Who is Optional – A Question of Consumer Value

[Shadex]

I believe this is a question that lies at the core of better understanding the positions of all parties when it comes to what should and should not be included in any alternative payment method system. In the past it has been generally accepted that any item that does not affect gameplay in such as fashion as to provide a benefit not attainable through normal means is tolerable. No pay to win. This has of course led to countless debates over what constitutes an actual advantage over convenience and so on and so on. We will not be deliberating that here.

Today I would prefer however to focus on another facet of cash shops and that is whether or not we can actually classify anything as being optional as it is completely dependent on the player accessing said shop to determine if the item is optional or not. What is optional to one person is simply not to another. For years we have operated under the assumption that the only things that are mandatory are leveling and gear progression but is that not simply a specific subset of the player base? Recent times have seen a measured increase in requests for more content not directly linked to the vertical climb. Be it crafting, housing, fashion, role play, pets, what have you, what makes players that are focused or even completely dedicated to these elements less important than those looking to hit cap and run raids?

Can we place a tag on an item and say it is optional to excuse its additional cost when that item and others like it are the primary reason some players may be playing the game in the first place? What is optional to them? If we were to tag raid gear and place it in the cash shop under the statement, it is optional, you don’t have to get it. Who would be upset then? The housing and social players may be looking at those items and shrugging their shoulders saying, that’s fine, I didn’t want it anyway… it is ‘optional’ to me. In this case a progression player may be up in arms over the issue.

I have seen so many threads and posts on these forums and many are all essentially similar in that fact that they come from two sides of an identical argument. 1) The items offered don’t matter to me so they should not matter to anyone else and 2) The items offered matter a great deal to me and they should matter to everyone else. Both are correct and wrong at the same time. They should matter to you and we all should be allowed to decide what doesn’t matter as well. What was making things difficult was that it was never really stated until now what mattered to Square Enix.

By placing vanity, minions, and wedding items inside a cash shop Square Enix has made pretty clear what side of the argument they are on. Quite simply, because in the end we are their commodity, Square is portraying a belief that players that embrace gear and progression are important and everyone should care about them and all other players are ‘optional’. If they did not, would they place the concerns, and needs of those players under so distinct a tag? Square Enix is a business and as so many have pointed out they are in the business to make money but so is McDonalds. Thing is when you walk into a McDonalds you don’t expect linen table clothes, fine wine, and expensive cuisine. They are clear about what they provide and who they intend to sell to.

What we as players may need to do is simply realize that Square Enix is not interested nor intending to provide or cater to a clientele to whom minions, fashion, social events, etc. are ‘not’ optional but are at the very core of their gameplay and experience. They are here to create a theme park full of rides for those interested in leveling up and getting stuff directly designed to help them level up more and get more stuff. That is Square’s prerogative but as many others have also mentioned, it will always also be the prerogative of the customer to eat someplace else.

Square seems to be making it fairly clear who their target audience is and as much as many may be upset by it due to a love of the franchise they may need to simply accept that they are not going to change the developer’s minds and they may need to look elsewhere for their gaming dollar. My interest will be when players do actively start to do so will it be too late for Square to rebuild those bridges? Wildstar put all their eggs in one basket and set their tent pegs firmly in the raider camp and it cost them dearly. It can be observed that the MMO gamer generation is older now and with each year more and more are shifting into a mindset where raiding and grinding are now the optional content. Is it time for a developer shift in value or is it time for many players to start looking at their other ‘options’?

[Shioban]

You're making a mountain out of a mole hill.

A mount, a few minions and a race-change option is something almost every MMO offers to make a bit of revenue.

They are NOT going to sell;
•Raid Gear
•Battle Content
•Gil
•Weapons/Armours with impact.

As for the marriage rumour, NOTHING suggests that it is 100% in the cash-shop, people need to calm down. There's a chance that it's partially mogstation based for higher tiers, but that's to be expected.

