Pay For Content

laracroft4sakn · January 2018

Perhaps, there is some major aspect I am missing, but why don't we have a system where players can fund if necessary advancements. In my vision Zenimax would post things they are currently trying to upgrade or add (something that is a considerable over haul), and people commit to payments that will be withdrawn when a certain number is reached. My thought process in this is: we spend a lot of time on this game, but can easily spend 60$ on a new game they haven't played and won't play for as long. So if Zenimax had some MAJOR addition that could add a lot of extra content/new systems, but to get it done faster they needed 60$ from me I would have ZERO problem shelling that out.

AzraelKrieg · January 2018

So essentially what all those Kickstarter game devs do?

technohic · January 2018

Yeah those kickstarters that so few have paid off yet.

How bout no

JamieAubrey · January 2018

So, let me get this correct

YOU want ME to pay ZOS £60 or what ever for "advancements"
SOoooooo I need to pay £60 to have the bugs etc fixed ?

NOPE

JamuThatsWho · January 2018

Nah, sounds like P2W to me.
You can already support them by using ESO+ and the Crown Store.

pauli133 · January 2018

I think ZOS has monetized ESO just fine on their own.

Sevalaricgirl · January 2018

Wait wasn't that what we did for Morrowind? Pay for content. Our subs pay for the patches, etc. Now if only they knew what they are doing when it comes to balance, that I'd like to see.

monktoasty · January 2018

You mean the milli9ns they recieved for crown storevstuff isn't helping?

laracroft4sakn · January 2018

technohic wrote: »

Yeah those kickstarters that so few have paid off yet.

How bout no

Because, they don't have a massive development team with experience and knowledge.

So, let me get this correct

YOU want ME to pay ZOS £60 or what ever for "advancements"
SOoooooo I need to pay £60 to have the bugs etc fixed ?

Did I say bug fixed? Are you insinuating that it will get corrupted by zenimax this way? Because, I was talking about large scale implementations.

Nah, sounds like P2W to me.
You can already support them by using ESO+ and the Crown Store.

I didn't say there would be any benafit for paying for it (besides access to the content). Like you do for any other game. Now that you mention it though why not have some AESTHETIC bonuses from the pre-orer..

Wait wasn't that what we did for Morrowind? Pay for content. Our subs pay for the patches, etc. Now if only they knew what they are doing when it comes to balance, that I'd like to see.

That is what we did for morrowind; except they didn't have any gurantees and I imagine it slowed the process a bit. I am sure if the developers had money guranteed from a base for an implementation it would be easier for the accountants at ZOS to approve the time and resources.. So what if they said they had a HUGE re-haul of the combat system that would fix thigns, and they even offered some testing for the players, but it would take 2 years of convincing the accounts there was ROI, and getting everyone on-board, and then fighting for time from people who are working on daily things. Or we could pay them to make this new installment and they would be givn all this potentially reducing it to a year or six months. Perhaps, I am way off base, but I feel like they could get A LOT more done and A LOT faster if their directives were more clear.

From our side I want newer content, from their side they have to prove or atleast show some sort of ROI. So, why not marry the two. They can have several pojects posted and the ones that garner the most interest can be funded and guaranteed? Maybe not timelines are a bit tenative, but the content won't be.

You will pay 60$ for a brand new game you may not even like for often times less than 40 hours of gameplay. So, why not pay that or something close to that for an update on something you have sunk likely hundreds of hours into?

*DISCLAIMER*
The reason I posted this here is I want to be proven wrong. This idea is floating in my head and maybe I am missing something. But I want a meaningfull reason not knee jerk reactions. I do not work for ZOS so please don't reply as if I am trying to take money from you. I am trying to float an idea past you that could potentially add a lot of major content/updates. I have sunk A LOT of hours into this game I would LOVE for it to keep evolving and growing. Even if you can't buy EVERYTHING right away how nice would it be to know there is content waiting for you rather than being worried you are nearing end game.. Last thing remember I am talking about MAJOR updates not minor changes.

Acrolas · January 2018

laracroft4sakn wrote: »

The reason I posted this here is I want to be proven wrong.

The parent company, ZeniMax, is a private corporation that utilizes rounds of venture capital for major investment funding.
ZeniMax already has deep-pocketed firms that have aggressively courted them, and there are substantial legal obligations in those agreements. Every subsidiary of ZeniMax (including Bethesda and ZOS) are fiscally governed by those venture-backed obligations. Namely, to make a sizable return on investment for those venture firms.

So as much as we love to think all this money is flowing back into the game, it's not. Some is, albeit not directly. A lot is flowing back into ZeniMax to allow venture firms to cash out and return that money to their venture funds so they can continue to invest in both ZeniMax and other companies through new rounds.

But the short answer is that ZeniMax just isn't accepting individual investors as a funding method. So ZOS can't crowdfund.

So yes. You're missing quite a few somethings.

Ruckly · January 2018

The fund could be placed on the NASDAQ and contribute to the development of TES6.

laracroft4sakn · January 2018

Acrolas wrote: »

But the short answer is that ZeniMax just isn't accepting individual investors as a funding method. So ZOS can't crowdfund.

