You paid $199 for a Lifetime Subscription to Champions Online. You never have to pay to play that game again.
I'm not sure everyone who bought it to get the unique uniform will ever play CO again. I'm 100% sure you have enough statistics from how often the Lifetimers on CO logs on to see how many got the CO sub to get in to STO and haven't returned to CO after the STO launch.
A guaranteed slot into the closed beta for Star Trek Online. (I know, I know, but let's not go there please)
The unique Mirror Universe Uniform for STO. (Now a $3.50 value)
The Art Deco Set (Still exclusive only to lifetime and 6 month pre-order subs from CO)
The Retro Future Set (Still exclusive, only to LT subs for CO)
And the Foxbat Action Figure (Still Exclusive to LT subs for CO)
There's still alot of exclusivity in that package, and you don't have to pay a sub fee for Champs ever again. And in 4 more months, you will essentially be playing for free if you consider the average $14.99 sub cost there (Assuming you still play, and if not, I suggest taking a peek again. Some exciting stuff happening over there!).
It's still a value, and it still has many exclusive bonuses associated with it.
Thanks,
Stormshade
It seems you have different definitions on the words exclusive and unique. Maybe you should make sure those who write the dictionaries know of this so they can change them.
Exclusive
1.
not admitting of something else; incompatible: mutually exclusive plans of action.
2.
omitting from consideration or account (often fol. by of ): a profit of ten percent, exclusive of taxes.
3.
limited to the object or objects designated: exclusive attention to business.
4.
shutting out all others from a part or share: an exclusive right to film the novel.
5.
fashionable; stylish: to patronize only the most exclusive designers.
6.
charging comparatively high prices; expensive: exclusive shops.
7.
noting that in which no others have a share: exclusive information.
8.
single or sole: the exclusive means of communication between two places.
9.
disposed to resist the admission of outsiders to association, intimacy, etc.: an exclusive circle of intimate friends.
10.
admitting only members of a socially restricted or very carefully selected group: an exclusive club.
11.
excluding or tending to exclude, as from use or possession: exclusive laws.
12.
Grammar . (of the first person plural) excluding the person or persons spoken to, as we in We'll see you later. Compare inclusive ( def. 4 ) .
Unique
1.
existing as the only one or as the sole example; single; solitary in type or characteristics: a unique copy of an ancient manuscript.
2.
having no like or equal; unparalleled; incomparable: Bach was unique in his handling of counterpoint.
3.
limited in occurrence to a given class, situation, or area: a species unique to Australia.
4.
limited to a single outcome or result; without alternative possibilities: Certain types of problems have unique solutions.
5.
not typical; unusual: She has a very unique smile.
I'm simply stating that the practical consequence of what's been added to the cstore is that Cryptic has lost credibility. It's not doomsday. It's not the end of the game. It's simply that Cryptic lost some credibility with my household today. This is a bad thing. It's mild as far as bad things go, but it's still bad.
I agree.
But Im looking at this in a totally different light...and I feel the need to ask one question:
Is Cryptic so strapped for cash that it needs to risk upsetting an obviously devoted portion of the playerbase to make it?
The answer seems very obvious. Because I could think of alot more ways to make cash rather than release "PRE-ORDER EXCLUSIVE" items, for purchase, a few months after release.
But Im looking at this in a totally different light...and I feel the need to ask one question:
Is Cryptic so strapped for cash that it needs to risk upsetting an obviously devoted portion of the playerbase to make it?
The answer seems very obvious. Because I could think of alot more ways to make cash rather than release "PRE-ORDER EXCLUSIVE" items, for purchase, a few months after release.
/2cents
I imagine they looked at the data and made a choice; keep a (very) few people happy and not make extra money off of uniforms or make a lot people happy and make a lot of money. It really boils down to money not keeping customers happy, no matter how small the minority is.
I guess I'm used to words like "unique" and "exclusive" actually being just that. When WoW puts out a collector's edition for their games that have unique ingame items, you don't see them end up on their store to buy a few months after the fact. Companies really need to think about what they do, and how it tarnishes their reputations. As it stands now, I'll never buy another Cryptic product again in my life, and if by some extremely unlikely event I do, I certainly won't preorder anything. They'll just sell me whatever bonus later.
