222 replies to this topic

[Thuzel]

MrPenguin, on 09 April 2013 - 11:40 AM, said:

According to how many I see online, it appears a lot of people don't seem to agree with your sentiments.

There's a sucker born every minute...

Doesn't matter how much they charge, you'll still see a fair number of them in the game. MWO is literally brimming with people with money to burn.

[jay35]

Jack Lazarus, on 09 April 2013 - 11:38 AM, said:

If you do not intend to pay for premium time, and you do intend to play a Hero mech for hundreds of matches...

Why not do both?

[Chavette]

$35 ain't nothing bro, I'll pay you $35 to not post these boring threads.

[Rhent]

Rizzelbizzeg, on 09 April 2013 - 11:30 AM, said:

Sure, pay $30 for a "full game", play through it once, and never go back after you beat that final boss.

OR pay $30 for a mech and wreck face for hours and hours and hours and hours and hours...

You could always ask for a bigger allowance?

The original poster is correct, the pricing for hero mechs makes them generally something no one will buy. The only reason to pay that kind of money for a mech would be a pay to win mech. Hero mechs tend not to be in that category, so why would anyone pay $30 for a mech that offers no advantage? They won't and Piranha looses sales. Their Average Revenue Per Paying Customer metric is probably off the charts with their pricing schemes, however their actual revenue take home is a fraction of what it could be if they priced out their items accordingly.

[Tezcatli]

They need to sweeten the deal with premium. 30% off if you have premium at the time of purchase. They could limit it so it's one hero mech purchase per month of premium. That way they can keep people buying premium and encourage hero mech purchases at a moderate rate. And have a 20% discount on paints and patterns. I bet that would encourage more premium members and improve player spending.

[FarEYE]

The way I see it if something in this game like a hero mech costs something like 1 drink at a bar people don't bat an eye to spending $5-$10 on something. I notice other games I play are priced accordingly. However $30-$35 is like a night of drinking. Now instead of saving money by buying something in this game and playing all night, it is priced equivalently or even more than going out, since I know my bartenders and they hook me up, unlike PGI.

[One Medic Army]

Rhent, on 09 April 2013 - 11:53 AM, said:

The original poster is correct, the pricing for hero mechs makes them generally something no one will buy. The only reason to pay that kind of money for a mech would be a pay to win mech. Hero mechs tend not to be in that category, so why would anyone pay $30 for a mech that offers no advantage? They won't and Piranha looses sales. Their Average Revenue Per Paying Customer metric is probably off the charts with their pricing schemes, however their actual revenue take home is a fraction of what it could be if they priced out their items accordingly.

My personal thought is they're trying to maximize profit from early adopters (and Founders with lots of MC left) while using Sales to snag anyone who thinks the full sticker price is absurd.
Why sell 1000 at $30 or 2000 at $15 when you can sell 1000 at $30 and another 1000 at $15?

[Rhent]

One Medic Army, on 09 April 2013 - 11:57 AM, said:

My personal thought is they're trying to maximize profit from early adopters (and Founders with lots of MC left) while using Sales to snag anyone who thinks the full sticker price is absurd.
Why sell 1000 at $30 or 2000 at $15 when you can sell 1000 at $30 and another 1000 at $15?

All of the hero mechs from the founders pack for the most part aren't exactly useful now. So frankly, the likelihood of me ever buying a hero mech or premium time is ZERO. I buy camo and colors and that's about it. Cbills are ridiculously easy to get in the game and hero mech generally are poor, really poor.

[Rizzelbizzeg]

armyof1, on 09 April 2013 - 11:35 AM, said:

You might consider stop buying games that suck.

Please, sir, tell me what game I can buy for $30 that doesn't suck and has more than 40 hours of replayability?

[Team Leader]

Rizzelbizzeg, on 09 April 2013 - 12:03 PM, said:

Please, sir, tell me what game I can buy for $30 that doesn't suck and has more than 40 hours of replayability?

Star wars battlefront 2
Team fortress 2 (free, btw)
Fallout 3
Oblivion
Skyrim
Fallout New Vegas
Command and conquer series

Or you know, just play the same mech with essentially the same play style for 40 hours instead of a whole new to you game. Whatever works for you.

