1. Have you purchased a Companion? Why? (Gold Currency and Content Pack Companions Excluded)
No, but I will since augemnt companion is essecial for end-game.
2. What factor prevents you from buying companions the most?
Yes, as everyone else its price. What people who decide prices do not realize is neverwinter isnt only for USA and GB - there are other countries too and people doesnt have that high income. I mean 35 dollars is maybe (few) hour(s) income in USA while in other countries it can be several DAYS! (I dont live in eastern country but still on summer job its just too much to work 12 hours for a pet)
3. What is the most you would spend on a companion? Augment and Non-Augment.
Considering situation of avarage player in my country i would say 10-15 dolars would be nice price.
4. Do you feel like the upgrade prices are appropriate? Why?
Defenetly not - the level 30 bonuses are .... are there any bonuses?.
5. Most players feel that Augments are far superior to Non-Augment Companions, what could be done to improve this situation?
When all pets augument, there are no augument pets. All pets should augument depending on quality rather then type. It should also have a mode "do not engage in combat" or augument-only, when the mode is on, the pet is invulnerable.
Additional Comments:
This is mmoRPg game, some more RP features to pets would be nice.
1. Have you purchased a Companion? Why?(Gold Currency and Content Pack Companions Excluded)
I have purchased a Hawk from the Zen store, 2 Wererats from the AH, a green quality Tank from the AH, a Phorea from the AH, and I am going to convert some AD to Zen to buy an Ioun Stone of Allure in the next day or so.
I bought the Hawk because I wanted a nice bird to follow me around, lol. I never expected him to be a great combat companion, I just wanted a bird. I got what I expected. The Wererats I found to be useful while leveling up but they are seldom used in groups. I use my Phorea quite a bit and I like the look as well, but it's effectiveness is still poor. I am getting the Ioun Stone to maximize the effectiveness of my CW.
2. What factor prevents you from buying companions the most?
The price and the fact that they are not account wide. As other have said, if the purchase price is for each character then the cost needs to be reduced drastically. If each zen companion is account wide then the price does not need to drop quite as much, but it still needs to come down.
Additionally, the over-all effectiveness of companions needs to be increased. I have a few random thoughts on the subject, they will be at the end of this post.
3. What is the most you would spend on a companion? Augment and Non-Augment.
Single character, non-augment pet: 500 Zen ($5.00) (green quality at purchase)
Account wide, non-augment pet: 1500 zen ($15.00) (green quality at purchase)
Single character, augment pet: 1000 Zen ($10.00) (green quality at purchase)
Account wide, augment pet: 2000 Zen ($20.00) (green quality at purchase)
For single character pets I would be willing to pay 250 Zen ($2.50) for each additional tier of upgrade (blue-purple), so a single character purple companion would be $10.00 (1000 zen). For the account wide pets 400 zen ($4.00) for each tier, so a purple quality account wide pet would be 2800 Zen ($28.00)
4. Do you feel like the upgrade prices are appropriate? Why?
The current upgrade prices are ludicrous. As every single person in this thread has pointed out. The cost to upgrade needs to be reduced, and reduced by a significant amount.
5. Most players feel that Augments are far superior to Non-Augment Companions, what could be done to improve this situation?
Instead of having "Augment" and "non-Augment" companions, ALL companions should have some sort of augment effect. Some companions could add directly to your defense/deflect, others to your AP and Regen, or whatever. The more effective the augments, the less effective they are in combat, and vice versa. If you mix and match the bonuses that are on each companion then you will see much more variety in companion choice. This can also be supplemented by allowing different % of stat transfer from gear equipped on a companion, a tanking companion could allow 75% of +defense and deflect to be transferred, but only 25% of +power and crit. (obviously the exact % for each companion and the actual stats transferred would need to be worked out, I am just thinking out loud)
Additional Comments:
Let us work to a companion more often. The ability to farm flowers to buy a pig companion in the Festival is good. As is the chance at a Blink Dog in the repeatable mission in the Realm of Malabog. We need more companions that are available like this. And we need to have the ability to increase the quality of the companions by playing the game, without allowing everything to be bought with Zen. Have a repeatable mission (or a once weekly mission) that gives a token (or whatever) to collect which will allow you to increase the quality of a specific companion. (A new mission in the Feywild with a story line directly relevant to the Blink Dog, complete the mission 4 times to upgrade to blue, 10 times to purple. 3 day cool down on the mission)
I am also looking forward to the possibility of new companions tied to the "Call to Arms" events, whenever they come.
Time gating is an effective tool for a F2P MMO, as long as it can NOT ALWAYS be circumvented by spending money. Allow F2P players to have an advancement that is not diminished by people spending money to achieve it quicker. You can not give benefits exclusively to F2P players, that is not fair to the P2P people, but you can remove the benefit from spending money on some items that are a reward for playing the game.
