KI, I think you should read this thread. Many of your paying members are upset about the amount things cost in the crowns shop. I think you should listen to what they are saying and consider changing a few things.
Here, let me show you something, its the story of many online games:
Phase 1: When a game first comes out, its purpose is to be good (to try to attract many players), so prices are amazing and the company favors player satisfaction over profit (resulting in a much more fun game.)
Phase 2: When a game gets popular, its purpose then becomes to earn the company money, not to be a good game. As a result of this, prices become ridicules, and the company favors profit so much more than player satisfaction that the game starts to become much less fun.
Phase 3: Players start to quite because of what happened before, the game than raised prices to keep up with its shrinking player base, the game will than disappear.
A game is truly good if they can skip phase 2 or recover from phase 3, and KI, wizard101 is at phase 2, so I would recommend some action pretty soon.
Notes: There is an alternate phase 3, but its not a pretty one (for the players.)
Alt. Phase 3: If the game is addicting enough, players will continue playing despite the prices. This shows that the game is terrible (it needs to be addicting to keep its players) and that the company is cruel (they are willing to cause video addiction in kids to get money.)
My worst fear is wizard101 will go into the Alt. Phase 3 , so KI, consider taking some action before its too late (once you lose your players trust and/or loyalty, its hard to get it back.)
EDIT: Fixed the link, now it will lead you to he first page of the thread.
What you have said is so true. And yet many a mmorpg has fell victim to this same thing, just ask Sony about the once mighty Everquest. It is almost as if they want their games to fail. I hope KI learns from their mistakes before it's too late,but their current trends dictate otherwise.
KI, I think you should read this thread. Many of your paying members are upset about the amount things cost in the crowns shop. I think you should listen to what they are saying and consider changing a few things.
Here, let me show you something, its the story of many online games:
Phase 1: When a game first comes out, its purpose is to be good (to try to attract many players), so prices are amazing and the company favors player satisfaction over profit (resulting in a much more fun game.)
Phase 2: When a game gets popular, its purpose then becomes to earn the company money, not to be a good game. As a result of this, prices become ridicules, and the company favors profit so much more than player satisfaction that the game starts to become much less fun.
Phase 3: Players start to quite because of what happened before, the game than raised prices to keep up with its shrinking player base, the game will than disappear.
A game is truly good if they can skip phase 2 or recover from phase 3, and KI, wizard101 is at phase 2, so I would recommend some action pretty soon.
Notes: There is an alternate phase 3, but its not a pretty one (for the players.)
Alt. Phase 3: If the game is addicting enough, players will continue playing despite the prices. This shows that the game is terrible (it needs to be addicting to keep its players) and that the company is cruel (they are willing to cause video addiction in kids to get money.)
My worst fear is wizard101 will go into the Alt. Phase 3 , so KI, consider taking some action before its too late (once you lose your players trust and/or loyalty, its hard to get it back.)
Unless I miss my guess, you are pointing at the new and revised henchmen. For the most part of what I have seen in the crowns shop everything else is pretty much as it has been since CL was added. I have not done an EXTENSIVE look but mostly at some of the things I would like to have and those prices have not changed. The worst change has been the henchmen.
You are right about W101 being addicting. I love the game, but not to the extent that I will pay prices I can't afford and most responsible people won't either if they have a family to support.
When the economy is bad prices will continue to jump, even when Ki is losing players there also gaining players all over the world which keeps the game latched to a thread so thats whats keeping the game alive on my opinion, i totally agree with your statement though.
I quit Wizard101 for about 3 months. Why, because it was getting really boring and the prices were getting to high. Now why am I back now? I am back for the new world and when I get to level 70 I will probably quit again until the next new world. KI does need to lower its prices and keep making new worlds that go with the story line, not the Grizzelheim story line. If KI just does this I will stay on this game forever! This game is a great game just KI needs to fix a few problems to make this game better than ever. P.S I think KI is on Alt. Phase 3
I am not just talking about henchman. I am mostly talking about mega snacks and training point refills. Honestly, these items are so overpriced.
Honestly, any thing in the crowns shop that is crowns vs. time needs to have a HUGE price cut or need to be available for gold; crowns should be solely for exclusive items/ buying areas.
@DavidStrongHunter
A company can turn back from Alt. phase 3 with dedication, the real question is, "Do they want to?"
@Pyrsik
Yes, I really hope KI reads this.
