Just Curious why SE never took a vote from players on what we want in Cash Shop?

[Edellis]

The funny thing is, people were actually petitioning for fantasia in the cash shop. I personally didn't mind either.

But then they took the idea and (inevitably) they're now going to run with it because their foot's in the door.

I really just hope Yoshida understands the concept that, by nature, having anything desirable in the cash shop diminishes the worth of the rest of the game, because until a few months ago, everything desirable was achievable by paying $15/month and playing the game. This counts triple since we're already paying a subscription fee. The idea that I pay $15/month, play the game, and STILL have shit I can't reach no matter how much I play?

Well, avoiding that shitty feeling is honestly the reason I don't play F2P MMOs. It's something i've been desperately running from this generation, because it's such a cheap concept.

When I joined FFXIV, I had this incredible feeling of worth to my subscription because there was a ton of random little things to get by simply playing. No longer the case...even if the stuff in the cash shop is miniscule, it's something I can't get by playing.

[WHS]

While i'll start off by saying i agree, it's their game and they have no obligation to do anything players want.
I'd like to point out how blatantly idiotic and toxic that statement is, does anyone else remember how this game bombed because it wasn't interesting to players? and how SE redid the entire game to make it suitable for other PEOPLE, not what they themselves want? i can see why you might've forgotten the reason why we even have live letters from the developer too, because he likes to take feed back and understand what the players like as to make them happy.

As far as i'm concerned if i pay a subscription fee for something, yes my opinion is valid, i'm paying for the lights to stay on in whatever office the developers work in and for them to get paid, without the consumer base this game would cease to exist, and if a large majority dislike something, you remove it. And the whole "Just leave if you don't like it, you only play for access" Is quite a bullshit statement, if you've been playing this game since it launched and have been enjoying it from then till now and love it, but something comes along you just can't agree with why should you just 'leave', you've invested time and money into your character and account to the point where you don't just 'leave', you fight to have the game continue being what it is you love. Were not paying for access, our money goes towards paying the developers to continue working on this game so yes we have a say.

And the reason why people are outraged about this, is because SE pay their employees to create the items in the cash shop along with their other duties and then having them charge us huge amounts of money for the privilege to own that exclusive item, that item should have been included in the standard continued development cost that we as consumers pay for, but a section of that content is essentially cut off and sold back to us. The same problem with on disc DLC that companies seem to like doing this day, developing content for a game and upon release blocking part of that content off and making us pay for it later down the line.

And i think myself and many others question where does the line get drawn? when those items sold on the cash shop can be sold by players on the market board and a divide between how much in game gold is worth compared to real money, and thus promotes the selling of gold bots more, or when it starts with mounts and minions and then like just recently additional content like gold plan marriages is removed entirely from the game and sold to us at a premium price despite paying for that content to exist in the first place. If it remained just mounts and minions of cosmetic items i wouldn't have a problem but what happens when that line is pushed and by that time it's to late to fight against it?

I personally dislike things that are anti-consumer, but hey that's just me, i'm not going put my head in the sand and say "It's their game their choice." as if the money I'm paying towards this game doesn't give me the right to sway what would be defined as anti-consumer behaviour from being put in place.

And i want to add this disclaimer saying that i'm not saying the developers should cater to what we want in the game, they can have their creative freedom and design whatever they like as long as that content remains free accessible to everyone who pays the subscription model.

You explained pretty much what I was trying to get across all along but many who read this thread misunderstood. SE does in fact want our opinions on things and it does matter to them. WE are not just a sub fee and a logon access. We are paying customers with feelings and interests. SE thinks so. Shame alot of players think were just a fee every month.

[WHS]

The funny thing is, people were actually petitioning for fantasia in the cash shop. I personally didn't mind either.

But then they took the idea and (inevitably) they're now going to run with it because their foot's in the door.

I really just hope Yoshida understands the concept that, by nature, having anything desirable in the cash shop diminishes the worth of the rest of the game, because until a few months ago, everything desirable was achievable by paying $15/month and playing the game. This counts triple since we're already paying a subscription fee. The idea that I pay $15/month, play the game, and STILL have shit I can't reach no matter how much I play?

Well, avoiding that shitty feeling is honestly the reason I don't play F2P MMOs. It's something i've been desperately running from this generation, because it's such a cheap concept.

When I joined FFXIV, I had this incredible feeling of worth to my subscription because there was a ton of random little things to get by simply playing. No longer the case...even if the stuff in the cash shop is miniscule, it's something I can't get by playing.

You point fits the theme of this thread to a Tea. Ty for sharing. I concur.

[WHS]

I think the community would vote on items in the cash shop. Maybe not exclusive ones like mount that can't be gotten in game. But I do think players as a whole don't mind a cash shop as long as the items are available via another means in game besides a paywall. If the stuff like the Odin mount and the wedding mount were available in game without a paywall I am willing to bet that most of the cash shop threads would die down. It really is what so many have said that the exclusive behind a paywall with a sub is intolerable to quite a few players.

