I felt I needed to write this...:) Sorry about the split post...I did'nt know there was a limit :P
I have been hearing a lot of people complaining about Neverwinter on this forum and money almost always comes into it. I want to point out that most are just venting. They feel frustrated by some of their assumptions and expectations of the game being wrong. For example, most players come into the Neverwinter community expecting that they will have inventory space that is capable of accommodating all of their individual finds. When they realise that there is not enough inventory space to keep everything or to 'easily' manage resources, they become frustrated. They typically attempt to ease this frustration by spending Zen (which is a good business model - money for convenience) only to become frustrated again as they feel 'I should not have to spend money to enjoy the game'.
It is typically at this final point in the thought process when things become confusing. Some people believe that they 'have' to spend real money to get the most out of the game. This is completely and totally incorrect. You can 'choose' to spend money if you want to get everything out of the game 'quickly' but you do not have to spend money. For example, I have spent a total of $100 on Neverwinter. I did this in complete knowledge that I was buying a convenience not a 'game advantage'. My wife has spent $50 on a founders pack, stating plainly "I want to support the development of the game". These were choices made after we had already spent months enjoying free play. That play was sometimes made challenging by limited inventory space, limited bank space and an absence of unique pets, but challenge does not always equal evil. In fact, figuring out what items to discard and what items to keep made me feel like an adventurer sorting through his backpack rather than someone simply watching a graphical spread sheet of valued assets. Also, my brother plays all the time, loves the game and has never spent a cent.
The next thing I want to point out is that Perfect World is a corporation. It would not be engaging in this venture if it did not stand a chance of making serious money. The studio they would require to run and maintain this game must cost thousands! And you know what? I praise PW for their idea. My family has paid $150 to this game while most games we purchase would never get even close to that investment. The power behind this idea is that we 'chose' to invest in this game. We were never compelled to do so, just encouraged by the prospect of added conveniences and a few
‘cute’ little side dishes (like my honey badger). It seems that whenever Perfect World puts something in the game designed to encourage players to spend money, they are seen as extortionist profiteers. An extortionist profiteer would be someone who demanded $150 for the right to play not asked for it while allowing you to play. The only thing I dislike about their system of revenue-earning involves the Nightmare Lock-Boxes. They are technically a form of gambling and my objection to them is personal. But again, it’s my choice to use them or not to use them and you can buy the keys with sold Astral Diamonds anyway.
Lastly, I would appreciated it if anyone reading this would note that I have backed-up what I have said with evidence/explanation. Perhaps not particularly strong evidence (general statements of personal experiences without screen-shots) but at least I have mentioned the specifics of what I am talking about. So many people (e.g. demonisha who stated that the character classes are unbalanced without any explanation and thequeball refusing to explain exactly how a 24hr ban from chat was ‘making the game unplayable for him’, even in the face of so many saying that they never use chat at all to play – are just two examples) make negative statements without clearly engaging in productive argument. As I said at the start; it’s just venting. To those two players I felt compelled to mention to avoid being hypocritical, I am not saying you are wrong just that I personally did not have any clue what you both were talking about half the time.
Here is my guide to having a good experience with Neverwinter:
1) Don’t feel you have to spend money…because you don’t.
2) Don’t spend money you do not want to.
3) Don’t spend money you do not have.
4) Realise and accept that Perfect World is a bunch of guys and girls in a room. They have lives and don’t serve you, especially if your payment is both voluntary and optional.
5) Play the game. Don’t sit in PE Chat hawking your gear when you know it should be sold in the auction house.
6) If you have a suggestion as to how PW might improve the game, back it up with evidence and/or specifics. A lot of people use evidence; this is just directed at a few/
7) Don’t have your fun be contingent on PW making changes. Like it and play or hate it and don’t play it. It does not cost you anything after all.
I sincerely hope this rant does not offend anyone. I really like Neverwinter. It’s not perfect but I do enjoy it. And I also like its cost: Free. Thanks for reading.
