It's Perfect World's way to make money. This is how Eastern MMORPGs operate.
They don't invest in a game, at all. They will spend the bare minimum possible and only if they can get their investment back tenfold. You'll never see an expansion pack or story update; it will all be lottery style or overpriced cosmetic items.
They'll ride the game out for another year, maybe two before declaring it unprofitable to continue and shut down the servers. By then they'll have acquired some other grindfests to run into the ground and they'll repeat the cycle.
It's not even the nature of a F2P game. You can look at DDO, LOTRO, even EQ2 have all expanded story, classes and updates, while maintaining a monetized virtual store. You will never see this in STO, don't be surprised if you see more than 1 more FE.
That's why they've allowed Cryptic to double the development team, it finally all makes sense.
Cryptic does need to show off some Season 6 flesh for the masses though, if even to stop crazy talk like this on the forums every. single. day.
And if they went bankrupt and had to close down everywhere? That would help you, how? You can't force them to run an unprofitable business any more than they can force you to stick around.
By insisting they get rid of lock boxes and supporting legislation forcing their hand, aren't you just as much engaging in blackmail as you are accusing them of doing? They have a stake in this too.. it is their company, their investment.
I am an accountant by trade, and the mindset that companies owe clients everything clients demand, regardless of profitability, is irksome to me.
Btw, it is just as bothersome to me when a business owner blames a lack of sales on consumers.
Both sides have to accept a transaction for it to take place. If the product isn't good enough, that is the company's fault, but if the consumer similarly expects something for nothing, then that is on them. If you don't like the product, you don't have to buy it or use it. STO is not a necessity.
This reminds me that Simpson chapter, when Homer tells the story of his quartet, and Bart finds an aerosol of some goo and Homer said, "they remove it from market because they said it was poison and I say, if you are idiot enought to eat it, then you deserve to die" Bart! (when he see Bart eating the goo)...
Same case scenario, since it is your "choice" to buy the boxes, which we all know are a scam (you may want to see it or not) without rules whatsoever to control them, you deserve to be scammed...
And if they went bankrupt and had to close down everywhere? That would help you, how? You can't force them to run an unprofitable business any more than they can force you to stick around.
Yes, and if a world wide hacker shut down the Internet?? One thing is to close the game because X motive, another one is said that they will close the game in your country if you dont SHUT UP!!! It seems that you dont recognize the difference.
By insisting they get rid of lock boxes and supporting legislation forcing their hand, aren't you just as much engaging in blackmail as you are accusing them of doing? They have a stake in this too.. it is their company, their investment.
So, if I tell my government "I think there is a scam in this game" I am blackmailing them?? LOL!
I am an accountant by trade, and the mindset that companies owe clients everything clients demand, regardless of profitability, is irksome to me.
Btw, it is just as bothersome to me when a business owner blames a lack of sales on consumers.
you don't have to buy it or use it. STO is not a necessity.
But I already BUY IT! And that is where the blackmail is! I have money invested on this game, REAL life money. And I did NOTHING illegal but just the same, my country could get ban if I talk!
End discussion with you and me Kimmera.. have a good day.
By insisting they get rid of lock boxes and supporting legislation forcing their hand, aren't you just as much engaging in blackmail as you are accusing them of doing?
So you really think that reporting a supposedly illegal activity is blackmail? o_O
A player reporting Cryptic for their lockbox scam to the authorities is perfectly legal and acceptable. It's just like someone calling the cops because he sees someone climbing over your backyard fence with your laptop. The resulting investigation will reveal whether or not the accused party did indeed something illegal or not.
goods, whether virtual or physical makes no difference as long as they have value to the person wanting to obtain them-- which cryptic makes sure of in this pay to win game.
That's not what i meant...
Actually, it sort of is. If we get rid of the lock boxes and just stick the items in the c-store, i think revenue would go up because the C-Store is far more friendly and accessible, not down.
If some of the lobi store items were made C-Store available, some I'd buy in a heart beat. MISSILES!!!!