This content is optional.

optional

adjective

available to be chosen but not obligatory.
"a wide range of optional excursions is offered"
synonyms: voluntary, non-compulsory, at one's discretion, discretionary, not required

What we as players may need to do is simply realize that Square Enix is not interested nor intending to provide or cater to a clientele to whom minions, fashion, social events, etc. are ‘not’ optional but are at the very core of their gameplay and experience

Three minions and a mount does NOT warrant a rant this long. You're welcome to state your opinion of course, but you really really need to calm down, this is such a bog-standard service (one that SE haven't even scraped the surface on).

These are not required to get the "best" gameplay experience, if people desperately want one of the four/five listed vanity items, then they're free to purchase them at their leisure.


FINAL FANTASY'S PRIMARY GOAL IS TO MAKE MONEY.
Square Enix are a business, there to make money, just like any shop, restaurant or any franchise for that matter.

ANY extra revenue will be sought after greatly.

[Edeline]

This content is optional.

Technically, every content in a game is optional. If player A only cares about raiding, gear and progression and doesn't want gears obtained through those in the shop, why does player B have to pay to collect mounts, minions, outfits or whatever they like? After all, everything is optional, virtual and for the enjoyment of players, what's useless vanity for you, is game content for others and vice-versa, for some raid gear is useless and a big deal for raiders.

SE is a business company indeed, filled with gamers. Doing what they love the most, games. If we can even call that to modern ones >_>

[Razzle]

Three minions and a mount does NOT warrant a rant this long. You're welcome to state your opinion of course, but you really really need to calm down, this is such a bog-standard service (one that SE haven't even scraped the surface on).

These are not required to get the "best" gameplay experience, if people desperately want one of the four/five listed vanity items, then they're free to purchase them at their leisure.


FINAL FANTASY'S PRIMARY GOAL IS TO MAKE MONEY.
Square Enix are a business, there to make money, just like any shop, restaurant or any franchise for that matter.

ANY extra revenue will be sought after greatly.

Three End game gears and a lvl 5 materia does NOT warrant a rant this long. You're welcome to state your opinion of course, but you really really need to calm down, this is such a bog-standard service (one that SE haven't even scraped the surface on).

These are not required to get the "best" gameplay experience, if people desperately want one of the four/five listed end game items, then they're free to purchase them at their leisure.


FINAL FANTASY'S PRIMARY GOAL IS TO MAKE MONEY.
Square Enix are a business, there to make money, just like any shop, restaurant or any franchise for that matter.

ANY extra revenue will be sought after greatly.

There, so by your logic I now just justified end game gear in the cash shop

[Shioban]

There, so by your logic I now just justified end game gear in the cash shop

Actually no, if you'd read what I'd previously written, they're vhelemtly against pay-to-win.

Naoki Yoshida opened the London Fanfest by saying "No Pay to Win!!".


ANYTHING that provides an actual advantage in content will NOT be added to the Mogstation.

[Razzle]

Actually no, if you'd read what I'd previously written, they're vhelemtly against pay-to-win.

Naoki Yoshida opened the London Fanfest by saying "No Pay to Win!!".


ANYTHING that provides an actual advantage in content will NOT be added to the Mogstation.

I'm a minion collector, minions are my content and the cash shop provides advantage on my in game activity from extra cash in addition to the sub fee D:

So if I pay the cash shop - I win the minion (which happens to be my in game goal) = Pay 2 Win D:

[saber_alter]

I'm a minion collector, minions are my content and the cash shop provides advantage on my in game activity from extra cash in addition to the sub fee D:

So if I pay the cash shop - I win the minion (which happens to be my in game goal) = Pay 2 Win D:

best logic 2014, bar none.




good argument OP. too bad it doesn't seem like everyone interpreted it in your intended way. would contribute, but I have neutral feelings about the cash shop at this point.

