With the phenomenal t6-TOS promo coming out, I think its important that people take a moment to think about *why* things like this have to come from RNG packs. It isn't venality on the part of the developers, there is a logical reason for why it is best for players and the community that it works this way.
To not run afoul of the no-necro rule, I post a new thread rather than bump an old one. It is what it is!
There are three good outcomes to look for with prize ships in STO.
1) The prize ships are rare and desirable. -If nothing is rare and desirable, the game is tepid and boring.
2) Everyone has a chance to get one. -If not everyone has a chance to get one, it is unfair, and pay2win.
3) The company earns revenue and profit. -This is absolutely necessary for the game to continue being run. Business has to earn profit.
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If we make them available to anyone who wants one at a fixed price in the c-store, but that price is low, then they are no longer rare and desirable, and we sacrifice outcome 1.
If you really think that anyone would want the Constitution, D7 or T'Liss because they are rare you have no idea what game you are playing.
Some people do actually. Personally, I couldn't care less how rare they are. If it's available for purchase straight out and I want it, I buy it, if not, I pass.
Retired. I'm now in search for that perfect space anomaly.
Azrael, you've mentioned that you could get 100 of millions of EC in days. Could I ask how and does this assume you're building up from say, just a million EC?
I spent my 800 zen on a 4-pack, got 40 Lobi and a bunch of mats, and now I'm done. The RNG gods had 4 chances to bestow their random gift. They did not. If I were playing for the random gift, which I was not, I would now be out $8. By buying during the promotion and stopping there I am showing the marketing team that I'm willing to take a limited risk but not enough to empty out my checking account. They got $8 when they could have gotten $30 plus some future purchase of R&D packs when I felt like crafting. That is logic. As far as I'm concerned, it's the only logic that matters to me, personally.
Now if everyone approached their purchases that logically, we'd probably all be a lot happier. I know I am. I got what I expected to get, didn't overspend on an entertainment purchase, and did quite well from that viewpoint. Despite all of that, there is still the lingering dissatisfaction of knowing I will never get that ship. It leaves a bad taste behind, but it's not like STO has never done that to me before and I will live through it and prosper.
@bluegeek there is always hoping for a next time. I did similar, I bought a few packs and didn't get one. Then I bought some more packs off the ah to hold and sell later at a profit.
Respectfully disagree with the OP. I understand that it's absolutely the companies right to offer products and conduct business any way they choose, but if this practice continues, they just may start to lose interest and customers. I think they'll generate more revenue with this method...at least for a while. But if the very popular ships continue to be released in this way, people will tune it out over time and settle for ships that are not as popular, but still work just fine. It'll eventually backfire and they'll wish they would have set a price tag on them from the start. And now that I've said it, I think, eventually, that's exactly what they'll do with ships like this. After selling lock boxes and R&D packs for a period of time, suddenly you'll be able to get these same ships by purchasing them outright for a fixed price. This way, they'll have the initial lock box/R&D Pack revenue and then later, with an outright purchase, even more money generated for the same exact product.
They should have just sold these ships for $75 - $100 each. That method would maintain all three of the OP's originally posted points and also would save the respectability of the company. What they're doing with lock boxes and R&D packs is running a Trekkie casino in the middle of a PC game. At the very least it's distasteful, at its worst it sheds a bad light on the Star Trek franchise.
I got the D7 Temporal Cruiser on the 8th R&D pack I opened. I was lucky...VERY LUCKY. Most players won't be lucky or very lucky, but Cryptic is counting on that...counting all the way to the bank. And they're also counting on Star Trek fans to be Star Trek fans. This really leaves a bad impression. If you put it out for a price tag, even a high one, that's one thing. At least the amount is clearly seen by anyone entering into the transaction. But it's another thing entirely to entice people to pay to spin the wheel, knowing that the odds are against them, and they may never even get the item. That's a Trekkie Casino. This is badly done.
OK...so who's up for a poll? What popular ship will be released this way next? Sovereign, Vor'cha, Miranda, etc. etc.? Step right up and buy a spin! After seeing this done twice now...first with Kelvin Timeline ships and now with the TOS era ships, it makes me feel badly that I purchased a lifetime subscription. All in all, it speaks volumes about how Cryptic feels concerning customer satisfaction. Make a note folks. There's something topping the rise and it looks like a one-armed bandit with warp nacelles attached. It's a sad day on the USS Enterprise.
