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Forums > Home› Neverwinter Discussion › General Discussion (PC)

This sums it up

dadkkmallleksmmdadkkmallleksmm Member Posts: 0 Arc User
edited June 2013 in General Discussion (PC)
http://infinispace.net/2013/06/neverwinter-save-your-money/

I especially like this part

Operant Conditioning Chamber. Also known as a “Skinner Box.” You’ve probably heard the term, and it’s not new to the MMO genre. It’s a well known behavioral experiment used to manipulate a subject’s actions using a very well defined (and devious) set of inputs. Neverwinter is one of the best Skinner Box MMOs to hit the market in recent years. World of Warcraft mastered it with its first expansion (The Burning Crusade), but some of these F2P MMOs are learning to monetize it. You are the rat. Shiny virtual junk are the food pellets. Lockboxes (et al) are the dispenser. The in game stores are the keys to unlock the dispenser, to grant you a food pellet. But sometimes you don’t get a pellet (awwwwww), and at rare times you get a Super Shiny Gold Plated Food Pellet (yay, addiction!). Need more keys!!! Enjoy your Massively Multiplayer Online Skinner Box!!
Post edited by dadkkmallleksmm on

Comments

  • wuhsinwuhsin Banned Users Posts: 0 Arc User
    edited June 2013
    They could have made this a D&D game by focusing on the Foundry and letting players make the game for them. Instead they used their Skinner Box to turn the Foundry into another pellet dispensing treadmill.
    [SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
  • talesmithtalesmith Member Posts: 116
    edited June 2013
    Yeah this is fairly old news. Applicable to pretty much every post WoW mmo out there.
    Making generic boring content to repeat for shiny loot considered of value is much easier then making fun inspired content a player may not feel forced to play and repeat till death.
    The foundry however has the potential to break this game design trap, provided players actually want for something else then being the rat in the box.
    (most players don't)
  • lasheslashes Member Posts: 0 Arc User
    edited June 2013
    Except, no one is being forced to play it. The operative word is "play." If you do not derive enjoyment out of "playing" it, because it is a given that we generally do not derive enjoyment from devious behavior, then do not partake in it.

    It's a F2P game, not a state sponsored directive punishable by incarceration.
  • aftershafteraftershafter Member Posts: 156 Arc User
    edited June 2013
    You are only just figuring this out? Never played any MMO before, I'm guessing? Because that is pretty much the genre.

    PS - those of us who have figured out how to elevate our behaviour above that of rats have figured out how to play this game, get what we want, and not spend any money. If you haven't figured out how to do this, well, my condolences.
  • drogon4drogon4 Member Posts: 22 Arc User
    edited June 2013
    What you meant to say as the title to this thread is: "This sums up one jaded elitist gamer's opinion."

    Look, you're not a gd mouse. None of us are. Neverwinter is simply a form of entertainment. People will spend money on it if they are entertained. No need to disparage people who find entertainment in it.

    Sure, Cryptic uses tactics to entice you to spend money on the game. Duh, it's a business. But you are not compelled to do so, and the PvE aspect of the game is playable without spending a dime, which is what most folks are interested in

    Me. I bought a few keys to open lockboxes. It was fun...for a while. Now I just delete them because ... they cost too much for their entertainment value. But I don't ascribe something sinister to Cryptic for adding them as random drops.

    I read the author of that link's review of the SWTOR free to play system. His opinion couldn't be more off, as that model has generated enough revenue to keep new content coming in that game.
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