Compensation for those that have purchased more than 8 outfit slots?

richo262 · January 19

I'm just curious if ZOS will be providing some sort of compensation for those that have purchased more than 8 outfit slots on their account with the new account wide functionality. I'm a big fan of the plan to have it account wide.

I was thinking for accounts that have more than 8 that perhaps they are refunded a unique tradeable outfit slot they can sell on the guild store? If you have purchased 10 slots across your various characters that will cap you out on all your characters and 2 will be wasted, ideally, instead, you get in your mail 2 outfit slot items that another player can consume to unlock an outfit slot? A temporary one off item that can be gifted / sold on guild traders.

Edit: I articulated my rationale for this in a post below, figured it makes more sense to explain that here for anyone opening this thread for the first time.
The rational isn't to motivate free stuff, the rational is to encourage people to purchase content without feeling like they should hold off in case it goes free to play in the near future. I know since Epic game store releases free games every week, I have noticed I buy games a lot less, not because I have issue paying, its because I've been frequently removing games from my Steam wishlist as the game is released on Epic. I now have this mindset of 'Well, I could buy it, maybe I'll play it, maybe it will probably just sit in my Steam library, guess I'll get it if Epic releases it for free'. I even purchased Hogwarts Legacy a few months back thinking Epic probably won't release that, lol I was wrong, came out a few weeks later.

I don't consider this mindset healthy for the industry, even I find it odd that I guess I have a mild complaint about Epics free games and its effect on my buying patterns.

I do think it is healthy for ZOS to ensure the 'Epic effect' doesn't happen, that players that buy things don't ever develop a mindset of 'well, I'll just wait for it to go free'. One way is that once a DLC goes free, that some sort of benefit is given to existing holders so there was not reason to hold off on the purchase.

I actually have not capped my outfit slots, so this post is not for my benefit. It makes no difference to me if I purchase the remaining slots via Crowns, Crowns for gold, or just gold via what I posted above. My concern is this 'Epic effect' potentially causing people to have buyers remorse and fewer people purchase things to keep the game alive as they prefer wait. I'm very pro ZOS's recent changes and I think it is wonderful they are moving to a more pro consumer position, I want ZOS to be rewarded for it. I do not want a mindset to set in where people don't buy content that they think might go free in the near future.

Kilthor69 · January 19

If we are going down this road, I hope there is compensation for all those that purchased DLC's and new areas that will now be part of the base game.

AzuraFan · January 19

Kilthor69 wrote: »

If we are going down this road, I hope there is compensation for all those that purchased DLC's and new areas that will now be part of the base game.

Yeah, there has been a lot of stuff given out for free over the past couple of years that other people bought, and now all the content will be going free. So I doubt there will be any compensation for the outfit slots.

scrappy1342 · January 19

Kilthor69 wrote: »

If we are going down this road, I hope there is compensation for all those that purchased DLC's and new areas that will now be part of the base game.

you've just shown why they can't do that

Giraffon · January 19

Yeah, they really can't go down that road. We'd all be after them for something. I'd be after them for a lot of somethings!

LunaFlora · January 19

no, unlikely to happen

Kilthor69 · January 19

I should have added a sarcasm emoji to my post. We cannot expect compensation for items already purchased when that is the way the game was setup at the time.

There just seems to be too many people that want something for changes made in a game.

FullMax · January 19

Think of your expenses as helping the developer. You haven't lost anything.

JHartEllis · January 19

I don't think players should expect anything on this front, but sending a few Crowns as customer appreciation to those that bought a lot would be a positive gesture.

Recent · January 19

Giraffon wrote: »

Yeah, they really can't go down that road. We'd all be after them for something. I'd be after them for a lot of somethings!

🤣 love this comment

Grega · January 19

richo262 wrote: »

I'm just curious if ZOS will be providing some sort of compensation for those that have purchased more than 8 outfit slots on their account with the new account wide functionality. I'm a big fan of the plan to have it account wide.

I was thinking for accounts that have more than 8 that perhaps they are refunded a unique tradeable outfit slot they can sell on the guild store? If you have purchased 10 slots across your various characters that will cap you out on all your characters and 2 will be wasted, ideally, instead, you get in your mail 2 outfit slot items that another player can consume to unlock an outfit slot? A temporary one off item that can be gifted / sold on guild traders.

This was asked in most recent stream. Specifically, compensation for everything that were sold and is now free or will be. Was even mentioned as also any future things that will be made free. Answer was no.

SilverBride · January 19

That's not how it works. If I purchase a new coat and a year later it goes on sale, I can't go in and get refunded the difference in price. The same is true with virtual items and services.

