Official Mount Adoption Feedback Thread [merged]

[Zania.8461]

To me, there are a couple of issues with the current system:

1. Inability to get the mount you want with any reliability short of spending 10k+ gemsThis one is a bit of a catch-em-all. The price per mount (400gems) is actually on a lower side, however due to inability to get the mount you want, a person who wants a (say) starbound griffon, can spend anywhere from 400 to 12000 gems before getting it. This is not reasonable. At the very least, one can improve the system by splitting mounts either by rarity/desirability or by mount type (ie, if I am looking for a griffon mount, I don't want to get another skimmer!) and then upping the price on individual skins.

2. The system promotes diluting the pool with lazy recolorsI am sorry, but a lot of new mounts are bad. As in lazy, fast re-textures that likely took about half hour to make. Those would not be bought by practically anyone. The only reason they are being unlocked now is because they are present in the RNG pool. I do not want to support the practice of making lazy recolors then shoving them down our throats for gems. Make high quality models/maps/textures that people would be willing to shell the gems out for, and I will buy them. Have every one of the 30 mounts in the stables been unique and great looking (I am looking at at least normal map tweaking with a few model changes), the number of complaints would go way down.

[ThenCameThree.4163]

one last thing they dont even love us enough to show the mount skin drop chances

[GreyWolf.8670]

@Deihnyx.6318 said:

@AnodicShadow.3647 said:

@BunjiKugashira.9754 said:

@AnodicShadow.3647 said:I doubt that they sat there in a meeting and said "OK, let's worm more money out of people by exploiting and preying upon their unhealthy habits." like I have seen many people in an out of game say that was Anet's train of thought on this release That just makes Anet seem like an evil company that doesn't care about the people that play the game.

Only that this is exactly what happened. Usually ANet places items directly for sale. So something must've happened to change this. And I doubt ANet changed the system to RNG boxes because they think those are fun. RNG boxes pop up whenever someone asks "How do we make the players spend more than they're comfortable with?" or "How do we make sure players keep spending instead of just buying what they want?".

400 gems for a 1/30 chance to get the skin with some consolidation prizes thrown in is a pretty bad deal. So how do we make the bad deal look good? By adding an even more obvious worse deal. What do you think the 2k gems skin is there for? For you to buy? Think again! It's there to make the 400 gems seem like a cheap alternative. It's there to set a point of reference, to create the illusion that each RNG ticket is only 1/5 the price of a skin. It's far from a coincidence that these two items appeared in the gem shop at the same time.

I seriously doubt that they sat down in a meeting and discussed ways to exploit people for more money. That's exactly what I meant when I said people keep trying to paint Anet in a bad light. The company isn't corrupt. They aren't going to literally discuss ways to... as quoted by many other people:

exploit

and

prey

upon people. It's attaching negative intentions to all of the employees who work at Anet and I doubt that they all are evil, moneygrubbing jerks.Exactly.People need to stop seeing conspiracies everywhere.

@Vlad Morbius.1759 said:

@Darktooth.1078 said: To me that is completely destroying what was in my opinion one of the best online-gaming communities out there, but that is something I cant agree with. And the fact that they're actually asking for feedback shows that they are not 'money grubbing' like some people suddenly thought up, they want to listen and truly see if this was a bad idea on their part. >

I would say that several thousand posts between here and Reddit, along with several supporters on You Tube and and various gaming sites denouncing this should be enough feedback to warrant some response by Anet. Frankly i am not certain what more they need before they try and fix this and push back the tide of negative publicity this has garnered, to me the silence is the disconcerting part of this after two days.

Why don't they pick up a fight with black lion keys if they really want fighting ... these are the real lootboxes here. Lots of useless crap for very low chance at something nice.But obviously that's not something a Jim Sterling who admitted 10 times not knowing jack about the game would do.

I think it's fair to lump the chests in with this. They're the same thing. It's a cash purchase that the majority of times gives you something you didn't want.

[Aya.6321]

I remember being ready to give so much money for the mount skins when they were going to ultimately debut.As soon as they went up I threw money at the contracts so fast.

Oh wait,They're random chance? Unlocking a skin for a mount doesn't unlock the same theme's skin for the other 4 mounts?.......Really?annnnnnnnnnnnnd now we're here.I feel like such an idiot. >.<

[Draco.5014]

No! Bad Anet! No pooping on it's customers! slaps Anets nose with a newspaper

[PookieDaWombat.6209]

@"Azure The Heartless.3261" said:Wait. Hold on.

