A frank discussion about in-app purchases.

firethorne

Devs, you say you are listening, so listen when I say this:
My roster is not worth $6700 to level.

We all know the relationship between players and developers has been very tense, even downright toxic. So, I want to try to express this in a civil manner. But, I realize that is difficult, because I do feel you should be a bit ashamed of your current practices. Now, we know this price has always existed, but it has been off in the wings, and we all ignored it and laughed at it. But, to put it so front and center on the level up screen in the latest update makes me think you still expect rational people to pay this much for this little ISO.

Lets take a bit of time to consider some of the areas from where the dev-player toxicity stems. Sure, there's the garbage RNG progression that gets denounced by players over and over. But, I think the new brazen $100 price tag on the level up button is another place where you've not really been listening to the players. I can't help but feel you're missing the boat. A good in app purchases should be something people want to buy. $100 for ISO to level up a character... No strike that, $100 for an amount of ISO that isn't even enough to fully level up a character, is in no way that. ISO that isn't even sufficient to max out a single 4* shouldn't cost more than a brand new Triple-A game. I can't help but think that flashing this price tag at players every time they go to level isn't going to do you any favors in the winning of hearts and minds, as a number of them see overt greed as a cornerstone of what is primarily wrong with the game.

Amid a rising consumer backlash against in-app purchasing, Apple has started featuring the “Pay Once and Play” page features a number of games in its library that don’t have or require any additional in-app or purchases or downloadable content. They've done this, in part, due to greedy and ridiculous cash grabs moves by devs that ultimately poison the well and end up working against the dev's best interest.

And we get it, this is your job. Make no mistake, we do understand you have to get paid. Which is actually a reason I'd be more than a bit concerned if I were in your shoes. As I said before, a purchase should be something people want, something that people would happily spend. And you are excluding a lot of people from that group. The trend seems to be chasing a higher and higher dollar amount from a smaller and smaller population. You have players that love your game, that would happily pay a few bucks now and then. But, if you tell me the cost for a phone game is significantly more than a top line PC, complete with HTC Vibe, there is no question on which I'll pick. This is not sustainable. Eventually, your bubble will collapse, and you will be out of a job.

GurlBYE

I can't disagree with anything you wrote,

unfortunately the pricing never changed from Mortgage payment to supporting a game you like.

They'd rather bleed the ones willing to drop thousands then those of us willing to pay smaller amounts a year.

Whats interesting is I can even see the higher up spenders drying out.

The most famous one already has all 5 stars in a place where even extra covers won't add a champ level, and all 4's in a similar position besides the very newest.

WelcomeDeath

That button has always been there....its not new. Like, literally forever.

Vhailorx

In a retail game universe, you look at the game as an entire package and evaluate if the single price is worth the whole pack. With freemium games, you have to discreetly value each individual game activity in terms of real money value. This design philosophy is attractive for devs and pubs because it allows them to extract more money from those players willing to spend more than a single retail price. But it can absolutely suck the fun out of a game by constantly asking players: "how much is X worth to you?"

In turn, this makes players suspicious about dev motives whenever changes are made. In destiny or overwatch, when the most powerful weapons/characters are nerfed "for balance reasons," I don't have to suspect that bungie/blizzard are just trying to get more money from me. But in MPQ, when thorverine were nerfed hard in April 2015 (shortly after an HP sale), I did have to wonder if the change was made because fewer players were whaling new releases because the top pair was so dominant. Even if there was no bad faith involved at all, the very design of the game forced me to consider the possibility. It's the same with ultra-hard boss events. In a vacuum, very challenging events are fine. But in a a game that charges real money to heal characters instantly, any significant increase in difficulty inevitably looks like a money grab (whether or not it is!).