So yes. You're missing quite a few somethings.

So you're saying this method is legally prohibited by some agreement ZOS or Bethesda has ? Unless it is explicitly prohibited, why can they simply not implement a secondary source of revenue; one that could potentially replace others. Wouldn't this free up the direction and give more control back to the community and developers?

The gaming industry already milks us dry. Don't give them any more ideas.

I must be crazy because I see it the exact OPPOSITE WAY. You'd rather sink money into a constant hole, and hope enough people buy crowns, and the executives at ZOS/Bethesda decide it is worth money implementing something? I mean from a financial stand point an executive might just try to milk out every last minute of subscriptions and crowns rather than investing in new developments constantly decreasing their margins. Which is the current system. OR if a developer could say here is the ROI for this new implementation FROM our customer base then we could see real updates and sooner.

Think of it like a new game. Except you get to keep your character and all your accomplishments don't dissapear form the last one. Imagine having the same character from Oblivion to Skyrim?

MLGProPlayer · January 2018

The gaming industry already milks us dry. Don't give them any more ideas.

LordSemaj · January 2018

The kickstarter scams weren't because they lacked a large dev team. Many of them were done by OLD developers who had worked on games some 20 years earlier and they had terrible ideas. It was a pure money grab.

They would post updates and talk about new features or wanting more money for some unforeseen problem that existed. Oh jeez, the game needs something, give us money to help go faster! Meanwhile, photos of their giant houses that they built recently get posted on the internet and they get exposed as frauds.

Oh but they're not frauds, look the game is releasing as promised! A game worse than the ones a team of five developers could make 20 years ago on a $20,000 budget, yet using all the modern conveniences and literally a free engine with premade models took millions of dollars and a staff of 50 people.

Who all now have nice houses because they worked so hard on it.

The order of operations should always be:

1) Make the content
2) Sell the content

You end up in scamsville when you try to put the payment before the effort. We as players have no way of managing quality control. Their corporate investors do.

monktoasty · January 2018

I find Wallstreet is evil. Anytime something is incorporated into an investment sysyem..it loses all soul and the end goal just becomes more money..even at the expense of the products or services..bevause..even if it goes belly up the investors already made billions.

This popularity of games attracted the buzzards and they have destroyed the gaming industry..reduced it to a a slot machine.

While the idea of invest9ng is spund..to.build up enterprise..the problem is..even after the enterprise is built and doing well..the investors pump in more to get morevreturns..milking it until it's dead.magus investing is no longer the capitalistic haven it once was that built many a thriving country..instead..it's become crony like and certainly criminal and unethical

laracroft4sakn · January 2018

LordSemaj wrote: »

The order of operations should always be:

1) Make the content
2) Sell the content

You end up in scamsville when you try to put the payment before the effort. We as players have no way of managing quality control. Their corporate investors do.

Okay fair point. Then things don't live or die on their merrit. And, as you said we cannot do checks to determine what money is/isn't needed. I have stepped into a complicated area. If they make something worth paying 60$ for we will buy it I suppose.

But, what about more visablity then. Maybe it isn't a direct payment, but a commitment (not legally binding) that the community makes to updates or directions. They discuss development and get a tenative commitment from the community saying I would buy this if you made it.

I suppose Lord Semaj makes a compelling point. The relationship between buyer and seller is always a delecate dance, that only gets more compicated the further you get from pragmatic things like food, gas, and move more in the creative direction. But, to conclude:

The issue is if they set a quote that needs to be met there is not accountability on that figure. We could end up spending significantly more money for considerably less content. Their ROI or security comes from earnstly developing good content not a commitment from us.

Some times I just wonder why I can see a studio release a bunch of good games in a row, but we dont' see many updates. I mean a lot of it is already built right? Engine etc.. I guess I'm just the type of person where I don't have the time to sink into multiple games, so I get one game. So, the idea of an MMO is appealing one game that I can continue to progress in. But, I am eager for new content and systems (movement, combat, etcc). Is it realistic to want dynamic systems in one game? Maybe a stance system where my combat style can change signifcantly? I am rambling I got what I wanted .. Thanks for the conversation.

SugaComa · January 2018

I subscribe every month and I buy the Chapters ... Haven't I got that aspect covered ?

technohic · January 2018

Ok; let’s say we trust them to follow through with promises when even they do not like to promise anything at all as they know timelines change with unforeseen bugs or snags in the code.

You already in theory can fund their development in exchange for cosmetics via the crown store. As someone already said; it doesn’t necessarily mean it goes back into the game. Subscriptions also fund them.

Also; more money does not really get anything faster. While each dev might work on different parts of code; at the end of the day, it all has to work together in one game. Can only have so many chefs in the kitchen.

Magdalina · January 2018

Are you really suggesting that in addition to having bought the game, paying subs(which a lot of people who play actively do), buying dlcs(for those without sub) and chapters(for everyone), and blowing thousands of $ on crown crates and other crap(which apparently a lot of people do as well) poor Zenimax needs more of our money? How about they use some of the crown crate money on those "large scale implementations" instead?