IceIX - please respond

zonatahunt

Hello IceIX. This is my first post, so please understand that I found what I'm about to ask you important enough to create an account.

First, a bit of history on myself. I found this game about four months ago when I was using Tapjoy to earn dinobucks for Jurassic Park Builder (a fun game, but recently they've hit a wall on creativity). I try my hardest to find f2p games because I'm a father of three and have a wonderful wife too. In short, having five mouths to feed and care for costs money, and seeing has how I'm already working two jobs and trying to finish a dissertation, money is hard to come by. Therefore, I find spending money on apps to be a luxury that rarely finds credence in my world. However, I found it fun to spend about $20 on Jurassic Park Builder, and I've contemplated spending money on MPQ. The only issue with MPQ is that the cost versus the reward is simply ridiculous. But that's another issue.

My point in the aforementioned paragraph is that I have no monetary investment in MPQ, only my time and happiness. I played all the time, whenever I could, as it was a welcome break to a very hectic, happy, and busy life.

I find the wrong-doings of individuals in this world to truly bother me. When I see people wronged in this world it truly leaves me in a bothered state. Currently, I've been left in a bothered state because of one singular change to MPQ (and finally, I present to you, IceIX, my question...one I truly hope you answer with all honesty):

Why are the MPQ players who've injected real money into your company not been fully reimbursed for the recent slew of nerfings that have occurred?

I believe my question, one that's been asked by so many other forum members, deserves an honest answer from a D3 employee.

I'll justify and explain my question in the following few sentences. First, you were paid for a very specific product. Your customers found Thor and Wolverine (and Ragnarok...that pain in the ****) fun and interesting characters enough to spend real hard-earned funds on a video game. They were told by D3 that their money, spent on ISO and hero coins, would allow them to level up and build towards a maximized Marvel character. Thor, for example, would inflict over 2000 damage when maximized at level 85 if you enacted his yellow power. That was an incredibly strong offensive attack and drove your customers to spend their money in maximizing Thor...so they could have a tactical advantage when battling other players. There's no need for me to give examples of all the other powers that have been nerfed that drove so many of your customers to spend what I can only assume to be thousands upon thousands of dollars on. So, the reality here is that all your paying customers spent real money on a very specific product. This product was presented to all of us by D3. Your company collected their money and in return gave them the ISO or hero coins to level their Thor or Wolverine to the diagnostic statistics PRESENTED TO ALL OF US BY D3. After selling a product, your company changed that product. Essentially, you presented a product one way, took your customers money and then changed said product. Regardless of how long your customers were allowed to play with Thor and Wolverine at those levels and with those powers, almost the entire majority of your paying customers would not have given D3 any of their money if they knew their investment would devalue as much as they have. In essence D3 falsely presented to paying clients a product, one in which was changed after D3 collected all they could. I product was sold as one thing, but then changed into another. In the business world, such practices usually result with the paying customer receiving a 100% refund. Sadly, and to the sever disappointment of the majority of your players, all players with a Thor or Wolverine were allowed to sell back their characters for 50% of the ISO they purchased. They were not granted a refund; instead, through the current 50% refund offered, D3 has told it's players (players that support and keep the business afloat) that they're keeping their money and that they won't even give a full-value refund in the form of ISO.

As I said I have no horse in this race. I never dropped a single dime into MPQ. If the products offered were more reasonable in price (as in spending and spending on ISO, covers, and hero points were to equal about $60 dollars...the price of all games for any system) I'd consider spending my money on a D3 product. For those though that have spent real money, and in particular money towards leveling Thor and Wolverine, I see this as nothing short of theft by D3. Theft such as this is simply a fireable offense in the business world. This issue, not the "nerfing" of the characters, is what I believe is the main issue all of us are having with D3 right now. Those that have spent REAL money on a product feel stolen from. As I said, it bothers me, truly it does, when I see people wronged. As much as I have enjoyed your product, what D3 has done to it's paying customers is criminal.

If D3 really believes nerfing characters betters the game, then you need to be responsible and reimburse, FULLY, those that invested their hard-earned money towards a product that was advertised by D3 in a very precise way. Once you alter that product, after taking their money, D3 is simply doing nothing more but stealing from their paying customers.

I do hope, IceIX, that you take the time to honestly address my question, as I truly believe this is what has upset your customers most. Why should any of us trust a company that seems so willing to take our money and not honor what we've all paid hard-earned money on?

Thank you for your honest and transparent response (I hope).

Unknown

+1

Ntg angry consumers more than being presented with the wrong product purchased

Unknown

Wonders if they lock this.... well written. Personally if you did spend $$ on a nerfed character. I would copy paste this to apple/Google play. Try your luck.

Unknown

Their excuse is that you already used any hp or iso you purchased. They also believe that the nerfs are still playable, where now people who relied on those characters are crippled. You can't sell a product, wait until people are dependant on it , and then mess up the product so no one wants it, even though they still need it .

Unknown

This is a big reason to hate digital property. At what point do you own vs. Rent what you spent.
My issue with this are they changed a character to make you want (not need) to respec for optimal performance. So now you would want to spend x $$ to get back what you already had.

