Cost

Discussion in 'Housing & Lots' started by Nytetears, Jan 2, 2014.

Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.
  1. Nytetears

    Nytetears Avatar

    Messages:
    21
    Likes Received:
    24
    Trophy Points:
    3
    Gender:
    Female
    Location:
    Kentucky
    First I want to say that I am really looking forward to this game. It will be great, however I have to say how utterly disappointed I am in the costs of lots. $200 to $1050 for a lot? then add the cost of a house, ($50-$75) then the basement ($35-$52) then the stuff to put in it. Special christmas and Thanksgiving items that we as backers who have helped fund this project from the beginning have to pay for? I feel this is getting a bit crazy. And all that is on top of the $120 I already paid for the game. I am honestly starting to feel taken of advantage of here. I am beginning to regret having funded this project in the first place, If the costs were a bit more reasonable that would be one thing but this is getting way out of hand.


    Oh to the haters I don't really want to hear it. If you want to pay the money then pay it. I am simply stating how I feel and I am personally feeling like I am being taken advantage of.
     
    jefftriplett, Joviex, Wynntor and 2 others like this.
  2. Koldar

    Koldar Avatar

    Messages:
    1,952
    Likes Received:
    4,886
    Trophy Points:
    125
    Location:
    Novia
    If you really want to get into housing (which is not required by the storyline) then you can make the purchase in the add on store, or you can earn it in game for free. Additionally, if housing is important for you, pledging up to a certain level is much better than purchasing the deed in the store.

    You have to consider that during KS the price for a city lot was a Baron pledge. 1050 is significantly cheaper than that. The same can be said for town and village deeds.

    They are not cheap by any means, but plots are meant to be rare and valuable. This idea dates back to the KS.
     
  3. Nytetears

    Nytetears Avatar

    Messages:
    21
    Likes Received:
    24
    Trophy Points:
    3
    Gender:
    Female
    Location:
    Kentucky
    I just fail to see how anyone in good conscious charge $1050 for a digital plot of land on a game. There are other ways to make things rare. this is just plain greedy
     
  4. Gabriel Nightshadow

    Gabriel Nightshadow Avatar

    Messages:
    4,466
    Likes Received:
    9,297
    Trophy Points:
    165
    Gender:
    Male
    Well, land and housing is expensive due to supply and demand, but it is one of their primary sources of income right now (along with new pledges and pledge upgrades, of course). If you can suggest something else they can sell to raise money...
     
    Jambo likes this.
  5. Margard

    Margard Avatar

    Messages:
    1,595
    Likes Received:
    1,822
    Trophy Points:
    125
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    The isthmus of Podo and Kodo
    There is also this thread that is discussing Portalariums' approach to fund raising if you would like to post your concerns there as well
     
  6. Kultan

    Kultan Avatar

    Messages:
    54
    Likes Received:
    66
    Trophy Points:
    8
    There have been other games (including UO) where properties sold for much more than $1050, and that was via unofficial player to player transactions. The example you mention is for the high end City plots. You could purchase Village plots for less than 1/5th that price when they were available. There are currently Town lots and pledge levels that come with Village lots that are available for much less than $1050 as well. And Starr has made it clear that there will be a supply of lots open for players to purchase by earning gold through game play and purchasing it within the game world. These will cost no real world money at all, just play time.

    It was stated in a recent Richard Garriott interview that they still need to make money to fully fund development of the game. The add on store is a means for them to do this and reward players who help fund the game. If a Village or Town lot isn't good enough and you feel you really need the highest end City lot, and you don't agree with the price, you have other options to acquire one in the game.

    https://www.shroudoftheavatar.com/forum/index.php?threads/lot-deeds-never-oversold.5733/

    http://gameindustry.about.com/od/mmo/fl/Richard-Garriott-Interview-Part-3.htm
     
  7. Nytetears

    Nytetears Avatar

    Messages:
    21
    Likes Received:
    24
    Trophy Points:
    3
    Gender:
    Female
    Location:
    Kentucky
    Well as most good business people know you make your product affordable to the masses can buy it. If that means you have instance houses then do it. You will earn a lot more money that way then you would selling a few retarded overpriced items to a few people.
     
  8. Owain

    Owain Avatar

    Messages:
    3,513
    Likes Received:
    3,463
    Trophy Points:
    153
    If it is not worth it to you to spend that kind of cash on a house plot, don't buy one. It wasn't worth it to me, for sure, so I contributed at a level that did make sense to me.

    It is worth it to some people, and it helps with development costs. Before they have a product to sell, they have to develop it first, and this is the way they have chosen to raise development funds. If they have no game developed, they can make no money selling it. Maybe with the second release a year after an enormously successful initial release, they can open housing up for next to nothing, but they do have to have an enormously successful initial release in order to make that happen.
     
  9. Gabriel Nightshadow

    Gabriel Nightshadow Avatar

    Messages:
    4,466
    Likes Received:
    9,297
    Trophy Points:
    165
    Gender:
    Male

    They've said from the very beginning that housing will not be instanced. They really can't go back on their word now without upsetting a lot of backers...
     
