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Cash shop prices
slymie
Member, Neverwinter Beta Users, Neverwinter Guardian Users Posts: 0 Arc User
First off I want to say that the game is, overall, an enjoyable experience. Fun and dynamic, with plenty do to especially with the Foundry additions.
My only real issue with the game is the price of many of the items in the cash/zen shop. I understand that this is a Free to Play game, and it's primary means of making money is through the Zen shop, but even with that being the case many of the items that are truly valuable or almost necessary are simply way too over priced. Example: bag space in the game is a big necessity. Up through level 28, at least, you are only given access to two packs. One is your starter pack and another as a quest reward. Due to the way in which the item/companion sockets work, you are constantly walking around with 5-10 slots of that space filled with those. Tack on another 5-7 filled with Kits, potions and zone collectables and you quickly end up with a working inventory of only 10-15 slots. This fills up very quickly, especially on dungeon runs. Having crafted small bags, or even gold purchasable small bags would help alleviate this, and would still allow PWI to sell the large 24 slot bags in the Zen shop, although at $10 a bag I still think it is way too high, but it is literally the only way I have seen to get any extra inventory space. Bank space is in a similar situation. You start with space even smaller than your starter pack, and to unlock a measly 16 extra slots is another $10.
I can understand flaming donkey mounts of doom costing $30, or even Angelic companions of whupass. But to so drastically limit something like inventory space, and then to offer only one method to expand it and then slap an outrageous price tag on it just appears greedy. I can easily see this being a hugely negative aspect of reviews of the game. The pricing just seems way out of whack for items that are enjoyment affecting and not simply cosmetic. The term "Pay to win" comes to mind, and it is not one I would like to be associated with a game that has a lot of potential to last and be enjoyable.
My only real issue with the game is the price of many of the items in the cash/zen shop. I understand that this is a Free to Play game, and it's primary means of making money is through the Zen shop, but even with that being the case many of the items that are truly valuable or almost necessary are simply way too over priced. Example: bag space in the game is a big necessity. Up through level 28, at least, you are only given access to two packs. One is your starter pack and another as a quest reward. Due to the way in which the item/companion sockets work, you are constantly walking around with 5-10 slots of that space filled with those. Tack on another 5-7 filled with Kits, potions and zone collectables and you quickly end up with a working inventory of only 10-15 slots. This fills up very quickly, especially on dungeon runs. Having crafted small bags, or even gold purchasable small bags would help alleviate this, and would still allow PWI to sell the large 24 slot bags in the Zen shop, although at $10 a bag I still think it is way too high, but it is literally the only way I have seen to get any extra inventory space. Bank space is in a similar situation. You start with space even smaller than your starter pack, and to unlock a measly 16 extra slots is another $10.
I can understand flaming donkey mounts of doom costing $30, or even Angelic companions of whupass. But to so drastically limit something like inventory space, and then to offer only one method to expand it and then slap an outrageous price tag on it just appears greedy. I can easily see this being a hugely negative aspect of reviews of the game. The pricing just seems way out of whack for items that are enjoyment affecting and not simply cosmetic. The term "Pay to win" comes to mind, and it is not one I would like to be associated with a game that has a lot of potential to last and be enjoyable.
Post edited by slymie on
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The only games that are free to play and done right are Dota 2 and Path of Exile. This is because all the cash shop items are cosmetic and add no gameplay value. If a game is going to be free to play then this is how it needs to be done. Otherwise its going to fail.
The "standard" 15$ a month for a subscription is something I think many people got used to paying, and if these FTP games would set their cash shops up so that they had some nice items in bundles for around that amount I bet they'd see a lot better steady income and not peaks and valleys based on "specials" and "sales".
Agreed. I feel bad for people that paid money for the game. Perfect world has what ? 10 mmorpgs? And they are all fail. I mean they do not know how to run a successful MMORPG. the cash shop is horrible and even if I end up really liking the gameplay, I will never play this game for any significant amount of time because of the horrible business model.
agreed rofl. Only paid for it to get the 3 day headstart. because i was unable to wait.
Only useful thing in the pack was the mount and 600k AD.
Healer companion all day. Direwolf will be collecting dust.
Love the game. Will play for a long time.
The money grab is quite obvious with the Nightmare boxes. You automatically loot them when walking over them and you can't throw them away or sell them. Putting them on the AH is the only way to get them off you.
Can't agree more. I paid $60 for a pack justifying that's what I'd normally pay for a game. And thinking it would prevent some of the "nickle and dime". But I'll still need to pay more $$ for inventory and banks since its the ONLY option. Only option for respec too afaik. Oh and I don't get any login priority either.
I seriously would ask for a refund bro. THis business model is so horrible, I cant believe they are actually using it.
Even just comparing their prices to their other cash grab, Star Trek Online, the prices are crazy. Nothing in STO is over 2500, except for a bundle where you get multiple items.
http://www.stowiki.org/Cryptic_Store
To compare:
A mount in NW: 3500- 4000 Zen
A ship in STO (equivalent to a mount): 500-2500
No doubt in my mind where the motivations are. Sure it's free to play, but be prepared to be smacked with more powerselling than a Las Vegas time-share agent.
I am lvl 50 now, and there are some work-arounds that I have used. Such as: Skip companions, no runes frees up ALOT of space. Send postage to an alt with items that you want to keep, but not for your character. Join a guild and abuse the guild-bank-tabs. Or just wait untill they realize that they have made a mistake in pricing. It is a good game, fun to play. But I agree, the draw-backs of free to play overshadows (at the moment) the positive aspects.
I won't spend more than the astral diamonds I got in my pack for now. And the zen store is a NONO for me. Perhaps things will change, or they might not.
One thing I think is interesting is that the ardent coins have been changed from what was advertized in the "it is not pay to win" campaign. Now they are next to useless. Unless you wait 12 months to get a companion. (lulz)
The f2p business model is what you make of it. Perfect World has always been money grabby with the model in their games.
Look at The Secret world. That's how you run a f2p model. Only offering cosmetics and exp pots. Everything else is acquired ingame.
The thing i hate most about Perfect Worlds decisions with this game was forcing you to pay everytime you want to respec.
That's a really cheap move, really cheap.
Yeah, they didn't give free respecs to the people in the beta weekends even when they were adding and changing powers. My mind was blown. Most obvious abuse of making people have to buy stuff.
Unfortunately, this game is NOT a GOOD DND game, just another necro of our beloved IP...
Man, you are an apologist...
I think the game is a lot of fun and as the OP states, there are plenty of things that are 'understandably' priced, but some of costs are excessive.
Ability Scores || All Attribute Roll Combinations || My Cleric Stream \o/
pwthebest? im gonna guess you are on perfect world's payroll somewhere....
There is no queue - notice how there was no queue through the beta weekends?
There was only one server then as well.
The queue has been manufactured to try make everyone buy the $200 pack to get priority access. They are getting desperate to extract your money from your pocket. This game is a money grab.
Agreed. This game is so bad and i seriously feel sympathy for the people that paid 200 bucks for it and are desparetely trying to justify their purchase. Im back to FFXIV beta when its up. ITs a much better game.
Well now its OPEN BETA so yea there will be more players. I agree this company is trash and the game is trash but I think your being a little bit of a conspiracy theorist with this
Cuz i tried the game tonight and was massively disappointed and I'm still in the "want to voice my dissapointment" phase. I was a huge fan of neverwinter nights and baldurs gate and it pains me to see the IP butchered with an obvious cash grab F2P MMORPG