You think our Cash shop is bad...take a look at THIS

[Wolf_Gang]

How can I get dyes? Or right I have to buy them in a cash shop in a subscription game.

WTF...

[Kosmos992k]

How can I get dyes? Or right I have to buy them in a cash shop in a subscription game.

WTF...

Your retainer wishes to inform you that of the available rare dyes, only 3 are unavailable via retainer ventures.

The FFXIV cash shop is bad. Outside of world transfers and fantasias, everything else should obtainable in game only (IMO). We paid for the game, we pay a subscription fee, and then they still charge on top of that for additional retainers, weddings, mounts, minions, etc. Sure, it's all optional, and a lot of it you CAN obtain in game (although very slowly, or only from special events), but it's still double-dipping on your paying customers.

Weddings (Eternal Bond) are free. The extras cost more.

Of the 98 items currently in the cash shop at least 80 were previously available in game through seasonal events, but have since been retired in favor of adding new seasonal items in game. Putting those in the cash shop provides new players who were not here, or players who were absent during or did not play the seasonal events an avenue to obtain specific things.

Of the remaining items there are 2 packages for upgrades to the eternal bond (including bridal chocobo), 4 minions, 3 dyes available singly or in packs of 10, and fantasia available in 1, 3 or 5 pack; and finally the Slepnir mount.

That's perhaps 10 unique items that have never been available in-game.

[Risvertasashi]

but have since been retired in favor of adding new seasonal items in game. Putting those in the cash shop provides new players who were not here, or players who were absent during or did not play the seasonal events an avenue to obtain specific things.

You make it sound like these options are mutually exclusive. Those old items used to be available on seasonal event vendors for a tiny amount of gil, while new items you would get from the quest or some other participation.

It's not like seasonal items could never be obtained again before the cash shop, nor did we have to give up having new items for them to reappear.

edit: In fact, the whole controversy kicked off when, for some reason, the vendor that sells the previous years' items was conspicuously missing from that year's Halloween event. And then... Enter the Mog Station.

[Kosmos992k]

You make it sound like these options are mutually exclusive. Those old items used to be available on seasonal event vendors for a tiny amount of gil, while new items you would get from the quest or some other participation.

It's not like seasonal items could never be obtained again before the cash shop, nor did we have to give up having new items for them to reappear.

I know that they were available during subsequent events. However, rather than stuffing in-game vendors with increasing numbers of items from previous events SE chose this course. I'm neutral on whether it was a good or bad thing. I can see positives either way. One of those positives is that this method preserves the rarity or exclusivity of items obtained during seasonal events which encourages participation, to obtain the items. The flip side is that the items are no longer available from vendors in-game. There is an offsetting benefit in either direction.

I like that continually adding new seasonal items in game keeps seasonal events fresh. I like that making such items limited time only in-game encourages participation. I guess the alternative would be to simply retire the items completely. But we all know that there would be a chorus of requests to add the items back somehow, just look at the continual requests for the lightning event gear.

I imagine that there is plenty of interesting gear from 1.0-1.23 that people would love to see. That gear is permanently retired from the game. If you haven't got it, you're not going to get it unless a bolt of lightning strikes your retainer and carries them back through time to obtain something. I definitely do NOT want to see that kind of gear in the cash shop.

Finally, if making items that are effectively retired from the seasonal events provides additional revenue that can be put back into developing more content for the game, ultimately I see that as a positive thing.

[Loony_BoB]

Of the remaining items there are 2 packages for upgrades to the eternal bond (including bridal chocobo), 4 minions, 3 dyes available singly or in packs of 10, and fantasia available in 1, 3 or 5 pack; and finally the Slepnir mount.

That's perhaps 10 unique items that have never been available in-game.

I feel I should note that I have a few bottles of Fantasia and have never spent any money in the cash shop other than to buy the more expensive eternal bond option. I think you get them occasionally as part of rewards for being lovely and subbing for lengths of time or something, not sure.

