tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-826986957606858027.post4765304776034988280..comments2023-06-19T10:45:56.724-04:00Comments on Player Versus Developer: The Role of "Optional" in the Item ShopGreen Armadillohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15564045048380177626noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-826986957606858027.post-74145516155673401922010-05-25T16:43:34.384-04:002010-05-25T16:43:34.384-04:00@Stripes: Your numbers are from before the most re...@Stripes: Your numbers are from before the most recent price drops. According to WoWhead, the current numbers for the cheapest available mounts in each speed class (before faction discounts) are:<br /><br />Level 20 (regular ground): 1 Gold<br />Level 40 (epic ground): 10 Gold<br />Level 60 (regular flyer): 50 Gold<br />Level 70 (epic flyer): 100 Gold<br /><br />None of those include the training cost, which is required for the sparkle pony as well (i.e. the level 70 number is moot, someone who can pay for the training isn't even going to notice the gold for the actual mount). <br /><br />Though I'll concede that this is a small in-game benefit to someone who is absolutely set on not buying the stock vendor mounts, I think we can agree that almost no one is basing their decision for or against the Sparklepony on not having to auction a single stack of copper ore to buy the mount to go with the training they still have to pay for. <br /><br />@Magson: The Rhino is somewhat of a substitute once you're level 70+, if you're completing most of the solo quests in the Fens. The early access, not the additional speed, is what makes the Cash Cat remarkable. (I have heard that guild mounts will be getting a speed boost this patch, so maybe buying a ton of status items to sell on a lowbie to buy a guild mount will be a practical alternative for people in high enough level guilds.) <br /><br />On the other hand, the collector's edition of the current expansion also included a 65% speed mount, only I'm pretty sure it was claimable for your entire account instead of one heirloom version (stuck on one server for altoholics). That $30 box, which came with some other stuff too, is sounding like a bargain by hindsight comparison.Green Armadillohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15564045048380177626noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-826986957606858027.post-51781593045445285472010-05-25T14:28:01.813-04:002010-05-25T14:28:01.813-04:00Yep, non-zero but trivial cost. I think 2 gold at...Yep, non-zero but trivial cost. I think 2 gold at level 20, and 1000 gold for the epic flyer. Around 100 or 150 for the slow flyer at 60.<br /><br />Which are all doable at the level, but are bigger then typical costs at level. I think at level 20 two gold costs as much as all your training. Of corse one stack of herbs sold in the AH will pay for it.<br /><br />Like I said non-zero, but trivial. The epic 1000 gold is five days or so of dailies, or maybe 25% of what the quest rewards from 70 to 80 should have left you with (if you didn't spend it leveling trades or buying gems and enchants). That is the closest to a real chunk of gold since it represents a few hours of in game activity....Stripeshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03385396928649617719noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-826986957606858027.post-86623361630133364332010-05-25T01:29:42.957-04:002010-05-25T01:29:42.957-04:00I can get a free 55% Rhino in the Fens really easi...I can get a free 55% Rhino in the Fens really easily once I hit about level 72 or so. Using my racial ability to increase mount speed by 5% and spending 5 AA points for an additional 10% mount speed gives me 70%. Using the new "hide mount" option will make me simply be running that fast all the time out of combat, except in dungeons where I'll run 35% with my Bogstrutter thingie from the Moors.<br /><br />The "Cash Cat" would be 80% overland, and no change in a dungeon.<br /><br />$25.00 for a 10% outdoor runspeed increase? Meh. I do think they look nice in the promo shots, but I'm not even remotely tempted to buy one.Magsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05870589034885773525noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-826986957606858027.post-74346079138178258742010-05-24T22:46:18.059-04:002010-05-24T22:46:18.059-04:00Stripes, the cost of the full speed ground and ini...Stripes, the cost of the full speed ground and initial flying mount were dropped a lot to be mostly trivial (its something like 50-100g). While epic flying remains costly (5000g - 20% rep so 4000g give or take) the others are cheap enough to become incidental now compared to the 500g/1000g for the Paladin and Lock ones.Chrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18415648946567949701noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-826986957606858027.post-88952959511552477342010-05-24T19:54:48.508-04:002010-05-24T19:54:48.508-04:00" WoW's vanity mount is pure vanity"..."<i> WoW's vanity mount is pure vanity</i>"<br /><br />Not quite.<br /><br />If you have a mount already the sparkle pony is pure vanity. It is a free mount at level 20 (you have to pay to train), so that is like 2 gold. I don't know if it is a free fast mount at 40 though. I have been told it is a free flying mount at 60. Again, I don't know if it is a free fast flyer if you pay for the training though.<br /><br />So it is a free medium sized purchase (level appropriate priced) at 20 and 60, and maybe at some other levels as well.<br /><br />In other words, in some situations it is a free non-zero but trivial amount of gold you can save for new toons.<br /><br />Not game breaking. Not even game bending. But measurable without special scientific instruments.Stripeshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03385396928649617719noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-826986957606858027.post-34504163156696444262010-05-24T18:53:27.031-04:002010-05-24T18:53:27.031-04:00I had no idea that the mount gave the same run spe...I had no idea that the mount gave the same run speed buff as something you can't earn until level 80 in game. That seems like it would give a player that buys it a big leg up.<br /><br />I know I'm sounding like a broken record on this, but if the developers of sub based MMOs keep pushing in their current direction (i.e., more and more emphasis on item shops)...I can foresee a future where players will look at the best FtP MMOs and wonder why they should pay for server access in a game of roughly similar quality. <br /><br />We aren't there yet. No FtP MMOs currently offer the amount of content that something like EQ II or WoW does. And less than a handful of FtP MMOs offer the polish of an average modern sub based MMO. But in the long term, I think blurring the line between the FtP and sub-based models risks tilting the economic landscape favor games that offer free clients and free server access.Yeebohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08028940396189544294noreply@blogger.com