But we don't even know how accurate a statement that is... are the lock boxes truly worth that much?
Would just adding those items to the C-Store truly cause that much a drop in revenue? I don't think so...
Likely.
Someone could probably do the math to find out the average spent if we had the actual percentage chance of getting the ship or other items.
I suspect the average cost for a lockbox ship in terms of c-store points spent is much higher than the average cost of buying one off the c-store. And since they offer multiple rare items (cross faction consoles for example), people probably continue to try to at greatly increased rates.
Woow.. nice way to go Cryptic..
The message is clear, if this is illegal in your country, you better shut up or we close the game for you! If this is not blackmail, I dont really know what it is.
Lockboxes are no more illegal than those gumball machines with the little toys in them. If your country has those, I wouldn't worry about STO.
If not... I feel sorry that your country has no gumball machines.
I'm just figuring any minute now this thread is going to be locked down/closed and they will have several meetings about this versus working on the game on how to proceed thus making any content take longer to come out. In any public venue you have to be careful what you say and the old saying of don't bite off more than you can chew comes to mind. Anyways I hope he gets to keep his job anyways...
That's why they've allowed Cryptic to double the development team, it finally all makes sense.
Cryptic does need to show off some Season 6 flesh for the masses though, if even to stop crazy talk like this on the forums every. single. day.
You cite Cryptic doubling its team like it means something.
Where's the benefit for STO since the team grew? Where's our new content, story advancement? Why is only one Dev assigned to 'save' pvp if the team has doubled? The same dev that deals with STFs. Manpower shortage? But, the team has doubled!? Has the team size increase increased Cryptic's capabilities to output content? If so, why are they seriously questioning the worth of FEs all of a sudden?
Crazy talk? Open your eyes and look at the dire state the game is in.
And if they went bankrupt and had to close down everywhere? That would help you, how? You can't force them to run an unprofitable business any more than they can force you to stick around.
By insisting they get rid of lock boxes and supporting legislation forcing their hand, aren't you just as much engaging in blackmail as you are accusing them of doing? They have a stake in this too.. it is their company, their investment.
Yes it is, and they have to make sure that they are operating within the letter of the law. It is not blackmail, it is ensuring proper business practices, which Cryptic/PWI seems to be slipping. They are not one of those "too big to fail" banks which can get bailouts; they can and SHOULD go out of business if found to be using illegal business practices. Period.
I am an accountant by trade, and the mindset that companies owe clients everything clients demand, regardless of profitability, is irksome to me.
Btw, it is just as bothersome to me when a business owner blames a lack of sales on consumers.
Both sides have to accept a transaction for it to take place. If the product isn't good enough, that is the company's fault, but if the consumer similarly expects something for nothing, then that is on them. If you don't like the product, you don't have to buy it or use it. STO is not a necessity.
I have a LTS, and until they fix this lockbox debacle, this company will not see another penny from me. Period. And I bought my LTS before the company transferred to PWE, so basically they have not seen a penny from me since it became Cryptic/PWE.
Neverwinter is going to become a Asian grindfest run-of-the-mill MMO with all the gear trapped behind a pay wall. Makes me wonder if "Treasure Chest" lockboxes will be in that game from Day 1 now.
But I believe i speak for all of us when I say we won't condone this.
You don't speak for all of us. The lockboxes are fine, fun in fact. The constant whinging and wailing on the forums about them, on the other hand, is pathetic and embarassing.
Since my country is about to join the EU, meaning I have some serious concerns assuming this happens on a continental scale, I have a proposal: Why not just block master keys (in every possible way) from said countries? That removes above gambling aspect from the desired countries, without enraging(!!!) the players from said countries (such as myself). I hear a similar thing is going to happen in Japan too, and if it happens in the EU, I would have to move to another country (not possible) or find a way to bypass the ban (either impossible or expensive)
Heres another idea.
Why not just do away with lock boxes and sell the items out right via the C-Store.
