Guild Wars 2

The Gem store is so incredibly disappointing to me for a number of reasons.
Rather than list a large number of things that I dislike I will attempt to be constructive and offer suggestions for improvement.

1.) Make all gem store items permanently available so that people can purchase what they want when they want, and not be arbitrarily punished by being unable to play at a given time.

2.) Make more of the ‘Toy’ items permanent rather than charge based, or have a charge based version and a perma version at different price points.

3.) Lower the prices across the gem store by 20% – 25%. In comparison the the best ftp cash shop I have ever seen in a game (I deliberately do not mention which game, as people will focus on that and derail the topic of focus), GW2 prices are much too high, especially for one use items (and LOL keys, wtf Anet, really?).

4.) Round Gems to the dollar. I’m sick of being nickle and dimed paying $10.00 for 800 gems. Whats wrong with evening it off and making it $10.00 for 1000?

5.) Provide More content and more interesting content. More skins, more toys, make tonic transforms more interesting (add jump and emote animations at the very least and even add the ability to fight mobs while wearing an illusion), add fun RP props and heck, even add mounts.

There are so many neat things that could be sold on the Gem Store, but instead ANET chooses to overcharge for junk. I just don’t understand why?

Rovaeden.8546:

The Gem store is so incredibly disappointing to me for a number of reasons.
Rather than list a large number of things that I dislike I will attempt to be constructive and offer suggestions for improvement.

1.) Make all gem store items permanently available so that people can purchase what they want when they want, and not be arbitrarily punished by being unable to play at a given time.

2.) Make more of the ‘Toy’ items permanent rather than charge based, or have a charge based version and a perma version at different price points.

3.) Lower the prices across the gem store by 20% – 25%. In comparison the the best ftp cash shop I have ever seen in a game (I deliberately do not mention which game, as people will focus on that and derail the topic of focus), GW2 prices are much too high, especially for one use items (and LOL keys, wtf Anet, really?).

4.) Round Gems to the dollar. I’m sick of being nickle and dimed paying $10.00 for 800 gems. Whats wrong with evening it off and making it $10.00 for 1000?

5.) Provide More content and more interesting content. More skins, more toys, make tonic transforms more interesting (add jump and emote animations at the very least and even add the ability to fight mobs while wearing an illusion), add fun RP props and heck, even add mounts.

There are so many neat things that could be sold on the Gem Store, but instead ANET chooses to overcharge for junk. I just don’t understand why?

1.) This is pure marketing. Limited time offers work and scarcity encourages impulse/quick purchases. It also plays well into financially ‘manipulating’ the sales performance at the company.

2.) No comment

3.) Gem prices overall are fine as is. Yes, there are some items that could be fixed but overall it’s in a good position. Remember that this is a B2P game and the gemstore prices reflect this. You also cannot forget about the gem-gold conversion.

4.) This is a marketing scheme, as it encourages you to spend more to use those gems, or sell off the remaining as gold.

5.) I agree with this, but no mounts

Lol—snuck in mounts—-geez don’t they ever give up!!!!

But I agree, there should be more usefull ingame stuff for sale, but most of the stuff mentioned is cosmetic and other than looking pretty, no real use.

Is it any different than Microsoft XBox Live points at $20 per 1600, the same $1 for 80 point ratio?

Vol.7601:

1.) This is pure marketing. Limited time offers work and scarcity encourages impulse/quick purchases. It also plays well into financially ‘manipulating’ the sales performance at the company.

It works wonders on me and I think on many other people. So I’d say it’s a smart descision from A-net, if anything, make more ‘possible’ returns for items, such as with the March Sales, triggered even more impulse buys from me due to ‘oh I got another chance, might never get this again!’

Vol.7601:

2.) No comment

I quite wonder how many of these 1-time conveniences people spend money on. E.g. The Banker Golem. I’d spend more cash to have it permanently, maybe even on all toons, definitly 2-4. So I think point 2 is a good idea, but maybe I’m too shortsighted.

Vol.7601:

3.) Gem prices overall are fine as is. Yes, there are some items that could be fixed but overall it’s in a good position. Remember that this is a B2P game and the gemstore prices reflect this. You also cannot forget about the gem-gold conversion.

I agree most prices are fine, the ones I’d change:, items with a time-limet (boosters for example) or useage limit (Black Lion Kit) seem very unpopular, or is it a mixconception?

Vol.7601:

4.) This is a marketing scheme, as it encourages you to spend more to use those gems, or sell off the remaining as gold.

I’ve hardly run into situations I’d have gems left-over (if I do I rather go gold → gems to fill a gab, but that’s not the point) since what I assume are the most popular choices (Outfits/Crystals) are already 800 gems. I don’t see the convenience nor inconvenience overall though.

