Should there be paid Character race changes

Maverick827 · August 2014

Yes

nerevarine1138 wrote: »

vyndral13preub18_ESO wrote: »

nerevarine1138 wrote: »

vyndral13preub18_ESO wrote: »

nerevarine1138 wrote: »

Xeres14 wrote: »

Attorneyatlawl wrote: »

"Pay to win" isn't meant literally; it's meant in terms of paying real money to gain power over what you had and could normally have done with that character in-game from where he is now. And yes, it DOES affect me to allow you to pay real money to avoid spending time earning something, that then lets you have a stronger character as you can then go do other profitable activities instead of dealing with the consequence of your choice. And guess what? The game world is bigger than just your specific "$14.99 / month" as you mention it. There are 750,000 other "$14.99 / month" people you're asking to compromise on their game experience for you to artificially get something without playing to earn it in-game.

So wait, so let's take my highest level character - a VR2 Redguard Nightblade. Let's say I wanted to make him an Altimer and I'm willing to pay whatever it costs to do it (I'll make up a number, $20). All I'd really want is to stay VR2 and just change my race. That's it and I think that was the original question. IMO there's nothing about that which is compromising your gaming experience. And I sure did earn the XP to get up to VR2. Maybe my NB would be stronger as an Altimer. I honestly don't even know. But I don't think it would be such an improvement that it's that big a deal.

And every $14.99 / month can choose to pay money to change their race or not. As it is now, there is no choice. But I am not advocating a gain in levels at all. It's a race change and remain at your current level and that's it.

It's a slippery slope.

You change your race, but why shouldn't people be allowed to pay to change their class? Or pay real money to respec?

And I have to ask, even though this is a hypothetical: what possible reason could you have for wanting to change your race at VR2? How did you make it that far in the game without realizing that you wanted a character of a different race?

My basic answer to that is boredom. I honestly get tired of looking at the same thing all the time. Im not a quick leveler it can take me several months to level and get to end game. And as an mmo player i plan on playing my character for years. I just get tired of looking at them. I don't want to level another templar just so i can make my female breton templar in to a male argonian templar. And i actually wont.

And as stupid as it may sound to some people sooner or later ill run out of classes to level and ill be bored enough with the way my characters looks and ill quit playing. Don't get me wrong, I'm not making a threat or saying if you don't change this the game will collapse, that is silly. Im just saying for me personally sooner or later this will probably cause me an issue. But like i said, it takes me forever to level, so who knows!

That's really not a good enough reason.

For you.

It is actually a good enough reason for me.

I appreciate that you believe that your own personal boredom is a good enough reason for ZO to provide a paid service that could greatly throw off game balance if taken to its inevitable conclusion, but it isn't good enough for most people (as this poll has clearly shown).

Race will not throw off game balance. The racial bonuses are not big enough to sway a large majority of players, especially if there's a real-life money component involved.

And this poll doesn't ask the right question, like most polls on this forum. A lot of "no" votes were for the "paid" part, not the "race change" part.

It comes down to this. Many more people will quit without these types of services to pull them back in than will quit over having these types of services added in the first place. I know I've had a race/name change revitalize old characters for me in WoW before, keeping me playing when I otherwise would have left.

Black_Wolf88 · August 2014

Yes

I voted yes because im sure many just picked a race in the beginning as they didnt know too much about the different race bonuses.

However, the thread do not specify if its in game gold or real money when asking if it should be pay to change race.

Im for paying a certain in game gold amount, not real money to change race.
The amount should be somewhere not too high and not too low, maybe base it on number of skill points and twice the amount that it cost to reset skill points.

That way you wount have ppl changing race over and over without first researching and thinking it over first.

vyndral13preub18_ESO · August 2014

Yes

nerevarine1138 wrote: »

vyndral13preub18_ESO wrote: »

nerevarine1138 wrote: »

vyndral13preub18_ESO wrote: »

nerevarine1138 wrote: »

Xeres14 wrote: »

Attorneyatlawl wrote: »

"Pay to win" isn't meant literally; it's meant in terms of paying real money to gain power over what you had and could normally have done with that character in-game from where he is now. And yes, it DOES affect me to allow you to pay real money to avoid spending time earning something, that then lets you have a stronger character as you can then go do other profitable activities instead of dealing with the consequence of your choice. And guess what? The game world is bigger than just your specific "$14.99 / month" as you mention it. There are 750,000 other "$14.99 / month" people you're asking to compromise on their game experience for you to artificially get something without playing to earn it in-game.

So wait, so let's take my highest level character - a VR2 Redguard Nightblade. Let's say I wanted to make him an Altimer and I'm willing to pay whatever it costs to do it (I'll make up a number, $20). All I'd really want is to stay VR2 and just change my race. That's it and I think that was the original question. IMO there's nothing about that which is compromising your gaming experience. And I sure did earn the XP to get up to VR2. Maybe my NB would be stronger as an Altimer. I honestly don't even know. But I don't think it would be such an improvement that it's that big a deal.

