Hello all!
I would like to raise player’s awareness on the cash generating mechanics of the game; namely the BLTC and gems. I have noticed developpers (and publishers) pay attention to the forum threads that show significant levels of activity. I believe it is therefore possible to influence the game in a somehow democratic impulse by voicing our concerns.
Here is what I would like to attract you attention to:
1. You are almost obliged to buy bank/bag slots.
Have you noticed the amount of items you get and want to keep in this game? There are a plethora of items currencies (more with every patch!), you get many items from dungeon runs, tokens, tonics, you have to keep your 4-5 weapons in your inventory, some extra axes/pickaxes, pvp items, wvw items… this is a lot of items! If you want to play the game to its full extent you necessarily have to buy bags and banks slots to keep up with the item pressure.
2. There are pay to win items.
Yes this is minor, but their presence is a serious pain. I count rez orbs, repair toolkits and upgrades, I might be missing some. Repair tools are essential in high level fractals as they allow you to avoid the one thing (theoretically) that can prevent you from completing a fractal level: armor breaking. Rez orbs feel awkward, but upgrades are a straight pay to win incentive! The fact that they are minor do not take away anything.
3. PvP has to be an other cash cow.
There were paid tournaments now you have paid custom arenas. In case you don’t see it properly let me phrase it for you: they want to make cash out of PvP.
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I would like to compare this cash shot with that of an other game: Heroes of Newerth. HoN is a dota-like game that showed quite some success in its first years. The cash shop there was quite straightforward and very honest: you could buy cool cosmetic items. These items were cool indeed, cosmetic only, and they felt like providing support to the game. You knew you were giving money to the developpers by buying those. At not point in the game did you feel like you had to buy them, they were completely unnecessary; yet people did buy them because it was an honest way to say thanks for this cool game! Now take a look at gw2: the cash shop & gems are very very aggressive. It trully feels like they want to compell you to buy gems and spend them, which is understandable, but not very honest!
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There is an additional aspect in this game that must be cast into light (and hopefully exorcised). You see all these threads complaining about salvage/loot/mystic drop decreases ? The game is filled with indirect loot: you get many whites/blues/greens that are worthless (all they do is take bag space), you get yellows are other salvageable items, you get openable bags, and you mystic-toilet some as well. They will never tell you that they have nerfed drop rates but in fact they control it very well: yes you will always get those openable bags, but what they contain will be nerfed. Yes you can still salvage stuff and hope to get ectos but there might be a “bug” and you will get less. Since this is all RNG you will always find someone to blame your bad luck, in the meantime they can control evertything. This keeps you farming and the more you farm the more you are likely to buy gems at some point.
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The cash generating mechanics of this game are very well thought because they are efectively pressuring players while keeping them eating the grass (yes I liek this cash cow thing). However, they are dirty: they feel dishonest and tricky.
My point being: don’t take your playerbase for fools. Being dishonest only brings distrust.
There are many people willing to support the development of the game, and I am one of them. It is a human thing to be more willing to give cash to a friend in need than to a beggar sticking his “give me money” sign to your face (no offence intended).
Your move developpers/publishers: which of the beggar or the friend will you choose to be?
Retired elementalist theorycrafter
(edited by Moderator)
