The Potential for Mounts and Pets.

Kuroinu · July 2015

Please excuse the initial whine it develops into something better as you read, lol.

Cash Shops in my opinion are the bane of all MMOs and I wish they never even became an idea.

They could have created an achievement and/or quest to unlock mounts or pets instead of being placed straight into the crown store. There are some really unique looking mounts/pets that almost scream for an in-game quest to explain how you came to own one; those little Daedra pets and the new Frost Mare mount are the ones that come to mind.

Excluding the standard stable horses in-game, I was surprised to find that there are almost no other ways to obtain mounts in-game and the same can be said for pets. I know the crown store can support the development of the game but it's the lack of imagination in implementing such things that disappoints me.

What really got me to post this was when I saw how well done some of these mounts and pets are and I simply saw missed potential, I'd really like this to be at least a future consideration.

For example

We're all aware of those random encounters in-game; be it a traveler getting attacked by bandits, two mages dueling or a Dark Fissure. With this random encounter system in place, we could expand on it by adding more rare encounters based in specific areas, times of day etc. You get the picture.

Now I'll use the Frost Mare mount as an example of a scenario of how a rare encounter could work. Let's say the encounter is specific to Eastmarch and during the day involves you having to either save the horse from various enemies or maybe in the case of night, chase it down until you can click on it or w/e. Having successfully completed either of these tasks during the encounter you're awarded with an achievement and the mount is unlocked. It sounds like I'm making this relatively easy but remember that I wanted these to be rare encounters, something rare enough that when you see it you'll be shocked and stop everything you're doing in-game.

What I said above was just one scenario and we could have many more unique to certain mounts/pets. This could be something that also makes the open world that much more exciting.

From what I remember hearing about what the Crown Stores purpose is that it's for convenience items for people that don't have time for this and that etc. With that being said if you were to implement what I have suggested for certain unique looking mounts and pets being these rare encounters in-game but still having the option to buy them as a "convenience" then the Crown Store will still have it's worth for these items.

And so you can /lurk: @ZOS_RichLambert

Thanks for reading!

Athas24 · July 2015

I don't mind crown store items but the cash shops in games tend to get all the new attention as a way of making coin for the game and the quests/drops and such go away...if they were ever there to begin with. I remember getting rare mounts in SWTOR before they implemented their cash shop. After no new quests dropped ships/mounts or anything like that. Instead all the cool rides and stuff came from the random stupid boxes you bought from the cash shop or from a limited time offer etc from said shop. I doubt we'll see interesting ways of obtaining pets and mounts enter the game, it is going to be in the shop or not at all I'm pretty sure.

Callous2208 · July 2015

Sounds like a great idea to me. Also perhaps tie a regional or racial mount to completing a large achievement like "hero of the pact," or "savior of nirn." Not a rep grind mind you, just achievement based.

P.s. I'm not trying to make it like that one game who's name will not be spoken. I hate that game. Lol just sliding that in before anyone gets enraged.

ZOS_RichLambert · July 2015

I'm am not a genie!

I normally make a point to not post in summons threads (future summoners take note!), but since you posted about something near and dear to my heart, I'll make this exception and leave a little tease...

...Orsinium.

Gandrhulf_Harbard · July 2015

@ZOS_RichLambert at current content release rates we'll all be too old to ride anything other than a mobility scooter by the time Orsinium arrives.

All The Best

grumlins · July 2015

As someone who abhors all things microtransaction this shop is by far the best one I've seen outside of Rift. It really is. It deserves great marks because A: It doesn't matter which mount you are on you still get the bonuses you paid to train it on. I can switch between my paid for mount and my mount I got with coin and it doesn't matter. B: there are literally 5 pets I've seen personally. I would wait until they add tons more before worrying about something so trivial.

Guess what they'd be doing if they didn't have the mounts in the store right now? Selling gear.

So my advise is this, don't complain when it comes to this particular store it could be worse like Archeage, GW2, SWTOR, STO, or any of the other games out there that exploit progression for some more dollars.

This shop can stay the way it is. My ONLY request to improve the store would be this.....

More NON-horses. That's all I want.

Gandrhulf_Harbard · July 2015

grumlins wrote: »

So my advise is this, don't complain when it comes to this particular store it could be worse like Archeage, GW2, SWTOR, STO, or any of the other games out there that exploit progression for some more dollars.

*cough* Crown Store XP Buff Pots *cough*

*ahem* [clears throat]

All The Best

Kuroinu · July 2015

ZOS_RichLambert wrote: »

I'm am not a genie!

I normally make a point to not post in summons threads (future summoners take note!), but since you posted about something near and dear to my heart, I'll make this exception and leave a little tease...

...Orsinium.

Don't tease us...we can't BEAR it.

@ZOS_JasonLeavey - How'd you like that!?

Korozenn · July 2015

I can't BEAR the wait any longer!