And in the interest of full disclosure, I do not have a CO LTS. I did want the the MU outfit but I didn't like CO, therefore I passed.
But Im looking at this in a totally different light...and I feel the need to ask one question:
Is Cryptic so strapped for cash that it needs to risk upsetting an obviously devoted portion of the playerbase to make it?
The answer seems very obvious. Because I could think of alot more ways to make cash rather than release "PRE-ORDER EXCLUSIVE" items, for purchase, a few months after release.
/2cents
I'm unwilling to go so far as to pronounce doom. It could just as easily be "just release the exclusives to cstore to get the people complaining to stop".
Of course it's a double edged sword.
Kind of like when you're raising a couple of kids and you have one kid that works hard and jumps through hoops set before him to get an increase in his allowance. The other kid didn't jump on it but he's jealous and wants it too. So he whines and complains and throws tantrums until he gets what he wants without having to do more than be noisy.
This diminishes the accomplishment of the first child who then complains that if he knew that he could get the increase in his allowance simply being noisy and investing much less of his time and effort into obtaining it that he would have done it that way too.
I'm not advocating being annoyingly noisy here. And to be honest, I always felt that "exclusives" are rather silly. But... as much as people lambast SOE. Yes, I'm about to go here as others have, but not in the same context. So many years after the game came out, I have 100% confidence that if I log into SWG right now I will find that people who wear the the goggles from the Collector's Edition of the game are still only people who bought the Collector's Edition in the first place. I have 100% confidence that they are still not obtainable in any other way than to enter in a collector's edition CD key.
As it stands, SOE may have a number of games which have failed (not all of which failed because of SOE... MXO was failing before SOE bought it up), but at least they haven't engaged in deceptive marketing practices of this calibur. This is downright Yankee Trader level scummy kind of marketing. I would really like to see Cryptic pony up and start being honest in their advertising. Frankly I'm getting tired of it.
Take what happened with the CO lifetime account. The original advertisements said "only available until September 1st" and made absolutely ZERO mention of any kind of limited supply. The mention of a limited supply only came about AFTER it was announced that there even was a limited supply. Not only that but the forum post announcing the CO lifetime accounts was ninja edited in a fashion that avoided the "edited by X at time" notice at the bottom. Then they pointed to that post and said "See? It says limited supply. You really should read the forums more." At which point posts were made showing archives from Bing and Google Cache showing that the original forum post was in-fact ninja edited.
This isn't conspiracy theory, the lies were actually documented by the player base as it was happening.
Yet many of us still went on to buy lifetime accounts with STO. As an Italian friend of mine is fond of saying "mia culpa". That is to say the blame is ultimately on us. I for one felt that the reopening of the LTS sales for CO and adherence to the original advertisement was Cryptic learning a lesson. It appears that either Cryptic has not learned the lesson is has a very short memory. I for one am like an elephant. Yes, that means that I still regret the rather childish and inane posts I made back in CO beta about the fiasco.
However, there's one latin phrase that I would like to warn against. "Caveat Emptor". It means "buyer beware". This phrase is nothing short of blaming the victim.
Now, I'm not saying that I feel victimized or that anyone else should feel the same way. More just now everyone should weigh think twice before believing anything that Cryptic advertises. This is because Cryptic has shown that this is all a systemic problem that isn't the result of a forgivable one time marketing fopaux, but rather a repeating pattern of behavior.
I didn't want it to come to this. To date I've spent more than $1400 on Cryptic total since August of '09. I really believed in Cryptic. COH was and is awesome, CO was basically COH2 at least in spirit and it too was and is awesome. But I'm sorry to say, Cryptic, you've lost my loyalty. This isn't about the items, it's about not being able to trust what you say your marketing department says. Until the marketing team is restructured and those who are responsible for the dishonesty are sacked and replaced, I'm going to be very reluctant to spend any money on Cryptic from here on out.
I hope things change. I really do. I still have hope, but only if this tumor of white lies and half truths is excised.
i think it was a foolish move by cryptic to release the exclusives to the store so soon, a year later would have been fine i think.
i bought the Lifetime so that i never have to pay for the game again and i can dip in & out of it at my leisure.
so i found the exclusives that went with it nice but not deal breakers that i had to get.
nor am i angry or angst ridden that everyone else is getting access to those items... it just seems like a poor sales pitch to honk off so many people so soon.
