Commentary on Micro-transaction Pricing

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Sklez a écrit :

Regarding your second point, the fact that you are unwilling to put money into the game means nothing to GGG as there are people who are. The game is free and you are able to play all of it for nothing but your time invested. When I go to the store and I see the awesome pets or effects I want them all. However, I know that I cant afford them all so I pick the ones that I can.

If a person is struggling financially and needs some new clothes, do they buy the most expensive designer shirt there is? No, they shop within their means and find a cheaper option. All of life is like this and so I find it somewhat surprising when people have the reaction you do.

+1

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Kabraxis a écrit :

" because it's not going to happen. They won't change that."

Oh trust me they will. :)

When they lost 75% players in 3 months like each one online game in the world (with three exceptions).

GGG is going to lose players over expensive vanity items? They do not sell pay-to-win items.

Someone buying a $90 pet receives a very rare pet, not a gameplay advantage. I agree with GGG's decision to include premium cosmetic items. This will encourage some people to spend more money to get a more unique effect or pet. It doesn't mean you can't have a pet, they have included affordable pets, and I'm sure they will add more.

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heph84 a écrit :

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Panda413 a écrit :

How about this... any person that believes they know more about the game's real life economy than the developers should first state their qualifications before posting their opinion.

*cracks knuckles*

I work in pricing consulting, using regression models to determine the maximum price consumers are willing to pay for a particular good/service. Basically, we can determine with a high level of confidence future purchasing behavior of consumers.

What people SAY they're going to do when the choose to spend resources (time/money), and what they DO is entirely two different things. This is why I personally think all focus groups are garbage, which essentially what this thread is.

Having a price point on $5, $10, etc increases its perceived value. If it was $4.99 it wouldn't have as much weight as say $5.

I agree with a $20 "break-even" point for points per dollar.

There definitely is room to optimize the prices of paid items in this game.

People whining about paying $90 for a pet simply don't get it. That pet isn't for you, it's for the people who have a higher level of discretionary income, and a propensity for "elitest items".

THIS GAME IS FREE. You don't have to pay a penny if you don't want to. I'm in the process of selling all of my D3 items to support this game, because I've enjoyed it, and I would spend at least $50 for a game of this caliber.

The formula I go with is $1 per hour played. If I can get at least that, and enjoy the game, it's worth it for me. I will be spending hundreds of hours on this game, so the amount I'm going to donate should roughly reflect that.

I have the same personal $1/hr formula -- High-Five!

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So far, I score the debate:

People with financial work experience - 1

People that have hosted a minecraft server - 0

The problem as I see it currently is that they have 25 million prepaid points to soak up with high priced items.

Once that surplus is spent and they are relying mostly on new purchases, perhaps they will then get a more realistic outlook on the actual marketplace and adjust their pricing structure.

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vinsimbulan a écrit :

I can appreciate the amount of time that you spent on your post OP, but I have a simple rebuttal that requires you to be open enough to be willing to look at things a little differently.

Yes, you took great pains to point out how players may not exactly be getting the most value for their money, and you are correct. BUT- the crucial point here is that purchasing from the POE shop is not just about getting value for your money- rather it is also about GIVING BACK/SUPPORTING/DONATING to the developers so that they can KEEP MAKING more FREE content in the future.

The fact is, I find it so refreshing that all these expensive items do NOT give any advantage whatsoever so it is very fair to the poorer individuals (like me) who can only afford the lower tier items to show my support.

This guy nailed it children.

If you are spending USD to look cool in a video game. Well then that's on you. But the fact is that money will go to better the game that I enjoy playing. So its cool to have an effect or two for the money you would have spent buying the game anyway, because its worth it.

Noone is forcing you to buy anything. Be glad you get no actually advantage from using the cash shop.

I remember the last MMO/rpg type game I played nerdishly (Aion when it went f2p) and i spent a couple hundred on in game currency and other things that would give an advantage. Be glad none of that is here.

Carebears i swear

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vinsimbulan a écrit :

I can appreciate the amount of time that you spent on your post OP, but I have a simple rebuttal that requires you to be open enough to be willing to look at things a little differently.

