Cash Shop: Stifling development.

[Squintina]

Not that I'm pro-cash shop or anything, but there have been plenty of people who talked about long term implications and the fear that every piece of future content might be considered for possible cash-shop-ability. This didn't really need a separate thread.

[FlareR]

I think the FF14 forum community is a being a little over dramatic about the situation tbh.

Agreed. All you can do is sit back and watch the madness!

[polyphonica]

It's worth bearing in mind that they actually are locking a huge chunk of actual content behind a paywall: that's what Heavensward is. They could have just added that to the main game like they added Rogue/Ninja as part of the development our subscription covers. It's just that expansion packs are something people have gotten used to and accepted already, given that they happen periodically and typically add a fair bit of content. But there's no doubt that there's some content that they could have introduced to the base game that they're locking behind the expansion because they want people to feel compelled to buy it. There are probably things they thought of during development that were similarly put off until the expansion for the same reason. And there's little doubt the expansion will have collector's editions and pre-order bonuses so that people who pay more and commit more quickly get extra in-game vanity stuff. So this decision-making process of "how can/should we monetize this?" is already part of their day-to-day operation. But it also doesn't change the fact that they want people to feel that they're on-going subscription is worth it by delivering regular updates and events. In the end, people will keep paying their subscriptions if they find value in what they're getting for the price.

[ChibiChan_Hyperion]

It's another moaning post about how the cash shop ~might ruin the game forever~ again. I've seen the same basic post from him before and others.

Do I think my sub is currently worth it? Yes.
Will this impact the future of the game negatively? Doubtful.

Sorry, that was slightly more direct than I intended, I've realized. I will continue to work on that.

Anyway, I feel like that's sort of a Faulty Generalization, because this topic is actually talking about something I have yet to see discussed. This is important because the attendance for this thread may not be the same lineup as it was for the others. After all, the purpose of a thread is simply to generate conversation and discussion, which I feel like this is succeeding in doing. It felt kinda like you were just trying to invalidate the OP right from the get go, instead of allowing for the discussion to be had or participating in it yourself. Sorry if this was not the case.

Not that I'm pro-cash shop or anything, but there have been plenty of people who talked about long term implications and the fear that every piece of future content might be considered for possible cash-shop-ability. This didn't really need a separate thread.

This didn't need a separate post either, though. The thread is generating discussion, which means it is serving its purpose. Also, for the question at hand: "Do you feel your subscription dollars are getting their worth? If you cut out all the content from the cash shop, are you getting enough bang for your buck?"

Snippity snapple snaps

This is a very good point, thank you for spinning it this way. The expansion is essentially a paid bundle, but it is still an all encompassing paid bundle that does not share release frequency with Cash Shop updates. At least, traditionally... I do wonder how this expansion is going to play out!

[Vondoomervil]

Also, for the question at hand: "Do you feel your subscription dollars are getting their worth? If you cut out all the content from the cash shop, are you getting enough bang for your buck?"

The amount of time I spend playing this game..Hell yeah I'm getting $14.99/Month worth. Most games I buy for $100 and play for 8-10 hours max. The content in the cash shop is there if I want it, But I don't...So i'm not going to purchase any. Nice to know I can though I guess.

[Squintina]

Other posts that referred, directly or indirectly, to the potential for devs include future installments as monetizable for the cash shop:

http://forum.square-enix.com/ffxiv/t...xcited-anymore
http://forum.square-enix.com/ffxiv/t...sh#post2639387
http://forum.square-enix.com/ffxiv/t...sh#post2619093
http://forum.square-enix.com/ffxiv/t...sh#post2615717
http://forum.square-enix.com/ffxiv/t...=1#post2554168
http://forum.square-enix.com/ffxiv/t...ry#post2615950
http://forum.square-enix.com/ffxiv/t...ry#post2635591
http://forum.square-enix.com/ffxiv/t...=1#post2611809

And that's by searching for keywords, not by actually reading through threads. There are more, far more. This has been mentioned already.

