Here's a good example. Say Blizzard paid my company 25 million dollars to design a new Starcraft game. Then my company churns out a game that only has two races, Terran and Zerg. Sorry, it's Open Beta, we don't have Protoss finished yet. But don't worry. Terrans have Marines, and Medics. Zerg have Zerglings, and Hydralisks. That's it. Two units each, sorry, we'll release another unit in six months, but we're not going to tell you which one, only that it's a ranged unit. Then instead of releasing that unit, I release another race, Moon Terrans. They're terrans that grew up on one of Saturn's moons, and turned blue. They have two units, marines, and medics. But don't worry, they aren't the same as regular terran marines and medics, because these marines and medics are BLUE! Oh, and they have 1 more armor, but 50% less attack, so they're basically useless. Protoss? What are those? Oh, right, the psychic alien things... We'll work on that in a few years, after we finish the 30 something units for each of the three races we already have. At six months to a year per unit, it will only take us 60-120 years to do that.
After reading all the feedback on the PVP section of the forum, our devs have decided to change the effect of Stim Packs. It no longer boosts the marine's speed and rate of fire, but causes the player to see vivid rainbow hallucinations. Oh, and medic healing has been reduced by 50%. As for Zerglings, they only spawn one at a time now, but cost twice as much as before. And Hydralisks only deal 10% of the damage they did before. Also, your buildings have less hit points, and start out on fire, so you need to pay real money for minerals to repair them at the start of the game, or else you die after five minutes.
Here's a good example. Say Blizzard paid my company 25 million dollars to design a new Starcraft game. Then my company churns out a game that only has two races, Terran and Zerg. Sorry, it's Open Beta, we don't have Protoss finished yet. But don't worry. Terrans have Marines, and Medics. Zerg have Zerglings, and Hydralisks. That's it. Two units each, sorry, we'll release another unit in six months, but we're not going to tell you which one, only that it's a ranged unit. Then instead of releasing that unit, I release another race, Moon Terrans. They're terrans that grew up on one of Saturn's moons, and turned blue. They have two units, marines, and medics. But don't worry, they aren't the same as regular terran marines and medics, because these marines and medics are BLUE! Oh, and they have 1 more armor, but 50% less attack, so they're basically useless. Protoss? What are those? Oh, right, the psychic alien things... We'll work on that in a few years, after we finish the 30 something units for each of the three races we already have. At six months to a year per unit, it will only take us 60-120 years to do that.
Don't blame game developpers, blame shareholders. They are the ones pressuring game studios to release stuff asap to make a quick return on investment. If you have something to do with a hedge fund, then you may be the one to blame after all.
Don't blame game developpers, blame shareholders. They are the ones pressuring game studios to release stuff asap to make a quick return on investment. If you have something to do with a hedge fund, then you may be the one to blame after all.
I'm fairly sure the devs had plenty of time to make more than five classes, as I was following the development of this game well over a year before it started open beta. Alpha test was last year, in March. Been a year and a half since the alpha test, and you can bet they spent over a year developing it before the alpha test. It's like if you paid someone a dollar for a cheeseburger at McDonalds, and they handed you a bun and some ketchup out the window, then said, "Pull up and wait, we're getting a new shipment of meat next week." They had plenty of time, they just released an unfinished project, and are trying to blame it on some invisible, non-existent rich guy, when in fact they're the rich guys to blame.
I'm pretty sure when Wizards of the Coast payed these devs millions of dollars, they wanted another game like those, not like this.
You don't understand how licenses work. You have it backwards. Cryptic/PWE paid WotC for the rights to make the game. And is most likely continuing to pay them for continued rights to keep doing so.
