I opened 5. The only thing I'm not satisfied with is the conversion rates and total needed. My idea if to also add crown gems to the crates in increments of 10 , 50 and 100. This way players will have a chance to buy an item they want without having to open tons of crates.

Slurg wrote: »

Algraxa wrote: »

Slurg wrote: »

Algraxa wrote: »

I have no problem spending $ on digital items... do it if you want or do not.

Then again I backed Starcitizen, so there is that....

I've been spending money on digital items. I want to spend more money on digital items. But I want to pick them like I was always able to before. Why is that so hard for people to understand?

Not hard at all... I agree, they should offer the items in store. gamble an possibly get a better deal or possible get a poor deal and direct to store with a price commensurate to the drop rate.

Yet for some reason the people who make the decisions would rather turn away my money. I guess they figure what they are gambling for, the odds are in their favor.

There is no doubt that the gambling scheme can be a cash cow. It forces a higher dollar purchase at one time than you would be comfortable with if it was simply shown at the purchase price.

Example, my experience is that I broke even spent vs value at about $200 expenditure. I made very large gains $201-$329 because I had filled every lower tier slot, so everything was gems at that point. I ended up about 7500 crowns ahead of where I would have by simply buying the items from the CS, BUT it means they push you into a $200+ purchase to have an equitable return.

My advice, under the current scheme. Unless you have $200+ to burn, do not play. If you are OK letting go with a large sum at once then it may be a better value.

$329 netted me everything but one lower tier item and 2 missing APEX items while leaving me with 1100 gems for future releases so that I can pick and choose what I want without purchasing more creates. My estimate is that I will be able to go for the next 3-5 events (depending on what is offered) without needing to acquire more gems. For me, this is a fair value.

Now, to the issue of gambling and addictions... this is an area that rubs me the wrong way. There are those who have problems in this area and this system is a horrible addition. The Kajit actually eggs you on to buy more... this is in very poor taste.

Opened more than I intended too. Almost broke down and bought another 15 pack. Willing to admit that I'm the type of impulse shopper this thing is going to thrive on.

I am totally okay with my purchase. Only disappointment is that 11500 crowns worth of crates only returned 205 gems. Seems to me that 10k (or even 5k for that matter) should guarantee the ability to pick up the apex of your choice.

Banana wrote: »

Crown crates can go *** themselves

I don't know why but this made me laugh in public an look sort of crazy

I've openly admitted that I am a whale. Though I believe in a price for a product, I'm not a gambler. I'm an introvert, so I don't have the whole dopamine-fuelled addictions thing going on. Nor does my partner. I can't say I like this because it just feels like it's taking advantage of a brain flaw but... eh, everyone's doing it, sadly.

I just hope that they won't withhold the best things for crown crates. That could leave me disenfranchised enough to leave the game behind. It would be a very, very poor choice indeed if they were to do that. I've never met a whale that actually bothers with these crates. And whilst they do create an initial burst of profits, that burst isn't sustainable. This has been shown in just about every MMO that's added crates like this. Most notable examples being Cryptic's games.

I worry that we have an evangelistic extravert at ESO who's making promises of big money to the suits, big money that won't really happen beyond the aforementioned initial burst. I keep my eyes and ears open when it comes to MMO economies and the thing is? These look great on paper, they sound like a good idea, and that initial burst is definitely there. But then it goes away. I don't know why, really. What will happen then, of course, is ZOS will either realise what's happening and just give up on the crown crates or they'll do the Cryptic thing. They'll withhold all the very best stuff for crates in the hopes that it'll make people buy more. It won't. And they'll go bankrupt.

I don't know why MMO developers have such self-destructive tendencies. It's like watching a train wreck really, every time. And since I'm not into schadenfreude, I don't get anything out of it other than just feeling more and more weary with each one consecutive wreck.

It'll be interesting seeing what happens, though. I just hope there's enough smart people at ZOS to make the right decisions. The problem is, as ever, evangelistic extraverts with too much power sinking the ship and dragging everyone down with them. That's always the way of it. I must sound like a bitter old man, but aside from WoW, how many MMOs have there been that haven't met this fate? Wildstar tried to appeal to the hardcore because of these out-of-touch, forced social people. Champs flopped because it did the same. Et cetera. It doesn't just affect MMOs, either. Battleborn did much the same thing, and flopped because of it.

I just really hope they're smart. It just seems like so much of history repeating itself, though. Why is it that some people can't learn, even with rote memorisation?

ZOS_GregoryV wrote: »

While we understand how upsetting Crown Crates can be for some, we would like to ask that this thread be kept civil and constructive. Let us refrain from personally attacking each other. Thank you for your understanding.

Damn straight.


We should be focusing our upset at yourselves as the representatives of purveyors of crap.



Saying that, spent my useless crowns on some crates and cashed in on the one thing I vaguely had an interest in so Imma mosey on outta here on my storm atronach senche mount while you tear each other to bits.

If I see something in the crown store I like, I'll buy it.

But I won't gamble and potentially get something I don't.