Yes, you took great pains to point out how players may not exactly be getting the most value for their money, and you are correct. BUT- the crucial point here is that purchasing from the POE shop is not just about getting value for your money- rather it is also about GIVING BACK/SUPPORTING/DONATING to the developers so that they can KEEP MAKING more FREE content in the future.

The fact is, I find it so refreshing that all these expensive items do NOT give any advantage whatsoever so it is very fair to the poorer individuals (like me) who can only afford the lower tier items to show my support.

This guy nailed it children.

If you are spending USD to look cool in a video game. Well then that's on you. But the fact is that money will go to better the game that I enjoy playing. So its cool to have an effect or two for the money you would have spent buying the game anyway, because its worth it.

Noone is forcing you to buy anything. Be glad you get no actually advantage from using the cash shop.

I remember the last MMO/rpg type game I played nerdishly (Aion when it went f2p) and i spent a couple hundred on in game currency and other things that would give an advantage. Be glad none of that is here.

Carebears i swear

and there you have it folks. People will ALWAYS complain.

Sure i'd like a fire scorpion, but i cant afford it. So i opt for the regular scorpion...WHERE IS THE PROBLEM???

This is probably one of the most GENEROUS f2p games out (thats not absolute crap) yet there are still people whining?

So you mean to tell me you were fine BEFORE they offered anything- but now that they've ADDED some extraneous crap, you are in uproar?? 4 hours? really?

So the more they add, the more you get upset? Even though the items have NO EFFECT whatsoever on gameplay? You're upset because you cant afford the best peacock item? are you THAT petty in life?

Now, i had some issues with the point packages, but not for my own entitlement issues, but out of concern for GGG selling themselves short. I dont get how you somehow turned the addition of useless items into something that upset you enough to WASTE 4 hours composing a rant.

at best it should warrant a "i'm not buying that" response from anyone.

also- no offense to GGG, but the items arent even THAT cool! (yet) I couldnt even call this "pay 2 look cool" really. Now if they charge $100 for pants on my Templar- then you'll see me in here with a 6hr diatribe too!

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GameQB11 a écrit :

Now if they charge $100 for pants on my Templar- then you'll see me in here with a 6hr diatribe too!

$100 would be cheap for pants- they would be worth at least a grand! ;)

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Misguidance a écrit :

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GameQB11 a écrit :

Now if they charge $100 for pants on my Templar- then you'll see me in here with a 6hr diatribe too!

$100 would be cheap for pants- they would be worth at least a grand! ;)

1k is for the pants with fiery effects.. ;)

I want to support this game and understand that shop items are meant to be cosmetic for supporters and to show off. The items will not have value equal to what you pay for them. That's fine.

I was happy to support during closed beta and given the current purchase prices, I wish I had upgraded to Bronze.

But, their pricing model has reduced my desire to support the game. They say that they want $1 to be equivalent to 10 points. Great. Then why don't the $5 and $10 options meet that? These points don't cost anything to make. All the work is done. They're going to let the cost of a credit card transaction lose potential purchases?

I want to make a $20 purchase and probably will when something cool comes up on the shop. But I'm going to be a lot more selective, because my $20 is giving me exactly the 200 points that I feel it's worth.

The closed beta packs were great because you were getting extras with your points, making us feel like we were getting a deal. The more we payed, the better the extras.

That's not the case here because the extras are so minor. A $50 purchase gets 516 points? That's a 3.2% bonus from $1=10pts, but it's a 12% bonus from the $5 pack. What if it were a 12% bonus from a 50 point $5 pack and $50 gave you 560 points?

I'd be seriously considering buying a $50 pack. I'd also be more likely to make cosmetic purchases if I had a lot of extra points sitting there. As it is, I see no reason to make the one large purchase for only 16 extra points when multiple $20 purchases will be easier to do and get me a nice even 200 points each time.

But it's going to take a lot longer for me to make those $20 purchases, because I'll be considering the monetary cost rather than the point cost. With better point costs, players would be more willing to spend money and once they only have a virtual currency, they'll be more likely to make item shop purchases and then need to buy more points.

I want to support the game, but would be much more likely to do so if I felt like I was getting value from my support like I did during closed beta.