I'm pretty sure it's common knowledge Disney movies that go into the vault are eventually released back for purchase a few years later. Now people know when Cryptic claims something is "exclusive" or "unique" to an offer that they'll just sell it a few months later.
You are missing the point here. Disney releases the same movies, but they don't release them under the same boxes!
If you haven't known, some of the older editions are highly collectible items and are priced accordingly. Some are actually sold in auctions.
What I am requesting is introducing certain exclusive items with some variations so the original ones have some sentimental values to those who acquired them through the original venues.
Not arguing with you just representing the significant though quieter portion of us that got the "exclusives" for our enjoyment not because of exclusivity, and have no problem with this.
I was just pointing out that people that complain tend to be noisier than people that don't.
Right and it tends to be brighter outside during the day time than during the night time. I thought I'd just point that out. Of course people who complain are noisier than those who don't. Did you know that people who voice their support for something are noisier than those who don't? It's true therefore I must be from the silent majority too. If you use an argument that can just as easily be used to support the opposition, it is not a good argument to use. One more point here: It's impossible to complain without being noisy. It is however possible to be dissatisfied, disappointed, upset, etc while remaining silent.
I am wondering; do you get ****ed off at Disney when they release a movie on a home format that they promised just 2 years ago that it was going away into their vault?
I've already answered this question in earlier posts. Again this is another point that's being parroted without any real thought being given to it. No, I would not be ****ed off at Disney. One does not watch exclusive home videos in public. The videos prohibit that. One does however, more or less, show exclusive items on an MMO in "public". The public being the other players who witness it. Also, Disney has been pulling that garbage my entire life. I've learned not to trust them; just as I have learned not to trust Cryptic. When people come to me and go "Hey look, Disney's selling this as a home video for the last time." I tell them that Disney has a reputation for claiming that when it's not true. *gasp* Looks like I apply the same standards to Cryptic as I do to Disney. Go figure!
And you know what? Disney uses claims like that because their home video sales stink. Could it be that people don't actually trust them to be telling the truth? That they figure "Oh I can just buy it next time they put it up for sale?"
One more thing about the Disney thing. The people who go and buy the videos the next time around are jumping through the same hoop: They're buying the promotional item the same way anyone else did. They are not buying it for 2% the original cost where the original cost was over $200. So even though I apply the same expected standards of conduct to Disney in order for Disney to maintain my trust as a consumer, the analogy still fails to make a point. I've said repeatedly that if they reopened the COLTS and made it so you can get access to the MU uniforms that way, I would not have had an issue with it. As long as people are jumping through the same hoops I jumped through, it's not unfair. It's simply what Disney does, reoffering the same promotional deal. The practical consequence is that I would not trust Cryptic to make a promotional offer only once. That I would expect their promotional offers to be reoccuring like I do with Disney. This is a non issue.
I understand that you feel that you have been done wrong because circumstances have changed since you made your purchases. There is nothing illegitimate about those feelings. They are feelings and they require no justification. My feelings are just as legitimate, though I seem to be much happier than you. I suspect that has to do with the way we assess things in our lives. I look at how things benefit me or not and judge things accordingly. You seemed to be obsessed with what others are receiving, and this is a path that is almost guaranteed to end in misery.
Actually, you seem to be obsessed with taking what I and many others have said entirely out of context. This obsession leads to the assignment of hyperbole to my side of the fence where the hyperbole starts and ends with your side of the fence.
The fact is these things are not even real; their only value is what people perceive to be their value. They have only lost value to you because your perception of their value has changed.
What is real is subjective. We manufacture our own reality. To you it may not be real. However, I paid real money for it. The developers spent real time and used real talent to produce these items. They really sold me the items and really took my real money. The space the graphics take up on my harddrive, on your harddrive, is real. The bits and bytes composing the items is real. The packets transmitted by the server to the client to order the client to display the items are really transmitted using real information over the real internet using real bandwidth. Therefore, I do not see how the items are not real. They're simple meta data, but real all the same. At least to me. Again, we manufacture our own reality.
By the way, the video I linked there is purely done as comedy. The man is a character actor and musician who pretends to be insane and spouts a combination of pseudoscience, deliberately misintepretted real science, and conspiracy theory. But he is correct about one crucial thing: reality is subjective and therefore is what we decide to make it.
A lie shouted loud enough and long enough becomes the truth when the detractors stop speaking against it. I'm a detractor against the lie that these items were not sold as exclusive. I will not be silent on the matter until it no longer matters to me.
You are missing the point here. Disney releases the same movies, but they don't release them under the same boxes!
If you haven't known, some of the older editions are highly collectible items and are priced accordingly. Some are actually sold in auctions.
What I am requesting is introducing certain exclusive items with some variations so the original ones have some sentimental values to those who acquired them through the original venues.
Oh no, I'm completely with you on this one. I've been saying for weeks now that they should have released the Enterprise MU uniforms to the C-Store. It would have been a great compromise.
Metallurgist,
Quieter does not mean silent. Just as significant does not mean majority. And there are also different levels of exclusivity, which I was smart enough not to pay for; I bought the items on their other merits.
It is also my experience that complaints tend to represent about 10% of the customers and about 90% of the feedback in a typical retail environment.
As far as the realness of the items, I will grant you that the items have as much value as the money. Money which is fiat money, that only has value as long as people assign value to it.
It is also my experience that complaints tend to represent about 10% of the customers and about 90% of the feedback in a typical retail environment.