1. Have you purchased a Companion? Why? (Gold Currency and Content Pack Companions Excluded)
Only the Ioun Stone of Allure because the rest of the companions are useless and a burden compared to it
2. What factor prevents you from buying companions the most?
Companions being useless and a burden when compared to the Ioun Stone of Allure
3. What is the most you would spend on a companion? Augment and Non-Augment.
$20
4. Do you feel like the upgrade prices are appropriate? Why?
No, they are too expensive and prevent players from purchasing and trying out new companions
5. Most players feel that Augments are far superior to Non-Augment Companions, what could be done to improve this situation?
a. Give companions %-based damage/healing on what your dps and health is respectively
b. Reduce the AOE damage they take by about 90%
c. Allow some of them to have GOOD/RELIABLE tanking skills and abilities
d. Give them more "cool" effects such as what the ghost has
Additional Comments:
It has been clear that Augments are too overpowered compared to other companions yet you guys have done very little about it. I hope this is a sign that you will be making MAJOR changes.
Also, please lower the upgrade cost of the companions. People feel that it is an insult and a stupid move to upgrade companions so they do not buy new companions in effect and stick with their current Stone/Cat. I believe a 100k fee is appropriately priced.
1. Have you purchased a Companion? Why?(Gold Currency and Content Pack Companions Excluded)
No I haven't, reasons in answer to question 2
2. What factor prevents you from buying companions the most?
They're not account-wide like mounts. I have many characters and buying one for each of them would be too expensive.
3. What is the most you would spend on a companion? Augment and Non-Augment.
Augment for sure, everybody say that Non-Augment ones are useless in endgame (it's kinda sad, I mean, dozens of different companions and the only useful ones are 3)
4. Do you feel like the upgrade prices are appropriate? Why?
No, all fixed AD prices in this game are far higher than what they should (4000 AD for a teleport scroll, are you serious?). It's usually cheaper to buy an Epic companion than upgrading a Rare to Epic.
5. Most players feel that Augments are far superior to Non-Augment Companions, what could be done to improve this situation?
I don't think this can be fixed, you can boost Non-Augment but the problem in instances would remain their non-human AI. I'd suggest you to create a wide range of Augment companions, or, and it would be very nice, to give to EVERY COMPANION the possibility to be switched between Augment and Non-Augment.
Additional Comments:
Many complain about this game but the truth is you created a very very good game. You should just lower in-game AD prices (upgrading ones in particular) in my opionion, and make respec cost 100 Zen. Anyway, thanks for this great mmorpg :-)
1. Have you purchased a Companion? Why? (Gold Currency and Content Pack Companions Excluded)
Yes... ◾Galeb Dhur. I was brand new and I thought it would help me while I learned the game. I have since deleted the toon that he was bound to. He didn't really work very well.
2. What factor prevents you from buying companions the most?
Way too expensive.
3. What is the most you would spend on a companion? Augment and Non-Augment.
$15 at the most for either.
4. Do you feel like the upgrade prices are appropriate? Why?
No I don't. AD is way to hard to get and companions don't help that much.
5. Most players feel that Augments are far superior to Non-Augment Companions, what could be done to improve this situation?
No idea... I have never used an augment companion.
Additional Comments: You might want to consider customizable companions like with STO. I like this game but everything can't be a big ticket item. I can buy a whole new game for what your charging for companions and a new game system for what you charge for your Hero of the North Pack. Just saying.
I've seen striker companion with ancient equips do 300dmg a hit
Most companions' basic attack has a cooldown of 2 seconds, and their "other" attack is 8 seconds or more. That extra 150DPS, not to mention what you lose by now having that ancient piece of gear bound, is not worth it IMO.
Offensive pets should be able to spam their basic attacks at least once per second. In fact, all non-augment pets should be given an "at-will" power that has a much faster attack rate.
<::::::::::::::)xxxo <::::::::::::::)xxxo <::::::::::::)xxxxxxxx(:::::::::::> oxxx(::::::::::::::> oxxx(::::::::::::::> "Is it better to be feared or respected? I say, is it too much to ask for both?" -Tony Stark Official NW_Legit_Community Forums
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gek1956Member, Neverwinter Beta Users, Neverwinter Hero Users, Neverwinter Knight of the Feywild UsersPosts: 0Arc User
edited September 2013
Hi - sorry it took me so long to get around to this thread , I've been busy being malcontent
1) Yes. I have bought 4. 1 Neverember guard and 3 Ioun Stones of Allure. The guard was bought to tank for my DC, but is useless at LVL 60. Non augmenting pets are worthless at high levels. The stones, though rabidly overpriced, are simply the only viable pet for DDs, apart from the critty cat which is scalped at another location. With the current state of the que and my friends list, not to mention the devalued performance of two of the toons so equipped, notably my GWF - I regret every zen of it. HUGE waste of money.
