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Black Ice Corrupts Marketing Team?
eiagra
Member Posts: 70 Arc User
Just saw the new market event going on, as well as the rather nifty polar bear mount. "Hey, an armored polar bear, that's exactly what I've been wanting! Maybe if I save up and work really hard..." And then I see the conditions attached to it.
- There are only 100 of them. You are entering a contest for a chance at one.
- The cheapest buy-in is 3300 Zen. Or, at current market, 1,644,000 to 1,650,000 Astral Diamonds.
Some other data points to consider...
- According to your infographic back in August 2013, you have 2,000,000 players. If only 1% were to participate, that would give you a 1 in 200 (0.5%) chance of winning. If 5% participate, that drops to 1 in 1000 (0.01%) chance. If 10% participate, your chances drop yet again to 1 in 2000 (0.005%). Your player count has no doubt increased since then, so your chances are feasably lower. Pretty poor odds for a $33/1.65M buy-in.
Suddenly, I just get this overwhelming sense of exclusion.
There is no equal footing where effort is rewarded. You can't just work really hard towards the Astrals as a goal. Or, for those with the financial resources, work a little bit in a job and spend your hard-earned money on it.
I dislike the way this makes me feel. I have no other rationalization I can really put up at the moment. Maybe later, if I give this more thought, I'll have something more eloquent to say. Right now, all I got is the "feels." And this just feels like exploitation.
I'm really sick and tired of psychological exploitation by marketing teams. I know you need to pay the bills, but do you have to do it in such a dirty manner? By tempting us with the "cool and shiny" things and not even letting everyone get an opportunity to earn one with honest work?
Maybe someone else has a different perspective that can help alleviate this negative cloud I'm feeling. I'd like to hear what everyone has to say on this though. Are you comfortable with these marketing tactics, if this polar bear is something that means something to you, something you wanted to acquire? Is there something about this that just settles ill with you? Or does it not matter to you either way, as you're just not interested?
Color me curious.
- There are only 100 of them. You are entering a contest for a chance at one.
- The cheapest buy-in is 3300 Zen. Or, at current market, 1,644,000 to 1,650,000 Astral Diamonds.
Some other data points to consider...
- According to your infographic back in August 2013, you have 2,000,000 players. If only 1% were to participate, that would give you a 1 in 200 (0.5%) chance of winning. If 5% participate, that drops to 1 in 1000 (0.01%) chance. If 10% participate, your chances drop yet again to 1 in 2000 (0.005%). Your player count has no doubt increased since then, so your chances are feasably lower. Pretty poor odds for a $33/1.65M buy-in.
Suddenly, I just get this overwhelming sense of exclusion.
There is no equal footing where effort is rewarded. You can't just work really hard towards the Astrals as a goal. Or, for those with the financial resources, work a little bit in a job and spend your hard-earned money on it.
I dislike the way this makes me feel. I have no other rationalization I can really put up at the moment. Maybe later, if I give this more thought, I'll have something more eloquent to say. Right now, all I got is the "feels." And this just feels like exploitation.
I'm really sick and tired of psychological exploitation by marketing teams. I know you need to pay the bills, but do you have to do it in such a dirty manner? By tempting us with the "cool and shiny" things and not even letting everyone get an opportunity to earn one with honest work?
Maybe someone else has a different perspective that can help alleviate this negative cloud I'm feeling. I'd like to hear what everyone has to say on this though. Are you comfortable with these marketing tactics, if this polar bear is something that means something to you, something you wanted to acquire? Is there something about this that just settles ill with you? Or does it not matter to you either way, as you're just not interested?
Color me curious.
Post edited by eiagra on
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Comments
On the other side of things, You have to give them credit though, they have given numerous events, and giveaways and other various items for free.
at some point. I could convert AD, but then I'd feel pretty stupid when I lose that much.
This is incredibly exploitative and I have no doubt that it will work on enough customers that they'll keep doing this kind of thing instead of running promotions with equal rewards for equal participation.
On the subject of the Zen market:
I am peeved at the high pressure sales tactic of rare random coupons that expire one hour after you pick them up.
I am peeved at the apparent discontinuation of reliable, equal-opportunity weekly sales which were my usual incentive to pick up desirable items.
Neverwinter Census 2017
All posts pending disapproval by Cecilia
Very sad, but painfully true.