Here's a good example. Say Blizzard paid my company 25 million dollars to design a new Starcraft game. Then my company churns out a game that only has two races, Terran and Zerg. Sorry, it's Open Beta, we don't have Protoss finished yet. But don't worry. Terrans have Marines, and Medics. Zerg have Zerglings, and Hydralisks. That's it. Two units each, sorry, we'll release another unit in six months, but we're not going to tell you which one, only that it's a ranged unit. Then instead of releasing that unit, I release another race, Moon Terrans. They're terrans that grew up on one of Saturn's moons, and turned blue. They have two units, marines, and medics. But don't worry, they aren't the same as regular terran marines and medics, because these marines and medics are BLUE! Oh, and they have 1 more armor, but 50% less attack, so they're basically useless. Protoss? What are those? Oh, right, the psychic alien things... We'll work on that in a few years, after we finish the 30 something units for each of the three races we already have. At six months to a year per unit, it will only take us 60-120 years to do that.
Awesome example, but also wrong. Especially considering Blizzard themselves opted to released Starcraft as three separate games, focused on only a single race, for three times the money. Instead of the single game that was promised for years.
they don't care. Why? They've earned their share. They couldn't care less did you pay or not. If you leave, that money will be spent for nothing and more will come, they will trick them, get their money, they will again leave, but again more will come. It's a circle.
The only way to stop this madness is to unite, stand up, boycott their sh*t and get things done right.
You don't understand how licenses work. You have it backwards. Cryptic/PWE paid WotC for the rights to make the game. And is most likely continuing to pay them for continued rights to keep doing so.
If that's the case, I'm glad I found another game to play. I honestly feel betrayed the way they used D&D's brand name and false advertising about the Foundry to lure me in. I only spent eighty bucks on this game, that's really nothing to me. But still. It's like this time I was in the Philippines at this port, and saw a sign advertising hamburgers at a booth. I went and ordered one, and they gave me a bun with mayo and banana ketchup. No meat. I asked them why there was no meat, and they said they didn't put meat on their hamburgers. Why couldn't they just say "banana ketchup and mayo sandwiches" on their sign? Oh, I know, it's because that wouldn't lure American tourists nostalgic for the food of their home country into paying for a sandwich. True story. And I feel exactly the same way about Neverwinter Online as I feel about those people who sold me a hamburger with no meat.
When I used to play Guild Wars a good few years ago the developers who were responsible for balancing the games skills/ combat . PvP/PvE had a private forum where they could chat to the 'hardcore' or elite players and theorycrafters about any upcoming changes or ideas on how to help balance the game , maybe Neverwinter needs something similar because at the moment the people who are responsible for these changes really don't seem to have much of an idea about what it is that they are doing or the repercussions involved.
How you will no doubt remember one of the winniing points of Guild Wars I (It is even now yet because that game is alive and kicking) was and is that PvP and PvE were two completely separate things . You can play either PvP or PvE without not even ever meeting in game or otherwise someone that plays the other mode. It is like there are two different games in one: Guild WARS I PvE and Guild Wars I PvP. That is something that Nevewinter devs should consider.
We've gone from a game with great possibilities to a money grab, plan and simple. Theres not much more you can say about it. (Vote with your Wallet, its the only way to make things change).
0
mewbreyMember, Neverwinter Beta Users, Neverwinter Hero Users, Neverwinter Guardian Users, Neverwinter Knight of the Feywild UsersPosts: 517Bounty Hunter
edited August 2013
They really should not be nerfing gear in such a way for classes, people with rank 10 enchantments will be in need to pay out 5-6 million worth of AD just to take runes out of armor. I guess this is how they are going to continue to milk money out of people, in all honesty there should not even be a cost for taking runes out of you're armor.
Makes me afraid to put runes into gear because when new gear comes out in the future or they nerf the gear I've put all my time into I then have to pay 80 pounds to re-rune it. I had already stopped playing a great deal lately but wanted to play a little when realm of the fae came out, I am being scared off playing any new content right now.
