Cash Shop: Stifling development.

[Kuolema]

I would rather my subscription rate be wisely budgeted so as future content doesn't apparently demand so much extra funds beyond it.

These forums where made for feedback and the devs do listen. I've been here long enough to see that (though in recent months they've been a little flippant I admit).

Honestly, as far as business models go, I would good with a Guild Wars kind of system where you basically pay for mini-expansion packs but is otherwise free.

And that is where our opinions differ. Yes the forums are here for certain feedback such as glitches and such, but I have yet to see any dev/mod make any kind of statement regarding the cash shop and quite honestly I highly doubt they will. The best way is to either start a social media campaign or go to a live event and try to get your questions answered there.

We also have no real ideas on how profitable FFXIV is. Could it be raking in cash..maybe, could it just be treading water..maybe or could it be slightly losing money..maybe. We don't have these answers. Could the cash shop be just a money grab..possibly, could it be here to keep the game above water..maybe, or could it be here as a resort to make the game break even or slightly profitable..maybe. There are too many maybes with this cash shop and none of us have the answers. So my advice is to see what happens and not fly off the handle every time something minor gets added to the cash shop.

Again my opinion but the Guild Wars model is terrible to follow. They could put mini updates twice a month and charge for it plus the charge of brand new expansions that will cost you more in the long run.

[Cutie_McSnuggles]

Why do people seam to have the mind set that a subscription based game cannot thrive on the income of it's subscriptions alone?

[Kuolema]

Why do people seam to have the mind set that a subscription based game cannot thrive on the income of it's subscriptions alone?

Why do people seem to think a subscription based game can thrive on it's subscriptions alone? See how easy that is. There aren't a lot of MMO's that have been able to last more than a year before coming free to play.

[Adrian74]

Why do people seam to have the mind set that a subscription based game cannot thrive on the income of it's subscriptions alone?

I don't know, honestly, but some people tend to think (Especially those who seem to associate, again and again gaming with money) that....

Free = You'll see a lot of cash shop
Subscription Fee = You'll see a lot of cash shop too (Fee only covers the 'entry' to the game!)

So then what would be the point of a subscription fee? Seriously...

Subscription Fee is one of the best models because just by paying a certain quantity in the month developers ensure a regular outcome of money, much higher than the costs they have, and, of course, enough for developing new contents. Thus, it is not needed at all to pay for new content. All that should come with the subscription, that's what, we should be paying subscription for. The idea of "We pay subscription only to access, because that's what's is in ToS" is... Just wrong, my honest opinion, since opinions may differ, you know.

Free games need to abuse of their cash shops for paying costs of server and of course winning a lot of money. Subscription fee doesn't need that, why a cash shop in a subscription fee?.... (And please, don't confuse some elements with cash shop. Being able to change the appeareance of your character, the server, the name, and stuff like that is NORMAL to have in a mmorpg. But, I don't mean it to be normal just because others MMORPG have it or because people think it is normal, I speak of normal in the sense of common sense, because putting a paywall in those elements is a element for its auto-regulation, avoiding people to abuse of those features, not having people changing their characters name and appeareance every second, etc....).

But, even those elements of the game could and, wouldn't be bad if they'd be in the game with as some reward or difficult drop or something. In a subscription game, there shouldn't be a cash shop, if they consider subscription should be a bit more expensive because the economy inflation then go on, one euro more per subscription every year is surely a lot of money and avoids you to make the players that love P2P model to suffer with the menace of cash shops and their increase.

Because when cash shop comes, it will be expanded and expanded, and like the OP said, the problem is not only the cash shop itself, it is the attitude of the developers, their change in what they develop, how they have to carefully think now what to show us and what not, what to put in cash shop and what not, they are no longer thinking about maintaining subs so much as they are about thinking in cash shop.


Free = Cash Shop.
Subscription /= Cash shop.

[KIka93]

Personally I don't see a problem with the cash shop. Everyone who is against it has bought something from it, don't lie, you know you have.

I bought several things with a smile on my face, they're all vanity, but I love them all the same because I like to play around. I like that we can now buy halloween gear outside of Halloween, instead of having to wait for the event to roll back through. That I am very pleased for.

[Cutie_McSnuggles]

Everyone who is against it has bought something from it, don't lie, you know you have.

Nope, not a single thing.

[Gramul]

Why do people seam to have the mind set that a subscription based game cannot thrive on the income of it's subscriptions alone?

(messed up who I was quoting. I'll fix it later)

Because it can? Because we've seen it before? Proper budgeting, taking from their mobile income, better content planning, keeping your project in reasonable scope. All these things come to mind.

Everyone who is against it has bought something from it, don't lie, you know you have.

That's a remarkably presumptuous statement to make. The only extra I bought from them was the Special Edition upgrade at relaunch because I thought it was a one time deal. I'm not touching the cash shop so long as I have a subscription.

[cearka]

"Can we monitize this?"
is a question any business should be asking. Its also been stated that cash shop sales go back into game dev and resources, and if their honest about this, then I'm all for it. The cash shop model is more or less here to stay, not just for FFXIV, but games in general. What works for a business model in 1999 no longer works in 2014, and market forces have to evolve to survive, or die. The reality is while sub fees are still more or less the same for mmos for the last 15 years, the resources to make and maintain these games are several times higher. That extra resource needs to come from somewhere.

[Adrian74]

Personally I don't see a problem with the cash shop. Everyone who is against it has bought something from it, don't lie, you know you have.

I bought several things with a smile on my face, they're all vanity, but I love them all the same because I like to play around. I like that we can now buy halloween gear outside of Halloween, instead of having to wait for the event to roll back through. That I am very pleased for.

If you count buying a fantasia and name change.... (I wouldn't count it). Unlike many persons I wouldn't feel good with myself if my actions would be the opposite to my words. I'm not playing in a P2W game, instead I came to experiment FFXIV: ARR because I swore to myself time ago that I'd never touch that hell again...

My principles are over my leisure. And that's what I most fear of this all. I love this game, for me it has been "The Perfect Game" this whole year. I have not bought any new game, I didn't even buy a PS4, why? I have a good PC and FFXIV... But I know myself very well, if FFXIV will become P2W, I'll leave, not without trying to make people and devs understand that it is a bad way first, of course, since, I'm not the typical person that abandons what loves so quick and in silence, I rather first try and fight for it, then when it is hopeless, and people supports it so much because I DUNNO then it is when I leave, when there's no solution anymore.

"Can we monitize this?"
is a question any business should be asking. Its also been stated that cash shop sales go back into game dev and resources, and if their honest about this, then I'm all for it. The cash shop model is more or less here to stay, not just for FFXIV, but games in general. What works for a business model in 1999 no longer works in 2014, and market forces have to evolve to survive, or die. The reality is while sub fees are still more or less the same for mmos for the last 15 years, the resources to make and maintain these games are several times higher. That extra resource needs to come from somewhere.

Solution, increase the sub. I don't know why developers fear this too much. It is comprehensible the sub should become higher at some point. I wouldn't mind if it would increase one euro per year, seriously. BUT NO CASH SHOP... Sub is something we all pay, we all remain the same to others inside the game. We can't pretend also a sub will remain the same quantity during years and years... It's funny, if they'd raise the sub one euro, I'd pay a total of 12 'extra' euros per year, while with cash shop I would pay 0... Yes, that's how much I love the subscription model.

[Stihllodeing]

Everything in the world has options. I like options. They make me feel free. Freedom is the future.

There is nothing offensive or distasteful about the cash shop. So many examples of better rip offs and game breakers. This is too personal for some people. Kinda sad.