@OP: You've described what I've been feeling for the last few promotions, like the "buy from the Zen Market once a day for five days for a *chance* to win..." - sorry but purple-fire Phoeras or Nightmares aren't THAT special in any language or price-range. Lockboxes are bad enough, but at least those are persistent and they'll be around for a while. and at least the mounts and companions and other goodies that do show-up for the luckier few will eventually end-up on the Auction House. But these aren't even "transfer Zen into Neverwinter" promos, which I'm totally fine with.
These are actual "buy THIS item, whether you want it or not, for a *CHANCE* to win this super-special shiny". And this all *before* the actual odds are taken into account. This is artificial saturation control. It costs Cryptic NOTHING to flood the market with these things, but they are restricting distribution in order to inflate perceived "value" of the item.
Ummm, it's just a bunch of 1's and 0's inside a digital box that creates pixels - and there is no cost to anyone for duplicating and multiplying said pixels exponentially. Hence a totally false sense of value.
@OP: SPOT-ON WITH THIS. (And this from me: a five-year Cryptic fan - yeah, considering eating my own words now.)
The prize is nothing special, just some random Mount.
Just a little thank you for those folks who were going to buy that stuff anyway.
And it that's all that it takes to convince you to make those purchases, then, well, you know what they say about a Fool and his Money
All I have to say is, Thanks For Subsidizing The Production Of The Next Free Module.
'Wen considered the nature of time and understood that the universe is, instant by instant, recreated anew. Therefore, he understood, there is in truth no past, only a memory of the past. Blink your eyes, and the world you see next did not exist when you closed them. Therefore, he said, the only appropriate state of the mind is surprise. The only appropriate state of the heart is joy. The sky you see now, you have never seen before. The perfect moment is now. Be glad of it.' Terry Pratchet The Thief Of Time
But I do not care if others participate, nor will I think less of them. I know that f2p still needs money and I do support them, but not with this.
I have absolutely no problem with buying stuff from the Zen store. I have a huge problem with the direction Neverwinter's promotions have started taking in the past few months.
Neverwinter Census 2017
All posts pending disapproval by Cecilia
Looks like too many (rich) people were profiting too well off of the fair sales so now we just get blatant, in-your-face, "BUY WHAT WE TELL YOU!" cash grabs.
Not I. I like collecting mounts, and would love an opportunity to just buy one of these outright from the AH instead of gambling for it.
I am reasonably sure that some time after the giveaway the armored polar bears will be made available on the zen market so people can trade their AD in for one. This is just a reward of "first access" to people who will financially support the game.
It's no different than the rest of life. If you want to be among the first to see a movie you will have to pay movie theater prices to see it. If you're not willing to pay that then you will have to wait to see it at a discounted price from Red Box or Netflix. If you want to be the first to own an high tech phone or gadget then you'll have to shell out a good amount of cash for it when it is released. Or you can save your money and wait for the prices to come down - which they will. Always.
Being the first to own something comes at a price. If you're not willing to pay it, then don't. It's no use getting upset at a company for charging what they think someone will pay instead of giving it to you for free. You'd do the same if you were in their shoes.
In the end though I can't see how this is a surprise to anyone. Cheesy marketing tactics are a staple of f2p MMOs. And compared to some of the other methods they use to try and create more incentive for players to buy things, this is pretty darned honest cheese.
Okay, Panic.
^^ These.
Thank you for paying for the game, whoever you are!
The mount should be BOE... eager to see how much they will be selling for in AH...
If they were running the kinds of high-pressure promos they've introduced in addition to the weekly sales, I wouldn't complain.
It's because they appear to have replaced the weekly sales altogether that I'm feeling very down on the Neverwinter Zen market.
Neverwinter Census 2017
All posts pending disapproval by Cecilia
Promotional items tend to stay promotional items and aren't added to the zen store.
However, this promotion is of zero interest to me. Get more black Ice? Sorry, I have already far more black Ice than I need...all those HEs I'm doing, hoping to one day get my gauntlets and mainhand. Get a new mount? Sorry, I don't want mounts - I have my nightmare, and that is enough for me...why should I want to clutter up my inventory with other mounts? Give me a mount tab, like the companion tab, and then we'll see....but for now...thanks, but no thanks.
It's also not mentioned if the Armored Polar Bear is account-wide or single-character. Participants should assume single-character.
