Are People Here Really Ok With This Sort of Thing?

Just to clarify though, I think it probably happened like this:

Developer came across asset, liked it, added it to SotA.

Economy guy takes a good look at it, figures out where it fits in pricewise with the rest of existing, similar items.

Based on what we know about the inner workings of Portalarium, it's safe to assume this is exactly how it went down. It's impossible to even know if the person who put the pricetag on it knew the history of it at all. Hardly as sinister as people are making it out to be, don't you think?

 

This doesn't make any sense, If I don't want or like the asset, then why "force" me into a subscription in order to supply "you" with it? You maybe wealthy and not care what you throw your money at, but don't assume the rest of us feel the same...

The OPer doesn't know that Nothing is truly "free" and that this so called "free" asset was/is tied to a purchase of some kind. I guess no one here has heard of "free shipping", but only if your purchase is over $200... Or purchase Library #1 and receive 3 "free" assets from List #2... It's all commerce...

I don't think the OPer has an issue, if she doesn't want to buy it, she doesn't have to, I don't plan on buying it, so... It doesn't matter if it's "free" and available to you for "free", that's not your call...

 

Because I don't want a collection of assets. I want a complete game. Clearly, though, this is personal preference, and mine is no more important than yours. I think it does have an impact on how the game is played and perceived, though, since they crossed the line into this 'a la carte' product style.

 

50 bucks is too much , I wouldn't buy it ..... if it was 5 bucks I'd buy two tho

 

No one's trying to stir up drama, mate. What I have been talking about, ie: the perception of SotA that's out there in the gaming community, is clearly there whether we talk about it in this thread, or not.

Personally, I think it's healthier to talk about it, because if there's something that can be done about it (eg: less emphasis on selling expensive stuff, more emphasis on the game and gameplay?) let's go there.

I don't know if you travel much outside of this forum, but SotA's reputation out there really isn't the best in town. I find the way it's monetizing itself is often at the heart of people's complaints/concerns.

Let's look at it another way. If the only way SotA -- which is a niche game -- can continue, is by the team grabbing free assets, working on them a little, then selling them at huge mark-up, how sustainable is that model?

That's a topic that might be unpalatable to some. "Ohhhh, you can't ask that..." some might say. But why not? If the game has to rely on that to survive, how much longer will people keep buying that stuff? I don't know.

But one thing I do know is that no matter where you sit on the fence, from rabid fanboi, to casual spectator, to person who got burned by the game... everyone should be thinking about that sort of stuff. Period.

 

I appreciate your sentiment here Icey...

I for one do not begrudge Port the ability to generate cash flow as the funds they are able to take in will (I hope) be put to good use and in the final analysis give me a better end product. I do however think that the pricing is a bit much. I find myself making a comparison with these statues and some of the other items I see in the store; a good example being the ornate pipes and fans. Those are not only attractively priced but also unique and (at least imho) absolutely gorgeous. Matter of fact, as I wrote this I took another look and think I'll add to my humble collection. With the statues though I find it difficult to justify the price or imagine that it could possibly cost 2.5x as much to make the larger items. The same holds true for me when I look at the $50 trees. I can't help but try to put myself in the shoes of someone who does not yet own the game who and is in the investigation mode as they contemplate becoming a backer. The fact is that with almost every release we have seen great strides being made towards the goal of having a deliverable product for commercial launch. It would seem to me that we would be better off if we were attracting more fresh blood to our backer lists instead of scaring people off with sticker shock. More people playing would mean ever more sales. I recently tried to interest a couple friends of mine into joining our merry band. After looking at the site and finding the addon store they were like... "you're kidding right?" Amongst our detractors one theme I've seen on several occasions is the argument that SotA is a "cash grab". I can't help but wonder if perhaps in pricing these items Port is inadvertently stoking those fires.

well, everybody has an opinion.. that's mine.

 

Sadly, I enjoy NMS significantly more than SotA. My computer runs it flawlessly compared to shroud.

+1

I can't remember the last time I purchased an item in the add-on store. They are way too over priced for a full priced game. Granted, that's not the only reason (hello reskinned "exclusive" items), but it is one of the primary drivers.

I wish they'd realize if items were $1-$5 instead of 5-50, they'd sell more items to more people. There's a sweet spot and I think their current pricing structure is a *little* off. But, hey, that's just simple economics. I don't understand Shroudonomics.

 

I have no reason to doubt that. And therein lies what I was saying earlier. NMS is a perfectly competent, fun little game. The perception of it became skewed at launch and is now reality -- even for people who've never played it.

Just let that sink in for a moment. Because this is what I'm trying to hammer over and over, but I'm not really getting anywhere with some folk in this thread. The perception of SotA out there is grim, and it needs fixing.

