I think Bits (and by association outfits and ect) are overpriced.

Well this is my first post, I've been lurking for weeks, but thought I'd drop in my 2p worth on this one :)

I agree that the bits shop is way too expensive. Although I would like to buy items/inventory/boosts to help support the game there is no way that I can justify that kind of price. However if the prices were much lower, say starting at 50p per item and going up to no more than £1.50 per item, I'd drop money on bits on a regular basis...that's got to be better than the current situation where I'm not likely to ever buy bits?

You would feel even worse about about spending 880 bits on the Drifter outfit because it does look kinda cool and then find a couple of weeks later they are being given away on Raptr for free! Thanks does not make a person happy! Granted it is only a limited number, but still....free...

"Limited member"? Yeah right. They have more than 1000 available...
I will get it and orange duni too!

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Originally Posted by Fancypants

Prices are up but can you fault them? Why lower prices now? Makes no sense really.

The game AND the DLC both can now be had for the price of just the game at launch. They don't charge a sub fee so there's no cash flow coming in there. Trion is putting all it's money or most of it's money into the Rift F2P conversion and if it works, they might send some over here to help as sort of a aid subsidy in the cash shop. But they are already cutting prices to the bone..

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Yea, we kind of can fault them. Thats just poor marketing/planning/relations with your customer. We as Defiance gamers shouldnt be spending more so they can experiment with Rift F2P....

Theres really no point in buying the items anyway. None of us will be playing this when Destiny/etc, arrive. Save your money for something you'll actually benefit from/enjoy.

While I hate to disagree with a friend, Notturno... and I can't believe I would ever agree with Fancy on anything, prices are, and should be, what the market will bear, the price will only go down if no one buys them at the current price, also its a captive market, you cant import clothes from other games, so I can understand why they are what they are. No one is making you buy their items and you dont really need them, they are by descriptions vanity items so...perhaps your ego wants a ferrari when your wallet says ford pinto. I bought my bits on sale so I paid half price for my vanity items...its was much easier for my ego to explain to my wallet

@Fancypants: I feel that the high prices are preventing a lot of people from spending any money at all, so yes I can fault them for the prices being so high as they are driving away money in favor of people who don't know the value of a dollar or who are way way way to die hard and are willing spend more money then they really should be in support of the game.

Pricing virtual items at a premium such as they are currently doing ONLY works in Pay2Win games where a few cashcows will spend $500 EVERY WEEK on stuff so they can win (and several thousand spend $20s each week, to try to win as well, and like 10k spend $1-5 each week to feel like they are participating.).

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Originally Posted by Aeothena

I say:

*Shop items should be exclusive and not achievable in the game. As outfits don't add any ability to your character more than esthetics they have to be interesting enough to buy. Why spend that amount of money for something you can get by playing for a few hours? This goes for both vehicles and outfits.

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This wouldn't change. It's already a Trion policy set from Rift:

Arachne in RIFT Store?

The Rift players were upset that Trion was selling in the cash shop mounts that they had worked for in game to earn before the game went F2P, after doing some particularly hard saving of tokens. The OP's position was that since he already spent coins on the mount that he had earned in-game, he should be given a refund of in-game coins so that he could then buy the mount with real money in the cash shop, because he didn't have the option before.

Various opinions on the thread, but it seems the end result accourding to the OP was that Trion did indeed give him in-game coins back, and he went and spent his real cash on the same store mount.

I doubt you'll find Trion will like the idea of not allowing players who don't have as much time to grind content, pay extra for special CEs or generally missed out on Launch Day vehicles/gear the opportunity to buy it with real money at some point.

It is a very good business decision to do that.

I've got no problems with Trion's cash shop prices, it's their stuff, they can ask anything they want for it. Of course my money is mine to manage as I see fit, and Trion has nothing in that cash shop, other than inventory slots, that I feel is worth me spending my money on and $20 has gotten me all the inventory slots I need.

Lockboxes? Not a chance considering the horrible drop rate of anything decent.

Vehicles? Once you have a roller and a runner what's the point of having more? Besides, you can get them in game for about the amount of scrip you can earn in an hour or two. Design something unique, with real in game utility, make it look and sound good, price it right and I might reconsider. I've got a half dozen rollers, 4 Challengers, the Nomad and about 3 Duni's, so it's going to have to be pretty darn good.

Outfits? Trion please, design one that doesn't look like it belongs on an action figure in a clamshell pack on the toy isle of the dollar store, price it reasonably and I might buy a few. Give it some utility, like extra inventory slots or some armor and I'll get my wallet out. Other than that, I'll stick with Nolan's brown bomber jacket and the cool shades. And for crying out loud, ditch the silly looking backpacks.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Fancypants

This wouldn't change. It's already a Trion policy set from Rift:

Arachne in RIFT Store?

The Rift players were upset that Trion was selling in the cash shop mounts that they had worked for in game to earn before the game went F2P, after doing some particularly hard saving of tokens. The OP's position was that since he already spent coins on the mount that he had earned in-game, he should be given a refund of in-game coins so that he could then buy the mount with real money in the cash shop, because he didn't have the option before.

Various opinions on the thread, but it seems the end result accourding to the OP was that Trion did indeed give him in-game coins back, and he went and spent his real cash on the same store mount.

I doubt you'll find Trion will like the idea of not allowing players who don't have as much time to grind content, pay extra for special CEs or generally missed out on Launch Day vehicles/gear the opportunity to buy it with real money at some point.

It is a very good business decision to do that.

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Good business decisions are usually accompanied by happy customers, filled coffers and increased employee levels. Just sayin...

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Originally Posted by 3rdpig

Good business decisions are usually accompanied by happy customers, filled coffers and increased employee levels. Just sayin...

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You are 100% right. I'm not defending Trion but I am defending a business' right to set product as it sees fit.

Some customers won't like things and a majority might. Some will stay because of changes while others will bolt. It's a number's game for businesses. You try to make as much money as you can without trying to piss off most of the people, not keep everyone happy. That's not realistic.

It's simply impossible to do what you are suggesting there, keep 'happy customers', coffers filled and increased employee levels 100% of the time (even if you didn't totally imply it). It's a juggling act and sometimes, a business can offset some small amounts of customers who leave by raising prices or in the case of a cash shop, keep prices high. But that can only be done if the core base (diehards/fanbois/whales/whatever ppl call them) will generate enough money for them by happily spending like a drunken sailor in the cash shop.

You figure a company has more leeway to lower prices when the game is full, not when it's starting to go dry.