Experience? Please provide your credentials and references. Also, I would like a well documented source for your figures as to this strikingly round number of a 1:10 ratio.
As far as the realness of the items, I will grant you that the items have as much value as the money. Money which is fiat money, that only has value as long as people assign value to it.
Sure, it's a fiat currency. However, the money is given in recompense for labor performed. Time is money. This statement is far more profound than most people realize. We all have a limited amount of time in our lives. Therefore, if we are going to spend any of our time doing something, it must be worth something to us. If it is spent doing something that is worth something for someone, then some form of credit must be given with which to pay for other people's time. The currency may be fiat, but as it is given in exchange for time and labor, it is still backed by time and labor, more or less. Some people's time is worth more than others due to varying levels of education, skill, talent, and sheer size of ego.
The fiat currency was originally actually supported by what's known as the "Bretton Wood's System". Under this system, the UN granted economic hegemony to the United States of America. The nations of the UN would peg their money against the value of the US Dollar. In exchange for this, the US would fix the price of gold at $35 USD per ounce. So while the currency was fiat, it was still backed by gold, in a manner of speaking.
The idea behind the Bretton Woods System was to create economic prosperity among the nations that adhered to it. There was another side to it. While the nations would experience economic prosperity, they would be unable to run up a debt large enough to support an invasion force. The whole thing was carefully balanced so that each nation had just enough resources to defend but not invade. It was US President Richard Nixon who unfixed the price of gold, allowing the USA to run up a massive wartime debt for the Vietnam war and brought the Bretton Woods System crashing to a halt.
We are now on what's called the "Bretton Woods 2 System". However I am currently unaware of the terms of the new system other than that the new system pegs the US and Canadian dollar as being equal. Also supposedly, I'm not sure on this, but supposedly the new BW2 system also allows more leeway in fluctuations in the money market before a market correction is made.
Lastly, claiming that the currency is fiat is a red herring. It does not address the issue that real time and real money (fiat or otherwise) has been spent.
Metallurgist,
Quieter does not mean silent. Just as significant does not mean majority. And there are also different levels of exclusivity, which I was smart enough not to pay for; I bought the items on their other merits.
It is also my experience that complaints tend to represent about 10% of the customers and about 90% of the feedback in a typical retail environment.
As far as the realness of the items, I will grant you that the items have as much value as the money. Money which is fiat money, that only has value as long as people assign value to it.
Experience? Please provide your credentials and references. Also, I would like a well documented source for your figures as to this strikingly round number of a 1:10 ratio.
Sure, it's a fiat currency. However, the money is given in recompense for labor performed. Time is money. This statement is far more profound than most people realize. We all have a limited amount of time in our lives. Therefore, if we are going to spend any of our time doing something, it must be worth something to us. If it is spent doing something that is worth something for someone, then some form of credit must be given with which to pay for other people's time. The currency may be fiat, but as it is given in exchange for time and labor, it is still backed by time and labor, more or less. Some people's time is worth more than others due to varying levels of education, skill, talent, and sheer size of ego.
The fiat currency was originally actually supported by what's known as the "Bretton Wood's System". Under this system, the UN granted economic hegemony to the United States of America. The nations of the UN would peg their money against the value of the US Dollar. In exchange for this, the US would fix the price of gold at $35 USD per ounce. So while the currency was fiat, it was still backed by gold, in a manner of speaking.
The idea behind the Bretton Woods System was to create economic prosperity among the nations that adhered to it. There was another side to it. While the nations would experience economic prosperity, they would be unable to run up a debt large enough to support an invasion force. The whole thing was carefully balanced so that each nation had just enough resources to defend but not invade. It was US President Richard Nixon who unfixed the price of gold, allowing the USA to run up a massive wartime debt for the Vietnam war and brought the Bretton Woods System crashing to a halt.
We are now on what's called the "Bretton Woods 2 System". However I am currently unaware of the terms of the new system other than that the new system pegs the US and Canadian dollar as being equal. Also supposedly, I'm not sure on this, but supposedly the new BW2 system also allows more leeway in fluctuations in the money market before a market correction is made.
Lastly, claiming that the currency is fiat is a red herring. It does not address the issue that real time and real money (fiat or otherwise) has been spent.
No it hasn't. Since Relvelation CO's numbers have been steadly increasing. More are playing now (by far) than prior. STO is seeing a decresses, and quite a visble one because its seriously lacking and hasn't seen much improvement and isn't likely even to be at a releasde state until season 4. Nor does it show much improvement is down the pipline. Adding more levels does not flesh the game out, all it does is move finishing point.
STO isn't seeing a decrease. hell, every night I'm on I see the something like following in earth Starbase Chat:
"New to the game and have a question..."
I also play CO and see the same thing. The fact is, BOTH games are getting a steady inlux of new players.
As for not seeing any improvement? Please they've already added more new content to STO in frour months then they've managed to add to CO in the 9 months it's been out (and that's most likely because the STO Dev team is still larger than the one for CO - but BOTH teams are getting additions in faster, and more in response to player feedback, than any MMO on the market). And as for QoL fixes, STO got a difficulty slider two weeks before CO; and a few of the other QoL things STO has will be going into CO in August. Hell, many CO players have read about the expansion of STO ship interiors, and are wondering if that tech could be adapted to bace personal plater lairs and SG bases available in CO.
lastly, your statement of "Adding more levels does not flesh the game out, all it does is move finishing point." is just plain ludicrous. Adding Levels means an expansion of player abilities and gear; and more content to play. Either you haven't tried a lot of MMOs; or you misunderstand the design philosophy behind them with is:
There should be no 'finishing point' for a character. Even at max level there should be things that the character can do that still allow it to grow and further develop and ALL successful MMOs (from EQ to WoW) have upped their level cap, in addition to adding other content. Hell, one of teh issues I do still have with CO IS that it's Level cap is still only 40. If any MMO needs a cap boost, it's CO. STO is getting one soone (and the Devs are making plans to increase it again in the future; and that only bodes well for the game.
