HoC Re-Enabling? (in General)

Wouldn't it be a good idea to re-enable the purchasing of HoC's as supporter items for a month?

The price of them are way too ridiculous for a supporter item that was <i>just</i> available. Especially for an item that is almost necessary for any strat (cept the melee heavy tanks) and most definitely mages, one should not have to pay upwards of 3M for a supporter item.

Just a thought, please don't flame, even though i have the fire extinguisher ready ;)

No... the item is insanely good for every team... if every team has them it will be lame... high price is good.

This is the problem with supporter items being useful and in some cases needed throughout the game.

New players often have to spend millions to purchase one of these needed items.

Just look at the MgS now. Many are looking but nobody is selling one.

Unlike AGs which can spawn, the MgS, HoC, TSA, and other supporter items are in extremely short supply as new players enter the game and have to have one to fairly compete.

Fair assessment, Ranger. Now all we need is a solution. =)

Like controlling how many pieces an account can have? :P

simple...make all supporter items always available..

What about having it where supporters have a certain amount of time with a new supporter item before it is available to the rest of the community? (2+ months or the time until the next supporter item is released are a couple of examples). Then after that they are able to spawn regularly, at a decreased rate, or maybe only through the blackmarket.

I'm fairly new, but I agree that some of the intriguing items seem out of reach, and don't even want to look ahead to how it will be when the NUB bonus runs dry. (just look at the latest asking buy now for a HoC *gulp*)

i have an idea... make it so that a new supporter can buy the old supporter items at USD$10 each but current ones at USD$6 ... i think thats a better idea

I think sooka has a great point, give new supporters a period of time to enjoy their new weapons before it's introduced to the rest of CB via Black Market. Great idea, sooka!

I'm not trying to disprove the point of this thread, nor flame, or anything else. I just wanted to point something out about most RPGs.

Don't nearly all of them have "legendary" or "mythical" super-cool weapons and armor, often in sets, that you try to obtain? They're super-expensive, or can only be obtained via a quest, etc...anyways, takes a lot of effort to get them.

Supporter items always just kinda seemed like CB's equivalent.


Anywho, just wanted to put in my own point of view. Not arguing the fact that prices fly up - they do - but just wanted to point this particular argument out. I'd hate to see Jon re-enabling another supporter item every few months because he constantly has to keep the overall crowd supplied - after all, after the HoC, he'd have to re-enable the MgS, the TSA, the AoI, etc...all the items people want because they are PERFECT for most strategies.

The expense certainly adds to the satisfaction of finally having saved up enough to purchase them. As a relatively new player, it really feels like an achievement to finally get my hands on one of those rare and expensive items, even if it does mean saving up for a week.

And really, saving for a week isn't all that bad if you're careful about who you fight. The NUB means a pretty decent surplus even when buying BA, as long as you're picky about using those fights.

Of course, no matter the savings one can't buy what isn't sold, but that's life. Don't get me wrong, I want an MgS. Badly. But it was before my time here and I can live with that, and I'll just make sure to eventually keep a big cash stockpile in case one ever shows up in auctions again.

Letting everyone buy them would take away the mystery and the excitement of finally getting one of those items, and I think that would be sad.

Everyone has an opinion, but what it really comes down to is expanding a player base. I'm not familiar with what the goals or intentions for the player base here, but I do know severe bottle-necking of top items as your community grows is not healthy in any game.

And saying those items are "perfect for any strat" is exactly why those items should be available more often. This game is an upward spiral. And the high end, especially limited items will only increase in price as the top tier of players get 'richer'. Those just starting out or who have played for a few months are at a huge disadvantage, even with the NUB due to those kind of items being less likely to be sold as the game continues.

And no offense, but I have noticed most of those against this idea already have 1,2, + of these mentioned special items already, and I feel such arguments are somewhat biased ;)

If you want to make it fair for new players, give them the option, once they become a supporter (and only then), to purchase 1 of each past supporter item for 6 USD.

This way Jane/Joe Blow, when s/he becomes a supporter, can get 1 of the MgS, HoC, RoE, NS, etc... The same option that all of those here from the beginning had.

But as far as those people here from the beginning, well we had our chance to get a HoC, MgS, etc... Even likely had a chance to get more then 1. If you did, great, if not, then good luck trying to buy one now.

I would agree on a redux, with no better argument than I need another one myself :D Come on owners, show them that you too need another one !!

That's true ranger, I'm not used to games being so closely tied to real money. Maybe that's where I'm missing the point.

also, had to add I don't think it would be fair to only be able to buy 1 item with USD, because some of us can't use paypal and I see others who are able to have others purchase supportership for them (which is what I plan to do myself). That isn't exactly feasible when initially starting up.

I think the system is just fine the way it is currently.

Given that new users now have a big bonus to help them get caught up, there is really no other advantage for vets who have stuck around since the beginning of cb2. At least under the current system, vets still have an advantage that they could have bought all the different supporter items since they have stuck around.

"That isn't exactly feasible when initially starting up." - sooka

Tell that to people who completely wasted their NUB, like me.