[Edeline]

Actually no, if you'd read what I'd previously written, they're vhelemtly against pay-to-win.

Naoki Yoshida opened the London Fanfest by saying "No Pay to Win!!".


ANYTHING that provides an actual advantage in content will NOT be added to the Mogstation.

Wrong usage of pay to win. Those words have been losing the meaning for some years. Paying to win means buying something that it's exclusive and gives adventage, weapons with higher stats than those you can get in-game for example.

[Shioban]

Wrong usage of pay to win. Those words have been losing the meaning for some years. Paying to win means buying something that it's exclusive and gives adventage, weapons with higher stats than those you can get in-game for example.

That's literally what I was saying.

They're not adding in anything to allow you to advance in the game.

It's all vanity.

[Kiara]

Great original post. Definitely agree.

This thread actually touches on a key issue that is at the heart of the matter for many about Cash Shops (and now the Eternal Bond / Marriage fiasco):

* Yoshi P has repeatedly mentioned that he wanted to make FF XIV 2.0 into a "Theme Park," something for everyone / all types of players.

He's mentioned repeatedly about catering to mainstream / casual as well as hardcore players. Given that:

* What is "Optional" to those that dismiss the complaints levied against the Cash Shop *is not "Optional"* to those that are against it.

That's really the core of the matter.

I consider myself a more "traditional" RPG & MMORPG player that enjoys End Game, Raiding, Adventuring. So I can see where people like Shio and others are coming from that simply say, "Eh, all that Cash Shop stuff is 'Optional' / Fluff."

However, over the years I've met so many players (in this and other games) that are NOT playing the game for "End Game Raiding."

These are people who truly enjoy FF XIV as a giant Social Chat Room, hanging out with Friends. "Career Crafters and Gatherers," or just enjoying the Final Fantasy Story Line and Quests.

For *those* Players (and even some End Gamers), New Minions, New Mounts, the "Platinum Wedding / Eternal Bond" stuff *IS* their "End Game." That IS what they care about, far more than beating Final Coil.

Yah it may sound strange to traditional Raiders, but I empathize with the Non-Raiders feelings even if I don't care about Minions that much.

And some other observations: If Minions and Mounts really "don't matter" much and should be dismissed as nothing "game breaking," it's interesting that the most expensive items on the Market Boards aren't some "legendary End Game Weapons or Armor," but... Minions and Glamour Items.

When Maro Swimsuits were released, they were some of the most sought-after gear even if it was "just Glamour." People went crazy trying to get Waterproof Cotton, and then look at how much people paid on the Market Boards for getting a silly *GLOW* effect on armor (Augmented Armor - same stats).

Yoshi P has used Mounts and Minions as THE main reward and incentive (the carrot on the stick to keep you grinding on the endless wheel) for so many Dungeons and Instanced Fights.

Why do people continue to fight Garuda, Titan, Ifrit and other Extreme Primals? For a Glowing Horse Mount as silly as it seems now on paper.

What does Yoshi P dangle in front of players to run various Dungeons over and over? A RARE MINION DROP (Baby Opo-Opo, the Parrot, etc.).

The fact of the matter is, Mounts and Minions *DO* matter to a lot of players. They derive the most joy from attaining / collecting these items (or to spend time accessorizing / making great Glamour / Vanity outfits).

So it feels disingenuous for Yoshi P / Dev Team to start taking some of these items (and now the best version of a full event (Wedding)) and put it into a Cash Shop.

Because for *some* players those Cash Shop Items ARE a part of their "End Game" of what's important for them.

Again, I enjoy the End Game facets of any MMORPG the most, but even for me, this feels wrong for a Monthly Subscription-based MMORPG, that releases *Expansion Packs* (that everyone has to buy as well from time-to-time).

The Dev Team needs to realize that their actions here are affecting those that bought the game to play the "Theme Park" aspect in ways beyond the most traditional method (beyond / ignoring "End Game" Combat).