Ive never once believed that CBS does not want this line that weve been fed for the past couple of years.
Id imagine that if CBS would not allow something at all it would be the random chance lock boxes and yet here they are.
The reason that we get these lock boxes is because if we could buy everything outright from the C-Store then eventually theyll be nothing left for us to buy and no new money coming into this MMO.
Lock boxes give Cryptic the perfect way to milk maximum revenue for minimum effort.
They only have to produce one new ship every 90 or so days and all the other items found in lock boxes are just rehashes of existing in-game items.
Heck Ive been hearing rumors that a second chance lockbox is coming that will be offering the Bug ship again so that would be even less work for Cryptic to have to do.
Cryptic only has to create 4 new vessels a year for its lock boxes and if the % to get the new ships is low enough they can easily milk out a steady flow of cash from players that must have the new hotness
Ive yet to visit the Lobi store and I doubt that I ever will.
The Lobi store has it stands is an insult to the players and the only reason that it exists is to boost the master key sales.
I have money to spend and Id like to give Cryptic some of that money but I just dont like that way that they are trying to get me to spend that money now.
Letting us buy what we want outright would mean that Cryptic would have to work that much harder to create more new items that wed want to buy.
This all goes back to the maximizing Revenue for minimum Effort statement I made earlier.
The sad thing is that if for some reason the US banned the sale of lock box keys this MMO would cease to exist.
I do not believe that PWE would be willing to invest the capital that it would take to keep us interested and buying new items in STO and I also do not believe that Cryptic could keep up with the needed development schedule to keep STO appealing.
You don't speak for all of us. The lockboxes are fine, fun in fact. The constant whinging and wailing on the forums about them, on the other hand, is pathetic and embarassing.
Fun if you enjoy gambling your money, be it real or EC/Dil.
Have you considered the 'constant whinging' is because so many players do not like the feature?:rolleyes:
Yes it is, and they have to make sure that they are operating within the letter of the law. It is not blackmail, it is ensuring proper business practices, which Cryptic/PWI seems to be slipping. They are not one of those "too big to fail" banks which can get bailouts; they can and SHOULD go out of business if found to be using illegal business practices. Period.
"Proper business practices" is an ongoing debate. Legislation only makes things legal or illegal, not necessarily 'proper' and not 'practical.'
This is not to say that there shouldn't be regulation, but regulation of entertainment products is not an area I would call high priority, or even necessary to this degree. A common example is the illegality of marijuana. It is illegal, but there are a lot of people who feel it shouldn't be for a lot of reasons.
Another example is slavery, which was legal until outlawed. Or laws prohibiting minorities or women from voting. Should women be arrested for voting? It was the law, once. Should women be arrested for learning? It was the law in Afghanistan under the Taliban. Or does that not count because those weren't 'real' laws?
I have a LTS, and until they fix this lockbox debacle, this company will not see another penny from me. Period. And I bought my LTS before the company transferred to PWE, so basically they have not seen a penny from me since it became Cryptic/PWE.
Neverwinter is going to become a Asian grindfest run-of-the-mill MMO with all the gear trapped behind a pay wall. Makes me wonder if "Treasure Chest" lockboxes will be in that game from Day 1 now.
Ashes to ashes,
Pheonyx
So as an LTS'er they got your money, and you have by now likely gotten the value of that payment plus more. And yet you are complaining about being 'blackmailed.' Exactly what I am talking about... you can't even accept the value of what you have gotten.
And I'm quite upset with how this game takes beloved shows and movies from a generally really great IP, and twists them into some sort of cheap lottery box scam ridden generic asia-grinder run-off-the-mill MMO. I held Cryptic to a higher standard than that.
Seriously, the IP you're sitting on is a ****ING GOLD MINE! You don't need to use such low cheap-*** things like these ridiculous lock boxes! Godamnit! -.- Stop copy&pasting features and assets from game to game and start working with the IP!
WOW ^^^
This is like in your face reality! Bammmm!!! I love it! I might change my signature to this quote if it is alright with you.
