2.2 Retainers via Microtransactions

[Tupsi]

-snip-

Remember: SE is a business first, they are not your friends. So it may seem like "double dipping" but what company wouldn't make a profit when they see it?

[Naunet]

Remember: SE is a business first, they are not your friends. So it may seem like "double dipping" but what company wouldn't make a profit when they see it?

It's for this precise reason that we as consumers need to call them out when they do things we don't agree with. Being a business does not give SE free reign to do whatever the heck they want and damn the consequences, nor does it mean we get zero say in what goes on. There are two sides to the equation and the whole system breaks into an unbalanced mess if one side refuses to participate.

Unfortunately, too many consumers have grown complacent.

[KraggyKor]

It's for this precise reason that we as consumers need to call them out when they do things we don't agree with. Being a business does not give SE free reign to do whatever the heck they want and damn the consequences, nor does it mean we get zero say in what goes on.

Actually, yes they do and no you don't .. you only get to say whether you will continue to pay for their service, you have zero 'rights' to say anything about that service's offerings.

I suggest you educate yourself about how the Capitalist system works.

[Naunet]

Actually, yes they do and no you don't .. you only get to say whether you will continue to pay for their service, you have zero 'rights' to say anything about that service's offerings.

I suggest you educate yourself about how the Capitalist system works.

No, my friend. The one who needs to educate themselves is you. It is a very unwise business who does not take into consideration their customers' feedback. The business makes a decision and the consumers provide feedback. That's the give and take in a free market system. When the consumers decide to withhold feedback, the business will not stop pushing things out of the goodness of their heart. They will continue to push for more and more, and the consumer will get less and less unless they speak up.

I simply cannot agree with restricting game features like this in a subscription based MMO. I do not see it leading anywhere good.

2002 - FFXI - each character is separately paid for
2014 - FFXIV - each retainer is separately paid for, after the first two 'free' ones

The two are completely different. One is a game system being blocked off behind an additional paywall. The other is just another character (and you're forgetting to mention that FFXI's sub with one character was lower than the standard $15/month for a p2p MMO).

[C-croft]

One is a game system convenience being blocked off behind an additional paywall. The other is just another character (and you're forgetting to mention that FFXI's sub with one character was lower than the standard $15/month for a p2p MMO).

Fixed that for you.

[Naunet]

Fixed that for you.

Since when are bank storage and market boards not game systems?

[C-croft]

Since when are bank storage and market boards not game systems?

When they already gave you 40 slots on the market board for free, along with 350 slots for free, having more became a convenience.

And a workaround for people who do not use the Market board to sell things, you can list items for ridiculous prices so people don't buy your items and store items you have no intention of using for the foreseeable future.

[Susanoh]

Remember: SE is a business first, they are not your friends. So it may seem like "double dipping" but what company wouldn't make a profit when they see it?

Yeah, SE is a business, not our friends, and they'll milk their customers for every penny they're worth if they think they can get away with it.

As a consumer, I get to choose whether I participate in their cash shop on top of a subscription fee, and I'm free to point out when companies are clearly offering a bad value to their customers.

[Felis]

Yeah, SE is a business, not our friends, and they'll milk their customers for every penny they're worth if they think they can get away with it.

Oh, sure
And this is the reason they removed the 3$/month each character slot fee, right?
Or extended the free time in 1.0 over 1 year, right?
Or gave us a 2nd retainer for free without a fee, right?
Or gave everyone who payed during 1.0 for at least 3 months a livetime discount, right?

The point is, you don't need to buy a retainer. You can also get it for free with an extra character (which don't cost anything anymore in ARR).
It help only to transfer the items between the retainers easier.
The paid retainers are something you don't really need if you don't want them. If you need extra storage slots (for items that are not character bounded) and selling slots, there is always the way to get it for free.

[SirSaber]

Oh, sure
And this is the reason they removed the 3$/month each character slot fee, right?
Or extended the free time in 1.0 over 1 year, right?
Or gave us a 2nd retainer for free without a fee, right?
Or gave everyone who payed during 1.0 for at least 3 months a livetime discount, right?

The point is, you don't need to buy a retainer. You can also get it for free with an extra character (which don't cost anything anymore in ARR).
It help only to transfer the items between the retainers easier.
The paid retainers are something you don't really need if you don't want them. If you need extra storage slots (for items that are not character bounded) and selling slots, there is always the way to get it for free.

Why did all those complaining about it not being good to buy for extra retainers because of MB slots think about this?

You just remembered me about it, who cares if we pay for extra retainers or not ? We cam make more of them on other characters.