I really like this game. They've done a great job with it in my opinion and the future looks bright. But if this dark cloud keeps blocking out the light...not good.
Respectfully disagree with the OP. I understand that it's absolutely the companies right to offer products and conduct business any way they choose, but if this practice continues, they just may start to lose interest and customers. I think they'll generate more revenue with this method...at least for a while. But if the very popular ships continue to be released in this way, people will tune it out over time and settle for ships that are not as popular, but still work just fine. It'll eventually backfire and they'll wish they would have set a price tag on them from the start. And now that I've said it, I think, eventually, that's exactly what they'll do with ships like this. After selling lock boxes and R&D packs for a period of time, suddenly you'll be able to get these same ships by purchasing them outright for a fixed price. This way, they'll have the initial lock box/R&D Pack revenue and then later, with an outright purchase, even more money generated for the same exact product.
They should have just sold these ships for $75 - $100 each. That method would maintain all three of the OP's originally posted points and also would save the respectability of the company. What they're doing with lock boxes and R&D packs is running a Trekkie casino in the middle of a PC game. At the very least it's distasteful, at its worst it sheds a bad light on the Star Trek franchise.
I got the D7 Temporal Cruiser on the 8th R&D pack I opened. I was lucky...VERY LUCKY. Most players won't be lucky or very lucky, but Cryptic is counting on that...counting all the way to the bank. And they're also counting on Star Trek fans to be Star Trek fans. This really leaves a bad impression. If you put it out for a price tag, even a high one, that's one thing. At least the amount is clearly seen by anyone entering into the transaction. But it's another thing entirely to entice people to pay to spin the wheel, knowing that the odds are against them, and they may never even get the item. That's a Trekkie Casino. This is badly done.
OK...so who's up for a poll? What popular ship will be released this way next? Sovereign, Vor'cha, Miranda, etc. etc.? Step right up and buy a spin! After seeing this done twice now...first with Kelvin Timeline ships and now with the TOS era ships, it makes me feel badly that I purchased a lifetime subscription. All in all, it speaks volumes about how Cryptic feels concerning customer satisfaction. Make a note folks. There's something topping the rise and it looks like a one-armed bandit with warp nacelles attached. It's a sad day on the USS Enterprise.
I really like this game. They've done a great job with it in my opinion and the future looks bright. But if this dark cloud keeps blocking out the light...not good.
Yep, to me, executives are just bean counters who THINK they have intelligence and talent, when they really don't...and are just a bunch of prats in suits.
Selling these ships for 75 to 100 dollars would permanently put them out of my price range, thus defeating the idea that everyone has a chance at them. The way things are now I can earn EC without spending real money and scoop up promo packs off the exchange and actually have a chance.
Guarantees that not everyone will have them. Fulfills point #1 on the OP's list:
The prize ships are rare and desirable. -If nothing is rare and desirable, the game is tepid and boring.
People are paying way more than $75 - $100 now and still not coming up with a ship. They would have made $55 - $80 more dollars on me if they had set a price up front. I understand that not everyone will shell out that kind of money. Of course, you could always save up for it and get it over time like anything else that's expensive that you really want.
I do not have the ability to save up for things. I have far too many bills, its just life, things I would need to save up for I just do without. Point 2 by the way was that everybody gets a chance at the ship, this way I get a chance, the other I don't.
Everyone has the ability to save up for things, even if the rate is very slow.
I spent my 800 zen on a 4-pack, got 40 Lobi and a bunch of mats, and now I'm done. The RNG gods had 4 chances to bestow their random gift. They did not. If I were playing for the random gift, which I was not, I would now be out $8. By buying during the promotion and stopping there I am showing the marketing team that I'm willing to take a limited risk but not enough to empty out my checking account. They got $8 when they could have gotten $30 plus some future purchase of R&D packs when I felt like crafting. That is logic. As far as I'm concerned, it's the only logic that matters to me, personally.
I like the way you are thinking BG. A very healthy attitude/perspective you have here.