I feel that the clerics have been hit especially hard by this! I feel completely useless in large parties since my only halfway decent heals require me to aim at the people dying (impossible to do when they're in the middle of the fray). I've been kicked from parties for having too little power to do any good and have been the object of taunts and mudslinging. Don't even get me started on the pvps were the rogues are ten times stronger than anyone else in the ring! I DON'T CARE ABOUT BEING ABLE TO KILL ANYONE IN PVP!!! I chose the cleric for a reason, I'm a team player. I am willing to even sacrifice myself for a 'striker' character, but I don't have the power to make that useful. Please, please, PLEASE fix this!!! Ask any cleric and they will tell you the same! Give us more powerful heals (and if it's not too much trouble, more powerful attack and/or defense). When two clerics cannot make a dent in another player, there is definitely a problem. When a cleric's healing barely helps their allies, there is no longer any point in their class. Please fix this as soon as possible. I love clerics usually! In Shaiya, they were always wanted in parties! They didn't do much damage, but they had powerful healing spells and buffs. Don't copy Shaiya, obviously, I love most other parts of Neverwinter more than Shaiya, but this particular aspect makes my gameplay and the gameplay of other clerics hardly enjoyable (it probably makes things difficult for the other party members who depend on the clerics beyond what our powers can perform). I'm begging you, MAKE CLERICS USEFUL!
PS I realize this entire response is a little off topic, but come on! Everyone knows it needs to be addressed!
Great if it was needed, except they are nerfing primarily for PVP which a whole lot of people could really care less about in a P2W (oops F2P) game. PVP should be completely separated from the PVE part with its own nerfs and whatnot.
Clerics? Yea, pathetic attempt, pretty much swinging a tin-plated cross like some demented yoga maniac, doing next to zero damage, and taking most of the blame when someone dies from "rambositisididntbringenoughpotionsyourmypersonalhealingbot". They sure love that -40% number. No undead bonus, no melee option, and lets not forget the Napoleonic Helm of Shame. (If you couldn't tell I'm a little bitter at what they think a cleric is) I mean honestly, lets just take away the ability to do any damage and make some armor with a big bulls-eye on it, and while they are at it we could throw in a Nurses Hat of Compassion and a +4 Doctors Gown of Rehabilitation.
I feel for anyone who had a Rank 10 in the armor of nerf too, milk milk milkity milk those Abominable Diamonds, like the guy above mentioned. They should let people de-socket them for alot less as they send them to the garbage.
I like the game in general but I cant see it holding any interest too long at the rate things are going.
i totally agree..it seems that the Devs are trying to favour pvp..which ive never bothered with.and i have put a message up earlier about the classes being poor except for the rogue.which seems to be the only "true class".my arguement is for more classes and to make a healing class...a healing class.. and a tank...a tank...i cant really see how PVP has any real signifucance in the D&D universe tbh..its abour exploring a world and dungeoneering i thought?
Great if it was needed, except they are nerfing primarily for PVP which a whole lot of people could really care less about in a P2W (oops F2P) game. PVP should be completely separated from the PVE part with its own nerfs and whatnot.
Clerics? Yea, pathetic attempt, pretty much swinging a tin-plated cross like some demented yoga maniac, doing next to zero damage, and taking most of the blame when someone dies from "rambositisididntbringenoughpotionsyourmypersonalhealingbot". They sure love that -40% number. No undead bonus, no melee option, and lets not forget the Napoleonic Helm of Shame. (If you couldn't tell I'm a little bitter at what they think a cleric is) I mean honestly, lets just take away the ability to do any damage and make some armor with a big bulls-eye on it, and while they are at it we could throw in a Nurses Hat of Compassion and a +4 Doctors Gown of Rehabilitation.
I feel for anyone who had a Rank 10 in the armor of nerf too, milk milk milkity milk those Abominable Diamonds, like the guy above mentioned. They should let people de-socket them for alot less as they send them to the garbage.
I like the game in general but I cant see it holding any interest too long at the rate things are going.
I'm pretty sure when Wizards of the Coast payed these devs millions of dollars, they wanted another game like those, not like this.
wrong way around, they pay WOTC, or more precisely its owner Hasbro(since 1999 about. look up Hasbro's business practices.), for the right to use the Name DnD and Neverwinter. They then have to show a profit on it.
