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I Yell Because I Care
radinka
Member Posts: 12 Arc User
Okay, so I confess that most of my posts to the forums...okay...ALL of my posts to the forums have been bitchfests about the game. Here is the thing...
I came to Neverwinter because I was looking for an alternative for ESO while waiting for the new expansion to drop. I've been playing ESO for a few years now and I've done most of the core content (on multiple toons). Before that, I played SWtOR. Before that Guild Wars. Before that WOW. I'm also a modded, having made tons of mods for Fallout and the Elder Scrolls games.
But my first RPG love was traditional D&D, and the Forgotten Realms is my favorite setting to run and play games in. I have been GMing games for almost 20 years. I am also a game publisher (tabletop OGL RPGs). SO I understand the basics of game design.
When I first started to play Neverwinter, I fell in love with the game. I liked the story. The nods to the lore. The NPC interactions (I laughed out loud when Lord Neverember worried that I would think he was trying to seduce me, and I squeed when I first stumbled across Jarlaxle.) The questlines in the different locations were fun and felt like they had a purpose.
I WANT to love this game.
But, particularly with the new Mod, it is as if the developers don't recognize how amazing this game SHOULD be and are instead pulling an EA and just trying to milk as much money as possible out of players before they ragequit.
The thing is, I could forgive the screw ups with Mod 16 if the game didn't feel like everything was behind a paywall. But everything is behind a paywall.
Companions are so much more important now. Great! I love companions. I can have a bunch of them now. But they are all level capped unless you spend AD or tokens. And the amount of either needed gets exponentially more ridiculous. And the only way to get tokens is to open lockboxes. And the only way to open lockboxes is with enchanted keys. And the only way to get enchanted keys is with Zen.
All of the really epic mounts are rare drops from lockboxes. And the only way to open lockboxes is with enchanted keys. And the only way to get enchanted keys is with Zen. Or buy the epic mounts directly...with zen!
To upgrade gear, you need special enchantment stones. Some of them can be bought in game from the AD vendor, but the higher level ones that you need seem to only drop in lockboxes. And the only way to open lockboxes is with enchanted keys. And the only way to get enchanted keys is with Zen.
The lockboxes are actually the thing that pisses me off the most. You get one key a day with VIP. I routinely end up with twenty OR MORE lockboxes a day when playing. From everything I have read, there is no in game way to earn keys. By the gods, at a minimum rogues should be able to make the keys and sell them for AD!
And the killer is that the lockboxes have ZERO real value to even vendor trash them. They are like 5 copper each to vendor sell. That is just insulting. At a minimum, these things should have more value that a "priceless plate" (Which actually has value on the AD, whereas lockboxes don't.)
And I am not opposed to spending money on a game. I do it all the time. I have spent tons of money on ESO buying loot boxes and houses. I've spent money in Neverwinter when I first started. I bought VIP and bought some companions and such. But I want to spend money because I am enjoying the game and want to support it, not because the developers think I am an easy mark to milk for as much cash as possible before I quit the game.
I also have a background in Public Relations, and I have a GREAT idea for Cryptic to generate some good will. If you are going to continue putting everything in lockboxes, at least pretend you care about your customers.
1. To thank all of the players for sticking with the game through the bugs and problems of the new mod, here are 20 free keys. Guys, it is all digital silliness. It won't cost you anything and will gain you good will.
2. Lower the drop rate of the lockboxes. Seriously, getting so many boxes a day and not being able to open them is overwhelming and causing me anxiety. It would actually encourage people to buy keys, because psychologically, they would feel like they can achieve something. I'm not buying 10 keys just to open the 10 boxes I got today, knowing I'm going to end up with almost that many the next day. But if the drop rate was lower, I would actually consider buying a set of 10 keys once a month to open the boxes I accumulated.
3. Provide more in-game ways to earn keys. Maybe bosses drop them. Or completing certain quest chains.
4. Make them tradeable on the AD. So people who want to buy them with Zen can then sell them on the AH for AD.
The thing is, the whales are going buy buy buy regardless. Making the lockboxes more manageable to casual players would encourage casual players to drop a few bucks here and there on something that doesn't feel forced.