I still feel jilted by the game. I read up on it on their website, and plainly read that NW isn't a "pay-to-win" game. But I believe that to be an untrue statement. Winning isn't always about endgame clears, best gear, etc... Winning to me is about the little things, like the Nightmare Lockboxes you spoke of. I looted one at level 10, was excited about it, just to find out that I can either wait until I collect enough AD's to get a key, or buy the Zen with real money. So, to me, that's paying to win. As for the auction house, nothing in there is available for coins, only AD's...yet another pay to win. I try to auction the Nightmare Lockbox to earn some AD's, once again, you need AD's to post it in the AH. So needless to say, I felt betrayed. I was actually enjoying myself up until that point, but I just left the game after learning that. I understand that they need to make money, but don't lie about the game to get people in. Having 3 currencies in one game is just silly to me, and just adds confusion to the whole process. So in the end, I'll go back to playing Solitaire I guess. Take care.
I still feel jilted by the game. I read up on it on their website, and plainly read that NW isn't a "pay-to-win" game. But I believe that to be an untrue statement. Winning isn't always about endgame clears, best gear, etc... Winning to me is about the little things, like the Nightmare Lockboxes you spoke of. I looted one at level 10, was excited about it, just to find out that I can either wait until I collect enough AD's to get a key, or buy the Zen with real money. So, to me, that's paying to win. As for the auction house, nothing in there is available for coins, only AD's...yet another pay to win. I try to auction the Nightmare Lockbox to earn some AD's, once again, you need AD's to post it in the AH. So needless to say, I felt betrayed. I was actually enjoying myself up until that point, but I just left the game after learning that. I understand that they need to make money, but don't lie about the game to get people in. Having 3 currencies in one game is just silly to me, and just adds confusion to the whole process. So in the end, I'll go back to playing Solitaire I guess. Take care.
Thanks for replying. I guess its all about definitions. I personally have only ever used the auction house once to sell a blue item I doubled-up on. Never found the need otherwise. I rule as a guardian in PVP and in PVE without any of that stuff (by rule I mean come out on top half the time :P) That is why I don't understand half the complaints on this forum. It's either about being tricked out of money (which is very strange to me) or its about getting or not getting equipment (which I have never had any problem with). But I do understand the attraction of Solitaire...so relaxing :P
Yep and I was huge SWTOR player before Neverwinter came out, I honestly can't wait to see what Module 1 brings.
Any idea when Module 1 is destined to come out? Can't wait either.
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jihancritiasMember, Neverwinter Beta Users, Neverwinter Guardian UsersPosts: 0Arc User
edited May 2013
Certain things bother me with this game.
The limited amount of space is probably the main one. Even if I bought two more bags, I would still need more space. Enchants, runestones, potions, everything that doesn't stack correctly. I have thirty slots taken up with crafted stuff that won't stack. I don't craft more because I don't have the space.
Not being able to upgrade white assets to purple is annoying also. It takes 18 hours to hire a merc. Hire four and you can turn them in to one guard. That's 16 mercs you need for four guards, to make one of the next. It will take so long to make a purple, if you could, that the option should be there. All of the assets are the same. If I wanted to make good gear crafting, which is only the shirt and pants, for leatherworking, mailsmithing and leadership, I would have to shell out insane amounts, or turn in to a farmer. There is so much gear out there from exploits, it's hard to make ad from the ah.
Of course, you don't NEED anything to play. It just seems that if you don't spend money, you will have a heck of a lot worse time than someone that did. I'm used to games that you pay for extra, unneeded stuff. Bag and bank space should be gold. I.D. every single drop, annoying.
Yep and I was huge SWTOR player before Neverwinter came out, I honestly can't wait to see what Module 1 brings.
If by Module 1 you mean the next big update (sort of expansion), then yes i am soo waiting for that too. And if rumors are true, the 20 vs 20 pvp will be awesome!
The limited amount of space is probably the main one. Even if I bought two more bags, I would still need more space. Enchants, runestones, potions, everything that doesn't stack correctly. I have thirty slots taken up with crafted stuff that won't stack. I don't craft more because I don't have the space.
