Umm...+2->3 = 1995, +3->4 = 2995, +4 supreme only = 4495?

[My2Cents]

I'm on limited funds, I splurged for a +1 supreme and a +2 supreme back in the day.

Now there's a +4 supreme...aside from the fact that as a VIP I already give ~$10/mo and the fact that 2000TP and 4000TP is a lot of money to me right now,

Upgrade from my +2 supreme to +3 supreme = 1995
Upgrade from the +3 supreme to +4 supreme = 2995
So the total for that route is 4980
But buying a +4 outright is only 4495

So not only do I not get credit for both my +1 investment and +2 in the past,
but now it is actually just under 500TP cheaper if I go the straight 4 route?

(I shudder to think what 4980TP is in real money to me....)

I have heard all sorts of arguments that DDO might be consdiered "pay-to-win" by others and have resisted them, but now I wonder if MMOs that charge this much for items don't risk becoming a game for the rich, or worse, like gambling, an addiction that has real life implications.

Yes I know you don't "have" to buy them. You dont "have" to buy a car either, walking is much healthier for you. And you don't "need" music, you don't "need" more than 2 sets of clothes, and you surely never need any kind of entertainment or any foods except the basic nutrients that sustain life, right?

Maybe there will someday be different MMO's for the "1%" and the "99%".

Thanks for letting me vent. I had to pay bills today.

[ZeebaNeighba]

That's how sales are a lot. Sell the bigger bulk for a slightly lower price per unit, you convince people to buy the more efficient product. But even at the reduced cost per unit, it's still a way bigger profit since they're buying something much more expensive.

After all, it is cheaper to buy only the 3->4 if you have all +3s and cheaper to only buy the 2->3 if you don't need +4s.

[Gkar]

Upgrade from my +2 supreme to +3 supreme = 1995
Upgrade from the +3 supreme to +4 supreme = 2995
So the total for that route is 4980
But buying a +4 outright is only 4495

That actually seems about right. You are paying a premium for aquiring over time because those are sunk costs and because on a first life you couldn't go right to +4.


(I shudder to think what 4980TP is in real money to me....)

$50 if points are not on sale, $27 if points are on sale.


Yes I know you don't "have" to buy them. You dont "have" to buy a car either, walking is much healthier for you. And you don't "need" music, you don't "need" more than 2 sets of clothes, and you surely never need any kind of entertainment or any foods except the basic nutrients that sustain life, right?


Wrong.

Since you can achieve the exact same thing in the game (it just takes a little longer) without paying a penny, where as you can't ever achieve a car without buying a car, your examples are totally apples and oranges.

[My2Cents]

Ok so I picked bad examples, sorry about that.

The point is, should I wait for the eventual +5 supreme? I might save almost 5000TP

And, why are these things so expensive? What the market will bear? Maybe the market will bear lower prices, maybe more people will buy, more people will be happy and make buying other things a habit...longer term view blahblahblah.

And by the wa, I haven't found any tomes since back when I was low level. I wish they were that plentiful. I dont have static guild elite raid groups, its rougher out here in the PUG world.

I guess everyone responding is worried about how good my examples are, and modelling marketing, not how much everything costs. I'll stop writing now and go back out into the real world for awhile. It might start being cheaper to live out there again than in here. If you approve of these costs and have so much extra cash lying around, why not pop for 10 of em and give em away?

I'm worried about a slippery slope I've seen elsewhere happening to this great game. I guess I'm alone.


That actually seems about right. You are paying a premium for aquiring over time because those are sunk costs and because on a first life you couldn't go right to +4.



$50 if points are not on sale, $27 if points are on sale.



Wrong.

Since you can achieve the exact same thing in the game (it just takes a little longer) without paying a penny, where as you can't ever achieve a car without buying a car, your examples are totally apples and oranges.

[Anihsod]

what do you mean by "charge this much ..". TP are free if you want to farm them. How many TP do you have? How long have you been VIP? What did you do with all those TP you coulda had saved up?

[Dendrix]

the 2->3 MEANS THAT at 7 you had the benefit of superior stats from level 7, and even better ones from level 11.

If you only get the 4 then you only benefit from superior stats from level 15.

you are paying an extra 500 for the superior stats for 8 levels.

[Hokiewa]

the 2->3 MEANS THAT at 7 you had the benefit of superior stats from level 7, and even better ones from level 11.

If you only get the 4 then you only benefit from superior stats from level 15.

you are paying an extra 500 for the superior stats for 8 levels.

This and..