I came to Neverwinter because I was looking for an alternative for ESO while waiting for the new expansion to drop. I've been playing ESO for a few years now and I've done most of the core content (on multiple toons). Before that, I played SWtOR. Before that Guild Wars. Before that WOW. I'm also a modded, having made tons of mods for Fallout and the Elder Scrolls games.
But my first RPG love was traditional D&D, and the Forgotten Realms is my favorite setting to run and play games in. I have been GMing games for almost 20 years. I am also a game publisher (tabletop OGL RPGs). SO I understand the basics of game design.
When I first started to play Neverwinter, I fell in love with the game. I liked the story. The nods to the lore. The NPC interactions (I laughed out loud when Lord Neverember worried that I would think he was trying to seduce me, and I squeed when I first stumbled across Jarlaxle.) The questlines in the different locations were fun and felt like they had a purpose.
I WANT to love this game.
But, particularly with the new Mod, it is as if the developers don't recognize how amazing this game SHOULD be and are instead pulling an EA and just trying to milk as much money as possible out of players before they ragequit.
The thing is, I could forgive the screw ups with Mod 16 if the game didn't feel like everything was behind a paywall. But everything is behind a paywall.
Companions are so much more important now. Great! I love companions. I can have a bunch of them now. But they are all level capped unless you spend AD or tokens. And the amount of either needed gets exponentially more ridiculous. And the only way to get tokens is to open lockboxes. And the only way to open lockboxes is with enchanted keys. And the only way to get enchanted keys is with Zen.
All of the really epic mounts are rare drops from lockboxes. And the only way to open lockboxes is with enchanted keys. And the only way to get enchanted keys is with Zen. Or buy the epic mounts directly...with zen!
To upgrade gear, you need special enchantment stones. Some of them can be bought in game from the AD vendor, but the higher level ones that you need seem to only drop in lockboxes. And the only way to open lockboxes is with enchanted keys. And the only way to get enchanted keys is with Zen.
The lockboxes are actually the thing that pisses me off the most. You get one key a day with VIP. I routinely end up with twenty OR MORE lockboxes a day when playing. From everything I have read, there is no in game way to earn keys. By the gods, at a minimum rogues should be able to make the keys and sell them for AD!
And the killer is that the lockboxes have ZERO real value to even vendor trash them. They are like 5 copper each to vendor sell. That is just insulting. At a minimum, these things should have more value that a "priceless plate" (Which actually has value on the AD, whereas lockboxes don't.)
And I am not opposed to spending money on a game. I do it all the time. I have spent tons of money on ESO buying loot boxes and houses. I've spent money in Neverwinter when I first started. I bought VIP and bought some companions and such. But I want to spend money because I am enjoying the game and want to support it, not because the developers think I am an easy mark to milk for as much cash as possible before I quit the game.
I also have a background in Public Relations, and I have a GREAT idea for Cryptic to generate some good will. If you are going to continue putting everything in lockboxes, at least pretend you care about your customers.
1. To thank all of the players for sticking with the game through the bugs and problems of the new mod, here are 20 free keys. Guys, it is all digital silliness. It won't cost you anything and will gain you good will.
2. Lower the drop rate of the lockboxes. Seriously, getting so many boxes a day and not being able to open them is overwhelming and causing me anxiety. It would actually encourage people to buy keys, because psychologically, they would feel like they can achieve something. I'm not buying 10 keys just to open the 10 boxes I got today, knowing I'm going to end up with almost that many the next day. But if the drop rate was lower, I would actually consider buying a set of 10 keys once a month to open the boxes I accumulated.
3. Provide more in-game ways to earn keys. Maybe bosses drop them. Or completing certain quest chains.
4. Make them tradeable on the AD. So people who want to buy them with Zen can then sell them on the AH for AD.
The thing is, the whales are going buy buy buy regardless. Making the lockboxes more manageable to casual players would encourage casual players to drop a few bucks here and there on something that doesn't feel forced.
7
Comments
To the Devs: You guys tried to make module 16 a pay to win grindfest...and somehow, you managed to screw even *that up.* Is there a special course they send you through, or do they just pick you guys at random? Like, names out of a hat?