Salty much?
I think the bear should be tradeable, that would give people even more incentive to support PWE with cash through this promotion, and also help those who are willing to buy the bear with AD (and not through this promotion), and also help the seller earn some AD as well. Win win for everyone.
Exploitative. Cash grab. Cheesy.
The entitlement mentality reigns again, as it does every time something that isn't easy, free, or cheap be comin' round. You get what you pay for, people, and in most cases, people here are paying NOTHING and are entitled to NOTHING. Even those who DO pay only receive what they pay for, which in 99.99% of the cases is exactly what happens. You pay for convenience, utility, and appearance. That's all you get with this game and if you game for free, you spend your time and energy.
It is not "work" as you're not being remunerated, nor was there ever any promise of such, nor should there be any expectation on anyone's part of any reward. A reward for playing a free game?! Where in the heck did this insane concept come from? If you find it cool, spend some dough and take your chances, but complaining about it makes absolutely no sense. It's not trickery or greed or underhanded and it's certainly not exploitative or a cash grab. It's an offer. If you don't like it, don't spend any money. If you do, then THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR SUPPORTING THIS FREE GAME I PLAY! I will give you big e-hugs if I meet you in game!
Honestly, let's try and keep some perspective here. There's absolutely no justification for feeling ripped off here. I'd suggest that anyone who does do some introspection.
Obi-Wan: [with a small wave of his hand] You don't need to see his ZEN.
PWE: We don't need to see his ZEN.
Obi-Wan: These aren't the promotions we're looking for.
PWE: These aren't the promotions you're looking for.
Obi-Wan: He can go about his business.
PWE: You can go about your business.
Obi-Wan: Move along.
PWE: Move along... move along.
No.
My personal view:
Transfer this much Zen and you will get [free gift thingy].
Oh hey, yeah, I can afford that. It's a pretty good deal. Sold!
Transfer this much Zen and you'll be entered into a draw for [exclusive prize thingy].
Meh.
Buy items x, y, z and you'll be entered into a draw for [exclusive prize thingy].
Meh.
On sale this week for everyone, several different items up to x% off.
Oh hey, yeah, I'll have to think about if I want any of that stuff and make a point of buying it before the sale ends. Maybe I'll even stock up. Sold!
Random coupon for x% off one thing, expiring in an hour.
I don't know if I want to decide about that right now. I'm all wrapped up in playing and I don't even know if this thing is good for a single purchase or can be used multiple times within the hour or what. Oh forget it. I don't care.
Neverwinter's marketing is very much slewing towards impulsive purchases and away from considered ones, and that is extremely alienating towards consumers like me.
Neverwinter Census 2017
All posts pending disapproval by Cecilia
I still wouldn't call it "exploitive" or a "cash grab".
I fully support the business Model right down to the lockbox paradigm.
I buy Zen market stuff all the time, have been a spender of Zen for going on five years now, that won't stop either. and as for the Polar Bear mount, it does't even really interest me to be truthful about it.
The issue, as the OP states, isn't all these things.
It's this:
THIS is the real issue. Not all the other stuff people are thinking the issue is.
Marketing part of it? Well hell, I'm assuming they've done away with weekly sales in favor of these random coupons that drop which are only good for an hour unless you use them... whose brilliant idea was that, if that is actually the case?
-smh-
I'll stick to my dusk unicorn, which is account wide and that I worked for the astral diamonds in game to get. If I have an urge to RP the golden compass I'll take it to a forum or some such X3.
So far I think the other modules have had better mount releases than mod 3. You had things like a robotic crab (kwalish), a giant beetle, an owlbear - I mean, how unique and creative are those mounts? You don't see those in an mmo very often!
What did mod 3 give? A horse with some electrical ice shards, and a polar bear with some armor. Just reskins of previous animal mounts that are already in the game. They should have given us a fresh new species of animal mount, and more creativity.
Ditto this. The Dusk Unicorn is probably the best looking Zen market mount there is (and I have a HAMSTER-tonne of ZM mounts). Though I hate to admit the Black Ice armored Warhorse is pretty wicked-looking. Down to 4mil in AH. I'll consider it when it hits 2 or 2.5 - which is probably by Monday.
Hey, now. That bear was the best character in that whole movie. Except for 007, of course.