LOTRO or TURBINE aren't proper names for your company any more. It needs to be something more in line with the ridiculous prices you have started charging for items. Maybe MACY'S or SHARPER IMAGE would be more in line with this recent push to rip off the people who keep you going by paying subscriptions and buying your expansion packs!
The new Reveller's Gilded mount is the standard 1,995 Turbine points, or over $20.00 in the real world. But now for the small amount of 2,995 Turbine points or roughly $30.00, you can get it across all your accounts. Wow, what a savings Turbine! I can get TWO account wide horses and it will only cost me MORE THAN I PAID FOR THE GAME!!! You have officially become ridiculous to me. You are already charging too much for horses that are barely faster than normal horses and with the recent lagging in game, it's often hard to even see a difference in the faster horses, but now, after months of saddling us with a sub par product, you have decided to rip us off even further.
I have to admit, I was one of the idiots that was collecting horses on my main account and I was busting my butt to acquire all the mounts, until you began the obvious cash machine mount program, where you create a mount every few weeks and charge too much and make them "In Store Only" for the majority of the players, while a few are awarded to players to get everyone's interest piqued. That time is officially over for me and I hope many others follow suit. The fact is, at the prices you are charging for the special mounts, they should have ALREADY been account wide. Since you have decided to rip off your loyal customers, yet again, I have decided to stop playing the "feed our executives caviar" game.
The sad thing about the way things have gone recently with TURBINE and LOTRO is that if the prices had been fair, you'd have probably made more money in the long run, as more people would have taken advantage of the items. You raised the prices on the task reset tokens and instead of the multiple purchases I often made, I stopped getting them altogether. Just like I stopped getting many other items you raised the prices on. You have definitely lost money on my playing and if you continue to raise prices while producing sub par updates, you'll lose my subscription along with many others, I'll wager.
How about instead of always looking for new ways to suck the life out of your customers, you occasionally look for ways to be fair and treat them with a bit of respect? I am more than willing to pay to play a game I can enjoy and be giving VALUE for my money. I thought I was getting that when I first started playing LOTRO, but after the price increases and update 6, I can no longer say that...
I understand your anger. Kind of. I mean, it's got to be frustrating for a self proclaimed mount collector when they feel a price isn't fair.
But you know what? Life isn't fair sunshine. They need a way to make money, and this is it. Plenty of people find 3K TP perfectly acceptable. If you don't, DON'T BUY ANYTHING.
Every game (well, every game that I play anyway) has special mounts, collector's items, what have you that aren't included with a subscription to the game. It's a perk, a way to convince you to spend more money than you normally would. It's how companies stay in business.
To my knowledge, and please correct me if I'mw rong because I've only just hit 65 so I'm not sitting at max level, you don't absolutely need anything at all from the store to play this game (well, beyond quest packs if you're premium/f2p). The store is a way to blow turbine points on things that would probably make your life easier, but that you don't necessarily need to play the game.
I really hate when collectors complain when their obsession starts being too much of a burden. Collectors aren't a protected class, it's a choice.
This pretty much sums up my feelings on the matter. If you don't want to pay 20 or 30 bucks for the horse, then don't buy it. It won't impact your gameplay in any way.
One time, I bought a car for $650.
At one point, it's collective damages resulted in $950 for repairs and replacement parts.
Sure, I probably should have just gotten a "new" used car.
To my knowledge, and please correct me if I'mw rong because I've only just hit 65 so I'm not sitting at max level, you don't absolutely need anything at all from the store to play this game (well, beyond quest packs if you're premium/f2p). The store is a way to blow turbine points on things that would probably make your life easier, but that you don't necessarily need to play the game.
You can use the game a glorified chat program and 'play the game' without even buying questpacks. Let me just state it this way: I don't know anyone at level 75 who's never bought anything except questpacks etc. from the store.
Stuff like stat-tomes have an insane low drop-rate in-game, various LI scrolls are not found in-game at all or are quicker to get by deeding to earn the Turbine points to buy then than grinding them. And those are all things that make a considerable difference when doing the end-game raid. Is something that boosts your chances of success by 20% 'needed'? Not for the very best no, but if you're struggling the store can make the difference between being able to do it or not. To me that's far beyond just 'making life easier'.
As for the horses: yes they're horribly overpriced. They cost a couple of hours to make and they sell them for the price of a complete expansion that took months. Just stay away from them. You can only ride 1 horse at a time anyway and anyone serious about already has like 15 anyway...
Last edited by Ingaras; May 10 2012 at 07:42 PM.
Ingaras, lvl 75 Elven Hunter; and others... The Western Alliance, Laurelin "The priority now is the store not the game. The store no longer supports the game, its the other way around."