Robert_E_Pee · July 2015

I completely agree with receiving a sort of prize from achievements such as mounts or pets. Awesome idea.

stevenbennett_ESO · July 2015

Gandrhulf_Harbard wrote: »

@ZOS_RichLambert at current content release rates we'll all be too old to ride anything other than a mobility scooter by the time Orsinium arrives.

I would *so* ride a mobility scooter mount in ESO…

xANTIxMATTERx · July 2015

ZOS_RichLambert wrote: »

I'm am not a genie!

I normally make a point to not post in summons threads (future summoners take note!), but since you posted about something near and dear to my heart, I'll make this exception and leave a little tease...

...Orsinium.

WTB

Moridin82 · July 2015

@ZOS_RichLambert Would also love to see quests chain with stuff like mounts and even rare pets

Morvul · July 2015

just wanted to pop in to say that I agree with the OP.
Cash shops - even benign cash shops that stay clear of any form of pay to win sales - always interfere with gameplay.

There is the case which the OP brings up, that anything offered in the cash shop could have been offered in the form of interesting gameplay instead. ZoS made a pretty good compromise here in the way the new XP boosters are also obtainable ingame - doing something (fishing) which a few people love to do but was previously a worthless endevor. However, mounts, pets and costumes from the cash shop are all lost gameplay opportunities.

The second problem is that with the cash shop there is always a temptation for the company to introduce some new form of grind - and offer a form of "grind reliever" in the shop as "convinience". Arguably the champion system introduction coupled with the XP boosters follows this scheme. And while it does not really hurt the game too much doing this once or twice, if this sort of scheme becomes the "default cash generator" for the company the game naturaly devolves into a massive grindfest which tends to lack any gameplay behind the grind. At that point, the grind has essentially become the focus of the game - and people who pay to lessen or bypass the grind essentially pay to not play the game - since at that point there is barely anything worthwhile to do in the game except to grind more. Most facebook cames follow that scheme, and I could observe how Lord of the Rings Online slowly devolved to this state as well...

The third problem is that generating cash shop items is a lot cheaper than generating gameplay. And as long as people are willing to pay 20$ for a reskin of an already existing mount, it simply makes business sense to generate just enough actual content to keep a fair amount of people playing while pumping out expensive new skins.

Now, I would never call a company "evil" for making a cash-shop centered game - from their perspective doing things this way makes perfect sense. But it is also true that I have yet to see a truly great game which is funded primarily via a cash shop. While games that try to earn most of their money via content-sales (DLCs) usually fare a good bit better then games that try to make most money via selling cosmetics - and both those types are far above the quality of "games" making their money primarily from selling "grind avoiders" - I have yet to see a cash shop centered game where I did not regularly think: "well, if they would fund them selves via a sub, they could have made that better".

Faulgor · July 2015

ZOS_RichLambert wrote: »

...Orsinium.

Which is, IMO, how the Crown Store should have worked from the beginning.
Individual content packs that put the content (in this case, a mount) behind a playwall. The content pack is free for subscribers, and behind a paywall for B2P players.

Subscription / Paywall --> Playwall --> Goodie

I see that selling individual mounts for $30 is more lucrative, but this model would have increased the value of the subscription quite a bit and improved the integrity of the game as a whole. Might have been worth it.

DaveTheMinion · July 2015

I like the idea of doing quests or challenges to obtain mounts, pets or any other booty that makes you go Ooooo but I also like the ability to purchase items for the crown store, by doing this I feel like I am helping keep the game alive by funding further (Yes I bought a subscription) I would hold my head in shame but I am having way too much fun playing this game to care

PS I want weapon skins!

F7sus4 · July 2015

Riko_Futatabi wrote: »

Having successfully completed either of these tasks during the encounter you're awarded with an achievement and the mount is unlocked. It sounds like I'm making this relatively easy but remember that I wanted these to be rare encounters, something rare enough that when you see it you'll be shocked and stop everything you're doing in-game.

- "Aaargh! Molag Bal is ruining the city!"
- "I don't care. I have a darn horse to rescue!"

nine9six · July 2015

Throw whatever you want onto the Crown Store, short of "I hit you once and you die" potions...and the like.

I'd rather see houses and other cool *** on there...but I trust you'll get there eventually, that's why I'm still subbed since launch. People lose sight of the fact that this game is *only* 1.something years old. (I know, in "I Want It Now...Internet Years" that's like 10 years....)

...at least that damn Console launch is out of the way.

As for mounts...keep it lore-friendly and it's all gravy. The fire and frost mount...I know, you could "make up some BS" so it fits in some way...but I "lol" to myself every time I see one in-game. Might as well give them that mobility scooter...

GTech_1 · July 2015

ZOS_RichLambert wrote: »

I'm am not a genie!

I normally make a point to not post in summons threads (future summoners take note!), but since you posted about something near and dear to my heart, I'll make this exception and leave a little tease...

...Orsinium.