Isn't this slightly better than the black lion chest? I mean yes, you can gamble for a skin you want and -not- get it, but it then removes that option from the pool. Eventually you will have larger and larger chances to get what you want. If you liked black lion chests for super rare/rare weapon skins, this is actually slightly better than that.

I'm not saying it still doesnt -reek- of lootbox, but the lootboxes that contained rare skins didnt progressively have better rates the more gems you spent.

Lets say they put these in the black lion chest as rare drops, as was mentioned before. I don't think there would be even a fraction of the backlash that I'm seeing here if they did. There was some backlash when the hydra skin was introduced, because it was tied to account, but that only really hurts the people who dont buy the keys in the first place.

Iiiiiii think I'm on the fence about this. It would be one thing if we could get dupes, but I'm going to have to weigh the "you will always get something you dont have" side of it. Because that way you are guaranteed what you want at some point, instead of potentially spending and spending and never getting what you want.

I can farm keys and sell skins of the trading post.

If you can't see how thats different from this RNG mount skin nonsense then I'm not sure you understand how black lion chests work in the first place.

[Shirlias.8104]

If you are leaving, the reason is more likely that you don't like the game anymore.

And i am not defending or accusing ANET about the recent mount bundle, but if you have fun in a game and you drop that game because you can't have some skins in a fair and proper way, well... that speaks for itself.

[skepticck.9714]

This is what it seems to me, they made a bunch of skins but only 2 or 3 per mount are really any good (imho), most others are just the most basic reskins that probably not many people would buy so i can see them saying "what do we do to make people buy those basic skins anyway, well let's put them in a loot box with only a small "random" change to get the good skins so they are forced to buy the crappy ones before they get the good ones"

Cynical... maybe, but giving the trend i wouldn't be surprised to be close to the truth.

[Deihnyx.6318]

@Zania.8461 said:

2. The system promotes diluting the pool with lazy recolorsI am sorry, but a lot of new mounts are bad. As in lazy, fast re-textures that likely took about half hour to make. Those would not be bought by practically anyone. The only reason they are being unlocked now is because they are present in the RNG pool. I do not want to support the practice of making lazy recolors then shoving them down our throats for gems. Make high quality models/maps/textures that people would be willing to shell the gems out for, and I will buy them. Have every one of the 30 mounts in the stables been unique and great looking (I am looking at at least normal map tweaking with a few model changes), the number of complaints would go way down.

   Actually about that, I kinda disagree that nobody wants them. They are slightly retextured mounts that is true, but they offer 4 dyes and they don't have the annoying glowing eyes and super flashy colors that burn everyone's eyes.Should probably have been in game in the first place yes, but they do have great value :)

[inkaurelia.2850]

Personally, the practice of gambling shouldn't be tolerated in a game that is exposed to children and those that have an addiction to any sort of gambling.One of the reasons why I love GW2 is because of its business model and the fair gem store that ANET offers and I'm sure a lot of others can agree on that.Locking the mount skins behind RNG lootbox is considered gambling regardless of the fact that you can get all "30" in a bundle.Not everyone wants all the skins but rather certain ones that appeals to them. By locking the mount skins behind RNG lootboxes, you're basically forcing them to empty their wallet just to get the skins they want.Yes people can exchange gold to gem but not everyone has the free time to farm gold as real life interferes.

Therefore in my opinion, you should either:

1. Remove the RNG lootboxes and allow the players to choose directly which skins they want
2. Implement a Tier 1/2/3 bundle sorting the skins based on rarity/popularity for different price range but still allowing the players to select the skins they wish for within the bundle.

[Illconceived Was Na.9781]

Calling it gambling is a poor rhetorical device. It starts an argument about "what do we mean when we say 'gambling'" and "why is gambling considered bad". In this case, it doesn't matter what it's called, people don't like it. In some cases, because they think it's a tax on people who are bad at math or have poor impulse control. In some cases, simply because who wants to spend US$5 (or 60 gold) on rolling the dice, when there's a good chance of getting a skin they would never use.

So argue about whether this is gambling or not, if you want. It's probably not the conversation that will get ANet to rethink their pricing strategy.

[jediwolf.8724]

If I go to the local pound I don't need to adopt all of the animals to get the one I want. We should be able to pick the ones we want.I have little luck getting any of the skins I want in the black lion chest. I am not picking up any of these, because I know I will get the worst skin in the bunch.If it gets changed to pick what you want I will instant by one for sure.