Personally i think paying [i[any[/i] money for a recolored horse that does nothing more then what you can get for absolutely free is ridiculous but hey that's just me.
If it costs too much don't buy it ... no one buys it the price comes down.
therefore:
The price hasn't come down ... people must be paying the current prices.
The new Reveller's Gilded mount is the standard 1,995 Turbine points, or over $20.00 in the real world. But now for the small amount of 2,995 Turbine points or roughly $30.00, you can get it across all your accounts. Wow, what a savings Turbine!
Um, did you wake up on the wrong side of the bed or what?
There are lots of ways in-game to get free 68% speed, 250 Morale mounts. You don't have to pay anything for them, except whatever it costs you to play the game.
You are angry because some lotro store mount costs cash money, but your anger is misplaced since that thing isn't even needed to play lotro. You say that this one thing means lotro is now headed downhill. This is totally absurd. Mounts have been selling for 1995 TP in the store for years.
Now they add a way to get the mount for all your characters, which is great, especially if you have nine more toons. And it only costs an extra 1000 tp for this.
AND IT'S TOTALLY OPTIONAL!!
There are bags of 12 socks at walmart for $10. But there are also stores that sell one pair of socks for $500 dollars ... are you going to throw a hissy fit because you cannot afford those?
Compared to other MMOs, Turbine is positively saintly.
Devs/Market folk if you're listening - keep it up. If you're still making enough profits to keep yourselves employed and LotRO running, by all means charge 3000tp for a horse. It's infinitely better than pay-to-win.
Just bought myself some nice cosmetics. Don't make one bit of difference to the mechanics of the game, but they enhance my enjoyment, my immersion, and I get to choose from a wide array of really nice designs to customize my character. Well worth paying the fairly minimal prices for the privilege.
So far, none of the responders have actually gotten the point that if LOTRO didn't over charge for these kinds of things, MANY more people would actually spend the TP to get them and they'd in all likelihood make MORE money. I love the trolls in here who jump in and comment when the post doesn't actually matter to them at all, lol...
Hey, at least other people can appreciate the mount that you buy and ride around on, unlike in a certain other game where people were spending almost US$70 for an item that can only be truly appreciated by the buyer.
It's faster to make a pretty bauble to foist onto the crowd than it is to make meaningful content. At least Turbine got the memo that you still need to make meaningful content in order to keep the bauble-buyers active.
So far, none of the responders have actually gotten the point that if LOTRO didn't over charge for these kinds of things, MANY more people would actually spend the TP to get them
Uh...do you think lotro's bean counters set prices so that the company will make less money? Think again. They know what they are doing. If they set the price to X, and keep that price as X for years, it's because they are making maximum profits from that item.
Just because you personally refuse to spend X in no way means Turbine are marketing fools.
So far, none of the responders have actually gotten the point that if LOTRO didn't over charge for these kinds of things, MANY more people would actually spend the TP to get them and they'd in all likelihood make MORE money. I love the trolls in here who jump in and comment when the post doesn't actually matter to them at all, lol...
What's overcharging for you may not be for someone else. Everyone has their limits on what they'll spend, and they're different for each person.
Also, don't call people trolls. It's rude. You posted the topic, when you do so you open the doors for disagreements. Just because they don't agree with your statements doesn't indicate trolling.
You...realize that the horse is optional, right? This kind of thing (cosmetic horses, and cosmetics in general) are exactly what the store SHOULD BE.
Try getting upset over something more worrisome, like the (aborted) store armor, or the relic removal scrolls. Those actually have an effect in game.
"Just like I stopped getting many other items you raised the prices on." pretty much covers what you mentioned. Just because I didn't list all the items they have raised the price on or overcharged for, doesn't mean it isn't covered...
What's overcharging for you may not be for someone else. Everyone has their limits on what they'll spend, and they're different for each person.
Also, don't call people trolls. It's rude. You posted the topic, when you do so you open the doors for disagreements. Just because they don't agree with your statements doesn't indicate trolling.
I don't mind disagreement, but it's obvious from the comments that none of the responders so far actually have a horse in this race, if you will. I'd wager none those who have responded so far have even purchased a store only mount. The post was also about the bad quality of the recent update and the price increases just before that update, yet the responders decided to make it a personal attack on me and not actually discuss my points. Had it been a true discussion instead of a diss session, I'd not have thrown out the "troll" comment, but I have been doing this since the 80s and was a moderator even back then, so I call them like I see them...
LOTRO or TURBINE aren't proper names for your company any more. It needs to be something more in line with the ridiculous prices you have started charging for items. Maybe MACY'S or SHARPER IMAGE would be more in line with this recent push to rip off the people who keep you going by paying subscriptions and buying your expansion packs!
