What if instead of a normal cash-shop, you have to "unlock" certain options?

[Equitable_Remedy]

What if the cash shop is actually fine?

Cosmetics for the people who want to drop some $$, revenue stream for the game—makes sense to me.

[RitsukoSonoda]

I clicked on this thinking they were going to talk about something like say... requiring a player to do a bunch of stuff in game so ppl cant just make an alt account then pop a level skip potion on it to raise their daily posting allowance in order to troll the forum... >.>

[AtlasS]

So you have to grind for the item then pay for it? LMAOOOOOOOOOO

[Lunalepsy]

I'm almost hesitant to suggest this, because I can see where such a suggestion could also be used for evil. But hear me out...

What is, instead of just putting things up on the cash-shop -- which essentially robs it of any "cool factor", other than being whatever the item itself is -- you instead had to "unlock" cash-shop options?

Here's an example:

Right now, each expansion's Trials introduce a series of mounts (horses, lanners, wolves, dragons). Collecting them all gives you a sort of "super-mount". Well, what if collecting all of THOSE mounts, unlocked a new item in the cash-shop? Something you could ONLY get for having gotten all those items, but still in support of the cash-shop.

Now, obviously the knee-jerk reaction is "well, why wouldn't you just make that an actual reward?". But I view it more as an alternative to "just another thing tossed on the cash-shop".

Here's another example; if you clear Ultimate Coils, Ultima Weapon, or Alexander -- what if that unlocked the option to purchase a mount based on that content? Like a "Bahamut clone" or something?

That way, cool stuff doesn't feel "wasted" as a cash-shop reward. Because honestly, that new mech-robot thing? Maybe that WOULD'VE been cool, but because it's just a cash-shop mount, it has no "meaning", there's no weight or status to having it.

Just a thought. As a HUGE fan of Odin, even though I bought Sleipnir, there's still a part of me that hates using it, because I know it's "just a cash-shop mount". But if it was, say, tied behind an "Unreal" version of Odin? Then I'd be pretty stoked about it!

Are you friends with Newegg or something?

[ItMe]

That way, cool stuff doesn't feel "wasted" as a cash-shop reward. Because honestly, that new mech-robot thing? Maybe that WOULD'VE been cool, but because it's just a cash-shop mount, it has no "meaning", there's no weight or status to having it.

There is little to no "status" to having anything in FF14, especially mounts since they are all functionally identical.

[Terin]

There is little to no "status" to having anything in FF14, especially mounts since they are all functionally identical.

Okay, that is DEFINITELY not true. In MMO's, there are TONS of items with "status". The "Legacy" items are a huge status symbol -- well, when you can actually see or notice them (the Legacy Chocobo is admittedly a little weak, I have to look at its beak to even notice). But the new Landerwaffe mount? Sure, it helps that the mount is ALSO super sick, but that I would consider to be a status symbol. Or the weapon glams you get from the Ultimate-mode raids.

Even if my idea sucks -- and it's pretty clear nobody here likes it (which is totally cool) -- I think MMO's DO and SHOULD have "status" rewards. It's just kind of a moving goal-post, since things that are difficult to get now, might not be later (or available in cash-shop, as most holiday items are).

[ItMe]

Okay, that is DEFINITELY not true. In MMO's, there are TONS of items with "status".

I'm not discussing MMOs in general, only FF14.

The "Legacy" items are a huge status symbol -- well, when you can actually see or notice them (the Legacy Chocobo is admittedly a little weak, I have to look at its beak to even notice). But the new Landerwaffe mount? Sure, it helps that the mount is ALSO super sick, but that I would consider to be a status symbol. Or the weapon glams you get from the Ultimate-mode raids.

I said FF14 has "little to no status symbols," not literally none. If there are a few items you think signal status power to you.

At risk of splitting hairs over every example, personally, I don't think any of the examples you listed confer any kind of status.

I don't see "I played in 1.0" as a signal of player achievement or excellence.

I have the Landerwaffe mount. I don't see it as a status symbol. The mount is more or less locked behind multiple grind walls.

And as for the ultimate clears, they may have been a cool status symbol at one time, but considering how rampant Ultimate clear selling has gotten, on top of the fact that better food, better potions, and better gear have done MUCH to dull the difficulty of those raids.
It's super hard for me to even try to care about a rando's title/weapon.

If you do that's fine. But it also doesn't refute the point that for status symbols FF14 has little to none.

Even if my idea sucks -- and it's pretty clear nobody here likes it (which is totally cool) -- I think MMO's DO and SHOULD have "status" rewards.

Should it?
Possibly.
But that's not what I was addressing, and that argument is pretty tangential to the topic.

[ViolaLance]

So... we now are really seeing the third sign within the of "Five Stages of Grief" based on the Cash Shop?

Denial / Isolation, Anger, Bargaining (this thread puts us here now), Depression, and finally Acceptance.

Hmm. Gonna get interesting here real soon I take it.

[Iscah]

Just a thought. As a HUGE fan of Odin, even though I bought Sleipnir, there's still a part of me that hates using it, because I know it's "just a cash-shop mount". But if it was, say, tied behind an "Unreal" version of Odin? Then I'd be pretty stoked about it!

And would you be more "stoked" about paying $30 for your mount unlocked by defeating Odin than to simply receive it as a reward for defeating Odin?

Achievement awards should come from achievements. The cash shop is for cute fluff that doesn't prove anything except your ability to spend money on it.

[Theodric]

To be fair, WoW didn't really start the trend of optional purchases in MMO's. They've been present to a much deeper degree in Eastern MMO's for quite some time now. Furthermore, there's a lot of single player JPRG's with bucket loads of optional purchases tied to them.

Personally I'm only bothered by the items that are only available on a temporary basis - and even there, FFXIV isn't nearly as jarring in that department as ESO is.