So maybe some of you know that the MMO "Lord of the Rings Online" from Turbine went free2play around 6 months ago. Along with the move to f2p they added a cash shop that according to Turbine representatives was meant to be a way for people to buy stuff like quest packs (if you didn't have a subscription), pots, cosmetics etc. At that time the game reps came out and said that the goal of the shop was to offer "convenience" not "advantage".
Since then they have added so called "stat tomes" that increase your stats like health, power into the store. They are supposedly also available in game but most people have yet to see one drop. They also added damage increasing items, health and power pots that are unavailable in game as well as being more powerful.
The newest system that Turbine has decided to sell via the shop is the weapons system that is in place for the higher leveled players. It's called the "legendary" system and you start out with a weapon and add stats, skill modifications, gems etc. to it in order to personalize it. Maxing out a "legendary" weapon can take weeks or months. Turbine now wants to add all the the components of that system (gems, skill modifications etc.) other than the base weapon into the store.
Now the justification for all of these additions has been that the players can get "most" of the shop items in game. The game reps say that the ability to buy stuff from the shop is just a convenience since all it does is save you in game time. However getting most of the stuff I mentioned in game can take days, weeks or even months, but if you're willing to pay money everything can be yours with the click of a few buttons. Needless to say this topic is quite controversial on the LOTRO boards.
So what are your thoughts on the differentiation between "convenience" and "advantage"? Should a company be able to turn what is a hybrid game (subscription or free2play with the cash shop meant for both types of players) into a game where all major systems (weapons, crafting etc.) bar the raiding system and its rewards are sold in the shop just because it's also available in game? How about the stuff not available in game that is also more powerful than what is available in game, are those "conveniences" too?
Since then they have added so called "stat tomes" that increase your stats like health, power into the store. They are supposedly also available in game but most people have yet to see one drop. They also added damage increasing items, health and power pots that are unavailable in game as well as being more powerful.
The newest system that Turbine has decided to sell via the shop is the weapons system that is in place for the higher leveled players. It's called the "legendary" system and you start out with a weapon and add stats, skill modifications, gems etc. to it in order to personalize it. Maxing out a "legendary" weapon can take weeks or months. Turbine now wants to add all the the components of that system (gems, skill modifications etc.) other than the base weapon into the store.
Now the justification for all of these additions has been that the players can get "most" of the shop items in game. The game reps say that the ability to buy stuff from the shop is just a convenience since all it does is save you in game time. However getting most of the stuff I mentioned in game can take days, weeks or even months, but if you're willing to pay money everything can be yours with the click of a few buttons. Needless to say this topic is quite controversial on the LOTRO boards.
So what are your thoughts on the differentiation between "convenience" and "advantage"? Should a company be able to turn what is a hybrid game (subscription or free2play with the cash shop meant for both types of players) into a game where all major systems (weapons, crafting etc.) bar the raiding system and its rewards are sold in the shop just because it's also available in game? How about the stuff not available in game that is also more powerful than what is available in game, are those "conveniences" too?
