Goodwill gesture to stop drama - Give those who bought bag slots a few equipment templates, for free

[Lonami.2987]

So, many multi-build users bought bag slots as an investment to store their equipment, due to how ArcDPS worked. Now they feel like they have to pay again to use equipment templates efficiently.

Easiest solution: Give them free equipment templates.

For example: If you character has two paid bag slots, you would get two additional equipment templates, for that specific character, for free. Easy as that.

Each character has a cap of 5 Bag Slot Expansions, and you will be able buy up to 4 additional equipment templates slots, so that should cover it quite nicely. Equipment slots cover 19 inventory slots, and basic bags are 18-20 slots, so the numbers match.

This approach would compensate those who really invested into bag slots across multiple characters, and prove ArenaNet isn't pushing some sort of "veteran tax" conspiracy. It's a fair compensation for the previously useful but now useless investment, and a good compromise to stop the general doomsaying and the potential collapse of what remains of the raiding community.

It's not the first time ArenaNet "compensates" previous payers with additional stuff. Owners of both GW2 vanilla and HoT got some freebies once those two went free. The precedent is there.

Additionally, equipment templates could be permanently bundled with bag slot expansions. Future updates would expand the maximum number of bag slots / equipment templates slots, attracting veterans for more template slots. Players who don't care about builds but like bag slots might feel encouraged to try new stuff, since they already got extra equipment slots anyway. This move would encourage build diversity, and create a better gameplay experience for everyone.

I don't know, sometimes simple solutions are the best way to handle problems. Yeah, it's not perfect, but it's a good start, free from the bad first impression of these last days.

[Infusion.7149]

Arenanet is not a charity. People that purchased bag slots were able to use them when they bought them and also you can still use them to store other things. What next? Will people suggest they start prorating based on how much time people had used the bag slots?

If you watched the live stream on guildchat you would know they had a lot of development time spent on "edge cases" to avoid breaking the game (i.e. builds with 2 racial skills).

[perilisk.1874]

I had suggested elsewhere that they could just implement the gear tabs as special type of bag not priced much more than a standard 20-slot bag. It's implicitly monetized, but it's not new monetization, so there's less room for complaint.

That would effectively do what you're suggesting, with a minor gold sink -- but it would come with the tradeoff of sacrificing inventory bags for equipment tabs, rather than handing the new stuff out like candy.

[Mewcifer.5198]

Why should they give you something for free? You still have your bag slots. They are not going away, you do not need compensation for them.

[Game of Bones.8975]

Should those people who made Legendaries for the stat swapping ability get their gold back as well?If ArcDPS weren't a 3rd party program, you may have an argument.ANET made the 32-slot bags account-bound from character-bound after a while. They do make changes in their own system.

[Danikat.8537]

So I get a free equipment template because I bought 1 extra bag slot on my main character when it was 50% off, which is currently holding 5 trinkets and 10 totally unrelated items (including The Dreamer Vol.3, the Hall of Monuments Portal Stone, the Heroes Band, some food, the Birthday Blaster and PoF treasure maps).

I mean, it's got some equipment in there at the moment so that counts, right?

[AgentMoore.9453]

I understand the spirit behind this post, but it's not going to happen.

Roughly 1,000 years ago (before the implementation of Transmutation Charges and the Wardrobe System), people bought heaps of bag slots so they could store their gear for different game modes and also so they could store individual item skins for Fashion Wars, the not-so-hidden game within a game. When the new features launched, it opened up a ton of bag space and also required users to purchase or grind Transmutation Charges to make appearance changes. When this template feature launches, it'll open up a ton of bag space and require users to purchase or grind for template slots (if you need more than what's given free).

We weren't compensated for our bags back then, because bags are meant for holding items - which they did and still do now. ArenaNet does compensate in some cases, like when you buy a backpack of an item and it later becomes a glider (the Wings of Love Glider comes to mind) or when you buy part of a package and the price comes down in the store to subtract what you've already got.

