Hobbit Presents Discussion

[Daxid]

You forget that nothing is really free. This is the excuse to introduce some gambling for items to the game. Knowing there are at least some people foolish enough to do so. Gamblers need help, not facilitations to get rid of their money.

I'm not against Turbine because I can, I'm against them, every time they make another step towards a product where the purpose is making money instead of creating quality. A good product sells itself, a bad products needs this kind of additions.

Sorry, but then we should close the game, cus many ppl plays too many hours, avoiding real life for this game. It's bad, let's close it! Many spends lot of money after it for mounts and cosmetical, 20$ for some coloured pixel on a screen, so selling mounts in the store is morally wrong too!
I've seen games where after 1 hour of game a warning pop up telling you to close the game and take a rest, need that too?
We can discuss everything, if its etical or not, but Turbine did his choice. It's up to everyone wisdom how to use it. I think is a better system than dropping lootboxes and rarely a key, pushing you to buy it in the store. You have a timer, timer usually helps waiting.

Stop complain about a choice that is our. There are more complains here than for weapon's sale in the US.

[Ulanor_EU]

Having these constantly sitting in my mail until I open them will just be annoying. I would like a toggle to turn them off.

See you and others have mentioned this; but I was under the impression it was going to be an extra screen from the UI and not the mail, hence the talk of the icon for your gift eligability.


As for the legendary. Hmmm yes it does seem a way to sell end game gear. Of course our levelling weapons and gear are also called legendary and arent at all the same so I shall wait for some actual answers before grumbling more.

[Wanderv]

It's a bad thing but i can live with it. Except teal items in boxes - this is inappropriate.

[Marillion13]

Let me see;

They want to reward the VIP players and they most generously hand out gifts, which the VIP player can pop for free.

They dont want to leave out the free players and Premium players so they put an option for opening them with Mithril Coins.

They include curious items inside the present, one which you can make use of.

And instead of hearing thanks they hear complaints (edit) and worse: Accusations.

Some job they have got.......

Since so few here, on this thread, actually acted in a thoughtful way at least let me say it:

Thanks for the gifts Turbine. Looking forward to them.

[Sapience]

You get 1 free Hobbit present per day and VIPs get an additional, somewhat better, free present per week. There is 0 requirement to buy more and the currency that you use to buy them drops from the presents, including the free ones.

[Namesse]

Seeing as this is Turbine, I am sure that the chance of getting anything good, or rare, or even a weapon will be very. very small.

Since this is Turbine there will be people who will get lots and lots of really good gear: symbols, gold recipes, class gold items, scrolls of (anything), horse cosmetics, etc. Others will get the hobbit equivalent of a bounty.

[Eartholloth]

You get 1 free Hobbit present per day and VIPs get an additional, somewhat better, free present per week. There is 0 requirement to buy more and the currency that you use to buy them drops from the presents, including the free ones.

So, for all those donning their tin foil over this, please remember that tin is almost 50% lead and lead is bad for your health.

No matter what you say Sapience it wont matter. These certain ones are fixated on the fact that if you want more presents you have to purchase them. The fact that you get 1 a day which is 30 free gifts a month plus an additional 4 for VIPs just gets glossed over.

Quite frankly, I think VIPs should get a little something nice from these gift boxes.

It doesn't matter what kind of loot goes into these because certain ones are gonna complain no matter what.

[voalkrynn2]

Apparently the delete post function is gone.......I'll send it in a PM.

Hmm PM sent but after the fact I see the issue was already corrected.

[Lothirieth]

For crying in the bathtub!

Turbine does something nice. I (in my loremonkey way) even consider this lore appropriate. Hobbits give presents on their own birtyhdays to their invited guests. Turbine decides to give 'presents' to guests logging in and we get four pages of complaints?

It seems to me that perhaps some posters just need to let go of looking for any reason to pile on Turbine. This is just a nice little thing and many make it sound like it's just absolutely the end of the world.

I personally think it will be interesting to open a gift once or twice a week.

It'll be fun....relax....insert calming music.....the sound a summer rain....or snowstorm if you live here in Minnesota!

If it stopped at just giving people a gift everyday, I don't think there would be an outcry. But it doesn't stop there. There's buttons to buy more chances at getting nice things through real money.

Turbine isn't being benevolent, wonderful gift giver. The one free go is a mechanism to get us hooked and start thinking.. just one more go.. maybe I'll get something good! It's gambling, pure and simple.

You get 1 free Hobbit present per day and VIPs get an additional, somewhat better, free present per week. There is 0 requirement to buy more and the currency that you use to buy them drops from the presents, including the free ones.

That makes it no better and is really irrelevant. Your company is still using the good Professor's work in a sleazy manner to promote gambling. That's the problem people have.

In a lot of games, companies could get away with this as I'm sure some of your most recent hires have seen. But I really think they fail to grasp the LotR IP and that its fans (as a whole, but of course not every one) aren't as likely to be happy with such tacky monetisation as this since it is antithetical to the works of Tolkien.

[Rosiebelle]

Aluminium or tin foil - as long as both are equally good at cooking a roast chicken and keeping alien radiation from corrupting my thoughts then it's all good!

[Shrewdest]

Seems like this guy wasn't so far off the mark after all: http://forums.lotro.com/showthread.p...02#post6705402

[Sapience]

No matter what you say Sapience it wont matter. These certain ones are fixated on the fact that if you want more presents you have to purchase them. The fact that you get 1 a day which is 30 free gifts a month plus an additional 4 for VIPs just gets glossed over.