2) The money. Lots of zen, little more than cosmetic value. You get better deals from the street hustlers selling Gucci knockoffs in Times Square.
3) I haven't bought any more, none in the last 6 weeks, because of money. As Mark Twain said, "Fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me' I think if they were to rethink their durability and get rid of the suicidal behavior that the AI often exibits, that a fair price for them would run from 200 - 1000 zen apiece, depending on quality. Any of the current non augmenting pets would fall into the lowest price category, as starter pets for low level toons. They are just no good later in the game. As a former PnP GM and veteran MMO player I feel that account wide unlocks should belong only to stylistic, cosmetic. and convenience features. Followers have a direct effect on gameplay and an account wide unlock is not appropriate.
4) Blatant scalping. You would think they are illegal at these prices. If these were steroids for athletes I could better understand the pricing, simply because of the high risk to gain ratio. Performance wise its like a fifty dollar cup of coffee. If you'll buy this I've got some oceanfront property to sell you in Nebraska........
5) Its a survival issue, no question. And since augments are among the more expensive pets, and as actions speak louder than words, I think its obvious that the designers understood this when they put them into the game. I joined the beta late but haven't heard any war stories about how great the followers were till they got nerfed. There is an obvious progression implied. Get a freebie early but you have to spend later to keep up. If they were worth what you pay for them I wouldn't mind so much.
And as a final thought....
Remember Nightmare Thursday? Whether right or wrong, fair or unfair, Those keys were selling like hotcakes in the zen store. Why? Because for a while there everyone was sure that they were really going to get their money's worth. People worldwide all understand the value of fair pricing. Just because the game company has a monopoly on its products does not make it a good idea to abuse your customer base by scalping their shirts. Drop those prices and you will more than make up in volume what you lose in margin. There is no significant production over head on one digital construct in a game that has hundreds. its like giving us a barn full of chickens but making us pay a million dollars for a rooster. People tend not to like things like that.
Attitude counts for everything. Years ago I was shopping for a new car. I liked both the price and feel of the Toyota Camry. I didn't like the interest rates on the company financing though, and told the salesman to get me a better deal and I'd sign.. right then. Car salesmen like to hear that, so he went and got his manager. The manager was busy so we went to see the owner. He listened, then interrupted his man, looked me dead in the eye and said "Look here, I've got 9 of these left on the lot. There were 11 yesterday. It's the best selling car in America and I don't have to make deals. I'll sell every one of them. If you won't buy it someone else will" And he walked off. So I walked off too. I've never been back. Two days later I bought a Saturn L-200 for almost the same price, AT 0% APR Best car I've ever had. I'm 13 years 191k miles and eight years without car payments to the good. You don't have to do business with people who treat you badly.
Good games are FAIR. If a game is not fair people will not play it very long. Mostly, despite the growing pains, NWO seem pretty fair to me. Unfair pricing and market practices taint the image of the whole game. So if you see people leaving, remember its a choice. PWE/Cryptic, what could YOU do differently to make them stay?
1. Have you purchased a Companion? Why?(Gold Currency and Content Pack Companions Excluded)
No. No Zen/AD/whatever for that. I plan to buy a cat in 980 days though, and I save my invocation AD every day. Two years and eight months left.
2. What factor prevents you from buying companions the most?
Except for the augment ones, they are useless. But of course if they were free then I would have them all. It's the very idea of paying for something, in what is supposedly a f2p, that I dislike.
3. What is the most you would spend on a companion? Augment and Non-Augment.
One month of AD savings for an augment. For the non-augment, the way they are now, zero. I will take them only if they are free (and the companion slot is free too)
4. Do you feel like the upgrade prices are appropriate? Why?
Sure. People who have enough real money to buy a cash-shop companion also have money to upgrade them. It's all about e-peen here, not efficiency.
5. Most players feel that Augments are far superior to Non-Augment Companions, what could be done to improve this situation?
A char with a non-augment companion should be as effective as a guy with an augment companion. It should be a choice between two different ways to achieve the same efficiency.
Nerfing the augments would be fine. 5% of their stats instead of 100%. Plus, it's a very fair solution as it would mainly affect the cash-shop addicts, and not at all the vast majority of the players, who don't use the cash-shop. It's a f2p after all.
Additional Comments:
The AI of the companions is terrible. Either imrove it significantly or give the players some options to more or less manage his companion. "Stay here". "Follow me."
No I do/did not buy a companion. They are to expensive and should be account wide for the price they have now. Not sure if I would spend Zen on them however.
I do like the idea. The animals could be a nice addition to the personality of your character. All my characters have the dog, just to have a loyal companion. I always wanted a melee beastmaster, fighting alongside your pet like brothers in arms and I have it more or less in this game. I love it.
What I would like to see is more standard companions, all races and all classes as a companion. My female dwarf great weapon fighter uses the cleric, but for the sake of the story I would love to have an old male dwarf as cleric. I also want to be able to customize these companions. I want the same thing as in STO with my Bridge officers. I would pay Zen to have access to that kind of features.
