Warframe's "Money Value" Problem

[40PE]

1 hour ago, TaylorsContraction said:

Perhaps those prices aren't for you.  What I mean by that is you explain how you won't get much value out of the content hence the price doesn't seem to justify the content.

A new player on the other hand may get more value out of this by your own logic,  so it's worth it for new players to buy at least one pack.

I agree that the price isn't appearing in the least to veteran players and so many of us grind it out.  Some vets even perceive the item shop a n00b trap for these very same reasons.

Now perhaps that is why the plat discounts exist.  Older players are aware of them and will wait for them to make item purchases,  but they include a time wall too since you aren't guaranteed to get one.  I've only gotten a 75% discount once in the years that I've played.

I'm playing this game, so if not me then who are the prices targeted at? The rich folk?

A new player would play the same way as a veteran do: The content you play on with your new warframe is exactly the same. That is -one- of my point. The market value of the purchase vs. the content value (play time, play diversity, the additional content on top of what you already got in the game).

So again; buying a warframe "package" will give you minimal additional content during your gameplay. Other than different skills, the game is the same, as prior you bought the pack/frame. You do the same maps, same objectives, fighting against the same enemy. Yet you (and me) have to pay $$$ just as much as you would pay for a brand new game, OR a brand new content (like a DLC) for other games, when you buy the new packs. One good example is Battlefield map packs. The game is the same, you would even use almost the same weapons. But the map, environment, even the objective and gameplay many times changes. Not the best example I know, but they develop those map packs (similar like DE develops the new content) for months, you have to pay for those too and in return you get quet different content than before.

[40PE]

2 hours ago, Heliopata said:

The prices are high to act as a deterrent, so you don't just buy it and play the game and if you buy it,  they take a chunk of plat,  like rivens slots. The solstice and nidus pack came with boosters, that only serve to inflate the plat value, so you barely save plat from bundle (unless you care for the boosters) 

 Look at the frames and weapons plat prices, even tho you can get most of them pretty easy. 

This doesn't make any sense at all. "let us use insane prices so they won't buy it"? I assure you, this is not how a dev. company try to sell their product, or else they would go broke pretty fast. :)

[(PSN)D4rcynmo]

2 hours ago, Fugana said:

I hope devs read this topic to laugh a bit 

I hope so too, because everyone I know personally, who played has quit. Laughing at your clients and responding defensively to their requests is a sure fire way to alienate them. 

[2035]

On 12/27/2016 at 10:19 AM, ChillZi said:

what is there in this game except the grind? What OP means is real content. Something completely new.

The problem with warframe is that the grind is the content. However, what the devs do now is intentionally increase the grind (Higher requirements, new timebased resources, more rng layers , intentional boring mission design etc.) so that people buy their new warframes and weapons straight from the market. This way these players can bypass the grind. However, this can backfire because then there is even less reason to actually play the game.

OP is right because if they keep doing it with these prices in the market, the same people will not put up with this anymore. Why should they buy the newest warframe or weapon if nothing in the game changes except the way how you kill enemies in the game. For MR? MR is almost completely useless in this game.

To me warframe needs a lot more then just new weapons, warframes or skins. Especially if they sell stuff with these prices.

Every new frame is like a new class in conclave for me >.<

[Technologic141]

On 27. 12. 2016 at 3:47 PM, 40PE said:

There are a lot of other conversation regarding the grind and time and platinum required in order to get the new "content". I won't get into this. I would like to focus your (DE and hopefully the player community) to a different direction. The market value of these new content.

-According to Wiki, currently one platinum is worth 0.067 USD.
-Let me use EUR moving forward since I'm in Europe and not using $ for payment calculation. The above is 0.064 EUR currently.
-In order to aquire Nidus from the in-game market it costs 225 plat, that is 14.4 EUR
-If you would like to buy the package for this content it is 660 plat, costs 42.24 EUR
-With the above what you get is a new warframe, some extra look and weapons.

Now compare the above content and its price to some other games, especially the ones that is on sale currently. I made some winter sales recently on uPlay and Steamstore:

-The Division and the Season pass, with 50% discount plus 20% additional discount (from Uplay points) for 35 EUR
-Bought Batman: Arkham Night for 9.99 EUR
-Dying Light Enhanced edition (game with the season pass together) for 19.99EUR

All of the above are full games, with months of content to play out (especially Division, when you do the full story and really spend time to look around like me and find all the little secrets).
Now compare the 42.24EUR worth of content to any of the full game prices like above and what you get for it. How many hours I will play these games and not "grinding". All of these are bringing new experience to my gaming hours for months to come.