Quite frankly, I think VIPs should get a little something nice from these gift boxes.

It doesn't matter what kind of loot goes into these because certain ones are gonna complain no matter what.

Very true.

Because the gold gift boxes have a better loot table and VIPs get one for free, they are getting 'a little something nice'.

[rougeredmage]

to be honest i expected alot more

Firstly what about premium players that seem to have been forgotten in this entire hobbit gift fiasco. i have supported turbine through micro transactions why should i not get a similar reward to that of Vip's ( i have just cancelled my subscription that ended friday for the reason that after acquiring moria, isenguard and rohan through the store there is very little reason for me to continue subscribing seen as turbine as most benefits acquired through vip can be done through micro transactions ) however i digress what the point i am trying to make is why cant turbine just for once thank the players that have supported them rather than rub salt into the wounds made by unfulfilled promises by forceing microtransactions down everyone throat. why did they not use the system they used as the yule festival which seemed perfectly acseptable and worked for me ie have a daily reward for participation in the festival. i am sorry but i am quickly losing faith with turbine especially when other more free to play games are beginning to have an increased impact upon the mmorpg market.


PS: as an afterwards after pressing the send button surprise surprise i find myself logged out i am glad i copy and pasted my message.

[Thorwyn99]

In a lot of games, companies could get away with this as I'm sure some of your most recent hires have seen. But I really think they fail to grasp the LotR IP and that its fans (as a whole, but of course not every one) aren't as likely to be happy with such tacky monetisation as this since it is antithetical to the works of Tolkien.

While i personally don't have a big problem with the gift boxes, i have to agree with this.
I don't think tolkien would be all too proud of the gambling aspect.

[bastiat1]

You should change it the "we" to I or My friends and I, or My kinship.

If we're going to quibble over whether someone posting on an internet message board is representing a fact or a personal opinion, by the same logic, shouldn't you change "You should" to "I think you should." Certainly it is only your personal opinion that he should make that change and not the position of the entire forum community.

[Eartholloth]

While i personally don't have a big problem with the gift boxes, i have to agree with this.
I don't think tolkien would be all too proud of the gambling aspect.

Unfortunately he is not here to tell us what he thinks. To sit & speculate is ridiculous. Furthermore if you dont purchase any, it's not gambling. I don't know about anyone else but to me getting 34 free gifts a month is more then enough.

[BotLike]

What a cheap way to increase daily logins.

You will now receive nice gifts just be watching and paying.

I mean , this is ridiculous , you barely have to do anything , just login , buy , and there you go , you have gear/utility etc.

I am expecting more desperate attempts like this to happen , since turbine makes content for it's store instead of it's players for a while now.

They will realise what is wrong when the hit deeper towards the bottom , compairing to what it is now.

And for anyone thinking i am just being doom and gloom, feel free to check google daily logins. It ranges from f2p launch since today so the sample is pretty good.

[Bel-Astarte]

Very true.

Because the gold gift boxes have a better loot table and VIPs get one for free, they are getting 'a little something nice'.

This at least is a nice thing. I've been increasingly wondering why I bother subscribing when there is so very little benefit I cannot unlock a la carte.

My initial reaction was very sour, and I'm still not thrilled at this Zyngafication of my favorite MMO.

[Lothirieth]

Unfortunately he is not here to tell us what he thinks. To sit & speculate is ridiculous.

Go read his books, letters, and essays, please.

edit: "If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world." immediately comes to mind.

Furthermore if you dont purchase any, it's not gambling. I don't know about anyone else but to me getting 34 free gifts a month is more then enough.

Take away the buy more with mithril coin options and you won't hear another peep from me about the gifts.

[Rhedry]

@Sapience... any word on whether U11 hits BR today?

[Rhino-Man]

Very true.

Because the gold gift boxes have a better loot table and VIPs get one for free, they are getting 'a little something nice'.

Do the Gold Boxes truly have a different and better loot table? Or do they have a better chance at the same loot tables?

[Sapience]

Do the Gold Boxes truly have a different and better loot table? Or do they have a better chance at the same loot tables?

A little bit of both.

[bastiat1]

You get 1 free Hobbit present per day and VIPs get an additional, somewhat better, free present per week. There is 0 requirement to buy more and the currency that you use to buy them drops from the presents, including the free ones.

So, for all those donning their tin foil over this, please remember that tin is almost 50% lead and lead is bad for your health.

The bottom line, which is indisputable, is that Turbine wouldn't have invested the Developer resources to produce another system if there wasn't an aim to monetize it. The fact that this was "market tested" first at DDO (which is where all of the Turbine monetization ventures are first tested) is all the more proof of that fact. I don't think people are "donning their tin foil" for pointing out the simple fact that Turbine is introducing a sytem to monetize a gambling operation for gear. Further, that gambling operation doesn't make money unless there is a compelling reason to gamble, which is why the fears that end-game and other rare gear being included in the Turbine Slot System are so logical.

You can cast aspersions and throw insults all you want, Sapience, but you can't deny that Turbine's primary aim was to make money. If their aim wasn't to make money there would be no option to buy additional boxes. Everything else follows very logically from that for anyone smart enough to put 2 and 2 together. No tin foil required.

[Lagunast]

When do you launch this function?

[ShammWoww]

T...but you can't deny that Turbine's primary aim was to make money. ...

The goal of any privately held company is to make money.
Without that, they don't employ, they don't grow, the company folds, and the game goes away.
With that in mind, I'm happy they are trying to make money!