Posted - 2011.09.05 22:30:00 - [1]

 

TL;DR Summary:
1) NEX merchandise is pointless since nobody else can see it.
2) Incarna in its current form (aka CQ) is a massive waste of time that hurts everyone.
3) NEX clothing should not cost more than RL clothing.



We all get where CCP is going with Incarna. It's a great addition to the game that's long overdue and what many new players have been asking for. We get that. However what we currently have is Captains Quarters. A massive project that look a long time to develop. Yay great, I can walk around by myself in this lone office and sometimes look at my active ship (assuming it's not glitched out which most of the time it is). And that's about it. All that time and effort that went into developing this expansion and yet its content only lasted 5 minutes before we've seen it all. Lame

With CQ, we also got the Noble Exchange. A way for players to break up PLEX into a new currency called AUR. Great, but the main problem with this is that CQ is a single player experience which entirely defeats the purpose of vanity sales. Why spend real money for ingame money used for character clothing purchases when nobody else can see? Releasing the NEX with CQ was a bad idea. It should be removed and reintroduced when players can eventually interact with each other. Currently it's just a waste.

Speaking of NEX, the prices are just plain bad. We've all heard how awful they are but people generally like to see it for themselves so here's a few numbers to give you an idea of just how bad it really is:

Quote:

---

A single PLEX converted into AUR: 3,500
Cost of a single PLEX in dollars: $20 (per EvE Onlines website PLEX cost)
Cost of a single PLEX in ISK: 370,000,000 (current Jita price)

1 AUR in Dollars: 0.005 Cents
1 AUR in ISK: 105,714

Cost of cheapest item in AUR: 1,000
Cost of cheapest item in Dollars: $5.71
Cost of cheapest item in ISK: 105,714.

Cost of most expensive item in AUR: 12,000
Cost of most expensive item in Dollars: $68.57
Cost of most expensive item in ISK: 1,268,568,000

Average cost of Tops in AUR: 3,100
Average cost of Tops in Dollars: $17.71
Average cost of Tops in ISK: 327,713,400

Average cost of Bottoms in AUR: 3,900
Average cost of Bottoms in Dollars: $22.28
Average cost of Bottoms in ISK: 412,284,600

Average cost of Shoes in AUR: 3,100
Average cost of Shoes in Dollars: $17.71
Average cost of Shoes in ISK: 327,713,400

Average cost of Accessories (excluding monocle) in AUR: 2,300
Average cost of Accessories (excluding monocle) in Dollars: $13.14
Average cost of Accessories (excluding monocle) in ISK: 243,142,200

Cost of EvE Online monthly subscription: $15.00

Average cost of Top at Wal-Mart: $15.00
Average cost of Top in EvE Online: $17.71

---

Ironically, a shirt at Wal-Mart is cheaper than a shirt from the NEX. Not much needs to be said about the infamous monocle as it's so often used as the point of reference in arguments against CCP.

CCP needs to reevaluate the prices (aka bring them down). At their current prices there's nothing micro about these transactions at all. Not by any stretch of the imagination. Especially since many of the vanity items cost more than the game itself.