As a side suggestion. Wouldn't it be great to have one of your alts as a companion?
How do they perform? I only have the dog and the cleric, so my input is limited. Well, I am not satisfied. They step in traps or are scared because of them and get stuck there. The cleric is way to offensive, she puts here always in the heat of the battle. taking hits and AoE damage. Stay back, heal me and finish off low hp trash. The dog doesn't take combat advantage on its own. You have to manoeuvre around and even then. The dog is awesome though when he floors a big dude.
I miss player companion AI input. Stay here, passive, offensive, follow. Again, I look at STO, that's what I want.
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xhritMember, Neverwinter Beta UsersPosts: 0Arc User
edited September 2013
1. Have you purchased a Companion? Why?(Gold Currency and Content Pack Companions Excluded)
I use an Ioun stone of Allure, as well as the Upstart Cleric. I also use a Skeletal Dog (but that doesn't really count).
2. What factor prevents you from buying companions the most?
The fact we can only use one at a time. You never need to buy more then 1, because 1 is all you can use.
3. What is the most you would spend on a companion? Augment and Non-Augment.
I would (and did) buy an account wide companion for 7$ in a heartbeat. I suppose would pay ~20$ for an account wide companion. I would prolly only pay 5 or 10 for a single use companion though. ( i purchased my ioun stone by trading ad for zen )
4. Do you feel like the upgrade prices are appropriate? Why?
No, they are too expensive. It costs less to buy zen with your AD and purchase a purple companion.
5. Most players feel that Augments are far superior to Non-Augment Companions, what could be done to improve this situation?
Make augment companions follow the same rules as non augment companions. Make it so augment companions take damage, die and have to get rezzed, or make it so normal companions don't die unless the player dies.
Additional Comments:
Also, let us use use more then one companion at a time, (but only one of each type). Example : 1 striker, 1 augment, or 1 controller and 1 healer...
I have purchased a Hawk from the Zen store, 2 Wererats from the AH, a green quality Tank from the AH, a Phorea from the AH, and I am going to convert some AD to Zen to buy an Ioun Stone of Allure in the next day or so.
I bought the Hawk because I wanted a nice bird to follow me around, lol. I never expected him to be a great combat companion, I just wanted a bird. I got what I expected. The Wererats I found to be useful while leveling up but they are seldom used in groups. I use my Phorea quite a bit and I like the look as well, but it's effectiveness is still poor. I am getting the Ioun Stone to maximize the effectiveness of my CW.
The price and the fact that they are not account wide. As other have said, if the purchase price is for each character then the cost needs to be reduced drastically. If each zen companion is account wide then the price does not need to drop quite as much, but it still needs to come down.
Additionally, the over-all effectiveness of companions needs to be increased. I have a few random thoughts on the subject, they will be at the end of this post.
Single character, non-augment pet: 500 Zen ($5.00) (green quality at purchase)
Account wide, non-augment pet: 1500 zen ($15.00) (green quality at purchase)
Single character, augment pet: 1000 Zen ($10.00) (green quality at purchase)
Account wide, augment pet: 2000 Zen ($20.00) (green quality at purchase)
For single character pets I would be willing to pay 250 Zen ($2.50) for each additional tier of upgrade (blue-purple), so a single character purple companion would be $10.00 (1000 zen). For the account wide pets 400 zen ($4.00) for each tier, so a purple quality account wide pet would be 2800 Zen ($28.00)
The current upgrade prices are ludicrous. As every single person in this thread has pointed out. The cost to upgrade needs to be reduced, and reduced by a significant amount.
Instead of having "Augment" and "non-Augment" companions, ALL companions should have some sort of augment effect. Some companions could add directly to your defense/deflect, others to your AP and Regen, or whatever. The more effective the augments, the less effective they are in combat, and vice versa. If you mix and match the bonuses that are on each companion then you will see much more variety in companion choice. This can also be supplemented by allowing different % of stat transfer from gear equipped on a companion, a tanking companion could allow 75% of +defense and deflect to be transferred, but only 25% of +power and crit. (obviously the exact % for each companion and the actual stats transferred would need to be worked out, I am just thinking out loud)
Let us work to a companion more often. The ability to farm flowers to buy a pig companion in the Festival is good. As is the chance at a Blink Dog in the repeatable mission in the Realm of Malabog. We need more companions that are available like this. And we need to have the ability to increase the quality of the companions by playing the game, without allowing everything to be bought with Zen. Have a repeatable mission (or a once weekly mission) that gives a token (or whatever) to collect which will allow you to increase the quality of a specific companion. (A new mission in the Feywild with a story line directly relevant to the Blink Dog, complete the mission 4 times to upgrade to blue, 10 times to purple. 3 day cool down on the mission)
I am also looking forward to the possibility of new companions tied to the "Call to Arms" events, whenever they come.
