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Neverwinter's Lockboxes (No Choice, You Have To Gamble)
hippiejon
Member Posts: 1,550 Arc User
No this isn't a rant about how we shouldn't have lockboxes at all.
They are a proven way for F2P games to make money.
My complaint with Neverwinter is how they are implemented.
In other Cryptic Studios games (Champions, STO), lockboxes drop and you are able to decide whether to pick them up or not. Also, once in your inventory, they are able to be discarded.
Now, in NW that has all changed.
Lockboxes are automatically picked up like coins if you wander too close, AND they CANNOT be discarded from your inventory.
Here's the deal.
I probably would have spent money in the store, buying keys and opening boxes, but with this system there is no way I will ever give the game a single dollar.
By making the boxes automatically pick up, and nondiscardable, you are essentially threatening to slowly fill my inventory and bank with stacks of lockboxes that I can ONLY get rid of if I buy a key.
You have taken away any choice of whether I want to participate by holding Inventory and/or Bank slots hostage, if I have picked up a lockbox. AND you are giving me no choice, in normal gameplay, you will pick up a few.
Please rethink your lockbox model to a point where you are actually giving players a choice whether to participate without taking away their inventory and/or bank space.
Fare Thee Well
- John
They are a proven way for F2P games to make money.
My complaint with Neverwinter is how they are implemented.
In other Cryptic Studios games (Champions, STO), lockboxes drop and you are able to decide whether to pick them up or not. Also, once in your inventory, they are able to be discarded.
Now, in NW that has all changed.
Lockboxes are automatically picked up like coins if you wander too close, AND they CANNOT be discarded from your inventory.
Here's the deal.
I probably would have spent money in the store, buying keys and opening boxes, but with this system there is no way I will ever give the game a single dollar.
By making the boxes automatically pick up, and nondiscardable, you are essentially threatening to slowly fill my inventory and bank with stacks of lockboxes that I can ONLY get rid of if I buy a key.
You have taken away any choice of whether I want to participate by holding Inventory and/or Bank slots hostage, if I have picked up a lockbox. AND you are giving me no choice, in normal gameplay, you will pick up a few.
Please rethink your lockbox model to a point where you are actually giving players a choice whether to participate without taking away their inventory and/or bank space.
Fare Thee Well
- John
Post edited by Unknown User on
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Comments
Smoke@stonedbill - Mindflayer - 60 Rogue
No way the stack is infinite. I suspect after 20 boxes, it starts a new stack, taking a 2nd slot. It's slow, but it will eventually eat my inventory. To me, that's bad.
And, I decided to stick to one topic for this thread, just the lockbox mechanics.
While I am starting to like the game, especially the Foundry, the Zen Store prices for this game are just ridiculous.
How much just to change the color of my toon's armor a few times ? When in many other games (including cryptic's other games), changing the color of your costume is as easy as visiting a tailor. Why? because people want to try out different looks, and not be carbon copies of each other. In this game, being unique is gonna cost you. And be ready to pay more if one of the shades you want to use is black.
Basically, their zen store needs a lot of rethinking.
A lot.
Peace
- John
This. You can discard them in STO, I'm assuming that it's just a bug here.
I agree with you, on both points. The option should be there and I'm hoping cryptic can talk PWE into changing that for us.
Smoke@stonedbill - Mindflayer - 60 Rogue
I believe it's 99 like with portable altars and other stuff that stacks. I think I'm up to 54 lockboxes or something in one stack.
Having said that you should be able to discard them if one chooses to.
Lottie
Unless you have some weird bug or something, but that's how I get rid of mine.
** EDIT
A few days ago I did and I could have sworn it works. Now it does not. Sorry!
Cannot be sold or discarded.
And things only stay in AH for limited time.
Being forced to get rid of lockboxes by leaving them sit in the AH (who would buy them?) means that i am being forced to use one of my auction slots or more for lockboxes.
however you look at it, making them undiscardable means they will always take some slot of mine somewhere.
making them auto pick up like coins ... that's just underhanded and (honest opinion) the biggest jerk move I have ever seen from Cryptic. Non discardable means that IF I dont buy keys and open them, slowly, over time, lockboxes will fill all available slots in my INv/Bank/Auction House/Overflow bag/etc. Even if that time is months away, that means that in order to play the game, I will either need to buy (1) keys to open boxes or (2) More Inventory and bank to get slowly filled.
Either way, that's not Free to Play.
Just my Opinion.
- John
EDIT : Item is marked with a trait (all the lockboxes I find are) "this item cannot be discarded". this includes dragging onto the screen out of my bag.
This is also true over multiple characters on multiple servers. So, while I believe all of you that you are apparently able to discard them, it hasn't been true on my end since I was forced to pick up the first one.
EDIT : thanks for the Mail idea. Maybe I should mail them to the Devs with a 'Return to Sender" Topic Line
Have you tried this? Your post seems to say you have but when I tried it (a few days ago) it didn't work. It asks you if you want to permanently discard them and if you choose yes it says "Too bad". Not an exact quote but I'm not in the game to try it out.
Can I have your gear?
Lottie
Wrong, I've had over 30 stacked in one slot.
Did I say I was leaving ?
Fare Thee Well is just something people say to each other.
It's not some final goodbye.
So, I am wrong that the # is 20.
Maybe they stack to 99, or 250.
Doesn't make a difference, that stack is finite, it will eventually reach its max count and begin a new stack.
My original assertation that this implementation of lockboxes takes away Inventory (of some kind) from people who don't buy keys is still correct. It doesn't matter how big the stacks can get. The lockboxes slowly, over time take away your inventory, and you are not allowed to discard them.
It forces players to buy lockbox keys and/or inventory space.
And this is obviously the model they are aiming for.
And (In my Opinion) it's about the most awful , jerk like thing I have seen this company do.
I could sit and type and argue about this all night.
Some of you may think this is a stupid thing to be put off by, but to me they have taken the choice out of whether someone wants to play their lockbox game away from the players.
(1) No option whether to pick up the item.
(2) Item cannot be sold or discarded.
(3) Only way to remove item from Inventory is a cash shop sale.
"If you want your inventory space back, buy something."
That's what this lockbox model says to you the player.
Support them in this if you want.
This thread pretty plainly states my opinion on the matter.
It's a good game.
Lots of fun.
But this decision around lock boxes and how they are being implemented is a major stain on an otherwise good product.(IMO)
- Peace, Love and Moonberry Juice
John
sale them for 1 diamond they be all gone
Here's a thought, avoid them when they drop on the ground. If there is a limit per stack, it is highly unlikely you will ever reach that point. One item, that you can avoid picking up, is a stain on the game? You have got to be joking.
It's amazing what people will find to moan and complain about.
"I am forced... threat of inventory being filled yada yada"
You have been given workarounds for the time being so your points are moot and you can now purchase keys en masse & utilize the workarounds at the same time.
put some chances to open lockboxes with keys which bought by astral diamons or something like that.. Give a chance to dungeon bosses to drop keys for theese lockboxes, etc.
A few days ago I did and I could have sworn it works. Now it does not. Sorry!
And how stupid!!
But then, I realized..... mail them to yourself. And then delete the mail. :cool:
Give them away to someone who wants them.
/thread