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Steam and the Whiterun Wolfhound were great ideas (literally).
SG_Celerrimus
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Alright, lemme just construct a fort real quick for..... no particular reason 
:
Alright, so, Steam and the Whiterun Wolfhound were great ideas and perhaps the best thing ZOS could have done, and here is why.
ESO going to Steam has brought a wave of new players into ESO, and this can be seen in the starting towns, leveling zones, and generally most places in game. What this means is there will be more people in ESO to socialize with, quest with, interact with, PvP/PvE with, and just basically do all sorts of MMO things with.
This can be noted by, like I said, looking at new towns, but also looking to Cyrodiil. Now, before Steam and what not, if it was say 7:00 PM EST and you went to PvP, usually the most active server would really only be Wabbajack. Now, looking at the PvP campaign list, both Wabbajack and Dawnbreaker are more or less full, and when I tried to queue for Wabbajack I had a queue of about 60. So, more people = yay.
Now, for the thing no one wants to talk about, or the thing that people want to argue about... the wolfhound.
What the wolfhound did in this situation was it brought people even closer to wanting to play ESO since no one can deny that exclusive stuff is awesome. So, it increased ZOS's money gain even more, since not only are people buying the standard copy, as we see above with the population increase, but people are also spending more money for the Imperial Edition for all the perks and a dog. So yay, more people, more money to ZOS, ESO is less of a ghost town, wonderful!
BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE!
What does more money to ZOS mean? "Oh yea, ZOS just wants more money because greedy blah blah" -_-... NO, thats not at all what that means! What that does mean, however, is that ZOS is funded. Now, lets look at Quakecon real quick. They dropped TONS of sweet juicy... omg I just want to roll around in it info about upcoming features for ESO. Now, stuff like that costs money... lots of money. So, without money, we get no features, no updates, nothing. Since ZOS is getting money from Steam, subscription payments, the whiterun wolfhound, and all that other wonderful stuff, they now have the money to fuel and develop those amazing new features and shiny new stuff we want.
____________________________________________________________________________
TL:DR because who needs reading, amiright?
ESO now has many more subscribers, is more active, more people to do stuff with.
Cyrodiil is more active, proof of the above.
Wolfhound gave more incentive for people to buy the game and play it, and lead to the above two.
Because of the above 3, ZOS is now funded and has money, which means they have money to spend on new features (stuff the revealed at Quakecon).
*hides in fortress*
Edited by SG_Celerrimus on July 20, 2014 4:40AM :Alright, so, Steam and the Whiterun Wolfhound were great ideas and perhaps the best thing ZOS could have done, and here is why.
ESO going to Steam has brought a wave of new players into ESO, and this can be seen in the starting towns, leveling zones, and generally most places in game. What this means is there will be more people in ESO to socialize with, quest with, interact with, PvP/PvE with, and just basically do all sorts of MMO things with.
This can be noted by, like I said, looking at new towns, but also looking to Cyrodiil. Now, before Steam and what not, if it was say 7:00 PM EST and you went to PvP, usually the most active server would really only be Wabbajack. Now, looking at the PvP campaign list, both Wabbajack and Dawnbreaker are more or less full, and when I tried to queue for Wabbajack I had a queue of about 60. So, more people = yay.
Now, for the thing no one wants to talk about, or the thing that people want to argue about... the wolfhound.
What the wolfhound did in this situation was it brought people even closer to wanting to play ESO since no one can deny that exclusive stuff is awesome. So, it increased ZOS's money gain even more, since not only are people buying the standard copy, as we see above with the population increase, but people are also spending more money for the Imperial Edition for all the perks and a dog. So yay, more people, more money to ZOS, ESO is less of a ghost town, wonderful!
BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE!
What does more money to ZOS mean? "Oh yea, ZOS just wants more money because greedy blah blah" -_-... NO, thats not at all what that means! What that does mean, however, is that ZOS is funded. Now, lets look at Quakecon real quick. They dropped TONS of sweet juicy... omg I just want to roll around in it info about upcoming features for ESO. Now, stuff like that costs money... lots of money. So, without money, we get no features, no updates, nothing. Since ZOS is getting money from Steam, subscription payments, the whiterun wolfhound, and all that other wonderful stuff, they now have the money to fuel and develop those amazing new features and shiny new stuff we want.
