Ive spent $40, hell it may have even been $60.

What would a total of 8 character slots and four, or maybe five extra bank tabs/slots be?

No real money but I got myself 3 extra character slots (2400 gems or €30 worth) by selling gold for gems, so somebody must be buying gems with real money and that all adds to GW2 being a success.

I might go for a bank expansion, but the bag expansion is a luxury I can do without. I got my 3 mains 4 10-slot leather bags each for a total of 60 slots and that works just fine so far.

The gold/gem ratio seems to be going up with more and more people having enough gold to take a look at cash shop extras they might be interested in. So if you have extra gold and you're planning on getting things from the cash shop then it might be a good idea to get those sooner rather than later.

2.8% spent more of 251$ ?!?!?!

omfg trolls or you are so rich there ? :P

Originally posted by loulaki

2.8% spent more of 251$ ?!?!?!

 

omfg trolls or you are so rich there ? :P

It's only money.

I bought my SWG pre cu Jedi account for $500 + a shitload of credits the following years.

It's no big deal tbh.

I'll just post some people in this thread have a terrible understanding of mathematics. Out of the generousness of my heart I'll simply say your calculations and methodology are wrong and anything you infer from them will be fallicious at best. So don't bother.

 There's so many ways it's wrong I can't even be bothered going into it. Snarlingwolf I feel sorry for the eductaion system that produced your understand of mathematics as you have a woeful understanding, of it.

Nothing so far. If the game still feels as fun the next month as it have the first I will buy some gems though to support it, something like 20-25 euro or so.

But that wont be until they actually fixed up the higher level zones. A good game deserves a reward but not until I really consider it to be ready and the higher content do need some work still.

0$

I do not plan to buy anything from the shop with money.

If the game would push me to do so anytime, it would be a good reason for me to stop playing it.

Originally posted by jacklo

 

Data?

Clearly you have no idea about data and how to properly analyse it.

How can you assume the same monthly spend, when all that this data shows is that a small percentage of people bought a one-off item early in the game.

You're accusing him of making an assumption, only to immediately make one yourself, without data to back it up. It doesn't say what those people spent on, it only says that they spent money and roughly how much. It doesn't indicate if they're going to spend more or not, it only indicates that already have.

You're pulling stuff out of thin air and making assumptions just as much as you're accusing Snarlingwolf of doing so.

Moreso, how does this equate to being bad for gamers?

Because the more developers see peole are willing to spend on in-game items, the more in-game items and services they are going to try to sell.  Every item that's sold in a cash shop is something that could have been provided purely in-game, or the game design could be modified so buying those items aren't necessary to begin with.

For example, additional inventory space is completely arbitrary and a blatant cash grab. They could give each and every player the expanded inventory space for the cost of the box price - their system is obviously capable of handling it. But they don't. Why? 'cause they know they can make more money by selling it as a cash shop item, so they'd rather sell it and "monetize their players" a bit more. There is no reason they couldn't give people that additional inventory space from the get-go.

In fact, much of what is sold in cash shops are the very things that one would very reasonably expect to be included in the game in the first place. The developer have simply made the decision to remove them from the game (even though all code, graphics, etc for them is already taking up space on your HD), and then make you buy them as "added content". Extra character slots? They can provide those from day 1. Special objects, different armor looks, etc? Same thing. They're literally removing things from the game, and then "giving players the opportunity" to pay more for them.  And people are eating it up ilke the best thing ever.

It's much more indicative of a trend than it's isn't.  A few years ago, the idea of even a F2P MMO having a cash shop was considered completely unacceptable. Now, a few years on, people are defending games that have a cash shop on top of a box fee+sub. It's exactly as Snarlingwolf says. As time goes on, it becomes "the norm", people become more accepting of it, and developers are able to push and get away with a little more. It works because it's a gradual process, happening slowly enough that no one really notices -  unless they're really paying attention, which many aren't. It took us 3-4 years or so to get where we are now. As the trend continues, what do you expect people will be defending 3-4 years out from now?

Given the trend occurring already in that area, I would put my money on the safe bet that gaming will be more expensive down the road because people are so permissive and passive - even supportive - of the whole "monetization of players" routine going on now. Developers will continue to find ways to shift standard gameplay elements (e.g. inventory space) from being a standard part of the game itself, to being a "premium item" to be bought from the cash shop.

Saddest thing is, people will continue to support and defend it, just like they are now. Sadder still, for many the defense of it will have nothing to do with their acceptance or understanding of what they're defending. It'll have everything to do with them doing the "fanboy" thing, where they feel they have to defend the game against any and all criticism.

It will certainly save me some cash because I have no intention of spending on vanity items or things I can get in-game anyway - as seems to be the case with most people who have replied here.

Because you are not everyone and your spending habits and preferences do not reflect everyone's spending habits and preferences. People have talked about spending over $200 in their first 2 weeks on this game on cash shop items. Others haven't spent that much, but have certainly spent enough to buy a game box at least 2 or 3 times.  You have to take everyone into consideration, not just what you do or don't do.

I hope Arenanet do make more money from the cash shop to support their game and business, but at least it will come from those who can afford it and choose to go that route.

Originally posted by jacklo

Originally posted by SnarlingWolf

Originally posted by jacklo

Originally posted by SnarlingWolf

 

 

So with a normal subscription MMO you'd have brought in $3120 from these people. If you assume best case scenario and they've all just subbed up for month 2 at $15 it would be $3900.

 

 

With GW2 model and this poll and assuming dead center in each choice as the average spent and assuming $300 for the 251+ you end up with: ~$4340 or 1.4x as much money spent over if 100% of the people subbing for a second month in a sub based game.

 

Yes B2P as the future sounds great for gamers...

Seems almost everyone who purchased, bought bag/bank space. Those are really a one-off and I can't see the same spend occuring month after month.

You make some poorly based assumptions.

None of the assumptions are the least bit poorly based. To assume that a company which makes money off a store won't continue to come up with things for people to spend money on would be the poor assumption.

 

Given how many people I saw running around in game with the ridiculous sunglasses and boxing gloves, I would also say people aren't just spending money on bag/bank space.

 

You'll also notice in my assumption I helped the B2P model by assuming a 100% continue to play rate which raises how much the subscription type of game costs. In reality you at best end up with a 50% rate on the first month if not lower which further increases the cost difference between the two models.

 

But be that guy who just says anything anyone says is just wrong if it is at all critical of the game they love.

I don't mind being critical, there's plenty I don't like about GW2.

To jump in and make assumptions based on a poll with only 50 or so votes, seems a bit premature.

My argument still stands and it doesn't matter whether it's GW2 or not, you're talking about the whole B2P model.

The vast majority have spent nothing, some chose to make things easier by buying something they may see as essential, in this case bank and bag space.

If a gamer has disposable income he wants to dispose of to increase his enjoyment, how is that bad for gamers?

It doesn't lessen my enjoyment of the game.

So be that guy who in the absence of a reasonable argument, stoops to the safety zone of calling me a fanboy.

One can argue that people who don't want to leech from other people, would enjoy themselves less if they didn't pay a certain sum in the item mall. Because, that's what F2P and B2P with item mall expect: they expect a few people to pay more so that a lot of people can pay less, i.e. a few people pay so that other can leech. It is though consensual leeching, but still leeching.

$59 for the game.
2g 40s for 600 gem to expand my bank.