But, in all honesty (and again I play, track the development of; and enjoy BOTH STO and CO; but to state that somehow CO's development pace is faster that STOs shows that you haven't objectively looked at the development path of both games since there respective releases).
Also, the fact is, STO has a larger subscribed playerbase then CO; and BOTH are now recieving a steady influx of new players.
You are missing the point here. Disney releases the same movies, but they don't release them under the same boxes!
If you haven't known, some of the older editions are highly collectible items and are priced accordingly. Some are actually sold in auctions.
What I am requesting is introducing certain exclusive items with some variations so the original ones have some sentimental values to those who acquired them through the original venues.
and when the game goes off line who are you going to show your exclusives to and brag to how you had them and no one else didn't? no one because you won't be able to access your characters anymore to show off the uniforms
and when the game goes off line who are you going to show your exclisves to and brag to how you had them and no one else didn't? no one because you won't be able to access your characters anymore to show off the uniforms
And at absolutely no point was it ever implied otherwise. One would have to be stupid to assume that people with a collection of exclusive items would get to play the game after it gets taken offline. That's just patently absurd. Mentioning it does not contribute to the discussion in any way. The only reason for you to even mention it is to be antagonistic. Possibly out of envy?
By the way, Ultima Online did not come with exclusive bonus items for purchase, only logging in during certain days such as the black dye tubs. It predated that business practice in the MMO market. Heck, it predated almost everything. The only two MMOs I can think of prior that weren't MUDs were Neverwinter Nights (the old AOL GoldBox engine game, not the BioWare game), and DarkSun Online which was developed by SSI, same as the original NWN game. The web page for DSO and the company who ran it is now a TRIBBLE site.
Ultima Online is still running. So any exclusive items it has remained exclusive, you can till show them off today.
And at absolutely no point was it ever implied otherwise. One would have to be stupid to assume that people with a collection of exclusive items would get to play the game after it gets taken offline. That's just patently absurd. Mentioning it does not contribute to the discussion in any way. The only reason for you to even mention it is to be antagonistic. Possibly out of envy?
By the way, Ultima Online did not come with exclusive bonus items for purchase, only logging in during certain days such as the black dye tubs. It predated that business practice in the MMO market. Heck, it predated almost everything. The only two MMOs I can think of prior that weren't MUDs were Neverwinter Nights (the old AOL GoldBox engine game, not the BioWare game), and DarkSun Online which was developed by SSI, same as the original NWN game. The web page for DSO and the company who ran it is now a TRIBBLE site.
Ultima Online is still running. So any exclusive items it has remained exclusive, you can till show them off today.
No way am i envious of something pixalated on your damn character. But I think its cute you think I want to rub and stroke your epeen. the very second I or anyone in this game becomes envious of something someone else has in an online mmo is the second that they win power over us. I've finally realized why you people have continued to create these threads.
Its not because you actually care other people have the uniforms now. Its because your hoping if you grief the company enough they will take them back out of the c-store to shut you up. I'm sorry WOW kids to disappoint you this isn't wow and you won't get your way here. No matter of crying or making thread after thread will make the developers give in to your demands over a few silly uniforms that do nothing for the game as far as game play other than change your character's clothing. Suck it up because there's not a damn thing you can do about it. Either live with it or quit playing. Oh btw one more thing guys its just a game the uniforms aren't real.
Huzzah! someone finally hit the nail on the head. Its best to just play the game and enjoy it
Lets just hope that existing customers being happy and enjoying the game is enough to counteract the loss of trust.
Oh hey, you know what? Just forget it, you're right. Lets celebrate; throw Cryptic a party even. If they're going to lie to their customers (as happened with the COLTS) then lets ENCOURAGE it. Lets embrace it. Lieing to your customer base is a GOOD thing. Lets be HAPPY that they lied to COLTS people like me so that non-COLTS people like you can do happy a dance for a little while.
And in the mean time, lets go and repeal every single consumer protection law in existence. Lets allow snake oil sellers back onto the market.
Radithor! Otherwise known as Liquid Sunshine! Radium Laced Water is Good For You! Remember Caveat Emptor!
It's all just a big happy sunshiney place when Liquid Sunshine is allowed to be sold despite the misleading advertising about things like how it won't kill you or make your jaw fall off.. But hey, that's not Radithor's fault, caveat emptor afterall! Weee. Yeah this is a lot more fun once we let corporations get away with anything under the sun!
And as for Cryptic? Yeah, lets just completely encourage bold faced lies and dishonesty. Lieing to you customer base is good for long term profits, isn't it? Isn't it?
Hey BP! New revolutionary business tactics, being two faced cheapskates is good for business! Keep that gulf gusher flowing!
No way am i envious of something pixalated on your damn character. But I think its cute you think I want to rub and stroke your epeen. the very second I or anyone in this game becomes envious of something someone else has in an online mmo is the second that they win power over us. I've finally realized why you people have continued to create these threads.
