Can we get optional gem subscriptions?

[Firebeard.1746]

I don't want to have to go through the shop ui every time i want to contribute to this game and anet may make some extra money on people who just stop playing and want to support anet ( my boss at work for example pays his WoW sub even when he's not playing because he loves the lore/blizzard).

I don't want special perks or anything else and i want the rate to be customizable. Craft bags and the continuous stream of new crating mats ruined eso for me.

[Mewcifer.5198]

If it was only an automatic gem purchase every month, I don't see anything wrong with that. Then when you feel like buying things or coming back to the game you can go on a huge shopping spree.

[Knighthonor.4061]

i am against this because soon after adding this feature they will start adding bonus to those that use this feature

[Brother.1504]

As a consumer why would you want to surrender your power to the seller? In a healthy relationship the seller should feel motivated to work for your money. It’s good for their creativity and great because you get a superior product.

[MachineManXX.9746]

@Brother.1504 said:As a consumer why would you want to surrender your power to the seller? In a healthy relationship the seller should feel motivated to work for your money. It’s good for their creativity and great because you get a superior product.

Because, as he said in his post, it's a convenience factor. He wants to make steady gem purchases but doesn't like the hassle of going through the UI each time.

[mindcircus.1506]

@Brother.1504 said:As a consumer why would you want to surrender your power to the seller? In a healthy relationship the seller should feel motivated to work for your money. It’s good for their creativity and great because you get a superior product.

He's asking for a feature that makes it a superior product to him. He's flat out saying that in the long run, doing this work for him would earn them more money.He's doing exactly what you are saying he is not.

[Danikat.8537]

I can see the benefit for some people of automating the process of buying a fixed amount of gems each month, although it's not something I'd use because I only buy gems when there's something in the store I want and I don't have enough left over from before. But I would be wary of the potential for it to progress beyond that with incentives being added to keep people using that system.

@Thornwolf.9721 said:I would be ok if it functioned like ESO where if you pay the subscription you get the expansions and all the crafting expansions/maybe some exp increase toward said things without having to buy them seperatly. And then get an allowance of 1000 gems every month as a thank you to buy a costume, skin or some such thing because then the value is there. As it stands now what you suggest is just a lazy way for them to milk, in an excessively unhealthy fashion money from the consumer without much thought needing to be put into what they sell.

Like the OP I'd be opposed to adding any extra perks to a regular gem purchase or subscription type system precisely because of how it works in Elder Scrolls Online. Aside from the tiny XP and gold boosts which no one seems to care about enough to even mention them most of the time all the perks which have been added to ESO+ over time are things which otherwise would have been base game upgrades available to everyone and I'd hate to see Anet under the same pressure to restrict quality of life changes to a minority of players in order to pressure us into spending more on the game.

We don't have to worry about the crafting material storage (the thing most ESO+ subscribers say they pay for - even going as far as to call it being 'held hostage' to the system) because that's been in GW2 since release, but there's plenty of other QoL ideas players keep requesting which could easily be tied to a subscription system.

[The Ace.9105]

@Firebeard.1746 said:I don't want to have to go through the shop ui every time i want to contribute to this game and anet may make some extra money on people who just stop playing and want to support anet ( my boss at work for example pays his WoW sub even when he's not playing because he loves the lore/blizzard).

I don't want special perks or anything else and i want the rate to be customizable. Craft bags and the continuous stream of new crating mats ruined eso for me.

The gemstore money you spend does not go to supporting gw2 but it goes to funding ncsoft that funds anet which at this point is focusing on the side projects so maybe like 1-10% you spend goes to actually supporting the game.

[Amaranthe.3578]

I think more people will get turned off by the mere existence of such an option than people who will use it

[Rasimir.6239]

@Thornwolf.9721 said:I would be ok if it functioned like ESO where if you pay the subscription you get the expansions and all the crafting expansions/maybe some exp increase toward said things without having to buy them seperatly. And then get an allowance of 1000 gems every month as a thank you to buy a costume, skin or some such thing because then the value is there.ESO doesn't give you access to expansions you don't own. You only get access to DLC content, so the equivalent for GW2 would be access to living story maps and story, but no access to e.g. PoF mounts. Since living story maps are explicitely created with expansion masteries in mind (they even warned us that you need gliding to play Bloodstone Fen back when season 3 launched) I don't see this as a good idea for either ANet or the players, as the access is next to worthless to players who don't own the matching expansion.

That said, the way I understand the OP they don't care for such a system either. All they want is an additional gem purchase option that automatically gets them a purchase each month instead of requiring them to go through the shop each time. No discount, no goodies, simply a gem purchase on automatic repeat.