Time gating is an effective tool for a F2P MMO, as long as it can NOT ALWAYS be circumvented by spending money. Allow F2P players to have an advancement that is not diminished by people spending money to achieve it quicker. You can not give benefits exclusively to F2P players, that is not fair to the P2P people, but you can remove the benefit from spending money on some items that are a reward for playing the game.
This person wins the game. Listen close dev's and do all of this, as well as a copy/paste of STO bridge officers....do this NOW or the game will suffer later.
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kaiserschmarrnMember, Neverwinter Beta Users, Neverwinter Hero Users, Neverwinter Guardian Users, Neverwinter Knight of the Feywild UsersPosts: 390
edited September 2013
Excuse me, but why is this thread even necessary when everyone knows what is wrong with companions - namely their power level and their uselessness in dungeons.
1. Have you purchased a Companion? Why? (Gold Currency and Content Pack Companions Excluded)
Got several Ioun stones and a couple of others like the Galeb and the Neverember Guard. Why ? The stone is a great buff for your character, some others I bought for testing and flair.
2. What factor prevents you from buying companions the most?
That all companions, except the stone and cat, are entirely useless for level 60 content. They don't heal enough, their AI is horrible, they don't move out from aoes, they don't do enough damage to even dent a normal level 60 dungeon mob.
3. What is the most you would spend on a companion? Augment and Non-Augment.
I would spend 10k and maybe more on a companion that comes close to a standard elite dungeon mob.
4. Do you feel like the upgrade prices are appropriate? Why?
No, just as with horses they are way overpriced and need to be slashed down by 80%. A non-augment green, blue, or purple companion just remains as useless in a 60 dungeon as the normal white version.
5. Most players feel that Augments are far superior to Non-Augment Companions, what could be done to improve this situation ?
All non-augment companions need a heavy buff and a purple level 30 companion needs to be the equivalent of a regular level 60 elite dungeon mob. In their current versions all of them are useless. Even their best damage powers are only a fraction of any level 60 player's standard attack.
Excuse me, but why is this thread even necessary when everyone knows what is wrong with companions - namely their power level and their uselessness in dungeons.
Because, I don't really think everyone knows. Some people just use the ones they think are neat, and just assume the game would balance them a bit.
It reminds me of pokemon when I was a kid. Before I learned about breeding, IVs, EV training, etc... I just used whatever I thought was the coolest. Which is great in its own little way. Once I learned about all the stuff. And understood how big a difference it made... Everything changed.
Companions in Neverwinter is kinda the same thing. Before I used an augment, I never realized how big a difference there was. You can still play with a regular companion, but its like playing with a couple pieces of your gear un-equipped. You are handicapping yourself by doing so.
Comments
No, but I will since augemnt companion is essecial for end-game.
2. What factor prevents you from buying companions the most?
Yes, as everyone else its price. What people who decide prices do not realize is neverwinter isnt only for USA and GB - there are other countries too and people doesnt have that high income. I mean 35 dollars is maybe (few) hour(s) income in USA while in other countries it can be several DAYS! (I dont live in eastern country but still on summer job its just too much to work 12 hours for a pet)
3. What is the most you would spend on a companion? Augment and Non-Augment.
Considering situation of avarage player in my country i would say 10-15 dolars would be nice price.
4. Do you feel like the upgrade prices are appropriate? Why?
Defenetly not - the level 30 bonuses are .... are there any bonuses?.
5. Most players feel that Augments are far superior to Non-Augment Companions, what could be done to improve this situation?
When all pets augument, there are no augument pets. All pets should augument depending on quality rather then type. It should also have a mode "do not engage in combat" or augument-only, when the mode is on, the pet is invulnerable.
Additional Comments:
This is mmoRPg game, some more RP features to pets would be nice.
I bought the Hawk because I wanted a nice bird to follow me around, lol. I never expected him to be a great combat companion, I just wanted a bird. I got what I expected. The Wererats I found to be useful while leveling up but they are seldom used in groups. I use my Phorea quite a bit and I like the look as well, but it's effectiveness is still poor. I am getting the Ioun Stone to maximize the effectiveness of my CW.
The price and the fact that they are not account wide. As other have said, if the purchase price is for each character then the cost needs to be reduced drastically. If each zen companion is account wide then the price does not need to drop quite as much, but it still needs to come down.
Additionally, the over-all effectiveness of companions needs to be increased. I have a few random thoughts on the subject, they will be at the end of this post.