I understand that the ISO pricing philosophy is players will pay to "top off" their iso reserves to finish a character, rather than outright buying all the iso for a character at once. And maybe enough people actually pay the absurd prices that demi/d3 don't feel pressure to change it now. But as firethorne says, that will only last so long. continually twisting the screws on monetization will have a negative impact on player experience. If vets leave, then the game will need new players to provide grist for the whales and mega whales, and there are already plenty of obstacles for new players of the game.

halirin

The high price for iso is a good thing. It keeps most people from buying ISO. That's a good thing. Would you rather feel like you "have to" buy iso just to keep up?

firethorne

Hmm, I see we've been whisked under the suggestions and feedback rug.

Vhailorx

and not even the courtesy of a post to tell you about the move? I would PM a mod. this is a general discussion topic.

DrDevilDinosaur

The game isn't dying

Matt Murdock

Personally, I love the new max level button. I dont mind referencing an external spreadsheet to see how many times I need to spend $100. In fact, for convenience, i think they should add a giant button on the train characters screen to level all 4*s for $20,121! (Actual price) I mean, for the convenience factor alone I would totally forego buying a new car!

elwhiteninja

Can i rate this 7,800 times 1 for each dollar it would take to cap my roster (not champion every character just soft cap). The new button just rubs salt in the wound when i stare at it 78000 for $100. I don't know what is more appalling the price or the fact that some people actually pay that price. I have said it before and I will say it again. $20 should allow me to at the very least max a 4 star from lvl 70 not put 2 lvls on one. The iso price made a minute amount of sense when the game was primarily 2 stars. But now with the game being primarily 4 stars and 5 stars that take 365,000 ($460) and 551,000 ($700) that is a ridiculous number.

Part of me is happy about it because it motivates me not to spend money. But even with all the extra ISO that have been entering the game since rank and login changes it is still a drop in the bucket. During anniversary when it was doubled it was at least close to meeting demand. I am currently short nearly 6 million ISO obviously it is a good thing to be some short, but come one that is a really high number that seems to grow more than it shrinks.

Beastwood

Tbf i think the ISO pricing was relevant way back when the game was new, 78k was a lot but you can tell how seriously out dated it is and it has never been looked at... or it has and they rubbed their hands.

It's literally 2 days worth of iso (and i say days i mean what.. a few hours to knock out the events, the ddq and a bit of pvp)

For £79.99 I'd expect the motherlode to be both HP and ISO together and a decent amount of both not a miniscule amount of one or the other

The button annoys the hell out of me simply because no where on that screen is there an indication of exactly how much ISO i need to level up a char, something that pretty much existed all the way up untill this change, i haven't played many games where i have to reference something externally to know something as basic as how much i need to reach the next level.
The button took me to the ISO buy screen if i didn't have enough what was up with that or adding a button underneath the previous 2 doing what this new button does.you didnt have to hide the ISO i needed from me purely so you can make it seem like 78k would be enough it's a really underhanded sneaky tactic and conveniently near xmas aswell......

Tho tbf i would never buy iso hp at a push if i desperately need a char slot n i buy the cheapest i can get away with, any of the top tier purchases are insanely overpriced

Brigby

Hey everyone. There's already a post about it located here that you might be interested in taking a look at: viewtopic.php?f=7&t=55710&start=20

In regards to the button, this is what the development team had to say:

We have heard the feedback about the changes to the "Level Jump" button and understand your concerns. We will be discussing what can be done in the coming days. We appreciate all the feedback we have received thus far.

elwhiteninja

Brigby wrote:

Hey everyone. There's already a post about it located here that you might be interested in taking a look at: viewtopic.php?f=7&t=55710&start=20

In regards to the button, this is what the development team had to say:

We have heard the feedback about the changes to the "Level Jump" button and understand your concerns. We will be discussing what can be done in the coming days. We appreciate all the feedback we have received thus far.

I don't think this topic is actually about the button its about the ridiculously insulting price of ISO although i think we all do hate the button. The button just makes us remember how over priced ISO is.

