Paragon Forums

[TonyV]

I normally resist editorializing on these forums, but this is killing me. I'm getting really disgusted with NCsoft over these add-on packs and convention giveaways.

Am I just crazy, or am I remembering correctly that the devs/reps justified the Wedding Pack on several occasions saying something like, "If you don't want it, you don't have to buy it; it doesn't affect the gameplay in any way." All threads from February when the discussion around it took place are conveniently gone from the forums.

Now, we have not one, but two add-ons being offered, the 30-day jetpacks for $4.99 and the Cyborg pack for $9.99. With the jetpack, you have the ability to Fly, which frees up two powers that you can use for something else. With the Cyborg pack, you get a Self Destruction power that is basically a nova power that kills you but incurs no debt. I'd call both of these things gameplay-affecting.

Something else I'm sore about are the convention giveaways. Mind you, I don't mind people getting rewarded for going. Conventions have a long history of giving away swag. T-shirts, figures, capes, comic back-issues, bumper stickers, even something like temporary in-game yellow titles... Those are all fair game. And I do want to see the things they're giving away given away.

But it really ticks me off that they're giving away permanent in-game perks for something that the vast majority of the player base has no chance in hell of being able to do. (Or at least, if they do, it could run them literally thousands of dollars.)

For three years, one of the really appealing things about this game to me was that for $15 a month, you basically had access to everything that everyone else had access to. No one was 'leet, we were all part of the same unwashed masses. CoV was such a major expansion that I really didn't mind paying for it. The GvE upgrade kind of tweaked me, I felt that those who had bought both games should get it for free, but whatever.

For the past year, though, it's painfully obvious to me that the powers-that-be at NCsoft are pushing hard to monetize the hell out of this game as much as possible with something a little bigger than microtransactions but smaller than full paid expansions. It's on my last nerve.

The thing that really sends me over the edge is that it's now been several months since they've rolled out the in-game advertising, something that was pitched to help avoid these kinds of nickel-and-diming moves by building an alternative revenue stream. I actually supported this change, and I've had the in-game ads on since they rolled it out, but I've turned them off out of disgust now. I figure that the people who get the fancy costumes and emotes can see the pitches for Jeter Clutches and Tony Hawk Whatevers they're selling.

Looking at the subscriber numbers, I can't help but notice that as of the previous quarter, CoH is at an almost all-time low since the game's launch. Undoubtedly, they'll get a bump when I13 is released, but there's a pretty good chance that following it, it will drop even lower, especially if people feel like they have to pay a bunch extra to play. I'm not one to cry DOOOM!!! but I do think that if NCsoft wants to keep CoH alive, they're going to have to do more than just keep milking people for "Super Booster" packs.

Which leads me to the part where I offer some constructive suggestions to the powers-that-be at NCsoft. I don't want to just gripe, I want to actually make things better. In that spirit:

• They need to never, ever, ever give away in-game perks to people based on their geographical location or financial ability to get to a specific location.
  
• They need to assure previous beta testers that barring being kicked from the beta program with cause, they will have a spot in future betas.
  
• If they really want to offer a sneak preview of upcoming features as a reward, go for it, but call it exactly that: a "Sneak Preview." Open up the test server a couple of weeks before the issue hits open beta for those who get in.
  
• Go at least nine months to a year without selling us more stuff. Honestly, I feel that the free stuff we're getting in updates is less and less than what we used to. Issue 12 was... meh. Issue 13 needs to be huge. I need to stop feeling like they're taking away free stuff so that they can release paid "Booster Packs."
  
• If they're not already, they need to immediately start working on the next paid expansion. Make it as big and game-changing as CoV was. Lots of new zones, new enemies, new archetypes, and new features. An overhaul to the game engine would be nice. Bring the game up to 2008/9 gaming standards. All those things that have been on the backburner over the past four years? Spend some of that money they're making off of in-game ads, hire some developers, and make them happen. I'm looking at you, power customization and non-humanoid/shape changing heroes.

I'm sure I could come up with more, but that certainly would be a great start. Within the next couple of years, they're going to have some serious competition from games like Champions Online and DC Universe Online. Also, there are some other high-profile MMORPGs on the horizon. One I know I'll certainly be interested in is Star Trek Online. I can't help but wonder if NCsoft is going to put forth some serious effort to keep CoH fresh and new and compete with these games, or if they're going to just continue milking what they can out of CoH.

I also wish that there weren't so many trolls and fanboys on the official forums so that I could post something like this there, but that's another vent.