ADarklore · January 19

Yeah, I've bought so many outfit slots over the years on my 18 characters, but I'm certainly not expecting any refunds. I got my use out of it, and as @SilverBride said above, you buy something in the store and sometime later it goes on sale, you cannot go back to ZOS for a refund of the difference.

Techwolf_Lupindo · January 19

I lot of folk here are missing the point. A DLC that goes on sale or free in an event is not the same thing as loosing an DLC that one has purchase a while back.

Those that bought none or a few outfit slots are rewarded with account wide ones now. Those that bought a lot of outfit slot are PENILISED with the lose of many outfit slots.

This is like telling a regular customer that spent lots of money that they no longer have access to whatever they bough while new customers are given access to whatever that has been removed from the regular customers.

AlexanderDeLarge · January 19

Kilthor69 wrote: »

If we are going down this road, I hope there is compensation for all those that purchased DLC's and new areas that will now be part of the base game.

I don't know why we wouldn't go down that road actually. A title and instant unlock of a cosmetic new players can earn elsewhere isn't too much to ask imo.

I hope next up are armory slots going account-wide.

virtus753 · January 19

Techwolf_Lupindo wrote: »

I lot of folk here are missing the point. A DLC that goes on sale or free in an event is not the same thing as loosing an DLC that one has purchase a while back.

Those that bought none or a few outfit slots are rewarded with account wide ones now. Those that bought a lot of outfit slot are PENILISED with the lose of many outfit slots.

This is like telling a regular customer that spent lots of money that they no longer have access to whatever they bough while new customers are given access to whatever that has been removed from the regular customers.

*penalised/penalized, please. Replacing the A with an I means something entirely different.

How are people who bought outfit slots no longer going to have access to those slots? What exactly is being taken away in terms of slots? Each character gets their own outfit in their own slot, so you can still get 10 unique outfits on one character, and 10 different outfits on a different character, etc.

And to your last point - yes, MMOs can and do shut down. We will all lose this in the end without reimbursement for past purchases of DLC, outfit or armory slots, cosmetics, or anything else (unless it is timely enough to be covered by consumer protection). That’s why a lot of games that shut down restrict the sale of premium currency and in-game purchases for a while before the servers are shut down.

DoofusMax · January 19

Put it on your wishlist, I guess, but realize that it's just a wish. I don't see ZOS giving any indication of refunding the crowns I spent for Year One, the crowns I spent for Clockwork City, the crowns I spent for Scalebreaker and Fang Lair, or anything else I've bought for crowns that later ended up being a freebie because of login rewards or whatever. You got to enjoy your Outfit slots for however long you've had them, so it's not much different than paying full retail for a game or expansion and then expecting a refund when it goes on sale for 75% off later.

Elvenheart · January 19

They lowered the cost of bag space. Why is no one who paid the higher price asking for a refund now?

Vonnegut2506 · January 19

Elvenheart wrote: »

They lowered the cost of bag space. Why is no one who paid the higher price asking for a refund now?

Because most of us realize that stuff gets given away over the years, and we aren't that special that ZOS should compensate us.

Elvenheart · January 20

Vonnegut2506 wrote: »

Elvenheart wrote: »

They lowered the cost of bag space. Why is no one who paid the higher price asking for a refund now?

Because most of us realize that stuff gets given away over the years, and we aren't that special that ZOS should compensate us.

Thank you, that’s the answer I would have expected, and my question was mainly to put the outfit slot question in the same perspective. 😊

DenverRalphy · January 20

Techwolf_Lupindo wrote: »

. Those that bought none or a few outfit slots are rewarded with account wide ones now. Those that bought a lot of outfit slot are Penalized with the lose of many outfit slots.

Unless a player has bought 10 outfit slots for every single one of their characters, they still receive a net gain when they go account wide. Nothing is taken from them, and they still come out ahead after the change.

[edit] I should mention that I did edit the contents of the quote. But only to correct a very unfortunate spelling error.

Cooperharley · January 20

Let me ask you this:

If you purchase a shirt and it goes on sale 3 years later, do you go back for a refund?

If you purchase an xbox one on launch in the summer, and then there's a winter sale 3 years later, do you go back for a refund?

No. No you don't. Such is life. You weighed the cost at the time to purchase these tokens & slots when you wanted them. You are not entitled to a refund just as I am not entitled to a refund for mounts I purchased from the store that are coming in-game, or crates that didn't give me anything but potions and poisons, or DLC I bought/pre-purchased near release that are YEARS later being given to new players for free.

If that angers you, I'd say you need to change your perspective.