Single character, non-augment pet: 500 Zen ($5.00) (green quality at purchase)
Account wide, non-augment pet: 1500 zen ($15.00) (green quality at purchase)
Single character, augment pet: 1000 Zen ($10.00) (green quality at purchase)
Account wide, augment pet: 2000 Zen ($20.00) (green quality at purchase)
For single character pets I would be willing to pay 250 Zen ($2.50) for each additional tier of upgrade (blue-purple), so a single character purple companion would be $10.00 (1000 zen). For the account wide pets 400 zen ($4.00) for each tier, so a purple quality account wide pet would be 2800 Zen ($28.00)
The current upgrade prices are ludicrous. As every single person in this thread has pointed out. The cost to upgrade needs to be reduced, and reduced by a significant amount.
Instead of having "Augment" and "non-Augment" companions, ALL companions should have some sort of augment effect. Some companions could add directly to your defense/deflect, others to your AP and Regen, or whatever. The more effective the augments, the less effective they are in combat, and vice versa. If you mix and match the bonuses that are on each companion then you will see much more variety in companion choice. This can also be supplemented by allowing different % of stat transfer from gear equipped on a companion, a tanking companion could allow 75% of +defense and deflect to be transferred, but only 25% of +power and crit. (obviously the exact % for each companion and the actual stats transferred would need to be worked out, I am just thinking out loud)
Let us work to a companion more often. The ability to farm flowers to buy a pig companion in the Festival is good. As is the chance at a Blink Dog in the repeatable mission in the Realm of Malabog. We need more companions that are available like this. And we need to have the ability to increase the quality of the companions by playing the game, without allowing everything to be bought with Zen. Have a repeatable mission (or a once weekly mission) that gives a token (or whatever) to collect which will allow you to increase the quality of a specific companion. (A new mission in the Feywild with a story line directly relevant to the Blink Dog, complete the mission 4 times to upgrade to blue, 10 times to purple. 3 day cool down on the mission)
I am also looking forward to the possibility of new companions tied to the "Call to Arms" events, whenever they come.
Time gating is an effective tool for a F2P MMO, as long as it can NOT ALWAYS be circumvented by spending money. Allow F2P players to have an advancement that is not diminished by people spending money to achieve it quicker. You can not give benefits exclusively to F2P players, that is not fair to the P2P people, but you can remove the benefit from spending money on some items that are a reward for playing the game.
Only the Ioun Stone of Allure because the rest of the companions are useless and a burden compared to it
2. What factor prevents you from buying companions the most?
Companions being useless and a burden when compared to the Ioun Stone of Allure
3. What is the most you would spend on a companion? Augment and Non-Augment.
$20
4. Do you feel like the upgrade prices are appropriate? Why?
No, they are too expensive and prevent players from purchasing and trying out new companions
5. Most players feel that Augments are far superior to Non-Augment Companions, what could be done to improve this situation?
a. Give companions %-based damage/healing on what your dps and health is respectively
b. Reduce the AOE damage they take by about 90%
c. Allow some of them to have GOOD/RELIABLE tanking skills and abilities
d. Give them more "cool" effects such as what the ghost has
Additional Comments:
It has been clear that Augments are too overpowered compared to other companions yet you guys have done very little about it. I hope this is a sign that you will be making MAJOR changes.
Also, please lower the upgrade cost of the companions. People feel that it is an insult and a stupid move to upgrade companions so they do not buy new companions in effect and stick with their current Stone/Cat. I believe a 100k fee is appropriately priced.
No I haven't, reasons in answer to question 2
2. What factor prevents you from buying companions the most?
They're not account-wide like mounts. I have many characters and buying one for each of them would be too expensive.
3. What is the most you would spend on a companion? Augment and Non-Augment.
Augment for sure, everybody say that Non-Augment ones are useless in endgame (it's kinda sad, I mean, dozens of different companions and the only useful ones are 3)
4. Do you feel like the upgrade prices are appropriate? Why?
No, all fixed AD prices in this game are far higher than what they should (4000 AD for a teleport scroll, are you serious?). It's usually cheaper to buy an Epic companion than upgrading a Rare to Epic.
5. Most players feel that Augments are far superior to Non-Augment Companions, what could be done to improve this situation?
I don't think this can be fixed, you can boost Non-Augment but the problem in instances would remain their non-human AI. I'd suggest you to create a wide range of Augment companions, or, and it would be very nice, to give to EVERY COMPANION the possibility to be switched between Augment and Non-Augment.
Additional Comments:
Many complain about this game but the truth is you created a very very good game. You should just lower in-game AD prices (upgrading ones in particular) in my opionion, and make respec cost 100 Zen. Anyway, thanks for this great mmorpg :-)
Yes... ◾Galeb Dhur. I was brand new and I thought it would help me while I learned the game. I have since deleted the toon that he was bound to. He didn't really work very well.
2. What factor prevents you from buying companions the most?
Way too expensive.
3. What is the most you would spend on a companion? Augment and Non-Augment.
$15 at the most for either.
4. Do you feel like the upgrade prices are appropriate? Why?
No I don't. AD is way to hard to get and companions don't help that much.
