49 replies to this topic

[FerretGR]

stjobe, on 05 February 2013 - 10:04 AM, said:

Thank you, it does, but I still have one question: Seeing as the pricing model of MWO is basically identical to the (very successful) World of Tanks, and that Hawken looks to be getting an extremely similar pricing model, what are you comparing to when deciding the MWO pricing is twice as high as it should be?

The "twice as cheap" number I used was arbitrary; it was basically just a "if they were half as cheap, that might do it for me," but it wasn't based on a direct comparison. With respect to WOT and Hawken, I don't play either game so I can't really comment. If I do compare, I'm comparing hero mechs to in-game characters that can be purchased in other games I've played, ie. the fighters in UFC Undisputed (which go for about $1 each), and I'm comparing paints and skins to in-game skins and avatar items in the XBox Live marketplace, which go for max $2 or $3, and often, $3 will get a pack of skins (ie. BF3).

I realize that the pricing model is going to be different based on those games not belonging to the F2P model and that the in-game purchases are where MWO will make the money BF3 makes from sales. I'd be okay with significant increases over the $1 or $2 or $3 I mentioned above. I'm not okay with $8 for a camo that'll only work on one set of mechs, given that I also have to paint them and whatnot. I'm almost there, though. I'm the type of buyer who will really overdo it for really cheap things, but will be frugal for things I see as a little too expensive. For folks like me, PGI just needs to lower the price to "holy crap, for that price, it's a no-brainer!" territory, and they're not quite there yet. But almost!

ETA: just noticed: http://mwomercs.com/...th-to-feb-12th/

I'll buy at least one Dazzle to show my support!

Edited by FerretGR, 05 February 2013 - 11:21 AM.

[Solaxxas]

Why would you up the c-bill cost of the very few basic colors to the cost of a light mech each? It makes no sense, even if they are permanent now.

Also, a lot of MMO devs have a strange concept of "micro" transactions, not just PGI. EVE Online's 80 dollar monocle comes to mind. So in my mind PGI's prices are still "reasonable", altough on the upper end of the scale.

[Bluescuba]

Basic Green - free

5 remaining basic colours - 1.25 million cbills

124 premium colours

I hope I am wrong but thats the way I read it.

[Max Fightmaster]

All things considered, the prices may be high for some but at least they're not selling Clan tech at 1375MC an Autocannon, amirite? The only time you really get a good look at your mech is when it's sitting in your showroom, aka your mech lab, the rest of the time you barely get a hint of trim... unless you're driving a Dragon, then you can see as much of your entire CT as the rest of the battlefield.

It seems like such a petty thing to complain about, colors I mean, when no one is gonna care what shade of neon neon or fluorescent neon you are when you die. Really, no one will care It feels... feels... like something so insignificant to whine about, like complaining that your Super Size Coke came with a regular cup while JJAbramsLOLSW's cup has an Urban print in pink and white, and why should he, that bastiche how dare he, have something so glorious simply because he paid $10 more for his cup of cola. Okay, granted, you would do a cool mauve / periwinkle blue with silver trim on your K2, but not accounting for differeing tastes, does it really matter if your cola is exactly the same as everyone else's?

Is the cup your drink out of, the car you drive, the heatshields on your RAM really, truly mean that much to you? If so then work an extra hour in your life and pay for these extras. I, for one, am just glad PGI hasn't gone full-tilt and made the game P2W with MC-purchased-Ammo, a Victor that can carry 2 AC/20s in its right arm (aka the Chuck Norris CHN-9X) and that if you, heaven forbid, have a basic color set up that you're penalized -30% CBills every match. There are far more important things in this game to complain about, like the lack of Raven/Jenner/Commando bowling that we loved so much in Closed Beta or how extended Sensor Range doesn't really help vs. ECM scouting. At all...

This is a frivolous extra that some will deem worth paying for since it is, again, a frivolous extra, and others will calculate that for themselves the cost of $15 for a single color usable across all and future mechs they use is not worth the investment, because those folks hold the premise of "owning face on the battlefield" over "owning face on the battlefield in my $15 pink and white HelloKittyback HKB-1"

I dunno, just my 2¥... I'm gonna pick up a couple of perma-colors later after I run through the gamut when I get home. There's a nice burgundy or wine color I'd like, and I hope that it's there. Maybe I'll pay $1.50 and put it on 2 mechs.

