moved

Kevin_of_Devinshire

Hell no!

Prof_Bawbag

frausty wrote: »

Personally these "ZOS is ripping me off", "you're wasting your money" and "money grabbing" threads are getting on my wick. No one at ZOS or anywhere else forces you to even consider buying anything from the crown store. You can have the basic game for next to nothing and play to your hearts content - or you can spend £40 on CoD, enjoy 3 hours of single player content and then get teenagers telling you what they are going to do to your mother when attempting to have a decent online experience.

If you want to buy anything then you shouldn't have to be judged for it just because others either can't afford it or think it is a waste of money. I drive a tiny little Ford and my neighbour has a McLaren supercar. He doesn't judge me and I don't judge him because it's our lives. He chooses to spend his money on cars, I spend mine elsewhere - on both concert tickets and stuff in the ESO Crown Store plus anything else that I choose.

Everyone is entitled to their constructive opinions but please don't judge others for how they choose to enjoy the game. And remember, without people paying for stuff in the Crown store, or buying upgrades/DLC, the chances are we would never get any new developments such as the upcoming Dragon Bones patch.

The house I bought is the one near Vvardenfell and I bought it furnished because I can't be bothered decorating it. It was bought purely because it fits the lore of my main character, I like the location, and I wanted somewhere to put the training dummies that I also purchased. All of which I did with my own money so what should it matter to anyone else. As it happened I bought it with the half price crowns that I purchased during the sale so it cost less than it normally would but I would probably have purchased it anyway. I also intend to buy houses for other alliance characters as I level them, again because that is what I want to do in the game and it's my money - and spending my money doesn't affect anyone else in game - although my missus has her own opinions

If we're splitting hairs, I say it does affect us all. It helps drives prices up. It encourages devs to give less and less content in games if they know they can make more selling parts here and there. In fact, it's safe to say it was people paying anything for any old piece of junk that gave birth to the Crown Crates. Next time out we'll be paying for difficulty sliders and sound adjusting options. That won't be a problem though as no one will be forcing us to pay for things that used to be a given in games.

If there's one thing I've learned from playing ESO (my first ever MMO), it's knowing the devs have no qualms turning up the notch with every passing implementation to see how far they can milk the regulars.

To think, people still rip Bethesda a new one over the horse armour dlc. That now positively looks the bargain of the century compared to what junk people buy in MMO's.

I'd even begin to see the arguments if we were seeing noticeable improvements within the core game itself. For example, Cyrodiil is still a monumental mess at times, so again, it's safe to say next to none of the cash goes on game improvements that are made via the CS. It's all put into those ever increasing hefty profits we see Zenimax Media (not to be confused with ZoS) posting each and every year. This game is obviously still funded via subs and dlc sales as things are still the same.

ktdotexe

[deleted]

Minyassa

Kevin_of_Devinshire wrote: »

Hell no!

LOL!!

DarcyMardin

I didn’t buy it, but I would seriously consider doing so if it was offered again. Peaceful ocean waves. Sunshine! So many of the other homes are too dark for me.

But yes, we need more than the 700 item limit for a place as large as this.

Mefromnorway

i still love it and its fun to do different decoraitons. its expensive but worth it, i buy it with decor, and i added many new items and many different crat table styles. give me motivations to do craft quest

drkfrontiers

A great deal of time, effort, and passion went into the creation of that collection of assets.

$135 is a pittance when you actually look at the development time and the quality of work of the designers, coders, etc that when into the creation of it.

xenowarrior92eb17_ESO

No, I never buy homes so I can never regret! LOGIC WINS!

Chaos2088

18,800 crowns is the equivalent of about $135

All I can think of....is that's alot of money!.....that i can buy snacks with...

phairdon

drkfrontiers wrote: »

A great deal of time, effort, and passion went into the creation of that collection of assets.

$135 is a pittance when you actually look at the development time and the quality of work of the designers, coders, etc that when into the creation of it.

Basing prices on the above theory, the base game should be worth at least, I dunno....$1000.