Why not just do away with lock boxes and sell the items out right via the C-Store.
Ive never once believed that CBS does not want this line that weve been fed for the past couple of years.
Id imagine that if CBS would not allow something at all it would be the random chance lock boxes and yet here they are.
The reason that we get these lock boxes is because if we could buy everything outright from the C-Store then eventually theyll be nothing left for us to buy and no new money coming into this MMO.
Lock boxes give Cryptic the perfect way to milk maximum revenue for minimum effort.
They only have to produce one new ship every 90 or so days and all the other items found in lock boxes are just rehashes of existing in-game items.
But what if they rotated those items in and out of the C-store every couple of months? It would spread the revenue of those items out over a longer period of time.
Just think lock boxes WITHOUT the randomness of it. Hell, they could even have a shorter window if they get enough of these themed packs, where every month is something new.
Someone could probably do the math to find out the average spent if we had the actual percentage chance of getting the ship or other items.
I suspect the average cost for a lockbox ship in terms of c-store points spent is much higher than the average cost of buying one off the c-store. And since they offer multiple rare items (cross faction consoles for example), people probably continue to try to at greatly increased rates.
It's how casinos make so much money.
But wouldn't making them more accessible and friendlier make more people buy it? How do you think Sam Walton, Bill Gates, and STEAM work? The way these games work is on an impulse buy.
People are more willing to do that if it's cheap and quick. Lock boxes will never be like that.
You don't speak for all of us. The lockboxes are fine, fun in fact. The constant whinging and wailing on the forums about them, on the other hand, is pathetic and embarassing.
Why not just do away with lock boxes and sell the items out right via the C-Store.
Ive never once believed that CBS does not want this line that weve been fed for the past couple of years.
Id imagine that if CBS would not allow something at all it would be the random chance lock boxes and yet here they are.
The reason that we get these lock boxes is because if we could buy everything outright from the C-Store then eventually theyll be nothing left for us to buy and no new money coming into this MMO.
Lock boxes give Cryptic the perfect way to milk maximum revenue for minimum effort.
They only have to produce one new ship every 90 or so days and all the other items found in lock boxes are just rehashes of existing in-game items.
Heck Ive been hearing rumors that a second chance lockbox is coming that will be offering the Bug ship again so that would be even less work for Cryptic to have to do.
Cryptic only has to create 4 new vessels a year for its lock boxes and if the % to get the new ships is low enough they can easily milk out a steady flow of cash from players that must have the new hotness
Ive yet to visit the Lobi store and I doubt that I ever will.
The Lobi store has it stands is an insult to the players and the only reason that it exists is to boost the master key sales.
I have money to spend and Id like to give Cryptic some of that money but I just dont like that way that they are trying to get me to spend that money now.
Letting us buy what we want outright would mean that Cryptic would have to work that much harder to create more new items that wed want to buy.
This all goes back to the maximizing Revenue for minimum Effort statement I made earlier.
The sad thing is that if for some reason the US banned the sale of lock box keys this MMO would cease to exist.
I do not believe that PWE would be willing to invest the capital that it would take to keep us interested and buying new items in STO and I also do not believe that Cryptic could keep up with the needed development schedule to keep STO appealing.
Unfortunately they will not put these items in the C-Store for a flat/fair price. Lock boxes are effectively an unlimited money pit. People can pour hundreds or thousands of dollars into them before they get what they are after.
It's exactly what Cryptic never figured out how to do with game content. They never could design something that was engaging on the long term and worth repeating. Lock boxes are exactly that from a financial standpoint though.
Every lock box ship means an average of ~$250 into Cryptic's pocket (regardless of how much the winner really spent as it averages across multiple purchasers). You see the announcements, so you know just how much the are making off of the lottery on an hourly basis. Cryptic would make substantially less money off of the ships at a fair rate.
