l1zardo1Member, Neverwinter Beta Users, Neverwinter Guardian UsersPosts: 0Arc User
edited April 2013
Beyond wards, healthstones and rez scrolls its model is ok
They have limited the CS exposure to pvp reasonably well. Enchants and some end game gear will be more obtainable with cash, but no one know how hard that will be to farm yet.
The only thing I can see that could possibly sway into P2W could be the "Packs" that aren't being released till after launch. No one knows what will be in them. Ultimately if I loved Forgotten Realms I would treat the game as it is: Free To Play MMORPG.
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
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zingarbageMember, Neverwinter Beta Users, Neverwinter Guardian UsersPosts: 0Arc User
edited April 2013
A free purple weapon at 60 is an advantage as well as res scrolls and health stones. You can get those through in game means, just takes time. Basically everyone wins, just paying reduces the time to win.
I'm not too worried about it though. PvP seems to be immune from it.
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
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ranncoreMember, Moderators, Neverwinter Beta Users, Neverwinter Knight of the Feywild UsersPosts: 2,508
edited April 2013
There are a couple concerning store items. I'm usually the type of player that's really concerned about p2w stuff (don't play DDO anymore largely because of it) but this game seems pretty legit so far. The devs have already taken note of the items (rez scrolls and health stones) that players have voiced concerns about. I'd expect changes to those items in BW4 and OB.
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silvergryphMember, NW M9 PlaytestPosts: 740Arc User
edited April 2013
It depends on your definition of Pay to Win.
If you feel that P2W means that you must pay in order to advance in the game and play all the content, then NO. There are none of those mechanics that require a cash shop item to level up. Nor are there any quests, dungeons or instances that you buy with cash.
If you feel that P2W means that you have to buy the best gear with cash, then NO. There are no uber armor or weapons for sale in the cash shop.
If you feel that P2W means that someone can pay and obtain something that grants in-game power advantages that they could not obtain from normal gameplay, then NO. The only possible exceptions I see are heal stones and rez scrolls. These are being looked at by the devs, but I don't count them as unbalancing advantages. Heal stones are better than healing pots because they heal you to full, but NW does not expect you to have full health bars all the time. The game isn't balanced for that. Just look at how Cleric heals work and you will see that they are not designed to keep you at full hit points, but rather to provide maintenance healing and lessen down time between encounters. I don't think one-shotting players is going to be much of an issue here and regular potions should be enough to keep you on your feet with smart play. Heal stones will help less skilled players keep up but won't make much difference for players who carefully avoid and mitigate damage. And rez scrolls simply don't add power to your character. They just save you from running back from spawn points and from repeating content because you died. They are purely a convenience item and don't make it easier for your character to survive in the first place.)
If you feel that P2W means that someone can pay and obtain something that grants in-game power advantages even if they could also obtain it from normal gameplay, then YES.
If you feel that P2W means that it is at all possible for a player to use cash to get something somehow and use it somewhere at some time, then YES. By that ridiculous definition Neverwinter is P2W.
If you feel that the ability to use cash to obtain in-game currency with which to buy powerful items is P2W, then YES. You can trade ZEN, purchased with cash, to another player on the Exchange in return for AD. You can then use AD to purchase gear from the auction house. I would point out, however, that you can only do this to obtain power from other players. Some player or players had to put in the work playing the game to generate the AD and also the loot sold on the auction house. You could obtain these items through direct trade or earn them yourself, so it never puts your character at an advantage over what some other player's character could have just gone out and earned in game. The proof of this is the fact that it was available for trade or sale on the auction house in the first place. So, I don't feel that is Pay to Win. I feel that it is Pay to be Equal.
And what is meant by "Winning" in this context? One can win a PvP match, but how does one win a Role Playing Game? The objective of a Role Playing Game is to have fun playing a role. If you enjoy yourself and use your character's abilities and/or give them a name, personality or backstory then congratulations. You win.
The only possible exceptions I see are heal stones and rez scrolls. These are being looked at by the devs, but I don't count them as unbalancing advantages. Heal stones are better than healing pots because they heal you to full, but NW does not expect you to have full health bars all the time. The game isn't balanced for that. Just look at how Cleric heals work and you will see that they are not designed to keep you at full hit points, but rather to provide maintenance healing and lessen down time between encounters.