____________________________________________________________________________
TL:DR because who needs reading, amiright?
ESO now has many more subscribers, is more active, more people to do stuff with.
Cyrodiil is more active, proof of the above.
Wolfhound gave more incentive for people to buy the game and play it, and lead to the above two.
Because of the above 3, ZOS is now funded and has money, which means they have money to spend on new features (stuff the revealed at Quakecon).
*hides in fortress*
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SG_Celerrimus✭✭✭✭✭
✭Yes, exclusive things make people feel bad sometimes and makes people jealous, and as a wise man once told me "When people get in the way of gamers and shiny things.... someone go'n die", the exclusive whiterun wolfhound was actually a good thing in this instance. -
Nox_Aeterna✭✭✭✭✭
✭To you maybe , to me it was an idiotic move.
If i thought being a loyal customer and staying subbed was worthy it , i dont now.
Clearly not only they wont give anything for it , they decided to lock us out of things by giving exclusively to new players heh :P.
So yeah , maybe they pleased new people , but you bet they also pissed the current players for it.
To put it down on simple words , i dont pay 15$ a month to crap like this to happen."Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity."
-Hanlon's razor -
arkansas_ESO✭✭✭✭✭
✭The wolfhound was a bad idea because it rewarded new players with an exclusive pet that current subscribers can't get, making current subscribers feel as if they had been 'forgotten'. Usually, games reward you for being there since the beginning with vanity items, not for coming in late.
If they had given out the brown 'Riften Wolfhound' to all current subscribers on the same day they released ESO on Steam, this entire issue could have been mostly avoided. Sure, some people will still complain that they want the white one in particular, but these people would be too few for it to really matter.ＦＯＲＵＭＰＬＡＲ
Grand Overlord 25/8/17 -
Dagoth_Rac✭✭✭✭✭
✭✭1). Encourages more people to join the game?
2). Provides revenue to fund new content for everybody?
3). Purely cosmetic item that does not give better stats or gear?
Sounds good to me. They could give away an exclusive purple ferret to players who buy the game on Mondays at 7:19pm for all I care. -
Nox_Aeterna wrote: »To you maybe , to me it was an idiotic move.
If i thought being a loyal customer and staying subbed was worthy it , i dont now.
Clearly not only they wont give anything for it , they decided to lock us out of things by giving exclusively to new players heh :P.
So yeah , maybe they pleased new people , but you bet they also pissed the current players for it.
To put it down on simple words , i dont pay 15$ a month to crap like this to happen.Dagoth_Rac wrote: »1). Encourages more people to join the game?
2). Provides revenue to fund new content for everybody?
3). Purely cosmetic item that does not give better stats or gear?
Sounds good to me. They could give away an exclusive purple ferret to players who buy the game on Mondays at 7:19pm for all I care.
Trust me, that would not end well based on what we just saw over the dog. -
Wolfshead✭✭✭✭arkansas_ESO wrote: »The wolfhound was a bad idea because it rewarded new players with an exclusive pet that current subscribers can't get, making current subscribers feel as if they had been 'forgotten'. Usually, games reward you for being there since the beginning with vanity items, not for coming in late.
If they had given out the brown 'Riften Wolfhound' to all current subscribers on the same day they released ESO on Steam, this entire issue could have been mostly avoided. Sure, some people will still complain that they want the white one in particular, but these people would be too few for it to really matter.