Not being able to upgrade white assets to purple is annoying also. It takes 18 hours to hire a merc. Hire four and you can turn them in to one guard. That's 16 mercs you need for four guards, to make one of the next. It will take so long to make a purple, if you could, that the option should be there. All of the assets are the same. If I wanted to make good gear crafting, which is only the shirt and pants, for leatherworking, mailsmithing and leadership, I would have to shell out insane amounts, or turn in to a farmer. There is so much gear out there from exploits, it's hard to make ad from the ah.
Of course, you don't NEED anything to play. It just seems that if you don't spend money, you will have a heck of a lot worse time than someone that did. I'm used to games that you pay for extra, unneeded stuff. Bag and bank space should be gold. I.D. every single drop, annoying.
Yeah, I do see your point. I personally however have never run out of space in such a way that it cripples me. Don't get me wrong, especially before I used some excess astral diamonds to purchase a bag of holding, I frequently ran out of space but it just became a game of timing my selling of excess equipment. Yes, it is inconvenient but that's kinda the point in my mind. Anyway, I respect what you said. As a person who did not spend a cent for a long time, I never found myself being worse-off than other people though. In fact, since I've bought all the extras, my performance in comparison to others has actually gone down. Just my experience. Thanks for replying.
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blastymcnastyMember, Neverwinter Beta Users, Neverwinter Knight of the Feywild UsersPosts: 1Arc User
edited November 2013
As this game has evolved it has had its ups and downs . Money is an issue in many games and has become the normal rather then the exception. Like it or not it is here to stay. But be warned if you have a money dispute with Perfect World they BAN your account. The lack of respect to paying players is unnecessary . I have enjoyed the game and HAD respect . Perfect World held my account hostage until I removed my complaint to paypal about perfect worlds nonpayment to me.
I opened a ticket with support before my complaint to Paypal but found the their response of critical paypal errors unassuring. The next day I received no updates or payments. I became concerned and went to paypal for help. moments later I was banned and I was unable to verify if they had resolved the issue because I could not look at my accounts wallet. The fact that this practice exist shows arrogance rules the day at perfect world. Perhaps this plays a part in their stocks inability to reach its 25 dollar target. RANT COMPLETE
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pers3phoneBanned Users, Neverwinter Beta UsersPosts: 0Arc User
edited November 2013
Nice necro. How did you find a topic from 6 months ago lol.
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xhritMember, Neverwinter Beta UsersPosts: 0Arc User
I have spent over $500 on this game. I miss the good ole days with subscription models and not having people get to play for free by taking advantage of my gambling addiction.
The point your missing for people who are "frustrated" by pay to win philosophy is this: Neverwinter is marketed as FREE TO PLAY. To me if your going to make something free to play, you make EVERYTHING accomplishable by being free. Yet the encounters in the end game dungeons are not balanced. Take ToS for instance. Those blade master's hit HARD. no amount of T1 gear is going to protect you. IT is that simple. so to clear ToS, you need to get t1/2 gear, then enchant it with rank 7 enchants AND have 4 other people who have done that. then get the t2 gear you have and remove the rank 7 enchants you have which costs money. SO to progress you have to eventually spend money, because of the inherent 24k limit of refining rough AD into AD. OR you have to cheat, which a lot of people did, in the beginning using exploits to kill bosses and skip encounters. Or you have to get a guild that is willing to carry you through those dungeons. To me the business model should be free to play, pay for advantage. not free to play to level 60, then pay to win. And i feel that is the way it is now. I enjoy lock boxes i like spending money on them, i like buying flavor items to allow my character to LOOK different, then other people. these are the things i would pay of, but i do not feel it is proper to market your game as free to play, then create encounters that encourage you to spend money in order to complete them.
Imagine you were told hey come to a specific place and you will get a free trip to Hawaii, then you get their and you find out you have to spend 2 days in some time share presentation to get the trip. This is called bait and switch, they lure you in with a false promise. And that is how i view Neverwinter. When i first started playing i was stoked because pretty much everything could be done for free, and i got to choose what to spend money on. Now that i am level 60 and trying to gear my toon up i am finding i have to spend a ****ton of AD to fuse enchants, replace enchants, etc.