  10. Nytetears

    Nytetears Avatar

    Messages:
    21
    Likes Received:
    24
    Trophy Points:
    3
    Gender:
    Female
    Location:
    Kentucky
    26,434 backers from sota and kickstarter. charge $100 for a lot and house earns a total of 2,643,400 Then you sell furniture for the place like they are doing for additional money. Sell vanily animals for farms or property. There are plenty of things people would pay for if reasonably priced. That added to the almost 3 million he already earned from the sota and kickstarter campaigns would be a nice chunk of money.

    No I don't NEED a house. I wish to have a house but I don't wish to be bent over a table to get one. The actual costs of the houses I have no problem with its the fact that they are charging twice as much for a virtual piece of land as I pay for my 2013 car loan for a minivan. I might even be willing to go up to $150 for a land and a house but that would be sort of top of the tier. I don't even care if my house is in a main town. I would be more than happy getting a home in a village or out in a farming area. There just needs to be someone that is economically feasible for the average joe. My husband is a disabled war veteran (100% blind) I do not have that kind of money to be throwing around. (No I am not looking for the sympathy vote I am just stating facts) Many people who play these games are the average working joe. They are not born with a silver spoon in their mouth and mommy and daddy to pay the bills.


    As for non instanced land. He could put in lower cost land that is instant for those that wanted it that at least would be a reasonable compromise. The elitist who want the only house in this spot can still have their spot and those of us that are not rich can get one of the instanced places with the ability to invite people to our homes.
     
    TenoMeric and Morghanu like this.
  11. smack

    smack Avatar

    Messages:
    7,077
    Likes Received:
    15,288
    Trophy Points:
    153
    Village lots were in the store for $100 discounted. There were 200 of them and they sold out after several months. What you're seeing are Town and City lots in the store.
     
    monkeysmack, Kuno Brauer and Grayhawk like this.
  12. Nytetears

    Nytetears Avatar

    Messages:
    21
    Likes Received:
    24
    Trophy Points:
    3
    Gender:
    Female
    Location:
    Kentucky
    the price tag on those lots say $200 so thats what I went by, But regardless this is not the point. I was asked further up in the post to name any suggestions I had to make money other then by the outrageous costs of the lots and I gave my opinion. I don't suppose it really matters one way or another because I doubt anyone really cares. I wanted to let the powers that be know that I am not happy with the costs I have done that. I have even made a suggestion on how a compromise could be reached. There is little more I can say on the subject. I could sit here and argue back and forth about weather the costs are worth it but I really do not feel like arguing I simply wanted to state what I felt.
     
  13. smack

    smack Avatar

    Messages:
    7,077
    Likes Received:
    15,288
    Trophy Points:
    153
    You're not alone in that concern so your opinion/concern is shared by others. The prices have been that way since day 1, but that doesn't mean your opinion isn't valid or being dismissed. It is what it is and that's one strategy Portalarium have chosen to fund this game. What they have done is set aside a good number of lots for post-launch in-game purchase, but they haven't said how much gold that will cost. The reward for paying a higher price now to help fund the game is that you are guaranteed a lot to claim. After the game launches, everyone will be on equal footing to earn gold to purchase from that reserve but that's the so called "land rush" that they posted an article about.
     
  14. Asclepius

    Asclepius Avatar

    Messages:
    1,650
    Likes Received:
    6,029
    Trophy Points:
    125
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    Perth West Australia
    My firm belief is that this the fundraising method chosen by Portalarium, and it is entirely valid. If you do not have squillions of dollars to spare, or a giant publishing house behind you (who will dictate how the game is developed), how do you fund development? Answer - appeal to fans.
    • We are making a fantastic game - will you support us?
    • Give us as much as you can comfortably afford to achieve the goal.
    • We will say "thanks" by giving you "rewards". Most particularly, and most discussed, housing.
    • These items and ALL rewards can be garnered in the game anyway by the usual methods - slaying monsters, looting their corpses, crafting and selling goods etc.
    • You can "get in on the game" and do all that is actually necessary for a very low price - $45.00.
    The only difference between us is that I have a house on day 1; you might take a few months to get one. I took less that 2 months to build up enough gold coins to get a house in UO. Six months or a year down the track there is no difference between us, and I would be proud to live alongside you.

    My contribution doesn't make me a better person, or more worthy - I believe in the game, therefore I support it, and I am blessed to have slightly deeper pockets. That's where it ends - when the game starts we are all equal. Even the person in the Lord of the Manor house - I applaud their generosity loudly, but in the game they will be like everyone else (to me, anyway).
     
  15. E n v y

    E n v y Avatar

    Messages:
    4,641
    Likes Received:
    12,961
    Trophy Points:
    165
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    England
    I think I've heard it all now.

    I think I've said in another thread that if I really want something I will save and find the money to get it. Maybe once a year I review what I spend my money on and make cuts, I recently reviewed my outgoings and made cuts on lovefilm, UO subscriptions, graze boxes and several other things.........I saved around $80 a month.