Sockmunky beat me too it but still look up Hasbro, largest game/toy company is US. Production - asia.
wrong way around, they pay WOTC, or more precisely its owner Hasbro(since 1999 about. look up Hasbro's business practices.), for the right to use the Name DnD and Neverwinter. They then have to show a profit on it.
Sockmunky beat me too it but still look up Hasbro, largest game/toy company is US. Production - asia.
If that's the case, I'm glad I found another game to play. I honestly feel betrayed the way they used D&D's brand name and false advertising about the Foundry to lure me in. I only spent eighty bucks on this game, that's really nothing to me. But still. It's like this time I was in the Philippines at this port, and saw a sign advertising hamburgers at a booth. I went and ordered one, and they gave me a bun with mayo and banana ketchup. No meat. I asked them why there was no meat, and they said they didn't put meat on their hamburgers. Why couldn't they just say "banana ketchup and mayo sandwiches" on their sign? Oh, I know, it's because that wouldn't lure American tourists nostalgic for the food of their home country into paying for a sandwich. True story. And I feel exactly the same way about Neverwinter Online as I feel about those people who sold me a hamburger with no meat.
It's false advertising, plain and simple. They hyped up this game for at least two years as "A D&D game made for D&D fans, by D&D fans!", making all kinds of outright false claims, such as being able to create PVP missions in the Foundry, having dragons for use in Foundry missions, releasing drow as free to play 60 days later, then still not doing it 120 days later... I could go on and on... They've kept pushing back the supposed release date of the new class enough to convince me that they are incapable of churning out content fast enough to keep this game alive for more than a year, even with the help of all the Foundry authors creating content for them for free. There are only so many ways you can stack ten legos, and the devs are totally against giving Foundry authors anymore legos it seems. I for one got sick of being lied to a long time ago. I don't think it's fair that Foundry authors get punished for the actions of a few exploiters. If there were solid plans to add new classes regularly, and dragons for use in the Foundry, I might consider giving this game a second chance. Unfortunately for the devs, they'll failed to earn anymore of my money.
For the past couple of months, I've logged in to pray for coins on all my toons and set their profs with the exception of this last lackluster event which kept me for about an hour. Now I don't even log in for coins. This game needs more time in the oven like Champs and STO did. Looking at some of the changes on Preview just reinforces my opinion that I spent more than enough money on this game with the HoTN pack. I'll check it out periodically but STO's more deserving of my Zen right now.
Great if it was needed, except they are nerfing primarily for PVP which a whole lot of people could really care less about in a P2W (oops F2P) game. PVP should be completely separated from the PVE part with its own nerfs and whatnot.
Couldn't agree more. Most the whining on this Forum came from PvP Players upset that TR was overpowered but forgetting to mention they used the DD exploit for Stalwart Bulwark Armour which 90% of Lvl60 GFs use.
I have reached Level 60 with my characters, and personally dislike the Nerfs since I only do PvE. My two cents for all it's worth: have separate Gear for PvE and PvP and add the ability to switch between them.
The problem is with people complaining that PWE is obviously nudging the game toward more Zen purchases and less in-game farming for AD. The fact is simple economics. Neverwinter is not a F2P-Hybrid. There is no subscription option in place and therefore absolutely no design model within the game to nudge the player base toward taking the subscription option and a recurring revenue stream.
Neverwinter is a purely No Subscription model (not even a Buy to Play model), which means that from the jump the design was centered around getting us, the players, to purchase Zen. Anyone who came to Neverwinter expecting to have PvP or PvE End Game progression without the need to spend Zen was not understanding the model. I understood this the first time I read about the game. Therefore, I came to Neverwinter to level and see the storylines, and enjoy some of the creative stuff I'm finding in the Foundry. I have yet to purchase a single dollar of Zen, nor will I.
