Hi Tyria!
How would you guys like a Black Lion Chest Booster item available in the Gem Store? It would temporarily boost your chance at a rare item. The description would read, for example:
“Gain an increased chance at receiving a rare item when opening a Black Lion chest. 15 minutes. Account bound”
You would not know what the modified chance was, just that it was “better”.
I’d suspect:
- A portion of players who are hestitant, but not hostile to gambling would convert.
- An even more significant portion who are already buying keys would buy more, or buy more frequently – contributing additional profit from the booster sales.
This item may be leveraged outside the Gem Store for further profit margins. For example, have the item be a rare drop from high level content. Higher level players are an ideal target as they tend to have a greater degree of investment (emotional, financial) in the game.
The booster exploits this relationship by creating immediate, continuous psychological pressure on the player to buy keys. Unless they right-click and choose to destroyit, of course. But we know many will value it too highly to do that.
You see, there is a BLTC drop that Joe always wanted and he just got a booster!
Sounds like a problem to me. A problem only a wallet can solve.
It gets better.
The booster is temporary. Once the fifteen minutes (or whatever) is up, that’s it.
Now, Joe Player isn’t going to waste it on some measly five keys. He’s going to buy as
many keys as he can afford. Can you feel the power radiating out of statement? As many as he can darned well afford!
Joe: “Get out of my way, credit card purchase confirmation screen! Big Daddy Joe needs him some keys!”
There we’d be. A segment of the players voiced their displeasure with the BLTC chests. The management responded, “We’ll meet you half-way. Here are your boosters. Now what are you going to do with them?”
So… if they were available now, would you buy a booster? Would it have affected your decision to not buy keys to obtain a Fused weapon ticket? (for those that have rejected the idea of buying keys, like me)
-Vawn
Despite the above. I am not evil, but sometimes I have evil thoughts. Elementalists that set (multiple) bunnies afire and watch them flail and burn – now that’s evil.
—
“What the kitten, and I’ll bust your kitten and kitten and fowl, and I’ll slap you in your kitten.”