Its not because you actually care other people have the uniforms now. Its because your hoping if you grief the company enough they will take them back out of the c-store to shut you up. I'm sorry WOW kids to disappoint you this isn't wow and you won't get your way here. No matter of crying or making thread after thread will make the developers give in to your demands over a few silly uniforms that do nothing for the game as far as game play other than change your character's clothing. Suck it up because there's not a damn thing you can do about it. Either live with it or quit playing. Oh btw one more thing guys its just a game the uniforms aren't real.
You've either completely missed my point like everyone else who fights against people who rock the boat, or you've just called me a liar.
Yet again... How many times is this? I've lost count. If Cryptic is going to be lying to their customers, there won't be a game for long. What part of that don't you get? Look at how much money I actually spent on the game. Now ask yourself why on Earth would I spend that much money and want the game to fail? I want the game to succeed. The last thing we need is for Cryptic's shoddy marketing team to kill the game by violating it's own sales contracts.
It's also why I haven't made any threats about it. What happened regarding COLTS is easily something that can be taken to court. There are no less than three individual instances so far where COLTS involved misleading advertising. The previous two times were resolved, this is a third time. How many more times? If they do it to us COLTS people, what makes you think they won't do it to you?
FIRST THEY CAME for the COLTS
I did not speak out because I was not a COLTS
THEN THEY CAME for the STO PreOrders
I did not speak out because I was not an STO PreOrder
THEN THEY CAME for the STOLTS
I did not speak out because I was not an STOLTS
THEN THEY CAME for me
and by that time no one was left to speak up for me.
Quit playing? Yeah, you'd like that wouldn't you? They already have my money. If I quit playing, it's no sweat off their back. No, I'm a COLTS and STOLTS; I'm in this for the long run, sonny. Like Stormshade said, if people like me leave, the game has utterly failed. Being LTS, I have nothing to loose by continuing to play or not playing anymore. The more LTS people who leave, the more of a failure the game is because those who have nothing to lose will have declared the game such a complete failure that they don't think it's salvageable.
Does that give us extra say in things? No, not really. It just means we serve as a metric for the game's health. So yeah, I leave and it's one more nail in the coffin. I'm not going to hammer my nail into Cryptic's coffin until I am absolutely certain that the situation cannot be salvaged.
Metallurgist,
If it upsets you to the point that you will suffer physically you really need to chill out some. It is just a game, for entertainment purposes. No need to stroke out on us or anything like that.
Metallurgist,
If it upsets you to the point that you will suffer physically you really need to chill out some. It is just a game, for entertainment purposes. No need to stroke out on us or anything like that.
What exactly did you take out of context this time? I'm curious.
What exactly did you take out of context this time? I'm curious.
You have clearly indicated that what Cryptic has done is akin to selling you something that is likely to lead to death and/or dismemberment. Since that is a ludicrous comparison one could only think that perhaps the stress of it all was getting to you. I thought perhaps it was making you feel ill, I was concerned about you stroking out.
I guess you just want a little love, wanting to feel special. Well I have something for you.
You have clearly indicated that what Cryptic has done is akin to selling you something that is likely to lead to death and/or dismemberment. Since that is a ludicrous comparison one could only think that perhaps the stress of it all was getting to you. I thought perhaps it was making you feel ill, I was concerned about you stroking out.
I guess you just want a little love, wanting to feel special. Well I have something for you.
How long has it been since you last took a class in reading comprehension? That entire post was a combination of cynicism and sarcasm.
Companies lying to their customers is never a bad thing. Yet you somehow feel it's necessary to celebrate when they do. Why? Rose tinting your world will not keep you safe from the trouble and pain that will come from conveniently ignoring the problem.
What exactly did you take out of context this time? I'm curious.
Metallurgist, I completely agree with what you have stated. What these people cannot gather is the difference between legality and morality. There are legal loopholes that many companies and such can fall into. What is being done here might be legal in certain circles, but immoral in any circle.
Deceptive practices are never a good thing. Housing bubble, Derivatives market, Tungsten Steel inside gold bars on the international exchange market, oil in the gulf, depending on what the definition of "is" is, redefining what exclusive means....
Some people have no moral compass... well.. honestly I think MOST people have no moral compass. Explaining to them the idea of moral business practices is like trying to explain to cancer how it is killing it's host.
They say it is greed that drives people to wish to retain that which they purchased.... as they drool over taking what you paid a heavy cost for for nearly nothing.
They can't even see the irony as it slaps them so hard across the face, you can count the fingers in the red marks left behind.
Promises mean something. I for one will never be in line for any Cryptic promotions or provide any effort into any promotions Cryptic every puts out again. Trust is broken. I know that if I wait a bit, it will be for sale....no matter what they say now.
So keep talking like this is a good business practice guys,.... while your at it,.. go down to the Gulf with some pro BP banners and make a nice pep rally for the oil as it washes ashore.
How long has it been since you last took a class in reading comprehension? That entire post was a combination of cynicism and sarcasm.
Companies lying to their customers is never a bad thing. Yet you somehow feel it's necessary to celebrate when they do. Why? Rose tinting your world will not keep you safe from the trouble and pain that will come from conveniently ignoring the problem.
Yet again the problem is not the tinting of my eye gear, but the blinders that you wore when you made your purchase. I always assumed that those "exclusive" items would be eventually made available, why you didn't is absolutely beyond me.
Yet again the problem is not the tinting of my eye gear, but the blinders that you wore when you made your purchase. I always assumed that those "exclusive" items would be eventually made available, why you didn't is absolutely beyond me.
You know what they say about assuming....
