Fractale
(?)Community Member
- Posted: Sat, 09 Feb 2013 06:19:54 +0000
For a long time, I've been noticing a very blurred line with what should be high-end, quality, PREMIUM items and what shouldn't be, with cash shop and gold shop releases.
I want to point out that Gaia has clearly defined what “premium items” should be, on this page:
http://www.gaiaonline.com/premiumitems/
As well a more vague definition of what should qualify to be in the cash shop, in the announcement that came out when you first introduced the Cash Shop:
http://www.gaiaonline.com/forum/featured-announcements/introducing-the-gaia-cash-shop/t.34294367/
Juno, one of our developers (sadly no longer on Team Gaia), had also pointed out the difference between cash shop items vs gold shop items
For me, there is a relatively clear-set hierarchy when it comes to items. As another user said, the types of items you find in Gold Shop are generally very different than the types of items that you see in MC's, or Cash Shop. You guys probably recognize a lot of these initial differences (to just list a few):
Cash Shop
--------------------------
• Tends to have more item "bundles" (ex: you buy one item, which contains more items, like MC's)
• Higher detail, maybe more intricate or complex in function (to give you the best bang for your buck, basically)
• Lesser color variations, but more individual item variety
• Items we would consider to be not mandatory, but desirable and worth making an effort to collect
Gold Shop
-------------------------
• Simpler, more singular items (ex: majority of clothing types, accessories, things you can layer or combine easily)
• More focus on color variations (though they have appeared in Cash Shop before)
• Limited multiple poses, usually no pose variations (ex: when you buy an MC, you get 5-8 items in it - gold shop items tend to be independent, with the exception of things like hoodies, that have 2 different poses variations)
• Items that we consider 'essential'
Obviously, all this was a long time ago, because since then, we've had items that some would define as “premium/ exclusive /highly desirable/ higher detail”, ect. thrown into the gold shops; like the high-end items in Dernier*Cri, the (arguably) desirable/ non mandatory items like body mods, horns, wings, wigs, and items that could be RIG items, like “Fairy Wings”, various gold shop wigs, “Anvil to the Head”, “Raptor Horns”, “Wolf ears”, “Crow's Bill”, Bakeneko/ Monitor” sets, “Stress Relief Candles”, “Water Puddle”, to detailed items like the “Frilled Hats”, “Starter Heroine's Dresses”, “Possessed Diver” set, “Aria's Wedding Dress”, “Louie's Jacket”, to multipose items like the “Multipants” we got in the shops as a limited edition April Fools Day item, to the complex function of the concept of the “Refurbished Sheet” Random Item Generator.
We've even had an Evolving item, skins, background poses, musical instruments, weapons, detailed/desirable items that look RIG-made in the Treehouse and Prize & Joy (which some might argue doesn't count as a gold shop, but the point remains that these items- which would, by definition, fall under “cash shop” items were not in the Cash Shop at all, given their quality/ detail/ desirability, ect.)
And, on the other hand, I've found several items that would've been qualified to be Gold Shop items, instead, such as SDPlus #430 Joey Fuschia's surreal mole (really? A mole as a premium item? Our first mole item was in the gold shops- Prize & Joy, why is this mole in the cash shop?), Sixties set wigs/ dresses, Lucky Peikko (default poses), Pogo Ponies, Flame shirt/pants set Deluxe (upgraded gold shop set? Really?!), SDPlus #187 Jenny (blush), Business Man's Tie Rack, Neko Cosplay, ect.
What I also don't get is why stupid simple accessories show up so commonly in just about every cash shop item, but we barely get any accessories, whatsoever, in the gold shops
Chronocessories (cravat), Dame Lucille-Eva (pearl necklace), SDPlus #186 Zaina (earring), SDPlus #102 Rubella (tie), Demon Cat (ears), Y Paddle (blush) Chuchip's Blessing (dark eyes), Mona the Platypus (smiling eyes), Loch Ness Lassie (full plaid), Cursed Diamond (default/ sinister necklace), Destroyer of Lunches (gloves), Lightning Quick, Claude's Invisibility (piercings/ watch), ect. aren't ridiculously extravagant and detailed in comparison to other cash shop accessories (like Imperial Han (belt), Fenhuang Feather (scarf), Wicked Torn Cape, Highwire Amarallys (sleeves), Mathmatecal Spiral (default/ gloves), Yasaengui Style (scarf), Sirenia Atagatus, Ezo Okami (sleeves), Alpine Woiperdinger (belt), Fenhuang (ribbons/ belt), and more, to have them in the cash shop, I think.
To summarize, I'm curious on others' viewpoints on the various cash shop and gold shop item releases have blurred the line so much (which is good, I suppose, since we've been getting EI's/ skins/ backgrounds, better quality items, ect. outside the cash shop, on occasion), over the years, on what guidelines, I guess, gaia follows, regarding which items go where for these released, and if the blurred lines actually exist (and I'm not just imagining it) and if they do, can others see it as a good thing for the future of gold shop updates, with more cash shop quality/ unique gimmicks being added more into there? Hazardous to cash shop updates, with the gold shops slowly, but obviously taking on some of their uniqueness (although I want to argue that a lot of these thing that are 'exclusive' to the cash shop have been in the gold shops long before, which is where the line can be blurred....)?
I want to point out that Gaia has clearly defined what “premium items” should be, on this page:
http://www.gaiaonline.com/premiumitems/
Quote:
Premium Items can help you turn a good avatar into a great one. They're among the most desirable items on Gaia, so they're sure to turn some heads.