I'm unwilling to go so far as to pronounce doom. It could just as easily be "just release the exclusives to cstore to get the people complaining to stop".
Of course it's a double edged sword.
Kind of like when you're raising a couple of kids and you have one kid that works hard and jumps through hoops set before him to get an increase in his allowance. The other kid didn't jump on it but he's jealous and wants it too. So he whines and complains and throws tantrums until he gets what he wants without having to do more than be noisy.
This diminishes the accomplishment of the first child who then complains that if he knew that he could get the increase in his allowance simply being noisy and investing much less of his time and effort into obtaining it that he would have done it that way too.
i think it was a foolish move by cryptic to release the exclusives to the store so soon, a year later would have been fine i think.
nor am i angry or angst ridden that everyone else is getting access to those items... it just seems like a poor sales pitch to honk off so many people so soon.
I agree. Cryptic are early. I would love for them to leave it for another 3 months at least. But we did say. And we were vocal. Cryptic decided to continue.
Anyway, too late to complain now. And for one, I'd love to see how many more players we get in STO for this "cash grab".:cool:
I agree. Cryptic are early. I would love for them to leave it for another 3 months at least. But we did say. And we were vocal. Cryptic decided to continue.
Anyway, too late to complain now. And for one, I'd love to see how many more players we get in STO for this "cash grab".:cool:
They'll probably advertise the game now come play sto and you can wear exclusive tng ds9 uniforms have a pet tribble borg bo and when they buy the game and find out they have to pay for it they'll leave jsut going off the previous marketing
I'm in partial agreement with this. I think complaining may help guide Cryptic into more ethical ways of doing things.
But... I would not have the game be put back the way it was for one simple reason: Indian Giving.
Some people, especially those not from North America might not be familiar with the term "Indian Giving". What it refers to is the practice of the way some who were not native to North America were giving things such as land to the natives and then taking it back rather unexpectedly. Although to be fair, that kind of went both ways, but in the other direction it was more a misunderstanding, as the natives were expecting a reciprocation as they were offering things in trade, not giving things as gifts.
The exclusives are on the CStore, people have already purchased them. The cat's out of the bag. The genie's out of the bottle. To go back now is wrong. Funny how that works isn't it? It's easier to go back on your word in one direction than the other. Like a barbed harpoon. Slides in easy one way, but the other way it latches inside and just does more damage and pain coming out than it did going in.
Both my hubby and I have lifetime on CO and STO. We're both much less likely to buy Lifetime, preorder, or anything else again because the exclusives we paid for (at least as far as Lifetime goes, preorders aren't really paying extra) are now on the CStore.
This is not an "I quit" thread. It's not a rage thread. It's not a "I hate Cryptic" thread. It's a "just going subscription and not buying into exclusive item hype next time" thread.
Yes, I know the playable Borg isn't up, but the CO Lifetime -> STO mirror universe exclusive is up.
Ultimately, we're not upset. We're just going to ignore any offers of exclusive items when making purchasing decisions around Cryptic or not. This is a pretty big blow considering we essentially paid a total of about $1200 collectively between the two of us.
He cares less than I do, I only care enough to now read "Exclusive" as "Paying $300 for Early Access For Something That costs $3 Just a Few Months Later"
That is to say that at least my husband and I don't suffer from the hyperbolic discounting fallacy that Cryptic's marketing team seems to be relying on at this point.
You are exactly right and I feel your pain. While other games sell pets and extra's, they don't TRIBBLE over the people who paid more money for the 'perks' or 'collectors' version for the pluses that come with that version.
I don't mind if people want to pay real money for something that was a bonus for me. Hell I am just happy I can buy the enterprise now. I pre ordered from steam and all i got was some crappy armor and a bad tactical console. Either way I like having it open why not let more people have fun
I don't mind if people want to pay real money for something that was a bonus for me. Hell I am just happy I can buy the enterprise now. I pre ordered from steam and all i got was some crappy armor and a bad tactical console. Either way I like having it open why not let more people have fun
There's a big picture to consider. This big picture is painted on an absolutely massive canvas made of woven trust. It's a recording of the reputation of Cryptic over time, painted by Cryptic's actions. Right now the painting is being muddled with depressing browns, blacks, and grays as Cryptic slowly erodes peoples trust little by little. As unintentional as it is, it happens.