Selling these ships for 75 to 100 dollars would permanently put them out of my price range, thus defeating the idea that everyone has a chance at them. The way things are now I can earn EC without spending real money and scoop up promo packs off the exchange and actually have a chance.
Guarantees that not everyone will have them. Fulfills point #1 on the OP's list:
The prize ships are rare and desirable. -If nothing is rare and desirable, the game is tepid and boring.
People are paying way more than $75 - $100 now and still not coming up with a ship. They would have made $55 - $80 more dollars on me if they had set a price up front. I understand that not everyone will shell out that kind of money. Of course, you could always save up for it and get it over time like anything else that's expensive that you really want.
Did you just read the first few lines of the OP and skip the rest?
Could say the same about your comment to my post. Was replying to azrael605's comment. If these ship's were sold straight up for $75 to $100 a piece, not everyone would buy one, but some players would. The ships would be available to all players for purchase, whether they decided buy one or not is entirely up to them...and yes, even if they had to save up to buy it, ...and Cryptic would definitely make money. The way they're being presented now, defeats your 2nd point: 2) Everyone has a chance to get one. This isn't true. With the R&D Pack method, most players who want one will never get one and worse yet, will spend a lot of money trying.
What you say can't be true can it? A single promo pack is within the means of any interested sto player, and a single promo pack confers a chance to get the ship.
I should also point out that you seem to concede that people spend a lot of money trying to get the new ship, which fulfills the third premise of my argument.
I believe they would make less money if the ships cost 75-100$ and fewer people bought them, than if the ships are RNG.
We can't see cryptic's internal data about sales, but we can be confident about their motives. It's not unreasonable to believe that their motive is to make a lot of money.
If they have data that lets them know which method results in more money for them, and they choose the RNG model over the expensive-cash-shop model, then we have a good reason to believe that this is evidence that the RNG model is likely to make more money for them.
By having the ships be RNG ships, we therefore obtain all three good outcomes:
1. The ships are rare and desirable
2. Everyone has a chance to get one, not just people who can afford 100 dollars.
3. The company prospers.
Having all 3 outcomes is better than having just 1 or 2 of them, so, if we think like a Vulcan, we come to the conclusion that the RNG scheme is the best one.
"What you say can't be true can it?" - Yes it can be true. This method casts a bad light on Cryptic and speaks volumes about their willingness to satisfy their customers' desire for a product they know will be popular. Without question, by offering these very popular ships in this manner, they've let down their customer base. A quick read through the forums testifies to that.
This is bad business, plain and simple. A set amount would be a more honest approach. The customer would know going into the transaction what the outlay would be and that, once they pay it, they would get the item.
If you can't afford $100 in one shot, save up. The save up part has already been discussed. If someone can spend $20 a week gambling on R&D packs, in five weeks they can buy the ship outright if the price was set at $100.
Why not both? Having a fixed, MAXIMUM price and RNG?
For example, instead of Lobi, you get a unit of currency, I'd call them Phased Lobi Crystals, which once you hit 300 PLC, you get to buy the T6 package off the lobi store. If applied to lockboxes, this gives you access to the store that lets you buy 1 grand prize item out of EVERYTHING available in that box.
At the end of the promo, all of this phased lobi crystals turn into normal lobi.
This keeps the RNG mechanics in play and yet sets a theoretical albeit appropriately exhorbitant maximum price on the item as in order to get 300 PLC you would have to have opened 300 packs. Reduce the number required as balanced.
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Comments
Some people do actually. Personally, I couldn't care less how rare they are. If it's available for purchase straight out and I want it, I buy it, if not, I pass.
Now if everyone approached their purchases that logically, we'd probably all be a lot happier. I know I am. I got what I expected to get, didn't overspend on an entertainment purchase, and did quite well from that viewpoint. Despite all of that, there is still the lingering dissatisfaction of knowing I will never get that ship. It leaves a bad taste behind, but it's not like STO has never done that to me before and I will live through it and prosper.
@don, not even close to biggest. Here are my two favorites I like to quote when people go hyperbolic:
https://www.google.com/amp/www.forbes.com/sites/erikkain/2014/01/29/massive-eve-online-battle-could-cost-500000-in-real-money/amp/?client=ms-android-verizon&espv=1
http://www.pcgamer.com/mechwarrior-online-announces-clan-collection-with-500-gold-mechs-ui-2-0-still-coming/
They should have just sold these ships for $75 - $100 each. That method would maintain all three of the OP's originally posted points and also would save the respectability of the company. What they're doing with lock boxes and R&D packs is running a Trekkie casino in the middle of a PC game. At the very least it's distasteful, at its worst it sheds a bad light on the Star Trek franchise.