This is indeed the lazy way out of managing an MMO. At some point it ceases to be a game and becomes a front for a gambling operation. Just wait until after Season 6 or 7. They're already weighing all future content against how it can be micro-transactioned. After the next season or two, do not expect any substantial mission or system content.
We really need some regulation on these lotteries to allow the MMO business to succeed. Without it, every developer will have to resort to these sort of lotteries, or potentially loose out on some significant profits. MMO's will still exist, but they will be games second and virtual casinos first.
Sorry, but that not how pwe is operating.
This is not my first pwe game.
Lets look at their flag ship. Perfect world.
New players have to read a book on what allowed and what's not since PWE never fixes bugs unless it's a cash shop item.
"you are not allowed to attack ground mobs from air."
"you are not allowed to pvp in some areas even if it is possible"
"you are not allowed to sell items in the shop unless we tell you it's allowed"
The list goes on and on.
And dont even get me started with the money grab they have over there, not to mention the spam.
Some times of the day you cant play the game because of spam.
This is the road that Star Trek will go down if nothing is done.
Stop outrageous money grab or let the game die while the star trek name still have some dignity.
I'm tempted to find out what authoritys are responsible in germany...
According to §3 of the German gambling treaty the lockbox-system may be gambling, and among other things the odds of winning something has to be announced (last thing is EU wide i think, absolutely not sure), maybe we can throw a few more pebbles and look if something happens? Besides, i would really like to hear the odds for an Bugship (anyone still selling?), and Galor or an D'Kora.
Comments
Egos on the internet are hilarious. Wake me when this is over.
I hope Cryptic starts showing off season 6 updates soon so that I don't have to see the word lockbox in every other thread post.
That's why they've allowed Cryptic to double the development team, it finally all makes sense.
Cryptic does need to show off some Season 6 flesh for the masses though, if even to stop crazy talk like this on the forums every. single. day.
Just telling you how Perfect World looks at it.
This reminds me that Simpson chapter, when Homer tells the story of his quartet, and Bart finds an aerosol of some goo and Homer said, "they remove it from market because they said it was poison and I say, if you are idiot enought to eat it, then you deserve to die" Bart! (when he see Bart eating the goo)...
Same case scenario, since it is your "choice" to buy the boxes, which we all know are a scam (you may want to see it or not) without rules whatsoever to control them, you deserve to be scammed...
Way to go!
Yes, and if a world wide hacker shut down the Internet?? One thing is to close the game because X motive, another one is said that they will close the game in your country if you dont SHUT UP!!! It seems that you dont recognize the difference.
So, if I tell my government "I think there is a scam in this game" I am blackmailing them?? LOL!
Good for you..
But I already BUY IT! And that is where the blackmail is! I have money invested on this game, REAL life money. And I did NOTHING illegal but just the same, my country could get ban if I talk!
End discussion with you and me Kimmera.. have a good day.
For the love of the 'Verse, don't gorram sully Firefly/Serenity's good name by saying STO is "shiny". Seriously.
Ashes to ashes,
Pheonyx
A player reporting Cryptic for their lockbox scam to the authorities is perfectly legal and acceptable. It's just like someone calling the cops because he sees someone climbing over your backyard fence with your laptop. The resulting investigation will reveal whether or not the accused party did indeed something illegal or not.
And I'm a programmer by trade with the mindset that awesome games don't need to employ shady business decisions to be profitable.
That's not what i meant...
Actually, it sort of is. If we get rid of the lock boxes and just stick the items in the c-store, i think revenue would go up because the C-Store is far more friendly and accessible, not down.
If some of the lobi store items were made C-Store available, some I'd buy in a heart beat.
Likely.
Someone could probably do the math to find out the average spent if we had the actual percentage chance of getting the ship or other items.
I suspect the average cost for a lockbox ship in terms of c-store points spent is much higher than the average cost of buying one off the c-store. And since they offer multiple rare items (cross faction consoles for example), people probably continue to try to at greatly increased rates.
It's how casinos make so much money.
But we don't KNOW that.
