cryptic for their incompetence. What I did, point out, however, is that Cryptic is OWNED by Perfect World and if they made this call, Cryptic HAS to comply. It's suicide to make such a rash decision, such as stripping Leadership from the Gateway and AD from Leadership jobs.
You literally said that stripping leadership AD was a decision forced on Cryptic by PWE. Please take your foot out of your mouth.
lol @ the investor nonsense. Saying that you're an investor is like saying that because I bought a couple of hamburgers at Five Guys I'm an investor. That's ridiculous.
Actually, businesses do it all the time. It's that "complex."
As I said it's just a game they play to try to maintain goodwill with the playerbase. When developers and publishers are actually transparent it becomes very clear that they both need to be equally incompetent for situations like the current mess to occur. PWE may very well be responsible for some of it but cryptic has definitely been digging their own grave as well.
So, I'm calling you out. Show me you put your money where your mouth is. If you do, you have a right to complain. If you don't, STFU already. If you had a "Leadership Army" and you put money in the game, show it. Let all these leechers see how you SUPPORT a game you love and enjoy. If you invested in the game, post it. Most of these whiners are just that, whiners and while I love a good troll, I'm not going to sit by idle and watch Cryptic take the flame for something they were FORCED to do, 'cos this community is a bunch of misers that want something, "for free."
Well, it is Free to Pay -game, yes.
...and I will not pay. Proof, that I never spend money to this, show me that. :*
tassedethe13Member, NW M9 PlaytestPosts: 806Arc User
Wow that's an interesting point of view. Really, I mean it.
I would like to point that's the game is called a F2P, and the problem that many people have is that it's not a F2P anymore but a P2W. And the thin difference is that in a P2W you can't be BIS without money, but in a F2P you can (with times and good understanding of the Trade/currencies/gold mechanics ).
So let's step up, officially call it a P2W and the whiners will loose their right to whine. But who will join a more than 2 years old P2W as a new player ? NOBODY ! That's why it's still defined as a F2P, and that's why people still have the right to complain.
Wow that's an interesting point of view. Really, I mean it.
I would like to point that's the game is called a F2P, and the problem that many people have is that it's not a F2P anymore but a P2W. And the thin difference is that in a P2W you can't be BIS without money, but in a F2P you can (with times and good understanding of the Trade/currencies/gold mechanics ).
So let's step up, officially call it a P2W and the whiners will loose their right to whine. But who will join a more than 2 years old P2W as a new player ? NOBODY ! That's why it's still defined as a F2P, and that's why people still have the right to complain.
Yeah, it's kind of idiotic to ridicule F2P players. The whole model works on the basis of those players boosting players counts so that people that are playing have a reason to spend on the game. But for whatever reason you see a lot of people like OP who think they're investors or some nonsense and anyone that hasn't "invested" in the game is a dirty leecher. Then you've got the opposite where people think you're some kind of terrible human being if you spend money to "win". People need to realize that both F2P and paying players are absolutely necessary for games like this to succeed. although Cryptic sure is doing a good job of alienating both types of players.
Comments
Go look at Warframe. They're sitting at top ten on Steam (when the majority of their players use DE's launcher) because they don't **** up as much as cryptic does. They don't make players bend over when they change something. They compensate players for server down time even. One of the recent downtimes was because there were so many people trying to get in game that their login servers couldn't handle it.
If a studio doesn't constantly screw over their players they can afford the costs of development because their players are willing to actually pay for stuff when they do that. And that just means you're one of the suckers that is willing to bend over whenever Cryptic screws up.
I've spent $60. I'm not spending a cent more until they bother making it possible to progress with constantly spending money. Or heck, at the very least they would have to at least put purchases in a spot where they don't feel like they're going to lose "value" whenever Cryptic decides something isn't working the way they want it to.
Most of that was for Dragonborn packs for both of us, a couple Stronghold Starter packs, the $3 SH booster packs, and miscellaneous Zen for Scrolls of Life (before we joined NW_Legit and started beating epics), dyepacks, AD...
Even though the past couple months have been frivolous for us, it's not the norm... but we will typically drop $30-$50 a month, each.
As an example, I want to get that 1M AD 80% spider mount for my SW even though I already have an account-wide 110% mount.. Why? Because it's pretty. I'll drop the extra AD to get the training manual so I can upgrade it. Why? Because I like the luxury of moving that fast.
Oh, and that spider mount is really pretty. And fits a certain roleplaying aspect for my SW.
