Are you investing real money?

[hangeez]

Hey guys (and girls if there are some ),

I've been playing ACR for a long time now. And it seems like one of the best games in the Appstore. What makes this game even better is that you don't have to anything to play. I didn't pay for the download (I was lucky since ACR was free for while) and I didn't pay for credits.
When the Expansion pack came out I paid like 2,39€ because I felt little bit bad to play a game for free which has such a high quality.

But there are a lot of people who are spending real money for virtual credits. They are spending A LOT of money.
tisonpomrt told us in an other thread that he paid 20 bucks for 15 rares (hilarious thread, you should read it XD)

For me 500 Credits per day were just fine. It kept me playing it until now. (Even I've stopped playing it until the new expansion pack)
I mean if I spent real money in this game, then I would't enjoy purchasing a rare card at all. Plus it's kinda a waste of money, IMO...

So my question is how much have you already spent on ACR. And do you think it's good to invest in something even if it only exists in the virtual world?

[ironcladtrash]

I look at it like this. I spend more time playing this game than I do playing my xbox360. Considering how expensive those games are and how quickly they also drop in price, I figure I could justify spending money on ACR. Let’s just say I spent the equivalent of a couple of games.

[TemplarTyler]

You do bring up a good point, Why spend money on a virtual currency?
To allow you to get something you want.

I have been playing Evony for nearly three years and have been on Lord of Ultima for about 3months... And trust me, I bet you the amount of money these forum dwellers spend is pretty cheap for an ingame currency compared to those two... On Evony I know people who spend 100s £/$/€ every month (and I get the 'friend packages' to prove it) (Including one person who spent $120 in the space of 20minutes), I personally don't see the point... But the guys that do are about 3-5 years work ahead of me for doing so... Doing it here allows players to quickly get the cards they need to build their deck... is it really that different from the Football Cards from back in the school days, where you would pay your buddies your pocket money to get those really rare rares?

I have spent about £10 on this game overal, for the expansion and various little - what I would describe as 'Boosters'.

[matavious]

I agree with you that it's one of the best games on the app store. I spent some initially when I picked up the game and when the expansion came out (buying the campaign missions)

I don't think of it as buyinging virtual goods, but rather paying for a fun experience. You could look at a movie as a virtual good if you see it in the theatre. I think the game is worth supporting as I've had a lot of fun playing it. In the past month I've purchased two of the cheapest packs.

Welcome to ACR boards. It's a fun group of players.

[Tuism]

Yep, I've been saying it a while now, spending money on ACR, for me, isn't really about "investing". I'll never get real money back, neither do I care. I don't expect to get my money back for buying a PS3. Or my TV. Etc etc.

This is one of the best games on the app store, and I'm not speaking as a fanboy... I try a LOT of things, and ACR has captured my attention time and again. The fact that there would be a competitive environment coming up (ok, maybe fact is too strong a word, but I hardly think an amazing game like this would be shovelled) makes me a heck of a lot happier.

So I'll defend this game from would-be hackers and whoever will try ruin the experience for everyone. And that includes bitching about it to the devs when things aren't right

[Educatedcollins]

No
Spent Nothing so far
(edit: However, it's not a bad idea to spend money regardless of being a virtual good. Everyone else who has made a point is pretty much correct so just because you don't need to, if you want to get ahead quicker, you can)

[falkinator2000]

I have only bought the expansion campaign. I feel a bit bad about it, since I really think I should support the game more. The strange thing is, I feel buying packs for real money is kinda cheating (stupid, I know).

So, I'd gladly pay 1$ (or maybe more) every weekend to participate in an official 3-4 match knock-out tournament, but as long as we have the daily 500 as the "fair" way to gain credits, buying credits is not an option for me.

I completely agree that this being a virtual good should have no impact on your buying decision. Buying a game in the first place is what you should compare this to. The pricing structure is different, but that's not really relevant.

[Raphael Majere]

I think bronto and I spent a fair bit of money. I spent around $500 usd. That was before the auction house was up and before there was a way to earn in game credits? That was in dec last year.