Lockboxes are no more illegal than those gumball machines with the little toys in them. If your country has those, I wouldn't worry about STO.
If not... I feel sorry that your country has no gumball machines.
Where's the benefit for STO since the team grew? Where's our new content, story advancement? Why is only one Dev assigned to 'save' pvp if the team has doubled? The same dev that deals with STFs. Manpower shortage? But, the team has doubled!? Has the team size increase increased Cryptic's capabilities to output content? If so, why are they seriously questioning the worth of FEs all of a sudden?
Crazy talk? Open your eyes and look at the dire state the game is in.
Yes it is, and they have to make sure that they are operating within the letter of the law. It is not blackmail, it is ensuring proper business practices, which Cryptic/PWI seems to be slipping. They are not one of those "too big to fail" banks which can get bailouts; they can and SHOULD go out of business if found to be using illegal business practices. Period.
I have a LTS, and until they fix this lockbox debacle, this company will not see another penny from me. Period. And I bought my LTS before the company transferred to PWE, so basically they have not seen a penny from me since it became Cryptic/PWE.
Neverwinter is going to become a Asian grindfest run-of-the-mill MMO with all the gear trapped behind a pay wall. Makes me wonder if "Treasure Chest" lockboxes will be in that game from Day 1 now.
Ashes to ashes,
Pheonyx
You don't speak for all of us. The lockboxes are fine, fun in fact. The constant whinging and wailing on the forums about them, on the other hand, is pathetic and embarassing.
Heres another idea.
Why not just do away with lock boxes and sell the items out right via the C-Store.
Ive never once believed that CBS does not want this line that weve been fed for the past couple of years.
Id imagine that if CBS would not allow something at all it would be the random chance lock boxes and yet here they are.
The reason that we get these lock boxes is because if we could buy everything outright from the C-Store then eventually theyll be nothing left for us to buy and no new money coming into this MMO.
Lock boxes give Cryptic the perfect way to milk maximum revenue for minimum effort.
They only have to produce one new ship every 90 or so days and all the other items found in lock boxes are just rehashes of existing in-game items.
Heck Ive been hearing rumors that a second chance lockbox is coming that will be offering the Bug ship again so that would be even less work for Cryptic to have to do.
Cryptic only has to create 4 new vessels a year for its lock boxes and if the % to get the new ships is low enough they can easily milk out a steady flow of cash from players that must have the new hotness
Ive yet to visit the Lobi store and I doubt that I ever will.
The Lobi store has it stands is an insult to the players and the only reason that it exists is to boost the master key sales.
I have money to spend and Id like to give Cryptic some of that money but I just dont like that way that they are trying to get me to spend that money now.
Letting us buy what we want outright would mean that Cryptic would have to work that much harder to create more new items that wed want to buy.
This all goes back to the maximizing Revenue for minimum Effort statement I made earlier.
The sad thing is that if for some reason the US banned the sale of lock box keys this MMO would cease to exist.
I do not believe that PWE would be willing to invest the capital that it would take to keep us interested and buying new items in STO and I also do not believe that Cryptic could keep up with the needed development schedule to keep STO appealing.
Sure they are legal, but those machines go through quality control and approval by the state.
Fun if you enjoy gambling your money, be it real or EC/Dil.
Have you considered the 'constant whinging' is because so many players do not like the feature?:rolleyes:
"Proper business practices" is an ongoing debate. Legislation only makes things legal or illegal, not necessarily 'proper' and not 'practical.'
This is not to say that there shouldn't be regulation, but regulation of entertainment products is not an area I would call high priority, or even necessary to this degree. A common example is the illegality of marijuana. It is illegal, but there are a lot of people who feel it shouldn't be for a lot of reasons.
Another example is slavery, which was legal until outlawed. Or laws prohibiting minorities or women from voting. Should women be arrested for voting? It was the law, once. Should women be arrested for learning? It was the law in Afghanistan under the Taliban. Or does that not count because those weren't 'real' laws?