I'm fine with crown crates, just so long as they don't put things exclusively in them so we can't purchase in a regular transaction.

Let people gamble if they want. It's good for ZOS which hopefully means a better game for all of us.

But just know this; The house always wins.

If I have crowns that I don't plan on using for something else, sure I'll buy some. Will I purposely buy crowns to purchase crown crates? No, I doubt it.

I don't blame anyone for purchasing them, I understand the allure. Some people I am sure enjoy them, and if that enjoyment is in proportion (for them) to the money spent, 'good for them' I say. If not I imagine they won't buy more.

As currently structured though I will not be taking part in this system. I actually will spend far, far less than I have been to register my disapproval in the most efficient way I know how.

If they make changes to the system in the future, or create new mechanics to allow a more direct purchase for desired goods, I may reconsider. Or I may have moved onto another game by then, that's the gamble Zeni will have to take.

For now though I am a freeloader! I have all the DLC and will not be spending a penny further except for more DLC.

Nope. For one thing, the "apex" mounts look pretty cheesy to me. For another, none of the legacy items look all that appealing. I wouldn't mind the mind-shriven skin and perhaps one or two of the mounts (the clouded senche, esp.), but I'm absolutely not prepared to drop thousands of crowns for a CHANCE to get those items.

Perhaps ZOS should do what LOTRO did with their "Hobbit gifts" -- give a limited number out to subscribers for free, with the ability to purchase more if you want to. LOTRO provides one free gold and silver Hobbit gift per day to subscribers. That might be a bit OP for ESO, granted... Even just one free crown crate per week could work, though. It might give people more incentive to subscribe, which is better for the game in the long run than hoping players will blow $50-$100 all at once on crates, only to never purchase them again out of frustration.

Just wanna thank @Enodoc for his spreadsheet. Pretty awesome. 100% sure I won't get a single crown crate with the current circumstances

jedtb16_ESO wrote: »

Cazzy wrote: »

jedtb16_ESO wrote: »

Recremen wrote: »

jedtb16_ESO wrote: »

that was fun....

got a couple of atro mounts, three pets, four costumes, a hat, a memento, several mount training scrolls and a load of junk that i traded back for gems.

do i feel like i've been burned? no

do i think i've been scammed? no

do i think i've been ripped off? no

but how can that be???????

because i fully understood what i was getting into.

and the really fun bit is..... it didn't cost me a penny because zos keep giving me crowns that i have no real use for.

for less than 25p a day i get all the dlc, extra xp and a craft bag and a great game to play - i call that a really good deal.

I'm pretty sure you'd feel differently if you fell on the other side of the bell curve but hey, who are we to point out how objectively bad the system is?

why would i have felt bad????

it didn't cost me anything.

You don't pay for a subscription?

ok... once again.

i pay for eso+ it is less than 25p per day. the reason i pay for it is free dlc. i appreciate the extra xp and the craft bag but i do not sub FOR those things - they are not a factor in my continuing to sub. and, if you read the post that started this off, you would have seen that i wrote 'zos keep giving me crowns that i have not real use for' i.e. the crowns are a thing i neither want nor need so no i do not feel that i have paid for them in anyway shape or form. if zos stopped handing them to me it would make no difference i would still sub. is that clear?

or do you need me to explain it again?

If you want to lie to yourself and stick your fingers in your ears go right on ahead. No ones going to stop you. But if youve been subbed for any time longer than about 6 months, youve more than paid for the DLC. You paid for the Crown Crates and no amount of twisting of reality or the truth is going to change that. Is that clear?

verenkutoja wrote: »

Nope. Quit the game over this a while back before they were even officially implemented. Zenimax time and time again have ignored their players wishes and frustration, instead pushing forward obstinately and basically giving their paying customers and players the middle finger, so I went ahead and shoved my foot up their brown eye on my way out the door.

Took my money to other MMOs where the story is a bit different and the companies actually at least for the moment seem to remotely respect their player base.

I get where you are coming from, and respect your decision, but as I stated a few times in similar controversial threads regarding this.

You are under no obligation to buy the Crown Boxes, if you want do buy them and gamble them, then its your money, and money spent will benefit us all in the game, not you persi.

The Crown Boxes target gambling addictive personalities, who are going to be weak regardless, as its a character defect, normal people will maybe buy a few, hopefully get something they want and have the strength of character not to spend their budget on a random drop they want.

Then there are people like myself, wherein this initiative does not affect, as we will choose to buy stuff or not from the Crown Store for example for specific thingies, and leave it there

ZoS is just making money, this is not a f2p game, there are overheads, and many sub, but many dont, so this is a good idea for some cash flow, its purely optional, with nothing p2w on the chanced rewards, so they are covering their bases quite well imo.

Crown Boxes are only a problem for the weak, who will be weak anyways, regardless of medium.

It is not ZoS fault.

A few have said, to ignore it, just like there may be some content in the game you may ignore, you know its there, but it has no bearing on your own playstyle.

With every decision any company does, there will always be those who agree and those who do not.

Just saying.