The thing is that the colors being used to paint the picture now affect the color pallet as the colors get mixed up on the pallet by the painter and there's only room for dabs of so many different colors.
Much like a real painting, this pallet is impossible to brighten by mixing existing colors. New, brighter colors have to be brought in to lighten the shades of the existing dabs of paint on the pallet. However, by releasing the exclusives like this, they've basically taken some of the few bright colors they had and mixed them together into a muddy brown.
It's not unrecoverable, but it would take a massive shift in how the painter is going about their work before it can be rectified.
i think it was a foolish move by cryptic to release the exclusives to the store so soon, a year later would have been fine i think.
i bought the Lifetime so that i never have to pay for the game again and i can dip in & out of it at my leisure.
so i found the exclusives that went with it nice but not deal breakers that i had to get.
nor am i angry or angst ridden that everyone else is getting access to those items... it just seems like a poor sales pitch to honk off so many people so soon.
The amount of people they're honking off pales in comparison to the amount of people who now have access to these items. It's a numbers game and this move apeases the majority of the player base.
So, this really isn't about some injustice, or Cryptic "tricking you." This is about you wanting to be able to say you have something that no one else can have. Perhaps you are not very familiar with MMOs. This is not the way things work.
You are obviously not familiar with the largest MMO out there (WoW) where this is exactly how it works.
That game has exclusives available for limited time only and as far as I am aware have NEVER brought them back. Went to Blizzcon and got a Murloc marine or a special bear mount? If you did you are one of a few that can ever have that vanity pet running around or ride on that mount. Did a one off seasonal event in WoW to get a pet?... grats as that is unlikely to be ever run again.
Perhaps a few web definitiions might help.
Exclusive:
Excluding some or most, as from membership or participation
Not divided or shared with others
Excluding or tending to exclude
Belonging to or catering for a privileged minority
(postpositive; foll by to) limited (to); found only (in)
But my personal favourite definition of relevance - (Business / Commerce) Commerce (of a contract, agreement, etc.) binding the parties to do business only with each other with respect to a class of goods or services
The last one suggests a Contract was entered binding the parties (Cryptic & CO Lifetimers) to only do business with each other with respect to a class of goods (Mirror Universe Uniform). Thus by offering the identical Mirror Universe uniform to all and sundry does this not indicate a breach of contract towards those CO lifetimers?
The amount of people they're honking off pales in comparison to the amount of people who now have access to these items. It's a numbers game and this move apeases the majority of the player base.
Agreed. Most people are annoyed about it, but it's ones who have no sense of needing new players that are really raging about it.
And for the record, I was against doing it, at least until 6 months had passed. I bought 3 copies of the game (2 of which on my account, 3rd spare)
The amount of people they're honking off pales in comparison to the amount of people who now have access to these items. It's a numbers game and this move apeases the majority of the player base.
And erodes how much you can trust what Cryptic tells you. You're missing that part. You're looking too much at the immediate effect and not the practical ramifications down the road. Marketing tactics like these are like oil spewing up in the gulf of Mexico. It doesn't come off with ordinary soap and water.
This isn't exactly going to play very well in the long run because word will get around. Prospective players will be less likely to join. If you had a used car salesman that frequently sells lemons or sells you things that turn out to not be exactly what he told you they were: for instance the real leather seats turning out to be fake leather seats... And you heard from many people that he did this, would you want to buy a car from him? I'd hope not, otherwise you'd be lacking in mental faculties.
In the long run it means fewer new subscriptions will be coming in. This is not a good thing.
And erodes how much you can trust what Cryptic tells you. You're missing that part. You're looking too much at the immediate effect and not the practical ramifications down the road. Marketing tactics like these are like oil spewing up in the gulf of Mexico. It doesn't come off with ordinary soap and water.