And yeah,...why would you want to trust what words mean. I mean.. 1984 was like 26 years ago... Double speak is the in-thing now.
And yeah,...why would you want to trust what words mean. I mean.. 1984 was like 26 years ago... Double speak is the in-thing now.
That only holds true if you assume wrong. Like for example that you assumed that exclusive items would remain exclusive and they didn't then what they say about assumed holds true. However, if you assumed correctly...
Hmmm, I guess it still holds true because I am still one for laughing at you.:)
Metallurgist, I completely agree with what you have stated. What these people cannot gather is the difference between legality and morality. There are legal loopholes that many companies and such can fall into. What is being done here might be legal in certain circles, but immoral in any circle.
What happened with the COLTS promotional item being released to CStore is likely illegal considering that a Cryptic employee whose job it was to push the promotions and answer questions from the community flat out said in black and white that the MU uniform would never be available any other way.
This is actually, quite literally false advertising. I'm not a lawyer, but I'm pretty sure this could be successfully litigated in court as a class action as many people, even those who have COLTS but don't play STO, would likely be owed a complete refund.
I'm not saying that I want this to go to court. If it does go to court, we all lose. I want us all to win. I want both those items to stay in the CStore and i'd like for COLTS people to get a new MU item that's a noticeable but slight and inconsequential variation of the uniform that is to remain 100% exclusive to COLTS customers.
My suggestion is simple: Kirk's MU uniform for males and Uhura's boot dagger. It's just a suggestion. I personally feel that would kill the COLTS complaints dead, particularly if the promise is made in black and white for all to see something to the effect of "This special variation of the uniform is for COLTS members only because they were initially promised a unique MU uniform that would never be obtainable any other way. We sold them the uniform under those terms and messed up. Now we're putting it right."
That's all... It'd be a relatively simple thing. Heck, I have an artist in my company that, if given the models, could work up this solution in 3 or 4 days. Not that I'm suggesting he do that. Just that he easily could.
That only holds true if you assume wrong. Like for example that you assumed that exclusive items would remain exclusive and they didn't then what they say about assumed holds true. However, if you assumed correctly...
Hmmm, I guess it still holds true because I am still one for laughing at you.:)
Oh no, a man who loves immorality and wants it to continue is laughing at me.. .what... ever.. shall.. I ... do.
Laugh all you want child, from your position it is not even possible for you to crane your neck back far enough to see where I am coming from.
As I said.. cancer never understands when it is killing the host...
Yet again the problem is not the tinting of my eye gear, but the blinders that you wore when you made your purchase. I always assumed that those "exclusive" items would be eventually made available, why you didn't is absolutely beyond me.
That only holds true if you assume wrong. Like for example that you assumed that exclusive items would remain exclusive and they didn't then what they say about assumed holds true. However, if you assumed correctly...
Hmmm, I guess it still holds true because I am still one for laughing at you.:)
I did not wear blinders. Get it into your head. Cryptic explicitly stated that the Mirror Universe Uniforms would not be available any way other than COLTS. They VERY EXPLICITLY stated that. I made my purchase of COLTS after Cryptic had said that.
Cryptic lied; there were no blinders involved and no tin foil hat is required.
I did not wear blinders. Get it into your head. Cryptic explicitly stated that the Mirror Universe Uniforms would not be available any way other than COLTS. They VERY EXPLICITLY stated that. I made my purchase of COLTS after Cryptic had said that.
Cryptic lied; there were no blinders involved and no tin foil hat is required.
Seriously though, that guy is just antagonizing you. You should let it go and get back on topic.
edit: too late
I'm not antagonizing him in the least. I'm just amused that he's getting this bent out over a few uniforms that are just for the appearance of our characters and he thinks cryptic owes him an apology.
Oh and to metallurgist if you feel that strongly about it and think they broke some consumer law then sue them why don't you? I will tell you why you don't sue them because you don't have a case and the judge would laugh you out of court and tell you that your case has no merit and to grow up that its just a damn game young man. either enjoy it or quit playing it and find another game if it stresses you out that bad.
Comments
You are missing the point here. Disney releases the same movies, but they don't release them under the same boxes!
If you haven't known, some of the older editions are highly collectible items and are priced accordingly. Some are actually sold in auctions.
What I am requesting is introducing certain exclusive items with some variations so the original ones have some sentimental values to those who acquired them through the original venues.
Oh?
Yeah. That ↑
Right and it tends to be brighter outside during the day time than during the night time. I thought I'd just point that out. Of course people who complain are noisier than those who don't. Did you know that people who voice their support for something are noisier than those who don't? It's true therefore I must be from the silent majority too. If you use an argument that can just as easily be used to support the opposition, it is not a good argument to use. One more point here: It's impossible to complain without being noisy. It is however possible to be dissatisfied, disappointed, upset, etc while remaining silent.
I've already answered this question in earlier posts. Again this is another point that's being parroted without any real thought being given to it. No, I would not be ****ed off at Disney. One does not watch exclusive home videos in public. The videos prohibit that. One does however, more or less, show exclusive items on an MMO in "public". The public being the other players who witness it. Also, Disney has been pulling that garbage my entire life. I've learned not to trust them; just as I have learned not to trust Cryptic. When people come to me and go "Hey look, Disney's selling this as a home video for the last time." I tell them that Disney has a reputation for claiming that when it's not true. *gasp* Looks like I apply the same standards to Cryptic as I do to Disney. Go figure!