The new Reveller's Gilded mount is the standard 1,995 Turbine points, or over $20.00 in the real world. But now for the small amount of 2,995 Turbine points or roughly $30.00, you can get it across all your accounts. Wow, what a savings Turbine! I can get TWO account wide horses and it will only cost me MORE THAN I PAID FOR THE GAME!!! You have officially become ridiculous to me. You are already charging too much for horses that are barely faster than normal horses and with the recent lagging in game, it's often hard to even see a difference in the faster horses, but now, after months of saddling us with a sub par product, you have decided to rip us off even further.
I have to admit, I was one of the idiots that was collecting horses on my main account and I was busting my butt to acquire all the mounts, until you began the obvious cash machine mount program, where you create a mount every few weeks and charge too much and make them "In Store Only" for the majority of the players, while a few are awarded to players to get everyone's interest piqued. That time is officially over for me and I hope many others follow suit. The fact is, at the prices you are charging for the special mounts, they should have ALREADY been account wide. Since you have decided to rip off your loyal customers, yet again, I have decided to stop playing the "feed our executives caviar" game.
The sad thing about the way things have gone recently with TURBINE and LOTRO is that if the prices had been fair, you'd have probably made more money in the long run, as more people would have taken advantage of the items. You raised the prices on the task reset tokens and instead of the multiple purchases I often made, I stopped getting them altogether. Just like I stopped getting many other items you raised the prices on. You have definitely lost money on my playing and if you continue to raise prices while producing sub par updates, you'll lose my subscription along with many others, I'll wager.
How about instead of always looking for new ways to suck the life out of your customers, you occasionally look for ways to be fair and treat them with a bit of respect? I am more than willing to pay to play a game I can enjoy and be giving VALUE for my money. I thought I was getting that when I first started playing LOTRO, but after the price increases and update 6, I can no longer say that...
I can safely say you are not the only one. My family and I pretty much stopped playing when they went through with the store armor...and my sister cancelled her account when the reality of the Soldiers on the Landscape hit. (She was the only one of us who didn't have a lifetime account) I check the forums off and on to see what is going on since I still have some hope. I was rather excited by the horse festival, until I realized it was back to a store promotion.
I understand that as a company, their 'goal' is to make money. However, you can still have that as a goal and have some integrity. I feel they could have done SO much more. It is true. You do not NEED anything in the store...just like you do not NEED to play. The thing is, gaming is supposed to be fun. The horses (and collecting them) is, and should be a fun thing to do. You shouldn't have to worry about paying more than you are comfortable with. (Even though Turbine's Fernando Paiz has said people DO and has been exploiting that)
The thing I find really depressing, is that they could have done so much more IN game with this. The class horses for example, COULD have been a great class quest. Something that was unique and different. Turbine's focus has shifted from making things FOR the game...to making things for the STORE.
I understand that there are others who do not feel this way. People who are fine with the way things are and still get enjoyment from the game. I am pleased for them and hope they continue to. I also respect that their opinions/experiences may differ from mine. I have seen those who voice their displeasure/disappointment met with scorn, insults and comments like "find something more important to complain about." Just because you don't feel an issue is 'important enough', doesn't mean it isn't to someone else.
“For like a shaft, clear and cold, the thought pierced him that in the end the Shadow was only a small and passing thing: there was light and high beauty for ever beyond its reach.”
You appear to be using a different cash shop than I am. The version of the cash shop I have access to allows me to purchase permanent buffs, temporary buffs, armor, weapons, food, drinks, potions, mounts, recipes, crafting mats, various legendary bits, various boosters, more skills, quest completes, a(n additional) combat pet ...
Someone who spends on the cash shop can pay for their character to be better than someone who doesn't.
That is the very definition of pay-to-win.
Last edited by SunrunnersFire; May 10 2012 at 08:26 PM.
I can safely say you are not the only one. My family and I pretty much stopped playing when they went through with the store armor...and my sister cancelled her account when the reality of the Soldiers on the Landscape hit. (She was the only one of us who didn't have a lifetime account) I check the forums off and on to see what is going on since I still have some hope. I was rather excited by the horse festival, until I realized it was back to a store promotion.
I understand that as a company, their 'goal' is to make money. However, you can still have that as a goal and have some integrity. I feel they could have done SO much more. It is true. You do not NEED anything in the store...just like you do not NEED to play. The thing is, gaming is supposed to be fun. The horses (and collecting them) is, and should be a fun thing to do. You shouldn't have to worry about paying more than you are comfortable with. (Even though Turbine's Fernando Paiz has said people DO and has been exploiting that)
The thing I find really depressing, is that they could have done so much more IN game with this. The class horses for example, COULD have been a great class quest. Something that was unique and different. Turbine's focus has shifted from making things FOR the game...to making things for the STORE.