Without intending turning it into a political discussion, when is the American company which maintained the rig going to get bent over and their TRIBBLE slapped?
Without intending turning it into a political discussion, when is the American company which maintained the rig going to get bent over and their TRIBBLE slapped?
You mean the British company who owned the rig? Or what about the way the British company told that one Dutch company where to stick their offer of help? :P
Oh right, you mean that one American company who in the past few decades was found guilty of actual slave labor multiple times?
As to your signature: Picard Day? My avatar has a round and bald head and is wearing red. Does that count?
You are obviously not familiar with the largest MMO out there (WoW) where this is exactly how it works.
That game has exclusives available for limited time only and as far as I am aware have NEVER brought them back. Went to Blizzcon and got a Murloc marine or a special bear mount? If you did you are one of a few that can ever have that vanity pet running around or ride on that mount. Did a one off seasonal event in WoW to get a pet?... grats as that is unlikely to be ever run again.
Perhaps a few web definitiions might help.
Exclusive:
Excluding some or most, as from membership or participation
Not divided or shared with others
Excluding or tending to exclude
Belonging to or catering for a privileged minority
(postpositive; foll by to) limited (to); found only (in)
But my personal favourite definition of relevance - (Business / Commerce) Commerce (of a contract, agreement, etc.) binding the parties to do business only with each other with respect to a class of goods or services
The last one suggests a Contract was entered binding the parties (Cryptic & CO Lifetimers) to only do business with each other with respect to a class of goods (Mirror Universe Uniform). Thus by offering the identical Mirror Universe uniform to all and sundry does this not indicate a breach of contract towards those CO lifetimers?
THANK YOU!
I remember when people wanted a few exclusive pets from the collector's edition of BC and Wrath and then wanted the infamouse Spectral Tiger mount added to the pet store.
After several PC responses, Zarhym finally said Exclusives were just that...exclusive (especially the mount which you could only get from the card gameversion) and that they would not be offered any other way which is how it's supposed to be.
Transocean is an international corporation that moves its headquarters for tax evasion purposes; it's currently Swiss, but has been in the Caymans and Delaware before now. It was founded in various parts of the US and Norway (being a result of various mergers). Most of its personnel work in international waters, so it doesn't really have any home nation.
Aside from the Caymans being a British overseas territory, it has no connection to the UK.
I look at it this way I have 2 LT acounts and what I saved from not buying the stuff I got on the C-Store is great.
The 2 copys I have are Game Stop saved me 800 points and Amazon saved me 480 points. I payed $300 for each LT account on top of buying the 2 copys of the game. I feel that I came out ahard on this.
Transocean is an international corporation that moves its headquarters for tax evasion purposes; it's currently Swiss, but has been in the Caymans and Delaware before now. It was founded in various parts of the US and Norway (being a result of various mergers). Most of its personnel work in international waters, so it doesn't really have any home nation.
Aside from the Caymans being a British overseas territory, it has no connection to the UK.
I'm not entirely sure which part you're referring to. There's a lot of different companies mixed up in the whole scandal. As for Transocean, I was referring to Halliburton for my "American corporation". Not sure what the other person was referring to. Not sure where Transocean came in to the somewhat off thread discussion.
You know what Schadenfreud means? This is what I'm feeling right now from the moment they said the exclusives will be in the C-Store.
All I can say in response is that you have just defined yourself as a horrible, horrible person.
And before anyone reports what I just said, "Schadenfreud" is when someone gets pleasure out of watching other people suffer. It's basically a sign of psychopathy. I'm hoping this is just one of those things where everyone occasionally snickers as misfortune and not a hobby of yours.
Comments
Funny how its just a conversation, and we agree on many but not all points.
that is what makes us human. not every human is the same.
How boring life would be if we were.
I'm not sure everyone who bought it to get the unique uniform will ever play CO again. I'm 100% sure you have enough statistics from how often the Lifetimers on CO logs on to see how many got the CO sub to get in to STO and haven't returned to CO after the STO launch.
It seems you have different definitions on the words exclusive and unique. Maybe you should make sure those who write the dictionaries know of this so they can change them.
Exclusive
1.
not admitting of something else; incompatible: mutually exclusive plans of action.
