Thread: Will Turbine Store Items be Bound?

To account, or BoA?

Just wondering.

Good questions as atm there is no bind to account status in game. I am not sure of the consequences would to the economy of the game the items were not bound to the account who bought them. Yet purchasing an item and having it forever locked to one character on your account seems a bit restrictive.

Originally Posted by azureal1977

To account, or BoA?

Just wondering.

Most items will be bound to the purchasing character. Items like storage will be account-wide unlocks.

Originally Posted by Patience

Most items will be bound to the purchasing character. Items like storage will be account-wide unlocks.

You know why Im asking right?

Originally Posted by azureal1977

You know why Im asking right?

Is that a trick question? I don't, actually.

Originally Posted by Patience

Most items will be bound to the purchasing character. Items like storage will be account-wide unlocks.

It was mentioned (by Kate Paiz I think) that the Store has 2500 items. Now, that's a lot of items. I'm guessing many of those will be items that already exist somewhere in game already. True?

If true, let's take an example: A current cosmetic item that is not BoA is placed in the Store. Will that item be changed to BoA? And (more importantly) will any existing copies of that item that aren't currently BoA be changed to BoA?

Inquiring mules want to know! (So they can offload stuff before the fall; otherwise they'll get stuck with a ton of BoA stuff on them)

Originally Posted by Thoroval

It was mentioned (by Kate Paiz I think) that the Store has 2500 items. Now, that's a lot of items. I'm guessing many of those will be items that already exist somewhere in game already. True?

I would guess that all those "items" are not actually all "items", but just listings. Storage, character slots, trait slots might count toward the number, but they're not in-game "items" in that sense.

Imagine, if you will, that whilst the limited gold on Preep and F2Peep accounts stops gold farmers/real money traders in one sense, non-bound desirable items from the Store™ could easily become the basis for folks selling TP.

Veeps and Lifers are gonna get them every month regardless, some of them wont use them, and theyll accumulate. So, if its possible, why not sell them via selecting unbound desirable items from the Store for other players.

In DDO all store times are BoA. You cannot buy store items and sell them for in-game money.

Originally Posted by Patience

Most items will be bound to the purchasing character. Items like storage will be account-wide unlocks.

For cosmetic items I would very much appreciate the ability to share them among my characters, rather than purchasing the same item multiple times.
I've already stopped getting cosmetic items from skirmishes because I can't share them with my alts.

It would be even better if i could share them with my kin, but alts at the very least.

I would even be happy paying more for bind to character / bind to account / bound to kinship options.

Consider that beta feedback without even needing to be in the beta :P

Originally Posted by gildhur

I would guess that all those "items" are not actually all "items", but just listings. Storage, character slots, trait slots might count toward the number, but they're not in-game "items" in that sense.

Oh, I'm sure. However, I think even after adding up all the quest packs, character slots, increased storage options, etc., there may be quite a few items, possibly even hundreds of items such as cosmetic clothing, housing decorations, etc. in the Store as well. I have all those types of things centralized on mule characters. I just don't want them to get "stuck" there because they suddenly changed to BoA with a patch (which has happened to me before, several times).

I don't know what's going to be in the Store. I have zero experience with DDO, so maybe those aren't the types of items that will be included. If I'm chosen for beta then maybe I can find out, but that's not guaranteed of course.

Originally Posted by Ascus

In DDO all store times are BoA. You cannot buy store items and sell them for in-game money.

Perfect. This is (basically) what I needed to know will happen for the LOTRO store as well.

Originally Posted by Tannus

I've already stopped getting cosmetic items from skirmishes because I can't share them with my alts.

I am feeling this pain right now. Everytime I make a new character and I want a specific item from skirmishes, I have to get on my high level and grind out skirms til I have enough points for my 5th adventurer's hat

Example:

I just made a new character. I wanted two skirmish reward cosmetics for her. Yesterday I did 5 skirmishes and today I did two. I still don't have enough marks. And we're not talking rift skirm gear either. I want the Brushed Leather Boots and the Adventurer's Hat. Both of which I already own on my high level character.

Please please please please. This is a plea for us clothes-horses. Bind on Account. If you can make it work for houses, why can't it work for my hat? Especially since I'm sure there are going to be many many pretty items that I *just must have* in that store, please just make it bind on account.

