That's rip-off ! Sector3/Raceroom please let the loyal and long-term customers complete packs again!

The three new GT3s were offered to me for € 3.98 each, while I owned 90+% of the class pack. Buying the GTR3 pack (guess the P4, the Mustang and a bunch of liveries missing) has cost me around 12 € (11xx something). From the math it is the better deal, while I actually don't need the P4, Mustang incl. ALL liveries...I actually came to the point a while ago just to buy what I really want and need even if I have to pay more but whenever there is an offer like that it would be stupid to ignore that. Downside is that I own a lot of stuff I might never even touch (mostly FWDs and Open Wheelers)
Well door busters are always part of the business.....not only with Race Room...

 

Yes, thanks, I am aware of that. I did buy "All content".
But here another guy answered me on RD, same situation, but he got a better offer (that is now the third or fourth who tells me so):

Nandor Gyongyosi
↑
I wonder how you managed that ?
I "own" all content, but if I want these three new GT3 cars, I need to buy them at full price. Can't buy the GT3 pack since I already own it. Looking at your post, you bought the three cars including all (expensive) liveries for the price of one...!? Good for you...
Weird. I have all content aswell, but i can buy the 3 new gt3 cars for 4.31 euros (or 432 vrp)

 

Don't get me wrong, I would hope that if we own a pack, and cars are added, there would be some kind of discount. But, the other way to look at this... Today I have the opportunity to by the GT3 pack and get the 3 new cars for a discount (only purchased the Premium pack prior). If I "do buy" the pack I will have to pay full price for new additions down the road but during that time I have the content to race. If I "don't buy" today and wait for say 3 months to see if more cars are added I don't have the content to race for those 3 months. My overall investment is higher if I use the pack discount early and pay full for additions but if I amortize the investment over the time used it's a value based on time of use.
Decisions...

The bottom line, I think the pricing structure is a turn off to many especially those that don't fully understand how good a sim R3E truly is. To me, for the most part, the investment is reasonable. With that said, heaven forbid Sector 3 runs into financial problems and we loose the ability to use our content - may be a small risk but a risk non-the-less.

 

Thanks for the input guys. I guess the Porsche may be worth waiting for but the others may be too far down the road to warrant holding off. For the short term, I have so much R3E content to race without the 3 new GT3 cars not buying today isn't going to bother me much, and that isn't even considering the other sims in my library that I like to race. In addition, when it comes down to it, I really don't need all the content, even though I have most with all liveries (only missing the Formula X-17 and new GT3). I end up only having time to race my favorite 4-5 cars with my favorite livery on each.

 

I am no fan of this microtransaction business model myself, but guys - lets keep the right scaling. You all got used to over the years that when you buy a game, some months later it gets thrown after you for less money, or in a summer or Steam or holiday sale. The stuff you buy today, is less worth in the future. Hardware, software, just everything. Also, from things you bought in the past, you cannot raise claims for stuff in the future as long as this stuff of the future was no explicitly defined as part of the past deal. What S3/RR offer today and in the future, is beyond the original idea, plan and offer of the game, years ago. Its an ongoing development, not just completion of a past deal that was not finished. You bought in the past what was there and what you wanted. And that WAS your complete deal back then. Anything coming after that, is no free bonus, but new deal to be made. And you are always free to reject to make this new deal.

On the price ratios, packages in the past versus individual car today, lets see this pragmatic. The guys must live by somethign, they must make money. They cannot work for free, and you have no claim for them having to work for free for you. The business model and its pricing already makes things complicated enough - now you want individual price calculations done, putting the single item price in relation to what you, the individual customer, already have spend in the past, with the myriads on software constellations possible there? Lets act reasonable, here, and let pragmatism rule. Somewhere, they have to cut it. Reality demands it.

And finally, we tlak of cents and Euros here. 30 cents for a skin, 4 Euros for a car. I am quite certain that most of you day in, day out spend higher ammounts of money carelessly on purposes that are less prominent in your mind's awareness.

 

OK, someone who has bought ALL content and could be considered as a "good client" has to pay much more for the same new content than someone who just started to buy content, right ? Does that sound reasonable to you ?