And whether people feel they're getting enough for their sub has been asked too, I don't want to stifle the conversation, but it can be taken to those other threads (and helps more by increasing the pages count...)

This didn't need a separate post either, though. The thread is generating discussion, which means it is serving its purpose. Also, for the question at hand: "Do you feel your subscription dollars are getting their worth? If you cut out all the content from the cash shop, are you getting enough bang for your buck?"

But at least I didn't feel the need to start a new thread over it...

[kyuven]

Cash shops do not stifle development. They aid development. Sure there will always be people dedicated to producing content for the cash shop, but the money from that ostensibly goes towards paying for the development of other content.
New content is expensive, moreso than you'd believe.
There's this one huge fallacy with development TEAMS players seem to be under. They seem to think that if a company is doing one thing, then they aren't doing another. There's an assumption that the people developing items for the cash shop are people that could be working on something else.
Well...that's only marginally true. Testers and marketers are really the only ones that overlap. The people running the store most likely have that as their sole job in the company. People designing things for the store either have that as their sole job, or are working on variants of things already in the game.
Let's take a look at what actually IS in the store:
Eternal Bond: Probably the more controversial since the bells and whistles versions cost money. They've been working on this for a long time, and the basic concept itself is absolutely free. Paying for it just gets you extra doodads, much like a Collector's Edition of a game...of which this game has had TWO, by the way. The way it's implemented is exactly what i'm talking about. Everything in the system is available for free within the game with the exception of aesthetic gear, which are all variants on things that already exist.
Sleipnir Mount: It's a mount that costs money. It's also the top seller in the cash shop. Yeah. Offers no advantages other than looking cool.
Minions: They're freakin MINIONS. They've had "premium" minions for the longest time (remember they've been pre-order bonuses and CE bonuses in the past) and whoever's designing these things probably wishes they got to design more.
Dyes: A variant of something already in the game, again. It's pretty much tradition at this point for cash shops to sell special dyes. There shouldn't have been any surprise at these.
Seasonal Outfits: Admittedly this one was a little disappointing to me, as there were a couple holidays i missed that have things i want and now i gotta pay for em...but oh well. They were already in the game for free, and everyone had a chance to get them for free. Now, they cost money. It's actually a good business decision, even if people are unhappy. Makes me appreciate the items i got, though.

None of these would take exceptionally more time to create than anything else. Sure there will be some larger scale marketing things coming out (Triple Triad WILL be monetized. It's a card game. That's what card games are for.) but most of this just seems to be things for the art and animation teams to occupy themselves with between working on the massive, interesting updates we've been getting.

[Bishop81]

The Cash Shop is here to stay,

Well, so will my whining and sarcastic remarks at every opportunity.

I think the FF14 forum community is a being a little over dramatic about the situation tbh.

Wait until all the best looking armor is cash shop only, while we get leftover clown suits rags in-game.

[Cid_Grim]

I have been completely ignoring the cash shop, and I feel that I'm getting every penny's worth of my entry level sub. You can also add my girlfriend's entry level sub to that.

Going out to dinner once within the month costs more than double our subs combined.

The cash shop is a waste of money.

[Aegis]

It's worth bearing in mind that they actually are locking a huge chunk of actual content behind a paywall: that's what Heavensward is. They could have just added that to the main game like they added Rogue/Ninja as part of the development our subscription covers. It's just that expansion packs are something people have gotten used to and accepted already, given that they happen periodically and typically add a fair bit of content.

People have accepted expansion packs because the sheer volume of content justifies the price.

They typically bring new classes (occasionally races), new areas, an entirely new storyline, level cap increases with subsequent new abilities, they usually include new game mechanics/systems, dozens of new gear sets, new mob types, quests etc

For the same price on the cash shop, you can get 1.5 Sleipnirs, or a fancier wedding dress.