"We are listening to the community"...

[Taimaru]

Yes, prices goes up and down all the time. It doesn't matter whether I pay real cash or Arx.

However, it doesn't take much brain power to convert Arx prices to real cash and therefore be able to make a decision as to whether that paint job is really worth it or not. Also if I do like the paint job but only in one colour I can save money by only buying that one colour.

If that isn't enough, the huge amount of time I play Elite will give me some Arx for free which reduces the amount of real cash I need to spend.

 

[Alien]

Wrong.

It is impossible to publish a game on the console platforms without that game being available for "game sharing".

Buy a console, then we can talk.

That was not the point being asked (I think I started this one, so I apologise.)
What was being asked was: Why can't Frontier allow PC players to have multiple commanders considering they allow console players to have multiple commanders?
As you say, they have to do it for console players. So why not do it for PC players as well? Where's the parity there?

 

[Ian Skippy]

I think it is good we can theoretically earn them in-game, but not good with how it's being implemented (seriously, I must have said this exact thing several times by now).
Yes Frontier have to make profits, and yes it's OK to sell cosmetic stuff. What is wrong with the system in place for PC users currently? You can even buy them in-game.

No-one has posted on this forum to explain why a virtual currency is needed, wanted or justified. Yet many are quick to jump on me and others for simply saying we don't like this system.

If you would re-read this topic carefully, you will find that these questions have been answered. Multiple times. But fine, I'll make a final attempt: if you are going to earn a way to earn things in the store, you either earn a real currency, or a virtual currency. A real currency is what Project Entropia does, and means you get paid real money for playing the game. Obviously they don't want to go bankrupt by having people playing their game, so tons of stuff cost real money too. It is a fascinating concept, but it would not be fun in ED. The only two alternatives to a real currency is a virtual currency or no currency. No currency means you dont get to earn stuff. So you end up with a virtual currency.

So, again: What is wrong with the current system is that I dont get to earn anything in-game. You need a currency of sorts. That can be either real or virtual. Real currency is problematic, so you go for virtual. Is it possible to implement a virtual currency in a way that has drawbacks? Yes. Do we have any info on that either way? No.

tl;dr going for a virtual currency is objectively good for everyone. It can be implemented in a way that is bad. We dont know stuff about that yet, so we should wait till we have something concrete to complain about.

 

[Deleted member 110222]

That was not the poitn being asked (I think I started this one, so I apologise.)
What was being asked was: Why can't Frontier allow PC players to have multiple commanders considering they allow console players to have multiple commanders.
As you say, they have to do it for console players. So why not do it for PC players as well? Where's the parity there?

Because console doesn't get multiple saves per account. They get multiple accounts that each have access to the game license.

Life ain't fair mate. Deal with it.

PC players have literally everything else going for them. Voice Attack, VR, use any joystick you bloody well please, better quality graphics, higher fps, higher resolution, free multiplayer, alt-tab for those who like Discord, multiple monitors for Inara during play...

Grow up.

 

[Alien]

If you would re-read this topic carefully, you will find that these questions have been answered. Multiple times. But fine, I'll make a final attempt: if you are going to earn a way to earn things in the store, you either earn a real currency, or a virtual currency. A real currency is what Project Entropia does, and means you get paid real money for playing the game. Obviously they don't want to go bankrupt by having people playing their game, so tons of stuff cost real money too. It is a fascinating concept, but it would not be fun in ED. The only two alternatives to a real currency is a virtual currency or no currency. No currency means you dont get to earn stuff. So you end up with a virtual currency.

So, again: What is wrong with the current system is that I dont get to earn anything in-game. You need a currency of sorts. That can be either real or virtual. Real currency is problematic, so you go for virtual. Is it possible to implement a virtual currency in a way that has drawbacks? Yes. Do we have any info on that either way? No.

tl;dr going for a virtual currency is objectively good for everyone. It can be implemented in a way that is bad. We dont know stuff about that yet, so we should wait till we have something concrete to complain about.

OK, Ill concede that you did explain that if Frontier want to allow us to earn paintjobs in-game then it needs a virtual currency. I accept that you can't use credits as that would open up gold farming, something Frontier have worked very hard to prevent. So that's needed explained.

Justified and wanted.

 

[Alien]

Because console doesn't get multiple saves per account. They get multiple accounts that each have access to the game license.

Life ain't fair mate. Deal with it.

PC players have literally everything else going for them. Voice Attack, VR, use any joystick you bloody well please, better quality graphics, higher fps, higher resolution, free multiplayer, alt-tab for those who like Discord, multiple monitors for Inara during play...

Grow up.

Ah ok, I understand that a little better.
And you are wrong about the "use any joystick" etc .... I have an XBox steering wheel I could plug into an XBox or plug into my PC. If a compatible wheel exists, then so could a HOTAS joystick and other items.

And don't tell me to grow up. Who the hell do you think you are? You're an idiot sitting at a desk behind a keyboard, as am I. You have no right to tell me to grow up. I'd accept the same reaction from you if I told you to grow up.