Crowl

elwhiteninja wrote:

Brigby wrote:

Hey everyone. There's already a post about it located here that you might be interested in taking a look at: viewtopic.php?f=7&t=55710&start=20

In regards to the button, this is what the development team had to say:

We have heard the feedback about the changes to the "Level Jump" button and understand your concerns. We will be discussing what can be done in the coming days. We appreciate all the feedback we have received thus far.

I don't think this topic is actually about the button its about the ridiculously insulting price of ISO although i think we all do hate the button. The button just makes us remember how over priced ISO is.

Indeed, while this situation has been exacerbated by the ui change, the pricing of iso is a separate discussion and isn't specifically a suggestion either.

Crnch73

Brigby wrote:

Hey everyone. There's already a post about it located here that you might be interested in taking a look at: viewtopic.php?f=7&t=55710&start=20

In regards to the button, this is what the development team had to say:

We have heard the feedback about the changes to the "Level Jump" button and understand your concerns. We will be discussing what can be done in the coming days. We appreciate all the feedback we have received thus far.

Also... and this will be great... think about how long it took the development team to even COME UP WITH THE BUTTON! Meaning, they treated this new button idea as a true quality of life improvement! So to fix/remove it, that will be considered another quality of life improvement. In reality, it was pure **** just like most things they offer these days. New characters you can never use but dilute the 4* pool, and then fixes to bugs they create. That's all we ever get. Nothing ever changes anymore, SCL7 was the last time they did anything to truly help us out.

Intercepts, also buggy, were merely a cash grab to sell advertising or VIP. VIP itself was merely a cash grab for people who weren't spending money enough. SCL8 was pointless. Even introducing CP way back when was a dumb idea, because it created a new resource, which is the rarest resource in the game. I think the development team should realize that is it OK to introduce ideas that a purely intended to get money (i.e. limited vaults)... but releasing new ideas that actually help players, that make the game better and more fun... THAT is the way they can earn the most money. Whales will always be whales, but more normalized spenders will stop paying for garbage. Make actual improvements, and I bet you'd see a large influx of revenue. SCL in general, shield levels, and championing... All great improvements. Since then... pure ****.

limonade

I agree with all this.

Talks in development should be had over an updated, grounded, and less opportunistic approach to purchasing ISOs. They're "giving" us the option to drop $20k for ISOs to just cover half of our Rosters. That's some balls from Marvel AND D3GO. Not a lot of devs in the gaming space can get players to spend as much... maybe King's Candy Crush Saga. But this ain't Candy Crush.

I will never buy $99.99 for 78k ISOs.

In fact, I'm at 100,000 ISOs as we speak and it took me less than two weeks to accrue that. Asking for $100 is ludicrous at this point in my game. Triple it or more, at the very least, to make it somewhat enticing.

I'm all about Marvel--not D3GO.

Quite frankly, if I feel that I'm getting ripped off by anyone who is licensed by Marvel, I will begin a very long conversation at onlinesupport@marvel.com about the product in question.

keitterman

They've increased people's abilities to gain ISO, and haven't dropped the price from straight out purchasing it. I'm not an economist, but that doesn't seem... logical?

I dunno, i wouldn't but any ISO unless the price was cut by 90% what it currently is. The stuff is too easy to get, a little patience goes a long way.

Marty17

Am I imagining things or did the Mother Lode had increased from £79.99 to £99.99?

When I level up my & the button normally tells me that I need 78,000 I recall the price was £79.99 not £20 more for the same amount. Not that I would buy but still, the pricing is a bit ridiculous.

Rika

This increase is due to Apple changing the prices in the App Store because of the falling value of the pound (Thank the Brexiters.).

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/ ... ing-brexit

Regarding the general pricing in MPQ, I find it quite shocking. I'm playing several other games, none has such extortionate pricing. I really like to support games I like, so I purchased VIP. However, even with the extra rewards and healing rate, progress is still slow. It doesn't help a lot with the often ridiculously lucky streaks of the enemy team, either. With the recent increase in price, I'll very likely not renew it.