Unfair Research/Riding Skills Times In Game vs Crown Store

Sabre · June 4

I recently went to transmute something and realized my crafter had not researched Triune for the necklace (I wanted to transmute to triune). I was able to acquire a Triune necklace to research, and hustled to a jewelry station to do the research. The research for Triune (the last trait I needed to research) was 60 days. The realization came upon me that I needed to put skill points into jewelry research. Maxing out Lapidary Research cut the time to 30 days.

These times are obscene the way this system is setup. One cannot spend in game gold to speed up research, but for 5000 crowns (roughly $40) I can buy a Grand Jewelry Crafting Research which will reduce the time by 15 days.

One can increase bag space in game by going to the bag merchant, and with ever increasing costs for in game gold, increase bag space on any character. The same kind of function in game should exist for research, riding skill, etc. etc. The fact that one cannot spend in game gold to increase these things in the same way one can increase bag space, but the crown store sells such things for real cash...just simply doesn't seem fair.

Like the bag merchant who has increasing costs but not increasing time, would be a better way to handle riding upgrades and research, and possibly other in game functions. If you have the in game gold, then you should be able to get things done. These long wait times, with no in game ability to reduce them for in game gold; while the crown store demands cash to speed things up is obscene, and borders on unfair and manipulative trade practice.

Gadamlub14_ESO · June 4

these mechanics are intended to encourage you to spend money yes.

UrQuan · June 4

They give these away like candy in the daily login rewards:

Heck, they're giving 15 of them away in this month's login rewards:

Hapexamendios · June 4

You can use in game gold to speed it up a bit if you can find the 1 day jewelry research scrolls at a guild trader or you can get them for writ vouchers if you have them. Limited to once a day iirc.

Sabre · June 4

Thank You for the suggestions and pointing out that the research scrolls can be acquired from login rewards and from guild traders for in game gold. These suggestions were informative and helpful.

I purchased some and used one of the jewelry scrolls. Unfortunately, each time one uses one of the research scrolls purchasable from the guild traders, I learned that there is a 20 hour wait before I can use another one. With 24 days left, this will still take a while. After spending a considerable amount of in game gold to acquire the research scrolls, I want to be able to get on with playing the game and do what I was doing, not sit around for days; 'stuck' waiting. The cost should get more immediate effect, i.e., complete the task.

The 20 hour wait time still locks task completion behind a time wall to create urgency for one to buy one of the big scrolls in the crown store. So not only do I have an initial 30 day wait time, but now I have to wait 20 more hours to reduce that by 1 day. This is too much. These wait times for research and horse training (and perhaps other things) are very immersion breaking. I would still prefer to be able to get things done in game for in game gold in the same way I can at the pack merchant.

This still feels obscene and manipulative. If it weren't, a quicker in game solution would exist instead of crown store 'pay to win' remedies. 6 months to fully train a horse? There seems to be no point other than inconveniencing the character in game with a long wait time, giving out teasers for free here and there to let one know they are available for cash in the crown store.

This is too much. Besides inconveniencing the player, these wait times serve no other function.

The crafting bag is another in game thing that should have a merchant that allows for the upgrade with in game gold.

All of these - research times, mount skill training times, not having storage space for numerous different crafting materials, etc. etc. - these things are part of fundamental gameplay, by the 'in game character' that should be an acquirable function of 'in game play'; not from some extraneous outside source. Acquiring these should be part of the journey, and acquirable with in game gold like the pack merchant while my character quests, adventures, learns, and grows.

This is still obscene and manipulative.

Cardhwion · June 4

I wouldn't call it obscene. It just rewards long-term, patient play. It took me a long time to max out all my research on one character. I remember putting in the last trait research before going on a longer business assignment, when I came back it was almost done.
My personal advice - go with another trait for now, wait the month, then make the piece you need. It's not like your entire build won't be viable just for one trait.

UrQuan · June 4

Sabre wrote: »

I purchased some and used one of the jewelry scrolls. Unfortunately, each time one uses one of the research scrolls purchasable from the guild traders, I learned that there is a 20 hour wait before I can use another one. With 24 days left, this will still take a while. After spending a considerable amount of in game gold to acquire the research scrolls, I want to be able to get on with playing the game and do what I was doing, not sit around for days; 'stuck' waiting. The cost should get more immediate effect, i.e., complete the task.

