Anyone Else Annoyed With Tennogen Pricing?

[Nitresco]

I'm not referring solely to the price itself, by the way. I'm referring to the fact that it requires a direct cut of Steam funds rather than platinum.

 

WARNING: RANT

I have viewed Platinum up to this point as a direct translation of real money into virtual buying potential. When I spend $50 on Platinum, whether it be Prime Access or not, I tend to think I'm getting my money's worth in items, cosmetics, etc. Because that's what Platinum is. It's a versatile in-game equivalent to real cash that can be used to purchase cosmetics, components, pretty much anything you desire in-game whether it be from the store or another player. The fact that it's tradable means that any non-paying player can eventually achieve a purchase of any item they like. That's what Free2Play should be. That's why Warframe succeeds. Everything is accessible without paying, with the few exceptions related to high-tier loyalty packages (founders, prime access).

 

The inclusion of TennoGen items that are only purchasable via Steam Wallet has changed this. Usually, players can farm mods and parts to trade for Platinum. They can then use this Platinum to buy cosmetics they want. This is not the case with these items; the player can ONLY purchase them with real money.

 

You might be saying "So what? They're just cosmetics. Who cares?"

I care. I regularly buy Platinum, mostly through Prime Access. When I spend money for future in-game buying potential and find out that the buying potential I payed for is conditional like this, it's slightly irritating.

 

TL;DR "Hey, thanks for pouring money into the game. We're going to let you buy any cosmetics you want. Except these ones. For these, you need to pay again."

 

Edit: Apoligies, I realize this might belong in feedback. I posted it in General Discussion because I actually intended it to start a discussion.

Edited November 26, 2015 by Nitresco

[rechot]

yea i wish there was a way that didnt need real money and just the platinum, but its made through steams workshop. Soooo they gotta get there money some how

Edited November 26, 2015 by rechot

[Vargras]

You're aware that real money is the only way that Steam Workshop will allow them to compensate the artists who made the items, right?

[Alphafox]

 

 

TL;DR "Hey, thanks for pouring money into the game. We're going to let you buy any cosmetics you want. Except these ones. For these, you need to pay again."

The thing is they are linked to steam. Like the other steam skins (Rubedo etc) you have to actually spend money in your wallet.

All your points about F2P don't make sense in that case. Free to plays make you pay for skins, nothing new there.

 

After all what will you pay steam artist with? Peanuts? Some of them might not even be playing Warframe, so plat won't do.

Tennogen skins are not even the only skins available from steam.

Edited November 26, 2015 by Alphafox

[Nitresco]

You're aware that real money is the only way that Steam Workshop will allow them to compensate the artists who made the items, right?

It's the only way Steam Workshop will allow it. That does not mean DE cannot compensate the players in another way.

[Alphafox]

It's the only way Steam Workshop will allow it. That does not mean DE cannot compensate the players in another way.

With peanuts? What if the artist doesn't even play the game? 

[Sh0ck-Wave]

The fact it's possible is a good thing. 

 

It's early days so I imagine this will be something that'll be refined over time. 

 

Just like everything in WF, it may be dodgy when it's released but give it time and it'll get better :)

[Ninja]

It's Business man

[Nitresco]

With peanuts? What if the artist doesn't even play the game? 

If the system was changed so that compensation was delivered through in-game plat, DE would inevitably make such a fact public to all content creators. If the creator decided to continue creating skins, they would do so under the knowledge that they would be doing so purely out of hobby/practice/etc if they did not actually play the game.

 

Isn't workshop profit transferred to your Steam Wallet anyway? Last time I checked, you didn't use it to pay real bills.

Edited November 26, 2015 by Nitresco

[(PSN)IIIDevoidIII]

This may not be the case forever.

Keep in mind that this is the most reliable way DE can do this, as of this moment, and they expect to see release of these skins to all platforms later down the line.

Whether this will change how the item will be purchased, or not, is unknown.

I highly doubt them being a Steam-only, money-only, item was ideal.