2.
omitting from consideration or account (often fol. by of ): a profit of ten percent, exclusive of taxes.
3.
limited to the object or objects designated: exclusive attention to business.
4.
shutting out all others from a part or share: an exclusive right to film the novel.
5.
fashionable; stylish: to patronize only the most exclusive designers.
6.
charging comparatively high prices; expensive: exclusive shops.
7.
noting that in which no others have a share: exclusive information.
8.
single or sole: the exclusive means of communication between two places.
9.
disposed to resist the admission of outsiders to association, intimacy, etc.: an exclusive circle of intimate friends.
10.
admitting only members of a socially restricted or very carefully selected group: an exclusive club.
11.
excluding or tending to exclude, as from use or possession: exclusive laws.
12.
Grammar . (of the first person plural) excluding the person or persons spoken to, as we in We'll see you later. Compare inclusive ( def. 4 ) .
Unique
1.
existing as the only one or as the sole example; single; solitary in type or characteristics: a unique copy of an ancient manuscript.
2.
having no like or equal; unparalleled; incomparable: Bach was unique in his handling of counterpoint.
3.
limited in occurrence to a given class, situation, or area: a species unique to Australia.
4.
limited to a single outcome or result; without alternative possibilities: Certain types of problems have unique solutions.
5.
not typical; unusual: She has a very unique smile.
I agree.
But Im looking at this in a totally different light...and I feel the need to ask one question:
Is Cryptic so strapped for cash that it needs to risk upsetting an obviously devoted portion of the playerbase to make it?
The answer seems very obvious. Because I could think of alot more ways to make cash rather than release "PRE-ORDER EXCLUSIVE" items, for purchase, a few months after release.
/2cents
I imagine they looked at the data and made a choice; keep a (very) few people happy and not make extra money off of uniforms or make a lot people happy and make a lot of money. It really boils down to money not keeping customers happy, no matter how small the minority is.
I guess I'm used to words like "unique" and "exclusive" actually being just that. When WoW puts out a collector's edition for their games that have unique ingame items, you don't see them end up on their store to buy a few months after the fact. Companies really need to think about what they do, and how it tarnishes their reputations. As it stands now, I'll never buy another Cryptic product again in my life, and if by some extremely unlikely event I do, I certainly won't preorder anything. They'll just sell me whatever bonus later.
And in the interest of full disclosure, I do not have a CO LTS. I did want the the MU outfit but I didn't like CO, therefore I passed.
I'm unwilling to go so far as to pronounce doom. It could just as easily be "just release the exclusives to cstore to get the people complaining to stop".
Of course it's a double edged sword.
Kind of like when you're raising a couple of kids and you have one kid that works hard and jumps through hoops set before him to get an increase in his allowance. The other kid didn't jump on it but he's jealous and wants it too. So he whines and complains and throws tantrums until he gets what he wants without having to do more than be noisy.
This diminishes the accomplishment of the first child who then complains that if he knew that he could get the increase in his allowance simply being noisy and investing much less of his time and effort into obtaining it that he would have done it that way too.
I'm not advocating being annoyingly noisy here. And to be honest, I always felt that "exclusives" are rather silly. But... as much as people lambast SOE. Yes, I'm about to go here as others have, but not in the same context. So many years after the game came out, I have 100% confidence that if I log into SWG right now I will find that people who wear the the goggles from the Collector's Edition of the game are still only people who bought the Collector's Edition in the first place. I have 100% confidence that they are still not obtainable in any other way than to enter in a collector's edition CD key.
As it stands, SOE may have a number of games which have failed (not all of which failed because of SOE... MXO was failing before SOE bought it up), but at least they haven't engaged in deceptive marketing practices of this calibur. This is downright Yankee Trader level scummy kind of marketing. I would really like to see Cryptic pony up and start being honest in their advertising. Frankly I'm getting tired of it.
Take what happened with the CO lifetime account. The original advertisements said "only available until September 1st" and made absolutely ZERO mention of any kind of limited supply. The mention of a limited supply only came about AFTER it was announced that there even was a limited supply. Not only that but the forum post announcing the CO lifetime accounts was ninja edited in a fashion that avoided the "edited by X at time" notice at the bottom. Then they pointed to that post and said "See? It says limited supply. You really should read the forums more." At which point posts were made showing archives from Bing and Google Cache showing that the original forum post was in-fact ninja edited.