People blindly charging into endgame BiS whatever whatever whatever really need to just *enjoy* the game. Do things because they are fun. Stop and smell the roses. I don't care that Leadership AD got nerfed... so it will take me a little longer to get that really pretty spider mount for my SW. Whatever.
But if people what to continue to nerdrage and give themselves cardiac hypertrophy for their rage-filled hypertension, that's on them.
I just wish they'd keep their endless whining either in the forums or to themselves, regardless if they're new, old or in-between players. Whining isn't going to help.
"...I grab my wiener and charge!" - ironzerg79
There are more factors than just "incapability of managing (and maintaining) their games." Cryptic has at most, 50 employees, including management. They have 4 games to support. When I was at BioWare, we had skeleton crews too. It doesn't exempt them from making poor decisions and mistakes, but THIS one was not theirs. They had *NO* choice. Are you going to risk losing your job, if someone tells you to do something you don't agree with? Take morality completely out of the equation. There's a reason the Developers and Moderators have been so silent.
Good for Warframe. We're talking about Neverwinter. Once again, you go back to finger pointing on how bad they are. So why did you (allegedly) spend 60$ on the game? If it's so crappy, why are you here and playing it?
I was one of the most vocal complainers about the Caturday fisaco (where you even around back then?
I've been playing this game, since beta. I spent money on it as recently, as 10 months ago. I even stated that I STOPPED (you should REALLY learn to read), when Cryptic took the game in a direction I didn't agree with. I showed that. All you've done is trash the company for something that *NO* sane developer would do and said, "but I spent money."
And if they didn't constantly screw up maybe they could've been in a position to hire more employees.
I played because prior to these changes the grind seemed reasonable.
And a successful game like Warframe is a good counterpoint to your irrational blather.
Yup, and I quit shortly thereafter.
Here's a pic of the cape if you don't believe me: http://imgur.com/Iw9Uee6
I just started playing again this june.
An investor lol. That's how delusional you are.
Here are my last few Zen charges:
http://imgur.com/8PJdDeK
No, I've trashed them for improperly managing their game. You want to blame this all on PWE when frankly we went through the same round of shenanigans with Blacklight. It turned out that we were really getting screwed by Zombie (the publisher) because they were doing so poorly they were planning on closing up shop. This game that publishers and developers like to play where they're not transparent about anything and let players speculate who is really making the decision is just something they play to maintain some goodwill from tools like you. The reality is that the blame can be placed squarely on Cryptic AND PWE's shoulders as opposed to acting as if PWE is some evil overlord that is responsible for everything bad that ever happens to a game.
Massive complaints have helped before. You can get a coalescent ward from the invoke coffer because people complained massively when they removed it. I have my T. Terror now just from coalescent wards gained from invoking for 24 months on my 14 toons.
I have also spent real money on the game, even though I understood early on that through professions, I would not have to (I ran the non-Leadership professions for a long time, before that became a waste of time, in addition to Leadership). I wanted to support the game, I wanted it to do well. I recently started spending real money again even though I have significant AD stashed to support the game. I'm not against modifying Leadership, but you have to make changes with a scalpel, not an axe.
Sci-fi author: The Gods We Make, The Gods We Seek, and Ji-min
Anyway this is off-topic. I will open a dedicated post in the future showing the evidence of it
Oltreverso guild leader
Maga Othelma - DC | Svalvolo - SW | Dente Avvelenato- GWF
Sekhmet@kvetchus_
Guilds: Greycloaks, Blackcloaks, Whitecloaks, Goldcloaks, Browncloaks, Spiritcloaks, Bluecloaks, Silvercloaks, Black Dawn
Tredecim: The Cloak Alliance
A yes answer to any of the above means that they are out of touch and don't have a clue about what it takes for just one character to get any of the above.
I saw Strumslinger on the livestream and he had BiS everything and he hasn't been here long enough to grind anything. He wanted to know what a player would do once he had all BiS? Only someone out of touch who doesn't really play the game would ask such a question. The answer is that he would work on another class.
Do they play the game? No, because it would be a full time job or cost them a fortune just to get one character BiS legitimately.
http://www.engadget.com/2011/05/31/perfect-world-acquires-cryptic-studios/
Sci-fi author: The Gods We Make, The Gods We Seek, and Ji-min
Any of my comments not posted in orange are based on my own personal opinion and not official.
Any messages written in orange are official moderation messages. Signature images are now fixed!