And every $14.99 / month can choose to pay money to change their race or not. As it is now, there is no choice. But I am not advocating a gain in levels at all. It's a race change and remain at your current level and that's it.

It's a slippery slope.

You change your race, but why shouldn't people be allowed to pay to change their class? Or pay real money to respec?

And I have to ask, even though this is a hypothetical: what possible reason could you have for wanting to change your race at VR2? How did you make it that far in the game without realizing that you wanted a character of a different race?

My basic answer to that is boredom. I honestly get tired of looking at the same thing all the time. Im not a quick leveler it can take me several months to level and get to end game. And as an mmo player i plan on playing my character for years. I just get tired of looking at them. I don't want to level another templar just so i can make my female breton templar in to a male argonian templar. And i actually wont.

And as stupid as it may sound to some people sooner or later ill run out of classes to level and ill be bored enough with the way my characters looks and ill quit playing. Don't get me wrong, I'm not making a threat or saying if you don't change this the game will collapse, that is silly. Im just saying for me personally sooner or later this will probably cause me an issue. But like i said, it takes me forever to level, so who knows!

That's really not a good enough reason.

For you.

It is actually a good enough reason for me.

I appreciate that you believe that your own personal boredom is a good enough reason for ZO to provide a paid service that could greatly throw off game balance if taken to its inevitable conclusion, but it isn't good enough for most people (as this poll has clearly shown).

If you couldn't change to a race you didn't have access to already and couldnt change faction, what game balance would be greatly affected.

Cuyler · August 2014

Yes

I could care less if you changed your race. Make it a long quest or in game gold, not real money. With that said, due to the current 3 alliance separation, it should be limited to changing to a race within the same alliance. Jumping alliances should not be allowed.

I think that over the lifetime of a character, the idea of what that character is exactly isn't static. Maybe a new skill opens up or you discover a skill you passed over that completely changes your gameplay. Maybe that new skill makes you think you'd be better off with another race in your alliance. Maybe this occurs after you've reached VR.

Changing classes should not be allowed. Taking a class to VR requires time and varying amounts of effort. Some classes are harder to level. It doesn't make sense to be able to lvl with an easier class just to switch at the end to a harder class. Not to mention you'd have to re-lvl your skills anyhow so you might as well have to start over.

The "ruins my immersion" plea is completely selfish. I know this may be hard to understand for the people that do it but a lot of us do not RP. I could care less if your made up story has to be tweaked to account for the fact I'd no longer be the race I began as. I personally believe that the RP philosophy holds the game in a rigid/static environment preventing a natural evolution of new ideas. It reminds me of history buffs that want to do nothing but go back in time. Imo, lets move forward.

I'm sure that flames some RP's so I apologize in advance.

Dovhakiin · August 2014

Yes

R1ckyDaMan wrote: »

If there was a way in game, a quest or something for it then yeah but paying for it, no no pay walls. I pay a sub I do not expect to have to pay extra for things.

It is completely optional,"your argument has many flaws" as Abnur Tharn says...

Xeres14 · August 2014

Yes

fromtesonlineb16_ESO wrote: »

Race determines faction (unless you have the Explorer's Pack), faction determines a hell of a lot of your PVP experience: allowing race changes means opening the game up to large-scale PVP balance changes literally overnight.

Had you even paused to consider the known-on effects like that, and others, such a feature would open up?

I'm not convinced there's going to be this mass exodus of players in one direction only. It potentially could happen. Like it could have happened in WoW or SWTOR, but it hasn't. Those games are doing ok (SWTOR was the 4th highest revenue generating MMO in 2013). This one will too I feel.

What I'm arguing for is the option and availability to do so. That's it.

idahogeekette · August 2014

I do think we need cosmetic revamping though. I'd like to swap to a male toon, that girl wiggle is just annoying to me. And of course, basics like hair, fur, adornments, etc.

Vizier · August 2014

No

I don't think there "should" be race changes, but at the end of the day I don't really care and if they were offered and I was inclined I'd pay a couple bucks for it.

It's not your game and it's not your character so I really don't see the issue other than from a purist perspective, but that's my perspective and I can play that way and immerse myself in the game that way regardless of the options available.

milesrodneymcneely2_ESO · August 2014

Yes

I appreciate that you believe that your own personal boredom is a good enough reason for ZO to provide a paid service that could greatly throw off game balance if taken to its inevitable conclusion, but it isn't good enough for most people (as this poll has clearly shown).

Um, you do realize that this entire industry exists because we're fortunate enough to live in societies advanced enough to afford us the luxury of extra time?

Ergo, boredom.

Merlin13KAGL · August 2014

No

vyndral13preub18_ESO wrote: »

My basic answer to that is boredom. I honestly get tired of looking at the same thing all the time.

@vyndral13preub18_ESO‌, try third person, your whole perspective will (literally) change and it won't cost you a dime.