That is making the assumption that they would make the lockboxes completely random and possibly contain nothing, but I believe they said that would not be the case.

If they did something more like the GW2 model, as someone highlighted, you would be paying for a known quantity with a possible random cool thing in it. In which case, it is more like buying the pack of cards.

So, I hope that they will go with something more like this.

Wondering about the following scenario:

Prerequisite: LockBox Items are BOP or BOL.

Player buy a lock box, opens it and... gets a copy of an already owned item that he can't trade and has no use either.

Wondering about the following scenario:

 

Prerequisite: LockBox Items are BOP or BOL.

 

Player buy a lock box, opens it and... gets a copy of an already owned item that he can't trade and has no use either.

I guess that's something the player has to judge for themselves. They know what could come out of the box, and make their own mind up whether or not to buy.

http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/05/17/the-perfect-ten-the-truth-about-lockboxes/

year of the lockbox uprising?

huh? u buy a packet of cards and you get a packet of cards regardless what face value in the pack, you still purchase a packet.

 

U get a lockbox and you have no idea what your getting, i am not going to get the same everytime i purchase a lockbox....

Sure you do. It's going to contain gear.

Regardless what is printed on a card, it is still a card. collectable maybe but a card none the less.

 

a lock box is a virtual container "which may contain a rare item"

Pack of cards may contain a rare card. Lockbox may contain rare gear.

how would u feel if u bought a packet of your cards and released when you get home that packet is empty with no cards... or perhaps it contained no cards and had a packet of mints with a "sorry try again" note

 

and its only after printing a card is considered rare and starts to have a monetary value.

Pack of cards wouldn't be a pack of cards if it had no cards in it, would it?

A pack of cards contains cards. A lockbox contains gear.

I can decide for myself if I will buy a pack of cards in the hopes of finding a particular card(s), just as I can decide for myself whether I will buy a lockbox in the hopes of finding a particular piece(s) of gear.

But I have already decided that.

I just think that everyoneelse can decide for themselves, too, or parents can decide for their own children.

Wondering about the following scenario:

 

Prerequisite: LockBox Items are BOP or BOL.

 

Player buy a lock box, opens it and... gets a copy of an already owned item that he can't trade and has no use either.

If they do that, then they do that. Just one more thing to consider when people are thinking of buying a lockbox.

But like I said, irrelevant to me.

They could let me custom design a set of gear to include in the game, but if they put it in lockboxes I wouldn't be buying any to find it.

a important thing i want to mention on this.

 

When you buy a set of cards, you buy a set of cards, yes the face value of the cards are random but your getting a set of cards none the less.

 

A lockbox is random, you have no idea what is in the box it could be a nice shiny item you WANT or a med pack that you Don't,

 

if i had 1 box with a car key in it and a 2nd with a lemon and i charged people money to take the chance and pick a box i would be breaking the law by not having the correct licence.

money is only allowed on games of skill according to UK law, ( 2 people can play for money in a game of darts for example but for someone outside the game it would not be allowed and would require a licence)

anything that involves "chance" or 3rd party is gambling.

 

i think thats all the ways i'm able to describe gambling..lol

Ok i'm going to explain this since you obviously haven't bought a pack of cards recently.

This can be proven by going to your local Walmart or card shop, comics shop what ever.

When you buy ,let's say a pack of Topps baseball cards because you are hoping to get that autographed card or jersey card....if you peel up that back flap of the unopened pack of cards ,it will and does by law..list the odds of finding said card.Same with Magic The Gathering packs, you are guaranteed 1 rare card,3 uncommons and 11 common cards in each and every pack. With that inclusion of random foil cards you might get 2 rares,or 4 uncommons,or 12 commons randomly but you are always guaranteed those 1 R,3 UC,11 Common cards.

Lock boxes DO NOT guarantee any of this or state any odds. Thus unregulated, and yes it's your money spend it how you want.

How ever, the only thing I can say with certainty is this. If you don't want to support this ,please don't buy them. Let your wallet talk for you. Over 1 million ex subs have......so the power is still there.

http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/05/17/the-perfect-ten-the-truth-about-lockboxes/

 

year of the lockbox uprising?

I can't believe no legislation has cottoned on to this yet, because the below is absolutely true.

