So even the small houses are Crown-exclusive now...?

weedgenius · November 2018

We are now at 7 of the 10 new homes sold in the past year being Crowns-only. I appreciate that the price on the new home is more manageable than the usual $100 and that the LTO window is forgiving, but locking this content behind a paywall is so disheartening. Time and time again ZOS tells me that if I'm not willing to shell out money for Crowns, housing isn't for me.

Are they in desperate need of money or something? This is now the ONLY home in the game that is under 5k crowns and cannot also be purchased with gold. They're constantly reaching new lows when it comes to the Crown store. I'm really disappointed.

Meesha1170 · November 2018

If they are in desperate need of money they should throw up a bunch of one or two dollar items in the Crown Store and sell smaller crown bundles like a three dollar bundle or something.

I’m not going to profess that I am an expert at what is going on behind the scenes for ZOS not can I claim they are in dire straits but I have worked for many companies that have struggled and suddenly their profits rose by offering small inexpensive products aimed at general audiences. In some cases I have implemented these solutions and it has helped float businesses during times when people are pinching their pennies.

With inflation on the rise across the States and cost of living increasing in most major cities people are soon going to have less disposable income. It might behoove them to offer an ample selection of things that people consider affordable or worth throwing money at.

VaranisArano · November 2018

Meesha1170 wrote: »

If they are in desperate need of money they should throw up a bunch of one or two dollar items in the Crown Store and sell smaller crown bundles like a three dollar bundle or something.

You mean like the Crown Store furnishings available from the Housing Menu?

ZOS has plenty of cheap offerings for sale related to housing. Its just not the houses themselves.

Jayne_Doe · November 2018

What house are we talking about?

Meesha1170 · November 2018

VaranisArano wrote: »

Meesha1170 wrote: »

If they are in desperate need of money they should throw up a bunch of one or two dollar items in the Crown Store and sell smaller crown bundles like a three dollar bundle or something.

You mean like the Crown Store furnishings available from the Housing Menu?

ZOS has plenty of cheap offerings for sale related to housing. Its just not the houses themselves.

Good point. I totally forgot about that and some time ago I even bought some items from there. So yes, more stuff like that right on the splash page but not necessarily just housing but other stuff in whatever form that takes.

Jayne_Doe · November 2018

Jayne_Doe wrote: »

What house are we talking about?

NVM, I'm guessing the OP is talking about the new Snow Globe home. Didn't realize it would be out today. Extremely disappointed if this is, indeed, CS only. Under normal circumstances, I would have seriously looked at a CS home that's sub 5k (unfurnished), but I was really hoping that this would be the New Life equivalent of the Cottage, so available for gold in-game. Ah, well...didn't really like the house that much, anyway, considering it's an Imperial style lighthouse, with a really wonky layout.

Carbonised · November 2018

Honestly this is such a low move. Don't you realise you needed a bit of goodwill here, after the many aggressive monetization schemes? Look at the front page, it's nothing but angry people who can't participate in the undaunted event, cause your tool broke down 20 minutes after the event started. There is so much incompetence in this game, so many bugs and things that will never get fixed, like the group finder. So yeah, you really needed a bit of goodwill to make up for all that.
And releasing a seasonal house that would be purchasable for gold would have gone a long way in doing that, at least for me. The last seasonal home was for crowns or gold, but this time it's crowns only. no gold.
The home isn't even that great, it's imperial style, very small interior, and worst of all, the entire skybox is taken up by a huge red tent, instead of looking at a beautiful winter sky. The only thing this home has going for it, is that it's the only home in the game with a snowy exterior, apart from Pariah's Pinnacle, which isn't really very christmasy to begin with.

If there was any other nord cottage home with a snowy exterior, I would have bought that instead, but this is the only home where snow is present. 4k for the home, 4k for the furnishing pack, that's 8k just to begin decorating it, not really sure it's worth that much to me. Every chapter and DLC you release a ton of huge and expensive manors, at least you could have kept the seasonal homes for gold as well. I have to say in between crown exclusive seasonal homes and not being able to participate in the event at all due to incompetent coding, the standing of the game and the company once again plummeted quite a lot to me. Very disappointed ...

Linaleah · November 2018

I actualy liked that house on pts. a LOT. including its layout. but crown only = no snow globe house for me. was really hoping that it was going to be like witches cottage house as well - achievement based with crown option. ah well

the_other_Alice · November 2018

Linaleah wrote: »

I actualy liked that house on pts. a LOT. including its layout. but crown only = no snow globe house for me. was really hoping that it was going to be like witches cottage house as well - achievement based with crown option. ah well

you me and a lot of others - I´m not surprised at all but still very disappointed - and the furnishing package 4k crowns as well - nah I´m out thx ZOS - so much for festive spirit

Cpt_Teemo · November 2018

Yeah I really don't get this marketing technique on a small house I understand on the huge manor's and stuff but I mean a small house really, we could even buy the witches house with gold I thought from before why sell this one for crown only and its a christmas one as well gah.

