The Update Trend?

I'm not talking specifically about 'content on sale', such as BMP. I talk about account-related functionality in form of name change, aesthetics, character slots, unlocks and similar. Some of these shouldn't be introduced at all for sale, given their negative effect on the game overall. The others have their price clearly set in mind with a philosophy of 'if someone is desperate enough, he will pay anything'.

Such philosophy hardly follows 'we want to offer quality services to our dear customers at appropriate prices'. Well, they pay, so price is certainly appropriate, no? No, it isn't. You settle for mediocrity, Anet, when it comes to microtransactions. That's an insult to your customers, especially those 'desperate enough'.

The profit margin for such services is so shamefully high, that they ought to be more reasonably priced, therefore more accessible, therefore contributing in higher degree to customers' satisfaction.

Which ones had a negative effect on the game overall?

I'd be interested in knowing this also. Please enlighten us.

Don't you shudder at the thought of people renaming their character or changing their hairstyle?

I know I simply swoon at the thought. Someone fetch the smelling salts!

What does this have to do with your original point of it being like buying Ursan?

None of the additions to the store have had any negative effect on the game (except that I have to see that crappy female lich costume everywhere). Mercenary Heroes are a non-issue since you're never in direct competition in PvE and due to the instanced nature of GW, it really has no effect on you how effective someone else's team is.

"Which ones had a negative effect on the game overall?"

Any update which added content that cannot ever be obtained by non-paying players through other means.

The quick skill unlocks... You can either do it the long way and get every skill, or pay for it and get every skill. In the end, both sides CAN get every skill. Anet still makes money because lots of people will want the convenience. This is an example of a passable microtransaction.

Costumes... If you don't pay for the costume, there is NO OTHER WAY to obtain it. This is an example of a bad microtransaction.

But it doesn't DO anything. Your playing experience isn't hindering in the slightest. Arguing costumes are bad microtransactions is even worse than arguing mercenaries are.

euh, imo the microtransactions aren't micro enough

that's a trend too

This. The fact that some people didn't detect the sarcasm ("Boo hoo"? C'mon, folks!) just underscores how prevalent the attitude is. In terms of entertainment hours per dollar, Guild Wars has been the best investment I have ever made in my life, bar none. I can absolutely afford to toss a few bones their way for some useless skins every now and then.

This seems to be a common attitude. The question this then brings up is, is there a cutoff for what you're willing to pay and pay for in order to "toss them a few bones?"

I'm pretty sure that the amount of money I've spent on GW since I started playing would even out to being the same as if I was playing an MMO that charges you $15 a month to play it. I own all campaigns and EOTN, CEs of Factions and Nightfall, a second account with all three campaigns and EOTN, I've gotten four extra character slots, a storage slot, skill unlocks, and makeover pack on my main account, all costumes, bought Factions for my boyfriend, Nightfall for my brother...yeah, it's clear that I have no problem paying for optional goodies for this game.

The difference, though, is that I wasn't obligated to pay for it (I would never pay for a pay-to-play game), I did because I wanted to. Yeah, there's a limit on what I'll spend on something (as much as I'd like the 8 merc heroes pack, it was a bit out of my budget), but I don't mind and enjoy being able to support a game that has given me so much fun.

Seconded. The merc heroes are probably the only thing (besides unlock packs and other goodies I have already acquired ingame) I HAVEN'T bought from the store.

I usually buy for two reasons:
1) I figure I can buy a cheap meal, the cost difference pays for it in a day or two at most.
2) I want to support ANet and the great game that's given me so much fun over the years (minus a 3 year break, but that was hardly their fault...busy with college and whatnot). I used to be an alpha tester up until real life kicked in, and I am really thankful to Anet for that opportunity as well. Given that a book I read in ~3-10 hours (debating on length and density) may set me back ~$30-40, a game that has given my thousands of hours of enjoyment is certainly worth spending a bit of extra dough. 3-4,000 hours for about $50? That's a steal. So I spend another hundred or so on extra bonuses, I'm still way below what monthly fees might have cost (actually, I might be breaking even, after buying some name changes and makeovers....)

So that's what it boils down to. The cost is still relatively cheap, and it allows me to support a company and game that has given me great enjoyment over the years. If they come out with new paid content that's worth buying, I'll keep showing my support.

And the reason I didn't get the mercs isn't the cost; it's the fact I'd have to re-equip them, and I'm now too poor in game to afford runes or weapons for more heroes, and see no need to strip my already-smexy heroes for new ones that function the same. Maybe if mercs could use PvP weapons from an NPC.... (I know, I know, you guys thought of it and it had technical issues. Wait til I save enough for FoW three or four years from now and I can start worrying about equipping mercs!)

For me it's a combination of three factors keeping me from getting Mercenary Heroes:

1) Having to equip them when I can barely keep the existing Heroes equipped decently enough to use for 7-Hero parties on nine of my characters (the tenth is going to be in Pre- for the foreseeable future).