[b00zy]

Dagaz, on 04 February 2013 - 08:09 PM, said:

I really get that but most F2Ps work on the concept of the many making small purchases as opposed to the few making large purchases. Basically it's easy to get more people to spend $15.00 / month on a F2P if they don't realize it; ie $1-$3 here... $2-$5 there. But when I can see that just one item will cost me $14.95 the sticker shock alone will keep me from buying any items much less several small ones. =/

$1-5 is not how most f2p games work I don't know how many you have played but the majority are pretty costly and most don't even allow you to buy permanent anything if you really want to cry about prices try any nexon game *shudders*

[jay35]

b00zy, on 05 February 2013 - 12:43 PM, said:

$1-5 is not how most f2p games work I don't know how many you have played but the majority are pretty costly and most don't even allow you to buy permanent anything if you really want to cry about prices try any nexon game *shudders*

And most of them die within a couple years, max, so comparing only against other f2p games instead of overall digital content purchases is being too narrow in your considerations.

[Mike Townsend]

b00zy, on 05 February 2013 - 12:43 PM, said:

$1-5 is not how most f2p games work I don't know how many you have played but the majority are pretty costly and most don't even allow you to buy permanent anything if you really want to cry about prices try any nexon game *shudders*

Forza Motorsport 4. 13 car tokens cost $10 and all cars cost between 1 and 3 tokens. Forza has a zillion cars and earning the in game currency for the most expensive ones takes a while. Collector's edition plus a couple token packs (assuming you will buy a few to save time) gets you the whole content of the game for about $120 or so. I kind of expected that the Founders at 120 would buy most of the game. I'm not suggesting mechs should be three bucks each, there are too few to limit total possible revenue that way and there are none that are expensive enough to be unattainable, but there's a lot of room in between $30 and $3 for a price that seems more sane. Forza is the only game I've really done micro with, so it set my expectation. Most other games seem to charge about twice what I'd consider sane, and that seems to be about where MWO is so the prices are probably right and I'm probably wrong. For paint, I'll have to see how things shake out but I really want a feature that allows me to select a different camp pattern and paint set on a per map basis. I don't know how that could possibly work with the current customization structure. Seems like they would need to move to a pattern and camo slot system similar to the much bay system and allow you to pay buy the saved set. In which case the default slot should be fixed, all options should be available, and you pay for the saved slot. I'll probably hold off on buying patterns until they sort out some system of allowing map selection or selecting which mech gets used on which map and which paint scheme gets used on which map. The current system only seems to cater to clans and hello kitty fans. Single use patterns seem completely reasonable, colors are fine if you are in a team and only ever need to buy three. I will probably buy some color or camo single use at the current prices, maybe. I'm hesitant to use MC on small transactions due to the graduated pricing model, though.

[Taurick]

I suppose if I were more cynical I might be less disillusioned right now.

Unfortunately I now see PGI is simply interested in splitting the player base into 'haves and have nots'

[HugoStiglitz]

Tell me if I'm wrong but is it not the function of a business to provide a good it can sell to turn a profit. They could have just not allowed you to permanently unlock anything if they really wanted to make as much money as possible. But they listened to their fans and allowed you to unlock any color permanently for use on any mech and allowed you to use a camo pattern for 1/5th the previous cost or unlock it for multiple mechs of the same chassis for the same price it would have cost you previously, but you can swap that pattern out now for no fee, just like any other successful F2P game out there (TF2, LoL just to name 2).

I personally unlocked Phranken for my stalker with camo tan, camo black, and maroon and saved myself 2k MC instead of buying the Phranken colors, I also bought the tiger pattern for my Jenner unlocked the basic orange, and simply used the camo black I had already unlocked for a grand total of 2325 to camo up both mechs, it might have cost me a little bit more than it had previously, but now I can use the 4 colors I unlocked and switch my stalker's pattern around FOR FREE.

I just don't understand why there is no pleasing some of you.

[Inyc]

The prices are just too costly. I will never buy a 15$ color scheme, so PGI will never get my 15$ with these prices.

I would buy 4 full color schemes for 5$ a pop, giving them a 20$.

Hasn't Valve proved over and over than lower price results in a volume of sales much greater than the drop in price, which comes out as a lot more money?

People will buy an infinite amount of 1~2$ things, but will balk at 8~10$ purchases. Get your money with volume of sales, not with high prices. Especially since selling things digitally has no cost for volume to you guys.