[Wolfheart.7483]

@inkaurelia.2850 said:Personally, the practice of gambling shouldn't be tolerated in a game that is exposed to children and those that have an addiction to any sort of gambling.

Can we stop asking companies to be the guardians of virtue? Parents need to know what their kids are doing and teach them about things like gambling. If an adult has a gambling "addiction" then it is up to them to control themselves. Should liquor stores be shut down because they might be exposed to alcoholics?

[OtakuModeEngage.8679]

More Gemstore RNG lootboxes... Im dissapointed, I thought GW2 was supposed to revolutionize the modern MMO, not give into horrible marketing trends. Your promise was to preserve what we like about traditional games, and re-imagine what we dont. Well instead of pushing the most hated marketing skemes on us, such as RING, why not revolutionize your marketing in favor of the consumer? Do Better.

I have absolutely no problem spening money on GW2, ive already spent thousands on this game to be honest, more than any man ever should. And I do like mount skins, and would love to buy many of then. BUT, if I spend money, it will be on claiming something I want, not randomly throwing money and hoping i might just get something I like.

There are a lot of good skins available in the adoption box, and there are a lot of skins I have zero interest in and would never use. To spend real money with no choice as to what i get: thats gambling. And to do so with so many options i dont care about, its just not worth it. Im not gonna spend $120.00 USD just to get four or five skins I want, and dozens I dont; nor up to $400.00 gambling piece by piece just hoping i might get one of the ones i want. Thats not an informed buyer descision, thats a wast of money.

Honestly, and you call it "Adopting" I have never been to an pet store, animal shelter, or orphanage, where you didnt get to CHOSE which pet or kid you were adopting. This is a "lottery" not an adoption.

[Galactic.6453]

@Deihnyx.6318 said:

@Zania.8461 said:

2. The system promotes diluting the pool with lazy recolorsI am sorry, but a lot of new mounts are bad. As in lazy, fast re-textures that likely took about half hour to make. Those would not be bought by practically anyone. The only reason they are being unlocked now is because they are present in the RNG pool. I do not want to support the practice of making lazy recolors then shoving them down our throats for gems. Make high quality models/maps/textures that people would be willing to shell the gems out for, and I will buy them. Have every one of the 30 mounts in the stables been unique and great looking (I am looking at at least normal map tweaking with a few model changes), the number of complaints would go way down.
   Actually about that, I kinda disagree that nobody wants them. They are slightly retextured mounts that is true, but they offer 4 dyes and they don't have the annoying glowing eyes and super flashy colors that burn everyone's eyes.Should probably have been in game in the first place yes, but they do have great value :)

There will definitely be more people wanting the super shiny particle mounts or those with model differences that, mind you, also have 4 dye channels. Compared to those other two types the plain retexture is clearly a lower value mount, both in demand and production time that's being sold for the same price and lowers the chances of getting the more high demand mounts.

[xikira.3264]

One idea for anet if yall are determined to do loot boxes let us select a mount type for example we choose raptor and then it will give you a random raptor mount skin and so on.

[Chickenooble.5014]

So I looked up the definition. "take risky action in the hope of a desired result."

So joining a fractal pug is gambling?So running in WvW using a berzerker solo build is gambling?Getting double hits on Claw of Jormag or Tequatl is gambling?Picking the wrong squad for Labs is gambling?

The entire game is a casino apparently!

[pah.4931]

@"Illconceived Was Na.9781" said:Calling it gambling is a poor rhetorical device. It starts an argument about "what do we mean when we say 'gambling'" and "why is gambling considered bad". In this case, it doesn't matter what it's called, people don't like it. In some cases, because they think it's a tax on people who are bad at math or have poor impulse control. In some cases, simply because who wants to spend US$5 (or 60 gold) on rolling the dice, when there's a good chance of getting a skin they would never use.

So argue about whether this is gambling or not, if you want. It's probably not the conversation that will get ANet to rethink their pricing strategy.

They will rethink it if they lose money. They will do it again if it makes more money. Simple-dimple-doo.

[GrubySzymek.1362]

@"Illconceived Was Na.9781" said:Calling it gambling is a poor rhetorical device. It starts an argument about "what do we mean when we say 'gambling'" and "why is gambling considered bad". In this case, it doesn't matter what it's called, people don't like it. In some cases, because they think it's a tax on people who are bad at math or have poor impulse control. In some cases, simply because who wants to spend US$5 (or 60 gold) on rolling the dice, when there's a good chance of getting a skin they would never use.