    The "average working joe" can afford to purchase housing from the store....they can afford to make high level pledges. It just comes down to how much you want it and how much you are prepared to sacrifice ......are you willing to stop buying a few pints of beer a week or maybe cut down on a couple of packets of cigarettes a week....maybe walk to the shop around the corner rather thats put fuel in your car to drive.....over a period of time it's little sacrifices that makes it affordable.
     
  16. Kambrius

    Kambrius Avatar

    Messages:
    484
    Likes Received:
    1,211
    Trophy Points:
    43
    Location:
    Desolis
    As a means of support, offering money to the Devs is all well and good as well as the 'rewards' associated with the pledges. Even the land rush is okay although the unequal preference for those who paid the most cash within a tier is dodgy. Yet, to say (and the Devs have said this time and time again), that these lots and house deeds can be purchased through in game activities is a bit disingenuous.

    With limited plots and prohibitive prices, just how much grind is a player expected to do in order to earn enough gold (especially when critter mobs are not loot pinatas?
    How much gold would equal $1 of real money?
    If there is a disparity in the quality of items created because the landed have access to expert crafting tables, what is the value of items for those who are relegated to working on public crafting tables?
    To sell items like the 'Prosperity' items which never need repair and some of which can yield a greater quantity and/or quality of harvested material, does that not contribute to the disparity?
    What will the value of those episode 1 lots be when subsequent episodes and their respective lots are developed? Will the older and newer lots have the same monetary value?
    How does moon rift fast travel factor in to the viability of remote marketplaces or outdated ones (once newer content is released)?


    I really don't see how the frugal backer who paid $45 is expected to enter this game world from an unfavorable position and somehow joyously "earn" these items from grind and a skewed economy. I do know that the futility of their situation (for those of them who wish to be involved in the process of crafting and housing) will definitely encourage eBay deed bilking by those who bought up multiple plots to dangle in front of those who have become frustrated by the grind. With that sort of toxic foundation, just how does Portalarium wish to draw in new players and retain those who haven't shelled out hundreds of dollars for digital property? Is further development supposed to be funded by fan-based nostalgic wishful thinking and the folks we fans harass into funding this game because of our own nostalgic feelings for a Lord British game?
     
  17. Bohica

    Bohica Avatar

    Messages:
    1,359
    Likes Received:
    2,866
    Trophy Points:
    125
    If you have not noticed already (or care too) Portalarium has implemented a payment plan for pledges that are extended out till Oct. 2014. You pick which tier you wish to achieve and payments are drawn out in tho monthly installments. A lot of people are taking advantage of it. But like others have said, this is the rout the company took to raise funds to fund this awesome game for us to enjoy. I just don't see how they could have funded it any other way. But if you cannot or do not wish to fund / buy into the game then that is your choice, and when the game is released, you can just play like we all intend to do and earn your house/ items in game.
     
  18. Mystic

    Mystic Avatar

    Messages:
    965
    Likes Received:
    2,139
    Trophy Points:
    93
    There are two things worth pointing out here:

    First is the obvious that if you really want a house without the hassle of land rushes or having to deal with finding a space, then single player is an option. Sure, your house won't be shared by other players in the multiplayer world, but you'll get to experience having one of your own.

    Second, it has been stated that there will be some house space available for people who want one by spending gold in game. Just be aware that these spots will likely be taken up fairly quickly as people earn gold to get them.

    The prices are a little shocking at first look, but consider that the funds are going to help develop the game further which is the ultimate point of it. Pledging is still the best way to get a plot/house (and it would be rent free) which can also be done by payment plans which make them much more affordable and come with a lot of awesome stuff. Face value, it looks like a lot of money, but when you consider what some people here have paid for subscription games over time, more often than not, they have paid much more on those games than they have paid for SotA. I myself spent over $2500 on Ultima Online over 10 years of playing. I am hopefully going to be Knight by release which is $750 and I don't ever have to spend another cent on SotA if I don't want to (I probably will :p) which will get me a house and other goodies.
     
  19. Bohica

    Bohica Avatar

    Messages:
    1,359
    Likes Received:
    2,866
    Trophy Points:
    125


    You act as if the 26K (most likely way less) of unique backers is the player base and that there will be no economy or land left for everyone else. If we all thought that this is the way it will be then i would guarantee you that there would not be nearly as many backers. We have barely seen the tip of the game so far and I can't see from your standpoint that, if you didn't buy in to the game, then there will be nothing left. If anything misinformed comments like these tend to push potential new players/ customers from games instead of helping.
     
    Golem Dragon likes this.
  20. Kain3

    Kain3 Avatar

    Messages:
    594
    Likes Received:
    759
    Trophy Points:
    75
    Gender:
    Male
    Actually that payment plan thingie was the best idea ever! For those who cannot afford the big prices in one go, its the best option. Ofcourse the payment plans are limited by time I think, they can go as far as September .
     
    Golem Dragon and Lord Gréagóir like this.
Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.