The Price is Right?

Unknown

It seems counterproductive for each cover for every character to be valued at the same pricepoint. Brand new 3*? people are buying at 1250 so probably a good fit. Older top tier characters, probably also see a fair amount of sales so likely need no adjustment. Bottom tier 3*s? No sane person would spend 1250 HP on a Loki, Rags, Daredevil, or even IM40 & GSBW for that matter. From the most recent character ranking thread (thanks Nonce) those are the bottom 5 3* How much would you spend on one of their covers? Try to be honest, and guess at an average value of the bottom 5.

Unknown

My approach to the bottom tiers for a while has been "wait and I'll get them eventually" for a while now. I voted 250, but even at 250, I don't know that I'd buy them unless I thought that was the only way to get them (I've got those five all fully covered, though I my respec IM40) or I needed them particularly for something.

Unknown

Interesting question. There's that joke about 'men are happy to buy stuff they need at double price. Women are happy to buy stuff they don't need at half price'.

A correct price in sensible situation depends on NEED really. Go I need that cover really? If not, I would not pay even 10HP. If I have something in my mind to experiment -- or am forced to use the said character, then I may consider to buy extra covers. For how much would depend on the benefit I think they provide. Just lobbing a number in abstract not make much sense.

Unknown

pasa_ wrote:

A correct price in sensible situation depends on NEED really...Just lobbing a number in abstract not make much sense.

The question is one of value. While you're spot on about an item's value to you being need based, it is also reasonable to think that items in a marketplace be priced in such a way that people will want to buy them because they do provide a reasonable value to the consumer, and there's no need to be abstract about it at all. If everyone looks at a price tag and walks away shaking their head then your price point is probably too high, which is where we are now with these bottom tier 3*s. If for 1250 HP you could have a Sentry cover or a Rags cover, you're not selling a lot of Rags covers.

So what would be a better price point for outdated goods? A decent performance in PvP (600 progression, top 50 finish, top 250 alliance) gets you 150 HP. Toss in a little something from PvE and you're clearing 500ish HP in a week. That's probably not a bad place to be value-wise for a 2-3* transitioning player, who are really the only people who'd consider buying these covers at all.

Which brings up another price question: Who is buying 2* covers at 500 HP now that they practically fall from the sky by the dozen? That price point need serious examination as well.

Unknown

Thugpatrol wrote:

If for 1250 HP you could have a Sentry cover or a Rags cover, you're not selling a lot of Rags covers.

This exactly. Even in a store with real merchandise things that don't sell well are eventually discounted or thrown in the bargain bin so they can get ~some~ revenue back out of those items. With a digital store there is even less risk to lowering prices on outdated/underpowered covers. Would a newbie spend $$$ to get a new 3* up to fighting strength, doubtful. Would a newbie see they can spend $ to level up a Ragnarok and then use a 'bad' 3* to help them through the transition stage? I think the answer would be a resounding yes and if lots of newbies think that those $ add up into $$$ for d3/demiurge pretty quickly.

Unknown

At the same time, though, if you offer a Rag cover and a Sentry cover for the same price, people will think they're getting a better value to buy the Sentry cover, when in reality, they just spent ten bucks on something they wouldn't have normally valued at ten bucks. Having the Rag cover be the same ten bucks as the Sentry cover gives an artificial sense of value.

Unknown

fidsah wrote:

Having the Rag cover be the same ten bucks as the Sentry cover gives an artificial sense of value.

Even at the used car lot they mark down the beaters. The expensive stuff sells itself, because it has intrinsic value and people desire it (i.e. they want the Sentry cover because it lets them **** **** up with a broken OP character). It's last year's **** you have to convince people to take off your hands, and that usually means slashing prices.

Unknown

250 is most popular but from this small sample size 500 seems to be the most economically viable choice. Would you all hit me if I changed the poll values and asked you to vote again?

Unknown

I would have voted, but 0 didn't seem to be an option.

If it's a subpar character I can't see myself spending HP to max the covers if I wouldn't be bothered spending the ISO to level it. I have GSBW cover capped, with the right build, and don't intend to level her at all. I feel the same way about a couple other 3*s as well. Eventually I'll get the rest of the covers for DD, who will also never get any ISO love. Why would I spend HP on him... he's already costing me a roster slot.

Unknown

I think it should be noted that 2-stars cost 500. So the question for me becomes are the worst 3-stars more valuable than the best 2-stars? I would say no.