Jayne_Doe · November 2018

Cpt_Teemo wrote: »

Yeah I really don't get this marketing technique on a small house I understand on the huge manor's and stuff but I mean a small house really, we could even buy the witches house with gold I thought from before why sell this one for crown only and its a christmas one as well gah.

I suppose they're banking on players being willing to spend Crowns since it's a Christmas-type house. But not me. It should have been available like the Cottage was - for gold with the appropriate achievement. It's possible I might have purchased it if it had been a nice, cozy Nord cottage, but I'm not really that keen on the Imperial lighthouse with a barn tacked on the back - I don't think there are even any windows in the back.

I will also probably pass on the furnishing pack. I might have considered it at 3 or 3.5K (or if I could have purchased the Snow Globe with gold), but I just purchased the Sotha Sil furnishing pack.

I suspect, though, that if this home doesn't sell well, then ZOS won't make any more small/medium homes as CS exclusives and will just continue to give us the giant monstrosities. I'd be willing to purchase a CS only home if it were sized/priced right and really appealed to me. This one doesn't really, but I would have purchased it for gold and then probably bought the furnishing pack. But, I won't be getting either.

Lady_Scorp72 · November 2018

Yep, I had so much fun with this on the PTS, that it's super disappointing to see it would take 8k in crowns to get it and decorate it the way I wanted.

It's too bad. I was excited they'd listened to people who wanted winter and Christmas themed items, even though the only good thing about the Snow Globe house for me was the exterior (loved the snow and flowing creek), but for that price I'm out. I'll save my crowns and stick to decorating my winterized Mistveil Manor.

yurimodin · November 2018

like the boat-house......sorryI'm not paying more than the base game plus all DLC's combined for a house

Tan9oSuccka · November 2018

Linaleah wrote: »

I actualy liked that house on pts. a LOT. including its layout. but crown only = no snow globe house for me. was really hoping that it was going to be like witches cottage house as well - achievement based with crown option. ah well

Seriously? They did another Crown only home?

This house had me excited. I was even going to buy the furnishings pack.

Now I’ll buy neither.

wolf486 · November 2018

Just previewed the house, like the setting outside, house itself is nice (wouldn't be in my top 3 tho) but I would rather have seen scenery around (as an Eastmarch house). The frosting on the globe looks very meh.

Wildberryjack · November 2018

Horrifically disappointed with this. I wanted that one so bad but am broke right now so there is NO way. I busted my butt to get enough gold, basing it on the price of the witches cottage. Don't even feel like logging in tbh. Think I'll go play other games for now.

Morgha_Kul · November 2018

None of this is a surprise to me. I said this would happen, back when they first added the store.

Yolokin_Swagonborn · November 2018

ZOS is slowly converting more and more of the housing system into the crown store and hoping we don't notice.

In game furnishings are getting rarer and rarer and requiring very zone specific materials to craft. There are barely any containers in murkmire.

I bet they deeply regret ever offering homes for in game gold. Based on their lackluster efforts with DLC (Cough Empty Murkmire Cough) and then with them offering Jerkmire for free, I am predicting we are going to see another business model change soon for 2019. DLCs aren't sustaining them. Why sell a $20 DLC when you can sell people a $150 house?

If we ever get an update to housing, if they ever add more item counts or revamp it, I'm pretty sure it will be all crownstore pay locked.

the dream of housing and farming to decorate it is dying thanks to crown store greed.

Veinblood1965 · November 2018

I noticed that also, new to game four months and was moving through content, in the older zones housing is bought with gold etc. Then the newer ones mostly crowns only. It's a bit insulting and just doesn't sit well. Understanding Zos has to make a profit but there are better ways. It feels like the beginning of the end to a good game, but then again that is what happens to many companies, they get large enough and loose the connection/feel to their customers, think Sears for a recent example.

yodased · November 2018

if every single person that played this game bought that house for gold, ZOS nets 0$.

If one person buys it with crowns, that is an exponential increase in profit for the company.

Veinblood1965 · November 2018

yodased wrote: »

if every single person that played this game bought that house for gold, ZOS nets 0$.

If one person buys it with crowns, that is an exponential increase in profit for the company.

I'd argue with you but that's a good point.

Wildberryjack · November 2018

Veinblood1965 wrote: »

yodased wrote: »

if every single person that played this game bought that house for gold, ZOS nets 0$.

If one person buys it with crowns, that is an exponential increase in profit for the company.

I'd argue with you but that's a good point.

They'd sell plenty with crowns still though. Many suck at making gold but have plenty of disposable income to buy crowns with. It would be a win-win for ZOS to sell the house both ways. By making it crowns only they are losing the good will of their player base who feel like they just had a big middle finger shoved into their face.