But when I would spend 42 on Nidus and the weapons I would probably;
-need to level them up (quick as a couple of hours tops with a couple of forma or I would just use some catalyst and reaktor and thats it)
-would fiddle around a bit to check how the frame is working, use its abilities and enjoy the weapons a bit. I would give one or two days _tops_ until it will get boring to use these weapons and frames. Not necessarily because the new abilities are boring, but the gameplay content didn't changed so defense, exterminate would get grindie and boring fast -again-.
-I get no other new content, no maps no gameplay changes (except abilitiy usage if you really want to count that as game content)
-No bugfixes for old issues like most of the game expansions bring if you buy some expansion (and spend EURos for example)

I personally would like to see some non-grindie content that would take me a couple of days (preferably weeks) as a story forward in Warframe. New areas, new gameplay modes, challenges. That doesn't include only an hour -or two- long story only. That doesn't force me to do hours of grinding and days of research in order to move through the story/content.

I'm asking DE and the user community. Do you feel that comparing the content the platinum price is really on pair with other game prices on the market?

This game is great but Extremly Overpriced. Before it WAS Canadian company what invent cool stuff with combination futuristic and ninja combination so it was special and players was happy they can contribute in new developer. Now? This company is chineese money machine corporation based on stric Rules.
For example: nitain - almost everything need nitain, nitain cant be farmed its only alert reward based on RNG (telurium (pre-nitain grind) rare content it was farmable in archwing anytime we want), Kavat - 10 scans, one scan cost 5 plat so 50 in total (kubrow egg cost 10 p), Void before - one key = 4 players ->recruit channel -> one minute to get full squad -> play, Void now (relic system) - one key = one player + based on void traces (farm needed) + based on random planet in random time. -> Long Time in recruit channel to find same players with same goal -> play
So this game is Changed from Grind to Win (play to get content) to Pre-grind to grind to high change grind to Win (pre-farm necessary stuf to make stuff with better chance to get stuff you want)
So answer is not worth if you now compare content / value of experience. You play this game to make you satisfaction (collector, friend runs, just get new stuff, etc.) but now we are only fashion frame and not more. So its Extremly expensive even with 75% discount. This game is no longer offer Co-op space fighting but its more like Second Life when we showing our stuff to others so they can jealous and vice versa.
Before it was co-op when you will happy with other players what can take practicaly everything they like and Play. Now its better do everything solo or worse forcing you to make separate group of 4 campers with simulor what sit on one place and grind until they are satisfied from visual orgy. Great for newbies, nightmare for veterans

New Mass Effect incoming what give us another space experience and lot of angry players forget this non-coop friendly game and move there.
Maybe after lot of players leave they will notice "there is something wrong! Why everyone leaving?!"
 

[Goodwill]

I think it's fair. Although fair does not always mean cheap or affordable. As for the content, you are better off giving Warframe a break for maybe 3 - 5 years. When you come back, there'll be more content (hopefully) and DE would most likely by then have cheapened or streamlined the progression allowing new players to get to the latest content faster. Many MMOs have done this for better or worse.

[JustSneaky]

On 12/27/2016 at 6:17 PM, Phatose said:

And do you have actual data to show that people who don't currently spend would spend if the prices were lower so often that it would cover the difference between prices?

Like with any other F2P, there is a large contingent of the player base that will never spend money, no matter the price.  Some don't have the money to spend,some won't spend it on a F2P ever on principle.

Actually, Tennobaum is prime example how people react. Even the most penny pincher's go and buy these things, because they are close (not to close..yet) to "normal" price for cosmetic item in video games. I could buy 10k pl+ content monthly, but i won't, because i won't support these "whale" marketing strategy, where developers put wallet warriors in to main customer tab and F2P player in to "red column" on annual spreadsheets named- loss. Many games die to this greed (yes whale marketing strategy is simply put greed without thinking about long term consequences) and this game don't deserve same destiny as others.

Edited December 30, 2016 by JustSneaky

[Goodwill]

1 hour ago, JustSneaky said:

Actually, Tennobaum is prime example how people react. Even the most penny pincher's go and buy these things, because they are close (not to close..yet) to "normal" price for cosmetic item in video games. I could buy 10k pl+ content monthly, but i won't, because i won't support these "whale" marketing strategy, where developers put wallet warriors in to main customer tab and F2P player in to "red column" on annual spreadsheets named- loss. Many games die to this greed (yes whale marketing strategy is simply put greed without thinking about long term consequences) and this game don't deserve same destiny as others.

No, people would most likely buy the skins because they like them. I wouldn't spend even $5 on a skin I don't like, inversely, I would spend $10 on a skin I do like. It has nothing to do with price. And if something is too expensive for you, don't buy it. If you don't like something, don't buy it. If you have no reason to buy it, don't buy it.

[JustSneaky]

58 minutes ago, Goodwill said:

No, people would most likely buy the skins because they like them. I wouldn't spend even $5 on a skin I don't like, inversely, I would spend $10 on a skin I do like. It has nothing to do with price. And if something is too expensive for you, don't buy it. If you don't like something, don't buy it. If you have no reason to buy it, don't buy it.