 

[Deleted member 110222]

Ah ok, I understand that a little better.
And you are wrong about the "use any joystick" etc .... I have an XBox steering wheel I could plug into an XBox or plug into my PC. If a compatible wheel exists, then so could a HOTAS joystick and other items.

And don't tell me to grow up. Who the hell do you think you are? You're an idiot sitting at a desk behind a keyboard, as am I. You have no right to tell me to grow up. I'd accept the same reaction from you if I told you to grow up.

*expect

And I stand by my words. You're throwing your toys out of the pram.

 

[Tanith Low]

No-one has posted on this forum to explain why a virtual currency is needed, wanted or justified. Yet many are quick to jump on me and others for simply saying we don't like this system.

You can't have a system that lets you earn real money in game. If you do that, you legally have to be able to "withdraw" that money, instead of using it to buy paint jobs. Unless they want to pay people for playing the game, they can't do that.

They also can't just have you buy the items for credits unless they want to either
a. Do away with the storefront entirely (bad business for them) or
b. Make credits an item you can buy for real money (something they have said they will never do, thank God)

So they have created an additional currency, which you can both earn in the game, and buy for money if you so wish.

That is why it is needed and justified. It really is better than the original system

It's not going to save you money. It's not going to be cheaper. That's not how business works.

The price of crude oil goes up and down all the time, yet strangely, petrol stations (Gas stations for you 'Mericans) never lower the price.
Do you really think Frontier are going to make cosmetic items cheaper for you?

Now I don't know how this will affect the price of cosmetics - none of us do. However, your analogy is very bad. Over the last 4 years, the price of petrol at the station near my house has fluctuated between £1.05/L and £1.49/L and is currently £1.25/L.

Might paint jobs be more expensive? Very possibly. But the fact that you don't have to buy the currency (you can earn it in the game) and the fact that you can buy individual cosmetics rather than packs, should hopefully mitigate this.

However, since the items are entirely cosmetic, if you aren't happy with the new system you will never be required to use it. Although even then you will be able to get the odd paint job for free, just by playing the game.

 

[Alien]

*expect

And I stand by my words. You're throwing your toys out of the pram.

No. I was responding in a polite, civilised manner until some condescending nobody told me to grow up.

EDIT and I meant ACCEPT .... as in, I'd ACCEPT a warning from the forum moderation team for the way I reacted to you telling me to grow up. So be an adult and ACCEPT my reaction to you.

 

[Jenner]

Drop the personal attacks or warnings will be issued along with thread-bans. Don't care who started it, but it needs to stop.

 

[Old Duck]

SWTOR - As far as I am aware, only available by buying with real cash.
STO - When I last played it, you could earn them in-game without buying them, but the system was so hard to do and slow most didn't bother
Minecraft Bedrock Edition - You can't earn coins by playing, only by buying them. You can however now buy items with real cash or with coins bought for cash.

Overwatch - rewards loot boxes for gameplay, also allows allows you to buy them, at least that used to be the case. I've never spent a dime on loot boxes (which unlocks cosmetics), and yet I've got lots of cool 'skins'. The reward of a loot box is based on how well you play per match, so you actually have to put some effort in if you want to earn more in a given period of time. Of course Overwatch doesn't allow AFK...

Now if Frontier were to completely mimic Overwatch then they'll have some of the best cosmetics locked behind a pay wall or a mandatory "Watch Will play ED for 24 hours straight" system, LOL. Needless to say I don't own any of these particular cosmetics!

ps - I do think the pink Mercy skin was a good idea (buy a really nice skin and proceeds go to breast cancer research).

 

[Urbanski101]

Actually you could earn ship skins and cosmetics by unlocking things...no need for a new currency.

For instance, you logged 1000 hrs in game "congratulations you earned the total waste of life ship lights and decal"

Or if you're disconnected more than 5 times in one session "congratulations you earned the fist through the monitor bobble thing"

Or you've just transported your 5 millionth tonne of biowaste "congratulations you earned the steaming pile of ship skin"

These "rewards" can be tied to some those wonderfully compelling gameplay mechanics ED is famous for....everyone's a winner

 

[Dutchman141]

Can you answer this question: do you think it is good or bad that we will be able to earn stuff from the store in-game?

Good, but only if you have the discipline of keeping your hand on your wallet and be very patient.
Those Arx coins won't be coming at you in an avalanche, rather just enough to stimulate you in buying those couple Arx you're short of getting that shiny new paint.
It's for a reason you can only get those Arx coins by playing the game, there's so far we now know no other way to accumulate them, no tasks, missions or other activities with Arx coins as rewards.
This way Fdev has complete controll over how many Arx coins you gain without the risk of people grinding for them, resulting in a greater unwanted number of free store items.

Also the new feature of being able to change/buy store items in the main menu might look as a real convenience to us, imho it's just a way to get people outside the bubble to buy the latest stuff before they've lost their interest by the time they get back to the bubble.