Bags, however, are still just bags. They haven't changed into something else or had their usefulness removed, and they did (and continue to do) their job, so you're unlikely to be compensated for them.

[mindcircus.1506]

I see we're in the bargaining phase now....

[Pirogen.9561]

@"mindcircus.1506" said:I see we're in the bargaining phase now....

I think this was the case from the start.

People always, especialy those that are the loudest, have "motives", "agendas". And its usualy "price".

[Elspereth.1280]

@Pirogen.9561 said:

@"mindcircus.1506" said:I see we're in the bargaining phase now....

I think this was the case from the start.

People always, especialy those that are the loudest, have "motives", "agendas". And its usualy "price".

I believe mindcircus is referring to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/K%C3%BCbler-Ross_model

[Astralporing.1957]

@Elspereth.1280 said:

@Pirogen.9561 said:

@"mindcircus.1506" said:I see we're in the bargaining phase now....

I think this was the case from the start.

People always, especialy those that are the loudest, have "motives", "agendas". And its usualy "price".

I believe mindcircus is referring to

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/K%C3%BCbler-Ross_model

Well, some went from self-denial to acceptance in one go...

[Just a flesh wound.3589]

I bought a bag slot years ago but it’s on a char I don’t play anymore. I demand to be suitably compensated with free gemstore items for inventory I don’t use on a char I don’t play.

[Mrs Lana.2506]

So because I have two extra bag slots I should be given two equipment templates.

Never mind the fact that I've sunk enough money in this game to purchase nearly all items from the gem store, a fully expanded bank tab and maxxed out characters at 70. Just throw two equipment slot unlocks at me and it'll be fiiiiine.

Ridiculous suggestion.

[zealex.9410]

Thats not the issue ppl are having, you will get get value out of your bag slots regardless and the ability to save gear in the storage is a big plus of the system.

[Astralporing.1957]

@zealex.9410 said:Thats not the issue ppl are having, you will get get value out of your bag slots regardless and the ability to save gear in the storage is a big plus of the system.

Not worth crippling the template system for it though.

[Swagger.1459]

@"Lonami.2987" said:So, many multi-build users bought bag slots as an investment to store their equipment, due to how ArcDPS worked. Now they feel like they have to pay again to use equipment templates efficiently.

Easiest solution: Give them free equipment templates.

For example: If you character has two paid bag slots, you would get two additional equipment templates, for that specific character, for free. Easy as that.

Each character has a cap of 5 Bag Slot Expansions, and you will be able buy up to 4 additional equipment templates slots, so that should cover it quite nicely. Equipment slots cover 19 inventory slots, and basic bags are 18-20 slots, so the numbers match.

This approach would compensate those who really invested into bag slots across multiple characters, and prove ArenaNet isn't pushing some sort of "veteran tax" conspiracy. It's a fair compensation for the previously useful but now useless investment, and a good compromise to stop the general doomsaying and the potential collapse of what remains of the raiding community.

It's not the first time ArenaNet "compensates" previous payers with additional stuff. Owners of both GW2 vanilla and HoT got some freebies once those two went free. The precedent is there.

Additionally, equipment templates could be permanently bundled with bag slot expansions. Future updates would expand the maximum number of bag slots / equipment templates slots, attracting veterans for more template slots. Players who don't care about builds but like bag slots might feel encouraged to try new stuff, since they already got extra equipment slots anyway. This move would encourage build diversity, and create a better gameplay experience for everyone.

I don't know, sometimes simple solutions are the best way to handle problems. Yeah, it's not perfect, but it's a good start, free from the bad first impression of these last days.

In other words... “you gave us a free QoL feature, but because you did that, we now should get more free stuff”.

Listen, Anet didn’t have to make build and gear templates. Be grateful you got this stuff as a free update. And the only bad impressions are coming from some in the community period.