But I think variable pricing is silly. Imo they need to buff them not emphasize how garbage they are.

Unknown

Why no "0" on the poll? Which by the way, is what I would choose. Why waste shield or roster slot HP?

Unknown

I picked 50 cause it was the closest to zero. Even 50 is too much to spend on Loki or DD. Now, if we were talking about viable but sub par characters, 500 would probably be reasonable. Though i suppose at this point that would be everyone but daken and sentry.

Unknown

Thought about adding zero but everyone would take free covers so not really a helpful data point I should have included none of the above

Unknown

Cryptobrancus wrote:

Thought about adding zero but everyone would take free covers so not really a helpful data point I should have included none of the above

If not zero then an option for "I wouldn't buy them no matter the cost".

Unknown

It seems like there's really two different questions here and it's confusing the matter. One is the question of what would you personally spend on a bottom tier 3* cover. My answer, like many people here, is zero. Many of us have them all already, and even if we were missing a few we recognize that these characters are mostly **** compared to others that we're already using all the time.

But the more interesting question, and the one I tried to address above, is what would be a reasonable price for a second rate 3* that might help someone making the transition from 2* play. And really I'm talking about IM40 and GSBW off that list, because Rags and Loki aren't helping anyone even with a 2* roster, and Bagdevil is just too laughably inconsistent to wish on any player trying to get a foothold in a higher level of competition.

Unknown

The problem I see is that changing the prices on "lower tier" 3* is an admission on D3's part that a) they are sub-par and b) they won't be fixed.

Now I could see them separating those out and creating a new 2.5* tier, with separate pricing, but then you have the problem of differentiation between the tiers - after all, they just went through the whole level increase thing to *create* more differentiation between the tiers.

Unknown

That's probably the biggest barrier to discounting covers that've been left behind by power creep (or just poor design). I could see them discounting covers on the basis of age though. That'd give them a fig leaf to pretend tthey're not subpar and slowly broaden the list as the game shambles along.

user311

There are too many 3*s though and its definately a valid point that a LT cover should not have the same value as a Rags cover. But to say I am not going to spend 1250 on a cover if I have it to spare, I can't say that. For me, I guess I have to say it depends on the current price of HP. I was able to get the last sale 24000HP for $80 (with a 20% coupon on Itunes cards). So at that rate, 1250HP was a little more than $4. Normally it is about $6 (if you base value on the max HP pack currently available). Level max depends on the number of covers we have. If you want to be successful in lightning rounds (or even PVPs) that feature any of these characters you need to have higher levels. Loki and Doom covers are harder to attain. You can spend the 4-6 dollars worth of HP to give yourself this ability or you can wait for several weeks (or longer) for a tourney featuring that character in the rewards. I'll agree that IM40 sucks (AP to high) as well as Loki and Rags. I think that GSBW's 5th green is worth the HP given the amount of damage that can be generated. Daredevil has also proven worthwhile in PVEs against Venom and Juggernaut (1 stars - seriously?). If I look at a 9 day PVE and say I can spend 4 dollars to make this playable, thats better than grinding and waiting for my dead characters to get true healing.

Unknown

You can't base everyday value on a sale price that runs a few times a year. Neither can you assume the best conversion rate that requires people to drop $100 at a time. Most people, as is claimed by the "popular choice" banner on the sales menu, probably buy 2900 HP for $20. That's much closer to $8 for a cover, not $4.

And you don't need Doom, Loki, or Rags covers to do well in LRs. It might help, some less than others, but you'll see plenty of people do decently in LRs with loaner villains. They're just not that much of a difference maker, even boosted, which is another good case for discounting them.

Unknown

Also this idea that the powers-that-be will never lower the price of outdated and under-powered characters because it would represent some kind of admission of shortcoming on their part is exactly the kind of thinking that's bringing this game down. Everyone who's played this game for any reasonable amount of time knows which characters are good and which aren't. The only ones who are going to get suckered into buying a bad cover (I almost wrote "bag cover", heh) are noobs who don't know better or people with money to burn who just don't give a ****. So basically they'd rather rip people off than do anything about it. Working as intended!

If they're not going to buff them immediately, they should lower the price. If they buff them later they can raise the price. If you bought low and the character got better, good for you. You won the lottery. And they got a little less money a little earlier. Win for everyone.