@wutsupdog
This has happened to many games. Wizard101 may be an exception to this rule, but that doesn't mean that the prices are too high.
I am not just talking about henchman. I am mostly talking about mega snacks and training point refills. Honestly, these items are so overpriced.
Honestly, any thing in the crowns shop that is crowns vs. time needs to have a HUGE price cut or need to be available for gold; crowns should be solely for exclusive items/ buying areas.
@DavidStrongHunter
A company can turn back from Alt. phase 3 with dedication, the real question is, "Do they want to?"
@Pyrsik
Yes, I really hope KI reads this.
@wutsupdog
This has happened to many games. Wizard101 may be an exception to this rule, but that doesn't mean that the prices are too high.
-Solstice64
As for the henchmen, I agree. They should be priced according to their level as they have always been.
The mega snacks have always been 2500 crowns. The last I looked, a few days ago, they were still 2500 crowns. Yes it would be nice if they were cheaper, but I don't really think that is going to happen. It has never really been a complaint issue. Actually, this is the first time I remember ever seeing any complaint about the mega snack. Plus a lot of wizards will garden certain plants for them.
Your reference to "training points" I am taking you to mean energy. What we use to train pets and garden. Unless that price has changed recently, it has always been 250 crowns. To my knowledge there has never really been any complaint about it.
If you are referring to the training points that allow you to buy spells for a secondary school, the buy back is progressive. The more of them you use, the higher the cost in crowns to buy them back if you decide to change your secondary. We did try at one point to get KI to give us one FREE buy back on training points, but that is not likely to ever happen. If it ever does, it will be one of the rarest things KI ever does.
As for the elixers or crowns vs time needs, I have used them in the past, but very rare. I prefer to depend on my wizards to accomplish the goals with the abilities they have.
As for crowns being for "exclusive" things and areas, they are. The items in the crowns shop CAN NOT be bought anywhere nor can they be sold except in the shops and you will not get anywhere near what you paid.
A company can turn back from Alt. phase 3 with dedication, the real question is, "Do they want to?"
-Solstice64
Yes they can definitely come back from Alt. Phase 3. And i do have many ideas for them to do so that I will post in The Dorms. But the thing is, I really like this game, but KI has been raising the prices to much so I am not going to buy crowns until these prices go down. I don't want to do this but my parents can't afford to be buying me crowns every week so that I can buy things. It just can't happen. I would definitely buy crowns if the crowns were cheaper but the prices for KI have gone up so much since I joined in the spring of 2010. KI needs to bring everything back to how it was then, with the exception of the new worlds, then it will be the game it was before. I hope KI will listen to us and lower the prices, but until then, all I will pay for this game is the subscription :? . Sorry KI.
As for the henchmen, I agree. They should be priced according to their level as they have always been.
The mega snacks have always been 2500 crowns. The last I looked, a few days ago, they were still 2500 crowns. Yes it would be nice if they were cheaper, but I don't really think that is going to happen. It has never really been a complaint issue. Actually, this is the first time I remember ever seeing any complaint about the mega snack. Plus a lot of wizards will garden certain plants for them.
Your reference to "training points" I am taking you to mean energy. What we use to train pets and garden. Unless that price has changed recently, it has always been 250 crowns. To my knowledge there has never really been any complaint about it.
If you are referring to the training points that allow you to buy spells for a secondary school, the buy back is progressive. The more of them you use, the higher the cost in crowns to buy them back if you decide to change your secondary. We did try at one point to get KI to give us one FREE buy back on training points, but that is not likely to ever happen. If it ever does, it will be one of the rarest things KI ever does.
As for the elixers or crowns vs time needs, I have used them in the past, but very rare. I prefer to depend on my wizards to accomplish the goals with the abilities they have.
As for crowns being for "exclusive" things and areas, they are. The items in the crowns shop CAN NOT be bought anywhere nor can they be sold except in the shops and you will not get anywhere near what you paid.
You will understand what I am talking about when you understand what I mean by crowns vs. time and exclusive items.
Crowns vs. Time is when you spend crowns to shorten the amount time something takes. For example, the only value of mega snacks is to reduce the amount of time it takes to train your pet. Look in the crowns shop for items like this, and you'll see what I mean.
What I mean by "exclusive is hard to describe." These are items like the life force blade. The best way for me to get the point across is by giving you a list of items I agree/disagree with. I just don't want to spend the time on that ATM.
P.S. Even for items like mounts that are "exclusive", the prices are still too high.
