Crown Crates - What I Wished ZOS Changed

Galwylin · May 2017

First off, I think the crates are really desperate. But what about giving us the option of what type of item to gamble on. Costumes would be one category I might play since I would still get a costume of some type even if not the one I want. Same with the mementos, mounts and scrolls. At present, I'm not bothering with them because there's too much chance of getting exactly what I don't want. It would at least make them a bit more attractive. You shouldn't ask your customers for money then swindle them. You could also set the price per category. Mounts would be higher than scrolls for example. And the conversion should match the category. Mounts of course being the biggest. In any case, anyone who plays should come out with something of what they went in for. Like I said, I like costumes and don't mind the single crate price if that's what I would get. People wanting mounts should also come out with a mount of some type. At the moment, there's too much chance for no one to be happy with these things. Really, are Gina, Jessica, Rich, Eric and all the others happy how their players end up after spending extra cash? If that's where your fluff focus is, then work to make it fairer or the things will just be relics.

chaserstorm16909 · May 2017

The only way to get what you suggested would be for people to stop buying the crates altogether. That way they would have to make improvements to entice more players to buy. But of course, that will never happen.

Galwylin · May 2017

chaserstorm16909 wrote: »

The only way to get what you suggested would be for people to stop buying the crates altogether. That way they would have to make improvements to entice more players to buy. But of course, that will never happen.

I think its down a good bit. I haven't seen as many of those new ugly apex mount like I do the storm ones. Either people are playing as much, think they're ugly too or the chances have been adjusted.

Kiralyn2000 · May 2017

So, what are you suggesting.... selling a "Mount Crate" that will give you a random mount, any time you open it? I suspect that would be crazy expensive (I mean, if the box is full of $20 mounts, then the box would need to be $20, right?), and also wouldn't sell as many even ignoring the high price. The only reason "gamble" crates work is because there's only a chance of getting the big prize - that's the "gamble".

I mean, I've seen games that had different style crates with specific focuses - costume, mount, whatever. With the mount boxes costing more. But they still were full of other trash that you'd get most of the time. Heck, the fact that the Crown Crates give you 4-5 rolls each time you open them, and you can trade in dupes & consumables for "gems" to buy the specific items you want with, makes them more generous gamble boxes than 95% of the MMOs out there. Plus the fact that the costume & mounts are account-wide unlocks, rather than single-character.

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ex: Star Trek's lockboxes have something similar to the gems concept, but it takes a lot more boxes to get enough gems to get a "big prize", and the random drop big prizes are on the order of ~1% or less. $1-1.25 a box, so it's cheaper than a Crate, but you can open 100-200 and not get the main prize. On the other hand, you can buy the keys to open the boxes on their auction house for in-game credits. And the ships/costumes/etc are all single character.

SWTOR's boxes give several drops at once, and can be sold on the auction house (as can the costumes & mounts from the boxes), but the items are single character. But once you've gained an item on one char, you can pay more Crowns (...hmm. Cartel coins?) to unlock the item for your other chars.

Meanwhile, in f2p Eastern grinder style MMOs..... ugh.

Galwylin · May 2017

Kiralyn2000 wrote: »

So, what are you suggesting.... selling a "Mount Crate" that will give you a random mount, any time you open it? I suspect that would be crazy expensive (I mean, if the box is full of $20 mounts, then the box would need to be $20, right?), and also wouldn't sell as many even ignoring the high price. The only reason "gamble" crates work is because there's only a chance of getting the big prize - that's the "gamble".

Well, in a way I am. Like I said, in EQ2 I gambled for a specific mercenary. I think it cost me 500 of their whatevers. I didn't get the one I wanted but I still got a mercenary (actually two, two per crate). Those are just skins since they all work the same. So I dispute the idea ESO is generous. In fact, I'd say that is absolute wrong and even if true, that doesn't mean ESO should follow suit. And sure, sell the crates for $15-20. You get a mount of some type. They could offer the standard mounts as the alternates. Maybe that would be enough incentive to add more. Perhaps some guar vendors into the game (I haven't found them yet if they do already). Maybe we could get almost anything of this nature into the game. Do they remember that thing that people play with some paying for? A little additional content that doesn't expect some payment up front. In my opinion, ESO is the stingiest game I've seen that isn't free to play.

I'd really like to understand when did giving customers something for their money become a business practice to avoid? The folks on ESO Live really seem like nice people but underneath they're just swindlers? Nah, you're listening to one and they're going to swindle you too. Never listen to someone who has some great idea how to get more cash by going this route. Look at this way, they're telling you have to get something from people you depend on and give them nothing. Well, aren't you guys their customer?

It is just an idea that would get me participating with the crates again. I don't mind keeping my money. If folks like these business practices, knock yourselves out. I just can't figure out how a game as old as both EverQuest and EverQuest 2 can bring in major new content every year, content through out the year (adding familiars this month), decent priced housing and gambling items. I guess being sold off and developer job cuts really make the creative juices flow.