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sedaiyusMember, Neverwinter Beta UsersPosts: 0Arc User
edited November 2013
I agree with the elrictchedull however I will argue on cryptics behalf that this game has not exactly accomplished any kind of end game experience or content of any sort, its developed really only 'up to' level 60. Its technically just out of the launch gate after all from beta and there is allot of work to be done. From a marketing and gaming perspective levels 1-59 and its content and context would only naturally take presidence over end game content which they can get to later. I think Cryptic has a lot of good intentions and a ton of ideas however they loose track of them, especially important key aspects of the games. I purchased the Hero of the North founder pack which I cannot obtain my forum title for nor obtain the unique rogue tattoos promised but you won't see me complaining out side of what appears to be the non existent tech support. It is because for one, I put the money into that and zen in hopes it will be used to further develop the game, and two I am pretty sure cryptic is quite understaffed.
Here is where I have a issue however. I put money into the game for its development and see a placenta of problems. Now its a new game so problems are to be expected, but some problems are huge that cannot be ignored that makes me believe no one from cryptic has played their game ever or they simply don't care. One issue is the queue system which they said they fixed in their last patch however they didn't, they improved the symptom the problem caused, however they should have simply fixed the problem itself which they didn't. The queue for dungeons use to take 5 players and even if x amount of those players declined, it would send the remaining to the dungeon where they would be stuck in the dungeon, out of group, unable to requeue because the game would insist they were already in a dungeon in a group. They fixed most of that, but we still get send to the dungeon only now we can exist from the group easily and requeue. I tried to queue for DD last night six times to no avail. Its ridiculous.
The bugs involving dungeons like that one where your in the ice cave, its a T2 dungeon, the door wont unblock and the adds infinitly respawn or something and you have to skip it unless you have a titan team(never been able to survive it dunno) just key elements over all I think like my CW not always able to interrupt all my spells. I know he wont do it if he is in the process of shooting the three bursts of magic missile, its annoying, the whole point of the dodge key is to interupt and dodge incoming attacks so its not just a sit and roll behind the current dies and take hits like in WOW.....There is just so much <font color="orange">HAMSTER</font> I might make a extra thread listing specifics to help actually. But my overall point is we got some major issues and where do I see my money going to? Worthless companions that hold no merit to actual gameplay the way they are set up right now mechanics wise, beyond level 50. Mounts which are all essentially the same exact thing just cosmetically different. Events whoes biggest rewards are transfusion items, more cosmetic, no actually practical or useful items. Now I otherwise would not have a issue with all this IF there wasn't a ton of actual problems that are being ignored. Problems I paid to see fix, paid allot of real money for things I never even received. I was ' ' close to walking away when they released module 2 which should at least in text it seems will address allot of problems, so here I am still.
But I absolutely feel that Cryptic is in it for just the money because they seem to cater and care only for new members verse keeping the ones they already have, the ones that have been here since the beginning even longer than I have been here for sure, and ones that have poured money into them already and its insulting. And they do it by the very thing mentioned here, release pay to win garbage instead of fixing problems and releasing either actual entertaining content I.E. Halloween Masquerade event was fun as heck or actual useful gear/companions/story line/quest/dungeons(content). The only reason I bother to even log in is because I have quite a few friends that log in and they make it somewhat of a better experience but not much and their in the same boat. The big server upgrade I was excited about, I felt I contributed greatly to them being able to do that, also I have had issued with their games in certain dungeons with lag so I though it would get fixed. Nope, new servers performance I will say has been noticeably better, but I still see lag, and as nice as I find the game graphics wise, in comparison its quite mediocre. I play Tera and Guild Wars 2 just fine there is no reason this game should be giving me issues. I dunno I just feel like the staff probably get too excited on some new idea or big release or come up with a way to give us fans something we have been asking for forever they overlook the fact they still have a unfinished game to run and maintain.
