Why some of us don't pre-purchase things

[Zera.9435]

Despite that I intend to buy the EoD expansion when it comes out, I refuse to pre-purchase it. For those of you who are confused and thinking "Why do that if you're going to buy it anyway?", just try to understand that by pre-purchasing, you are normalizing a terrible business strategy that only hurts the consumer (you) in the grand scheme of things.

While ArenaNet may not be on the level of Ubisoft, Bethesda, or EA in terms of giving their customer base the shaft, the only way to make sure they don't get to that level is by not pre-purchasing. Here is why:

https://imgur.com/gallery/1Bu5w05

I'm not saying don't buy the expansion, I'm saying don't let ArenaNet get into the habit of releasing an unfinished game by giving them money for an unfinished product months in advance. EoD isn't looking bad, and it is probably mostly finished, but that's no reason to let them slide down that slippery slope. Give ArenaNet your money when they actually deserve it (at release), not months beforehand. If you MUST do it to get your pre-purchase bonus items, then do it the day before release. It's still technically a pre-purchase so they must honor the items.

Keep ArenaNet from becoming like Ubisoft, Bethesda, or EA. Know your worth.

[lezbefriends.7516]

Some of us want our pre-purchase gems early.

[Zera.9435]

2 minutes ago, Mortifera.6138 said:

Some of us want our pre-purchase gems early.

I can understand that, but if you want gems right this second you can just buy them right this second without pre-purchasing the expansion.

[lezbefriends.7516]

7 minutes ago, Zera Allimatti.2541 said:

I can understand that, but if you want gems right this second you can just buy them right this second without pre-purchasing the expansion.

They're cheaper when you pre-purchase them with the expansion...

[Xainou.1502]

Releasing a horribly unfinished expansion would be a really weird business tactic for an ongoing game without a subscription fee ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

You're trying to compare apples to oranges here.

[Just a flesh wound.3589]

I want the other goodies that come with prepurchasing and I want to support Anet, a company I don’t suspect of having nefarious designs of releasing unfinished expansions, by prebuying so they’ll have the money months sooner. 

Edited November 28, 2021 by Just a flesh wound.3589

[Gibson.4036]

If this wasn't for a game I'd been playing since 2012, and I wasn't confident I'll want to play the expansion, I'd agree with you. I don't tend to be an early adopter or prebuyer.

But at the cost it is and with the game's track record, I don't see risk here.

I work for a theatre, and every year we offer season subscriptions, where people essentially buy a whole season's tickets in advance at discount rather than as each show goes on sale individually. Those people who buy because of our history and track record are an important part of the stability of the financial model of any theatre.

Not all prepurchasing is some nefarious cash grab, nor does it start some slippery slope toward that.

[Raknar.4735]

1 hour ago, Zera Allimatti.2541 said:

I'm not saying don't buy the expansion, I'm saying don't let ArenaNet get into the habit of releasing an unfinished game by giving them money for an unfinished product months in advance.

Give ArenaNet your money when they actually deserve it (at release), not months beforehand. If you MUST do it to get your pre-purchase bonus items, then do it the day before release. It's still technically a pre-purchase so they must honor the items.

Or we could just let people do what they want with their own money, as it is their money, not yours.

If you don't think Anet does deserve the prepurchase money, then don't prepurchase it. But leave the money of others out of it. It isn't yours, it's theirs.

[Handsel.2891]

Pre-purchasing a brand new game? Sure, I wouldn't. Not without making peace with the possibility of disappointment, anyway.

But this is a nine-year-old game with two expansions in the bank, already. While it's not a guarantee that the next one will be any good, there is a track record I can count on without feeling unnecessarily alarmed. If EoD is bad, it's not going to be because it is unfinished, that's for sure.

1 hour ago, Zera Allimatti.2541 said:

While ArenaNet may not be on the level of Ubisoft, Bethesda, or EA...

Understatement of the year? Probably.

Also, how is that meme applicable to a third expansion of an already well-established title?

[SoftFootpaws.9134]

Heart of Thorns was widely disliked at release, and later praised for its inginuity and longevity.

