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

[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.

[Fellgon]

Nooo! pls god, no, noooooo!!! i dont like the idea of "wow achiv" 2.0! dont lock thing off players! dont bring wow motives of failure to 14! this is ff14 not wow, genchin impact..."brilliant" ideas that works there, dont suceed here.

check on marvel avengers game?!

[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.

[ACE135]

Why should they put work into a store mount that only a few people would be able to buy instead of all people?

[Fenrir95]

This is a none issue, and this idea is a terrible one. Things are fine as they are, why you might ask? The cash shop isn't actually that egregious compared to other games, and doesn't do the same shit other games do. Cruise Chasers controversial nature is a loud minority only, something proven by polls a few creators have done on the subject already where around 80% of voters said they didn't particularly care about the store as long as it wasn't pay to win, which FF14's isn't. Above and beyond this fact though, FF14's store is fine for a few different reasons.

- The Store Mounts and Glamours don't overshadow the in game mounts and glamours, a majority of the really good looking sets are actually in game.
- The Store is more often used to allow people to get a hold of event items they might have missed out on, amazing for new players
- A brand new Oceanic Data centre proves the money FF14 makes is being invested back into it, most MMO's after 5 - 10 years start removing servers due to maintenance cost, FF14 is ADDING, meaning they can afford the installation and maintenance
- Similarly, the fact we got a massive new infrastructure for servers in the last year is another huge bit of proof the money is filtered back into the game, this is another expensive project with long term maintenance costs.

FF14 is a game that makes me want to waste my time and a game that makes me want to spend money on it and support it. The minority seem to think we're hitting a slippery slope with the cruise chaser, and are generally fear mongering, but guess what? My investment in 14 continues for as long as 14 shows it is the better option, if in game items DO start getting over shadowed by the store items, if the money DOES visibly stop being invested into the game, if anything the fear mongers are warning about actually happens, I will drop FF14 faster than the flash chasing after himself in the speed force.