Vol.7601:

5.) I agree with this, but no mounts

I totally missed the mount suggestion. More items!

Question of interest, what makes mounts so special? So many people either really want them or really don’t want them, for someone who feels completely indifferent (what-ever is the fastest, using my abilities or a mount, makes little differents to me) it’s though to grasp.

I’ve been pretty critical of the gem store in the past, and I still think some skins are overpriced, but the feature patch changes seem to have been a massive improvement. Account bound dyes, charge system on skins being an excellent compromise… I would have been inclined to agree with the OP, in less harsh terms, two weeks ago. Now, not so much.

Keys are still kind of a joke though :P

The only point of the OP I’d actually support is the one about having all items permanently available in the gemstore. But Vol basically explained why they won’t ever do this. :/

I don’t have a problem with the prices.
However, I do want all, (or at least most) of the items available to me constantly.
Anet, just do sales to get impulse purchases….

Personally I would buy many more items if they were constantly in my face reminding me of what I want. Goals, if you will.
When temporary items come up, if I don’t have the rl money, gems don’t get purchased.
If I could plan ahead of time to buy what I wanted, they would make a hell of a lot more money off of me.
Instead, I mostly spend my hard earned gold in the gem shop now….

Not even close to be the worst.

Look at the cash shops from Perfect World Entertainment, any of Aeria Games anime-themed games or just any other P2W cash shops from the “variety” of F2P games out there.
Stuff may be a little pricy but saying it’s the worst is by far an OVERstatement.

No where near the worst (but no doubt it could use some improvements). Gross exaggerations like the title taint the entire rest of the OPs comments and contradict the attempt at constructive criticism (intended or not).

SUGGESTION - Account based wishlist.

Lets players list items they want (even the ones not currently available) and possibly alert players when the items go on sale or show up again. I’m sure this information would be invaluable to Anet as well.

Some pretty good comments in here.

While I understand the marketing angle from Anets POV, it is just one of many possible marketing strategies and I think it is the most crappy strategy because it punishes the players rather than enhances fun. I can virtually guarantee that they would get regular sales at or above their current level if they opened up the gem shop so that everything was always available.

For example, I never, even in real life go for the impulse buy. I understand the psychology of it and I resist it because I think it is basically underhanded dirty tricks to make a buck. (which it is, common practice though it may be)

When I see Anet doing it, (or anyone) it sours my opinion of them because I know there are many, many other ways, more fair, straight up and respectable ways of marketing products, as opposed to underhanded psychological games.

Im very aware that my views are far from the norm, but I am also aware that I am not alone in thinking this way.

I hear what some of you are saying. GW2 Gem store may not be the absolute worst cash shop out there, but it is the worst I have ever seen in any MMO or online game I have ever played.

The best cash shop I have seen is fully open (items always available) with lots of variety of merchandise and fair prices. The toys, like transform, illusions and tonic-like items are all permanent (as they should be) and I don’t feel like I am getting ripped off by buying a limited use toy. The limited use items they do sell actually make sense being limited, like self resurrects and teleport items (which yeah, I know, GW2 has some of those too). I enjoy playing that game and I don’t feel bad about spending money in that cash shop because I don’t feel like someone is playing dirty psychological marketing games with me. It is transparent and I like that.

I have only bought a couple things (2 costumes during the first halloween and a couple sets of transmutation stones) from the gem store and all the things that I would spend money on (weapon skins or armor skins) are gated by stupid RNG or came out during periods where I was not playing. I have gems that have been sitting unspent for over a year and I’m not about to burn them just cuz they are sitting there unless there is something I actually want to buy.

I still stand by my original post, that Anet needs to stop being stingy and open up the shop.
Knock off the underhanded marketing, Anet, you only sully your reputation with that junk.

The $10 for 800 is so they can make a slight profit off you. $10 for 1000 is break even with no profit.

They get 20% of your money, you get the rest in a convertible form in-game to use. It perfectly legal in order for them to keep up with costs of production/maintenance/whatever. Is it fair to us? No not necessarily.

Brother Grimm.5176:

No where near the worst (but no doubt it could use some improvements). Gross exaggerations like the title taint the entire rest of the OPs comments and contradict the attempt at constructive criticism (intended or not).

SUGGESTION - Account based wishlist.

Lets players list items they want (even the ones not currently available) and possibly alert players when the items go on sale or show up again. I’m sure this information would be invaluable to Anet as well.

A brilliant suggestion. This feature could’ve helped out a lot during the March sales.

^ Now THAT’S a great idea. Have the notification sent to the same e-mail that the GW2 account is registered to.