For end-game progession, I'll continue to play DCUO, Rift, or WoW. Neverwinter is not a game where progession will not cost more $$$ than a simple subscription in any of those three MMOs. And as the game progresses to higher tiers, classes and builds get nerfed, and the typical MMO cycle continues to happen as normal, Neverwinter is a game designed to get as many dollars-for-Zen from the community as possible. It's the basic model of the no-subscription option of F2P games (and a normal model for PWE). This is not new, except maybe in the United States where we are accustomed to:
Subscription Only (basically World of Warcraft, at the present time)
Free-Subscription Hybrid (Choose your western MMO)
Buy-to-Play (Defiance, The Secret World, and Guild Wars 1 & 2)
So, spend your dollars on end-game progression at your own risk, and understand you will be spending those dollars in the same endless cycle as you see MMOs get higher tiers, nerfs/balances, et cetera.
So, spend your dollars on end-game progression at your own risk, and understand you will be spending those dollars in the same endless cycle the you see MMOs get higher tiers, nerfs/balances, et cetera.
Yes, that about sums that point up. I don't complain about the business model, I complain about the prices. Microtransactions maybe. I think almost all Zen item are at least double the price they should be. In some cases a lot more.
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
"Young people....." - Erik Lehnsherr
Yes, that about sums that point up. I don't complain about the business model, I complain about the prices. Microtransactions maybe. I think almost all Zen item are at least double the price they should be. In some cases a lot more.
Oh, most definitely. Their prices are ridiculous. Sadly, that is also another PWE trait. Not only in their own Korean games, but also in STO or CO (where a free-form character slot is $50).
A lot of things in cash shops are obscenely overpriced, but somehow somewhere along the line the precedent was set that $30+ for a better horse was the base price point. Some offer them for much cheaper but don't make them account wide, some charge a bit more and do make them account wide, but in general if you want multiple characters to have a better horse it's $30. Take a look through Steam, see what you can get for $30. That right there is why I don't spend too much on F2P games, just between $20-60 depending on how much I like it. There comes a point when a slightly more amazing horse just isn't worth the money, and in this game specifically there is no point at all. The zones aren't interconnected into a huge map to explore openly, they're maps you teleport to and from. Getting around them 60% faster when they already do a good job of placing quest objectives near quest givers is a barely noticeable difference. Heck, a lot of the time I just run; aside from leaving the zone, there isn't much benefit to mounting up.
Other obscenely overpriced things are boxes or the thing that opens them. Random loot which is usually bad but has a super slight chance at something awesome. I will say, at least this game puts those trade bars in every box as a sort of consolation prize; you know that no matter how horrible your luck may be, at some point you'll be able to just buy the **** horse. I ended up buying the keys because nothing in the cash shop interests me in the slightest but I still wanted to toss a few dollars their way for entertaining me, but other than that I have yet to find a good reason to buy them. I guess they make enough money to warrant their inclusion though, since they're in **** near every cash shop game.
Oh, most definitely. Their prices are ridiculous. Sadly, that is also another PWE trait. Not only in their own Korean games, but also in STO or CO (where a free-form character slot is $50).
Meh. Been playing STO for a couple years, and this. (never did CO, so can't comment on that), as well as a number of other f2p games from a variety of companies (both f2p from the beginning and converted from p2p). Didn't find Cryptics prices particularly higher - yeah, a few things in NWO could stand to be 10-20% cheaper, but it's not crazy compared to the other games I've tried. Now, Aeria games on the other hand - wow, their cash shops are disgustingly abusive. Might be part of the reason NWO's doesn't bother me as much - I'd tried an Aeria game just before NWO's open beta began. After that game, nothing Cryptic could do would raise an eyebrow for me. /shrug
Comments
I'm pretty sure when Wizards of the Coast payed these devs millions of dollars, they wanted another game like those, not like this.
Don't blame game developpers, blame shareholders. They are the ones pressuring game studios to release stuff asap to make a quick return on investment. If you have something to do with a hedge fund, then you may be the one to blame after all.
I'm fairly sure the devs had plenty of time to make more than five classes, as I was following the development of this game well over a year before it started open beta. Alpha test was last year, in March. Been a year and a half since the alpha test, and you can bet they spent over a year developing it before the alpha test. It's like if you paid someone a dollar for a cheeseburger at McDonalds, and they handed you a bun and some ketchup out the window, then said, "Pull up and wait, we're getting a new shipment of meat next week." They had plenty of time, they just released an unfinished project, and are trying to blame it on some invisible, non-existent rich guy, when in fact they're the rich guys to blame.
