And the last bastion of non-Mog Station items gets put on Mog Station

[Alleo]

I feel like they're actually three of the more reasonably priced items available on the Mog Station. I, personally, don't mind throwing money at Square Enix when it comes to cosmetics - it's unfortunate but in today's gaming world it's pretty much standard to have to do as much if you're a collector. I was actually expecting them to show up as part of the upcoming soundtrack.

I do think it'd be preferable for them to have been tied to achievement points, though. Especially since we ended up getting a revamp of the achievement point system recently...

I am not sure if you can call them reasonable priced items if you get the music elsewhere (like the screenshot above the post) cheaper and most music you can buy is cheaper than that.

And lets not forget that they are single character only too.

[Arrius]

And lets not forget that they are single character only too.

As if they want you to discourage you for making alts or something. I mean, you can do everything and every job on a single character.
Getting to the up to date main story is quite a trip now, too, unless you fork in for a shortcut.

[Theodric]

I am not sure if you can call them reasonable priced items if you get the music elsewhere (like the screenshot above the post) cheaper and most music you can buy is cheaper than that.

And lets not forget that they are single character only too.

Games such as Fortnite prove that micro-transactions aren't going anywhere. Complaining about them at this point isn't going to accomplish anything - the best we can do is take a firm stand and try to push for them to be purely cosmetic. Micro-transactions are also very successful in Japan and this is a Japanese game.

Yes, it comes with 2 in-game orch rolls (not these same orch sheets on Mog Station) though I personally think it's weird to buy an item *just* for the freebie.

It's not that weird, really - and it likely happens more than you'd think. I bought both of the Primal statues purely for the emotes.

[BillyKaplan]

Games such as Fortnite prove that micro-transactions aren't going anywhere..

You missed the point there. The post wasn't against micro-transactions in general, but criticizing this particular one. Let's compare the mog-shop purchase vs. what I assume is an Amazon page. Same product, but Amazon offers it for less and without the restrictions the game has (only in-game, with an orchestrion you have permissions for, on a specific character), yet the game charges almost twice as much.

[Theodric]

You missed the point there. The post wasn't against micro-transactions in general, but criticizing this particular one. Let's compare the mog-shop purchase vs. what I assume is an Amazon page. Same product, but Amazon offers it for less and without the restrictions the game has (only in-game, with an orchestrion you have permissions for, on a specific character), yet the game charges almost twice as much.

It's not unusual for there to be a 'mark up' for such products, though. You're basically paying for the 'luxury' of having them available to play in-game through the orchestrion. Sure, you can buy them elsewhere, turn off the in-game music and just play them in the background through other sources but these are simply targeted at players who make frequent use of their orchestrion whilst crafting, role-playing or idling.

[Alleo]

You missed the point there. The post wasn't against micro-transactions in general, but criticizing this particular one. Let's compare the mog-shop purchase vs. what I assume is an Amazon page. Same product, but Amazon offers it for less and without the restrictions the game has (only in-game, with an orchestrion you have permissions for, on a specific character), yet the game charges almost twice as much.

Yeah I know that we are fighting a losing battle about the cash shop itself and as long as we get most stuff ingame I could live with it. (Albeit a bit annoyed if its something cool and unique that lands in there) But the biggest problem right now and something which can be changed is the price range of this stuff (and it being single character).

[Zojha]

Games such as Fortnite prove that micro-transactions aren't going anywhere.

The continued existence of supporters prove that micro-transactions aren't going anywhere.

It's business. Taking a stand, complaining, morals, whatever are all irrelevant - the only thing that matters is the bottom line. If companies learn that they can make more money with micro-transactions that are more than cosmetics only, they'll start doing it. Doesn't matter what the consumers have to say if they don't act on it.

Reminder: We're in capitalism. The point of actors here, whether companies or consumers, is to be greedy (Aka: Maximizing their own selfish benefit) and rip each other off as best they can. Then the invisible hand will do the rest and guide the economy to the best result for all. Or so they say. If not, we blame it on externalities and the state.

[Vhailor]

The continued existence of supporters prove that micro-transactions aren't going anywhere.

This. SE is going to balance the profits from microtransactions against the possible negative economic consequences of offering them (i.e. people quitting on principle). Unfortunately, there's a significant imbalance here pointing in favour of offering microtransactions, from a profit standpoint.

If people want to help shift things in the other direction, they need to alter their purchasing decisions of SE products accordingly, and voice the reasons why. It might not add up to much on its own, but enough people doing it, we might see progress. I know personally, I do enjoy FFXIV still; it's a nice social game to play with my girlfriend. But, SE's push toward microtransactions influences my purchasing decisions in regards to other titles. I don't buy any of their shitty DLC for other titles they publish, and I'll very frequently wait for a sale on their games, because I feel like they're trying to milk enough from FFXIV already so as to not need ultra-healthy margins on other titles. If they were to stop getting so greedy, stop nickel-and-diming us to death in FFXIV, I'd begin purchasing more of their other titles full price.

There is another approach, too, that people can try: peer pressure. I not only avoid the Mog Station myself, but I say absolutely nothing positive about outfits or mounts that I know come from it. When the Carbuncle mounts released and some friends were talking about how cool they were, my reaction was 'eh, I'll never support the microtransaction bullshit, so I don't really care.' Again, in and of itself, this won't make a difference - but one of the main motivating factors for purchasing items on the Mog Station is bragging rights for that new mount or outfit. If nobody reacts positively, the bragging doesn't get you as far, and the desire to purchase items drops.

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The only other thing I can recommend to people sick of the Mog Station (and similar cash shops in other MMOs) is to keep realistic goals. For me, that means (a) being able to play the games I want to play, while (b) feeling as if I'm doing my part to discourage these shitty creations. I try not to set a rigid goal of 'no cash shop or bust', because that would just lock me out of MMOs. It's not a perfect solution, but it's working for me, at least.