Why do casual players seem entitled to cosmetic items added in game?

[Paintedtarget]

Why do hardcore players feel they are entitled to an ultimate every xpac?

[Saraide]

Why do hardcore players feel they are entitled to an ultimate every xpac?

Because they are very low cost. Think about how little modelling work needs to get done per ultimate.

[Tyintheron]

Can't believe there are people now defending MTX in a subscription MMO as a preferred way of obtaining items as opposed to actually earning it in game. Good lord.

Maybe you guys should just bookmark playerauctions.com instead of the forums

I mean, you can ignore the actual, salient points about the amounts of time involved in doing these things in a video game vs the time a lot of people actually have to do them along with their real life responsibilities all you want, but it doesn't make those isses with the MMO genre any less real.

Nobody's "destroying vidja games." Everyone's doing the best they can to enjoy their hobby.

The logical end result of "hipster culture". Having the status symbols of a subculture, but just for fashion, not for the culture / status associated with it. You'd think that zombie graveyard of pay2win MMOs would serve as lesson of what not to encourage in a game that one likes, but alas, here we are.

"The culture"? Holy hell.

Look, man - I'm old. I've played about a billion video games. And until now I figured that playing video games for about 50 years (give or take) would have been enough to be a part of "the culture."

What I've discovered, however, is that what I've needed to do this whole time is to earn this specific haircut in this specific video game by beating my metaphorical head against a wall-slash-boss' fist 300 times, with each beat followed by someone telling me I suck, followed by getting kicked, followed by waiting an hour for the next attempt.

With all due respect, I'd rather not be part of that. I have better things to do with my time. Here's $10 for a haircut for my cat girl so I can bypass that. Please.

[Tyintheron]

If you aren't against actually doing difficult content and feel bad when you cause wipes, then find people who are similar to you in mentality/skill level and learn content as a group where the pressure is off and the goal is to just have fun learning at a pre-determined pace. It's not rocket science. What do you think us hardcore raiders do?

I've been a "hardcore raider" before, so I know how it all works, and the time involved. These days it's time that's the main issue for me, personally, so I was speaking more broadly.

But I absolutely get - and sympathize with - the idea that some things in the game take too much time for a lot of people. I don't think suggesting that either/or is a reasonable approach to cover all their bases - people with the time and inclination to raid, and people without.

I can understand people having a philosophical objection to it. I just don't agree with it.

And thanks for that link! Would still be good to see that as an easy-to-access option in the game itself to encourage its use and make it feel more like a part of "the process" of raiding, but nice to know it exists!

[Lilapop]

by beating my metaphorical head against a wall-slash-boss' fist 300 times, with each beat followed by someone telling me I suck, followed by getting kicked, followed by waiting an hour for the next attempt.

The other part of the "culture" that we all like to pretend isn't part of this game.

[Lilapop]

Because they are very low cost. Think about how little modelling work needs to get done per ultimate.

Low cost =/= low effort. They also need to have the fight be balanced for every class (FRU fails at this, look at what PCT can do), new mechanics, and presumably a long while of testing after that. As well as slapping on an ugly glow effect on 1 weapon per class.

[MrJPtheAssassin]

Why do hardcore players feel they are entitled to an ultimate every xpac?

During ShB I remember a bunch of hardcore players being up in arms at the fact that devs had to postpone or in those players' words "cancel" the 2nd Ultimate because of COVID. It's not exactly the same thing here but it does show hardcore players can be entitled as anyone else in this game. They are not guilt-free at all.

[AllenThyl]

I mean, you can ignore the actual, salient points about the amounts of time involved in doing these things in a video game vs the time a lot of people actually have to do them along with their real life responsibilities all you want, but it doesn't make those isses with the MMO genre any less real.

And you don't understand that the whole point of a game is playing the game. And that for this kind of game, a reward structure that is significantly based on people actually playing the game (and playing it well) is a major factor of the appeal in the first place. There are a lot of games that just let you buy the best gear / cosmetics with real life money, directly in the shop. They are all part of the "zombie graveyard of MMOs". Because they go fundamentally against what makes video games as a medium enjoyable for most people.

Nobody's "destroying vidja games." Everyone's doing the best they can to enjoy their hobby.

You don't follow any industry news, do you?

"The culture"? Holy hell.

Look, man - I'm old. I've played about a billion video games. And until now I figured that playing video games for about 50 years (give or take) would have been enough to be a part of "the culture."

What I've discovered, however, is that what I've needed to do this whole time is to earn this specific haircut in this specific video game by beating my metaphorical head against a wall-slash-boss' fist 300 times, with each beat followed by someone telling me I suck, followed by getting kicked, followed by waiting an hour for the next attempt.

With all due respect, I'd rather not be part of that. I have better things to do with my time. Here's $10 for a haircut for my cat girl so I can bypass that. Please.

Culture isn't a "being" thing, it is what is lived by people. The willingness of people to swipe their card for a "cute hairstyle for my catgirl" is the reason these kinds of things are put for sale in the first place. That's why cool mounts of even ingame bosses are put on the shop, instead of being rewards for the bosses themselves. And why there is no need for the developers to bother with good and regular releases, when the weekly fantasia addicts are pouring in enough money for no additional work on the developer's side. The end result is a worse product, in this case, this particular video game.

Further, you are not getting kicked out by faceless beings. There are human beings on the other end controlling these characters, and if you get such a krass display of hostility when doing harder content, then it's likely because you are actively prog lying, i.e. you broke the implicit social contract. You are being rude to everyone else, it's little surprise that you then find yourself on the receiving end of (ToS breaking) antagonism. For someone who emphasizes how old they are, you sure aren't wise.

[Exmo]

You don't follow any industry news, do you?

I'm curious as to who or what you're thinking is destroying the videogame industry, but given how your post was otherwise unnecessarily and weirdly hostile, I'm reluctant to ask.

[Y2K21]

I dont think it is a good decision to have character customization (not cosmetics) tied to higher-end content - and it should have been done as it was in Endwalker where its rewarded towards harder casual-midcore content with the option to buy from AH as it gives the general player access to it whether via the lazy way or by farming/doing the content.

I think this is the lazy method of SE to try to funnel the larger casual base to do more higher content by carrot-sticking a hairstyle - but I dont know if a 24-man Savage that doesnt have a long life span will do that.