And playing by myself since Aug 2009
Godtier: Lifetime Subscriber
You don't understand how licenses work. You have it backwards. Cryptic/PWE paid WotC for the rights to make the game. And is most likely continuing to pay them for continued rights to keep doing so.
Awesome example, but also wrong. Especially considering Blizzard themselves opted to released Starcraft as three separate games, focused on only a single race, for three times the money. Instead of the single game that was promised for years.
Seriously? They're still using that excuse? I don't think so.
they don't care. Why? They've earned their share. They couldn't care less did you pay or not. If you leave, that money will be spent for nothing and more will come, they will trick them, get their money, they will again leave, but again more will come. It's a circle.
The only way to stop this madness is to unite, stand up, boycott their sh*t and get things done right.
If that's the case, I'm glad I found another game to play. I honestly feel betrayed the way they used D&D's brand name and false advertising about the Foundry to lure me in. I only spent eighty bucks on this game, that's really nothing to me. But still. It's like this time I was in the Philippines at this port, and saw a sign advertising hamburgers at a booth. I went and ordered one, and they gave me a bun with mayo and banana ketchup. No meat. I asked them why there was no meat, and they said they didn't put meat on their hamburgers. Why couldn't they just say "banana ketchup and mayo sandwiches" on their sign? Oh, I know, it's because that wouldn't lure American tourists nostalgic for the food of their home country into paying for a sandwich. True story. And I feel exactly the same way about Neverwinter Online as I feel about those people who sold me a hamburger with no meat.
No, it's not. There was an official "release" back a couple months ago.
...
And playing by myself since Aug 2009
Godtier: Lifetime Subscriber
Makes me afraid to put runes into gear because when new gear comes out in the future or they nerf the gear I've put all my time into I then have to pay 80 pounds to re-rune it. I had already stopped playing a great deal lately but wanted to play a little when realm of the fae came out, I am being scared off playing any new content right now.
PS I realize this entire response is a little off topic, but come on! Everyone knows it needs to be addressed!
Great if it was needed, except they are nerfing primarily for PVP which a whole lot of people could really care less about in a P2W (oops F2P) game. PVP should be completely separated from the PVE part with its own nerfs and whatnot.
Clerics? Yea, pathetic attempt, pretty much swinging a tin-plated cross like some demented yoga maniac, doing next to zero damage, and taking most of the blame when someone dies from "rambositisididntbringenoughpotionsyourmypersonalhealingbot". They sure love that -40% number. No undead bonus, no melee option, and lets not forget the Napoleonic Helm of Shame. (If you couldn't tell I'm a little bitter at what they think a cleric is) I mean honestly, lets just take away the ability to do any damage and make some armor with a big bulls-eye on it, and while they are at it we could throw in a Nurses Hat of Compassion and a +4 Doctors Gown of Rehabilitation.
I feel for anyone who had a Rank 10 in the armor of nerf too, milk milk milkity milk those Abominable Diamonds, like the guy above mentioned. They should let people de-socket them for alot less as they send them to the garbage.
I like the game in general but I cant see it holding any interest too long at the rate things are going.
wrong way around, they pay WOTC, or more precisely its owner Hasbro(since 1999 about. look up Hasbro's business practices.), for the right to use the Name DnD and Neverwinter. They then have to show a profit on it.
Sockmunky beat me too it but still look up Hasbro, largest game/toy company is US. Production - asia.
Get the Forums Enhancement Extension!
Yes, well, I'm sure you saw this post.