PawadoTheFearless

I have no problem spending money in the crown store when I want or need something. However when they came out with the Housing idea I thought it was a complete waste of time. Who cares? It has no intrinsic value to the game. It's a sinkhole. I'm sure I will get pushback on this but it is my personal opinion. Certainly I believe there are better ways of spending your money, for instance, buys like the banker and merchant which were wonderful additons to your characters playtime. I will almost always pay for convenience. Vanity items, not so much. Having said that, I do appreciate that this game is not a pay to play game. It equates to everyone starting out with equal play and morphs to your personal ability to play the game. (Kinda like Nascar....your vehicle is basically the same but the driver is what creates the win.) Crown crates are fun to purchase occasionally just to see what you get but are not a "must have" for me. I will usually buy the large set when a new one is released just for fun but wont continue to buy time after time trying for a certain item.

Robo_Hobo

Personally I'm more content with smaller houses, but I'm definitely happy it's there for people who like the more luxurious things.

I say buy what you like. If you still allocate enough for food and bills, using the spending money you have set aside is worth it for anything that makes you happy, whether that's books, concerts, restaurants, games, or in-game cosmetics, or whatever.

LadyAstrum

I don't care that people buy inflated prices on large houses, but I do care if the people buying them are indirectly encouraging ZoS to not design small to medium houses, because the money men know the bigger the more profit they can make. And I'm not against profit, but it's a concern if only big-ticket buyers are the only ones being catered to.

That said, I hope those that purchased it have had a lot of fun and value out of the house. Value for money is often subjective.

MornaBaine

drkfrontiers wrote: »

A great deal of time, effort, and passion went into the creation of that collection of assets.

$135 is a pittance when you actually look at the development time and the quality of work of the designers, coders, etc that when into the creation of it.

I have to disagree. There are no original assets in any of the houses. Each and every one is just a copy of a building that already exists in the game. Then they just plunk down trees and rocks, etc that ALSO already exist. Lighting remains a nightmare for no good reason. The buildings you go into in the game are well lit using only a modicum of lights. Housing requires a vast expenditure (and eats your precious few item slots) just so you aren't stumbling around in the dark most of the time. Housing is probably actually "done" by bored interns...which would also explain why we get towers you can't get into, walls that obscure views, balcony areas that are completely inaccessible, etc. Housing is pretty, to be sure. Because the game world is pretty. But beyond that? Nothing special is going on here. And certainly no artistic passion.

PawadoTheFearless

Kali_Despoine wrote: »

I can easily go to some other place in Tamrial and just say hey I'm squatting here now so this is my home as well.

Ha! Love this idea.

frausty

If we're splitting hairs, I say it does affect us all. It helps drives prices up. It encourages devs to give less and less content in games if they know they can make more selling parts here and there. In fact, it's safe to say it was people paying anything for any old piece of junk that gave birth to the Crown Crates. Next time out we'll be paying for difficulty sliders and sound adjusting options. That won't be a problem though as no one will be forcing us to pay for things that used to be a given in games.

If there's one thing I've learned from playing ESO (my first ever MMO), it's knowing the devs have no qualms turning up the notch with every passing implementation to see how far they can milk the regulars.

To think, people still rip Bethesda a new one over the horse armour dlc. That now positively looks the bargain of the century compared to what junk people buy in MMO's.

I'd even begin to see the arguments if we were seeing noticeable improvements within the core game itself. For example, Cyrodiil is still a monumental mess at times, so again, it's safe to say next to none of the cash goes on game improvements that are made via the CS. It's all put into those ever increasing hefty profits we see Zenimax Media (not to be confused with ZoS) posting each and every year. This game is obviously still funded via subs and dlc sales as things are still the same.

I have to disagree with you. All of the Crown Store items are optional and do not affect the core game. And the developers have nothing to do with what is charged in game for anything. That is the sales and marketing teams, (if we are splitting hairs). The developers get a bad rap on here where it is not always correctly targeted.