 

I have all racks, all cars, and over 90% of skins. I have paid two years back almost twice as much than I probably had to, because I did not know, and later I found that their TWO stores sometimes have the same item with same member accounts for different prices, I saw that at least twice.

I got over it. Life moved on. Time fleeted. And the Earth still revolves around the sun.

When I consider the number of hours I got from this, and the level of excitement and entertainment, and two and a half years, then I talk about peanuts.

Sorry, but I think some guys really make an elephant out of a mosquito. You guys are around long enough to know how the game is played, how the rules for the business side of things are.

These things are like they are, and have been since I entered the game. So change the record. Every single release of something: the same lament. Its getting tiresome a bit, I admit.

 

Im going to call up my car dealer and raise hell. They released the 2018 version of my car. It has all kinds of features for same price that i dont have on my 2016!! If i wanted those features, i would have to pay to have them installed. What a crock of garbage!!

 

I used to get myself all wound up over pricing as well but it really is counterproductive and sucks enjoyment from the game - and we're here for fun right?

Here's how I think about it now.

Depending on currency / exchange rates, it costs about $50 a year to play the game with full content.

I've been playing since early 2013, that's five years and I've spent about $250 to own everything.

A new player comes along, slaps down a 50 and away they go with the lot. It feels unfair but it's not. Think of it as their entry fee. Sure they've only paid $50 but they've had 5 mins access to the game. For $250, I've had 5 years!!

To keep up with new content it will cost that new player about $50 a year. Just like me.

It only feels expensive if you think about it the wrong way and say 'gee he paid $50 for the lot and I paid $8 for two tracks'.

If you think about it the right way - 'it costs me $50 a year to play this great game - maybe a 100 hours at 50c an hour' - it's not so bad. It's a bargain in my view.

This works for everyone. Businesses need on-going revenue to survive and their best source of revenue is their loyal, regular customers. The base. Us.

You can't go to the pub and say I drink here every week so my beer should be almost free. Who do you think pays for the pub to survive and be there to sell you the beer so you can get drunk and complain about video game pricing to the nice girl at the bar when really she's much more interested in hearing about your masterful lap of Silverstone. (Answer: you and the other regulars.)

If we expect to get all the new stuff for next to nothing, soon (TM) there will be nothing to get.

Rant over.

[edit: and yes there are some quirks in the pack pricing but hey, remember the big picture above and get on with it I say]

 

I can agree with that, and I see it's kinda worthless anyway because reading the misguided analogies of those who defend this model (or at least ask for people to stop complaining) makes it seem like there are two different languages being used in this conversation

The fact remains that this kind of threads will never stop showing up for as long as nothing changes, and I do hope that with enough complaining Raceroom AG might eventually change something... If not then, well... whatever. It's their business being hurt, not mine.

From my part I think I've done enough complaining (for this year, at least ) so I'll just keep doing what I usually do: enjoying the work of Sector 3 on this marvelous sim while praying that its business model doesn't eventually lead to it's death.

 

In your example you would have to bring the car to your dealer and he would just add the new improvements to your used car but charging the full price of the new car model.

I would have to pay more for the 3 new GT3 cars than someone who would buy his first content but i already own the full content of RRRE except those 3 new cars.

It is not about the absolute prices it is about fair pricing. Being a loyal customer should have benefits.

 

"Fair" pricing. Sounds a bit like Trump.

They set their prices, Kollo. You are free to accept their price, or to refuse to buy for that price.

"Fair enough". Its called freedom of choice.

In the end price is what others are willing to pay for it.If their model wouldn't work, they would have changed it by now.

 

make a flatrate.. 10 bucks (or more) per month and always every car and track available

 

A subscription model isn't a bad idea for a game like this as long as the monthly/yearly price is modest. That way all content is available to everyone for the same price. Fair and consistent, and fits with an always-online game where we are effectively renting content, not owning it.

It's only a matter of time before the Netflix/Spotify model becomes more widespread in gaming.