The only reason I'd be against an idea like Ranger's is that people, like me, who joined part-way through never got a chance for some items. I missed half of the supporter items to be released. Now everybody that's been playing a long time, and everybody who's new already has, or gets, one and I'm just told to suck it up?

I can't think of anything right now, but even just randomly drawing names out of a hat to see who gets the option to buy old supporter items seems better than the way it is now.

There's my partially biased two cents.

sooka, You can get people to buy you supportership or the new supporter item for you, you just pay the equivalent rate in CB, you don't lose anything just because you don't have real money.

I'm with this response to be honest:

'Miandrital, June 13 2:55 PM EDT
I think the system is just fine the way it is currently.

Given that new users now have a big bonus to help them get caught up, there is really no other advantage for vets who have stuck around since the beginning of cb2. At least under the current system, vets still have an advantage that they could have bought all the different supporter items since they have stuck around.'

And, if you think an item is 'necessary' for any strat there is always rentals.....


I've owned a few of the supporter items, but I've never found it necessary to keep them. The HoC is useful, nearly necessary if you like; but considering how many people seem to want one there are always a few in rentals (funny how many people want one, but only to own, not to use!) - I've not been without one in four months , despite having sold mine at the start of that period.

Tyriel, I'm only giving my opinion. I think you are taking Ranger's idea like it has been set in stone.

Thnx Flamey. I did know that, but Ranger's suggestion made it seem that you'd only have 1 option to pay USD when first signing up to get a choice for an item.

I have mixed views on the rentals, but it would be nice to show who owned the items that we are renting from.

sooka, you can check who owns the item after you rent it, not before though. I don't know if you mean both or not. You can check who owns the item your renting by going to "manage characters".

Sooka, unfortunately your only option for viewing who owns a rental is to rent it. Then the owner shows up on your manage characters page.


Personally I've mostly managed to get by on rentals for the most part, apart from weapons and tattoo for nearly three years. So you could say I'm a big fan of the rental system.

I will say, this game's players are second to none when it comes to explaining things to new players. Really appreciate you all and your guidance with learning this sweet game.

Its what makes most of us stay.

I thought it was because we all got infected with a disease that turns us into monotonous zombies who need to come back every few hours.

either/or.

Like ghosts, doomed to repeat the same set of actions day in day out for all eternity


"down-click; down-click"........

"And saying those items are "perfect for any strat" is exactly why those items should be available more often."

I missed the logic train again. =\ I could've sworn that the *best* items were usually the *least* available.


And I doubt the re-enabling would help for more than a short period of time. Fact is, there are more HoCs than any other "rare" helmet armor type. By that I mean the HoD, the Corn, the HoE - the items that have been here since January 01 - are not as numerous as the HoCs in the game. So I doubt it is the quantity available.


*shrugs* And you are right, sooka, I may be biased because I have many supporter items. I didn't until recently, but I found that I needed quite a few for my strategy and I got them all. =)

OB,

The HoC is a "must-have" for almost every active character. The HoE, HoD and even a corn is not a must have.

But what about those that joined after the HOC was no longer available. In the interest of trying to keep new players interested and in fairness, how can they really complete when they have to spend 3-4 million of their money for a HoC?

What then is left to upgrade other items? Or to buy a MgS? You were lucky to find one, why? You had a HoC to trade. New players do not have either a HoC or MgS and have to spend upwards of 8 million cb2 to try to get them.

For the new players, I dunno. 2k per battle is a pretty good bit, I think they could scrape together the cash to afford a HoC and/or a MgS.


I see your point, and I agree with it in the case of older players - but the NUB supplies more than enough cash for the newer players.

mmm but isnt the point of that cash to buy the items such as corns, and pump into melee weapons... things which players who have been on Cb for years already have, or have done.

I mean, look at the very top of CB. the weapons are all around 200M NW. Granted the players who own those weapons spent a good amount of USD to get such high weapons, but aren't there better things for a new player to concentrate on (like their weapons) than a supporter item that spawned a few months, a year before they joined?

And it would make more economic sense for the HoC to be reintroduced to the CB public at large. Yes, there will be people who are just going to buy another and maybe another just to make a profit. But the best way to diffuse that situation economically is to play the proven rules of Supply and Demand. There is a high demand of HoCs now and increasing the supply would lower demand and therefore the price.

Example: RoEs
yes they cost about 1M now, but thats alot less than the 2.5M they hod cost when i joined. What happened? Jon reintroduced them as a supporter item for reasons which i think we all can guess at.

Aye, but their cost is rising again. Just watch, they will be back at 2.5M....I'm telling you, that's just a temporary fix.

I like the idea of letting plays who joined after any supporter item be allowed to buy one of each.

I wasn't here for JKF, VB, MgS, wouldn't mind them for 600k.

right OB, thats the nature of supply and demand, it is a cyclic relationship. But doesn't the fact that the price for HoC-s is so high almost immediately after they were introduced as a supporter item foreshadow a trend which only leads upwards of the 3.7M current asking price?

I think Jon may go down the RoE route with other supporter items if only because it makes him money. As to the rights and wrongs of it I don't really care. I would point out that when I joined adams were going for 1M so were base tats and elbs hit 6M at one point with incomes very much lower than current NUBs.