The issues with lag are most likely a hardware issue which isn't that simple to fix, ( I design cloud systems for one of the top 3 IT companies in the world so I have some experience here). If it isn't hardware then it is likely a base code issue which again isn't easy to fix but I would seriously doubt that they are not trying to work on it and get it resolved. The existing support teams don't need extra cash for this as they are already salaried. If it is a serious hardware issue then you would potentially need significantly more cash than the Crown Store generates.

As for profits, if you actually look at the profit and loss statements for the last two years you will again see your logic is slightly flawed. In 2016 they recorded £8million less profit than in 2015, (the 2017 accounts aren't available yet) - again something which is often cited on here but is incorrect. Regardless of what you think of Zenimax they are still business and have to make a profit - and these are significant I agree.

My original point still stands though. Anyone that wants to buy anything from the Crown store shouldn't be judged for doing so. It's their money and they can spend it on whatever they want and it doesn't impact anyone else as no one else has to buy anything - it's a choice.

Ch4mpTW

DarcyMardin wrote: »

I didn’t buy it, but I would seriously consider doing so if it was offered again. Peaceful ocean waves. Sunshine! So many of the other homes are too dark for me.

But yes, we need more than the 700 item limit for a place as large as this.

Definitely worth the price, if you’re into well-lit and overall scenic atmospheres. Out of all of the houses ever listed (both limited and non-limited), Grand Topal Hideaway has the best views and overall lighting. I don’t know if it’s because of how the sunlight hits the trees a certain way, or that beautiful reflection from the water. But, it definitely has the best views. Especially at sunset.

PS4_ZeColmeia

So I bought the house and let me tell you, worth every cent. I've been a ESO+ member since PS4 launch, I originally thought this would be nice for the aesthetics. As I've gotten more crafting stations, and they've added more service items, the expanse of the house is perfect for not cramping things in hallways. I've done PvP training with guildies on the beach. The separate huts give me different location for different things.

After seeing various friend's gold or crown purchased items, this remains the best designed house for just about any reason you can pick.

You can complain about the price, but you're forgetting that the people that but these things are actually subsidizing your free play and the low price of the games and addons. If it wasn't for those of us bring these things, you'd be paying much higher prices for the game and be required to subscribe.

I'll continue to be happy with my purchase and hope they add more items that let me eventually live like a hermit on my island. Please give me a writ board and turn in station!

Ch4mpTW

PS4_ZeColmeia wrote: »

So I bought the house and let me tell you, worth every cent. I've been a ESO+ member since PS4 launch, I originally thought this would be nice for the aesthetics. As I've gotten more crafting stations, and they've added more service items, the expanse of the house is perfect for not cramping things in hallways. I've done PvP training with guildies on the beach. The separate huts give me different location for different things.

After seeing various friend's gold or crown purchased items, this remains the best designed house for just about any reason you can pick.

You can complain about the price, but you're forgetting that the people that but these things are actually subsidizing your free play and the low price of the games and addons. If it wasn't for those of us bring these things, you'd be paying much higher prices for the game and be required to subscribe.

I'll continue to be happy with my purchase and hope they add more items that let me eventually live like a hermit on my island. Please give me a writ board and turn in station!

Agreed. All this residence needs is the ability for us to collect writs there, as well as a means to feed/level our mounts. And it will pretty much have everything you could possibly need and or want. Oh, and the ability to ride mounts there. That place is far too big to be moving about on foot everywhere.

Sweetpea704

I got the island as a birthday gift. It sat undecorated for months because I just lacked the funds and inspiration to deal with it. Recently, I joined a guild that has housing design contests. I made a "Spa" design on the Island and I must say, it turned out really neat. I actually managed to place in the contest, it turned out so cool. Unfortunately, I've reached my item limit. I will, therefore, think twice about buying any more large properties until they increase the item limit. You can't do large properties justice with only 700 items. What people in our guild basically do is block off large parts of big properties and do designs on half of the property. Some folks just do a design on the outside and block off the entire house. I would say that ZOS would have to DOUBLE the item count to get me to even consider buying another property as big as Grand Topal Hideaway.