1. Lockboxes are gambling, plain and simple.

 

If anyone tries to refute the above claim to you, then be prepared to listen to a chain of logic so twisted and bent that it's probably been run through a yoga class. The simple truth of all this is that you're plunking down a set amount of real-world money for a possibility of getting a reward you desire. It's gambling.

 

It's gambling... except it's worse.

 

You know what would be weird? If you walked into a casino and none of the machines or tables told you the odds. Everything else would be the same: the payout, the mechanics, the money required to play, but no odds. Just give us your money and hope you win but never have a clue how great or small your chances are of actually winning.

 

That is lockboxes in a nutshell. Nobody's forcing MMO studios to disclose odds, and it's in their best interests to not do it. They wouldn't want to scare away those pocketbooks, after all!

http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/05/17/the-perfect-ten-the-truth-about-lockboxes/

 

year of the lockbox uprising?

Samd thats a good article that shows how bad they are for any MMO.

Also i wonder if LUCASARTS will be ok with real money gambling in a star wars game

they have lincense out. Have to send a mail and ask lucasfilm.

Samd thats a good article that shows how bad they are for any MMO.

Also i wonder if LUCASARTS will be ok with real money gambling in a star wars game

they have lincense out. Have to send a mail and ask lucasfilm.

They didn't seem to mind so much with the virtual TCG aspect of Star Wars Galaxies. People were buying packs with real money, selling for in game credits, trading for time cards, trading items for time cards, etc. They gave out a free pack a month or something, but any item you got from a free pack was bound to you. The card packs offered random chance at in game loot, none of which offered any combat advantage except for maybe a faster vehicle or something? Been a LONG while, so memory is fuzzy.

Ok i'm going to explain this since you obviously haven't bought a pack of cards recently.

This can be proven by going to your local Walmart or card shop, comics shop what ever.

When you buy ,let's say a pack of Topps baseball cards because you are hoping to get that autographed card or jersey card....if you peel up that back flap of the unopened pack of cards ,it will and does by law..list the odds of finding said card.Same with Magic The Gathering packs, you are guaranteed 1 rare card,3 uncommons and 11 common cards in each and every pack. With that inclusion of random foil cards you might get 2 rares,or 4 uncommons,or 12 commons randomly but you are always guaranteed those 1 R,3 UC,11 Common cards.

 

Lock boxes DO NOT guarantee any of this or state any odds. Thus unregulated, and yes it's your money spend it how you want.

How ever, the only thing I can say with certainty is this. If you don't want to support this ,please don't buy them. Let your wallet talk for you. Over 1 million ex subs have......so the power is still there.

It's not just that either, I don't think people are realizing this with their comparisons, you see, a packet of cards is the only source of getting the cards, and it's for cards, in a card game.

However, this is an MMO, not a card game, we're essentially getting a card pack for an MMO. Now think, the stuff you get in these boxes, you should be able to get in the field, but hey, if you could get them by playing the game, why would you buy the lockboxes? Solution: Stuff you can only get in the lockboxes.

It's going to contain gear.

 

Pack of cards may contain a rare card. Lockbox may contain rare gear.

 

Pack of cards wouldn't be a pack of cards if it had no cards in it, would it?

 

A pack of cards contains cards. A lockbox contains gear.

Source? Unless you've got some information I don't, a lockbox doesn't necessarily contain gear.

It could contain a vehicle. Or a vanity pet. Or useful consumables like stims. Or useless consumables like sparkle powder. Or a handful of commendations. Or maybe one of those disco ball dance party items. If my experience with random loot boxes from other mmos are any indication, the chances of a lockbox containing gear shall be remote.

So, let's please see your evidence re: lockboxes containing gear.

don't people seem to understand a pack of cards is just that, its 1 product

you buy a pack of cards and you get a pack of cards.

You buy a lockbox or a key to unlock the box and it can contain anything.... thats like buying a can of pop and not knowing what your drinking till its open.... i dont like apple flavor pop, i wanted a coke... so i got to keep buying cans of pop till i get my coke? I JUST WANT TO BUY THE CAN OF COKE!!!!!!!

it has nothing in common with a pack of cards, and there isn't a single educated source backing that up, not a single article online puts lockboxes in the same league as cards....

what about if them pack of cards all had the same packaging... so when you went to purchase the cards u want, you would have to take a chance and hope your packet matches your other sets. only way of knowing is by taking the chance and purchasing the blank package. just because they could be 20 different collections it doesn't matter right? afterall you just set out to buy a pack of cards... and thats what u got regardless if the cards are for a different set

don't people seem to understand a pack of cards is just that, its 1 product

 

you buy a pack of cards and you get a pack of cards.