[--Q--Ascended-Seraphim]

I am also of the view that aside from Prime access accessories which are only purchasable with real money, every other cosmetic in game should be purchasable with plat.

That's why we spend real money on plat.

This tenno gen real money option devalues plat and gives the plat holders less things to do with this currency.

[Nitresco]

Whether this will change how the item will be purchased, or not, is unknown.

I surely hope so. The current system compromises the versatility of Platinum and, consequently, the incentive to even purchase Platinum for future cosmetics.

 

One possible solution is making it so Platinum is tradable via Steam Market, but that's a whole 'nother can of worms.

[Burq]

If the system was changed so that compensation was delivered through in-game plat, DE would inevitably make such a fact public to all content creators. If the creator decided to continue creating skins, they would do so under the knowledge that they would be doing so purely out of hobby/practice/etc if they did not actually play the game.

 

Isn't workshop profit transferred to your Steam Wallet anyway? Last time I checked, you didn't use it to pay real bills.

 

As much as I'd like it to be plat purchases, the fact that is real money transactions is WAY better for the artists making the items and for DE in general, thou I do wish the price was a bit lower.

 

And depends from game to game: TF2 worshop creators get money by checks/bank transfers monthly, if I remember correctly, could be very wrong. A few people make a living out of selling DOTA 2 stuff, too. I have no idea what sort of deal the tennogen guys have.

[Regar]

My only complaint is the price, it's quite high... even tho everything in warframe as always been pretty expensive tbh, that's why 75% off and prime access existed so far, now we are just facing with the reality of a lifetime, if you can't use an inflated currency then stuff becomes suddently really expensive. I think the "extra" there there is between a normal cosmetic and a tennogen one comes from the fact that creators have a piece of the cake, and probably volvo too, because gaben A_A 

 

Jokes aside, this just might be the "beginning", we don't know how this kind of stuff will be treated in the future, let's see how things develop, for now just remeber that you don't really need to have all the cosmetics existing in the game, you will survive

Edited November 26, 2015 by Regar

[Nitresco]

we don't know how this kind of stuff will be treated in the future

This is exactly what worries me. If this continues like it is, we'll end up with a system where half of the cosmetics in the game will require direct Steam purchases. Incentive to purchase Platinum will decrease. Why spend $5 on plat and potentially not be able to spend it on a new cosmetic when you could hold onto it until said item appears and is possibly tied to your Steam Wallet? Last time I checked how Steam Workshop worked,  I realized DE earns much more money through a $5 plat purchase than they do from somebody purchasing a $5 user-created item. DE can potentially lose profit from this.

Edited November 26, 2015 by Nitresco

[Alphafox]

This is exactly what worries me. If this continues like it is, we'll end up with a system where half of the cosmetics in the game will require direct Steam purchases. Incentive to purchase Platinum will decrease. Why spend $5 on plat and potentially not be able to spend it on a new cosmetic when you could hold onto it until said item appears and is possibly tied to your Steam Wallet? Last time I checked how Steam Workshop worked,  I realized DE earns much more money through a $5 plat purchase than they do from somebody purchasing a $5 user-created item. DE can potentially lose profit from this.

They don't lose anything. The creator get a cut, DE get a cut, steam get a cut. I believe they can manage their money like adults, and know what they are doing.

[Nitresco]

They don't lose anything. The creator get a cut, DE get a cut, steam get a cut. I believe they can manage their money like adults, and know what they are doing.

Once again, $5 spent on plat is $5 is DE's pocket. $5 spent on a user-created item is less than that. They get a cut. The distribution heavily favors the content creator last time I checked, as well.

[rodso]

most the skins arent even that good...not worth it in my opinion

[Lucaine]

I really do hope they don't keep Tennogen purchases like this. If they do, what happens if the devs decide to stop making new cosmetics and clutter the market with Tennogen stuff instead? It isn't a good sign.