[Inculpatus cedo.9234]

@The Ace.9105 said:

@Firebeard.1746 said:I don't want to have to go through the shop ui every time i want to contribute to this game and anet may make some extra money on people who just stop playing and want to support anet ( my boss at work for example pays his WoW sub even when he's not playing because he loves the lore/blizzard).

I don't want special perks or anything else and i want the rate to be customizable. Craft bags and the continuous stream of new crating mats ruined eso for me.

The gemstore money you spend does not go to supporting gw2 but it goes to funding ncsoft that funds anet which at this point is focusing on the side projects so maybe like 1-10% you spend goes to actually supporting the game.

I'd be interested to see the source of the claim that ArenaNet is 'focusing on the side projects' that were publicly stated to have been shut down. Or any side projects, for that matter.

[Ayakaru.6583]

You can also just buy the biggest gem toss on an annual basis

[mindcircus.1506]

@Knighthonor.4061 said:i am against this because soon after adding this feature they will start adding bonus to those that use this feature

Yeah it would be terrible to see a company reward loyal customers.

[Danikat.8537]

@Inculpatus cedo.9234 said:

@The Ace.9105 said:

@Firebeard.1746 said:I don't want to have to go through the shop ui every time i want to contribute to this game and anet may make some extra money on people who just stop playing and want to support anet ( my boss at work for example pays his WoW sub even when he's not playing because he loves the lore/blizzard).

I don't want special perks or anything else and i want the rate to be customizable. Craft bags and the continuous stream of new crating mats ruined eso for me.

The gemstore money you spend does not go to supporting gw2 but it goes to funding ncsoft that funds anet which at this point is focusing on the side projects so maybe like 1-10% you spend goes to actually supporting the game.

I'd be interested to see the source of the claim that ArenaNet is 'focusing on the side projects' that were publicly stated to have been shut down. Or any side projects, for that matter.

I suspect all the people who lost their jobs because those projects were shut down would like to see that too.

[Poormany.4507]

@mindcircus.1506 said:

@Knighthonor.4061 said:i am against this because soon after adding this feature they will start adding bonus to those that use this feature

Yeah it would be terrible to see a company reward loyal customers.

If it's just cosmetic rewards, like those already in the gemstore, I'd be fine, but if it gives other extra advantages to those who do subscribe, which it quite possibly would, I would not like such a p2w system.

[mindcircus.1506]

@Poormany.4507 said:

@mindcircus.1506 said:

@Knighthonor.4061 said:i am against this because soon after adding this feature they will start adding bonus to those that use this feature

Yeah it would be terrible to see a company reward loyal customers.

If it's just cosmetic rewards, like those already in the gemstore, I'd be fine, but if it gives other extra advantages to those who do subscribe, which it quite possibly would, I would not like such a p2w system.

that sure is a lot of supposition over something that does not exist.

[Firebeard.1746]

@Mewcifer.5198 said:If it was only an automatic gem purchase every month, I don't see anything wrong with that. Then when you feel like buying things or coming back to the game you can go on a huge shopping spree.

Exactly.

[b k.1648]

@Rasimir.6239 said:ESO doesn't give you access to expansions you don't own. You only get access to DLC content, so the equivalent for GW2 would be access to living story maps and story, but no access to e.g. PoF mounts. Since living story maps are explicitely created with expansion masteries in mind (they even warned us that you need gliding to play Bloodstone Fen back when season 3 launched) I don't see this as a good idea for either ANet or the players, as the access is next to worthless to players who don't own the matching expansion.

That said, the way I understand the OP they don't care for such a system either. All they want is an additional gem purchase option that automatically gets them a purchase each month instead of requiring them to go through the shop each time. No discount, no goodies, simply a gem purchase on automatic repeat.

After a year they've downgraded both expansions to DLC status, so it seems you do eventually gain access as a subscriber. As subscribers have paid more than the value of the expansions in the interim, it's probably a net gain for Zenimax nonetheless.

But I suppose that's the big difference: providing theoretical gem subscribers with free access to Living Story content wouldn't be a selling point, since it's already free for active players anyway.

[Firebeard.1746]

@Knighthonor.4061 said:i am against this because soon after adding this feature they will start adding bonus to those that use this feature

Hence why i'm specifically advocating that they don't. I would quit and unsub the moment that happened. Paying for perks is like paying the fox to guard the chicken coup: you're incentivizing the devs to ruin the game for other perks and it inevitably leads to its decline as it scares off new players. I would hope anet would have more sense than that.