I understand that there are others who do not feel this way. People who are fine with the way things are and still get enjoyment from the game. I am pleased for them and hope they continue to. I also respect that their opinions/experiences may differ from mine. I have seen those who voice their displeasure/disappointment met with scorn, insults and comments like "find something more important to complain about." Just because you don't feel an issue is 'important enough', doesn't mean it isn't to someone else.
Finally, an intelligent response from someone who gets it and understands exactly what I am saying...
You appear to be using a different cash shop than I am. The version of the cash shop I have access to allows me to purchase permanent buffs, temporary buffs, armor, weapons, food, drinks, potions, mounts, recipes, crafting mats, various legendary bits, various boosters, more skills, quest completes ...
Someone who spends on the cash shop can pay for their character to be better than someone who doesn't.
That is the very definition of pay-to-win.
Exactly!
Deed Accelerators are a good example. Instead of Turbine realizing the system that they have needed to be fixed...they allowed you to purchase something to make it a little less annoying. The same with buying traits, potions and then gear. They are basically, having the customers PAY to 'fix' the mistakes instead of changing things themselves.
At first, I really didn't pay any attention to that little detail. It never occurred to me what was happening. Like the 'slowly boiled frog.' It wasn't until I tried to get my aunt and father (who is on a very, very tight budget) to play that I realized something really wasn't right. The store does favor people who have the real money to spend, over the people who don't. It seems so morally wrong especially given that the game is The Lord of the Rings. A story that has a very strong moral message.
I think that was really the end for me. The realization that greed could tarnish even this is what killed the enjoyment for me.
“For like a shaft, clear and cold, the thought pierced him that in the end the Shadow was only a small and passing thing: there was light and high beauty for ever beyond its reach.”
LOTRO or TURBINE aren't proper names for your company any more. It needs to be something more in line with the ridiculous prices you have started charging for items. Maybe MACY'S or SHARPER IMAGE would be more in line with this recent push to rip off the people who keep you going by paying subscriptions and buying your expansion packs!
The new Reveller's Gilded mount is the standard 1,995 Turbine points, or over $20.00 in the real world. But now for the small amount of 2,995 Turbine points or roughly $30.00, you can get it across all your accounts. Wow, what a savings Turbine! I can get TWO account wide horses and it will only cost me MORE THAN I PAID FOR THE GAME!!! You have officially become ridiculous to me. You are already charging too much for horses that are barely faster than normal horses and with the recent lagging in game, it's often hard to even see a difference in the faster horses, but now, after months of saddling us with a sub par product, you have decided to rip us off even further.
I have to admit, I was one of the idiots that was collecting horses on my main account and I was busting my butt to acquire all the mounts, until you began the obvious cash machine mount program, where you create a mount every few weeks and charge too much and make them "In Store Only" for the majority of the players, while a few are awarded to players to get everyone's interest piqued. That time is officially over for me and I hope many others follow suit. The fact is, at the prices you are charging for the special mounts, they should have ALREADY been account wide. Since you have decided to rip off your loyal customers, yet again, I have decided to stop playing the "feed our executives caviar" game.
The sad thing about the way things have gone recently with TURBINE and LOTRO is that if the prices had been fair, you'd have probably made more money in the long run, as more people would have taken advantage of the items. You raised the prices on the task reset tokens and instead of the multiple purchases I often made, I stopped getting them altogether. Just like I stopped getting many other items you raised the prices on. You have definitely lost money on my playing and if you continue to raise prices while producing sub par updates, you'll lose my subscription along with many others, I'll wager.
How about instead of always looking for new ways to suck the life out of your customers, you occasionally look for ways to be fair and treat them with a bit of respect? I am more than willing to pay to play a game I can enjoy and be giving VALUE for my money. I thought I was getting that when I first started playing LOTRO, but after the price increases and update 6, I can no longer say that...
I feel your anger, and I'm worried myself for the game. The only value I assign to this is the account-wide option. The expensive prices turn me off.
The "everything is optional" is not even an argument, I'm sorry, but the fact that we can just uninstall the game and turn off the computer doesn't solve anything. I believe most players who play this game are not here just because some random choice, there are no other Lord of the Rings mmorpg community we can choice.
The price distortion in game developers and store managers is beyond logic, the expansion vs horse is the better example. The problem is they already charged too much for single horses, so they can't release a cheaper account wide.
Many, and maybe the most loyal customers won't resist this offer, I know this because I have to resist it myself. As far I know devs play rpgs, they should know how "this" work and they are taking advantage of the most loyal customers using the genre structure.
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