And you know what? Disney uses claims like that because their home video sales stink. Could it be that people don't actually trust them to be telling the truth? That they figure "Oh I can just buy it next time they put it up for sale?"
One more thing about the Disney thing. The people who go and buy the videos the next time around are jumping through the same hoop: They're buying the promotional item the same way anyone else did. They are not buying it for 2% the original cost where the original cost was over $200. So even though I apply the same expected standards of conduct to Disney in order for Disney to maintain my trust as a consumer, the analogy still fails to make a point. I've said repeatedly that if they reopened the COLTS and made it so you can get access to the MU uniforms that way, I would not have had an issue with it. As long as people are jumping through the same hoops I jumped through, it's not unfair. It's simply what Disney does, reoffering the same promotional deal. The practical consequence is that I would not trust Cryptic to make a promotional offer only once. That I would expect their promotional offers to be reoccuring like I do with Disney. This is a non issue.
Actually, you seem to be obsessed with taking what I and many others have said entirely out of context. This obsession leads to the assignment of hyperbole to my side of the fence where the hyperbole starts and ends with your side of the fence.
What is real is subjective. We manufacture our own reality. To you it may not be real. However, I paid real money for it. The developers spent real time and used real talent to produce these items. They really sold me the items and really took my real money. The space the graphics take up on my harddrive, on your harddrive, is real. The bits and bytes composing the items is real. The packets transmitted by the server to the client to order the client to display the items are really transmitted using real information over the real internet using real bandwidth. Therefore, I do not see how the items are not real. They're simple meta data, but real all the same. At least to me. Again, we manufacture our own reality.
By the way, the video I linked there is purely done as comedy. The man is a character actor and musician who pretends to be insane and spouts a combination of pseudoscience, deliberately misintepretted real science, and conspiracy theory. But he is correct about one crucial thing: reality is subjective and therefore is what we decide to make it.
A lie shouted loud enough and long enough becomes the truth when the detractors stop speaking against it. I'm a detractor against the lie that these items were not sold as exclusive. I will not be silent on the matter until it no longer matters to me.
Oh no, I'm completely with you on this one. I've been saying for weeks now that they should have released the Enterprise MU uniforms to the C-Store. It would have been a great compromise.
Quieter does not mean silent. Just as significant does not mean majority. And there are also different levels of exclusivity, which I was smart enough not to pay for; I bought the items on their other merits.
It is also my experience that complaints tend to represent about 10% of the customers and about 90% of the feedback in a typical retail environment.
As far as the realness of the items, I will grant you that the items have as much value as the money. Money which is fiat money, that only has value as long as people assign value to it.
Experience? Please provide your credentials and references. Also, I would like a well documented source for your figures as to this strikingly round number of a 1:10 ratio.
Sure, it's a fiat currency. However, the money is given in recompense for labor performed. Time is money. This statement is far more profound than most people realize. We all have a limited amount of time in our lives. Therefore, if we are going to spend any of our time doing something, it must be worth something to us. If it is spent doing something that is worth something for someone, then some form of credit must be given with which to pay for other people's time. The currency may be fiat, but as it is given in exchange for time and labor, it is still backed by time and labor, more or less. Some people's time is worth more than others due to varying levels of education, skill, talent, and sheer size of ego.
The fiat currency was originally actually supported by what's known as the "Bretton Wood's System". Under this system, the UN granted economic hegemony to the United States of America. The nations of the UN would peg their money against the value of the US Dollar. In exchange for this, the US would fix the price of gold at $35 USD per ounce. So while the currency was fiat, it was still backed by gold, in a manner of speaking.
The idea behind the Bretton Woods System was to create economic prosperity among the nations that adhered to it. There was another side to it. While the nations would experience economic prosperity, they would be unable to run up a debt large enough to support an invasion force. The whole thing was carefully balanced so that each nation had just enough resources to defend but not invade. It was US President Richard Nixon who unfixed the price of gold, allowing the USA to run up a massive wartime debt for the Vietnam war and brought the Bretton Woods System crashing to a halt.
We are now on what's called the "Bretton Woods 2 System". However I am currently unaware of the terms of the new system other than that the new system pegs the US and Canadian dollar as being equal. Also supposedly, I'm not sure on this, but supposedly the new BW2 system also allows more leeway in fluctuations in the money market before a market correction is made.
Lastly, claiming that the currency is fiat is a red herring. It does not address the issue that real time and real money (fiat or otherwise) has been spent.
Aw, I hate it when parents fight...
STO isn't seeing a decrease. hell, every night I'm on I see the something like following in earth Starbase Chat:
"New to the game and have a question..."
I also play CO and see the same thing. The fact is, BOTH games are getting a steady inlux of new players.
As for not seeing any improvement? Please they've already added more new content to STO in frour months then they've managed to add to CO in the 9 months it's been out (and that's most likely because the STO Dev team is still larger than the one for CO - but BOTH teams are getting additions in faster, and more in response to player feedback, than any MMO on the market). And as for QoL fixes, STO got a difficulty slider two weeks before CO; and a few of the other QoL things STO has will be going into CO in August. Hell, many CO players have read about the expansion of STO ship interiors, and are wondering if that tech could be adapted to bace personal plater lairs and SG bases available in CO.
lastly, your statement of "Adding more levels does not flesh the game out, all it does is move finishing point." is just plain ludicrous. Adding Levels means an expansion of player abilities and gear; and more content to play. Either you haven't tried a lot of MMOs; or you misunderstand the design philosophy behind them with is:
There should be no 'finishing point' for a character. Even at max level there should be things that the character can do that still allow it to grow and further develop and ALL successful MMOs (from EQ to WoW) have upped their level cap, in addition to adding other content. Hell, one of teh issues I do still have with CO IS that it's Level cap is still only 40. If any MMO needs a cap boost, it's CO. STO is getting one soone (and the Devs are making plans to increase it again in the future; and that only bodes well for the game.
