[Feedback] Retail pack

[MissChief75]

you have a point totomok, BUT... as this pack is hard copy only and not a downloadable version, people will have to pay postage on top of the normal price which makes the box actually MORE EXPENSIVE than buying gems in game.
I still dont understand why they dont sell downloadable packs as it would cut out costs for retailers, people would be able to buy world wide, it would be much more sustainable for the planet as we dont need the CD's and much more people would buy it IMPULSIVELY as you will be able to get the goodies instantly and not wait for the post.
to me, it seems they should sack their marketing manager and take on someone more realistic.
that would be a win-win deal for both ubisoft and the players

[Qualan]

side note on the gem for item pricing etc

People do not pay 800 gems for nords- they sell a few gem items in game and buy nords at 50% lower price- the fact it is sold in gem shop doesnt mean it is reasonably priced
Same for the settler family- people do not pay 190 gems for 20 settlers, they can get around 1k in game gold for that and end up better off

Anyone aiming at buying more than the 4k gems is better off in the gem shop as well due to progressive discounts or gem bonusses when you buy larger quantities

So a straightforward item for gem conversion is not reality - Players do make informed choices and chose the options most favorable to them (in time/ease and cost and as the big ticket item= nords- availability is no issue)

All in all, a bit misleading and the other pet peeve on this is availability of the pack across the region the game is played. Any country with a localized language server can ONLY use the localized language server pack and they will not carry the other (meaning if you want it - you need to pay extra shipping etc and buy it in another country; if you live in some countries that have no ubi shop and use big retailers from another country (say amazon germany, they cant get the right pack either. BB in the past on the whole has been very difficult in exchanging codes from "the wrong pack" to the right zone etc etc.

All in all the sales effort seems to be country geared without taking the realities of an online game into account- these realities make the price of retail pack that will work a lot more for many people in many countries and not in all countries will online retailers offer free shipping either

All these issues make the pack less competetive than gems while being marketed as being more competetive than gems (the previous pack was indeed more competetive and hence was very much in demand and obviously BB felt the deal was too good for the user and pulled the plug on it) All in all, close to or over the edge of misleading advertising and people thinking they get their moneys worth will feel they have been ripped off if any of the above issues comes into play

and i still contest the statement that you get 4800 worth of gems in the pack due to the mispricing of gem items in the shop and hence these items being slow movers/hardly move in the shop.

[TotoMok]

you have a point totomok, BUT... as this pack is hard copy only and not a downloadable version, people will have to pay postage on top of the normal price which makes the box actually MORE EXPENSIVE than buying gems in game.

Valid point, however some places offer free shipping... also it may be possible to buy it in a store?

I still dont understand why they dont sell downloadable packs as it would cut out costs for retailers, people would be able to buy world wide, it would be much more sustainable for the planet as we dont need the CD's and much more people would buy it IMPULSIVELY as you will be able to get the goodies instantly and not wait for the post.
to me, it seems they should sack their marketing manager and take on someone more realistic.
that would be a win-win deal for both ubisoft and the players

I think the idea is to reach marketting avenues other than the usual 'download & play' arenas. They already have people from that market space (us). Now they want people who just look at Amazon, or maybe just walk into stores. This would get them 'shelf space' and further advertising

Seems silly... welcome to the wonderful world of Advertising

[sortrumlegomand]

The new settlers box is a totally ripp off, you can buy 4800 gems for 25 euro in the gemshop right now, the starter pack from earlier was at a fair price, 2500 gems a water mill, silo, battlehardned general and some gold, i paid around 13 euro a piece, for the gems i bought a veteran general. i would newer buy the new pack. and the amount of resources in the new pack is a joke.
Regarding nords, with trading skills and some patience, it can be aquired for less than 500 gc.

[Qualan]

Valid point, however some places offer free shipping... also it may be possible to buy it in a store?