Edited by Team Leader, 09 April 2013 - 12:09 PM.

[Mason Grimm]

Unfortunately it comes down to maximizing profits on a per unit sales versus volume projections.

Let us break it down using small numbers.

1000 people are willing to buy the mech at $30 because they love it. That is $30,000 in sales.
1000 people complain about the price being too high and that they won't buy it. That is an addition 0$ in revenue.

A good percentage of these people are now out of MC and are forced to buy another pack if they want future mechs resulting in even more revenue. A few bruised customers but more potential revenue.

(1000*30) + (0*30) = $30,000 + X (x being future revenue based upon the need to purchase more MC for more mechs)

With me so far?

Ok..... Let us say the dropped the price to $15 per mech

1000 people would STILL buy the mech for sure!!! So that is $15,000

Those same 1000 people have spent HALF of what they normally would so don't need to purchase any more MC for any future mechs because essentially they can buy another 90 ton mech with what they have left over in savings.

NOW

Let us ASSUME that even 50% of people complaining "The price is too high" buy the mech....

500 more people are willing to buy the mech so that is $7500

(1000*15) + (500*15) = $22,500

BUT they lose all that potential future revenue on future MC package sales because the consumer doesn't need it anymore. Sure everyone is now happy or at least "more happy" but the company is down $7500 right off the get-go not to mention the lost revenue from potential MC sales. It is a HUGE hit in terms of their quarterly profits; and these are of critical importance within the first year or two of a companies life-time. It shows they can make it.

Volume projections never work with products like digital content because some of those who are the most vocal are also the most full of it. They won't buy anything at any price; because they can't or because they won't. Complaining gives them something to do and allows them to vent. It's human nature (shrugs) I do it too sometimes.

Your are basically asking the company "Please don't make as much money every month because I want to buy this mech and MAYBE some of the other people like me will purchase it as well".

Sheer madness.

[armyof1]

Rizzelbizzeg, on 09 April 2013 - 12:03 PM, said:

Please, sir, tell me what game I can buy for $30 that doesn't suck and has more than 40 hours of replayability?

I've had hundreds of fun hours with Skyrim and Borderlands 2 for example, but I'm pretty much expecting you to tell me how bad they are so you can make that $30 mech come across as a great bargain.

[RG Notch]

Ph30nix, on 09 April 2013 - 11:40 AM, said:

and its good to see there are still egotistical full of themselves blowhards for us to kill in game.

just because someone thinks something is too expensive to spend their money on doesnt mean you are better than them just because you would/did. Also just because they wouldnt buy the hero mechs at their current prices doesnt mean they havnt spent money on the game nor does it mean they wouldnt buy them at all just not at their current prices.

so please grow up.

But it generally means you have more disposable income than them, which is often better than being smarter than them. Must be tough being so much better and smarter than people yet poorer.

[Team Leader]

Quxudica, on 09 April 2013 - 11:44 AM, said:

Comparing one overpriced form of entertainment to another is not a great argument. I think it's generally accepted that theater pricing is beyond a rip off for tickets alone, gods forbid you go to the snack stand.

I hate these people. And the ones who are like "oh, I could just not go to Starbucks for a week blah blah" yeah, I don't buy coffee there because its not necessary and it's freaking expensive if you go every day. Or the people who are like "well, that's like one night out at the bar with my friends"... I'm sure your friends will love you playing Mechwarrior all the time. "Hey man, wanna go out tonight?" "No, sorry, I paid 30 dollars for a mech that doesnt exist in a free videogame so I have to play with it as much as possible to justify my brain dead purchases" "wow dude, you're lame" *ditches friend*

[Chavette]

Mason Grimm, on 09 April 2013 - 12:08 PM, said:

Your are basically asking the company "Please don't make as much money every month because I want to buy this mech and MAYBE some of the other people like me will purchase it as well".

Sheer madness.

