Subject : Cash Shop, what are you willing to buy? How much will you spend?
In terms of this, it is my honest opinion that most developers overcharge by a large margin on many items, and the exchange rate value of bought items to "free" currency (earned through actual play) are little short of extortion. (Suprisingly the EQ2 Station Marketplace was one of the better iterations, though not perfect as it kept many old items higher-priced long after they became trivialised)
Working example.
It should take 2-20 hours of active playtime to get a new-release/variant item/model/decal for "free", double or tripple this ammount for something thats had an impressive degree of effort applid (better yet, make it an unlock item tied to an acchievable event/goal). A well run event with a tangible reward at the end can be a beautiful and satisfying thing, not to mention boost player numbers on a regular basis.
Sales should be frequent and targeted at specific concept, throw a few wildcards in for good measure (one week a pistol variant emproium with an armour model or 3 in the mix, next sale an aircraft reskin service, with optional sunglasses for those looking for a top-gun moment).
Rentals/Trials are a great ideas, but limit them to 3-5 (3 hour) trials per week and charge a token quantity of in-game resources for the privelage.
Items placed on free-rotation also have their merits, as proven by League of Legends, and other MOBA games.
Drop pricers of older content regularly and incrementally.
That new stuff won't always be so impressive and prices should reflect this.
Premium items will generally hold their value for longer, but even these can become upstaged over time.
(A polished silver and ice-blue neon trimmed magrider? yes please! 
Later that year.
What do you mean they just released made a crystal variant that shoots concentrated awesome. . . 
)
In RMT (real money transaction) terms anything between $0.5-5 USD is reasonable for a typical item, depending on its heirachy (a new utility belt visual should not cost the same as a weapon super-variant, though a desert-camo decal for that same weapon may be comparable).
The further from the class/vehicle frequency of use an item it is, the less that should be charged.
Premium items (full sets of cosmetic armour, alternate vehicle models, weapon variant bundles) should charge no more than triple/quadruple the price of a mid-level alternate and/or be tied to an event/season/sale/goal.
In the end, it is all down to seducing the player that the items in the store are somerthing they would
Love
to have (like, RIGHT NOW!), rather than forcing everyone to think that unless they spend regular RMT on the game they will become unable to keep-up.
2012-05-06, 12:34 AM
Hybrid Mode