Points to all the hushed whispers about the upcoming "wardrobe" function and hopes this will answer our needs.

Originally Posted by Tony.Preston

Points to all the hushed whispers about the upcoming "wardrobe" function and hopes this will answer our needs.

I have doubts that the new wardrobe closet will be more than an additional tab per character to place cosmetic items. Personally I'd like to see the whole BoA Cosmetics thing be across the account. My doubts point to one ominus fact in all of the F2P scenario.

Turbine wants you to use up your points as quickly as possible so they can sell you more points! That is the goal of F2P business model... to sell you stuff and "points" is at the top of the list.

If you have a full stable of characters and want the same BoA Cosmetic item on each of those, you will spend x points x number of characters.

.

No one knows for sure what it will be like. It could be one way as of now but could change once beta is out and the feedback starts rolling in.

I have no problem at all with Turbine store items being BOA.

BUT, for God's sake, please give full warning on the currently not BOA cosmetics and such that will be made BOA when moved to the store!

Frankly, I think any cosmetics that we have now that are not BOA should stay not BOA. It can't be that hard to either make new versions with different names for the Turbine store, or GASP, actually make all new ones.

I'll throw my vote in for the "bind to account" option on certain items (cosmetics mostly)

Bind on Account is essential to cutting the frustration levels of players who have been dedicated to the game.

Currently many players spend much time transfering back and forth items, cosmentics, etc from one character, to another character, then back again, and not to forget to other characters.

The loot is great in volumes within LoTRO, and this player is very glad it it, as I am sure others are too (hence, saved items and packed inventories and banks).

Please give the paying players additional bags to hold other specific types of items. Suggestions below.

Cosmetics:
Which will be added with the Wardrobe box - and thank you SO MUCH for this.

Legendary Items:
Many are kept until we level up the characters to use them.
NOTE: Why can't Legendary Items be turned into abilities, and other bound items for that matter, then when the LI's are deconstructed it can be a deconstruction on an ability? You're programmers, so it's a matter of creating the program string to make it happen? the advanctage being that the LI's would not be within the inventory bags if a player has more than one they use for various situations.

Food & Potions:
Farming and cooking takes up so much time that many of us save up our food and potions in larger amounts so that we can play without having to stop to make more, which will take another long time to do.

This is just a start, but many other things also flood our inventories and banks with items we plan to use at other times after we've used up what we currently are using.

lol Gottan love the game and ALL it entails. I know I do. lol

This tells me that NOTHING that is trade-able in game will be purchasable in the store. So if you can purchase food or drink or potions, they won't be the same items as the things already in the game.

Originally Posted by Patience

Most items will be bound to the purchasing character. Items like storage will be account-wide unlocks.

If items are bound to the purchasing character, will there be options to choose the character you are buying with on the purchase screen? Otherwise, I would assume everything would go to your main.

Originally Posted by Patience

Most items will be bound to the purchasing character. Items like storage will be account-wide unlocks.

Will the Turbine Points for my account be available to every character in that account? For example if I am a VIP and get 500 points one month, can any of my characters spend those points?

Please make ALL cosmetic items BIND TO ACCOUNT! I don't understand how the Devs can continue to ignore the multitude of posts reflecting the immense dislike of cosmetic and housing items that bind to the character. I really hope that in the wardrobe system that we can share outfits that were once bound to the character. That would really help inventory management for me and other clotheshorses like myself.

Originally Posted by Mark_J

Will the Turbine Points for my account be available to every character in that account? For example if I am a VIP and get 500 points one month, can any of my characters spend those points?

You login a character then open the store tab and the item will go direct to the currently logged in character.

At least, that is how it works in DDO.

Originally Posted by Tannus

You login a character then open the store tab and the item will go direct to the currently logged in character.

At least, that is how it works in DDO.

Ahh that would be great if it works the same way here, thank you!

Originally Posted by Mark_J

Will the Turbine Points for my account be available to every character in that account? For example if I am a VIP and get 500 points one month, can any of my characters spend those points?

Yes, any points you have, regardless of whether you purchased them or earned them on a character, will be available to all characters. Turbine Points are account-level.

