[MegaThread] Ideas to solve the Money Cap issue

They currently cost more than $2000.

• Equipment Interface II....$2625
• Equipment Interface III...$3675
• Equipment Interface IV....$4095
• Equipment Interface V.....$5240
• Equipment Interface VI....$11320
• Catalyst IV...$2050 & 125 MOT
• Catalyst V....$2220 & 625 MOT
• Catalyst VI...$5880 & 1 MOF
• Soder Cola Enhancer V....$2220
• Soder Cola Enhancer VI...$5880
• Device Toolkit III...$3675

Giving the option to pay marks plus cash less than $2000 would provide premium players with a way to acquire the above goods by spending more time playing. As I said, most players would rather invest money than time in the above items, so they would go Legendary if they had the option to pay higher cash costs without marks than lower cash costs with marks.

Of course I know that vender components don’t drop in instances but how does having them do so directly solve the issues with the cash cap???

Again, if the issue is the cash cap then having all items individual cost fall within the Premium cash cap solves this issue throughout the game.

If he problem is that people don’t want to spend cash on vender components then that is another issue altogether.

Oh and sodas have always been one of the rewards one gets from completing instances, the introduction of Turbos was just a long overdue update as the sodas that had been dropping were miserably underpowered.

Plus, I would hope that someone who’s purchasing Escrow access doing so more to play the AH rather or for the in-game quality of life improvement rather than purchasing items that should have access to as an owner of the corresponding content.

I'd rather pay $15 for another game that offers the same entertainment value plus many bonuses that this game requires Marketplace purchases to obtain. I'm currently Legendary, and I will be Legendary from time to time for the convenience for R&D (whether they implement my plan or not), but I do not feel this game gives me a fair shake in terms of value for my dollar. If they changed some things for premium and free players, I'd be more inclined to stay Legendary, not less inclined.

ok by me. but tbo there was only one game-series that gave me the same or better entertainment an that was ff vii, ff x and ffx-2... sure, there are great games out there like god of war, dantes inferno, metal gear solid - but if i compare the time they entertain me dcuo still wins for me...

Are you even reading what I’m writing?!!

I’m saying that NONE of these items should cost more than the PREMIUM cash cap in the first place!!!

There’s NO POINT in having an escalating cost for Interfaces, Enhancers, etc. and that goes DOUBLE for Catalyst, especially when factoring in their secondary mark cost.

Since the Premium cap is $2,000, no item should ever be more than that amount regardless of whether or not there’s a secondary mark cost.

Now while having items near or at the Premium cash cap may cause a hassle for them, they still have access to these items without having to subscribe or purchase Escrow access, and there are PLENTY or workarounds for those who might need to make multiple purchases at the same time.

In the end, having Interfaces, Catalyst, Enhancers, etc. with a standardize cost will NOT negatively impact Legendary subscribers and all Premium players would have to do is sell an item already in their inventory back to the vender or go farm some cash real quick.

Either of which seem to be a better alternative than having items cost marks or having to sub or purchase Escrow access.

Oh I agree, this game is very entertaining. However, there came a point for me where I had to decide whether entertainment was more important to me or whether avoiding the feeling of being taken advantage of was more important to me. The restrictions on free to play and premium players to acquire goods (primarily premiums who have bought DLCs and cannot benefit from all aspects of those DLCs) are just a small layer within many that make me feel the marketing in this game needs some work. I'd be happy to list others if you are interested. :-}

Of course I am reading what you are writing; I just happen to disagree with you. If items were too easy to obtain, and at $2000 or less they most certainly are, there is less incentive for players to go Legendary. It doesn't affect Legendary players if the cost is lowered, and I do agree with you there, but it does affect whether players would make the leap to Legendary if there are less reasons to do so. It hurts the profit margin to marginalize costs for Premium players.

Raising the Premium cash cap would also not work because it would still make it too convenient for Premiums to obtain r&d components from vendors. Right now, a lot of the Legendary draw is due to those costs, so there needs to be a time sink for Premiums to choose whether time or money is more important to their gaming experience.

If an item is in the VENDER, it’s supposed to be EASY to obtain!!! …and again, you need MORE than just the vender components to make items in this game.

And if you’re only subbing because you can’t afford items for a DLC you’ve purchased then that’s a problem!!!

In the end, if one of your subbing selling points is that I can buy an item for $2,001 then you need to revisit your subbing benefits.