So as an LTS'er they got your money, and you have by now likely gotten the value of that payment plus more. And yet you are complaining about being 'blackmailed.' Exactly what I am talking about... you can't even accept the value of what you have gotten.
WOW ^^^
This is like in your face reality! Bammmm!!! I love it! I might change my signature to this quote if it is alright with you.
But what if they rotated those items in and out of the C-store every couple of months? It would spread the revenue of those items out over a longer period of time.
Just think lock boxes WITHOUT the randomness of it. Hell, they could even have a shorter window if they get enough of these themed packs, where every month is something new.
But if they have rare toys deemed more 'valuable' to collectors....
You know what, me too baelturath, might give me an excuse to make one.
Thank YOOOOOU!!!
But wouldn't making them more accessible and friendlier make more people buy it? How do you think Sam Walton, Bill Gates, and STEAM work? The way these games work is on an impulse buy.
People are more willing to do that if it's cheap and quick. Lock boxes will never be like that.
Casino's must LOOOOOVE you, lmao
I don't why i signed up tonight, i got the feeling that something ain't right its so hard to avoid these Boxes that litter the screen all over space.
Perfect World to the left of me, Cryptic to right, here I am getting scammed in the middle with you.
Yes im getting scammed in the middle with you!
I wonder what it is we should do, should we continue to keep shelling out cash? To a game with little
content and that doesn't hash (Passwords lol from hack).
PWE to the left of me, Cryptic to the right, here I am getting scammed in middle with you.
The Devs don't care and we find out one admits it (music plays), and they still have to nerve to say
Paaaay Meeeee!.........Paaaay Meeee!
(Chorus)
Trying to make sense of it all, but we can quickly see it makes little sense at all, Cryptic claims there
making new content and yet the Klingons have nothing but a Red Light District.
(Chorus)
Here I am getting scammed in middle with you, yes im getting scammed in the middle with you!
Unfortunately they will not put these items in the C-Store for a flat/fair price. Lock boxes are effectively an unlimited money pit. People can pour hundreds or thousands of dollars into them before they get what they are after.
It's exactly what Cryptic never figured out how to do with game content. They never could design something that was engaging on the long term and worth repeating. Lock boxes are exactly that from a financial standpoint though.
Every lock box ship means an average of ~$250 into Cryptic's pocket (regardless of how much the winner really spent as it averages across multiple purchasers). You see the announcements, so you know just how much the are making off of the lottery on an hourly basis. Cryptic would make substantially less money off of the ships at a fair rate.
This is indeed the lazy way out of managing an MMO. At some point it ceases to be a game and becomes a front for a gambling operation. Just wait until after Season 6 or 7. They're already weighing all future content against how it can be micro-transactioned. After the next season or two, do not expect any substantial mission or system content.
We really need some regulation on these lotteries to allow the MMO business to succeed. Without it, every developer will have to resort to these sort of lotteries, or potentially loose out on some significant profits. MMO's will still exist, but they will be games second and virtual casinos first.
Sorry, but that not how pwe is operating.
This is not my first pwe game.
Lets look at their flag ship. Perfect world.
New players have to read a book on what allowed and what's not since PWE never fixes bugs unless it's a cash shop item.
"you are not allowed to attack ground mobs from air."
"you are not allowed to pvp in some areas even if it is possible"
"you are not allowed to sell items in the shop unless we tell you it's allowed"
The list goes on and on.
And dont even get me started with the money grab they have over there, not to mention the spam.
Some times of the day you cant play the game because of spam.
This is the road that Star Trek will go down if nothing is done.
Stop outrageous money grab or let the game die while the star trek name still have some dignity.
According to §3 of the German gambling treaty the lockbox-system may be gambling, and among other things the odds of winning something has to be announced (last thing is EU wide i think, absolutely not sure), maybe we can throw a few more pebbles and look if something happens? Besides, i would really like to hear the odds for an Bugship (anyone still selling?), and Galor or an D'Kora.