Frontier is strategically trying to raise their profits with these new features, nothing wrong with that because they're in it for the money, it's a business not a non profit organization.
Just don't look upon this as a charity move, it's not.

Some parts can be convenient for us too like being able to buy a single paint from a pack, keep in mind though that you're probably gonna pay more for a single paint then when buying it in a pack but that's only logical.

 

[dxm55]

So let me get this straight....

FDev are introducing a 'new' currency to buy the cosmetics that one may or may not buy depending on one's attitude to cosmetics. As yet they have not informed us how this currency may be purchased, but it is implied to be along the same principle as those on consoles are currently enjoying.

At the same time we have been told that, actually, we will have no need to purchase this 'currency' with real money as we may earn it, in-game, just by playing... and this is causing complaints?

FDev "Here, have this, it's free - you've earned it!"
Player "I'm not spending my money on that!"

The console players have had no option previously to not spend an odd amount to purchase that which PC players could just buy from the store, at least in the future we all will have to option to play and collect 'currency', for free, is that so bad? (Yes, I hear the arguments of how much for playing?)

Something for nothing but 'just playing' is surely better than 'always costs'?

As I mentioned, if ARX had been introduced from the start, no one can complain because that's the way the store works.
As it is for console players.

But PC players have had the option to specifically purchase what they wanted at a direct cash value from the get go.
Switching this to a stored value card system with fixed purchase amount will only result in excess ARX (and extra money spent) to get the same items that would have otherwise be gotten in cash.

For eg. I want that 3.00 pack. But ARX only comes in minimum 5.00 purchases.
I now have an extra 2.00 worth of ARX that I can't use because the cheapest stuff is at 3.00

I either lose it, or top up more ARX with more cash just to blow it all away. It usually ends up in a deficit for me.


So for PC players, ARX is seen as nothing more than an extra unnecessary layer, and a potential money sink, all added in at a later stage in the game's life, to their detriment. Console players don't have a choice. They had it this way from the start. Boo hoo hoo.

 

[babelfisch]

Overwatch - rewards loot boxes for gameplay, also allows allows you to buy them, at least that used to be the case. I've never spent a dime on loot boxes (which unlocks cosmetics), and yet I've got lots of cool 'skins'. The reward of a loot box is based on how well you play per match, so you actually have to put some effort in if you want to earn more in a given period of time. Of course Overwatch doesn't allow AFK...

Now if Frontier were to completely mimic Overwatch then they'll have some of the best cosmetics locked behind a pay wall or a mandatory "Watch Will play ED for 24 hours straight" system, LOL. Needless to say I don't own any of these particular cosmetics!

ps - I do think the pink Mercy skin was a good idea (buy a really nice skin and proceeds go to breast cancer research).

If they introduce loot boxes I'm gone.

 

[babelfisch]

Good, but only if you have the discipline of keeping your hand on your wallet and be very patient.
Those Arx coins won't be coming at you in an avalanche, rather just enough to stimulate you in buying those couple Arx you're short of getting that shiny new paint.
It's for a reason you can only get those Arx coins by playing the game, there's so far we now know no other way to accumulate them, no tasks, missions or other activities with Arx coins as rewards.
This way Fdev has complete controll over how many Arx coins you gain without the risk of people grinding for them, resulting in a greater unwanted number of free store items.

Also the new feature of being able to change/buy store items in the main menu might look as a real convenience to us, imho it's just a way to get people outside the bubble to buy the latest stuff before they've lost their interest by the time they get back to the bubble.

Frontier is strategically trying to raise their profits with these new features, nothing wrong with that because they're in it for the money, it's a business not a non profit organization.
Just don't look upon this as a charity move, it's not.

Some parts can be convenient for us too like being able to buy a single paint from a pack, keep in mind though that you're probably gonna pay more for a single paint then when buying it in a pack but that's only logical.

I believe everyone knows that it's not a charity organization and they need to make profits (in the end we profit from their profits...).
It's just not the most evil thing they could do.

If they would add lootboxes and purchasable shield boosts or damage modifiers I would sharpen my pitchfork.

 

[Kzak]

If they would add lootboxes and purchasable shield boosts or damage modifiers I would sharpen my pitchfork.

That would be introducing P2W (Pay to Win) which FDev have many, many times said they will not do.

 

[babelfisch]

That would be introducing P2W (Pay to Win) which FDev have many, many times said they will not do.

Exactly. So they certainly aren't as greedy as some people want to make them look.

 

[lokvette]

Ive never even heard off fronter points, but then I play on pc and have not brought anything from the store in a long time. So I wont be worring about any of this amyway.

Somthing about all this just feels cheap.

 

[Saool]

Nothing to do with me as I am the soul purveyor of the all exclusive Flimley points (TM)

Flimley

Ah, not so. I have 2 Flimley points, earned when saying 'I am Flimley' on threads before you did.

I also have '1,345,700 DNA points' (they are not worth much), and 777 '777 points' .