The only way to get 5 of a single card was to buy boosters which was pretty insane. (but fun)

The famous combo Deck then was based on the pre-nerfed pantheon and royal intervention combo. And both cards are assassin rares.

I had lots fun opening boosters. (got lotsa of useless junos....)

Tbh, enjoy the game at whatever level you are. Everyone has their own interests and thresholds. I don't mind paying to pay a long as I feel it's worth it. Sure, some games are cheap and some are not. Acr is definitely the game that I've spent the most so far, but I am just as willing to spend when Ubi releases might and magic tcg.

Not all paid games are fun, but then again, some free games are just crap. It's a matter of choice and each game should have its own pricing model.

(thinking back, I spent more on physical mtg in the past.)

[rexseraphim]

Ya, I agree with Ralph. I spent a little bit on AC, and I used to spend much more on YGO, lol.

[UnCL0NED]

I've "invested" quite some cash in this game... Also most of it before the marketplace was installed.

Years back, I mean years back, when I used to play mtg I was a poor student, and I always told myself, once I get a job, I'd buy any card I would want then. Because I stopped playing mtg way before I graduated I never got to spending my earned money on it...

But when I discovered ACR And wanted certain cards, I justified buying credits for never having spent my earned money on mtg!

Also I think this game is worth the money I invested, as others mentioned before. I play it way more than my average xbox game I own! And I believe it keeps the game alive. I hope to play this game for years to come, because I like it a lot.

[hangeez]

Aug 25, 2012 12:07:49 GMT -5 ironcladtrash said:

I look at it like this. I spend more time playing this game than I do playing my xbox360. Considering how expensive those games are and how quickly they also drop in price, I figure I could justify spending money on ACR. Let’s just say I spent the equivalent of a couple of games.

ironcladtrash. I am surprised that a little card game is somehow more fun than those big games for example the normal assassins creed.

I guess there are a lot of former Mtg-Players here, haha. Back then, my parents didn't give any allowance and I wasn' allowed to buy cards.
Many many years later, when I earned some money I was like: hey why don't you buy some cards and make up for your lost childhood. Long story short result, in a short ebay-frenzy I bought too many decks. I have now like ten theme decks and half of them still not opened. I will probably never use them... (I should resell them!)

But I think I've learned my lesson. What I want to say is that ACR is definitely a game I would pay for, but when there is no need to pay then I simply won't pay because I just have as much fun even without five PP. And I rather have a 1€ McDonalds hamburger than 500 Animus credits, which I would get anyways the next day.

I would also prefer Ubisoft demanding more money so they can develop new expansion packs every 6 months. But I guess this would discourage new players.

[kit2x]

I only bought the expansion campaign since I got the initial game for free. I did not hesitate to shell out for the expansion since I enjoyed the game very much. As for purchasing credits, I don't feel that you need to shell out a lot of money to really enjoy this game. It's not that bad to grind everyday for 500 especially now that the market is available. Actually, it is also thanks to people who buy credits that we have access to a lot of cards through the market thus making deck building easier.

[Tuism]

You know what I would also not mind paying for? Entry into the official tournament/league, provided there is a great and simple entry system and good rewards ("foil" cards, alternate art cards, titles, ranking, something). In MtG days, I remember the local tourneys where we all put money towards the prize and had a blast. Man those were awesome.

[nyxeus]

My spending on ACR is also for the expansion only. I grind the daily 500 and had some lucky trades in the market so I don't need buy extra credits. I tried other "free" card games not only they aren't fun but you have to pay to get rares or be competitive. I really enjoy ACR and hope there will be physical cards one day not just expansion the art is great.

hangeez I don't think demanding more $ is a problem at all as I personally believe these iOS/android games are the future my friend told me there are people spending $80K+ for the Facebook farmville game. Moreoever, I read an article about Infinity Blade made the most $ for the company than the famous xbox Gears of Wars.

[Tuism]

If you're actually serious about understanding the gaming app economy, this article is a great read: thegamebakers.com/money-and-the-app-store-a-few-figures-that-might-help-an-indie-developer.html

Talking about the one in a million games or games with massive budgets and saying that all titles should both have that much investment and/or returns is pretty... baseless.