Can't agree more with you why should people get exclusive pet when it is we the veteran that have been here from day 1 stand by ZoS when people have been whine like crap about who bad this game it is we that have support ZoS not the new player beside if a new player update to Imperial Edition or even buy from start the game same pet and mount as we have + the get exclusive pet that is FUBAR ZoSIf you find yourself alone, riding in green fields with the sun on your face, do not be troubled; for you are in Elysium, and you're already deadWhat we do in life, echoes in eternity -
Shennynerd✭✭✭Yeah! ZOS has totally forgotten the people that have been here from the start! We never get anything cool like free treasure maps for every zone, our own exclusive pet, or the ability to put any race in any alliance!Rose - AD - Khajiit Nightblade
Modest Argonian Maid - EP - Argonian Sorceror
Man Shen - AD - Altmer Templar
Largesse - DC - Dunmer Dragon Knight
Which-Way-To-The-Beach - AD - Argonian Sorceror -
Mr.Turtlesworth✭✭✭✭It's a great move. I just want them to release another dog for other people. Which they are doing. Now it would be nice if they released when it will happen and how to get it!I r robot
hear me roar -
SFBryan18✭✭✭✭✭
✭They slashed the price to gain some players who didn't care enough about ESO to get it before. Of course you will see a large number of new players now, but will they stay? Time will tell. As for the dog, that was just a huge middle finger to the current customers who asked for one. They not only slashed the price for the new customers, but they could have offered some kind of gimmick without stepping over their current customers. They give an exclusive monkey to beta testers, and then give the rest of us a crab. And when they finally add something we actually want, it's only for new players. It's not so much about the dog, as it's about the messages they send us. We have been supporting this game, so where's our cool pet? -
Leafmint✭✭There is nothing wrong with the Steam 'incentive'.
The business practice is a very old one: "If you open an account today we'll throw in a toaster."
The dog has nothing to do with the core service. It is fluff. Nothing more, nothing less.
If Steam players got something that affected gameplay or gave them an advantage there would be reason to complain.
To put it another way by way of example.
Say they run a special: 10% off if you subscribe today.
That is more "real" than a "thneed" (translation: vanity pet)
Very few people would complain about that.
"Wanting" is a very strong emotion. But it is not necessarily a reasonable one.
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SFBryan18✭✭✭✭✭
✭"If you open an account today we'll throw in a toaster."
The difference is, anyone can go buy a toaster. The dog is not available for purchase, and neither is anything similar. Imagine the outrage if it had been a cloak, or access to a beauty shop, or maybe even a personal house. Things that the real fans ask for which are not yet available and can not be purchased given to people who didn't care enough to buy the game before.
This just in: All new subscribers get a pet Tiger, an Imperial cloak, the ability to change character appearance anytime, a new house, and the game for a third of the original price! And guess what, no one else can buy this stuff! Trolololol!!!
But what about your current players? ZoS: "*** 'em."Edited by SFBryan18 on July 20, 2014 6:17AM -
Leafmint✭✭The difference is, anyone can go buy a toaster. The dog is not available for purchase, and neither is anything similar.
Ok. "We'll throw in a toaster with the logo of the bank on the side."
You cannot buy that toaster either. But it is still just fluff.
As to buying something similar: It is candy coated "nothing". Apart from a warm fuzzy feeling it has no purpose or meaning.
And if they did have it in store I would rather spend my money on an ice-cream with toppings. Will make me a lot happier than a pixelated nothing. And it tastes good too.
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SFBryan18✭✭✭✭✭
✭The difference is, anyone can go buy a toaster. The dog is not available for purchase, and neither is anything similar.
Ok. "We'll throw in a toaster with the logo of the bank on the side."
You cannot buy that toaster either. But it is still just fluff.
As to buying something similar: It is candy coated "nothing". Apart from a warm fuzzy feeling it has no purpose or meaning.
And if they did have it in store I would rather spend my money on an ice-cream with toppings. Will make me a lot happier than a pixelated nothing. And it tastes good too.
Just because something has no value to you, doesn't mean you speak for all of humanity. Get over yourself.Edited by SFBryan18 on July 20, 2014 6:19AM -
SFBryan18✭✭✭✭✭
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It has a little roleplay value, but it is the principal of the matter. Like I edited above, what if it had been a house?Edited by SFBryan18 on July 20, 2014 6:27AM -
SFBryan18✭✭✭✭✭
✭Today it's a dog, tomorrow it will be a house. Down the road, new players will get exclusive XP boosts and viable stamina builds. Everyone else will just have to accept that businesses don't need to care... You know, because WoW did it and they always write all the rules. Eventually, the game will go F2P, but only for new players. Derp.Edited by SFBryan18 on July 20, 2014 6:35AM -
Miflett✭✭✭
To say that one feature means more than another to an individual in a game where everything is built from the same stuff. A pet might actually be just as important as another feature to a particular individual, however rare it might actually be. I'm sure as heck not going to go around telling people what's important to them; people enjoy different parts is all I'm trying to say.