Comments
Lastly, I would appreciated it if anyone reading this would note that I have backed-up what I have said with evidence/explanation. Perhaps not particularly strong evidence (general statements of personal experiences without screen-shots) but at least I have mentioned the specifics of what I am talking about. So many people (e.g. demonisha who stated that the character classes are unbalanced without any explanation and thequeball refusing to explain exactly how a 24hr ban from chat was ‘making the game unplayable for him’, even in the face of so many saying that they never use chat at all to play – are just two examples) make negative statements without clearly engaging in productive argument. As I said at the start; it’s just venting. To those two players I felt compelled to mention to avoid being hypocritical, I am not saying you are wrong just that I personally did not have any clue what you both were talking about half the time.
Here is my guide to having a good experience with Neverwinter:
1) Don’t feel you have to spend money…because you don’t.
2) Don’t spend money you do not want to.
3) Don’t spend money you do not have.
4) Realise and accept that Perfect World is a bunch of guys and girls in a room. They have lives and don’t serve you, especially if your payment is both voluntary and optional.
5) Play the game. Don’t sit in PE Chat hawking your gear when you know it should be sold in the auction house.
6) If you have a suggestion as to how PW might improve the game, back it up with evidence and/or specifics. A lot of people use evidence; this is just directed at a few/
7) Don’t have your fun be contingent on PW making changes. Like it and play or hate it and don’t play it. It does not cost you anything after all.
I sincerely hope this rant does not offend anyone. I really like Neverwinter. It’s not perfect but I do enjoy it. And I also like its cost: Free. Thanks for reading.
things aren't perfect, but it's definately the most fun I've had with an mmo in quite some time
Loki < The Illuminati > 60 - Control Wizard
Protocol 60 - Great Weapon Fighter
The ambience in NW have yet to fail to impress me. On my free time in NW, I usually go round taking screenshots ^_^
That's your inner artist coming out. You should post your highlight reel
Thanks for replying. I guess its all about definitions. I personally have only ever used the auction house once to sell a blue item I doubled-up on. Never found the need otherwise. I rule as a guardian in PVP and in PVE without any of that stuff (by rule I mean come out on top half the time :P) That is why I don't understand half the complaints on this forum. It's either about being tricked out of money (which is very strange to me) or its about getting or not getting equipment (which I have never had any problem with). But I do understand the attraction of Solitaire...so relaxing :P
Cheers
I'm right there with you
Me too. Thanks to Neverwinter, I have not gone near Defiance, Star Wars or Eve for quite some time.
Yep and I was huge SWTOR player before Neverwinter came out, I honestly can't wait to see what Module 1 brings.
Any idea when Module 1 is destined to come out? Can't wait either.
The limited amount of space is probably the main one. Even if I bought two more bags, I would still need more space. Enchants, runestones, potions, everything that doesn't stack correctly. I have thirty slots taken up with crafted stuff that won't stack. I don't craft more because I don't have the space.
Not being able to upgrade white assets to purple is annoying also. It takes 18 hours to hire a merc. Hire four and you can turn them in to one guard. That's 16 mercs you need for four guards, to make one of the next. It will take so long to make a purple, if you could, that the option should be there. All of the assets are the same. If I wanted to make good gear crafting, which is only the shirt and pants, for leatherworking, mailsmithing and leadership, I would have to shell out insane amounts, or turn in to a farmer. There is so much gear out there from exploits, it's hard to make ad from the ah.
Of course, you don't NEED anything to play. It just seems that if you don't spend money, you will have a heck of a lot worse time than someone that did. I'm used to games that you pay for extra, unneeded stuff. Bag and bank space should be gold. I.D. every single drop, annoying.
If by Module 1 you mean the next big update (sort of expansion), then yes i am soo waiting for that too. And if rumors are true, the 20 vs 20 pvp will be awesome!
Yeah, I do see your point. I personally however have never run out of space in such a way that it cripples me. Don't get me wrong, especially before I used some excess astral diamonds to purchase a bag of holding, I frequently ran out of space but it just became a game of timing my selling of excess equipment. Yes, it is inconvenient but that's kinda the point in my mind. Anyway, I respect what you said. As a person who did not spend a cent for a long time, I never found myself being worse-off than other people though. In fact, since I've bought all the extras, my performance in comparison to others has actually gone down. Just my experience. Thanks for replying.