[catwhoorg]

I saw some of your comments on the main boards and I'd like to take the liberty of a reply back here.

[TonyV]

[catwhoorg]

Thanks for the clarification Tony
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@Catwhoorg, @Mr Falkland Islands

[Taxibot Sara2.0]

I have to agree with you Tony. You know my situation I'm raising my daugher solo and while I get some support from my EX I AM the primary care taker and while I'm not poor I have no desire to run out and buy a bunch of extras at 6 to 10 dollars a pop to enhance my gaming experience. I have used the name change and server transfer features and think those are a plus for the game. Why should I start all over at level 1 with a character if I decide I want to play with friends I have on one server and my 40 or 50 level that I love is on another?

I WHOLE HEARTED agree with your assessment of I 12. I was excited about a new zone to explore where once again heroes and villains could work together. What I envisioned was something exactly like the job they did in transforming the Rikti crash Site into the RWZ. You'd have contacts starting at level 35, 40, and 45 giving out missions along with the timed ones actually available (sort of the Cimerora and RWZ of radio mission without the safegaurd attached) and the Task force. What we got, of course was a lame series of "talk to" tasks leading to the timed missions and that was it! The Midnighter Club arc I had to complete to gain access was more fun and more interesting. Supposedly they plan more content there with issue 13 but I really can't fathom why, since they already had a perfect blue print in the RWZ, we had to wait for a second issue to get more to do in that zone?

Okay now let's discuss the Veteran's Reward System .. At this point I have more free costume changes on older characters than I know what to do with and a pile of respecs I will never use because I actually take the time to reseach my characters powers and plan my build. The base items are okay but not everyone is even in an SG and quite a few others have little or no interest in decorating the one they do belong to so just how useful are they? I recently hit 33 month and picked up what I actually consider a valuable reward in my second permament temporay power. If NC SOft has all of these little "extras" floating around why aren't they being given out to players that have been paying to come and play the game for 4 to 5 years? Anyone with $5.99 can but a jet pack every 30 days and eliminate the need to take a permanent travel power but I have played and paid faithfull for over 2 and a half years and all I get is some comic books covers for the walls of my base?

I'm not saying the game hasn't improved since I started pre issue 7 but things like that do seem to indicate a definate change in phylosophy. So what's next if I am willing to whip out my credit card and say charge I can automatically get say 2, 3 5 million in influence when I create a new character and avoid that annoying need to actually run missions and play the game to earn enough to buy Enhancements? Hmmm hey aren't there private sites offering that now and they "discourage" them. I missed most of this past double XP weekend taking my daugher back to see her dad but I was here for the one in February and by Sunday night I actually logged off and didn't hit 50 with Sara for 2 more days because you couldn't find a team. All you heard was people either advertising how much it would cost, per run, to join their farm to level faster or low level players begging for a farm and offering huge amount of influence. Frankly it resembled a whore house more than a game supposedly revolving around heroes. They need to stop trying to sell me stuff and start making the game better.
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Taxibot Sara2.0

[eabrace]

My (very) basic feelings on the expansion pack.

Paying for one new costume set: I'm OK with this. It's not like they've decided this is the only way we're ever going to get new costumes (the Roman armor comes to mind as being pretty recent), and this is only one costume set, so it's not like anyone who doesn't buy the pack is missing a whole slew of options.

Paying for the new combat-stance auras: I'm mixed. My opinion on this will likely hinge on whether or not we see additional combat-stance auras in I13. (Which would make this bonus pack the test bed for auras that are active only when certain conditions are met.)

Paying for a new power: I have no problems with paying for a new power that doesn't affect game play. Jet Packs, the Jump Jet, maybe non-combat pet options - those sorts of things. However, for any power that can actually have an affect on gameplay (like Self Destruct), I think I'd rather see a way to unlock it in-game. Now whether that method for unlocking the power is through events that you can actually play through or a vet reward, I'm indifferent. (I admit, that's mostly because I'm not too far behind the curve on the new stuff as it comes out. I can understand people who haven't been playing as long that hate waiting for the new stuff, though.) What I would prefer to see in the future is that if any powers are added that can affect actual game play, they be added as no kidding really unlockable via playing the game, or at least staying subscribed. If they really want to add powers for purchase, I'd prefer those be things like Halloween costumes, non-combat pets, etc.

Just my white noise.
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@B Samson
- "I ran out of character slots, so now I'm a contact."