Sweetpea704

ThePrinceOfBargains wrote: »

I still laugh when I think about grown men and women actually wasting $135 on a virtual island.

There was a Crown Sale right before they released it, so I didn't spend nearly that much. Just saying. Also, this is my hobby. Show me a hobby people don't blow money on.

Universe

No, I don't regret buying Grand Topal Hideaway.
It serves as my primary residence and I enjoy every minute while I'm inside

This home will probably return to the crown store one day, nothing is really one time offer when it comes to the Crown Store.

kjones0996

The amount of ESO players that come here to complain about the way that other people spend their money is absurd. ZOS is a business. All of these offers go towards making the game bigger and better. You’re like a bunch of welfare and Medicaid recipients. You’re complaining about a tax that you don’t have to pay that directly benefits you. If I had a lot of money, I’d buy every single cosmetic item in the place. It’s none of your business and nobody should be vilified by the community bc they are pouring money into it.

BomblePants

Funny.... I thought I’d be really into housing but have still not got myself one, seems like too much of a money sink. Grand Topal Hideaway looks ok.... but what’d you do there...

Wifeaggro13

Dapper Dinosaur wrote: »

I still to this day don't understand why Zenimax thinks a simple in-game location, regardless of what it looks like or how big it is, is worth the cost of literally more than two fully-developed major xbox titles.

This thing should have been completely boycotted, but as usual we have just enough rich people with no concept of wasting giving Zenimax enough purchases to keep getting away with this crap.

its also why the content of this game is so rudimentary

Balamoor

I regret nothing I have purchased many such homes I enjoy them as does my guild....that's the whole point, of course I never had a issue with buyers remorse.

I do wish we could gift Homes to friends though I have folks I play with who I would really like help get them their virtual dream home.

Balamoor

ThePrinceOfBargains wrote: »

I still laugh when I think about grown men and women actually wasting $135 on a virtual island.

I laugh about folks who spend time on gaming forums criticizing others, when they could actually be giving back to the world.

Inarre

I dont regret not buying it. The decor item cap is too small in the larger houses. I even struggle in the medium house I bought, and that's with the eso+ expansion

kamimark

I'm very happy to have it, it's great to have a vast wild, mostly flat area to decorate and keep resources in, it's very relaxing — I like ocean white noise and views.

It's not entirely functional, though. I'd like the invisiwalls to be further up the mountain, so I can make better overlook sites. The furnishing cap is much too low to build the Dwemer cave area I want down the beach, and also have my sauna, museum hut, house, crafting areas, and such. If ZOS increases the cap by another 50%, and makes some better building block items for walls and floors, I can get back to work on it.

Several other crown houses are interesting. The Telvanni tower looks great, and I love the teleporter, but it's much too cramped. The Orc pinnacle is vast and cold and lonely, but the floors are difficult to work with, so everything has to go on platforms which cut into furnishing cap. The Clockwork City one looks amazing, but I'd feel compelled to only make CC furnishings for it.

But the price was fine for the entertainment time, if I do that once a year I'm perfectly fine with it. I've spent more on less interesting or permanent things.

Bax

DoctorESO wrote: »

18,800 crowns is the equivalent of about $135.

Not really. Island was announced way before it was available and between its announcement and release there was also crown sale. I remember I got a lot of crowns at that time and I was seriously considering purchasing it, but when I tried it inside it didn't look that impressive as I thought it would be so I decided to keep the crowns and spend on something else.

Not even mentioning that some people gathered several thousands of crowns through subscription. Which might bring the price you mention a bit more down. So in total it costed about $50-70. Not really that much. Yes, still a lot for some, but it was optional cosmetic item. If it was too much for you, nobody forced you to purchase it. If you liked it, well it's your money.

Maybe the better question would be: why are you jealous of people who spent money on it? Because question you asked in your post seems more like a reaction of very jealous kid rather than concerned adult.