This is, why OP stated "money value". Of course if i like something i buy it, but there is point where prices simply put you off, no matter how much you like it. Majority (i wouldn't be scared to say overwhelming majority..especially in Europe and east Europe) F2P players won't be spending 15 bucks for new frame weapon etc, because either they don't have enough income or it reach point, where you simply can't justify spending this amount for virtual pixels. Lets take 100% playerbase. 2 maybe 3% of them are your whales, who spend large sums. 98% are typical F2P who buy sometimes something they really like and it's reasonable priced (darvo, tennobaum etc). Now if you thing short term, sure care about your 3% playerbase, but whales come and go. If you keep caring about your whales  and forget on your major playerbase, they will leave. And when this playerbase leave, Whales leave too, because they are not "special" anymore, they are just one of many whales. This is why Heartstone or other successful F2P games come with micro transactions, where 1-2 bucks can get you things you need, thus large amount of playerbase can afford it. This is reason why Freemium games (ergo mobile games) make so much profit. I guarantee, if DE lower their prices, their green numbers will be much bigger in matter of months. I would like to see Chinese monetization system in Warframe, because they are the one who come out with "freemium" prices long time ago.

Also final thought. Why most  people wait on platinum sale? Doesn't this indicate, that standard prices are to high for them? Im sure, if they are satisfied with current payment model, they will buy thing without sale no matter what.

TL:DR More people will buy Nidus for 50pl than for 225 PL=more profit, players happy. Happy players-Players willing to support creators with larger sums. Creators happy-game good-players happy.

Edited December 30, 2016 by JustSneaky

[Goodwill]

1 hour ago, JustSneaky said:

 

Then why doesn't DE lower their prices? You can't say greed, because if they would make more money by lowering prices, seems logical they would, wouldn't it? Problem is I think everyone, myself included are simplifying a problem that we do not understand and probably never will unless DE releases it's analytics which I highly doubt. Even then only a handful of people would be able to interpret it. Whatever DE is doing is working for them so who are we to say otherwise? In any case, pricing concerns is a matter best left to DE.

The grind however for certain items can be a problem but a problem I believe can be addressed outside of the platinum economy/pricing. You can easily talk about it and make valid points without needing to bring up platinum. This is also a topic we as players can discuss as it directly concerns us and how we consume the product.

As an additional note, in retrospect, the price you pay for the skin is quite frankly cheap. $10 I could earn in about 30 minutes for a product that some designer/team would've spent at least an hour on. When you think of the pricing in hindsight, it's actually under priced if you look from a labor perspective. They've already under priced their products so more people would buy it. Prime Access packs on the other hand I will admit are reaching the lines of absurdity. But the skins I believe are fairly priced.

[(XBOX)michiali92]

Hi, I wanted to report a XBOX ONE user who sells platinum in exchange for real money (scam people by obtaining the money).

Gametarg xbox one : AlienAssault

Nickname Skype : slappinhos

Link instagram : https://www.instagram.com/officialrunescapetrading/

I hope to be blocked.

[Tizodd]

The value of money is just an agreement between a seller and a buyer.  Money has different values for different people for different situations.  As long as buyers are willing to pay $100+ for a small part of the game (prime access), [DE] will continue to sell it for that amount and most likely more eventually.

Unless we start speaking with our wallets, [DE] will continue to do their best to make the most profit...they are, after all, a business.

[-N7-Leonhart]

On 12/27/2016 at 5:05 PM, ninjadeboxers said:

At least with platinum we have discounts if we look at prime access it is total BS how expensive it is... I can understand they have to pay their bills and invest in the game but I dont think the price they charge is worth at least with what they have been releasing these days...

They do give the option to get those things for free, right? Even so, if there are people that still buy those things with plat, that means the pricing is not that crazy.

[Zedasfogueiras]

yes, but they official price still crazy, and you cant get the accessories

[Nyaa314]

On 12/27/2016 at 6:03 PM, Whatawaytogo said:

it is one of the very few that are not pay to win

Warframe has unique monetization model of 'pay to not play'. If you buy new frames and weapons you don't get much new things to do, like OP mentioned.

[-Narauko-]

I can't stop laughing, The Division was used to show value for money. Oh god this is too funny. Division wouldn't be value for money if it was free.

Theres very little wrong with warframe or the pay structure for market. Plat is so easy to trade for and with huge discounts that come round every now and then I think you guys are spoilt. DE have done an amazing job and gone about giving this game to the community they way they want it. They still have to make money though, don't want to play the game? spend money...I'm here to play I'll buy the odd prime piece but i farm all frames.

[Zookes]

Think of this. Using such comparisons, you want the content of all new warframes and weapons to be platinum-only and exclusive only to those who have platinum? This is what you are asking, OP.

The game is free to play, pay to not-grind. You seem tho to want pay-to-win, and that is probably not what most users would enjoy from this game.