I think the idea is to reach marketting avenues other than the usual 'download & play' arenas. They already have people from that market space (us). Now they want people who just look at Amazon, or maybe just walk into stores. This would get them 'shelf space' and further advertising

Seems silly... welcome to the wonderful world of Advertising

They had that with the 2 previous versions of the pack- and it was popular both for new and older players. They obviously thought it was mispriced as it was so popular and then moved the slide along and now have found a price that is too high- while trying to flog it off as fair value

Still doesnt adress the fact that they have a much better second retail pack only for the german market

[TotoMok]

Hello Again!

I just checked Amazon.de and saw the German Versions (plural!)

The standard box retails for 24.99 and includes the same things mentioned above that you get with the English/French edition (at the same price point).

And now, the mystery of why they kept saying 'Standard'... there is a special edition version for the German Market (exclusive to Amazon.de)!!

This one costs 49.95 Euro (ow, yes, nearly 50 Euros for a 'free' online game).

However, it includes different things:

• General with support for 220 units (not normal 200 or 250)
• Northmen 2 Adventure
• Two Packages with 50 Soldiers and 4000 Gemstones (unclear if each or both)
• Lithographs

I hope its at least 8000 gems to warrant that price. Even at that point, its questionable about 'value for money'. Am curious about this 'Northmen 2' Adventure, is it unique to the German market only, or is it a translation of something the English world has access to?

The 220 Unit general is odd.... Wonder if its a misprint on the Amazon.de web site.

Anyways, there you have it folks.... If you want Uncle Toto's recommendation:

Save your money and buy gems directly from the store.

(I'll chalk up the boxed/store versions as simply marketing and advertising... which is good as more customers/revenue means more game development for us!!)

[LadyBarbara]

Well, mine's being put in the post tomorrow, so I can soon check, but I remember reading it as 2x code for 4,000 gems, which would make it 8,000 in total. That, plus the new general and The Nords2 made it rather appealing to me.

It sounds as though you are buying the German premium pack as Nords2 and the new general are not shown as being in the standard pack.

[viool]

side note on the gem for item pricing etc

People do not pay 800 gems for nords- they sell a few gem items in game and buy nords at 50% lower price- the fact it is sold in gem shop doesnt mean it is reasonably priced
Same for the settler family- people do not pay 190 gems for 20 settlers, they can get around 1k in game gold for that and end up better off

Anyone aiming at buying more than the 4k gems is better off in the gem shop as well due to progressive discounts or gem bonusses when you buy larger quantities

So a straightforward item for gem conversion is not reality - Players do make informed choices and chose the options most favorable to them (in time/ease and cost and as the big ticket item= nords- availability is no issue)

All in all, a bit misleading and the other pet peeve on this is availability of the pack across the region the game is played. Any country with a localized language server can ONLY use the localized language server pack and they will not carry the other (meaning if you want it - you need to pay extra shipping etc and buy it in another country; if you live in some countries that have no ubi shop and use big retailers from another country (say amazon germany, they cant get the right pack either. BB in the past on the whole has been very difficult in exchanging codes from "the wrong pack" to the right zone etc etc.

All in all the sales effort seems to be country geared without taking the realities of an online game into account- these realities make the price of retail pack that will work a lot more for many people in many countries and not in all countries will online retailers offer free shipping either

All these issues make the pack less competetive than gems while being marketed as being more competetive than gems (the previous pack was indeed more competetive and hence was very much in demand and obviously BB felt the deal was too good for the user and pulled the plug on it) All in all, close to or over the edge of misleading advertising and people thinking they get their moneys worth will feel they have been ripped off if any of the above issues comes into play

and i still contest the statement that you get 4800 worth of gems in the pack due to the mispricing of gem items in the shop and hence these items being slow movers/hardly move in the shop.

I totally agree with the above.
Such a shame that the money put in this rather clever marketing setup can not be spend in improving the game, for instance, adding lvl cap and new adventures....

[Qualan]

apparently it is an unique adventure with extra rewards and new epic buildings and yes- the pack will only be available on the german servers

[DutchDuty]

Whenever I follow the link to the UBI shop I get an advertisement for assasins creed 3, no settlers onlinepack.
Even when I search a bit further to settlers, all I get is diverse versions of Settlers 7, but again no settlers online.
Are the dutch forbidden to buy this package?
Just the germans and the english who can buy it???