SE, if you're that desperate for money...

[OSUBuckeye4]

Here are some ideas on how you can make additional cash that won't cause in-game imbalance:

1) "Minion of the Month" club - Charge $2/month and on the 1st of every month every subscribed and paying member gets a unique minion.

2) "Mount of the Month" club - Charge $5/month and on the 1st of every month every subscribed and paying member gets a unique mount to ride around on.

3) FC House Jukebox with additional/customizable soundtracks - Implement a jukebox for FC houses, and allow people to purchase additional/custom tunes for it.

4) Access to a special "VIP lounge" location for paying members only - Charge a small monthly fee, and let people who pay the fee enter. Maybe have the lounge sell a few unique vanity items/potions/minions/mounts. Nothing that is greater than the top gear in the game, but, stuff that is unique to VIP's.




I'm writing this to warn you SE... the path you're going down in a very slippery slope that sets an awful precedent.

While $2 a month (in perpetuity) is not a big deal for most of your customer base (myself included), you're going to come to other points where you can either nickel and dime your customers, or not release promised content. If you continue to nickel and dime us, you're eventually going to reach a tipping point where a sizeable percentage of us (myself included) are going to leave.

If you really want/need to go into fundraising mode, stick to selling thing that don't give people who pay for the additional fees distinct in-game advantages (having 20 more spots on the market board and additonal venturing are big advantages) over those who do choose to pick the fees. An example of this would be the Fantasia potion. No one has a problem with you selling those. Selling market retainers is a completely different ballgame. Tread lightly.

[Issac]

Did you know that pay-per-additional-retainer was a plan from the start? The very start, from the release of 1.0 we've all been waiting for it.

[TheUltimate3]

I do not think SE is in any danger of needing money right now...

Also, by the Light. Search bar people.

[Djeserit]

More retainers = more gil, more gil = absolutely useless.

Calm down people.

[Cluebilly]

Christ is the extra retainers thing really that big a deal? >_>

[Zourin]

Did you know that pay-per-additional-retainer was a plan from the start? The very start, from the release of 1.0 we've all been waiting for it.

Pay per additional character was also the plan from the start.

Just because 'something was the plan for the start' doesn't mean it's a good idea. You should have learned that in spades from 1.0's cornucopia of failures

[OSUBuckeye4]

Christ is the extra retainers thing really that big a deal? >_>

They pay per extra retainers thing isn't a big deal on it's own.

The precedent it sets is a very big deal.


What's next? SE is going to charge another $1-2 per month every month for FC's to purchase additional housing/gardens?

[Tupsi]

Did you know? You can get 2 stacks of Apkallu Eggs in less than hour when with Venture retainers it would be SIGNIFICANTLY less than even half a stack? Such imbalance. FYI WoW already set a Precedence and SE already does it with FFXI and no one complains, only when they can no longer get it did they complain.

Also FYI: Where's the gun to your head that states you need to buy?

[Issac]

Pay per additional character was also the plan from the start.

Just because 'something was the plan for the start' doesn't mean it's a good idea. You should have learned that in spades from 1.0's cornucopia of failures

Personally I feel if they handed out additional retainers for free they would only stand to lose profits. More retainers for everyone means more packrats which in turn means more server resources. More server resources leads to more spent and thus less profit. Paying for additional retainers is a disincentive for people to be unorganized packrats.

If you are of the opinion that SE should just eat the profit losses and give retainers to all without reservations, you are entitled to it. That's okay.

I'm not sure if I need another retainer yet. I'll hold off for now.

[KoujiMoreno]

I think what people are afraid of is what WoW customers are..or were...afraid of, slippery slope. First it's one thing, then another, then another...

Now, in WoW, you can buy max level professions and characters (or close to max, I can't remember).

Me personally, I don't care. These companies to do whatever they want to their game, just as soon as it stops being fun for me, I'll bail and play something else. There's tons of games (and things outside video games) to get into out there.