How do you know the current price point is the absolutely optimal one? How do you know the sales wouldn't quadruple if the price was halfed? They didn't experiment with it at all. Thats the complaint here, we feel like they simply put a "high enough" price and are happy with "good enough" sales.

Edited by Chavette, 09 April 2013 - 12:15 PM.

[FrOdO]

NRP, on 09 April 2013 - 11:29 AM, said:

Well, I suppose you sponges should be glad that there are those of us who do actually spend money to keep the game you love to hate afloat.

[JudgeDeathCZ]

WAS GOING TO BUY A HIGHLANDER "HEAVY
METAL".....

And then I found out there will not be collisions and DFA/HB untill after lauch....FFFFFFUUUUU

[FrOdO]

Rizzelbizzeg, on 09 April 2013 - 11:30 AM, said:

Sure, pay $30 for a "full game", play through it once, and never go back after you beat that final boss.

OR pay $30 for a mech and wreck face for hours and hours and hours and hours and hours...

You could always ask for a bigger allowance?

[Mason Grimm]

Chavette, on 09 April 2013 - 12:14 PM, said:

How do you know the current price point is the absolutely optimal one? How do you know the sales wouldn't quadruple if the price was halfed? They didn't experiment with it at all. Thats the complaint here, we feel like they simply put a "high enough" price and are happy with "good enough" sales.

I don't disagree at all. I think the pricing system is waaaaaaaaaaaaaaay out of whack and not representative of a micro-transaction system at all (edit: at least not across the entire board. Consumables are micro transactions, mechs are not). I am just giving the cold hard business world facts and at the end of the day it is a business that puts this together. While I don't agree with their pricing system (I am one of those who can't afford a Highlander no matter how much I want it) I do understand the necessity for it.

Edited by Mason Grimm, 09 April 2013 - 12:19 PM.

[Ph30nix]

Mason Grimm, on 09 April 2013 - 12:08 PM, said:

Unfortunately it comes down to maximizing profits on a per unit sales versus volume projections.

Let us break it down using small numbers.

1000 people are willing to buy the mech at $30 because they love it. That is $30,000 in sales.
1000 people complain about the price being too high and that they won't buy it. That is an addition 0$ in revenue.

A good percentage of these people are now out of MC and are forced to buy another pack if they want future mechs resulting in even more revenue. A few bruised customers but more potential revenue.

(1000*30) + (0*30) = $30,000 + X (x being future revenue based upon the need to purchase more MC for more mechs)

With me so far?

Ok..... Let us say the dropped the price to $15 per mech

1000 people would STILL buy the mech for sure!!! So that is $15,000

Those same 1000 people have spent HALF of what they normally would so don't need to purchase any more MC for any future mechs because essentially they can buy another 90 ton mech with what they have left over in savings.

NOW

Let us ASSUME that even 50% of people complaining "The price is too high" buy the mech....

500 more people are willing to buy the mech so that is $7500

(1000*15) + (500*15) = $22,500

BUT they lose all that potential future revenue on future MC package sales because the consumer doesn't need it anymore. Sure everyone is now happy or at least "more happy" but the company is down $7500 right off the get-go not to mention the lost revenue from potential MC sales. It is a HUGE hit in terms of their quarterly profits; and these are of critical importance within the first year or two of a companies life-time. It shows they can make it.

Volume projections never work with products like digital content because some of those who are the most vocal are also the most full of it. They won't buy anything at any price; because they can't or because they won't. Complaining gives them something to do and allows them to vent. It's human nature (shrugs) I do it too sometimes.

Your are basically asking the company "Please don't make as much money every month because I want to buy this mech and MAYBE some of the other people like me will purchase it as well".

Sheer madness.

i like how you added in the extra fact that those that bought the highlander would ALSO buy more MC. most people i know either already had the MC and didnt buy more afterwards, or they bought only enough MC to get the highlander used the extra for a few mech bays or some other junk and also have NOT bought more MC.

there is zero point in sitting on an MC stockpile unless you buy it on sale with intention to use later

FrOdO, on 09 April 2013 - 12:15 PM, said:

can you be my new best freind?

but seriously epic epic epic epic props for getting that woman into this