 

You buy a lockbox or a key to unlock the box and it can contain anything.... thats like buying a can of pop and not knowing what your drinking till its open.... i dont like apple flavor pop, i wanted a coke... so i got to keep buying cans of pop till i get my coke? I JUST WANT TO BUY THE CAN OF COKE!!!!!!!

 

 

it has nothing in common with a pack of cards, and there isn't a single educated source backing that up, not a single article online puts lockboxes in the same league as cards....

 

what about if them pack of cards all had the same packaging... so when you went to purchase the cards u want, you would have to take a chance and hope your packet matches your other sets. only way of knowing is by taking the chance and purchasing the blank package. just because they could be 20 different collections it doesn't matter right? afterall you just set out to buy a pack of cards... and thats what u got regardless if the cards are for a different set

Item A. Pack of cards, contents are cards. You get a chance to get some special cards, but you could get normal cards only.

Item B. Lockbox, contents are loot. You could get special loot, but you could get just normal loot only.

Item A. Pack of cards, contents are cards. You get a chance to get some special cards, but you could get normal cards only.

Item B. Lockbox, contents are loot. You could get special loot, but you could get just normal loot only.

Like it or not its STILL a cash-grab and gambling to boot. Trying to twist the logic isnt going to work here. Especially when you are not told the odds of getting "cool items", you bet your last pound that it will cost the player a fair amount to have ANY chance to obtain decent gear/items.........read the article in my sig, they did an experiment in STO and it cost $153 to obtain decent loot, now THAT is simply deplorable.

Item A. Pack of cards, contents are cards. You get a chance to get some special cards, but you could get normal cards only.

Item B. Lockbox, contents are loot. You could get special loot, but you could get just normal loot only.

A. a pack of cards contain a pack of cards, regardless if one of them cards has a higher face value, but lets face it there is not a single set of cards in production with any special cards with a Monterey value, that would be a lottery and has such gambling, here in the UK and also in some states in the US. and if it does contain some kind of lottery the UK loophole is "no purchase necessary" so you are not forced to gamble 1000000 of packets to have a chance.

B a lockbox is more in common with the packaging of the said cards than the actual cards, after all u open the lock box to find your product. that product could be anything and is chance based by % in a way to bring in a income much like a fruit machine.

the card debate has no place here..... more place in a thread saying something like

" i opened 50 lockboxs and only got a blues, i wanted a orange!"

then by all means counter that with "you buy a deck of cards and u have a chance of getting a rare"

the card counter holds no water at all, i've yet to seen a valid argument on that side anyway but in little replys on forums.

the other aspect too, have u ever seen a casino with just one fruit machine?

in a casino its the income, much like its going to be for the bioware/EA which means put fruit machines on every inch of floor space and just give them room to walk around.

Source? Unless you've got some information I don't, a lockbox doesn't necessarily contain gear.

 

It could contain a vehicle. Or a vanity pet. Or useful consumables like stims. Or useless consumables like sparkle powder. Or a handful of commendations. Or maybe one of those disco ball dance party items. If my experience with random loot boxes from other mmos are any indication, the chances of a lockbox containing gear shall be remote.

 

So, let's please see your evidence re: lockboxes containing gear.

Splitting your hairs awfully thin here, aren't you?

What do you want to call it? Loot? Okay, let's call it 'loot' instead of 'gear'. Game stuff that is intended for use by a character.

Don't like the card comparison? Okay, let's get real, then.

This isn't like walking into a casino and playing poker or blackjack or slots.

If you win there you get to go home with your winnings.

This game is like those 'for entertainment only' poker, blackjack, or slot machines that only give you a score on the machine in exchange for your quarter.

You don't own any of this stuff in the game. None of it.

It simply can not be gambling because you can never 'win'.

You want the odds? The odds of you getting anything that you can call your own from these lockboxes is 1: Never.

I don't understand why people have problems with lockboxes, they are in pretty much every F2P so it was a given that we would get them.

This is like any other feature coming with F2P, if they don't screw up then it's not going to be a problem. Team fortress 2 has lockboxes, but i never had problems with those.