As well a more vague definition of what should qualify to be in the cash shop, in the announcement that came out when you first introduced the Cash Shop:
http://www.gaiaonline.com/forum/featured-announcements/introducing-the-gaia-cash-shop/t.34294367/
Quote:
This is Cindy Donovinh reporting from the grand opening of the Gaia Cash Shop! The elegant Flynn has opened the doors to her new boutique, La Victoire, where you can buy exclusive with your Gaia Cash.
Choose from a fine selection of luxury items, including gifts for special occasions, cute plushies, cool Halloween stuff and our amazing new evolving items, which grow and change over time.
Choose from a fine selection of luxury items, including gifts for special occasions, cute plushies, cool Halloween stuff and our amazing new evolving items, which grow and change over time.
Juno, one of our developers (sadly no longer on Team Gaia), had also pointed out the difference between cash shop items vs gold shop items
Quote:
For me, there is a relatively clear-set hierarchy when it comes to items. As another user said, the types of items you find in Gold Shop are generally very different than the types of items that you see in MC's, or Cash Shop. You guys probably recognize a lot of these initial differences (to just list a few):
Cash Shop
--------------------------
• Tends to have more item "bundles" (ex: you buy one item, which contains more items, like MC's)
• Higher detail, maybe more intricate or complex in function (to give you the best bang for your buck, basically)
• Lesser color variations, but more individual item variety
• Items we would consider to be not mandatory, but desirable and worth making an effort to collect
Gold Shop
-------------------------
• Simpler, more singular items (ex: majority of clothing types, accessories, things you can layer or combine easily)
• More focus on color variations (though they have appeared in Cash Shop before)
• Limited multiple poses, usually no pose variations (ex: when you buy an MC, you get 5-8 items in it - gold shop items tend to be independent, with the exception of things like hoodies, that have 2 different poses variations)
• Items that we consider 'essential'
Obviously, all this was a long time ago, because since then, we've had items that some would define as “premium/ exclusive /highly desirable/ higher detail”, ect. thrown into the gold shops; like the high-end items in Dernier*Cri, the (arguably) desirable/ non mandatory items like body mods, horns, wings, wigs, and items that could be RIG items, like “Fairy Wings”, various gold shop wigs, “Anvil to the Head”, “Raptor Horns”, “Wolf ears”, “Crow's Bill”, Bakeneko/ Monitor” sets, “Stress Relief Candles”, “Water Puddle”, to detailed items like the “Frilled Hats”, “Starter Heroine's Dresses”, “Possessed Diver” set, “Aria's Wedding Dress”, “Louie's Jacket”, to multipose items like the “Multipants” we got in the shops as a limited edition April Fools Day item, to the complex function of the concept of the “Refurbished Sheet” Random Item Generator.
We've even had an Evolving item, skins, background poses, musical instruments, weapons, detailed/desirable items that look RIG-made in the Treehouse and Prize & Joy (which some might argue doesn't count as a gold shop, but the point remains that these items- which would, by definition, fall under “cash shop” items were not in the Cash Shop at all, given their quality/ detail/ desirability, ect.)
And, on the other hand, I've found several items that would've been qualified to be Gold Shop items, instead, such as SDPlus #430 Joey Fuschia's surreal mole (really? A mole as a premium item? Our first mole item was in the gold shops- Prize & Joy, why is this mole in the cash shop?), Sixties set wigs/ dresses, Lucky Peikko (default poses), Pogo Ponies, Flame shirt/pants set Deluxe (upgraded gold shop set? Really?!), SDPlus #187 Jenny (blush), Business Man's Tie Rack, Neko Cosplay, ect.
What I also don't get is why stupid simple accessories show up so commonly in just about every cash shop item, but we barely get any accessories, whatsoever, in the gold shops
Quote:
Gold Shop
-------------------------
(ex: majority of clothing types, accessories, things you can layer or combine easily)
-------------------------
(ex: majority of clothing types, accessories, things you can layer or combine easily)
Chronocessories (cravat), Dame Lucille-Eva (pearl necklace), SDPlus #186 Zaina (earring), SDPlus #102 Rubella (tie), Demon Cat (ears), Y Paddle (blush) Chuchip's Blessing (dark eyes), Mona the Platypus (smiling eyes), Loch Ness Lassie (full plaid), Cursed Diamond (default/ sinister necklace), Destroyer of Lunches (gloves), Lightning Quick, Claude's Invisibility (piercings/ watch), ect. aren't ridiculously extravagant and detailed in comparison to other cash shop accessories (like Imperial Han (belt), Fenhuang Feather (scarf), Wicked Torn Cape, Highwire Amarallys (sleeves), Mathmatecal Spiral (default/ gloves), Yasaengui Style (scarf), Sirenia Atagatus, Ezo Okami (sleeves), Alpine Woiperdinger (belt), Fenhuang (ribbons/ belt), and more, to have them in the cash shop, I think.
To summarize, I'm curious on others' viewpoints on the various cash shop and gold shop item releases have blurred the line so much (which is good, I suppose, since we've been getting EI's/ skins/ backgrounds, better quality items, ect. outside the cash shop, on occasion), over the years, on what guidelines, I guess, gaia follows, regarding which items go where for these released, and if the blurred lines actually exist (and I'm not just imagining it) and if they do, can others see it as a good thing for the future of gold shop updates, with more cash shop quality/ unique gimmicks being added more into there? Hazardous to cash shop updates, with the gold shops slowly, but obviously taking on some of their uniqueness (although I want to argue that a lot of these thing that are 'exclusive' to the cash shop have been in the gold shops long before, which is where the line can be blurred....)?