This isn't conspiracy theory, the lies were actually documented by the player base as it was happening.
Yet many of us still went on to buy lifetime accounts with STO. As an Italian friend of mine is fond of saying "mia culpa". That is to say the blame is ultimately on us. I for one felt that the reopening of the LTS sales for CO and adherence to the original advertisement was Cryptic learning a lesson. It appears that either Cryptic has not learned the lesson is has a very short memory. I for one am like an elephant. Yes, that means that I still regret the rather childish and inane posts I made back in CO beta about the fiasco.
However, there's one latin phrase that I would like to warn against. "Caveat Emptor". It means "buyer beware". This phrase is nothing short of blaming the victim.
Now, I'm not saying that I feel victimized or that anyone else should feel the same way. More just now everyone should weigh think twice before believing anything that Cryptic advertises. This is because Cryptic has shown that this is all a systemic problem that isn't the result of a forgivable one time marketing fopaux, but rather a repeating pattern of behavior.
I didn't want it to come to this. To date I've spent more than $1400 on Cryptic total since August of '09. I really believed in Cryptic. COH was and is awesome, CO was basically COH2 at least in spirit and it too was and is awesome. But I'm sorry to say, Cryptic, you've lost my loyalty. This isn't about the items, it's about not being able to trust what you say your marketing department says. Until the marketing team is restructured and those who are responsible for the dishonesty are sacked and replaced, I'm going to be very reluctant to spend any money on Cryptic from here on out.
I hope things change. I really do. I still have hope, but only if this tumor of white lies and half truths is excised.
i bought the Lifetime so that i never have to pay for the game again and i can dip in & out of it at my leisure.
so i found the exclusives that went with it nice but not deal breakers that i had to get.
nor am i angry or angst ridden that everyone else is getting access to those items... it just seems like a poor sales pitch to honk off so many people so soon.
Anyway, too late to complain now. And for one, I'd love to see how many more players we get in STO for this "cash grab".:cool:
They'll probably advertise the game now come play sto and you can wear exclusive tng ds9 uniforms have a pet tribble borg bo and when they buy the game and find out they have to pay for it they'll leave jsut going off the previous marketing
I'm in partial agreement with this. I think complaining may help guide Cryptic into more ethical ways of doing things.
But... I would not have the game be put back the way it was for one simple reason: Indian Giving.
Some people, especially those not from North America might not be familiar with the term "Indian Giving". What it refers to is the practice of the way some who were not native to North America were giving things such as land to the natives and then taking it back rather unexpectedly. Although to be fair, that kind of went both ways, but in the other direction it was more a misunderstanding, as the natives were expecting a reciprocation as they were offering things in trade, not giving things as gifts.
The exclusives are on the CStore, people have already purchased them. The cat's out of the bag. The genie's out of the bottle. To go back now is wrong. Funny how that works isn't it? It's easier to go back on your word in one direction than the other. Like a barbed harpoon. Slides in easy one way, but the other way it latches inside and just does more damage and pain coming out than it did going in.
You are exactly right and I feel your pain. While other games sell pets and extra's, they don't TRIBBLE over the people who paid more money for the 'perks' or 'collectors' version for the pluses that come with that version.
(I just wish I had bought the Lifetime for CO last year.... I wasn't in the beta, and all the doom and gloom people scared me away.)
There's a big picture to consider. This big picture is painted on an absolutely massive canvas made of woven trust. It's a recording of the reputation of Cryptic over time, painted by Cryptic's actions. Right now the painting is being muddled with depressing browns, blacks, and grays as Cryptic slowly erodes peoples trust little by little. As unintentional as it is, it happens.
The thing is that the colors being used to paint the picture now affect the color pallet as the colors get mixed up on the pallet by the painter and there's only room for dabs of so many different colors.
Much like a real painting, this pallet is impossible to brighten by mixing existing colors. New, brighter colors have to be brought in to lighten the shades of the existing dabs of paint on the pallet. However, by releasing the exclusives like this, they've basically taken some of the few bright colors they had and mixed them together into a muddy brown.