 

Path of Fire was widely praised at release, and later disliked for its lack of longevity, only being held afloat by its ingenuity. This was because they tried to please too many players to prevent this kind of scenario.

 

Hopefully with the next expo we're getting the best of both worlds.

Edited November 28, 2021 by Hannelore.8153

[Noah Salazar.5430]

Usualy it's right, but don't forget gw2 have mostly casual community that not have hight demands

look on new cool 4 maps and fluffy tengu (that you can't play) inaf for most ppl

I pre-purshed cuz Mechanic elit spec bought me

 

 

 

 

 

Edited November 29, 2021 by Noah Salazar.5430

[Mungo Zen.9364]

2 hours ago, Zera Allimatti.2541 said:

Despite that I intend to buy the EoD expansion when it comes out, I refuse to pre-purchase it. For those of you who are confused and thinking "Why do that if you're going to buy it anyway?", just try to understand that by pre-purchasing, you are normalizing a terrible business strategy that only hurts the consumer (you) in the grand scheme of things.

While ArenaNet may not be on the level of Ubisoft, Bethesda, or EA in terms of giving their customer base the shaft, the only way to make sure they don't get to that level is by not pre-purchasing. Here is why:

https://imgur.com/gallery/1Bu5w05

I'm not saying don't buy the expansion, I'm saying don't let ArenaNet get into the habit of releasing an unfinished game by giving them money for an unfinished product months in advance. EoD isn't looking bad, and it is probably mostly finished, but that's no reason to let them slide down that slippery slope. Give ArenaNet your money when they actually deserve it (at release), not months beforehand. If you MUST do it to get your pre-purchase bonus items, then do it the day before release. It's still technically a pre-purchase so they must honor the items.

Keep ArenaNet from becoming like Ubisoft, Bethesda, or EA. Know your worth.

Why wait until release?  Why not wait until a few days, weeks, months after release when all the bugs and issues have been (hopefully) addressed?  Does buying now or at launch make much of a difference?

I do agree, the strongest way we can impact a business we support is by deciding when and how much we will invest/spend on it.  In this case, I would suggest that buying now or on launch day will have little bearing on the outcome of the launch day product.  GW2 is too well established to suddenly go downhill rolling out an expansion. 

[Zera.9435]

33 minutes ago, MikeG.6389 said:

Also, how is that meme applicable to a third expansion of an already well-established title?

You're missing the point. It doesn't matter if it's a new title or an expansion. Giving them money for an unfinished product is just not good to do.

 

1 hour ago, Mortifera.6138 said:

They're cheaper when you pre-purchase them with the expansion...

Actually no.  4000 gems cost $50. The deal with the gems is $80. The game is $30. If your main reason for buying the $80 bundle is the gems, you're not getting the gems cheaper. You're paying full price for the gems and getting the $55 bundle for the price of the $30 bundle. It's the best value, yes, but you are NOT getting gems for a cheaper price.

 

55 minutes ago, Raknar.4735 said:

Or we could just let people do what they want with their own money, as it is their money, not yours.

If you don't think Anet does deserve the prepurchase money, then don't prepurchase it. But leave the money of others out of it. It isn't yours, it's theirs.

You're right, of course. It is their money, but if I can convince people to save their money for a little while rather than doing an impulse buy for an unfinished product then it's a good day. They can do the pre-purchase the day before release and still get all the perks. One of the reasons not to give them money early on is because of the possibility of the release date being pushed back yet again. You never know, things could happen and issues could arise that could delay the release. If you payed for a product and expected to receive it by a specific date and that date got pushed back, you'd feel cheated, right? Perhaps you'd like a refund (just as a general example). Things happen.

 

1 hour ago, Xainou.1502 said:

Releasing a horribly unfinished expansion would be a really weird business tactic for an ongoing game without a subscription fee ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

You're trying to compare apples to oranges here.

Let's say EoD is released as scheduled and it really is a horribly unfinished product. Would it be what's expected of ArenaNet? No. Could it happen? Absolutely. Just because they haven't done it before doesn't mean they never will.