5. Most players feel that Augments are far superior to Non-Augment Companions, what could be done to improve this situation?
No idea... I have never used an augment companion.
Additional Comments: You might want to consider customizable companions like with STO. I like this game but everything can't be a big ticket item. I can buy a whole new game for what your charging for companions and a new game system for what you charge for your Hero of the North Pack. Just saying.
Most companions' basic attack has a cooldown of 2 seconds, and their "other" attack is 8 seconds or more. That extra 150DPS, not to mention what you lose by now having that ancient piece of gear bound, is not worth it IMO.
Offensive pets should be able to spam their basic attacks at least once per second. In fact, all non-augment pets should be given an "at-will" power that has a much faster attack rate.
"Is it better to be feared or respected? I say, is it too much to ask for both?" -Tony Stark
Official NW_Legit_Community Forums
1) Yes. I have bought 4. 1 Neverember guard and 3 Ioun Stones of Allure. The guard was bought to tank for my DC, but is useless at LVL 60. Non augmenting pets are worthless at high levels. The stones, though rabidly overpriced, are simply the only viable pet for DDs, apart from the critty cat which is scalped at another location. With the current state of the que and my friends list, not to mention the devalued performance of two of the toons so equipped, notably my GWF - I regret every zen of it. HUGE waste of money.
2) The money. Lots of zen, little more than cosmetic value. You get better deals from the street hustlers selling Gucci knockoffs in Times Square.
3) I haven't bought any more, none in the last 6 weeks, because of money. As Mark Twain said, "Fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me' I think if they were to rethink their durability and get rid of the suicidal behavior that the AI often exibits, that a fair price for them would run from 200 - 1000 zen apiece, depending on quality. Any of the current non augmenting pets would fall into the lowest price category, as starter pets for low level toons. They are just no good later in the game. As a former PnP GM and veteran MMO player I feel that account wide unlocks should belong only to stylistic, cosmetic. and convenience features. Followers have a direct effect on gameplay and an account wide unlock is not appropriate.
4) Blatant scalping. You would think they are illegal at these prices. If these were steroids for athletes I could better understand the pricing, simply because of the high risk to gain ratio. Performance wise its like a fifty dollar cup of coffee. If you'll buy this I've got some oceanfront property to sell you in Nebraska........
5) Its a survival issue, no question. And since augments are among the more expensive pets, and as actions speak louder than words, I think its obvious that the designers understood this when they put them into the game. I joined the beta late but haven't heard any war stories about how great the followers were till they got nerfed. There is an obvious progression implied. Get a freebie early but you have to spend later to keep up. If they were worth what you pay for them I wouldn't mind so much.
And as a final thought....
Remember Nightmare Thursday? Whether right or wrong, fair or unfair, Those keys were selling like hotcakes in the zen store. Why? Because for a while there everyone was sure that they were really going to get their money's worth. People worldwide all understand the value of fair pricing. Just because the game company has a monopoly on its products does not make it a good idea to abuse your customer base by scalping their shirts. Drop those prices and you will more than make up in volume what you lose in margin. There is no significant production over head on one digital construct in a game that has hundreds. its like giving us a barn full of chickens but making us pay a million dollars for a rooster. People tend not to like things like that.
Attitude counts for everything. Years ago I was shopping for a new car. I liked both the price and feel of the Toyota Camry. I didn't like the interest rates on the company financing though, and told the salesman to get me a better deal and I'd sign.. right then. Car salesmen like to hear that, so he went and got his manager. The manager was busy so we went to see the owner. He listened, then interrupted his man, looked me dead in the eye and said "Look here, I've got 9 of these left on the lot. There were 11 yesterday. It's the best selling car in America and I don't have to make deals. I'll sell every one of them. If you won't buy it someone else will" And he walked off. So I walked off too. I've never been back. Two days later I bought a Saturn L-200 for almost the same price, AT 0% APR
Good games are FAIR. If a game is not fair people will not play it very long. Mostly, despite the growing pains, NWO seem pretty fair to me. Unfair pricing and market practices taint the image of the whole game. So if you see people leaving, remember its a choice. PWE/Cryptic, what could YOU do differently to make them stay?
No. No Zen/AD/whatever for that. I plan to buy a cat in 980 days though, and I save my invocation AD every day. Two years and eight months left.
2. What factor prevents you from buying companions the most?
Except for the augment ones, they are useless. But of course if they were free then I would have them all. It's the very idea of paying for something, in what is supposedly a f2p, that I dislike.
3. What is the most you would spend on a companion? Augment and Non-Augment.
One month of AD savings for an augment. For the non-augment, the way they are now, zero. I will take them only if they are free (and the companion slot is free too)
4. Do you feel like the upgrade prices are appropriate? Why?
Sure. People who have enough real money to buy a cash-shop companion also have money to upgrade them. It's all about e-peen here, not efficiency.