You're right that the game isn't balanced for full health bars all the time.
And that's precisely why heal stones are so powerful. The break the balance the game otherwise tries to strike.
It makes Cleric healing largely pointless as anything other than a cash-saving measure.
I don't think one-shotting players is going to be much of an issue here and regular potions should be enough to keep you on your feet with smart play. Heal stones will help less skilled players keep up but won't make much difference for players who carefully avoid and mitigate damage.
An item that helps a less skilled player "keep up" is a major power advantage. Cash injections substituting for skilled play is precisely what's wrong with pay-to-win.
And a health stone is still very powerful in the hands of a skilled player, as well. Everyone makes mistakes. Lag spikes happen.
And rez scrolls simply don't add power to your character. They just save you from running back from spawn points and from repeating content because you died.
Of course they add power. Being able to effectively ignore death, and carry on a boss fight without having to restart it, is just about the most powerful effect in the game.
They are purely a convenience item and don't make it easier for your character to survive in the first place.)
They make it largely irrelevant whether your character survives in the first place. That's why they're so powerful.
And what is meant by "Winning" in this context? One can win a PvP match, but how does one win a Role Playing Game? The objective of a Role Playing Game is to have fun playing a role. If you enjoy yourself and use your character's abilities and/or give them a name, personality or backstory then congratulations. You win.
I win by completing quests successfully, and at end-game, by getting the gear I want to fit the builds I have in mind (which I design to be optimal to the best of my understanding of the game). That's how I enjoy myself.
Couldn't care less about "roleplaying" in a computer game. That's what tabletop RPGs are for. Computer RPGs are called that because they use mechanics inspired by tabletop RPGs, not because they include any significant amount of roleplaying in their design. There's as much "roleplaying" potential in Neverwinter as there is in Call of Duty; roleplaying is what (some) people choose bring to a video game, not the game itself.
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silvergryphMember, NW M9 PlaytestPosts: 740Arc User
You're right that the game isn't balanced for full health bars all the time.
And that's precisely why heal stones are so powerful. The break the balance the game otherwise tries to strike.
It makes Cleric healing largely pointless as anything other than a cash-saving measure.
I see your point. But, I still don't see it as all that much of an advantage. They are still on a cooldown. And I think stones and potions trigger each other's cooldowns so they are basically either/or. So, the health stone gives you more hit points that you probably don't need most of the time anyway. Not a big enough advantage often enough to make it an issue from my perspective. Probably more significant as you level higher though since you have more hit points to begin with and are getting a higher return.
An item that helps a less skilled player "keep up" is a major power advantage. Cash injections substituting for skilled play is precisely what's wrong with pay-to-win.
And a health stone is still very powerful in the hands of a skilled player, as well. Everyone makes mistakes. Lag spikes happen.
How is "keeping up" an advantage? Doesn't "keeping up" imply struggling to stay even rather than pulling ahead?
And, outside of PvP, is it so bad if there are ways to level the playing field for unskilled players? As long as there is some kind of cost, I'm fine with that. Skill will always have the advantage anyway. And as for skilled players gaining an additional advantage, I can concede that. But, the value of an advantage is determined by how much it adds as well as how often it is useful. Again, its not a big enough advantage frequently enough to matter much. The skilled player either needs it because of a fluke or because he's not really as skilled as he thinks he is.
Of course they add power. Being able to effectively ignore death, and carry on a boss fight without having to restart it, is just about the most powerful effect in the game.
That's not power. It's convenience. It doesn't let you bring anything to the fight you weren't already bringing.
I win by completing quests successfully, and at end-game, by getting the gear I want to fit the builds I have in mind (which I design to be optimal to the best of my understanding of the game). That's how I enjoy myself.
It sounds like these are great goals and a great way to enjoy the game. It seems to me you are doing exactly what I was talking about. Having fun playing the game while playing a role. Your build plans represent a role for your character. Some players have more theatrical goals involving the role they want to play. These are two valid and yet distinct ways to roleplay. Roleplaying doesn't have to have anything to do with speaking in character or writing a backstory. It can, but it doesn't have to. Someone who is trying to build the optimal tank, or most devastating DPS character or a character who can do several things equally well is building to fit a role or character concept. That's roleplaying, too.