But, in all honesty (and again I play, track the development of; and enjoy BOTH STO and CO; but to state that somehow CO's development pace is faster that STOs shows that you haven't objectively looked at the development path of both games since there respective releases).
Also, the fact is, STO has a larger subscribed playerbase then CO; and BOTH are now recieving a steady influx of new players.
and when the game goes off line who are you going to show your exclusives to and brag to how you had them and no one else didn't? no one because you won't be able to access your characters anymore to show off the uniforms
And at absolutely no point was it ever implied otherwise. One would have to be stupid to assume that people with a collection of exclusive items would get to play the game after it gets taken offline. That's just patently absurd. Mentioning it does not contribute to the discussion in any way. The only reason for you to even mention it is to be antagonistic. Possibly out of envy?
By the way, Ultima Online did not come with exclusive bonus items for purchase, only logging in during certain days such as the black dye tubs. It predated that business practice in the MMO market. Heck, it predated almost everything. The only two MMOs I can think of prior that weren't MUDs were Neverwinter Nights (the old AOL GoldBox engine game, not the BioWare game), and DarkSun Online which was developed by SSI, same as the original NWN game. The web page for DSO and the company who ran it is now a TRIBBLE site.
Ultima Online is still running. So any exclusive items it has remained exclusive, you can till show them off today.
No way am i envious of something pixalated on your damn character. But I think its cute you think I want to rub and stroke your epeen. the very second I or anyone in this game becomes envious of something someone else has in an online mmo is the second that they win power over us. I've finally realized why you people have continued to create these threads.
Its not because you actually care other people have the uniforms now. Its because your hoping if you grief the company enough they will take them back out of the c-store to shut you up. I'm sorry WOW kids to disappoint you this isn't wow and you won't get your way here. No matter of crying or making thread after thread will make the developers give in to your demands over a few silly uniforms that do nothing for the game as far as game play other than change your character's clothing. Suck it up because there's not a damn thing you can do about it. Either live with it or quit playing. Oh btw one more thing guys its just a game the uniforms aren't real.
You are right, time is valuable, and that is why I chose to spend my time being happy. Good luck with your way.
Huzzah! someone finally hit the nail on the head. Its best to just play the game and enjoy it
Lets just hope that existing customers being happy and enjoying the game is enough to counteract the loss of trust.
Oh hey, you know what? Just forget it, you're right. Lets celebrate; throw Cryptic a party even. If they're going to lie to their customers (as happened with the COLTS) then lets ENCOURAGE it. Lets embrace it. Lieing to your customer base is a GOOD thing. Lets be HAPPY that they lied to COLTS people like me so that non-COLTS people like you can do happy a dance for a little while.
And in the mean time, lets go and repeal every single consumer protection law in existence. Lets allow snake oil sellers back onto the market.
Radithor! Otherwise known as Liquid Sunshine! Radium Laced Water is Good For You! Remember Caveat Emptor!
It's all just a big happy sunshiney place when Liquid Sunshine is allowed to be sold despite the misleading advertising about things like how it won't kill you or make your jaw fall off.. But hey, that's not Radithor's fault, caveat emptor afterall! Weee. Yeah this is a lot more fun once we let corporations get away with anything under the sun!
And as for Cryptic? Yeah, lets just completely encourage bold faced lies and dishonesty. Lieing to you customer base is good for long term profits, isn't it? Isn't it?
Hey BP! New revolutionary business tactics, being two faced cheapskates is good for business! Keep that gulf gusher flowing!
You've either completely missed my point like everyone else who fights against people who rock the boat, or you've just called me a liar.
Yet again... How many times is this? I've lost count. If Cryptic is going to be lying to their customers, there won't be a game for long. What part of that don't you get? Look at how much money I actually spent on the game. Now ask yourself why on Earth would I spend that much money and want the game to fail? I want the game to succeed. The last thing we need is for Cryptic's shoddy marketing team to kill the game by violating it's own sales contracts.
It's also why I haven't made any threats about it. What happened regarding COLTS is easily something that can be taken to court. There are no less than three individual instances so far where COLTS involved misleading advertising. The previous two times were resolved, this is a third time. How many more times? If they do it to us COLTS people, what makes you think they won't do it to you?
FIRST THEY CAME for the COLTS
I did not speak out because I was not a COLTS
THEN THEY CAME for the STO PreOrders
I did not speak out because I was not an STO PreOrder
THEN THEY CAME for the STOLTS
I did not speak out because I was not an STOLTS
THEN THEY CAME for me
and by that time no one was left to speak up for me.
Quit playing? Yeah, you'd like that wouldn't you? They already have my money. If I quit playing, it's no sweat off their back. No, I'm a COLTS and STOLTS; I'm in this for the long run, sonny. Like Stormshade said, if people like me leave, the game has utterly failed. Being LTS, I have nothing to loose by continuing to play or not playing anymore. The more LTS people who leave, the more of a failure the game is because those who have nothing to lose will have declared the game such a complete failure that they don't think it's salvageable.
Does that give us extra say in things? No, not really. It just means we serve as a metric for the game's health. So yeah, I leave and it's one more nail in the coffin. I'm not going to hammer my nail into Cryptic's coffin until I am absolutely certain that the situation cannot be salvaged.