It's false advertising, plain and simple. They hyped up this game for at least two years as "A D&D game made for D&D fans, by D&D fans!", making all kinds of outright false claims, such as being able to create PVP missions in the Foundry, having dragons for use in Foundry missions, releasing drow as free to play 60 days later, then still not doing it 120 days later... I could go on and on... They've kept pushing back the supposed release date of the new class enough to convince me that they are incapable of churning out content fast enough to keep this game alive for more than a year, even with the help of all the Foundry authors creating content for them for free. There are only so many ways you can stack ten legos, and the devs are totally against giving Foundry authors anymore legos it seems. I for one got sick of being lied to a long time ago. I don't think it's fair that Foundry authors get punished for the actions of a few exploiters. If there were solid plans to add new classes regularly, and dragons for use in the Foundry, I might consider giving this game a second chance. Unfortunately for the devs, they'll failed to earn anymore of my money.
Couldn't agree more. Most the whining on this Forum came from PvP Players upset that TR was overpowered but forgetting to mention they used the DD exploit for Stalwart Bulwark Armour which 90% of Lvl60 GFs use.
I have reached Level 60 with my characters, and personally dislike the Nerfs since I only do PvE. My two cents for all it's worth: have separate Gear for PvE and PvP and add the ability to switch between them.
<Please do not Advertise other MMO's>
Cryptic. Step up.
Wicks and Things: NW-DI4FMZRR4 : The Fenwick merchant family has lost a caravan! Can you help?
Beggar's Hollow: NW-DR6YG4J2L : Someone, or something, has stolen away many of the Fenwicks' children! Can you find out what happened to them?
Into the Fen Wood: NW-DL89DRG7B : Enter the heart of the forest. Can you discover the secret of the Fen Wood?
Neverwinter is a purely No Subscription model (not even a Buy to Play model), which means that from the jump the design was centered around getting us, the players, to purchase Zen. Anyone who came to Neverwinter expecting to have PvP or PvE End Game progression without the need to spend Zen was not understanding the model. I understood this the first time I read about the game. Therefore, I came to Neverwinter to level and see the storylines, and enjoy some of the creative stuff I'm finding in the Foundry. I have yet to purchase a single dollar of Zen, nor will I.
For end-game progession, I'll continue to play DCUO, Rift, or WoW. Neverwinter is not a game where progession will not cost more $$$ than a simple subscription in any of those three MMOs. And as the game progresses to higher tiers, classes and builds get nerfed, and the typical MMO cycle continues to happen as normal, Neverwinter is a game designed to get as many dollars-for-Zen from the community as possible. It's the basic model of the no-subscription option of F2P games (and a normal model for PWE). This is not new, except maybe in the United States where we are accustomed to:
So, spend your dollars on end-game progression at your own risk, and understand you will be spending those dollars in the same endless cycle as you see MMOs get higher tiers, nerfs/balances, et cetera.
Yes, that about sums that point up. I don't complain about the business model, I complain about the prices. Microtransactions maybe. I think almost all Zen item are at least double the price they should be. In some cases a lot more.
"Young people....." - Erik Lehnsherr
Oh, most definitely. Their prices are ridiculous. Sadly, that is also another PWE trait. Not only in their own Korean games, but also in STO or CO (where a free-form character slot is $50).
Other obscenely overpriced things are boxes or the thing that opens them. Random loot which is usually bad but has a super slight chance at something awesome. I will say, at least this game puts those trade bars in every box as a sort of consolation prize; you know that no matter how horrible your luck may be, at some point you'll be able to just buy the **** horse. I ended up buying the keys because nothing in the cash shop interests me in the slightest but I still wanted to toss a few dollars their way for entertaining me, but other than that I have yet to find a good reason to buy them. I guess they make enough money to warrant their inclusion though, since they're in **** near every cash shop game.
Meh. Been playing STO for a couple years, and this. (never did CO, so can't comment on that), as well as a number of other f2p games from a variety of companies (both f2p from the beginning and converted from p2p). Didn't find Cryptics prices particularly higher - yeah, a few things in NWO could stand to be 10-20% cheaper, but it's not crazy compared to the other games I've tried. Now, Aeria games on the other hand - wow, their cash shops are disgustingly abusive. Might be part of the reason NWO's doesn't bother me as much - I'd tried an Aeria game just before NWO's open beta began. After that game, nothing Cryptic could do would raise an eyebrow for me. /shrug