I didn't realize the ones you can buy and sell on guild traders had a 20 hour cooldown. The ones you get from login rewards have no cooldown, and you can use them one right after the other.

sarahthes · June 4

Why not learn Triune on a character that hasn't researched anything yet?

DenverRalphy · June 4

If just for Transmute/Reconstruct purposes, a lot of players just learn 2 traits on 4 alts to cover all 9 traits (5 chars total including the main). The first 2 traits research times are so short it'll be done in no time.

Veinblood1965 · June 4

sarahthes wrote: »

Why not learn Triune on a character that hasn't researched anything yet?

Probably the same reason I don't. I had one master crafter who was always making items for another PVP toon and finally just started maxing out crafting on the PVP toon just for kicks. Even if you had no master crafter, you want all the traits researched on just the one toon it's just easier IMO.

Eleminwe · June 4

You can also buy them with Seals of Endeavor, and these have no cooldown:

whitecrow · June 4

Increase bag space also refers to the mount riding upgrade.

sarahthes · June 4

Veinblood1965 wrote: »

sarahthes wrote: »

Why not learn Triune on a character that hasn't researched anything yet?

Probably the same reason I don't. I had one master crafter who was always making items for another PVP toon and finally just started maxing out crafting on the PVP toon just for kicks. Even if you had no master crafter, you want all the traits researched on just the one toon it's just easier IMO.

I know a number of people who did this when they were newer so they had access to reconstruct in any trait they wanted while they waited for their main crafter to finish research.

AlnilamE · June 4

Can't you also buy them for writ vouchers?

I've never needed more than what I get from login rewards, but I'm pretty sure you can get them for vouchers as well.

sarahthes · June 4

AlnilamE wrote: »

Can't you also buy them for writ vouchers?

I've never needed more than what I get from login rewards, but I'm pretty sure you can get them for vouchers as well.

The writ voucher ones have a cooldown before they can be used again.

code65536 · June 4

Back in my day, research scrolls didn't exist.

Getting all traits researched was a very long process and it meant that you were a dedicated, long-term player. Research scrolls--both in-game and crown versions--didn't come until years later.

I just pretend that the scrolls don't exist and still do research on new characters/accounts the good old-fashioned way because it just feels good.

DenverRalphy · June 4

Writ vouchers research scrolls is the way to go IMO.

Sure they have a 20h cooldown, but if you just add eatiing them to your daily crafting writ routine, then it's not really much of an issue.

anadandy · June 4

code65536 wrote: »

Back in my day, research scrolls didn't exist.

Getting all traits researched was a very long process and it meant that you were a dedicated, long-term player. Research scrolls--both in-game and crown versions--didn't come until years later.

I just pretend that the scrolls don't exist and still do research on new characters/accounts the good old-fashioned way because it just feels good.

I'm glad someone said this. I was sitting here thinking, in my day we had no research boosters and we liked it! <old lady noises>

Juju_beans · June 4

It's all part of MMO gameplay.
Instant gratification will cost you gold or crowns.

There are choices so you're not "stuck" on waiting.

DenverRalphy · June 4

code65536 wrote: »

Back in my day, research scrolls didn't exist.

Getting all traits researched was a very long process and it meant that you were a dedicated, long-term player. Research scrolls--both in-game and crown versions--didn't come until years later.

I just pretend that the scrolls don't exist and still do research on new characters/accounts the good old-fashioned way because it just feels good.

anadandy wrote: »

code65536 wrote: »

Back in my day, research scrolls didn't exist.

Getting all traits researched was a very long process and it meant that you were a dedicated, long-term player. Research scrolls--both in-game and crown versions--didn't come until years later.

I just pretend that the scrolls don't exist and still do research on new characters/accounts the good old-fashioned way because it just feels good.

I'm glad someone said this. I was sitting here thinking, in my day we had no research boosters and we liked it! <old lady noises>

Back in the day it was worth investing that much time and effort into crafting. Today crafting is all but trivial due to the advent of Outfit Stations, Stickerbooking, and Transmuting. The only thing keeping crafting off life support is Housing/Furnishing.

UrQuan · June 4

code65536 wrote: »

Back in my day, research scrolls didn't exist.

Getting all traits researched was a very long process and it meant that you were a dedicated, long-term player. Research scrolls--both in-game and crown versions--didn't come until years later.

I just pretend that the scrolls don't exist and still do research on new characters/accounts the good old-fashioned way because it just feels good.

I researched everything on my master crafter before the research scrolls existed too. It took absolutely forever... I don't bother with research on any other characters lol