Are alternative payment options being considered?

[Knives]

Not everyone has additional content IDs & characters. For those people, extra Crysta will just lie around for months until they can eventually be used to break even on a monthly payment. If you decide to quit the game before you break even, that is lost money that can be used to buy important items. People are making a big deal out of this because it's a big deal to people.

And what FFXIV playerbase? Honestly speaking here. I know the game exists, but it still does not charge monthly payments. The game is nearly a year old now, and the time when they'll start charging fees is still nowhere in sight. I'm not trying to be condescending with this remark, but I don't think Final Fantasy XIV is closely related to the issues going on right now unless they announce they're going to start charging monthly fees next month... and I don't think that would go over very well with how few people are still playing.

[RAIST]

This isn't the first time SE had to deal with this.

when ffxiv went live similar outburst happen. Then subsided after people figued stuff out.

So far my b/f signed up for C&B and had no issues. And he is of the mind set that if C&B does do something he can just cancle the credit card. Not the first time he did so. (long story)

Also SE does not regulate what country has what services. They can offer, but it is up to the region to take up said offer. Like not all countries have crysta. That is the fault of the contries.

Also the Crysta tin foil hat thinking is really getting outa hand. Learn how to take advantage of said system instead of moaning the "i'm forced to pay more to keep up crysta while having extra crysta I can't use" Kinda dumb sorry. You need crysta in your pot to purchase additional services such as extra content ID for characters.

If they do get more options, do not think it was you guys who caused the change, it woulda been a combination of both ffxi and ffxiv player bases.

wait... did I miss something? Has FFXIV secretely gone pay-to-play and now people will be billed for it through C&B or spend crysta to play it?

Again with you completely ignoring the math. I've already explained to you how you can verify the potential waste in the crysta system. Apparently you either didn't look into it, or you just can't see/understand the numbers you are looking at. Guess a 5 month sample wasn't good enough to show it to you. Maybe I need to put up an even bigger visual for you than I did the last time to grasp how out of whack it is. So... I'll do it for you in case you couldn't/wouldn't follow the simple instructions from that other thread:

Cumulative totals required to maintain a single FFXI account:

FFXIFees - $5 Crysta - $10 Crysta - $20 Crysta - $40 Crysta
12.95 ------ 15.00 ------20.00 ------ 20.00 ------ 40.00
25.90 ------ 30.00 ------40.00 ------ 40.00
38.85 ------ 40.00
51.80 ------ 55.00 ------ 60.00 ------ 60.00 ------ 80.00
64.75 ------ 65.00 ------ 70.00 ------ 80.00
77.70 ------ 80.00 ------ 80.00
90.65 ----- 100.00 ----- 100.00 ----- 100.00 ----- 120.00
103.60 ---- 105.00 ----- 110.00 ----- 120.00
116.55 ---- 120.00 ----- 120.00 ----- 120.00
129.50 ---- 130.00 ----- 130.00 ----- 140.00 ----- 160.00
142.45 ---- 145.00 ----- 150.00 ----- 160.00
155.40 ---- 160.00 ----- 160.00 ----- 160.00
168.35 ---- 170.00 ----- 170.00 ----- 180.00 ----- 200.00
181.30 ---- 185.00 ----- 190.00 ----- 180.00
194.25 ---- 195.00 ----- 200.00 ----- 200.00
207.20 ---- 210.00 ----- 210.00 ----- 220.00 ----- 240.00
220.15 ---- 225.00 ----- 230.00 ----- 240.00
233.10 ---- 235.00 ----- 240.00
246.05 ---- 250.00 ----- 250.00 ----- 260.00 ----- 280.00
259.00 ---- 260.00 ----- 260.00
271.95 ---- 275.00 ----- 280.00 ----- 280.00
284.90 ---- 285.00 ----- 290.00 ----- 300.00 ----- 320.00
297.85 ---- 300.00 ----- 300.00
310.80 ---- 315.00
323.75 ---- 325.00
336.70 ---- 340.00 ----- screw calculating out the rest
349.65 ---- 350.00 ----- if you REALLY want to see how
362.60 ---- 365.00 ----- it works out for the rest of these
375.55 ---- 380.00 ----- you see the pattern and you can
388.50 ---- 390.00 ----- do it on a calculator yourself
401.45 ---- 405.00
414.40 ---- 415.00
427.35 ---- 430.00
440.30 ---- 445.00
453.25 ---- 455.00
466.20 ---- 470.00 ----- But...I will give you the final values
479.15 ---- 480.00 ----- at the end of this once I finally
492.10 ---- 500.00 ----- hit the point where the fees
505.05 ---- 510.00 ----- actually catch up to the crysta
518.00 ---- 520.00 ----- you will have purchased
530.95 ---- 535.00
543.90 ---- 545.00
556.85 ---- 560.00
569.80 ---- 570.00
582.75 ---- 590.00
595.70 ---- 600.00
608.65 ---- 610.00
621.60 ---- 625.00
634.55 ---- 635.00
647.50 ---- 650.00
660.45 ---- 665.00 ----- yes...that's right! you are still
673.40 ---- 675.00 ----- prepaying MORE than you are
686.35 ---- 690.00 ----- contractually obligated to
699.30 ---- 700.00 ----- pay SE to continue playing
712.25 ---- 715.00 ----- even after over 50 payment
725.20 ---- 730.00 ----- cycles--this is over 4 years
738.15 ---- 740.00 ----- and you STILL havent balanced!!
751.11 ---- 755.00
764.05 ---- 765.00
777.00 ---- 780.00
789.95 ---- 790.00
802.90 ---- 805.00
815.85 ---- 820.00
828.80 ---- 830.00
841.75 ---- 845.00
854.70 ---- 855.00
867.65 ---- 870.00
880.60 ---- 885.00
893.55 ---- 895.00
906.50 ---- 910.00
919.45 ---- 920.00
932.40 ---- 935.00
945.35 ---- 950.00 ----- 6 YEARS!!!! wait....
958.30 ---- 960.00 ----- WTF??!!! It still
971.25 ---- 975.00 ----- hasn't balanced out??!!
984.20 ---- 985.00
997.15 ---- 1000
1010.10 ---- 1015
1023.05 ---- 1025
1036.00 ---- 1040
1048.95 ---- 1050
1061.90 ---- 1065
1074.85 ---- 1075
1087.80 ---- 1090
1100.75 ---- 1105
1113.70 ---- 1115 ----- oh for the love of....
1126.65 ---- 1130 ----- over 7 YEARS???!!!
1139.60 ---- 1140 ----- !@#$!@$!@#$@!#$!@%$!@$
1152.55 ---- 1155
1165.50 ---- 1170
1178.45 ---- 1180
1191.40 ---- 1195
1204.35 ---- 1205
1217.30 ---- 1220
1230.25 ---- 1235
1243.20 ---- 1245
1256.15 ---- 1260
1269.10 ---- 1270
1282.05 ---- 1285
1295.00 -- 1295.00 ---- 1300.00 ---- 1300.00 --- 1320.00
FFXI fees - $5 Crysta - $10 Crysta - $20 Crysta - $40 Crysta

DING DING DING DING!!! WINNER WINNER CHICKEN DINNER!!!!

FINALLY after 100 billing cycles (over 8 yrs.) it finally gets to the point where we can actually have paid EXACTLY what we were charged.

Wait.. wut? the $10, $20, and $40 buyers still overpaid?

SUCKERS!!!!!!!!

Now... do you finally grasp the concept?

Or do we need to call A-Pimp-Named-Slickback?

[Runespider]

I hate that they are being so obvious about ripping us off over crysta, 30 day billing, exchange rate changes etc (collectively they will make a fair amount of money for nothing out of all the players using crysta). It's not even the money realyl though, I would be less annoyed if they just upped the amount we pay but the low tactics they are using to make us all pay more is the real kicker.

[RAIST]

tbh... I wouldn't even mind paying a little more if they would have been up front about the need to increase our monthly fee. "Due to <insert reasons here>, as of Sept. 1 we will be raising the fee to $13.95 USD". We could have digested that, and accepted it, and moved on.

The REAL slap in the face for me is the FORCING of us to do this...and not ALL of us, just the non JP clients. All this other crap is just salt in the wound. It's like death by a thousand cuts while they're peeing on us. Just a flat out insult to injury.

[Rosina]

WoW, that is what tin foil hat thinking is. And honestly sto saying "if i quit" yada yada. Crysra is good on your account for 2 years. And even though ffxiv is currently not charging the player base. You still need to select a payment option. More or less the complaint in ffxiv was Click and buy was hard to set up. No one did tin foil hat thinking about "shady" stuff. Honestly like I said use the system to your advantage. buy cysta closest to your current fee. The points work on the dollor not cents. You guys really pulling complaints out of thin air. Have you guys actually used this style of payment? Or you just complaining for complaints sake? I'm on a fixed income and prob only way I can pay for ffxi and ffxiv once they charge is from unemployment. If you think your going to quit, just do not used cysta.
Consider this, you can't get refunded for mmo period, if you quit say after 7 years of paying for 3 characters. That is a good $1K+ you wasted. Also if you care so much for $1-$5 maybe mmo not 4 u.