People have a lot of opinions on class balance, pvp, and all sorts of things, I'm only guessing some fewer people have opinions on pets and the like as well.
Edited by Miflett on July 20, 2014 6:35AM -
Leafmint✭✭@Miflett
Fair enough.
Enjoyment is different for different people.
What I had in mind when posting was 'functional' value. A lot of arguments revolve around what you are entitled to for your subscription. In terms of game functionality set Steam user does not get more than I do.
You (and the previous poster) have indicated that it may have an 'intangible' value. I would not presume to debate you on that point.
I will take issue with your use of the word hypocritical. But on balance you have hit the upper third of your pyramid. Kudos
Edited by Leafmint on July 20, 2014 6:51AM -
Miflett✭✭✭@Leafmint
Thank you very much for seeing the argument I was trying to make and giving it the time. I see your point, too. I guess it comes down to the balance at which people enjoy functionality and something more abstract.
It's nearing 3AM here, so I will gander off to bed, lest I make assy one-liners, lol.Edited by Miflett on July 20, 2014 7:03AM -
arkansas_ESO✭✭✭✭✭
✭Shennynerd wrote: »Yeah! ZOS has totally forgotten the people that have been here from the start! We never get anything cool like free treasure maps for every zone, our own exclusive pet, or the ability to put any race in any alliance!
A lot of retailers are still selling ESO with the Explorer's Pack, and some are selling the Explorer's Pack outright for a dollar or two. New players that want these bonuses can still acquire them.
As for the Imgakin, good point. However, you need to consider two things:- Most people are used to not having access to certain vanity items due to being a late adopter. It's a common thing to see that cool pet and go, "Wow, I wished I would've played in the beta. I could've had that." Rewarding players who jumped in late with vanity items, however, isn't as common, which is probably why it's a tough pill to swallow for so many.
- It's a monkey, while the wolfhound is a dog. One has more mainstream appeal than the other, which is why so many people freaked out about Steam users getting a dog, so much so that some people actually bought a copy of the IE on Steam just to try and get the pet on their account.
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Grand Overlord 25/8/17 -
Phantax✭✭✭✭✭
✭Yeah it was a great move... if you like screwing over the thousands of players that have been loyal to this game from the start !High Elf Sorcerer VR12 - Destro / Resto Staff
I'm a werewolf. If you vamps don't like it.... Bite me !
We're not retreating... we're advancing in a different direction ! -
Crisscross✭✭✭Dagoth_Rac wrote: »2). Provides revenue to fund new content for everybody?
They would've gotten more revenue if they put it on the cash shop too though.
I really fail to see what the downside would've been if they just did that in the first place. I don't think any new steam buyer cares if the new dog they got is exclusive, it's still a deal offered at a great discount. It would've literally been win-win...
Honestly what they did was a sub-par idea at best. -
SgtPepperUK✭✭✭I've said elsewhere on these boards, I don't have a problem with ZOS making money. What concerns me, in a climate where the subscription model is fighting to justify itself, is that they did not take their current subscribers into account when the decision was made.
If they'd simply given the new pet to existing subscribers all of this could have been avoided.
It appears that the people who bought off Steam because of the pet were largely people who actually already owned the game and were looking to add it to their existing account (and I hope something can be done about that, though I'm aware Steam's refund policy is pretty poor so I sadly doubt it).
I don't think anyone else purchasing the game for the first time from Steam would have refrained from doing if existing players had also been given the dog.
You know what, sometimes it's the small things that count. A small gesture from ZOS in the form of extending the dog to existing subscribers could have gone a long way.
Yes, there are some bigger issues with the game right now but when customers feel valued they will often give companies a bit more slack and have a little more trust that the company will sort out these issues.
Instead, we now have a situation where a lot of subscribers are, today, that bit more wary. -
Crica✭✭it happens all the time - its a promotion - lots of places that you "sub" to, IE, sams club, cable companies, etc, do it all the time - they offer things to NEW ppl who "sub" that existing ppl who are "subbing" are not offered - my mom got time warner cable for a different price then i pay, etc...its what companies do - its called "fishing" - im a carp, and they used carp bait to get me, my mom is a flounder, and they used flounder bait to get her, etc...
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