 

Just now, Mungo Zen.9364 said:

Why wait until release?  Why not wait until a few days, weeks, months after release when all the bugs and issues have been (hopefully) addressed?  Does buying now or at launch make much of a difference?

I do agree, the strongest way we can impact a business we support is by deciding when and how much we will invest/spend on it.  In this case, I would suggest that buying now or on launch day will have little bearing on the outcome of the launch day product.  GW2 is too well established to suddenly go downhill rolling out an expansion. 

All it takes is for someone at the top to make one bad decision (like a rushed release). It can happen. GW2 is great, but that doesn't make it immune to questionable decisions by those at the top.

[Epsilon Indi.2031]

2 hours ago, Mortifera.6138 said:

They're cheaper when you pre-purchase them with the expansion...

Technically, with how expansions are packaged later, they're not. $50 worth of gems and a $25 expansion is close to the same price as EoD's premium package.

[Mungo Zen.9364]

1 minute ago, Zera Allimatti.2541 said:

All it takes is for someone at the top to make one bad decision (like a rushed release). It can happen. GW2 is great, but that doesn't make it immune to questionable decisions by those at the top.

What?  So should one wait until after the release of the expac before buying it?  Is that the message you are sending here??

That’s probably sound advice, if you are worried about getting (cyber)punked by the GW2 team. 

[Handsel.2891]

50 minutes ago, Zera Allimatti.2541 said:

You're missing the point. It doesn't matter if it's a new title or an expansion. Giving them money for an unfinished product is just not good to do.

Generally speaking, I am inclined to agree with you on this one. However, as I already mentioned, this game and company has a long standing relationship with their players, many of whom (myself included) also played the first Guild Wars. If I decide to pre-purchase EoD from ANet, I do so coming  from that perspective but also with the understanding that I might be disappointed with the expansion. In my opinion, that's how everyone should approach pre-purchases, by the way. There is nothing wrong with the business model as it gives the developers funding to actually present a finished product. That some publishers (note that I didn't use the word developer here) are greedy enough to exploit this is a deplorable way to conduct business but, honestly, if you still pre-purchase from EA, after all the blunders, that's on you, as much as it is on them. NCSoft, at least as far as ANet is concerned, don't share that behavioural pattern with publishers like EA.

And that is why I didn't miss  your point.

[yoni.7015]

4 hours ago, Zera Allimatti.2541 said:

Despite that I intend to buy the EoD expansion when it comes out, I refuse to pre-purchase it. For those of you who are confused and thinking "Why do that if you're going to buy it anyway?", just try to understand that by pre-purchasing, you are normalizing a terrible business strategy that only hurts the consumer (you) in the grand scheme of things.

While ArenaNet may not be on the level of Ubisoft, Bethesda, or EA in terms of giving their customer base the shaft, the only way to make sure they don't get to that level is by not pre-purchasing. Here is why:

https://imgur.com/gallery/1Bu5w05

I'm not saying don't buy the expansion, I'm saying don't let ArenaNet get into the habit of releasing an unfinished game by giving them money for an unfinished product months in advance. EoD isn't looking bad, and it is probably mostly finished, but that's no reason to let them slide down that slippery slope. Give ArenaNet your money when they actually deserve it (at release), not months beforehand. If you MUST do it to get your pre-purchase bonus items, then do it the day before release. It's still technically a pre-purchase so they must honor the items.

Keep ArenaNet from becoming like Ubisoft, Bethesda, or EA. Know your worth.

Why don’t you let people decide how they spend their money? 
I pre purchases EoD, just like I pre purchased HoT and PoF. Didn’t regret it. 

[Ultramex.1506]

Well, i'm certainly gonna pre-purchase......when it's 3 days close to release but i wonder will there be any bugs or server issues on release? Remember Long live the Lich? I can't finish anything due to server issues at release and it was a free update

Edited November 28, 2021 by Ultramex.1506

[Inculpatus cedo.9234]

Considering pre-purchase sales for Guild Wars 2 passed 1 million sales before original launch, I'm not too worried about pre-purchasing now.