A company can turn back from Alt. phase 3 with dedication, the real question is, "Do they want to?"
-Solstice64
Yes they can definitely come back from Alt. Phase 3. And i do have many ideas for them to do so that I will post in The Dorms. But the thing is, I really like this game, but KI has been raising the prices to much so I am not going to buy crowns until these prices go down. I don't want to do this but my parents can't afford to be buying me crowns every week so that I can buy things. It just can't happen. I would definitely buy crowns if the crowns were cheaper but the prices for KI have gone up so much since I joined in the spring of 2010. KI needs to bring everything back to how it was then, with the exception of the new worlds, then it will be the game it was before. I hope KI will listen to us and lower the prices, but until then, all I will pay for this game is the subscription :? . Sorry KI.
I am glad to see a young person that understands their parents work hard for what they have. I applaud you.
The price for crowns though has always been the same. On sale, $60.00 for 60,000 crowns, off sale $80.00 for 60,000 crowns. I just hope they don't raise it.
Most items in the crowns shop have remained at their original crowns price. The only things that have gone up has been on the lvl 50, 60, and 70 henchmen.
As for the henchmen, I agree. They should be priced according to their level as they have always been.
The mega snacks have always been 2500 crowns. The last I looked, a few days ago, they were still 2500 crowns. Yes it would be nice if they were cheaper, but I don't really think that is going to happen. It has never really been a complaint issue. Actually, this is the first time I remember ever seeing any complaint about the mega snack. Plus a lot of wizards will garden certain plants for them.
Your reference to "training points" I am taking you to mean energy. What we use to train pets and garden. Unless that price has changed recently, it has always been 250 crowns. To my knowledge there has never really been any complaint about it.
If you are referring to the training points that allow you to buy spells for a secondary school, the buy back is progressive. The more of them you use, the higher the cost in crowns to buy them back if you decide to change your secondary. We did try at one point to get KI to give us one FREE buy back on training points, but that is not likely to ever happen. If it ever does, it will be one of the rarest things KI ever does.
As for the elixers or crowns vs time needs, I have used them in the past, but very rare. I prefer to depend on my wizards to accomplish the goals with the abilities they have.
As for crowns being for "exclusive" things and areas, they are. The items in the crowns shop CAN NOT be bought anywhere nor can they be sold except in the shops and you will not get anywhere near what you paid.
You will understand what I am talking about when you understand what I mean by crowns vs. time and exclusive items.
Crowns vs. Time is when you spend crowns to shorten the amount time something takes. For example, the only value of mega snacks is to reduce the amount of time it takes to train your pet. Look in the crowns shop for items like this, and you'll see what I mean.
What I mean by "exclusive is hard to describe." These are items like the life force blade. The best way for me to get the point across is by giving you a list of items I agree/disagree with. I just don't want to spend the time on that ATM.
P.S. Even for items like mounts that are "exclusive", the prices are still too high.
I have looked in the crowns shop as of yesterday and do almost everyday. And as I said before, the only real change in prices has been on the top 3 levels of henchmen.
As to the mega snacks, that price has always been constant. Exclusive items have also remained constant and are not likely to change unless KI does a sale on them. My life wizard happens to have the Life Force Blade and if you will look around the Spiral, you will see that many wizards do as well as many other items puchased from the crowns shop.
I have been playing for ALMOST 3 years (will be 3 yrs in Feb) and the only MAJOR crowns issue has been the recent increase for henchmen. As to some of the other crowns items you may be referring to, there are a few that I would gladly pay the price for if I could afford the crowns. But I live on a fixed income that is less than $1550 a month with a 2 yr old grandson and a disable husband. They take priority in my life.
At any rate, the cost of the henchmen is the real issue, as I can occasionally afford to spend and extra $5 to keep enough crowns for henchmen if and When I need them. And you will notice if you really check the forums, that this is the only MAJOR issue regarding the use of crowns.
I have looked in the crowns shop as of yesterday and do almost everyday. And as I said before, the only real change in prices has been on the top 3 levels of henchmen.
As to the mega snacks, that price has always been constant. Exclusive items have also remained constant and are not likely to change unless KI does a sale on them. My life wizard happens to have the Life Force Blade and if you will look around the Spiral, you will see that many wizards do as well as many other items puchased from the crowns shop.