[Trise.2865]

The unfortunate truth is that sometimes convenience means bypassing security features, which can cause a great deal of additional problems if someone were to abuse it (such as paying with stolen credit cards). It's a dangerous precipice, and I am very wary of it (as should they be). I'm sure I'm not the only one who feels that way. However, as long as it's wholly optional and doesn't confer any additional benefits (outside of those already gained by buying Gems)... this might be okay.

Perhaps, instead of fully-automatic payments, there could be an in-game "newsletter" one could subscribe to, offering a "Hey, it's a new month, wanna buy more gems? click this button to repeat your last purchase or this one to change the amount" Mail regularly? That should maintain the current level of security by still requiring the CC security code and POS systems, but shortcut past the current multi-click system by skipping straight to the payment screen. Two clicks is more than none, but still better than five, right?

[Xanadrine.4352]

Im curious if they put everything from the gem store in game as drops or vendor purchases, i mean everything except say character boosts and upgrades like the tools to gather and mine, finishers, and some outfits. But everything else like mount and glider skins, armor and weapon skins or items, extra bank slots could be drops or vendor purchases in game would you pay $10 $5 a month? I mean people already pay 20 to 30 a month for gem store items, so what if they were included in the game?

[Danikat.8537]

@Zuldari.3940 said:Im curious if they put everything from the gem store in game as drops or vendor purchases, i mean everything except say character boosts and upgrades like the tools to gather and mine, finishers, and some outfits. But everything else like mount and glider skins, armor and weapon skins or items, extra bank slots could be drops or vendor purchases in game would you pay $10 $5 a month? I mean people already pay 20 to 30 a month for gem store items, so what if they were included in the game?

I'd stop playing if they did that. It would be a shame, because I like GW2 but the subscription model really doesn't work for me. Before I discovered GW1 I had assumed I'd never be able to play an MMO (or I'd have to wait until some time in the future when my life was more predictable...which still hasn't happened).

The biggest problem for me is that it's impossible for me to know how much time I'll have to play over the next 30 days, so I could easily end up paying for time I never get to use. People often compare subscribing to an MMO to the cost of buying a coffee (something else I almost never do) and for me it would be like buying one while waiting for a bus, taking a few sips then having to throw the rest away because the bus has arrived and they don't let you take drinks on. I may be able to afford it but I'm not at all keen on wasting money like that. But it would also be frustrating if I have a free evening and have to weigh up the benefits of paying for permission to log in so I can play today against the risk of not getting to play the rest of the time I paid for...I'd almost certainly decide I'd rather play a game where I don't have to make a choice like that.

With the gem store I don't have that problem. If I buy something and then don't get to play for a few weeks it doesn't matter because it will still be there waiting for me when I next log in, and forever after that (as long as the game lasts anyway) so sooner or later I'll get enough use from it to justify the cost...without it costing me anything more to keep using it.

(Of course my preference is a game where all the rewards are earned in-game and it doesn't charge a subscription, but I understand that MMOs which have ongoing development and support need an ongoing income to enable that and the money has to come from somewhere. On that basis I'd rather have the option to buy cosmetic and convenience items I don't actually need - as and when it suits me to get them - as a way of funding the game than any of the alternatives I know of.)

Edit: One idea I like the sound of but have never tried is a pay-as-you-go subscription where instead of buying days you buy hours of time online and only use them up when you're actually logged in. I'd have to break the habit of logging in then going afk while I check the forum, but otherwise I think it would work a lot better for me than a conventional subscription model. But I still prefer the buy-to-play model GW2 uses.

[Khisanth.2948]

@Zuldari.3940 said:Im curious if they put everything from the gem store in game as drops or vendor purchases, i mean everything except say character boosts and upgrades like the tools to gather and mine, finishers, and some outfits. But everything else like mount and glider skins, armor and weapon skins or items, extra bank slots could be drops or vendor purchases in game would you pay $10 $5 a month? I mean people already pay 20 to 30 a month for gem store items, so what if they were included in the game?

That would still involve paying for things I have no interest in ever getting.

[Crab Fear.1624]

If you want to support the company and a bonus, just buy more accounts. You give money to anet and get more login rewards and more timegated materials.

[Obtena.7952]

@Knighthonor.4061 said:i am against this because soon after adding this feature they will start adding bonus to those that use this feature

So ... the problem here is what? You don't like the idea that Anet would give benefits to people that patronize the game periodically? That doesn't really make any sense ... unless you are simply one of those jealous types.