Meghan

Originally Posted by PlayTyme

Legendary Items:
Many are kept until we level up the characters to use them.
NOTE: Why can't Legendary Items be turned into abilities, and other bound items for that matter, then when the LI's are deconstructed it can be a deconstruction on an ability? You're programmers, so it's a matter of creating the program string to make it happen? the advanctage being that the LI's would not be within the inventory bags if a player has more than one they use for various situations.

imho making assumptions about complexity of a system is a bad idea. How would de-conning an ability work? how could you "slot" relics into an ability?
At the moment i don't know of any abilities that you gain temporarily, then usually use items for that.

However a weapons locker in the house or something like that LI's would be a welcome feature.

I think account bound gear would be a neat feature to add to LOTRO. WoW has account bound gear that you can purchase using in-game alternate currencies sort of like skirmish marks or raid coins. In WoW it's called heirloom gear. They have weapons and armor. You buy it with your high level character and then mail it to your low level character to use. The stats scale as the character levels up. I think the stats are comparable for the level as to what an on-level purple item would be in LOTRO. I think it works out so that there are only one or two items that you can equip per character I believe. For example, seems like my warlock could equip an heirloom staff and shoulder armor. Once he got leveled up, I could then create a mage if I wanted and pass the staff and shoulder armor to the mage. Heck, I could even pass the items to a medium or heavy class if I wanted to take the hit to armor level and dps. Would be neat to have something like this that you could buy with Turbine points or even earn them with skirmish marks. Heirloom items are certainly not game altering like raid gear would be.

Anyway, my point is, I'd like to see some stuff be ACCOUNT bound instead of just CHARACTER bound. Being character bound imposes unnecessary limits imo.

I'd be very happy if they instituded a Bind on account option. or least make housing and cosmetic items no longer bound I have my precious bank spaces stuffed with BoA Housing stuff that i can't place in my housing chests :/

Hopefully the thought(s) behind my post arent being missed.

My hopes for all Store bought items to be bound are to cut down/lower/stop any ideas or notions about on-selling Turbine Points for real cash, in the form of purchasing for your buyer an item they want.

Originally Posted by Patience

Yes, any points you have, regardless of whether you purchased them or earned them on a character, will be available to all characters. Turbine Points are account-level.

Are you sure? I have a lifetime SoM subscription and a lapsed normal MoM subscription, both tied to the same account. If they are account level, I could use my free lifetime points to buy stuff in the store for my lapsed normal subscription. If they are subscription level, then I cannot use points earned from my Lifetime subscription on my normal subscription. Or am I totally confusing everything?

Originally Posted by Deusdictum

Are you sure? I have a lifetime SoM subscription and a lapsed normal MoM subscription, both tied to the same account. If they are account level, I could use my free lifetime points to buy stuff in the store for my lapsed normal subscription. If they are subscription level, then I cannot use points earned from my Lifetime subscription on my normal subscription. Or am I totally confusing everything?

I'm pretty sure I read somewhere that they are single subscription bound.

Best way to think of it is you login to lotro, login a character then open the store. it will only have the account you have logged in as to use as your turbine point total.

In addition you cannot transfer points or purchase "gift" items for other accounts.

Your turbine account and your lotro login account are separate things.

Originally Posted by Tannus

Originally Posted by Deusdictum

Are you sure? I have a lifetime SoM subscription and a lapsed normal MoM subscription, both tied to the same account. If they are account level, I could use my free lifetime points to buy stuff in the store for my lapsed normal subscription. If they are subscription level, then I cannot use points earned from my Lifetime subscription on my normal subscription. Or am I totally confusing everything?

I'm pretty sure I read somewhere that they are single subscription bound.

Best way to think of it is you login to lotro, login a character then open the store. it will only have the account you have logged in as to use as your turbine point total.

In addition you cannot transfer points or purchase "gift" items for other accounts.

Your turbine account and your lotro login account are separate things.

I think the best way to look at it is Turbine Points will work exactly like Destiny Points do now. They can be earned and are available to spend by any character within that "game subscription", but are not available to characters of other game subscriptions under the player account.