It also sounds like you will take great pride in earning stuff in game and completing your goals. But that's an "internal" win that has nothing to do with any other player and how they achieve their own goals be they similar to your own or completely different. Someone else playing a different way or even "winning" a different way has no impact on your gameplay.
Couldn't care less about "roleplaying" in a computer game. That's what tabletop RPGs are for. Computer RPGs are called that because they use mechanics inspired by tabletop RPGs, not because they include any significant amount of roleplaying in their design. There's as much "roleplaying" potential in Neverwinter as there is in Call of Duty; roleplaying is what (some) people choose bring to a video game, not the game itself.
I couldn't agree more. But I think builds and min-maxing gear are just as valid forms of roleplaying and computer games do allow for that kind of roleplaying. In over 30 years of pen and paper roleplaying I don't think I've ever played with a group that didn't have at least one player who didn't participate in the more theatrical roleplaying style. There's always someone who doesn't go much beyond the game mechanics and filling in the blanks on the character sheet. Those players were still roleplayers.
All I know it that the devs beat all content without cash shop items, and if they can do it I am going to SMASH it! LoL! But really I am not joking about that, the player base will tend to surpass any in house or alpha testing ability to chew through content. If anything I am concerned more that the game is going to be too easy rather than pay to win.
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ranncoreMember, Moderators, Neverwinter Beta Users, Neverwinter Knight of the Feywild UsersPosts: 2,508
All I know it that the devs beat all content without cash shop items, and if they can do it I am going to SMASH it! LoL! But really I am not joking about that, the player base will tend to surpass any in house or alpha testing ability to chew through content. If anything I am concerned more that the game is going to be too easy rather than pay to win.
Incorrect. They said they play the content without using cash shop items. They have also said that they purposefully make the content too difficult for themselves to beat, because they expect players to be more skilled than they are. Take what you will from that.
Incorrect. They said they play the content without using cash shop items. They have also said that they purposefully make the content too difficult for themselves to beat, because they expect players to be more skilled than they are. Take what you will from that.
I see what you did there! it would be pretty sneaky of them to spindoctor not needing cash shop items to beat content and that alone could all but crush the game. While it is possible they did that very thing, I certainly hope they are smarter than that.
On the difficulty, its not a big concern to me, we all know that it will only get easier as time goes on. I have confidence in my abilities. Even if I hit a wall in PvE I will likely just roll an alt or go mess around in PvP more. I have no desire to live in this game like I did in WoW for years.
We been through this a thousend times and it was stated by all the major MMORPG news companys that it is fact NOT p2w. Just check Massively, MMORPG.com, MMOsite, Game Informer, Curse, IGN(i hate IGN), MMObomb, etc.
I got so many people telling me that Neverwinter will be Pay to Win "don't play it". Honestly I don't believe but it does have me worried.
The real question is are you willing to base your entire entertainment (or lack thereof) over what someone else says about something that will cost you absolutely nothing to investigate except a little bit of time?
Seriously: it's your loss or gain depending on how you answer.
When is a game pay to win? For me, it's when you can get an advantage ingame by using real money. It's an advantage to get better items earlier or easier than everyone else.
For exalple:
Player1 dont want to use real money. Instead he farms and get pretty decent items.
Player2 want to use real money. He use real money to get BETTER item than what player1 got.
When is a game pay to win? For me, it's when you can get an advantage ingame by using real money. It's an advantage to get better items earlier or easier than everyone else.
For exalple:
Player1 dont want to use real money. Instead he farms and get pretty decent items.
Player2 want to use real money. He use real money to get BETTER item than what player1 got.
Now they go PvP.
Advantage? Imo yes
IDK what your spending real world money on that makes you better than anybody else. Can you even tell me?
WHAT GEAR?!?! There is no gear to buy with zen! Have you even played the game yet? I've been in since the 25th and been all over the zen store and there is NO gear. Not weapons or armor or anything of the such.