I have been playing for ALMOST 3 years (will be 3 yrs in Feb) and the only MAJOR crowns issue has been the recent increase for henchmen. As to some of the other crowns items you may be referring to, there are a few that I would gladly pay the price for if I could afford the crowns. But I live on a fixed income that is less than $1550 a month with a 2 yr old grandson and a disable husband. They take priority in my life.
At any rate, the cost of the henchmen is the real issue, as I can occasionally afford to spend and extra $5 to keep enough crowns for henchmen if and When I need them. And you will notice if you really check the forums, that this is the only MAJOR issue regarding the use of crowns.
I am not talking about recent changes. I think nearly everything in the crowns shop is over prices. Honestly, some mounts cost around $30, think about what that could buy your in real life? Does that really scale to an online mount? Many items I think are this way, from my perspective, nothing in the crowns shop should be over $10.
A company can turn back from Alt. phase 3 with dedication, the real question is, "Do they want to?"
-Solstice64
Yes they can definitely come back from Alt. Phase 3. And i do have many ideas for them to do so that I will post in The Dorms. But the thing is, I really like this game, but KI has been raising the prices to much so I am not going to buy crowns until these prices go down. I don't want to do this but my parents can't afford to be buying me crowns every week so that I can buy things. It just can't happen. I would definitely buy crowns if the crowns were cheaper but the prices for KI have gone up so much since I joined in the spring of 2010. KI needs to bring everything back to how it was then, with the exception of the new worlds, then it will be the game it was before. I hope KI will listen to us and lower the prices, but until then, all I will pay for this game is the subscription :? . Sorry KI.
I am glad to see a young person that understands their parents work hard for what they have. I applaud you.
The price for crowns though has always been the same. On sale, $60.00 for 60,000 crowns, off sale $80.00 for 60,000 crowns. I just hope they don't raise it.
Most items in the crowns shop have remained at their original crowns price. The only things that have gone up has been on the lvl 50, 60, and 70 henchmen.
I don't mean the crowns itself, I mean the items. I have noticed somethings have changed but not that much. Still I wish they would give you more crowns for the money you pay.
I have looked in the crowns shop as of yesterday and do almost everyday. And as I said before, the only real change in prices has been on the top 3 levels of henchmen.
As to the mega snacks, that price has always been constant. Exclusive items have also remained constant and are not likely to change unless KI does a sale on them. My life wizard happens to have the Life Force Blade and if you will look around the Spiral, you will see that many wizards do as well as many other items puchased from the crowns shop.
I have been playing for ALMOST 3 years (will be 3 yrs in Feb) and the only MAJOR crowns issue has been the recent increase for henchmen. As to some of the other crowns items you may be referring to, there are a few that I would gladly pay the price for if I could afford the crowns. But I live on a fixed income that is less than $1550 a month with a 2 yr old grandson and a disable husband. They take priority in my life.
At any rate, the cost of the henchmen is the real issue, as I can occasionally afford to spend and extra $5 to keep enough crowns for henchmen if and When I need them. And you will notice if you really check the forums, that this is the only MAJOR issue regarding the use of crowns.
I am not talking about recent changes. I think nearly everything in the crowns shop is over prices. Honestly, some mounts cost around $30, think about what that could buy your in real life? Does that really scale to an online mount? Many items I think are this way, from my perspective, nothing in the crowns shop should be over $10.
The prices for most items are for LONG TERM use. If you are not happy with the current price, just wait for it to go on sale. Most do after a while.
As I said before, there are a few things currently in the crowns shop that I would gladly pay the price for if I could afford the crowns. 2 of my wizards do have winged mounts at their homes. ALL 7 of my wizards use the brooms for 2 reasons:
1. If you are not careful, those winged mounts can get you drawn into a battle you don't want.
2. The brooms can be bought with gold.
( I have tried some of the other mounts, but felt like I was on a boat in the middle of the ocean.) No, I don't get sea sick, but it is hard on my eyes to look at my wizard bouncing all the time. No, their prices did not particularly bother me.
My Legendary life has the LIFE house from the crowns shop. And it was purchased with crowns. Since then, they can now be purchased with gold.
I know very well what $30 dollars will do for me in real life. I can put food on my table for 3 days for that amount. And as a responsible adult, no matter how much I would like to have an item from the crowns shop, my family comes first. IF and WHEN I can afford those items, I will get them, but until then, NO.
As long as those prices remain constant or go down, players are going to buy them as long as they or their parents can afford the crowns. If the prices start jumping like they did with the henchmen, players will stop buying them and you will see more posts popping up about it.