[Saniyah.1984]

Monetisation of storage(within reason) like equipment storage is fine to me too. Monetisation for gameplay feature that adds QoL should NOT be okI think storage costs anet space to store too so even if it's a little it is understable/ but templates could be stored locally so it's a scam to monetised it

[zealex.9410]

@Astralporing.1957 said:

@zealex.9410 said:Thats not the issue ppl are having, you will get get value out of your bag slots regardless and the ability to save gear in the storage is a big plus of the system.

Not worth crippling the template system for it though.

Thats not what is crippling the templates, whats cripling them is one the caps, two that build, starage and gear are 3 diff things all monetised seperately and three that we had a free alternative.

Anet doesnt owe anyone refunds of free stuff because they bought bag tabs.

[Astralporing.1957]

@Swagger.1459 said:In other words... “you gave us a free QoL feature, but because you did that, we now should get more free stuff”.A feature that would cost me around 500 euro if i actually decided to use it is hardly "free".

@Swagger.1459 said:Listen, Anet didn’t have to make build and gear templates.At this point i'd rather they didn't. At least i would still have access to a superior solution that is Arc templates

@"zealex.9410" said:Anet doesnt owe anyone refunds of free stuff because they bought bag tabs.That i agree with. No "refund" is going to wave away the bad monetization of this feature, nor is it going to fix many flaws it has.

[AzureTerra.1642]

Gamers and Drama go hand in hand, there is nothing that will stop it.If you only ever bought a bag for putting equipment in then that was your own silly mistake when bags space in general is so useful for a variety of uses. And even if you bought a bag solely for using with sharkweekdps you have been using it for a long time and have gotten your value from it.

[Swagger.1459]

@Astralporing.1957 said:

@Swagger.1459 said:In other words... “you gave us a free QoL feature, but because you did that, we now should get more free stuff”.A feature that would cost me around 500 euro if i actually decided to use it is hardly "free".

@Swagger.1459 said:Listen, Anet didn’t have to make build and gear templates.At this point i'd rather they didn't. At least i would still have access to a superior solution that is Arc templates

@"zealex.9410" said:Anet doesnt owe anyone refunds of free stuff because they bought bag tabs.That i agree with. No "refund" is going to wave away the bad monetization of this feature, nor is it going to fix many flaws it has.

Maybe you’d prefer if Anet started charging a monthly fee to play, so you can have a few more “free” things in game? And of course there would still be a gemstore too...

[Zaklex.6308]

Wait...so all that space your equipment is taking up will now be useless because no one ever needs more empty slots for...oh, I don't know, drops/loot?

[Jemmi.6058]

@"Infusion.7149" said:Arenanet is not a charity. People that purchased bag slots were able to use them when they bought them and also you can still use them to store other things. What next? Will people suggest they start prorating based on how much time people had used the bag slots?

If you watched the live stream on guildchat you would know they had a lot of development time spent on "edge cases" to avoid breaking the game (i.e. builds with 2 racial skills).

Charities don't normally need to make offers in an effort to show good will with their consumers. This is a business suggestion akin to many other good will gestures that companies do to gain loyalty of their consumers.

Oddly given your own logic, as a company, Arena Net doesn't need you or its customers to defend it.

[Ayakaru.6583]

Wait, the templates also store equipment? I thought they would just auto equip everything.It was one of my dreads that whenever a template would automatically equip stuff, my inventory would be a mess

[Greg.7086]

….so I went into Aldi and said to the Manager since I have been a customer for 20 years spending all my hard earned cash in their stores, please could they give me free groceries for 1 week as a "good-will gesture".

Get real, stuff like this doesn't happen irl or the gaming world. You want something: Pay for it. You don't want to pay for it: Go without it.

The other point is we've made it through 7 years without build templates, so its just an optional extra like a whole ton of stuff in Gw2. None of us "need" this stuff, its just QoL, just people moan as they want everything for nothing. Makes me wonder if some players would prefer $15 p/month subscription instead of such stuff.