I suspect it was more of an ego thing that prevented them from admitting that they were wrong.
I never said that we shouldn’t have second thoughts about race-changing a character. And I know that a class trial to test out a race-class combo. can be very beneficial. It’s just that, sometimes, playing a certain character can become stale. I’ve not felt that way about the vast majority of my characters, but every now and then…
I think that both should be free, since we pay for the expansion and a sub. If the sub fee went away, I’d have less qualms about a charge for cosmetic changes. But, again, microtransactions should be exactly that: micro. A $25 fee isn’t a microtransaction, in my book.
True, no one’s forced into paying $25 for a race change; but requiring $25 for a cosmetic change in a game with a sub fee?
I don’t see how a fee ought apply to what amounts to a cosmetic change–in a game that allows some rather extreme changes at the barbershop, these days.
I rarely use them, too, and also wouldn’t like paying more for them in a sub fee; again, I see no reason why any fee would be necessary on Blizz’s part for such a cosmetic change.
Any item bought in an online game shouldn’t exceed a few dollars when you pay for the expansions and a sub. It’s true that the price gouge irks me, but this isn’t solely a case of, “Muh, feelings!” I strongly suspect that Blizz doesn’t really need to charge $25 for a race (cosmetic) change in order to recoup any costs, etc.–especially since a sex change now is free in the barbershop, but I’m pretty sure it once cost $25, as well.
If you provide a service, you should be compensated. It may have been quick for you, but to design, set-up and execute that service took a lot of man-hours I imagine. You’re paying for their work, that’s valid enough.
You can both reroll for free or buy a race chnage with in-game gold. Being mad about it costing money seems slightly absurd because there was a time where it wasnt possible period.
My assumption/understanding of this is that overhead for something like WoW which while has a lot of subscribers has more developmental overhead than other games that might cut corners. I also play FFXIV; immense investment is put into the raid tiers and the story. But despite being ‘supported on Mac’ there is basically no support outside the Wineskin package they put over it, there is no automatic item restore system, there is no m+ or seasonal dungeon tier’s despite both subs costing around the same.
However they appear to compensate for this by having services be very cheap so much so that people will buy multiple ‘fantasias’ (potions to change gender, appearance and race at the same time) to mess around with.
Seems to be a common method of extra options in modern MMOs from my experience. If you want to change up your race or other features you would pay a fee. I could see where it could be free with a cooldown such as when you recover a deleted character. I personally don’t mind the fee, I also don’t have an issue with sticking to one race or name as I play my character. I get though everyone’s milage varies on that point.
I’d say that the cost of each expansion and sub should pay for their work. And, again, a sex change has been made free, when it once cost $25, as well. (Apparently, Blizz decided that it no longer requires that particular fee. )
I don’t disagree and I’m irked, not mad. And, yes, I know that no one’s FORCING anyone to pay for a race change; I still argue that a fee for it shouldn’t exist.
I’d argue–in a nice way, mind you ()–that Blizz has been cutting corners for quite a few years now, despite charging more for expansions and not reducing the sub fee. After all, we, the players, have become their beta testers.
I won’t deny that many people, who care about racials/ PvP/ etc., likely would do so. That never would be my motivation, but I see how that would be a very lopsided issue in various ways.
Cash shop items have a direct in game gold cost as well. They have race change set to mildly prohibitively expensive to race change because they would prefer you level new races. It helps them in several ways when the players play alts. Keeps leveling queues spicy, entices you into participating in the economy with multiple gear sets, etc.
Blizzard barely do anything with the cash shop because people complain about it endlessly when they add stuff even if it makes sense. I would be happy if they added quite a lot more services. Why we have to buy XP all in one big bundle for $60? They really could do better with a more granular item, but the forum would be on fire with “greedy blizz doing horrible p2w” if they gave us XP potions, even though they basically already charge more for what most MMOs ask for that.
Hopefully, that never will be the case. Still, I’ve heard it alleged that some people have been kicked from a pug because of a player’s chosen race. (Not because it’s bad, but because some people didn’t want a Vulpera char playing with them, etc.)
Some of us already play quite a few alts. It’s just that, once in a blue moon, it can strike a person that playing as a certain race no longer is enjoyable and a change would be preferable to rerolling yet another race of that class. (Case in point: I’d made a LFD hunter and liked playing her reasonably well; one day, I realized that her cockeyed way of holding a bow bothered me and I couldn’t unsee it. I wound up deleting her, rather than pay for the race change, which I’d call “prohibitively expensive,” all things considered.
I still don’t see how a fee is necessary for a race change, when no other appearance change–and, now, not even a sex change–costs real-world money. But “highway robbery” is an accurate term for this particular change, IMO.
)–that Blizz has been cutting corners for quite a few years now, despite charging more for expansions and not reducing the sub fee. After all, we, the players, have become their beta testers. 