Again, while you may disagree with me, your problem seems to be less with the money cap and more with the fact that you don’t want to have to buy these items.

And if that is the case, then fine but don’t argue that the game’s cap “issues” can be solved by having people either be able to pay cash or marks.

It doesn't. A problem the cash cap causes is that a Premium player can earn a plan to build a mod and an farm every component they need to build the mod (the hard way, as I like to call it) except for one final component which requires the player to either pay real life money or trade with a player who has paid with real life money.

The proposed solution resolves that particular problem. Which doesn't damage the integrity of Legendary's unlimited cash perk or the Escrow pass. It resolves one problem which is a common complaint of the cash cap. There are no losers. Only winners.

I like the idea of a flat $2k cost for all vendor components. I like it a lot. However, I feel as though Premium players should have to work but still be able to work for their stuff. The luxury for Legendary players should be access to vendor components via in-game cash. Where as a Premium player should have to farm ALL of their components if they want to build the plans they've earned.

Bottom line is that it isn't tempting to buy an escrow token or subscribe to buy R&D components. At all. Why would you? Why would you when the developers don't out-right restrict players? The game wouldn't collapse if this idea was introduced.

No integrity to any product is lost.It would be lost if we couldn't trade components, but we can and nobody is buying regular Escrow tokens to buy R&D components to build mods. They're trading or getting their friends to do it for them. This idea at least removes the feeling that the devs have put up and unfair pay wall and you're paying for convenience if you want faster access to your mods because farming takes too long, than having no alternative but to buy access to your cash or trade a ridiculous amount of items for cheap, simple vendor components.

Also, I've had Soder Cola Turbos drop for me from trash mobs in the new raids. Don't know if it's a glitch or not, but it's happening.

Finally, this addresses one of the causes of the complaints and is a solution to resolving one of the complaints as well as maintaining the cash cap. Much like a flat fee for all components doesn't address the armour repair issue. Which is why I suggested also allowing Premiums to repair their gear using Escrow, too.

Ideally, though, the best solution is to raise the cap on a per DLC purchased basis because:

1) The player has to pay to increase it.
2) The increase would resolve armour repair cost issues.
3) The increase would allow Premiums to buy their own components which is fair if the content they've bought drops plans.
4) An increase to the cash cap allows premiums to sell items at a higher price, making for faster Escrow building which will encourage more people to pay to access it if they have a lot. Think along the lines of $120m for a Nimbus Aura on broker and a Premium sitting with $150m in Escrow due to all the selling they've done. Easy sale of an Escrow right there.

But the idea of vendor components dropping in instances and Premiums being able to repair with Escrow money are beyond fair compromises if the cash cap won't be raised.

No, I am fine with having to pay money for items. I just think that should be the convenience factor since cash is so easy to accumulate in this game. The cap issues are a problem, and you and I both keep touching on it, but you fail to realize that your solution is too easy.

The cash cap limits the goods that a player can acquire through normal gameplay. We seem to agree on that. Items should cost cash for Legendary players and cash + marks for Premium players. Legendary players can accumulate cash very quickly and easily, so it is convenient for them to pay whatever amount is listed. Premium players can also accumulate cash very quickly, though not quite as easily, so raising the cap or lowering the costs are essentially the same thing.

In order for a free to play or small transaction plan to provide profits similar to subscription, there has to be a point where the player decides whether time or money is more important to invest in the game. If something is easily obtained in a short amount of time either way, there is no real reason to spend money to make it more convenient.

Nobody is going Legendary for R&D vendor components. I can assure you that 100%. It's also no easier than one of your Premium buddies saying "Seth, can you get me an EI6 mate? cheers" either. It makes absolutely no difference and has absolutely no affect on a persons incentive to subscribe.

Why would you go Legendary and pay at least $120 a year to buy a few Equipment Interface 6's or whatever? No logic behind that reasoning whatsoever. People are Legendary because it offers complete access to the game in 1 easy to buy package and grants many perks including free Replay badges/Marketplace currency, Early access to DLCs, Marketplace Legends earned via in-game currency, Unlimited cash, more characters, bank slots and everything else. Plus if you're on PC, you're subbing for the All-Access Pass and Test Server access. Not Equipment Interface 6's or Soder Coler Enhancer 6's.