2) The cost in real-world money in real-world money is a bit excessive for someone like me on a fixed income, especially when combined with the third and most important reason...

3) Except maybe to get a second Ritualist on my characters (*not* a fan of the Desolation, so it's fairly unlikely that many of my characters will ever bother to finish Nightfall to get Razah), I can't see myself ever having a use for Mercenary Heroes. Extra storage slots? Got 'em all and almost wish I could get a couple of more. Extra character slots? Got two of 'em and that's enough so I can have one of every profession - if I had a guild and AB wasn't mostly dead, an eleventh slot would be worth investing in. Costumes? Some of them are quite good and I use the ones I've got on a regular basis. But Mercs? Mostly useless...

QFT.

If someone would have told me years ago I would have to to pay ~100 euro for a game I'd be like "hell no". Yet I bought Nightfall when it was new for 40-50 euro, later EOTN for 30-40 euro and some time ago I also bought Factions/Prophecies for 15 euro each. Well played Anet.

Now that mercenary heroes are available, I kind of wish I had made more than one PVE character. I can definitely see people getting happy to be able to play together with all the characters they've created over the years. It seems game trancsending in a way. That you're able to make 7 heroes of the same class just seems a funny afterthought in my opinion.

I don't like the name though. It sounds like if they're mercenaries for hire. Heroes of Tyria or Tyrian Heroes would be more fitting. It would be a general name for characters of Tyria(the world) and would fit in the lore of guild wars since you also have a "Young Heroes of Tyria" book that talks about all the things you have done for everyone. It'd be only fitting that you could be used as a hero by your other characters on your account. Personal story like in gw2 ftw!

PvP unlock kits, to some degree BMP. Draw your own conclusions where I've drawn the line and why.

Do you believe that unlock packs would be better for the game were heroes not dependent on account unlocks? As it stands, GW's PvP was crippled coming out of the gate when accounts were not UAX as they were in beta, and having an easy, cheap way of unlocking was widely acknowledged as one of the best things Anet could have done for the game.

"But it doesn't DO anything. Your playing experience isn't hindering in the slightest."

I can't believe you... I just... ugh!

One of the center-pieces of Guild Wars is its vanity aspect. There are tons of different armor sets in the game now at the same price, they have no different stats or uses but they offer players different visuals. There are even more armor sets that are much more expensive but don't do anything different. There are an absurd amount of skins for weapons. The game was all about players having options that didn't force them into one role or another, and every option was obtainable.

Now this is NOT THE CASE. The only armor and item artwork being developed anymore is for the cash shop. Not to mention the artwork and design is considerably more impressive than anything previously seen. They don't even bother to release free armor updates anymore (like elite knights or the gladiator helmet), the most we get without having to pay even more ridiculous amounts of money are holiday helmets, which likely took maybe 30 minutes to an hour in a 3d modeling program? An hour writing and double checking its code for the game? How long do you think it takes a professional 3d designer to model a halo ring, for crying out loud.

Last time I checked the game was all about killing red dots and moving from point A to B to advance plot C and/or completing titles (unless you PvP, then it gets interesting)....

...Buuuut, since no one was able to get the point across using logic, I'll use caps.

YOUR PLAYING EXPERIENCE THROUGHOUT THE GAME IS NOT AFFECTED PERIOD.
REGARDLESS ON WHETHER I AM SPORTING AN EMERALD EDGE AND DRACONIC AEGIS IN FULL OBSIDIAN ARMOR DYED WITH A COMBINATION OF THREE BLACK DYES, AND ONE WHITE DYE ON EACH PIECE OR A PVP SHORT SWORD, PVP STRENGTH SHIELD, AND PVP TYRIAN ARMOR, FUNCTIONALLY THEY ARE THE SAME AND IN GAME TERMS NEITHER PLAYER HOLDS A STATISTICAL ADVANTAGE OVER THE OTHER.

THIS IS WHAT IS IMPORTANT IN THE END. GW IS NOT A PARIS FASHION RUNWAY AND OFFERS NO TANGIBLE REWARDS FOR SUCH THINKING.

You can pretend that there is a mystery Guru poster shouting into his/her computer making obscene gestures at the screen if it makes the preceeding paragraph any funnier.

[sarcasm]
Wow really? You must have been working with the live team in order to gleam the actual effort required to make the helmets, you must be correct!
[/ sarcasm]

Would you prefer no one has access to any costumes to appease your self entitled claims of "what is fair"? Because that is the only alternative besides releasing the micro transaction. Personally I am fine with the option to buy costumes, it doesn't effect me when I don't buy them, and when I do, well I get a little something to play around with that doesn't impede or overpower the efforts of other players as they experience the game in either PvE or PvP.

Hell, they were nice enough to make the costumes auto hide in PvP so profession identification wouldn't become a problem.

Your ignorance is astounding.