Eddiemon

And it helps if your puppet account stays in character. In the third paragraph you claim no money spent on the game, and then later you are making demands about 'our money'.

If you're going to try creating a new account because you have trashed the reputation of your old one with incessant narciccism and whining at least make it through the first post with a consistent story.

Very disappointment. 2 / 10

Unknown

champion9782 wrote:

This is a big reason to hate digital property. At what point do you own vs. Rent what you spent.
My issue with this are they changed a character to make you want (not need) to respec for optimal performance. So now you would want to spend x $$ to get back what you already had.

You're paying to be able to use the items. You don't actually own the items. It's the same for every online game anywhere.

Unknown

Whilst nerfing a character is completely within their rights, it's good practice to "compensate" those affected by drastic changes to a character. Compensation can be anything they like as in the 50% iso and a bit of hp they offered for the wolve/thor nerf. However i have yet to see anything offered for Rag and previous nerfs.

Unknown

Madjam wrote:

Whilst nerfing a character is completely within their rights, it's good practice to "compensate" those affected by drastic changes to a character. Compensation can be anything they like as in the 50% iso and a bit of hp they offered for the wolve/thor nerf. However i have yet to see anything offered for Rag and previous nerfs.

Not as many players had Ragnarok. Any players feeling a need for compensation can step forward and contact customer service. It's as easy as posting a complaint on the forums.

Unknown

Madjam wrote:

Whilst nerfing a character is completely within their rights, it's good practice to "compensate" those affected by drastic changes to a character. Compensation can be anything they like as in the 50% iso and a bit of hp they offered for the wolve/thor nerf. However i have yet to see anything offered for Rag and previous nerfs.

The compensation should be free, we shouldn't have to sell our characters for it. It was the devs mistake to make them so strong in the first place, why should we be punished?

Unknown

Typhon13 wrote:

Madjam wrote:

Whilst nerfing a character is completely within their rights, it's good practice to "compensate" those affected by drastic changes to a character. Compensation can be anything they like as in the 50% iso and a bit of hp they offered for the wolve/thor nerf. However i have yet to see anything offered for Rag and previous nerfs.

The compensation should be free, we shouldn't have to sell our characters for it. It was the devs mistake to make them so strong in the first place, why should we be punished?

Im not saying the compensation they offered was right, just that they did offer it. I personally thought it was an unacceptable form of compensation.

zonatahunt

And it helps if your puppet account stays in character. In the third paragraph you claim no money spent on the game, and then later you are making demands about 'our money'.

If you're going to try creating a new account because you have trashed the reputation of your old one with incessant narciccism and whining at least make it through the first post with a consistent story.

Very disappointment. 2 / 10

Eddiemon,

Sorry that I threw an "our" in there, but it was quite late and I'd just returned home from work. This is my first and only account, and I can assure you my first post ever. This account is not being used to conceal a "trashed" account. This question has truly been bothering me, enough so to finally stop lurking in the shadows and to make a real post. I honestly would spend money on the game, but only if it were trustworthy. Sorry if my choice of words cast doubt on the legitimacy of my post...but I would truly like a response from the devs on this one.

Unknown

I'm a lawyer (hence the **** name, it's applicable since I'm a lawyer named John, deal with it lol), here's my take:You spent your money on HP, not a specific character guaranteed to remain static. Here are the points where I think you would lose, chronologically, with the next one assuming the last didn't happen as I stated:1) You paid for x amount of HP, received x amount, transaction complete. No case.2) You purchased the HP with the intent to purchase Ragnarok cards. You received your Rags. No case.3) You purchased the HP with the intent to purchase this specific instance of Ragnarok at his power level as it stood last week. I haven't reviewed their terms of use, but there is no chance D3 did not reserve the right to change characters at their discretion. Essentially you purchased digital money to purchase in game items. The contract ended when you bought the HP. If the courts decided to be nice and look at your intent, you would argue "I only paid X for Rags, assuming he would stay." The court would then say D3 explicitly reserved the rights to augment the game as they see fit, you agreed to their terms of use, you should have done your due diligence and read what you accepted. Even if you skipped the HP step and paid real dollars directly for Rags, it wouldn't hold since they have free reign to change. There was NO guarantee that you were buying "Ragnarok with 2 AP Thunderclap, not subject to change."Lastly, for a realistic standpoint, you're paying a lawyer $2K to get you back your $100, not worth it 

this is a lawyer’s opinion....

Unknown

Should probably make it more clear that's not your post.

Unknown

Well done OP, longest troll post I've ever seen.