[Vayne.8563]

3 hours ago, Mungo Zen.9364 said:

Why wait until release?  Why not wait until a few days, weeks, months after release when all the bugs and issues have been (hopefully) addressed?  Does buying now or at launch make much of a difference?

I do agree, the strongest way we can impact a business we support is by deciding when and how much we will invest/spend on it.  In this case, I would suggest that buying now or on launch day will have little bearing on the outcome of the launch day product.  GW2 is too well established to suddenly go downhill rolling out an expansion. 

Because I like playing a game at release when everyone is discovering stuff together. Me and my wife and my friends and my guildies are playing together and learning this stuff ourselves first hand, usually before guides are up. We're solving the puzzles, exploring the zones from the first minute of the first day. It's a festive atmosphere and those early bugs are a part of it.  

I mean Bethesda has never released a game that wasn't full of bugs, but plenty of people, including me, still enjoyed Skyrim from day one. I'm not scared of bugs. I know they're a part of the game.  And of course, some bugs work in your favor and not against you.

[Norbe.7630]

5 hours ago, Xainou.1502 said:

Releasing a horribly unfinished expansion would be a really weird business tactic for an ongoing game without a subscription fee ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

You're trying to compare apples to oranges here.

Games still have subscription fee 2021?

Try playing eastern MMOs.

Those are fresh apples vs rotten orange ideas.

Shhhh, only fresh apples here folks. -Tybalt

Edited November 28, 2021 by Norbe.7630

[Reiffy.5391]

11 minutes ago, Norbe.7630 said:

Try playing eastern MMOs.

Those are fresh apples vs rotten orange ideas.

You've already received your EOD refund, go with God to your praise games and please don't bother wasting precious time on the forum for a game you personally don't like.

 

[Tyncale.1629]

I usually pre purchase expansions to MMO's that I like, but not this time, because I am truly disappointed with the offerings. So I am going to hold my breath like a spoiled child as long as I can, hoping they will buckle under the pressure and implement at least one cool feature before release.  Since that is not going to happen, I am hoping they will at least make their 4th expansion worthwhile when they see people are not really happy with this 3rd expansion.  Off course I will buy the expansion at some point,  but I am not going to give them the idea that they have something cool here by pre-ordering. 

 

NB. I do not need the Gems, not that interested in the skins either.  

Edited November 28, 2021 by Tyncale.1629

[Danikat.8537]

I think it's sensible to decide if you actually want something before buying it. That goes for everything, not just games and not just new products. But to jump from that to "never pre-purchase anything because then it will be bad" is pretty illogical. As other people have said Anet have an established track record and many of us spend time on this forum because we like the game they've made, including the expansions, so it's a pretty safe bet we're going to like the next one as well.

I haven't bought EoD yet but I'm going to get it before release. I've been waiting because I had more urgent and important things to buy earlier this year (a lot less exciting, but having a floor in the bathroom is nice) and because there's no benefit to pre-purchasing earlier except getting to use that raptor skin sooner. But I like what I've seen of EoD and I'm sure I'll have fun with it so it seems worthwhile to me. And like other people have said I trust Anet not to rush out an unfinished expansion just because some people have already paid for it.

No I don't expect it to be totally free of bugs, but it's rare that bugs bother me that much. I bought the original version of Skyrim and I've had a lot of fun with it. Refusing to buy it because it has bugs would have achieved nothing except making me miss out on a fun game. Some of the bugs have been fun too, even when they're annoying. There's not many games where you can see a wolf bounce off a mountain and fly off into the distance.

[ChronoPinoyX.7923]

I've pre-ordered mine because ANet has actually shown me content during their livestreams, and because of the beta testings. The only other game I've ever pre-ordered for is Monster Hunter and both companies have one thing in common: They actually give their playerbase details on their project AND they provide demos/beta testing so we can actually provide feedback for improvements.

 

This isn't some Cyberpunk 2077 ANet is trying to pull where they ghost us for nearly a decade and coming out with the worst game experience, they are genuinely working with what they have and providing as much open communication as possible. That's way more than any company would put effort into. Especially since ANet literally gets no support from the horrid leeches at NCSoft, not even marketing

Edited November 28, 2021 by ChronoPinoyX.7923