If they don't put top tier gear in there then what is the problem?

If they put a big red sign every time someone unpacks a "Raging Jawa of The North Star" then i will unsub and stop playing.

Is it really too much to ask to wait and see how they actually implement this system?

If they manage to make a good revenue out of it without being a bother to those that don't want to have anything to do with it, then more money to the game and more content to us.

Let's just wait and see before raging.

Splitting your hairs awfully thin here, aren't you?

 

What do you want to call it? Loot? Okay, let's call it 'loot' instead of 'gear'. Game stuff that is intended for use by a character.

You tried to argue that you do, in fact, know what's in the lockbox: gear.

Evidently you can't redefine "gear" broadly enough to cover sparkle powder, so here we are.

The fact is, you really don't khow what's in it. Nice try, saying "gear," though.

This game is like those 'for entertainment only' poker, blackjack, or slot machines that only give you a score on the machine in exchange for your quarter.

You don't own any of this stuff in the game. None of it.

 

It simply can not be gambling because you can never 'win'.

 

You want the odds? The odds of you getting anything that you can call your own from these lockboxes is 1: Never.

So now your argument is that you know what isn't in the lockbox: anything of value.

Yet people valued the in the ingame items associated with the CE and VIP vendors enough to pay extra for the game. Because, whether or not you wish to assign those ingame items an actual value, people perceive value in such items as exclusive speeders and costume pieces that can't be obtained through gameplay.

The perceived value of these virtual items is enough that people will exhibit behaviors associated with gambling; and whether or not you concede that it's really gambling, lockboxes are proven to succeed at exploiting those behaviors.

Call it gambling, or not. It doesn't matter. People are going to spend their money gambling on those boxes.

Like it or not its STILL a cash-grab and gambling to boot. Trying to twist the logic isnt going to work here. Especially when you are not told the odds of getting "cool items", you bet your last pound that it will cost the player a fair amount to have ANY chance to obtain decent gear/items.........read the article in my sig, they did an experiment in STO and it cost $153 to obtain decent loot, now THAT is simply deplorable.

Of course they're a cash grab. But it's up to the player if he wants to take a chance or not. As for the experiment, what about the person that opened the first lockbox and got the ship? It's completely random. But again it's up to the player to decide if they want to take the chance, no one is forcing them.

The Legacy system is for fluff. Lock boxes should contain decent stuff like gear and not fluff but even then sub players shouldn't have to gamble for gear and cool stuff. Isn't our sub money enough?

from EAs perspective,,,?

unless STO/PW are cheating with the messages, the lockboxes are working for them,,sadly

but i hope BW will show more restraint and do it , so it wont have so big negative impact on gameplay, as in STO

Lock Boxes, are loot drops with random chance items inside that could either be that top level purple piece you are looking for, or something like say, a common medpac.

 

THe box drops off of any mobs, doesn't even have to be elite or anything, HOWEVER you must buy the key to the box off the real money store.

LOTRO has lockboxes. The keys also drop and they hand them out all the time for free. You can buy them yes but you do not have to buy them. Honestly its a sucker bet anyways because 90% of the boxes will contain garbage. Like scratch off lottery tickets.

My question about thses lock boxes, will I need them to progress my toon ? are they something I will need to play the game ? or are they like a fun little grab bag, you pay for and see what you get ? Will I be forced to buy them or will be just an option ? if they are not needed for me to progress my toon what is the problem ? is some one afraid some one might get someting cooler out of a lock box than they have ? I am not a fan of random things when it does have a direct influence on my game play, but some thing on the side like this could be fun, I have already seen the dev's say nothing that special is going into them, armor that is already in the game.. I dunno I think I see allot of knee jerking reaction to a non issue once again.. /shrug

But maybe I am wrong time will tell, plus I don't really care..

The Legacy system is for fluff. Lock boxes should contain decent stuff like gear and not fluff but even then sub players shouldn't have to gamble for gear and cool stuff. Isn't our sub money enough?

I'm afraid our sub money isn't going to be good enough for them. They may be more interested in milking money from those ignorant souls who thinks they got a deal by spending $200 in the cash shop per month than pay a $15 monthly sub.

This is really a sad time for MMOs. The number of people with low, or no standards, is growing. Especially in the US. Just look at the pop culture, and what we have on television today.