[Runespider]

WoW, that is what tin foil hat thinking is. And honestly sto saying "if i quit" yada yada. Crysra is good on your account for 2 years. And even though ffxiv is currently not charging the player base. You still need to select a payment option. More or less the complaint in ffxiv was Click and buy was hard to set up. No one did tin foil hat thinking about "shady" stuff. Honestly like I said use the system to your advantage. buy cysta closest to your current fee. The points work on the dollor not cents. You guys really pulling complaints out of thin air. Have you guys actually used this style of payment? Or you just complaining for complaints sake? I'm on a fixed income and prob only way I can pay for ffxi and ffxiv once they charge is from unemployment. If you think your going to quit, just do not used cysta.
Consider this, you can't get refunded for mmo period, if you quit say after 7 years of paying for 3 characters. That is a good $1K+ you wasted. Also if you care so much for $1-$5 maybe mmo not 4 u.

You have no idea what you are on about, but thanks for bumping the thread.

[Modoru]

If you're unemployed, I don't think playing an MMO is for you, either. That's not stopping you from participating, however. Again, these complaints are just various reasons as to why it's a bad [maybe a dumb?] decision. Direct pay is a vastly [ridiculously, even] more efficient way of paying for FFXI as opposed to stacking a fake currency to pay for an MMO. Sure, people will get used to it; and sure, people will try their best to make it work.

It doesn't change the fact that it's still a counter-intuitive plan. "If I quit" is a very valid statement, people come and go all the time, and moreso recently, a lot of people have quit indefinitely. Why would want to pay extra to have an unused amount that is quite possibly never going to be used? That's just poor budgeting! All you say is "tinfoil-hat thinking", but it's actually called a "point of view". Just because you do not agree with it, doesn't mean it's either a stupid [if I'm not mistakenly quoting your past words] idea or biased. As I told you last time, learn to appreciate other points of view before shutting them out. There is no "right" or "wrong", there's just opinions in this subject.

On an unrelated note, would you please learn how to spell Crysta?

[RAIST]

WoW, that is what tin foil hat thinking is. And honestly sto saying "if i quit" yada yada. Crysra is good on your account for 2 years. And even though ffxiv is currently not charging the player base. You still need to select a payment option. More or less the complaint in ffxiv was Click and buy was hard to set up. No one did tin foil hat thinking about "shady" stuff. Honestly like I said use the system to your advantage. buy cysta closest to your current fee. The points work on the dollor not cents. You guys really pulling complaints out of thin air. Have you guys actually used this style of payment? Or you just complaining for complaints sake? I'm on a fixed income and prob only way I can pay for ffxi and ffxiv once they charge is from unemployment. If you think your going to quit, just do not used cysta.
Consider this, you can't get refunded for mmo period, if you quit say after 7 years of paying for 3 characters. That is a good $1K+ you wasted. Also if you care so much for $1-$5 maybe mmo not 4 u.

O M F G. Are you REALLY that dense or just determined to not admit you are wrong?

YOU JUST PROVED THE ENTIRE POINT ABOUT CRYSTA IN YOUR OWN FREAKING WORDS!!!

1500 crysta costs $15

Thus, 1300 crysta is ACTUALLY worth $13

$13 > $12.95
$65 > 64.75

DO YOU STILL NOT GET IT???!!

No matter which way the crysta is redeemed.. be it as actual value or rounded up---YOU ARE SPENDING MORE MONEY IN THE LONG RUN.

The ONLY way this is not true is if crysta is redeemed at actual value (12.95 installments) for 100 billing cycles. And even then, that would still take over 8 years to balance out. (Note it has to be redeemed as 12.95 because of the 5 cent over pay per installment. Otherwise after 100 cycles, you have bought and spent $1300 worth of crysta to cover $1295 worth of actual fees)

Are we really going to still be here in 8.2 years? I SERIOUSLY doubt it.

[Niyariko]

I know that one of the alternative payment method coming must be direct SE auto-payment with CC just like we were using (and is still available to the JP), or else their ongoing payment processing decision is a failure, and will never be improved.

[wildsprite]

personally I like the crysta system(I pay 14.95 per month so I'm losing 5 cents...that I don't see as a big deal), however I do agree they need better alternatives and the idea of being able to pay the exact amount in crysta would be a beautiful thing.

however there is something you may not be stopping to think about, I noticed a few companies based in Japan would try out new things on their own country player base before others just to see how well it went over(Sony and SEGA both did this kind of thing in the past)

however unlikely it is perhaps that is the case here