Is our sub fee not enought

[ErikMynhier]

With a certain level of transparency and up front pricing structure. SE is a business and they can price how ever they want. But other types of business have to obey laws and be up front about costs and services. We have definitely not seen that. They are making the rules as they go. Just because you make money doesn't entitle you to do as you please. It seems most defense is it's a business so its ok they can do what ever.

If they came out and said, "We are only going to give you basic services with the odd extra. We plan to regionalise gear and then charge on top. All cash shop will be per character and never per account." You can live with that and people should shut up. But that is not what is happening.

Do you ask for financial transparency from any other business you get extra things from? The example I give with McDonalds, the extra sauce, some McDs will charge for it. Critical thinking can break down, without statements of finance, that we pay extra as it dips into stocks that have to be bought or replenished. Its logical thought.

Now I will meet you halfway on the issues of price. Sometimes the price is to high, and without records we can't know how high is to high. So instead of getting all heated, let's get some people in the community to crunch the numbers, something MMO players are very good at. Let's find the average cost of wages, how many people would likely be needed, other costs. Let's try and break down the cost of FFXIV and see if some are correct about the price or if its an over reaction.

I feel a cash shop is fine, and that it IS the place for extra items with no baring on the game. But instead of this endless nonsense maybe we should take it upon ourselves to find an answer. I would be happy to help in such a project.

[Stormrider]

Do you ask for financial transparency from any other business you get extra things from? The example I give with McDonalds, the extra sauce, some McDs will charge for it. Critical thinking can break down, without statements of finance, that we pay extra as it dips into stocks that have to be bought or replenished. Its logical thought.

Sorry maybe I misused the word transparency? All prices are on the sign and any change is well documented and put forward. It also has some sort of logical thought process to it. The sauce may cost a much larger % of the burger then we know. As ingredients prices fluctuate on amount of production. But they can not charge the same price. Big mac Meal is 5.99 extra sauce is 25 cents. But maybe the sauce literally cost 25 cents. Could they charge 60 cents 10% of what the actual meal costs. Also some of the stuff on cash shop has physically been paid for once.

SE prices are randomly and feel like what is the max profit not a percentage of cost. Moogle mount 29.99 USD, to seller on ps4 game 59.99 USD. I don't need any math to see one asset per character compared to a full game.

What I want is 100% upfront pricing structure and what it gives us. If we have a cash shop that is fine. But I want to know monthly sub is X amount of content per year and cash shop is X amount of content per year and will include X content. That is the transparency I want. Also on the topic of upfront. That they don't ever want all players to have the same game experience. Or they would not make certain design decisions.

Not to be mean but you sound like the head office guys who increase prices for production and then complain sales are down but then trot out the amazing gross on sales.

[ErikMynhier]

Not to be mean but you sound like the head office guys who increase prices for production and then complain sales are down but then trot out the amazing gross on sales.

I don't take it as mean, that is the reality of dealing with a business. My goal isn't so much to defend the practice (which personally I don't think is wrong), as much as it is to show how this is the model for this game. And since the game is very successful, we will likely see this model going forward.

The head guy in the office would never increase prices for production, the market increases the price of production. And I complain when sales are down because I have people above me who require I meet a set cost, there for I have to adjust the only budget I have only real control over which is payroll which I don't want to mess with as these people under me need their jobs. So I do role out my amazing gross charts to convince my superiors that we are doing great so I don't have to lay people off, the same people who thing I'm the ass for riding them to increase productivity so I could use those charts to save their jobs. They don't understand and some here don't either, but that's cool because I took not a dime from them, whether they hate me or not doesn't matter. We aren't all wolves of Wall Street.