As far as I can tell from my 16 hours of play yesterday there is no p2w its more like p2lvl.
With real world money you can get zen. You can then trade that zen for AD. With AD you can rush complete Leadership crafting missions for experience.
With zen you can buy experience boosters.
I think someone already did get to lvl 60 in 24 hours using that method.
Since the game is f2p I see the players that are willing to spend hundreds of dollars to level as keeping the game running so i don't have to pay unless i feel like it.
I doubt it will be PTW but it will definitely be P2E (Pay to Enjoy).
There is already a $200 price tag if you want to enter the game on a par with others. If you think WoW attracted the spoiled rotten rich kids, hold on to your seats!
As far as I can tell from my 16 hours of play yesterday there is no p2w its more like p2lvl.
With real world money you can get zen. You can then trade that zen for AD. With AD you can rush complete Leadership crafting missions for experience.
With zen you can buy experience boosters.
I think someone already did get to lvl 60 in 24 hours using that method.
Since the game is f2p I see the players that are willing to spend hundreds of dollars to level as keeping the game running so i don't have to pay unless i feel like it.
Well, actually this made me happy.
If anyone wants to be lvl60 as fast as possible (even by paying real money) because of his/her reasons, thats totally ok with me. I can, however, spend my time to enjoy the game and became lvl60 within several months if needed.
WHAT GEAR?!?! There is no gear to buy with zen! Have you even played the game yet? I've been in since the 25th and been all over the zen store and there is NO gear. Not weapons or armor or anything of the such.
Yes i have, but no i have not been spending my time to explore the shop...
In the FAQ it says:
Astral Diamonds are a rare type of currency used in-game to purchase gear and to bid in the auction house
And as someone already said in this thread
With real world money you can get zen. You can then trade that zen for AD.
or am i wrong?
In that case, my apologize.
No need to be mad bro
Yes i have, but no i have not been spending my time to explore the shop...
In the FAQ it says:
And as someone already said in this thread
or am i wrong?
In that case, my apologize.
No need to be mad bro
The only gear *laughs to himself* that you can buy with astral diamonds in level 10 and below gear *giggles* and *giggles* it's just basic gear *giggles* for low levels who don't want *giggles* the gear to drop.
p.s. you can earn 10,000 ad a day in the game. So if you get 10,000 in game for free for doing some dailies, you can turn it into zen then you can *giggles* buy yourself some *giggles* pay to win *giggles* costumes and dye *giggles* and maybe a mount *bursts out laughing*
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xenozenoMember, Neverwinter Beta Users, Neverwinter Hero Users, Neverwinter Knight of the Feywild UsersPosts: 28Arc User
edited April 2013
Nowadays people claim mounts and pets are P2W.
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jarsterMember, Neverwinter Beta Users, Neverwinter Hero UsersPosts: 10Arc User
I doubt it will be PTW but it will definitely be P2E (Pay to Enjoy).
There is already a $200 price tag if you want to enter the game on a par with others. If you think WoW attracted the spoiled rotten rich kids, hold on to your seats!
i'm one of those who paid $200 and then another $50 for Zen. definitely felt ripped off, but hey, no one forced me to buy.
so far i've used Zen for additional bank slots, bags and keys for lockbox. i'm fine with paying extra for such convenience, since it's solely up to the players. but the one thing that irks me is that you can't purchase scroll of identify with in-game currency (unless i'm mistaken?) and all of the green drops and above need to be identified. a normal dungeon run would see about 6-10+ drops.
honestly, i would rather them charging a monthly subscriber fee than implementing restrictions in the game.
Comments
*... or some other word that begins with "F"
Encounter Matrix | Advanced Foundry Topics
They have limited the CS exposure to pvp reasonably well. Enchants and some end game gear will be more obtainable with cash, but no one know how hard that will be to farm yet.
Jury is still out!
I'm not too worried about it though. PvP seems to be immune from it.
If you feel that P2W means that you must pay in order to advance in the game and play all the content, then NO. There are none of those mechanics that require a cash shop item to level up. Nor are there any quests, dungeons or instances that you buy with cash.
