Please make the crown store items account wide and not just server bound. Why restrict them?

Bokila · April 8

Right? Why aren't the items we buy with real money account wide already? I'm trying to find a reason to play this game again on PC (got rid of my Xbox) and i keep hitting walls due to the restrictions between platforms. Can't carry my cp, currency or any other type of progress, i get it. But what would be the harm in allowing players to have their items (that they paid their hard worked money on) if they move to other platforms? Nobody is dumb enough to buy everything once again if that's what they are expecting. Besides, they are losing players that would return to the game but aren't because there's nothing to return to as long as you don't go on the same exact platform. Xbox is literally dead and there's no reason for me to return there. I'd start again on PC if at least i would have the comfort of keeping the items i paid money for. Doubt anyone that paid alot of money on a platform would start from 0 on another. What are your thoughts?

Gray_howling_parrot · April 8

I agree - at least from the Xbox and PC perspective due to the parent company being the same. But if you consider PlayStation to PC, Sony is getting a piece of that pie everytime you purchase something, so if all of that transferred over, Microsoft would essentially be giving you that “for free” in their eyes.

I absolutely agree it’s a pain in the butt, but that’s the reason I’ve seen most often stated. Also, considering the way that monetization in this game is largely character bound rather than account bound, I’d address that first primarily (I.e. riding lessons, motifs, outfit slots, armory slots, skill line skips, skyshards - ALL character bound).

Tandor · April 8

Contractual restrictions are likely to be the main reason why things can't be freely transferred between platform providers.

DigiAngel · April 8

To make more money of course.

Dagoth_Rac · April 8

For a variety of legal reasons, Crowns are considered an "in-game currency". You buy them with cash, but the Crowns themselves once added to your account are considered no different than gold, tel-var, transmute crystals, writ vouchers, etc., etc. Making a special exception for how crowns and crown purchases are treated blows apart ZOS' contention that Crowns are "just another in-game currency", which they are very keen to project for legal reasons.

Danikat · April 8

I doubt it's just contractual or 'legal' reasons, considering crown store purchases don't even transfer to the other server on the same platform and there won't be any restrictions there.

Also items bought outside the game do apply to both servers (but not to other platforms) even if the exact same items will be restricted to one server if they're bought in the crown store. For example I can make an Imperial on either PC EU or PC NA because I bought the Imperial Upgrade back when it was on the website instead of in the crown store (which didn't exist at the time), but someone who bought it 1 month later in the crown store will only be able to use it on the server they were logged into at the time.

I suspect a major factor is doing whatever is simplest for ZOS to set up. Restricting out-of-game purchases to one server would require adding a step to select which server it's applied to (and a process for support to fix it when people inevitably misclick). Likewise applying in-game purchases to the server you're not logged into at the time would require a way for them to share the data. Keeping it inconsistent means they don't have to do either. I suspect it's much the same with (the lack of) cross-platform items.

heaven13 · April 8

They should absolutely at least apply to the other server on the same platform. I'm not paying for the same thing twice on the same account.

ArchangelIsraphel · April 8

What I'd like to know is why pre-order mounts, and mount packages I purchase on steam (like the hailcinder elk package) can be applied to my entire account, both NA and EU, but things I buy from the crown store on NA cant be. Makes no sense at all honestly.

Bignupie1911 · April 8

These should be account wide just like mount training

Bokila · April 10

ArchangelIsraphel wrote: »

What I'd like to know is why pre-order mounts, and mount packages I purchase on steam (like the hailcinder elk package) can be applied to my entire account, both NA and EU, but things I buy from the crown store on NA cant be. Makes no sense at all honestly.

I know, right? It's basically a certainty that they can have crown items share account wide. They just restricted the feature for whatever reason.
Logged in on my PC account today. No items, no gold, no progress. Checked my collectibles tab, nothing. Uninstalled. It's 2024, people are busy with real life and they expect players to simply start from 0 and pour money again into it.

Elsonso · April 10

Danikat wrote: »

I doubt it's just contractual or 'legal' reasons, considering crown store purchases don't even transfer to the other server on the same platform and there won't be any restrictions there.

...

I suspect a major factor is doing whatever is simplest for ZOS to set up. Restricting out-of-game purchases to one server would require adding a step to select which server it's applied to (and a process for support to fix it when people inevitably misclick). Likewise applying in-game purchases to the server you're not logged into at the time would require a way for them to share the data. Keeping it inconsistent means they don't have to do either. I suspect it's much the same with (the lack of) cross-platform items.

Aside: I am sure it is contractual if we talk about cross-platform purchases, like the XBox store purchases ending up on PC because the accounts are linked.

It seems to me that ZOS let out that the reason for NA purchases not also happening on EU was technical. The Crown Store was introduced 9 years ago, and I can certainly believe that. I also figure it was due to the general idea that players would be mainly playing one geography, so the extra effort to do both NA and EU may have seemed an unnecessary expense. I can also see the monetization reason.

I think the technical issue you suggest is valid. The current out-of-game cross-geography and cross-platform items seem to all use "codes". Codes can likely be stored up until the player logs into the game on the account. Crown Store is immediate, so there is no "remembering".

That is not to say that they could not surmount this technical issue, if they wanted to.

The gamer in me says that they should be available on both NA and EU, and it should have been that way from the start. It was silly not to build that in, given the Crowns themselves are split across both.

The more business me says that it is what it is. Nine years later, changing it would cost real money to make it work, lose real money in Crown purchases, and open things up for complaints to customer services, which would also cost real money. Lots to weigh against the benefit, which is... player good will?

Anumaril · April 10

Money

Dark_Lord_Kuro · April 10

At the very least they should make it that crownstore stuff carry over from na to eu and viseversa on the same platform or make crown balance separate.

heaven13 · April 10

Elsonso wrote: »

Danikat wrote: »

I doubt it's just contractual or 'legal' reasons, considering crown store purchases don't even transfer to the other server on the same platform and there won't be any restrictions there.

...

I suspect a major factor is doing whatever is simplest for ZOS to set up. Restricting out-of-game purchases to one server would require adding a step to select which server it's applied to (and a process for support to fix it when people inevitably misclick). Likewise applying in-game purchases to the server you're not logged into at the time would require a way for them to share the data. Keeping it inconsistent means they don't have to do either. I suspect it's much the same with (the lack of) cross-platform items.

The gamer in me says that they should be available on both NA and EU, and it should have been that way from the start. It was silly not to build that in, given the Crowns themselves are split across both.

This is the main thing for me. My crowns apply to both NA and EU, if I purchase something on NA, the crowns are deducted across the entire platform, even though the item itself isn't available in the same manner.