5. Most players feel that Augments are far superior to Non-Augment Companions, what could be done to improve this situation?
A char with a non-augment companion should be as effective as a guy with an augment companion. It should be a choice between two different ways to achieve the same efficiency.
Nerfing the augments would be fine. 5% of their stats instead of 100%. Plus, it's a very fair solution as it would mainly affect the cash-shop addicts, and not at all the vast majority of the players, who don't use the cash-shop. It's a f2p after all.
Additional Comments:
The AI of the companions is terrible. Either imrove it significantly or give the players some options to more or less manage his companion. "Stay here". "Follow me."
I do like the idea. The animals could be a nice addition to the personality of your character. All my characters have the dog, just to have a loyal companion. I always wanted a melee beastmaster, fighting alongside your pet like brothers in arms and I have it more or less in this game. I love it.
What I would like to see is more standard companions, all races and all classes as a companion. My female dwarf great weapon fighter uses the cleric, but for the sake of the story I would love to have an old male dwarf as cleric. I also want to be able to customize these companions. I want the same thing as in STO with my Bridge officers. I would pay Zen to have access to that kind of features.
As a side suggestion. Wouldn't it be great to have one of your alts as a companion?
How do they perform? I only have the dog and the cleric, so my input is limited. Well, I am not satisfied. They step in traps or are scared because of them and get stuck there. The cleric is way to offensive, she puts here always in the heat of the battle. taking hits and AoE damage. Stay back, heal me and finish off low hp trash. The dog doesn't take combat advantage on its own. You have to manoeuvre around and even then. The dog is awesome though when he floors a big dude.
I miss player companion AI input. Stay here, passive, offensive, follow. Again, I look at STO, that's what I want.
I use an Ioun stone of Allure, as well as the Upstart Cleric. I also use a Skeletal Dog (but that doesn't really count).
2. What factor prevents you from buying companions the most?
The fact we can only use one at a time. You never need to buy more then 1, because 1 is all you can use.
3. What is the most you would spend on a companion? Augment and Non-Augment.
I would (and did) buy an account wide companion for 7$ in a heartbeat. I suppose would pay ~20$ for an account wide companion. I would prolly only pay 5 or 10 for a single use companion though. ( i purchased my ioun stone by trading ad for zen )
4. Do you feel like the upgrade prices are appropriate? Why?
No, they are too expensive. It costs less to buy zen with your AD and purchase a purple companion.
5. Most players feel that Augments are far superior to Non-Augment Companions, what could be done to improve this situation?
Make augment companions follow the same rules as non augment companions. Make it so augment companions take damage, die and have to get rezzed, or make it so normal companions don't die unless the player dies.
Additional Comments:
Also, let us use use more then one companion at a time, (but only one of each type). Example : 1 striker, 1 augment, or 1 controller and 1 healer...
As long as we as asking for things in phantasy star online 2, can we have our friends list as companions too, to use when they are offline?
^^
Feast of the Moon | Rising of the Dark | Shadow of the World | Everdark
This person wins the game. Listen close dev's and do all of this, as well as a copy/paste of STO bridge officers....do this NOW or the game will suffer later.
1. Have you purchased a Companion? Why? (Gold Currency and Content Pack Companions Excluded)
Got several Ioun stones and a couple of others like the Galeb and the Neverember Guard. Why ? The stone is a great buff for your character, some others I bought for testing and flair.
2. What factor prevents you from buying companions the most?
That all companions, except the stone and cat, are entirely useless for level 60 content. They don't heal enough, their AI is horrible, they don't move out from aoes, they don't do enough damage to even dent a normal level 60 dungeon mob.
3. What is the most you would spend on a companion? Augment and Non-Augment.
I would spend 10k and maybe more on a companion that comes close to a standard elite dungeon mob.
4. Do you feel like the upgrade prices are appropriate? Why?
No, just as with horses they are way overpriced and need to be slashed down by 80%. A non-augment green, blue, or purple companion just remains as useless in a 60 dungeon as the normal white version.
5. Most players feel that Augments are far superior to Non-Augment Companions, what could be done to improve this situation ?
All non-augment companions need a heavy buff and a purple level 30 companion needs to be the equivalent of a regular level 60 elite dungeon mob. In their current versions all of them are useless. Even their best damage powers are only a fraction of any level 60 player's standard attack.
Because, I don't really think everyone knows. Some people just use the ones they think are neat, and just assume the game would balance them a bit.
It reminds me of pokemon when I was a kid. Before I learned about breeding, IVs, EV training, etc... I just used whatever I thought was the coolest. Which is great in its own little way. Once I learned about all the stuff. And understood how big a difference it made... Everything changed.
Companions in Neverwinter is kinda the same thing. Before I used an augment, I never realized how big a difference there was. You can still play with a regular companion, but its like playing with a couple pieces of your gear un-equipped. You are handicapping yourself by doing so.