Edited November 26, 2015 by Lucayne

[Nitresco]

I really do hope they don't keep Tennogen purchases like this. If they do, the devs could easily just stop making new cosmetics and clutter the market with Tennogen stuff instead. It isn't a good sign.

I actually hadn't thought of that. Increased reliance on community-created cosmetics could reduce the frequency of developer-created ones. To the point of complete reliance on the community. Which only worsens the situation if they decide to stick to the current payment method. Platinum value would plummet greatly.

 

This only increases my worrying.

Edited November 26, 2015 by Nitresco

[Deshiel]

Isn't it too early to be crying and stuff? Give it time? See where it goes? No? Lets flame the stuff the minute it appears, that makes us feel better right?

[weirdee]

Hopefully the process is streamlined in the future. However, I think for the time being, platinum value will continue to stay as long as there is DE megasales. Lol.

[Nitresco]

Isn't it too early to be crying and stuff? Give it time? See where it goes? No? Lets flame the stuff the minute it appears, that makes us feel better right?

Oh, sorry. I didn't realize that vocalizing concerns involving the business practices of a company was only allowed in cases where said practices have gone seemingly too far. Clearly, a problem needs to occur before it can be discussed. Additionally, I seem to have mislabled my "crying" as "discussion" and my "flaming" as "feedback".

 

Forgive my sarcasm, but why are you in General Discussion if you don't appreciate general discussion? Are you one of the individuals who go around shooting down topics just because they happened to criticize anything at all? Or even just because they invaded your precious screen-space? This is a genuine question, by the way.

Edited November 26, 2015 by Nitresco

[Regar]

 

Once again, $5 spent on plat is $5 is DE's pocket. $5 spent on a user-created item is less than that. They get a cut. The distribution heavily favors the content creator last time I checked, as well.

this is the case only in the universe where people actually buy paltinum full price, as i was trying to explain before ... when was the last time you spent 50 bucks without having any kind of discount? i bet it never happened, or maybe, just maybe, once 

 

also, i'm pretty sure that de get's an higer cut then the creator itself, i'm not saying de is evil or anything, it's just how the world works. the creator made AN ITEM, and put an effort doing so, but DE made THE GAME which is also the actual marketplace where the item is bought AND consumed, so if i ask you "which of the 2 can live without the other one being there?" the answer is clearly DE, so i'm pretty sure that DE takes the most out of any sell, but for what i understood DE tried its best to make it profitable for creators, giving an higer cut then other similiar system give (they give 30% instead of the usual ~20%)

 

Anyway, if the system will not work as DE expected they will surely work on making it better, for now it's like this, and to be honest it has not even been a day from it lounch, you should really take your worries and put em in a paper bag, because they are kinda useless right now

[Nitresco]

also, i'm pretty sure that de get's an higer cut then the creator itself, i'm not saying de is evil or anything, it's just how the world works. the creator made AN ITEM, and put an effort doing so, but DE made THE GAME which is also the actual marketplace where the item is bought AND consumed, so if i ask you "which of the 2 can live without the other one being there?" the answer is clearly DE, so i'm pretty sure that DE takes the most out of any sell, but for what i understood DE tried its best to make it profitable for creators, giving an higer cut then other similiar system give (they give 30% instead of the usual ~20%)

 

Anyway, if the system will not work as DE expected they will surely work on making it better, for now it's like this, and to be honest it has not even been a day from it lounch, you should really take your worries and put em in a paper bag, because they are kinda useless right now

I'm going off what I've seen in the past with workshop-dependant games. The creator almost always gets a bigger cut. If anyone has any sort of confirmation what the profit cut is, though, I'll gladly admit I'm wrong. So far, I haven't seen any exact numbers anywhere.

 

As for your "it's too early" point, it's never too early to vocalize concerns for a system. Especially when said system is already implemented. I'm not completely against TennoGen as some people seem to be inferencing. I'm simply against one outcome of its future. For that reason, I'm publicizing my worries now. I encourage others to do the same.