@ZOS_RichLambert
Well meaning feedback:
I may have taken this the wrong way, or this may simply be a minor, and unintentional, PR blunder, but I feel the need to point a few things out here:

Making it "a point to not post in summons threads" seems, at best, counterproductive.
Forums are for feedback, and ideally, feedback goes both ways.

The term "summons thread" seems dismissive.
It puts off the air of someone rolling their eyes when a post is directed their way.

Intentionally avoiding questions and threads addressed directly to you seems a bit rude.
I'm sure we all understand that ZOS devs are busy folks, and that you are likely to be inundated with questions and comments regularly. However, we are also busy folk, and we take our own time, free of charge, to give ZOS our end of the feedback.
Respect dictates that ZOS should respond in kind.

I don't think anyone expects you to personally pop up out of the woodwork to answer each of these posts.
You have a support team. You should certainly use it. We only expect you to be human.

Of course, since I have taken note, as you indicated, I don't expect a response to this post.
I simply wanted to offer my feedback, by making you aware of how these comments can be perceived.

Best of luck in the new position,
~GTech_1

juliank1990erb16_ESO · July 2015

and how is zos going to make moneyz with ur idea?

not gonna happen.

GTech_1 · July 2015

To the OP:
I think you have some very good ideas there. Well done.

Gidorick · July 2015

Anything that adds to the justification of having these mounts in-games I'm all for.

Gidorick · July 2015

juliank1990erb16_ESO wrote: »

and how is zos going to make moneyz with ur idea?

not gonna happen.

Either:

Quests that open up items in the Crown Store for purchase
Crown Store purchases that open up Quests.

Either will work for me.

Slurg · July 2015

Gidorick wrote: »

juliank1990erb16_ESO wrote: »

and how is zos going to make moneyz with ur idea?

not gonna happen.

Either:
Quests that open up items in the Crown Store for purchase

Crown Store purchases that open up Quests.

Either will work for me.

I would add that if they put new pet and mount quests exclusively in the upcoming DLC zones like Orsinium, everyone who has access to those zones already is paying to be there. So it can be a marketing tool to get more players to pay to be in the new zones to earn the new pet/mount. No need to sell it piecemeal when they can sell us the whole zone.

Forztr · July 2015

Athas24 wrote: »

I don't mind crown store items but the cash shops in games tend to get all the new attention as a way of making coin for the game and the quests/drops and such go away...if they were ever there to begin with. I remember getting rare mounts in SWTOR before they implemented their cash shop. After no new quests dropped ships/mounts or anything like that. Instead all the cool rides and stuff came from the random stupid boxes you bought from the cash shop or from a limited time offer etc from said shop. I doubt we'll see interesting ways of obtaining pets and mounts enter the game, it is going to be in the shop or not at all I'm pretty sure.

This is flat out misinformation about SWTOR.

They've added mounts and pets since launching the cartel store that can be earned in game. One of my characters uses a mount earned from a story mode operation and another uses a mount bought from a reputation vendor both were introduced in the last expansion Shadow of Revan.

Beowulf_McCallum · July 2015

Gidorick wrote: »

juliank1990erb16_ESO wrote: »

and how is zos going to make moneyz with ur idea?

not gonna happen.

Either:
Quests that open up items in the Crown Store for purchase

Crown Store purchases that open up Quests.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Either will work for me.

THIS is what I came to post.
As always @Gidorick has his fingers on the pulse of gamers like myself (and MANY others)

take note @zos

J2JMC · July 2015

Gidorick wrote: »

Anything that adds to the justification of having these mounts in-games I'm all for.

They can literally just say "Sheogorath" for any of their crown store items.

Slurg · July 2015

Beowulf_McCallum wrote: »

Gidorick wrote: »

juliank1990erb16_ESO wrote: »

and how is zos going to make moneyz with ur idea?

not gonna happen.

Either:
Quests that open up items in the Crown Store for purchase

Crown Store purchases that open up Quests.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Either will work for me.

THIS is what I came to post.
As always @Gidorick has his fingers on the pulse of gamers like myself (and MANY others)

take note @zos

For the record, there are also many players who disagree that the game needs many more crown store microtransactions lurking in every corner of the game. Not every single little thing needs to be monetized. They risk driving many more players away if they start charging for individual quests when they can include it in a larger DLC package.

And now I'll have my own personal moment of silence for my many former guildmates who left the game over this mentality taking over the game.

Mario80 · July 2015

Wow orsinum... I do not want the bear mount thx
Also the ice horse is not convenience, convenience will be a normal horse not a flashy one.
A cool crown store item? The ability to dye and gear a regular horse so it is kind of unique.
I will never buy the tiger mount, guar, flashy fire snow horse, it just disgust me, I will buy an item that toggle them off (and the pets too) for a normal mount.
I just bought a 40k horse just for the skin and I got 5000 crowns.

Darlgon · July 2015

ZOS_RichLambert wrote: »

I'm am not a genie!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kIDWgqDBNXA

Plaid13ub17_ESO · July 2015

I want a dairy cow in plate armor as a mount!