 

There are pros und cons in every way. Nothing will suit everybody. In my opinion the current system is fine. You pay only for the content you want to use. And about pricing: Watch the interview stream with Alex Hodgkinson to get an idea of the amount of work behind every car. Do you think they do it for free? It is their job and they want and have to being paid for it.

These are my two cents to this topic. Greets Sascha

 

This here, my friends, is the whole stupidity of the current system to the point. I think the price of a single DLC (car or track) isn't usually the problem, at least for me. I think it is quite easy for everyone to skip the purchase if you don't think that the content offered is a worth the hard earned money. This same applies to every other DLC for any other game, too. System we see normally in games is very easy to understand and works exactly the same for every customer.

The real problem is the way how RaceRoom packages the whole system by creating endlessly expanding packs and you only have onetime chance to purchase a certain package. I repeat what MustangSVT just said: There is no other PC racing game, or AFAIK any other title for that matter (dunno about some pay-to-win mobile games), that uses this kind of micro transaction / DLC scheme.

By trying to compensate the crappy system (or making things harder to understand for the customer by design, I don't know which), a discount system was introduced, which actually makes the whole thing a lot more confusing and almost impossible to understand. For example, a while ago I had two WTCC packs available to purchase, WTCC17 and WTCC Experience, where the latter includes all currently available seasons. I also had previously purchased all WTCC content, but the 2017 vehicles. So, both packs would've offered me exactly the same thing, the 2017 cars, but lo and behold, prices for those two packs were different from each other!

I don't know who decides the pricing scheme, probably not S3S, but in the end I don't care. This system is no matter how you look at it, extremely retarded. Add the facts that the game is still heavily WIP, requires online connectivity and carries quite a steep price tag for all the released content, I've really started to hesitate my future investment on the game. I also think that R3E could easily bring a lot more people in if the business model would be cleaner and simpler. If racing sims would be really popular and part of the main stream gaming, I think current pricing system would bring very similar criticism towards R3E than current lootbox outrage is towards EA and some other publishers. Although R3E system has nothing to do with lootbox gambling and pay-to-win approach (thank god for that), it is still very opaque and confusing when it comes to the total costs.

Unfortunately, I don't think that anything will change unless the current crop of game's fans really start voting with their wallets. Game seems to have pretty stable amount of core users willing to spend money on the content and adding the funding coming from KW and RaceRoom, it is probably enough to keep the game afloat, at least for now. Having eagerly supporting the game for years now and owning all the content except some skins, I think I'm done with my purchases with this system after I've used my current VRP. It is a shame, because although game is still lacking in many features, it is still very enjoyable package.

 

Personally, I'm totally cool with having to pay for new content, but for once I actually agree with a lot of you guys - some kind of discount should apply when new content is added to packs that you already own. It feels a bit off, having to buy packs strategically to perhaps save a few $ in the future.

For me, paying full price for the car and getting all the liveries for free would be enough to feel better. Would feel like getting something in return, at least. And I don't see how that would hurt their income either, as most of us who are on some sort of budget (aren't we all?) usually limit the purchase to one or two liveries when buying a single car in any case. So they would mostly be "giving away" stuff that we otherwise wouldn't buy in any case. And the threshold for me buying new stuff could even be lower, knowing that I'm getting a good deal.

For example, I own the premium pack. A couple of the formula cars have been added since I bought it, and as I have no great interest in them I haven't bought them. But if I got a nice deal at say 349 vrp for the car including all liveries, I would probably go for it, just to "complete" the garage. If I were really interested in them, I would most likely just pay 399 for the car and skip the rest of the liveries anyway. So no sales lost, just one gained.

 

I am getting to the point where I'm actually thinking about stopping to by content, wait about a year and then purchase the premium pack with a new account. That way I would be protected even if they start selling pieces of software like AI selector or other stuff.

 

that is 100% what i will do. buy no single content anymore !
I will sell my account with my content (11/2018) and buy on BlackFriday the PremiumPack with my newly created account.
a few minutes of work but that's no problem. since there is no official feedback from sector3 and/or raceroom, unfortunately nothing will change!
and please do not think sector3 and raceroom have no contact/communication and this posting has not been noted!
no answer or reaction is also a statement!

 

sadly so