FFXIV's cash shop is indeed still reasonable... except for one thing - retainers.

I could live with buying additional retainers for 10$ etc, but paying additional sub fee? It doesn't matter how small the fee is, it seems nuts.

I always see extra retainers as a cheap alternative to buying "mule" second accounts like people often did for FFXI and I believe still do for a lot of games (even FFXIV, despite the retainer option).

The other stuff I dislike having the cash shop for. I feel everything should be obtainable in game. I don't mind a cash shop for vanity items that are obtainable in game for people who can't be bothered putting in the hard work, but for those that don't want to spend their money above and beyond what a sub offers, I think there should be methods to obtain said items.

Having said all that, it's not like it's a lot of money they're asking for, nor do I feel the items are anything I feel I'm missing out on, so I don't really get that bothered.

[FriendlyUncle]

Your retainer wishes to inform you that of the available rare dyes, only 3 are unavailable via retainer ventures.



Weddings (Eternal Bond) are free. The extras cost more.

Of the 98 items currently in the cash shop at least 80 were previously available in game through seasonal events, but have since been retired in favor of adding new seasonal items in game. Putting those in the cash shop provides new players who were not here, or players who were absent during or did not play the seasonal events an avenue to obtain specific things.

Of the remaining items there are 2 packages for upgrades to the eternal bond (including bridal chocobo), 4 minions, 3 dyes available singly or in packs of 10, and fantasia available in 1, 3 or 5 pack; and finally the Slepnir mount.

That's perhaps 10 unique items that have never been available in-game.

You act like this matters, they are still charging us for garbage that could just be in the game while we are paying a sub on top of purchasing the game, the expensive, and their tiny dev team shovels recycled content formula into our faces. And its okay to just eat it up right? The holiday items was a load of crap, you used to just be able to purchase it from the vendor during the next years event. But SE quickly realized people will spend tons of money on glamour and pulled that to slap into the Cash Shop. I see that they have indeed even started adding old seasonal event emotes to the ship to instead of, I dunno. Re-adding the previous years quest, or adding it as an additional reward for the current years seasonal which iirc FFXI did for years if not until this very day.

I'm also fairly sure that its 8 minions obtainable only from Cash Shop, not 4. You can go ahead and throw in an additional mount and an additional minion from the wedding ceremony services as well since that is the only method to obtain them.

Not to mention instead of just releasing a full CD despite having all the music for HW 3.0 they decide to release them as 5 track mini disks for 15 bucks a pop. Because they are getting way more money selling 5 different CDs with different tracks for 15 bucks a pop than a single CD for 24/30 dollars. It is not about making a good game anymore, its about trying to milk as much cash out of this until people get tired of the content draught. And I swear to all that is holy if someone says 'create an alt' or 'not all jobs are 60' I might snap. That is not content, its the same stuff I all ready waded through to get to the content.

[Kosmos992k]

I'm also fairly sure that its 8 minions obtainable only from Cash Shop, not 4. You can go ahead and throw in an additional mount and an additional minion from the wedding ceremony services as well since that is the only method to obtain them.

I'm not so sure about that, I know that the Minfilia and Thancred were most certainly available in game through a seasonal event, as was the Little Ladies Day doll. I'd have to look at the list of minions in the shop again to be sure, but I thought a couple more were previously available in game through an event as well.

[FriendlyUncle]

They added most all the Scions now. Alphinuad is the only one available through quests iirc. FYI If I come off as being an ass, it's not intentional. I played this since its original failed release, and I love the game. I wanted to keep loving it and I am incredibly dejected with the direction the game is going. It seems less and less about making a good game and more and more about stringing people along and milking the community for every cent they have.

Cash Shops can be appropriate in subscription models, buts moving away from something that is there that pays for data migration/changes (Name/Race/Server) that goes into the development and maintenance of hardware. And more along the lines of SE sees as their cash cow and taking advantage of the community and their fans.