I'm surprised that people are taken aback by this. This happens everyday. Iphones, ipads, virtually any upgrade to any technological device....At the time, you paid for what was convenient and available.

[Hokiewa]

And by the wa, I haven't found any tomes since back when I was low level. I wish they were that plentiful. I dont have static guild elite raid groups, its rougher out here in the PUG world.

I play casually at this point and picked up a +3 and a +4 in one hour in the High Road tonight.


I guess everyone responding is worried about how good my examples are, and modelling marketing, not how much everything costs. I'll stop writing now and go back out into the real world for awhile. It might start being cheaper to live out there again than in here. If you approve of these costs and have so much extra cash lying around, why not pop for 10 of em and give em away?

Nobody is worried about how poor your examples are. Most people reserve charity for things other then almost worthless items in a video game

I'm worried about a slippery slope I've seen elsewhere happening to this great game. I guess I'm alone.

You feel cheated and you now bring up the "slippery slope"




Welcome.

[My2Cents]

Welcome.

I don't feel cheated at all. I do realize that my perspective is either not understood or not agreed with by the others so far responding here, so I will keep it to myself and confine my further replies to strictly technical questions.

And I've run the High Road quite a bit, where are you getting Tomes from? I keep meeting the Fire reaver and the two brothers most often. Is there a particular encounter or encounters that are most likely to drop Tomes? Do you use a loot boost gem? (I often do.)

(and I would never shell out $$$ for each upgrade of an I-anything.)

[Isolani]

I buy all kinds of store stuff, but I am not even planning on buying any +4's. The only character I have that I would even consider it is the one that I am getting close to finished with completionist on, but even then, +4's are not uber rare like they used to be before MotU. C'mon, you can smash a box and a +4 might fall out of it now. If there were a triple bonus point sale, I would be tempted for sure though.

[jjflanigan]

Wrong.

Since you can achieve the exact same thing in the game (it just takes a little longer) without paying a penny, where as you can't ever achieve a car without buying a car, your examples are totally apples and oranges.

You apparently have never visited my neighborhood...bring a nice car around here and I guarantee SOMEONE will be achieving a car without buying one.

-JJ

[Arnhelm]

As with all retail transactions, the savvy consumer picks the most economical. Expecting "credit" for previous purchases is seldom realistic, imo.

[LOOON375]

The point is, should I wait for the eventual +5 supreme? I might save almost 5000TP

It is what is referred to as a "personal CHOICE". You don't like the amount (for whatever reason), don't fricken buy it. If you think it might go on sale in the future (odds are that it will at some point) wait and buy it later.


As with all retail transactions, the savvy consumer picks the most economical. Expecting "credit" for previous purchases is seldom realistic, imo. Pretty much this.

The new "upgrade" option in the tome aspect is actually cheaper than buying new tomes isn't it? Before this change, you had to buy the actual tome for full price. So basically, in a sense, you are getting some sort of "store credit".


The + 4 tome price is basically based for a person that hasn't used or bought any tomes previously. If you have used tomes previously, the price is somewhat cheaper (considering) for the "upgrade" option.


But as with anything else in the game, someone will sure as heck find something to complain about.

[oweieie]

If $40 is a lot of money to you, don't pay it.

For $40 you can... play SWTOR (F2P), WoW (F2P), LotRO (F2P), DCUO (F2P), get the THQ bundle off Steam $6 for 7 games and have $34 left over for 3 coffee and muffins at Starbucks.

[Hokiewa]

You apparently have never visited my neighborhood...bring a nice car around here and I guarantee SOMEONE will be achieving a car without buying one.

-JJ

You need to move....:D

[akiraproject24]

Ok so I picked bad examples, sorry about that.

The point is, should I wait for the eventual +5 supreme? I might save almost 5000TP

And, why are these things so expensive? What the market will bear? Maybe the market will bear lower prices, maybe more people will buy, more people will be happy and make buying other things a habit...longer term view blahblahblah.

And by the wa, I haven't found any tomes since back when I was low level. I wish they were that plentiful. I dont have static guild elite raid groups, its rougher out here in the PUG world.

I guess everyone responding is worried about how good my examples are, and modelling marketing, not how much everything costs. I'll stop writing now and go back out into the real world for awhile. It might start being cheaper to live out there again than in here. If you approve of these costs and have so much extra cash lying around, why not pop for 10 of em and give em away?

I'm worried about a slippery slope I've seen elsewhere happening to this great game. I guess I'm alone.

The slippery slope is already in place...been here for a while now...not really any question to it