Unfortunately even Turbine still uses "account" interchangeably with "subscription". I suppose it's because most players only have 1 subscription and therefore think of their subscription as their "account". I believe the game servers also see a "game subscription" as an "account" and My LOTRO further confuses things by adding the "player" level, which is really at the "game subscription" level.

Originally Posted by azureal1977

You know why Im asking right?

Lol I do, this means you will have to buy the items for each toon. Thus generating more cash for tubine. What else should you expect the boa problem has always been an issue.

I would love to so the bind on aquire change to bind to account.

Originally Posted by Patience

Most items will be bound to the purchasing character. Items like storage will be account-wide unlocks.

Hmmm on a side note did anybody else notice Patience has went grey!! No more forum rep showing now that is interesting. Why would somebody with a green bar that coveres the entire screen go grey.

Ineresting.

Originally Posted by ericlewis

Hmmm on a side note did anybody else notice Patience has went grey!! No more forum rep showing now that is interesting. Why would somebody with a green bar that coveres the entire screen go grey.

Ineresting.

Too much green creates a bug?

Originally Posted by ericlewis

Hmmm on a side note did anybody else notice Patience has went grey!! No more forum rep showing now that is interesting. Why would somebody with a green bar that coveres the entire screen go grey.

Ineresting.

She was using the green Chicklets to show how great a job she was doing and wanted a raise, WB took her Chicklets away...

Originally Posted by Tannus

For cosmetic items I would very much appreciate the ability to share them among my characters, rather than purchasing the same item multiple times.
I've already stopped getting cosmetic items from skirmishes because I can't share them with my alts.

I agree with this completely. Of course, it could end up like it is with the pre-order cloaks.. all created characters get one so even though they are bound to character, you don't really have to worry about not being able to trade them. Hopefully this is how it works as I don't relish the thought of having to buy Cosmetic Item #52 7 times, once for each character.

Originally Posted by ericlewis

Hmmm on a side note did anybody else notice Patience has went grey!! No more forum rep showing now that is interesting. Why would somebody with a green bar that covers the entire screen go grey.

Interesting.

She probably felt that showing off a full rep bar is rather pointless for a Community Team member since a lot of rep is garnered for just doing her job. The Dot approves. Hats off!

Originally Posted by PlayTyme

You're programmers, so it's a matter of creating the program string to make it happen?

Well yes. Given enough time and resources, they could in fact write a program to do just about anything. But how much? How much time, money, and manpower would need to be expended? And would the change even be feasible, would it serve the majority of players or just a vocal minority?

These are the major factors in a lot of decisions on features. It's why a lot of things are or are not done. Ultimately, Turbine wants to use its resources in the most efficient manner, to deliver the largest impact for the smallest cost.

Take for instance the idea on having armor dummies in houses. It seems like a simple idea on the outside, to be able to have a rack you could arrange armor pieces on for display. However, it isn't quite that easy. Because the armor avatars wear isn't actually a hundred separate items, it's a relatively small number of meshes with a larger number of textures creatively applied. How does one attack that problem?

- One option, create dummy avatars that use the same meshes and textures. Congratulations, you basically just doubled the population of each server with potentially constant pseudo-avs, the majority of which only a few people will ever see. You also have an entire system just to service and manage the appearance of those avs externally.

- Perhaps then, turn the individual armor pieces into actual in-world items? Well now you have to go back and create new in-world items for every single piece of armor, AND have a system to arrange them on a single body, while still upping the individual item count, increasing the rendering costs and server load.

- How about cheating then, and creating separate static housing items for all the various combinations that are stealthily swapped out? Well now you have to itemize every potential combination of armor pieces and dyes, literally millions if not billions of individual combinations.

Not to mention the engineering, art, debugging, QA costs. And all of this for what? One complex piece of fluff?

It's a relatively extreme example, yes, but the point is that what seems simple to us rarely ever is in actuality. And what seems complex to even us is probably even moreso. While all sorts of things can be done, they also take time that may not be cost effective, when the same time and resources could be devoted to another project with more impact or even split among a series of smaller projects. Not to mention that anything that makes the client exponentially more complex adds ever more room for bugs (and trust me, bugs are easy to cause for even the best programmers, while not always so easy to find and fix).