If you feel that P2W means that you have to buy the best gear with cash, then NO. There are no uber armor or weapons for sale in the cash shop.
If you feel that P2W means that someone can pay and obtain something that grants in-game power advantages that they could not obtain from normal gameplay, then NO. The only possible exceptions I see are heal stones and rez scrolls. These are being looked at by the devs, but I don't count them as unbalancing advantages. Heal stones are better than healing pots because they heal you to full, but NW does not expect you to have full health bars all the time. The game isn't balanced for that. Just look at how Cleric heals work and you will see that they are not designed to keep you at full hit points, but rather to provide maintenance healing and lessen down time between encounters. I don't think one-shotting players is going to be much of an issue here and regular potions should be enough to keep you on your feet with smart play. Heal stones will help less skilled players keep up but won't make much difference for players who carefully avoid and mitigate damage. And rez scrolls simply don't add power to your character. They just save you from running back from spawn points and from repeating content because you died. They are purely a convenience item and don't make it easier for your character to survive in the first place.)
If you feel that P2W means that someone can pay and obtain something that grants in-game power advantages even if they could also obtain it from normal gameplay, then YES.
If you feel that P2W means that it is at all possible for a player to use cash to get something somehow and use it somewhere at some time, then YES. By that ridiculous definition Neverwinter is P2W.
If you feel that the ability to use cash to obtain in-game currency with which to buy powerful items is P2W, then YES. You can trade ZEN, purchased with cash, to another player on the Exchange in return for AD. You can then use AD to purchase gear from the auction house. I would point out, however, that you can only do this to obtain power from other players. Some player or players had to put in the work playing the game to generate the AD and also the loot sold on the auction house. You could obtain these items through direct trade or earn them yourself, so it never puts your character at an advantage over what some other player's character could have just gone out and earned in game. The proof of this is the fact that it was available for trade or sale on the auction house in the first place. So, I don't feel that is Pay to Win. I feel that it is Pay to be Equal.
And what is meant by "Winning" in this context? One can win a PvP match, but how does one win a Role Playing Game? The objective of a Role Playing Game is to have fun playing a role. If you enjoy yourself and use your character's abilities and/or give them a name, personality or backstory then congratulations. You win.
Champions Online Advanced Forum Search
Me neither.
You're right that the game isn't balanced for full health bars all the time.
And that's precisely why heal stones are so powerful. The break the balance the game otherwise tries to strike.
It makes Cleric healing largely pointless as anything other than a cash-saving measure.
An item that helps a less skilled player "keep up" is a major power advantage. Cash injections substituting for skilled play is precisely what's wrong with pay-to-win.
And a health stone is still very powerful in the hands of a skilled player, as well. Everyone makes mistakes. Lag spikes happen.
Of course they add power. Being able to effectively ignore death, and carry on a boss fight without having to restart it, is just about the most powerful effect in the game.
They make it largely irrelevant whether your character survives in the first place. That's why they're so powerful.
I win by completing quests successfully, and at end-game, by getting the gear I want to fit the builds I have in mind (which I design to be optimal to the best of my understanding of the game). That's how I enjoy myself.
Couldn't care less about "roleplaying" in a computer game. That's what tabletop RPGs are for. Computer RPGs are called that because they use mechanics inspired by tabletop RPGs, not because they include any significant amount of roleplaying in their design. There's as much "roleplaying" potential in Neverwinter as there is in Call of Duty; roleplaying is what (some) people choose bring to a video game, not the game itself.
How is "keeping up" an advantage? Doesn't "keeping up" imply struggling to stay even rather than pulling ahead?
And, outside of PvP, is it so bad if there are ways to level the playing field for unskilled players? As long as there is some kind of cost, I'm fine with that. Skill will always have the advantage anyway. And as for skilled players gaining an additional advantage, I can concede that. But, the value of an advantage is determined by how much it adds as well as how often it is useful. Again, its not a big enough advantage frequently enough to matter much. The skilled player either needs it because of a fluke or because he's not really as skilled as he thinks he is.
That's not power. It's convenience. It doesn't let you bring anything to the fight you weren't already bringing.
