About time we had a roster sale...?

Unknown

Well, we have had several iso sales, and hp sales, so why not put in for a sale on the cotpst of roster places? Sure, hp sales can compensate, but why not?

I am currently at 800hp for new slots. Sufferable if buying a 3 or 4*, but insufferable for a 2*. Knocking the price down to say 400 would make it less painful.

Who's up for this?

Unknown

Currently at 1900 HP... We are close to $10 for a roster slot...

I haven't been buying a cover in 2 months (Quicksilver was probably the last character I bought covers for).

Bowgentle

arktos1971 wrote:

Currently at 1900 HP... We are close to $10 for a roster slot...

I haven't been buying a cover in 2 months (Quicksilver was probably the last character I bought covers for).

Well, you _could_ sell one of your five Hoods.

Unknown

Bowgentle wrote:

arktos1971 wrote:

Currently at 1900 HP... We are close to $10 for a roster slot...

I haven't been buying a cover in 2 months (Quicksilver was probably the last character I bought covers for).

Well, you _could_ sell one of your five Hoods.

Whoa there, let's not get hasty.

firethorne

How about just remove the greedy system that punishes return customers with every increasing prices? Cap it at 500.

DFiPL

firethorne wrote:

How about just remove the greedy system that punishes return customers with every increasing prices? Cap it at 500.

Seriously. If you have a customer who has demonstrated a willingness to spend on your game, placing increasing disincentives to that spending in their path doesn't really seem like the brightest idea from a business perspective.

I mean, don't get me wrong. I get it, I do; because Hero Points can be earned as well as purchased, and high-end players can earn those points through PVP and PVE finishes, capping roster slot costs could result in high-end players - presumably those most likely to be 'whales' - not spending on roster spots, which are probably one of the two biggest sellers for Demiurge/D3. The other being additional character covers.

So you know how you address this? leave the existing roster spot model in place (no wait hear me out guys) and for each account each month, have a 'one-time' sale that includes a roster spot with the purchase of Hero Points. You've got five tiers to work with; granted, the $1.99 tier is probably too low to include a roster spot, but you could do a spot + 600 Hero Points at $4.99. Then you have three other tiers to play with to add another roster spot bundle. You know (presumably) how many characters you plan to release in a month. If it's two, you could put that at the $19.99 tier. If it's four, you could put that at the $49.99 tier.

And by leaving the existing system in place, the Hero Points your customers purchase are still going to get spent on SOMETHING...and maybe that something is an additional roster spot over and above the one they got with their purchase. By making it a one-time thing each month, you allow casual users to keep up with the roster crunch (at least to a degree) without having to spend hundreds on Hero Points, and you incentivize the purchase of Hero Points across the entire community. There is quite literally nobody who plays this game who says "yep yep i have all the roster spots i need why would i ever need another"

To repeat: the Hero Points getting purchased to get the free roster spot each month are still going to get spent on something, whether that's shields, tokens, covers, or...yet another roster spot. People who are buying a Stark Salary each month are probably not going to begrudge an extra $5 on Agency Expenses if it comes with that extra roster spot; nor are they going to forsake the Stark Salary (which they presumably are purchasing because they churn through that many Hero Points in a month) because they bought the $5 package instead. So at the high end, you've got a 5% increase on ROI, and below that tier, players who can more easily keep up with the roster crunch are players who are going to feel more willing to spend.

TL;DR: you'd see an increase in overall revenue, and even if that revenue doesn't continue to get spent on the most expensive part of the game (for most), the Hero Points have to go SOMEWHERE. You get a modest increase on ROI at the top and potentially increase wider participation in the game economy by those at the bottom.

Unknown

To touch on the subject of people buying HP, I think it is important to know and recognize that there is a hierarchy amongst spenders. (Also, if anyone has anything to add, quote and bold your additions/corrections.)

I think there are several layers to game here in regards to spending/hard core play. To address a few:

High-end Players (Whales):
At this point in the game, are probably purchasing HP (more than likely Stark Salaries because of the value vs cost) more for covers. Because they are more than likely the top of the top in placement, and in alliance rankings, which means that the HP they are earning in game is being recycled as shields, damage % boosts, and roster slots.

Upper Mid-Tier Players (Sharks <figured I'd stay with the aquatic animals >):
These are the players that are striving to be in the top end. Ranking wise they are probably T10 every event, but that is not good enough. They probably buy the Asgard Treasure. They are trying to expand their rosters and maintain in PVP with shields and purchase extra roster spots so not to miss out on new character. They probably also buy damage % boost to down opponents faster between shield hops.

Lower Mid-Tier Players (Dolphins):
This is me. We occasionally buy the Logan's Loonies to kick off a Season. This gives us room to expand our Roster Slots for the new characters we pick up, but we are not afraid to delete an unused character that has fallen out of favor because we now have a new maxed character that uses the same color combos and does better damage. It also gives us a starting point for shielding because we earn just under what it takes to sustain for an entire season. But we are working on it. We rarely buy covers, but if we do, it is because we had to round out a character ASAP to stay competitive with those around us.

Low-Tier Players (Salmon):
These players buy the occasional Bugle Pittance or Agency Expense. They are constantly trying to swim up river to get those prizes but need help from time to time. These player are also perfectly ok missing out on a cover, or deleting a character for a more coveted one. They are almost Free-To-Play Players. But with a slight boost. These player probably primarily spend the HP they buy on Roster Slots or Shields for a coveted cover.

Free to Play Players (sorry, I couldn't think of a fish to use)
These players come in 2 categories. The first is the IDC about this game, it just gets me through the train ride to work. The second group are the hardest of the hard core, in my opinion. Because there are a lot of them here on forums that run neck and neck with the High-End Players without ever spending a dime. But they had to work and everything they have has been the result of the blood, sweat, and tears of said hard work to stay competitive. And if they ever decided to start buying HP, Goddess help us all.