Do you have a problem with that? Too bad.
Rose tint my world.
If it upsets you to the point that you will suffer physically you really need to chill out some. It is just a game, for entertainment purposes. No need to stroke out on us or anything like that.
What exactly did you take out of context this time? I'm curious.
You have clearly indicated that what Cryptic has done is akin to selling you something that is likely to lead to death and/or dismemberment. Since that is a ludicrous comparison one could only think that perhaps the stress of it all was getting to you. I thought perhaps it was making you feel ill, I was concerned about you stroking out.
I guess you just want a little love, wanting to feel special. Well I have something for you.
CLICK HERE TO FEEL SPECIAL
My Magic Ackbar says "It's a trap!"
Seriously though, that guy is just antagonizing you. You should let it go and get back on topic.
edit: too late
How long has it been since you last took a class in reading comprehension? That entire post was a combination of cynicism and sarcasm.
Companies lying to their customers is never a bad thing. Yet you somehow feel it's necessary to celebrate when they do. Why? Rose tinting your world will not keep you safe from the trouble and pain that will come from conveniently ignoring the problem.
Metallurgist, I completely agree with what you have stated. What these people cannot gather is the difference between legality and morality. There are legal loopholes that many companies and such can fall into. What is being done here might be legal in certain circles, but immoral in any circle.
Deceptive practices are never a good thing. Housing bubble, Derivatives market, Tungsten Steel inside gold bars on the international exchange market, oil in the gulf, depending on what the definition of "is" is, redefining what exclusive means....
Some people have no moral compass... well.. honestly I think MOST people have no moral compass. Explaining to them the idea of moral business practices is like trying to explain to cancer how it is killing it's host.
They say it is greed that drives people to wish to retain that which they purchased.... as they drool over taking what you paid a heavy cost for for nearly nothing.
They can't even see the irony as it slaps them so hard across the face, you can count the fingers in the red marks left behind.
Promises mean something. I for one will never be in line for any Cryptic promotions or provide any effort into any promotions Cryptic every puts out again. Trust is broken. I know that if I wait a bit, it will be for sale....no matter what they say now.
So keep talking like this is a good business practice guys,.... while your at it,.. go down to the Gulf with some pro BP banners and make a nice pep rally for the oil as it washes ashore.
ra ra sis boom ba.
Yet again the problem is not the tinting of my eye gear, but the blinders that you wore when you made your purchase. I always assumed that those "exclusive" items would be eventually made available, why you didn't is absolutely beyond me.
You know what they say about assuming....
And yeah,...why would you want to trust what words mean. I mean.. 1984 was like 26 years ago... Double speak is the in-thing now.
That only holds true if you assume wrong. Like for example that you assumed that exclusive items would remain exclusive and they didn't then what they say about assumed holds true. However, if you assumed correctly...
Hmmm, I guess it still holds true because I am still one for laughing at you.:)
What happened with the COLTS promotional item being released to CStore is likely illegal considering that a Cryptic employee whose job it was to push the promotions and answer questions from the community flat out said in black and white that the MU uniform would never be available any other way.
This is actually, quite literally false advertising. I'm not a lawyer, but I'm pretty sure this could be successfully litigated in court as a class action as many people, even those who have COLTS but don't play STO, would likely be owed a complete refund.
I'm not saying that I want this to go to court. If it does go to court, we all lose. I want us all to win. I want both those items to stay in the CStore and i'd like for COLTS people to get a new MU item that's a noticeable but slight and inconsequential variation of the uniform that is to remain 100% exclusive to COLTS customers.
My suggestion is simple: Kirk's MU uniform for males and Uhura's boot dagger. It's just a suggestion. I personally feel that would kill the COLTS complaints dead, particularly if the promise is made in black and white for all to see something to the effect of "This special variation of the uniform is for COLTS members only because they were initially promised a unique MU uniform that would never be obtainable any other way. We sold them the uniform under those terms and messed up. Now we're putting it right."
That's all... It'd be a relatively simple thing. Heck, I have an artist in my company that, if given the models, could work up this solution in 3 or 4 days. Not that I'm suggesting he do that. Just that he easily could.
Oh no, a man who loves immorality and wants it to continue is laughing at me.. .what... ever.. shall.. I ... do.
Laugh all you want child, from your position it is not even possible for you to crane your neck back far enough to see where I am coming from.
As I said.. cancer never understands when it is killing the host...
and it doesn't care.
I did not wear blinders. Get it into your head. Cryptic explicitly stated that the Mirror Universe Uniforms would not be available any way other than COLTS. They VERY EXPLICITLY stated that. I made my purchase of COLTS after Cryptic had said that.
Cryptic lied; there were no blinders involved and no tin foil hat is required.
oh snap...
Then take them to court.
I think you need to read what he wrote again.
You seem to skip what you don't want to read..and then make assumptive conclusions.
I see a lot of assumption coming from your direction.
Read ... it ... again.
I'm not antagonizing him in the least. I'm just amused that he's getting this bent out over a few uniforms that are just for the appearance of our characters and he thinks cryptic owes him an apology.
Oh and to metallurgist if you feel that strongly about it and think they broke some consumer law then sue them why don't you? I will tell you why you don't sue them because you don't have a case and the judge would laugh you out of court and tell you that your case has no merit and to grow up that its just a damn game young man. either enjoy it or quit playing it and find another game if it stresses you out that bad.