Lucky666

Originally Posted by Tetsuko_NA

This seems like a good idea - it would increase the 'completionist' aspect of the cards, which would (I suspect) tend to further the interest in buying them.



This, on the other hand, dives right into the problem of purchasable INF. If a player can purchase something with real-world money, and then turn immediately around and sell it on the Market for a gain in INF, that's essentially just laundering one currency into another. There are pros and cons to this, of course, but as far as I know, the Devs have always come out dead-set against this sort of thing. Being able to sell cards to another player is not complex, obscure or at a great remove... it's tatamount to paying real world currency for INF in a very direct way.
It has, of course, been suggested that an official source for purchasable INF would essentially destroy RTM operations, and this system would allow the players to set the price point (by determining what the cards were worth in the open Market). I don't know enough economic theory to know if that's a good idea or a bad one, though, so I'm not offering an opinion on that. I'm just saying that the Dev team have always seemed very resistant any cash-for-INF system.
(I'm assuming that you're suggesting the cards be allowed as tradable items in the Market - a direct card-for-card seperate system would mitigate these concerns, but would be a lot of work.)

Originally Posted by Thunder Knight

I'm more impressed with the 262% recharge time bonus, actually...

Originally Posted by Arcanaville

No.

Originally Posted by Arcanaville

I often wish statements like this were subject to estoppel upon direct evidence to the contrary. Mores the pity the world doesn't work like that in general.

Originally Posted by Golden Girl

Did they twirl their moustaches at the same time?

Originally Posted by Sermon

Interesting, I didn't expect these were a concept then. I think it is a bit shameful that they stated that Freedom would allow us to get exactly what we want (ie. give us the freedom to just get the belt from a super pack, instead of the whole thing), but these are designed to make us buy more than we might want, even if we just want a specific item.

Originally Posted by Zwillinger

Retro Sci Fi will not be released via Super Packs.

Originally Posted by Snow Globe

I'm taking Zwillinger at his word:

Their motives behind the packs seems clear to me...


ATOs directly affect powers and auto-level with the character. They are more powerful than almost anything else in the game, and Synapse has said on today's UStream that the future packs will have newer ATOs with different/better advantages.

Originally Posted by joshdex

Yes, I compare an optional purchase in a virtual game environment to the real world killing of a child all the time as well. It's totally not hyperbolic, missing and distorting the entire point of the discussion, and insensitive to the point of absurdity to trivialize it by comparing it to "I can't get exactly what I want in exactly the way I want it, every single time?!"

Why in the world would any one think that?

Originally Posted by Tyger42

Not this argument again. Get a fracking clue. This isn't gambling by the legal definition. If it were, friggin' Pokemon cards would be illegal.

Originally Posted by Blue_Centurion

or are they really 5 x 1.25% + 5 x 2.5%

Originally Posted by Arcanaville

You should also consider that it is *because* some people spend $115 on the game that you can play it for free. Every time you say that what some people spend a lot of money on you should get some other way, you're reducing the number of people that would have spent $115 on the game and by extension reduced the amount of game the devs can make for you. Its all fungible: the store, and everyone who buys things in it, help support the game you don't have to spend the same amount of money to buy.

The question you should be asking is: what *would* you dangle in front of the people who can afford to spend more than you, to help subsidize the game? Whatever it is, if you can get it without spending a lot of money, so can they. The people spending money on the game might be willing to spend the money, but they are unlikely to simply give their money away.

The alternative to some people spending more and some spending less, is everyone spending less for a lesser game, or everyone spending more for a better game. What would you do if instead of putting things in the game like the Superpacks they just substantially increased the subscription for the game instead and eliminated the free to play option.

That's what I thought. Some would stay, others would be forced to leave because they couldn't afford it. The only way Paragon can provide an option to pay less to play is if they can convince others to pay more. And I don't think donation cards will work as well as the superpacks.

Originally Posted by Mind_Over_Matter

On LIVE, it took 10 packs for my first account. 15 packs for my second account.

It cost me less than $1 per pack since I purchased the bundles.

The numbers can be meaningful since perception often becomes reality. When meaningful statistics are backed with case after case of supporting evidence (such as players who actually buy things), a case can be made that the entire costume set can be acquired for less than $15 - plus you get the assorted Reward Merits, Enhancement Boosters, Unslotters, ATOs, etc.

Even your Beta experience is in line with that. One detail that you omitted was that you got more than just a costume set for the 13 packs that you opened in Beta. You also received a number of consumables. While you may not value those items highly, they were part of the transaction.

Originally Posted by Rajani Isa

And then they'd be per character, not account wide, and not removed from the tables after you get them.

Originally Posted by Gr33n

I like the old days when people RAGED against the Super Booster Packs...

This is a business, it has to make money to continue development... I like playing this game... I want it to continue so I don't mind spending on the game when I have it to spend.

I for sure wont get all pissy for them trying to make money.

It's not gambling IMO because you walk away with items that are of use even if you dont really want them.

Originally Posted by graystar_blaster

http://boards.cityofheroes.com/showthread.php?t=249085

the reason i posted this because I knew this was coming it had to based upon other posts i made and saw the writing on the wall.


Do you think the posts in this thread are any indication about what happend in this article vs. what happend to our game.

Originally Posted by Dink

ZOMG the pressure I hope this set turns out like you want! I have finished the female and (if I do say so myself) think she turned out pretty darn cool!

I am so excited to be working on this set (being an old movie buff)

Golden Girl: I gave the face a bit of a smile and toned down the normal map so it is more subtle. She, of course, is sporting the 50's look (Ann Francis comes to mind)