I got the D7 Temporal Cruiser on the 8th R&D pack I opened. I was lucky...VERY LUCKY. Most players won't be lucky or very lucky, but Cryptic is counting on that...counting all the way to the bank. And they're also counting on Star Trek fans to be Star Trek fans. This really leaves a bad impression. If you put it out for a price tag, even a high one, that's one thing. At least the amount is clearly seen by anyone entering into the transaction. But it's another thing entirely to entice people to pay to spin the wheel, knowing that the odds are against them, and they may never even get the item. That's a Trekkie Casino. This is badly done.
OK...so who's up for a poll? What popular ship will be released this way next? Sovereign, Vor'cha, Miranda, etc. etc.? Step right up and buy a spin! After seeing this done twice now...first with Kelvin Timeline ships and now with the TOS era ships, it makes me feel badly that I purchased a lifetime subscription. All in all, it speaks volumes about how Cryptic feels concerning customer satisfaction. Make a note folks. There's something topping the rise and it looks like a one-armed bandit with warp nacelles attached. It's a sad day on the USS Enterprise.
I really like this game. They've done a great job with it in my opinion and the future looks bright. But if this dark cloud keeps blocking out the light...not good.
Whohooo, GZ to you!
I also agree with your post. Considering who the OP represents though and what his motives are, I didn’t find it necessary to comment on topic.
Whatever, I’m happy for you. Qapla and fly your D7 well.
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Yep, to me, executives are just bean counters who THINK they have intelligence and talent, when they really don't...and are just a bunch of prats in suits.
Guarantees that not everyone will have them. Fulfills point #1 on the OP's list:
The prize ships are rare and desirable. -If nothing is rare and desirable, the game is tepid and boring.
People are paying way more than $75 - $100 now and still not coming up with a ship. They would have made $55 - $80 more dollars on me if they had set a price up front. I understand that not everyone will shell out that kind of money. Of course, you could always save up for it and get it over time like anything else that's expensive that you really want.
Everyone has the ability to save up for things, even if the rate is very slow.
I like the way you are thinking BG. A very healthy attitude/perspective you have here.
Could say the same about your comment to my post. Was replying to azrael605's comment. If these ship's were sold straight up for $75 to $100 a piece, not everyone would buy one, but some players would. The ships would be available to all players for purchase, whether they decided buy one or not is entirely up to them...and yes, even if they had to save up to buy it, ...and Cryptic would definitely make money. The way they're being presented now, defeats your 2nd point: 2) Everyone has a chance to get one. This isn't true. With the R&D Pack method, most players who want one will never get one and worse yet, will spend a lot of money trying.
"What you say can't be true can it?" - Yes it can be true. This method casts a bad light on Cryptic and speaks volumes about their willingness to satisfy their customers' desire for a product they know will be popular. Without question, by offering these very popular ships in this manner, they've let down their customer base. A quick read through the forums testifies to that.
This is bad business, plain and simple. A set amount would be a more honest approach. The customer would know going into the transaction what the outlay would be and that, once they pay it, they would get the item.
If you can't afford $100 in one shot, save up. The save up part has already been discussed. If someone can spend $20 a week gambling on R&D packs, in five weeks they can buy the ship outright if the price was set at $100.
For example, instead of Lobi, you get a unit of currency, I'd call them Phased Lobi Crystals, which once you hit 300 PLC, you get to buy the T6 package off the lobi store. If applied to lockboxes, this gives you access to the store that lets you buy 1 grand prize item out of EVERYTHING available in that box.
At the end of the promo, all of this phased lobi crystals turn into normal lobi.
This keeps the RNG mechanics in play and yet sets a theoretical albeit appropriately exhorbitant maximum price on the item as in order to get 300 PLC you would have to have opened 300 packs. Reduce the number required as balanced.
"Last Engage! Magical Girl Origami-san" is in print! Now with three times more rainbows.
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