Blizzard launches real money in-game pet store (plus some goes to charity)

[Margalis]

There's a fundamental disconnect between people who are willing to pay for convenience and people who think that if developers can identify inconveniences in the base game they should fix them. I'm not going to say that the former are wrong but I certainly don't share that mindset.

The dangerous thing here is that when you're willing to pay to make the game less tedious it gives developers incentives to leave the tedious bits in the game or even purposely design them in. Think Raph and his forced downtime except instead of forced downtime being a noble attempt to foster socialization it's a way to sell potions of faster resting.

And this is absolutely not sky-is-falling talk because this is how Asian microtrans games are designed today.

[Merusk]

You're not wrong on the paying for tedium reduction is BS, but this isn't that.   The 'it's convenient for my alts' argument is how people are justifying it to themselves, nothing more.  It wasn't intended to be that because the gold to buy mounts (not the riding skill) at ANY level is trivial for that level.  If they started selling heirloom items, which have a tangible tedium reduction factor, for cash then you'd be right.

[Rendakor]

Really Margalis, who are you arguing with? You keep clamoring on about paying for bug fixes or paying for quicker leveling, but this isn't that. This is nothing close to that. Unless you consider "I didn't have a shiny horse" a fundamental gameplay problem, this isn't even a step in that direction.

[Tuncal]

Blizzard has spent their development time since partway through TBC actively undermining their ability to sell exp potions / levelling aids through a cash shop by removing the suck and decreasing the grind.  It's less a slippery slope and more a sheet of float glass.

This right here x 1,000. Seriously, Blizzard has been streamlining the game for years now and making it more accessible / painless to play, and now we're worried about them charging extra for bug fixes? The same company that has just released a Diablo 2 patch not too long ago, years after they made money from that title? Come on.

[Margalis]

Really Margalis, who are you arguing with?

The multiple people in this thread who pointed to convenience as a reason for ownership.

[Dren]

The only convenience I can see is that all your level 70 or higher toons don't have to walk farther than the mailbox to get their new sparkly mount as opposed to walking a bit farther to pick up some other kind of mount.

I'm going to guess that for those concerned this much with a new sparkly mount, they already have 5-10 mounts that do the exact same thing, but look different.  There may be some speed differences in there, but I care so little about it I don't even know what those are.

[sickrubik]

This mount is only available through purchase and scales with your riding skill. There is no advantage of convenience. You can't attain it in another way.

[Typhon]

[...]There may be some speed differences in there, but I care so little about it I don't even know what those are.

The Celestial mount adjust itself to your highest riding skill/fastest mount.  The DK mount does something simliar (I don't think it can go 310%).

If I understand what they've been saying lately it's a pre-cursor to how things will work in Cataclysm, where a new level of riding skill will allow your character to travel at 310% speed.  From the comments the devs have made, it's a model that they are moving to for all mounts (even currently owned mounts) so that your decision of which mount you will ride will be based entirely upon aesthetics, rather than one mount being faster than others.

[Sheepherder]

You still need the training, the trainer is right beside the vendor.  Therefore:


 

[sickrubik]

You still need the training, the trainer is right beside the vendor.  Therefore:


 

You still have to go to your mailbox. 

[Selby]

There is no advantage of convenience.

I never have to ride a Kodo, raptor, the blood elf one, or Windrider again.  It's a win.  Sure, my army of 80's don't care too much, but my alts love it.

[K9]

Mechanostriders are the best mounts ever.

[Rendakor]

That's not convenience Selby, that's cosmetics.

[Selby]

That's not convenience Selby, that's cosmetics.

And it's still a win in my book.  I fail to see the outrage here.

[Rendakor]

Hey, I'm not arguing, I bought one. Just trying to prevent another 'ZOMG PAYING FOR BUGFIXES' outburst.

[Selby]

Hey, I'm not arguing, I bought one. Just trying to prevent another 'ZOMG PAYING FOR BUGFIXES' outburst.

No worries, I did too and still have no issues with it ;-)

[sickrubik]

There is no advantage of convenience.

I never have to ride a Kodo, raptor, the blood elf one, or Windrider again.  It's a win.  Sure, my army of 80's don't care too much, but my alts love it.

I'm not sure why you are replying to me. I have absolutely zero problem with the mount. I plan on picking it up.

[Minvaren]

Would anyone else buy the X-53 Touring Rocket (if offered) if it played "Magic Carpet Ride" to all in the near vicinity?

Would be nice to drown out the racket of all the Mechanohogs.