Now some items you really cant put in game available because of abuse. For example, name change services and fantasia. Those are special services SE is making available to players that change the game data in a major way and require server intervention. Those should cost real money only to discourage their abuse. I won't go into details on how the abuse could occur as I am aware players probably can figure that one out.

[WHS]

A cash shop isn't up to the players its up to the company producing the game. Get over yourself.

If that is how you see yourself then why pay to play a game that you have no say in how it's running? You vote with your dollar everytime you sub but why can't you vote for what content you want to play as well? Read your letter's from the producer he would like to beg to differ with you. Yoshida has asked for our opinions and we do matter to him. He wants our feedback and suggestions. Please don't discount yourself or your fellow players. Were not just a paycheck or sub dollar each month. WE all matter. No matter who the player is. We all count.

[Aegis]

No, not me personally, I dont care of it....why would I bother about that ? why ? if I dont like I go, you really have lots of time to spend on futilities, this is a GAME, you play until is enjoyable to YOU, if I enjoy what cash shops offer why not ? i may buy it, if I dont like I wont simple as that...


I dont see where the problem is ...YOu make ita problem where there is none, and an easy solution is found, the game is not the end of all dozens of other games are available, arent they ? right ?

Besides if interaction with others is based on money then I will requestion a) the *friends* you have and b) your way of reasoning. You made a decision fine, good, congrats, but dont complain please, becasue the choice was made by you, you didnt have a gun on your head to decide,

Again YOU decide what is worth for YOu based on YOUR wishes not what the others want you to buy/sell or do...pretty simple in my opinion.

But like in everything, CHOICE is yours, just dont complain to others over a choice that YOU made.


Mei

I hope I'm following you correctly (there are a few grammar errors, but let's face it: your English is better than my French), but I never complained about purchasing max-level and gear being available. It's just a sign that the priorities of the developers and playerbase of the genre I used to really enjoy have shifted away from what I like so now is the time to throw in the towel.

As for choice, I chose to join a game with an uninstanced, open world structure. A game where players were encouraged to form parties of up to 15 players to take out notorious monsters for materials. A game where crafters were integral to making BIS gear, where you could realistically be a crafter and still compete in most of the content without even levelling a DoW/DoM. A game where you couldn't join a random cross-server party and be a dick just because you'd never meet them again. You co-operated and you helped because your server had a real community and being rude would exclude you from it.

That game went away last year and it's taken the sum of the changes since then for me to accept that this version, with all its bells and whistles, its content, its fast and fluid combat system, its raids and its primals, its glowy lightsabres of destruction just isn't as suited to me as the flawed, broken, clunky V1 was.

I hope everyone who's still playing this game enjoys it and I wish it every success, but it's no longer for me.

[Kerrigen]

I'd like to point out that you don't need to poll people to know what they'd pay for, they very often spontaneously tell themselves.

(well, plus data)

[odintius]

I'd like to point out that you don't need to poll people to know what they'd pay for, they very often spontaneously tell themselves.

(well, plus data)

Have to agree I don't like cash shop myself much, but if they have data showing people are gullible enough to purchase these things then cash shops are here to stay just like RMT's >.>

[Zephyr-Umbra]

My thought's exactly, when do normal mounts and minions become obscure because of the cash shop? i mean now that it's decided by SE that it is fine to put them there, are mounts and minions that would've been released as standard content in later patches going to now be removed and put into the cash shop to buy instead of earning through gameplay? This is a fear i have that by putting standard items into something like a cash shop you hurt and remove content purposely from the rest of the game, even if it's small there are certain players who like collecting mounts and minions, i know several people who made paladins and warriors purely to get the exclusive mounts they can get access to, but now that some are restricted by the shop those players feel obligated to fork out the money to own every mount or minion.

Like you stated above, releasing desirable content in the cash shop greatly diminishes those items in other areas.

[MeiUshu]

Why the heck is that a FEAR???? why would you even care of it to be or not to be in a cash shop? if you want one you buy it if you cant you dont...and if it doesnt drop ..which is very much RNG, then it doesnt and if it doesnt exist anymore in-game it doesnt...walk ...you know seriously people..at times you scare me......you give so much importance to a game that is frightening ...is like it was a matter of life and death...

nobody forces you to buy anything and if you really want the cash shop to go...nobody should buy anything from there..but guess what..out of 100 people only maybe 0.5 people never will use it...most of the people in here if not all are also very much hypocrites...all claim not to want it but behind the scenes use it to buy this or that one...

So really.....you surely have better things to do then complain about this and if you dont have anything better to do then maybe you might want to reposition what is important and what is not

Mei