I opened a ticket with support before my complaint to Paypal but found the their response of critical paypal errors unassuring. The next day I received no updates or payments. I became concerned and went to paypal for help. moments later I was banned and I was unable to verify if they had resolved the issue because I could not look at my accounts wallet. The fact that this practice exist shows arrogance rules the day at perfect world. Perhaps this plays a part in their stocks inability to reach its 25 dollar target. RANT COMPLETE
Feast of the Moon | Rising of the Dark | Shadow of the World | Everdark
Imagine you were told hey come to a specific place and you will get a free trip to Hawaii, then you get their and you find out you have to spend 2 days in some time share presentation to get the trip. This is called bait and switch, they lure you in with a false promise. And that is how i view Neverwinter. When i first started playing i was stoked because pretty much everything could be done for free, and i got to choose what to spend money on. Now that i am level 60 and trying to gear my toon up i am finding i have to spend a ****ton of AD to fuse enchants, replace enchants, etc.
Here is where I have a issue however. I put money into the game for its development and see a placenta of problems. Now its a new game so problems are to be expected, but some problems are huge that cannot be ignored that makes me believe no one from cryptic has played their game ever or they simply don't care. One issue is the queue system which they said they fixed in their last patch however they didn't, they improved the symptom the problem caused, however they should have simply fixed the problem itself which they didn't. The queue for dungeons use to take 5 players and even if x amount of those players declined, it would send the remaining to the dungeon where they would be stuck in the dungeon, out of group, unable to requeue because the game would insist they were already in a dungeon in a group. They fixed most of that, but we still get send to the dungeon only now we can exist from the group easily and requeue. I tried to queue for DD last night six times to no avail. Its ridiculous.
The bugs involving dungeons like that one where your in the ice cave, its a T2 dungeon, the door wont unblock and the adds infinitly respawn or something and you have to skip it unless you have a titan team(never been able to survive it dunno) just key elements over all I think like my CW not always able to interrupt all my spells. I know he wont do it if he is in the process of shooting the three bursts of magic missile, its annoying, the whole point of the dodge key is to interupt and dodge incoming attacks so its not just a sit and roll behind the current dies and take hits like in WOW.....There is just so much <font color="orange">HAMSTER</font> I might make a extra thread listing specifics to help actually. But my overall point is we got some major issues and where do I see my money going to? Worthless companions that hold no merit to actual gameplay the way they are set up right now mechanics wise, beyond level 50. Mounts which are all essentially the same exact thing just cosmetically different. Events whoes biggest rewards are transfusion items, more cosmetic, no actually practical or useful items. Now I otherwise would not have a issue with all this IF there wasn't a ton of actual problems that are being ignored. Problems I paid to see fix, paid allot of real money for things I never even received. I was ' ' close to walking away when they released module 2 which should at least in text it seems will address allot of problems, so here I am still.
But I absolutely feel that Cryptic is in it for just the money because they seem to cater and care only for new members verse keeping the ones they already have, the ones that have been here since the beginning even longer than I have been here for sure, and ones that have poured money into them already and its insulting. And they do it by the very thing mentioned here, release pay to win garbage instead of fixing problems and releasing either actual entertaining content I.E. Halloween Masquerade event was fun as heck or actual useful gear/companions/story line/quest/dungeons(content). The only reason I bother to even log in is because I have quite a few friends that log in and they make it somewhat of a better experience but not much and their in the same boat. The big server upgrade I was excited about, I felt I contributed greatly to them being able to do that, also I have had issued with their games in certain dungeons with lag so I though it would get fixed. Nope, new servers performance I will say has been noticeably better, but I still see lag, and as nice as I find the game graphics wise, in comparison its quite mediocre. I play Tera and Guild Wars 2 just fine there is no reason this game should be giving me issues. I dunno I just feel like the staff probably get too excited on some new idea or big release or come up with a way to give us fans something we have been asking for forever they overlook the fact they still have a unfinished game to run and maintain.
Great Weapon Fighter: Because when is today not a good day to die?
PC and PS4 player. Proud Guildmaster for PS4 Team Fencebane. Rank 5 Officer for PC Team Fencebane. Visit us at http://fencebane.shivtr.com