So argue about whether this is gambling or not, if you want. It's probably not the conversation that will get ANet to rethink their pricing strategy.

It's not considered gambling only because current laws are still in 80s while game industry is reaching 3127 A.D.

[Athef.6879]

This'll fall on deaf ears again. They're going to let us whine in here but do nothing about it. Anyway, I'm not about to spend so much money on RNG stuff, especially when only about 5 of the skins you can drop are actually worth getting. I'd be willing to spend double that amount (800 gems) to buy directly the ones I want. But as I said, I don't think this thread will change anything.The 'random lootbox' trend is a disgusting way to get money out of people, and I'm pretty sad to see ANet has lowered themselves to this level aswell. You're not getting any more money from me. Bye.

[GreyWolf.8670]

@pah.4931 said:It is 100% gambling. Saying it's not gambling is like saying rolling dice isn't a "game of chance" because you are guaranteed to roll a number. The mount skin loot boxes are paying money for a random chance.

However. If Anet has data that suggests they will make more money doing it this way to continue developing a game I have been having a lot of fun in with my brothers and friends, then go for it. They aren't breaking laws and this isn't P2W.

Have at it.

Still on that, eh? What if you're rolling dice in craps? Is 2, 3 or 11 just a number or a loss?

"The mount skin loot boxes are paying money for a random chance." <- This is gambling, pure and simple!

[Haishao.6851]

@Chickenooble.5014 said:So I looked up the definition. "take risky action in the hope of a desired result."

So joining a fractal pug is gambling?So running in WvW using a berzerker solo build is gambling?Getting double hits on Claw of Jormag or Tequatl is gambling?Picking the wrong squad for Labs is gambling?

The entire game is a casino apparently!

The definition of “gambling,” unless changed by statute, consists of any activitywith three elements: consideration, chance, and prize. If any one or more ofthese elements is missing, the activity is not gambling.Consideration can have many different meanings, as we will discuss shortly.But, in general, there is no “gambling” unless a participant is required to risksomething of value.http://www.liebertpub.com/media/content/IGL_02_p11-52.pdf

[Dianekas.4359]

I for one understand the op. We might not like the game anymore but what do u think caused it... to me personally this rng lootbox thing was just another stab in the back and its the last i can take.

Releasing an expansion without a single mount skin to be earned through quests/achievements only to sell 30 at a time a few weeks later is pure greed. And on top of that 1 of the mounts costs as much as the expansion itself.

The class balance has gone from bad to worse, wvw has been lagging for weeks and spvp is not getting any love either. Bugs reported years ago are not being fixed, anet doesnt care about hackers in wvw(even with video proof) and reporting someone for verbal abuse does not do anything at all.

I probably sound like a super salty kid and tbh i've reached that point where i no longer care. I got gwamm in gw1 and played gw2 since release. I've always been a loyal fan and never rly complained much before. But for me this is the point i decided to move on.

[Vlad Morbius.1759]

@Deihnyx.6318 said:

@Vlad Morbius.1759 said:

I would say that several thousand posts between here and Reddit, along with several supporters on You Tube and and various gaming sites denouncing this should be enough feedback to warrant some response by Anet. Frankly i am not certain what more they need before they try and fix this and push back the tide of negative publicity this has garnered, to me the silence is the disconcerting part of this after two days.

Why don't they pick up a fight with black lion keys if they really want fighting ... these are the real lootboxes here. Lots of useless crap for very low chance at something nice.But obviously that's not something a Jim Sterling who admitted 10 times not knowing jack about the game would do.

My purpose was not just to point out those who's sole mission is to run around the world picking fights at any subject they disagree with but let's be honest here, there have been many who are staunch supporters of Anet who have come out to denounce this and not just haters out to conspire and denigrate the company for the sake of doing so. In my opinion, this is not a storm that should be waited out and the sooner some official acknowledgement can be put forth the better.

[ThenCameThree.4163]

@Shirlias.8104 said:If you are leaving, the reason is more likely that you don't like the game anymore.

And i am not defending or accusing ANET about the recent mount bundle, but if you have fun in a game and you drop that game because you can't have some skins in a fair and proper way, well... that speaks for itself.

did you read the part about whats coming with future expansion, based on what didn't come in previous expansion?