It sounds like these are great goals and a great way to enjoy the game. It seems to me you are doing exactly what I was talking about. Having fun playing the game while playing a role. Your build plans represent a role for your character. Some players have more theatrical goals involving the role they want to play. These are two valid and yet distinct ways to roleplay. Roleplaying doesn't have to have anything to do with speaking in character or writing a backstory. It can, but it doesn't have to. Someone who is trying to build the optimal tank, or most devastating DPS character or a character who can do several things equally well is building to fit a role or character concept. That's roleplaying, too.
It also sounds like you will take great pride in earning stuff in game and completing your goals. But that's an "internal" win that has nothing to do with any other player and how they achieve their own goals be they similar to your own or completely different. Someone else playing a different way or even "winning" a different way has no impact on your gameplay.
I couldn't agree more. But I think builds and min-maxing gear are just as valid forms of roleplaying and computer games do allow for that kind of roleplaying. In over 30 years of pen and paper roleplaying I don't think I've ever played with a group that didn't have at least one player who didn't participate in the more theatrical roleplaying style. There's always someone who doesn't go much beyond the game mechanics and filling in the blanks on the character sheet. Those players were still roleplayers.
Champions Online Advanced Forum Search
Incorrect. They said they play the content without using cash shop items. They have also said that they purposefully make the content too difficult for themselves to beat, because they expect players to be more skilled than they are. Take what you will from that.
I see what you did there! it would be pretty sneaky of them to spindoctor not needing cash shop items to beat content and that alone could all but crush the game. While it is possible they did that very thing, I certainly hope they are smarter than that.
On the difficulty, its not a big concern to me, we all know that it will only get easier as time goes on. I have confidence in my abilities. Even if I hit a wall in PvE I will likely just roll an alt or go mess around in PvP more. I have no desire to live in this game like I did in WoW for years.
The real question is are you willing to base your entire entertainment (or lack thereof) over what someone else says about something that will cost you absolutely nothing to investigate except a little bit of time?
Seriously: it's your loss or gain depending on how you answer.
~shrugs~
[/SIGPIC]
The Older Gamers (25+) - Never too old to play games
When is a game pay to win? For me, it's when you can get an advantage ingame by using real money. It's an advantage to get better items earlier or easier than everyone else.
For exalple:
Player1 dont want to use real money. Instead he farms and get pretty decent items.
Player2 want to use real money. He use real money to get BETTER item than what player1 got.
Now they go PvP.
Advantage? Imo yes
Uhm, gear?
With real world money you can get zen. You can then trade that zen for AD. With AD you can rush complete Leadership crafting missions for experience.
With zen you can buy experience boosters.
I think someone already did get to lvl 60 in 24 hours using that method.
Since the game is f2p I see the players that are willing to spend hundreds of dollars to level as keeping the game running so i don't have to pay unless i feel like it.
There is already a $200 price tag if you want to enter the game on a par with others. If you think WoW attracted the spoiled rotten rich kids, hold on to your seats!
Well, actually this made me happy.
If anyone wants to be lvl60 as fast as possible (even by paying real money) because of his/her reasons, thats totally ok with me. I can, however, spend my time to enjoy the game and became lvl60 within several months if needed.
Yes i have, but no i have not been spending my time to explore the shop...
In the FAQ it says:
And as someone already said in this thread
or am i wrong?
In that case, my apologize.
No need to be mad bro
p.s. you can earn 10,000 ad a day in the game. So if you get 10,000 in game for free for doing some dailies, you can turn it into zen then you can *giggles* buy yourself some *giggles* pay to win *giggles* costumes and dye *giggles* and maybe a mount *bursts out laughing*
i'm one of those who paid $200 and then another $50 for Zen. definitely felt ripped off, but hey, no one forced me to buy.
so far i've used Zen for additional bank slots, bags and keys for lockbox. i'm fine with paying extra for such convenience, since it's solely up to the players. but the one thing that irks me is that you can't purchase scroll of identify with in-game currency (unless i'm mistaken?) and all of the green drops and above need to be identified. a normal dungeon run would see about 6-10+ drops.
honestly, i would rather them charging a monthly subscriber fee than implementing restrictions in the game.
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