I don't understand why repair doesn't pull directly from escrow if you don't have the cash on hand. It totally gates play if you have major repairs.

and I'm yet to meet a Premium player who said "oh damn, sorry guys my gear is broken, I will just buy an Escrow pass to repair" either. It's usually "give me soders so I can repair".

So you too believe r&d components that are currently required to be bought through the vendor could all cost less than $2000 without hurting Legendary subscriptions? Curious... Maybe they should just do that then. ;-}

Definitely.

If I was a hardcore PC gamer and my main wasn't trapped on EUPS, I'd never unsubscribe from the all-access pass, ever. That offer is unbelievable. I tried it one month thinking I'd maximise my time on DCUO, but I spent more time on Planetside 2 than anything else. If H1Z1 lives up to the hype and becomes part of the package (which I believe it is) then that's another huge reason to subscribe.

Regarding the Playstation side of things, I'd like to think that once PS2 and H1Z1 launch on PS4, Playstation members will be able to enjoy the benefits of membership access to all 3 of those games. If that happened and I could play H1Z1 well enough on a controller, then I'd never cancel my subscription even if I stopped playing DCUO all together.

As it stands right now, I've been a subscriber since January. I took advantage of that offer and I pay less to SOE than they give me back in monthly grants. On top of that I don't need to buy Escrow or DLCs and new Legends characters are mine if I want to earn them. I have plenty of reasons to subscribe and not a single one of them involves R&D vendor components or repairs, because neither entice me to subscribe and neither are hard pay walls that can't be worked around. They are failing as pay walls and should be removed because they damage the reputation of the game. Good F2P games entice players into spending money. They don't force them to or make the player feel as though they have to. It's a dated tactic.

First, the main issue most Premium players have expressed with the cash cap is the fact that there are items in content they’ve purchased access to that cost more than the money they’re afforded.

Second, “hard” is relative and this is why I’ve taken it out of the equation. If a person is able to “work hard” to gather the appropriate materials from running content/farming, why should the last piece be out of their price range???

Third, my idea isn’t for a flat rate of $2,000, I’m saying that no item in the vender should cast MORE than $2,000!!! If Enhancers I thru VI cost $750 a piece, I wouldn’t care.

Fourth, there is no integrity to the Escrow product to begin with and again, if you’re using it to purchase R&D materials then you’re wasting your time.

Fifth, again soders have dropped as rewards from content since the beginning of this game, the fact that newer content drops Turbos is nothing more than the game finally upscaling the soder rewards to match the content, so it is a non-factor in our discussion.

Sixth, THERE IS NO ARMOR REPAIR issue as no one item’s repair cost will ever be more than the cap and you simply do what people have been doing!!!

Lastly, if you simply want the cash cap to be raised with the purchase of DLCs, then say that but I’ve given you several solutions that benefit both F2P, Premium and subscribers across the game while fixing the cash cap issue.

Agree 100% with this statement. Since DCUO is the only game I play with my subscription, I'm finding less reason to do so due to the marketing choices. There are other games out there that give their customers a better plan for the same cost.

Your post reads like a rebuttal yet it basically echos my beliefs too. I am not your enemy here. So I don't know why we are debating the same side of the argument.

In fact, I said I'd support your idea.

My idea dates back to a time before the devs would even consider changing the price of anything because nothing except components were priced over the $2k limit. Then the whole DLC10 gear thing happened and things changed. So it's definitely a viable solution to the problem.

Oh and there are armour repair issues. No player should have to carry items that aren't meant to be used as currency holders in order to afford repairs. It's nonsense. A player-inspired work around is not a viable solution. Back when I was Premium, you had 5 deaths and you couldn't repair your gear without selling things. 5 deaths was nothing in Nexus and Paradox when they first came out. I imagine it's much more now as the item level of each piece is almost 10 above what it was back then.

While I see that we’ve entered “agree to disagree” territory.

I’ll just say that I doubt many subscribers’ breaking point will be the fact that it’s easier for Premium players to purchase items from venders.

And since more goes into creating items than simply buying components from the venders, how hard they did or didn’t work to be able to will not be of pressing concern.

I actually both agree with you and disagree. I think it's odd that there are limitations on purchases for items that players need to progress. The DLC purchases should be the only real limitation to progression.

If they are going to impose limitations and are not willing to change that, a plan that still makes those items accessible via time spent would be a good middle ground. That is the majority of what I was trying to say.