Dont_do_drugs · November 2018

truth is: people complain, but enough people still buy. nothing will change - talking not only about the aggressive monetization, but about the game performance, the way the players are treated. even now, that u are complaining about the crown items, u just show how much u want it. u need to learn some ignorance and grow a healthy attitude against that crown stuff:

* a house which is crown only doesnt even exist for me
* pets are useless, they disturb the group finder, they are annoying and a problem in raids - once ure down question, they are just useless
* there are a ton of mounts out there meanwhile and they wont get better. i mean look at those awfull murkmire mounts which will come soon
* costumes are useless since u can adjust the whole armor appearance, u wont ever have the feeling again to look generic.
* edit - what i totally forgot: since vampirism isnt fixed, all those tattoos are useless as well

TerraDewBerry · November 2018

I was hoping it would be for gold in game as a option as well as for crowns so people had a choice. I guess, this is, ZOS's way of saying, "Merry Grinchmas" to their players. :'(

Perhaps, this is, ZOS's New Life Festival theme song?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=27I3AN0XwP8

Wildberryjack · November 2018

This just reeks of greed tbh. It's one thing for Notables to be crowns only but smaller houses?

mxxo · November 2018

Well they need to make money in some ways. You cant expect to buy the basegame and play it free for years. In my opinion its nice that they still bring smaller and cheaper houses. And there are a lot of houses in the game that you can buy with gold. And if you really really want this house then as far as i know crown selling/buying for gold is allowed (Correct me if i am wrong.). So there is a possibility to buy this house for gold. I am more concerned about mounts for almost the same price as this house.

Feric51 · November 2018

DO we know at this point for certain it is crown-only? I mean, maybe when New Life Festival comes around there will be gold purchase option.

Or, just maybe, it will be the apex login reward for December like Murkmire was for this month. Not saying I'm optimistic about this, but it's always a possibility.

Lady_Scorp72 · November 2018

Feric51 wrote: »

DO we know at this point for certain it is crown-only? I mean, maybe when New Life Festival comes around there will be gold purchase option.

Or, just maybe, it will be the apex login reward for December like Murkmire was for this month. Not saying I'm optimistic about this, but it's always a possibility.

I suppose anything is possible, but I doubt it. Imagine how angry people would be if they paid that much in crowns only for it to be free in a week or two. Don't see it happening.

*edited to add, it would great if they do offer it for gold. I just don't see how they could do that.

Dont_do_drugs · November 2018

mxxo wrote: »

Well they need to make money in some ways. You cant expect to buy the basegame and play it free for years. In my opinion its nice that they still bring smaller and cheaper houses. And there are a lot of houses in the game that you can buy with gold. And if you really really want this house then as far as i know crown selling/buying for gold is allowed (Correct me if i am wrong.). So there is a possibility to buy this house for gold. I am more concerned about mounts for almost the same price as this house.

they need to make money? u dont say. i cant read this anymore. they are doing more than enough money by crown store meanwhile. while that the quality of the dlcs gets worse and also the support and the bugfixing is lacking more and more. actually they need to make less money, so they feel the consequences.

Feric51 · November 2018

Lady_Scorp72 wrote: »

Feric51 wrote: »

DO we know at this point for certain it is crown-only? I mean, maybe when New Life Festival comes around there will be gold purchase option.

Or, just maybe, it will be the apex login reward for December like Murkmire was for this month. Not saying I'm optimistic about this, but it's always a possibility.

I suppose anything is possible, but I doubt it. Imagine how angry people would be if they paid that much in crowns only for it to be free in a week or two. Don't see it happening.

True, but they also sold Murkmire DLC for crowns for around a month then gave it away for free. So precedent is set for this type of activity....

Carbonised · November 2018

@Yolokin_Swagonborn is right on point. Housing is becoming increasingly harder and harder without resorting to the crown store. The recipe and mat grind is obvious.

I try and counteract that as much as possible, I have all recipes in the game except 8 (some purple Ayleid and Dwarven), and sell nothing but rare furniture across my 5 trade guilds. People pay the mat price plus my revenue, which is quite modest, considering the very steep crown price they would have to pay per item in the crown store. And again, most of my revenue goes towards buying the next patch of insanely expensive furniture recipes.

But there is no option when it comes to the crown exclusive stuff, like this house, and the pack that goes with it. Then it's a matter of getting out your wallet, or not getting anything new to play with, at all. And considering that housing and decorating is one of the few things that keep me in this game, if I have to pass on all the new houses, I might as well stop playing at all.

Dont_do_drugs wrote: »

* a house which is crown only doesnt even exist for me
* pets are useless, they disturb the group finder, they are annoying and a problem in raids - once ure down question, they are just useless
* there are a ton of mounts out there meanwhile and they wont get better. i mean look at those awfull murkmire mounts which will come soon
* costumes are useless since u can adjust the whole armor appearance, u wont ever have the feeling again to look generic.
* edit - what i totally forgot: since vampirism isnt fixed, all those tattoos are useless as well

This is all fine and well for you. You probably play the game for trials. Other play the game only for the pvp. Me I play the game for the dressing up, the costumes, the housing and decorations, i.e. the fashion and cosmetics aspect.
If I were to follow your 'advice' and ignore everything related to pets, mounts, houses and costumes, why would I even be playing this game at all? You do you, mate, and let the rest of us do us.

In any case, I would happily forego this seasonal house altogether, just a pity there is not a single other home with a snowy exterior, other than the Pariah's, which isn't very winter holidays friendly either. Having a winter home with no snow is kind of pointless.