Sekhmet@kvetchus_
Guilds: Greycloaks, Blackcloaks, Whitecloaks, Goldcloaks, Browncloaks, Spiritcloaks, Bluecloaks, Silvercloaks, Black Dawn
Tredecim: The Cloak Alliance
[ Support Center • Rules & Policies and Guidelines • ARC ToS • Guild Recruitment Guidelines | FR DM Since 1993 ]
Wholly owned subsidiaries are entirely responsible to their parent company. Depending on the specific company, and the point in time, the parent may exert more or less operational control. Being in the same location has nothing to do with the degree of operational control that the parent elects to exert.
Cryptic is not just creating Neverwinter on a contract basis for the publisher, they are owned by and controlled by the publisher.
Sci-fi author: The Gods We Make, The Gods We Seek, and Ji-min
Dude ... that's a LOT of money for a F2P game ...
oh, and I've played a LOT of hours in the game too, probably at par with the monitary contributions (at what I expect is CRYPTIC's time:AD rate).
AND I for one am VERY
The complete destruction of tempation SW
The Brutal nerf of equipement
The removal of much of the end game content (dungeons)
The removal of ADs from Leadersip
I have no problem supporting a game that I ENJOY playing ... but ... I will not support the changes since Mod6. I will not support the game until I can progress like I ENJOY.
Make me happy (by providing a fulfilling and vibrant experiance), or I do not donate to the game, that simple. I doubt I'm the only one.
Personally, I am tired of all the whiny developers/designers who make excuses in order to rationalize their poor decisions and/or their lack of ability to deliver upon what they promise. From what I have seen in the 10 months I have been playing this game, Neverwinter has become no different that of any of the other games that failed and I had the misfortune of playing. I am hearing nothing but the same, worn out excuses I have heard in my 12 years of playing MMO's as cover for the clear mismanagement of this game.
I have spent $100 on this game, which equates to $10/month and pretty darn close to what one would pay if they had bought a year long subscription to a game with monthly fees. I have invested time, money, and effort to improve my 'toons so I can progress in the game. I will not spend another dime on this game as it has become next to impossible to progress thru the content unless I grind for 30-40hrs per week. If I wanted to play a Korean Grindfest, there are much better offerings out there than this(once upon a time) casual friendly MMO that I would be playing.
But, it is true that the DEMAND for said services is based on the required amount of AD to properly play through the game.
"If you shut down the AH, they'll just do X." "They're already doing X!" "Well, yes, they'll just do X more." "Shut down the AH!" "Huh?"
It's not hard to figure out. Yup. I stopped putting money into the game, as soon as I found out that we're getting new artifacts, to replace all the ones we upgraded during Tyranny, due to them "leveling too fast." I'm sick of all the BS excuses, as well, but I'm also tired of "everyone" putting money in this game, when I know for a fact, that many, do not. Not a single person on this forum says "I only play for free", yet we know that some of them, are in fact, playing for free, but we also have a lot of bitching about how the power creep/difference "isn't fair." People should know that a game like this requires an investment to "play with the big boys." I'm still saddened Atari sold Cryptic off. I have fond memories of City of Heroes.
Yes, I know what it's like working for a incompetent game company. Google Digital Tome.
If you want to stop trade entirely, you shut down the AH and make items bind to character on pickup.
That being said? If they took down the AH, no matter what else they did, I'd probably leave. Finangling the AD and selling stuff via professions is the most fun part of the game for finance types like myself.
An ACTUAL temporary disconnection of the AH would be ... passable. But it'd have to be short lived.
You're not going to make money while kicking customers on the ground! You wouldn't go to a restaurant and see the waiter take your food away after you ate a quarter of it and start punching you in the face demanding more money.
lol @ the investor nonsense. Saying that you're an investor is like saying that because I bought a couple of hamburgers at Five Guys I'm an investor. That's ridiculous. As I said it's just a game they play to try to maintain goodwill with the playerbase. When developers and publishers are actually transparent it becomes very clear that they both need to be equally incompetent for situations like the current mess to occur. PWE may very well be responsible for some of it but cryptic has definitely been digging their own grave as well.
...and I will not pay. Proof, that I never spend money to this, show me that. :*
I would like to point that's the game is called a F2P, and the problem that many people have is that it's not a F2P anymore but a P2W. And the thin difference is that in a P2W you can't be BIS without money, but in a F2P you can (with times and good understanding of the Trade/currencies/gold mechanics ).
So let's step up, officially call it a P2W and the whiners will loose their right to whine. But who will join a more than 2 years old P2W as a new player ? NOBODY ! That's why it's still defined as a F2P, and that's why people still have the right to complain.