Best thing to do is be happy that ZOS is improving the game incrementally (finally!).

richo262 · January 20

Kilthor69 wrote: »

If we are going down this road, I hope there is compensation for all those that purchased DLC's and new areas that will now be part of the base game.

I know you are being sarcastic, but it wouldn't be a horrible thing for ZOS to provide anyone that owns the DLC with the mount from the collectors edition upon going free to play, and providing anyone with the collectors edition a couple of crown crates related to that theme. It wouldn't cost anything to ZOS.

The rational isn't to motivate free stuff, the rational is to encourage people to purchase content without feeling like they should hold off in case it goes free to play in the near future. I know since Epic game store releases free games every week, I have noticed I buy games a lot less, not because I have issue paying, its because I've been frequently removing games from my Steam wishlist as the game is released on Epic. I now have this mindset of 'Well, I could buy it, maybe I'll play it, maybe it will probably just sit in my Steam library, guess I'll get it if Epic releases it for free'. I even purchased Hogwarts Legacy a few months back thinking Epic probably won't release that, lol I was wrong, came out a few weeks later.

I don't consider this mindset healthy for the industry, even I find it odd that I guess I have a mild complaint about Epics free games and its effect on my buying patterns.

I do think it is healthy for ZOS to ensure the 'Epic effect' doesn't happen, that players that buy things don't ever develop a mindset of 'well, I'll just wait for it to go free'. One way is that once a DLC goes free, that some sort of benefit is given to existing holders so there was not reason to hold off on the purchase.

I actually have not capped my outfit slots, so this post is not for my benefit. It makes no difference to me if I purchase the remaining slots via Crowns, Crowns for gold, or just gold via what I posted above. My concern is this 'Epic effect' potentially causing people to have buyers remorse and fewer people purchase things to keep the game alive as they prefer wait. I'm very pro ZOS's recent changes and I think it is wonderful they are moving to a more pro consumer position, I want ZOS to be rewarded for it. I do not want a mindset to set in where people don't buy content that they think might go free in the near future.

wolfie1.0. · January 20

Techwolf_Lupindo wrote: »

I lot of folk here are missing the point. A DLC that goes on sale or free in an event is not the same thing as loosing an DLC that one has purchase a while back.

Those that bought none or a few outfit slots are rewarded with account wide ones now. Those that bought a lot of outfit slot are PENILISED with the lose of many outfit slots.

This is like telling a regular customer that spent lots of money that they no longer have access to whatever they bough while new customers are given access to whatever that has been removed from the regular customers.

Zos can revoke your license to access your account at any time for any reason. If they do so you dont get funds back as a result.

Zos's change to the DK class makes 2 of my dk poison builds non existent. Should I get a refund on every crown I invested in those characters?

KalevaLaine · January 20

They simply shouldn't do things that cost money for free — problem solved.

lillybit · January 20

It's not the same as DLCs going base game or things being given away. The prices change and things devalue over time. That's not what's happening here tho.

They're fundamentally changing a product so that people who have paid more - in some cases significantly more - get less. The price is still the same and is likely to remain the same, but some people have paid 1500 crowns and some 4500 or even more for exactly the same thing.

Nobody's really expecting a crown refund but something, maybe seals or one of the new currencies, to at least acknowledge the issue isn't unreasonable

NotaDaedraWorshipper · January 20

Elvenheart wrote: »

They lowered the cost of bag space. Why is no one who paid the higher price asking for a refund now?

Bag space cost in game gold, not real life money.

Well, one can buy them for crowns too, but that's insane.

spartaxoxo · January 20

Elvenheart wrote: »

They lowered the cost of bag space. Why is no one who paid the higher price asking for a refund now?

The difference is that you can still use the things that have been made free. I can still go play the Dark Brotherhood DLC regardless of price. People who purchased more slots now have merchandise, paid for with real money, that was rendered completely unusable.

That's why the devs said they are in discussions about what to do about it.

LunaFlora · January 20

spartaxoxo wrote: »

Elvenheart wrote: »

They lowered the cost of bag space. Why is no one who paid the higher price asking for a refund now?

The difference is that you can still use the things that have been made free. I can still go play the Dark Brotherhood DLC regardless of price. People who purchased more slots now have merchandise, paid for with real money, that was rendered completely unusable.

That's why the devs said they are in discussions about what to do about it.

how are the slots unusable?
accountwide outfit slots' appearance is tied to character

SilverBride · January 20

The Grand Psijic Villa was once free but I had to pay 14,000 crowns to get it. By the same token I should get my crowns refunded.

DenverRalphy · January 20

There's one very simple solution...

Simply award Outfit Change Tokens for every outfit slot purchased. Players who've purchased several outfit slots will get more outfit change tokens than those who've only purchased a few.