Obviously it can't be fixed in some quarters. That's fine; write them off. But for those who have an open mind towards it, let's not scare them off with crazy add-on store stuff like Solazur's friends, mentioned in his post above.

 

Sure, there is nothing wrong with talking about things. Maybe if I replace the term "drama" with "critically thought-provoking statements", would that make people feel less defensive about it?

Recently I have been travel outside this forum and find real world issues are significantly more concerning. But hey... maybe it's a good thing to not worry about those things and focus on criticizing/supporting the dev team for selling in-game items at high margin instead?

Anyway, to stick on the topic, my take on this is that it shouldn't matter how much does it cost to integrate the item in-game. What should really matter is how much it is being charged. However, it's up to the individual to decide whether they want to buy these items for set prices or not. I would not pay $25/$50 for the statues regardless of how much they cost the dev to bring them into the game. If it's $5/$10, I might grab a few.

 

It's really two sides of the same coin. You see the overall cost as prohibitive. And you're quite right to think that way. $50 -- the cost of a AAA game -- for some pixels shaped like a statue is insane. I'm 110% with you.

To someone else, who also thinks of the pricing as prohibitive (so, get this, you're on the same side), they might also go a step further, and feel it's insulting to be sold someone's freebie art, period. Even if it was cheaper.

All of which highlights that there's something amiss here. I pondered earlier if the game has to continue with this model, and the sustainability of that. Let's just hope it's not something the game has to rely on.

 

We showed our enormous support in the form of hundreds, thousands, and some tens of thousands with our pledges and POT purchases.

Realizing items are bought for very little and resold back to us for exorbitant prices and choosing not to buy them or because one feels the price doesn't match the enjoyment we'd get from it isn't some sort of betrayal. For me it's not a problem that I can't afford these items, instead the value in them is just not there.

With Shroud I haven't purchased anything with my money for over a year in the add-on store because there's just nothing in it that's worth buying that I can't create in game that is just as good or similar for free that I'm just as happy with. I think this is a problem for Portalarium, they are missing out on money.

Maybe I'm wrong, but I think by bringing these sort of issues up can only help while adjustments are being made to the game. I'm looking now at the $50 trees in the add-on store, these are some of the trees we already have in the store but larger, can anyone honesty say that a tree should cost that much? It's just a large tree.

On a different note, I think most of us are adults here and can handle disagreements with one another and most everyone is being very civil, thanks. It's always nice when we can have conversations with each other and not see anyone attacking one another for their views. Everyone here are supporters and want what's best for Sota to be successful even if we don't agree with one another on everything.

 

Is it questionable? Does it make money for the longevity of the game? Which one is more important to us? Three questions, only one right answer - I want to log into this world 10+ years from now. So I can tolerate it. But it's good to keep everyone aware of these things so it doesn't get out of hand. But that's just me.

EDIT: And after reading Darkstarr's response, at least they meet the issue head on.

 

If it helps just download it for free... See if you are happy with it.

 

Shows they are not just after our money then by not only having items people want from the store. I always said for them to always have a craftable version in game of something they sell and i very pleased they doing this even though it is costing them money as you say. If people only had access to them from the store people would complain that it is a money grab and pay to win...they cant win!

 

I think we all have a choice end of the day. No matter how ridiculous is the item is priced for sale. Buy or not. Play or not. Nothing has been force on to us. Like when we go shopping, There are apples that sell for 50 cents each, and there are apple that sell for $100 or more. It is just a perception of value.

Say there can only be 10 Horse statue in game and they auction it of to the higher bidder. Some player may think nothing of forking out hundreds or thousand for the exclusivity. We cant fault a business for wanting to generate more revenue. I would say there are better ways to do it that dont make them look bad.

 

You know, thinking about it now, I wonder if it could be that the size of these items could be part of the economists formula for the pricing, as they may cause more lag than other items. In other words, the pricing may be sort of a deterrent so that people don't just build a giant, laggy forest lol.. and the cost reflects the need for better hardware that having these items creates.

Where it might have been more acceptable to some to have the price lowered to half of what it is, then perhaps twice as many people would buy them. So the amount of $ Portalarium gets would be equal, but there'd be twice as much lag from those objects because there'd be twice as many of them, causing Port to need to spend more money on hosting and hardware.

 

Yes, I am completely OK with it.

I appreciate the fact that minimal development effort is being put into making fund raising items available. These items aren't necessary to play the game so acquiring them or not is completely a choice. Anyone who objects to them on moral grounds need not buy them.

 

Well said, I agree 100%

 

I'm ok with it!
As long as we get more and more recipes for crafting too, I'm very fine with it.
A lot of games offer cosmetical stuff for cash.

 

Speaking for myself, I'm ok with it.