Moral

kubrick wrote:

I'm a lawyer (hence the **** name, it's applicable since I'm a lawyer named John, deal with it lol), here's my take:You spent your money on HP, not a specific character guaranteed to remain static. Here are the points where I think you would lose, chronologically, with the next one assuming the last didn't happen as I stated:1) You paid for x amount of HP, received x amount, transaction complete. No case.2) You purchased the HP with the intent to purchase Ragnarok cards. You received your Rags. No case.3) You purchased the HP with the intent to purchase this specific instance of Ragnarok at his power level as it stood last week. I haven't reviewed their terms of use, but there is no chance D3 did not reserve the right to change characters at their discretion. Essentially you purchased digital money to purchase in game items. The contract ended when you bought the HP. If the courts decided to be nice and look at your intent, you would argue "I only paid X for Rags, assuming he would stay." The court would then say D3 explicitly reserved the rights to augment the game as they see fit, you agreed to their terms of use, you should have done your due diligence and read what you accepted. Even if you skipped the HP step and paid real dollars directly for Rags, it wouldn't hold since they have free reign to change. There was NO guarantee that you were buying "Ragnarok with 2 AP Thunderclap, not subject to change."Lastly, for a realistic standpoint, you're paying a lawyer $2K to get you back your $100, not worth it 

this is a lawyer’s opinion....

Would D3's lawyer advise clients to not respond to posts such as these?

zonatahunt

Badlands, I'm not trolling by any means. Why would you accuse me of such? I'm a f2p player that's upset with the way D3 has treated their paying customers (which I am not part of). I'm simply asking for a D3 employee to explain their stance on a topic that has left many infuriated. My attempt to obtain that answer isn't trolling, as I'm not trying to incite any negativity...instead just asking for clarification of actions by D3. Honestly, I've been nothing but straightforward and polite with all three of my posts now.

Unknown

Because you are only posting to wind people up. Your questions have been asked and answered in various other threads across this forum. A few of you "agitators" don't want to let it go. Anyone could see that the game was broken due to those three characters pre-adjustments, count yourself lucky you were able to take advantage of it.

Unknown

The thing people are not understanding is that in the context with how the devs want the game to be played, Wolvie and Thor are still extremely viable. The only reason there is so much backlash is that there was a very clear saturation of the game with Thorverine. No one needed to pay to get those characters and level them. Being upset about Ragnarok I understand. I loved him when I first married his mom, now he has red hair. But he was rarer and so the outcry was quieter.

Honestly the actual playing of a match is 100% more satisfying now, with team composition more important and more fluid. The problems with the game now boil down to the event specs, ie. broken pve scaling and horrendous matchmaking/progression reward attainability. If d3 can nail those down to a more acceptable status quo, this game will thrive like never before

Unknown

_fulu_ wrote:

The thing people are not understanding is that in the context with how the devs want the game to be played, Wolvie and Thor are still extremely viable. The only reason there is so much backlash is that there was a very clear saturation of the game with Thorverine. No one needed to pay to get those characters and level them. Being upset about Ragnarok I understand. I loved him when I first married his mom, now he has red hair. But he was rarer and so the outcry was quieter.

Honestly the actual playing of a match is 100% more satisfying now, with team composition more important and more fluid. The problems with the game now boil down to the event specs, ie. broken pve scaling and horrendous matchmaking/progression reward attainability. If d3 can nail those down to a more acceptable status quo, this game will thrive like never before

By "more fluid" team comp I can only assume you meant to say "more web fluid."

Maybe it's just because my roster and MMR are moving me away from 2* and in to 3* territory, but at least 2/3 of my fights are against Spidey.

Unknown

While I can appreciate your cogent point of view, I respectfully see things another way, zonata. Know that this is also coming from a person in a similar life stage and also spends no money on this game. The monies paid in this game are NOT directly for XYZ cover for any particular character. The monies spent are for virtual funds, ISO and HP. They sold us the ability to strengthen our current roster, whoever that may be without the time committment that would otherwise be needed. How such funds are spent in a fluid and changing game are up to the buyer from there on out. They did not sell us an OP Rags, Thor, Wolverine, or whoever the next "flavor of the month" is.

People aren't happy with the sudden nerf to Rags or the rebalancing of Thor and Wolverine. Rag's changes were heavy-handed to the point I would consider it a nerf, but Thor and Wolverine needed retooling, which is what was done. I don't find it reasonable to be enraged about something like this (not necessarily you, but the whole MPQ populace in general), though I do understand if forewarning may have prevented some of the "I just spent $100 and my Rags got nerfed 5 minutes later" problems. The game is fluid, it has been patched before. This happens in games all the time. While the player base may not be happy about the changes, it is the developer's business to succeed or fail. If the player populace does not like what has happened, they can try to get a refund, but I don't hold it against the developer if they did not. Ultimately, it is the developer's who must realize that a successful business model thrives on happy customers. Unhappy customers need only to stop paying.

In addition, the common argument that the developers maliciously fooled the player base into spending money and then ruthlessly changing the characters is absolutely rediculous. If it were the case the developers where just trying to take the player base's money, why nerf Rags at all? People were clearly paying out the nose to have him maxxed. If the ultimate end were to simply rob the players, they could have just left him alone and continued to make money off him, F2P players be damned. In fact, they could have also introduced another character even more unbalanced than Rags and start the cycle over again. If the ultimate end was just to do a "smash and grab" of players' money, this would have been the poorest way to do it. They could have just milked Rags and done this all over again with a stronger character afterwards.

Again, I appreciate your maturely laid out arguement, I just don't necessarily agree with this general mindset that most people seem to have.