It's not unrecoverable, but it would take a massive shift in how the painter is going about their work before it can be rectified.
The amount of people they're honking off pales in comparison to the amount of people who now have access to these items. It's a numbers game and this move apeases the majority of the player base.
You are obviously not familiar with the largest MMO out there (WoW) where this is exactly how it works.
That game has exclusives available for limited time only and as far as I am aware have NEVER brought them back. Went to Blizzcon and got a Murloc marine or a special bear mount? If you did you are one of a few that can ever have that vanity pet running around or ride on that mount. Did a one off seasonal event in WoW to get a pet?... grats as that is unlikely to be ever run again.
Perhaps a few web definitiions might help.
Exclusive:
Excluding some or most, as from membership or participation
Not divided or shared with others
Excluding or tending to exclude
Belonging to or catering for a privileged minority
(postpositive; foll by to) limited (to); found only (in)
But my personal favourite definition of relevance - (Business / Commerce) Commerce (of a contract, agreement, etc.) binding the parties to do business only with each other with respect to a class of goods or services
The last one suggests a Contract was entered binding the parties (Cryptic & CO Lifetimers) to only do business with each other with respect to a class of goods (Mirror Universe Uniform). Thus by offering the identical Mirror Universe uniform to all and sundry does this not indicate a breach of contract towards those CO lifetimers?
Agreed. Most people are annoyed about it, but it's ones who have no sense of needing new players that are really raging about it.
And for the record, I was against doing it, at least until 6 months had passed. I bought 3 copies of the game (2 of which on my account, 3rd spare)
And erodes how much you can trust what Cryptic tells you. You're missing that part. You're looking too much at the immediate effect and not the practical ramifications down the road. Marketing tactics like these are like oil spewing up in the gulf of Mexico. It doesn't come off with ordinary soap and water.
This isn't exactly going to play very well in the long run because word will get around. Prospective players will be less likely to join. If you had a used car salesman that frequently sells lemons or sells you things that turn out to not be exactly what he told you they were: for instance the real leather seats turning out to be fake leather seats... And you heard from many people that he did this, would you want to buy a car from him? I'd hope not, otherwise you'd be lacking in mental faculties.
In the long run it means fewer new subscriptions will be coming in. This is not a good thing.
Without intending turning it into a political discussion, when is the American company which maintained the rig going to get bent over and their TRIBBLE slapped?
You mean the British company who owned the rig? Or what about the way the British company told that one Dutch company where to stick their offer of help? :P
Oh right, you mean that one American company who in the past few decades was found guilty of actual slave labor multiple times?
As to your signature: Picard Day? My avatar has a round and bald head and is wearing red. Does that count?
THANK YOU!
I remember when people wanted a few exclusive pets from the collector's edition of BC and Wrath and then wanted the infamouse Spectral Tiger mount added to the pet store.
After several PC responses, Zarhym finally said Exclusives were just that...exclusive (especially the mount which you could only get from the card gameversion) and that they would not be offered any other way which is how it's supposed to be.
Transocean is an international corporation that moves its headquarters for tax evasion purposes; it's currently Swiss, but has been in the Caymans and Delaware before now. It was founded in various parts of the US and Norway (being a result of various mergers). Most of its personnel work in international waters, so it doesn't really have any home nation.
Aside from the Caymans being a British overseas territory, it has no connection to the UK.
The 2 copys I have are Game Stop saved me 800 points and Amazon saved me 480 points. I payed $300 for each LT account on top of buying the 2 copys of the game. I feel that I came out ahard on this.
I'm not entirely sure which part you're referring to. There's a lot of different companies mixed up in the whole scandal. As for Transocean, I was referring to Halliburton for my "American corporation". Not sure what the other person was referring to. Not sure where Transocean came in to the somewhat off thread discussion.
All I can say in response is that you have just defined yourself as a horrible, horrible person.
And before anyone reports what I just said, "Schadenfreud" is when someone gets pleasure out of watching other people suffer. It's basically a sign of psychopathy. I'm hoping this is just one of those things where everyone occasionally snickers as misfortune and not a hobby of yours.