Gems are a bit pricey!

I have been looking forward to the shop opening but I thought it would be reasonably priced. This looks more like solving the EU financial problem for Greece and Italy.

If you are trying to recover your investment costs, lets call the "Closed Beta" over and make this a "for profit" site.

Have you any idea the number of hours (days!) the "testers" have put into this? What is the fair market value on their time? Please note you are not reimbursing them at all! You are just taking more!

I don't mind paying for some gems to enhance the game play. But, let's make it reasonable and please acknowledge the serious investment made by the "testers" for Ubisoft. Let's see, 3,000 testers at $30 US/hr for one year (2,000 hr.) Wow! About $180 million US or 125 million EU.

That my friend, is real money!

Thank you,
(Someone that wants to trust UBI)

PS: A wipe should be optional for the Closed Beta Testers.

If you want to pay, you can pay. If they do not wipe, you are ahead and have used your gems, if they wipe, you get all of your gems back for the second go around so you're ahead. You're only argument comes off as "I can't afford it so lower it k thx bye", make a suggestion but not a sarcastic power trip about it.

You have no entitlement to make any demands, you were allowed to help test the game, in fact you signed the agreements and volunteered for your right to early access. Which was at the very least 80% to get another free game to play instead of testing, and no 1 bug report or a repeated suggestion does not entitle you, neither does 1000, else it would say so and it doesn't surprise! Grow up, or mature to your age.

What are you on, the gems are cheap as hell. 10 licenses make one HELL of a difference in a players power and growth, not to mention the other buildings. You're telling me people can spend 30 bucks and have as many licenses at the start of the game as I do now? They can buy that one upgrade 18 friggen times over.... That is insane....I worked hard to get my level up and now some rich ******* who spends 50 bucks is gonna have the same base as me at level 1???

Ah you exagerate a little bit. It would cost a lost more than 50 bucks to but all the hardwood/marble needed at level 1 to make all that :) Sure you can with gems but 50 bucks might be a quite a bit shy of the actual cost...

This is browser gaming....They have to offer perks enticing enough to make people buy into it, else the game makes no money. It seems unfair but at the same time the game can't run for free.

I am buy gems! Seems cheap to me. $10 USD for 1120 gems will get me 10 more licenses and a few other architectural things. Sweet

I like to play games that advertise as free for free. call me stupid but for 10 bucks i can buy a nice game with all the bells and whistles. please allow us to trade ingame resources for gems so we can play for free.

I was SHOCKED at the prices for gems. I had expected them to be a lot higher. I am very pleased with the prices, they are reasonable and allow us to move forward when we get stuck. If you want to play for free, fine. Gems are what allow FREE games to exist. I am sure they will have a few ways to earn gems in the future, but don't expect to be able to add 10 licenses with free gems anytime soon.

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Originally Posted by Afetogbo

I like to play games that advertise as free for free. call me stupid but for 10 bucks i can buy a nice game with all the bells and whistles. please allow us to trade ingame resources for gems so we can play for free.

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It is free. There's absolutely nothing forcing you to buy gems.

I'm holding off on buying gems. Labor Day is just around the corner. UBI may put out a holiday promo (hint hint UBI).

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Originally Posted by Cenzton

It is free. There's absolutely nothing forcing you to buy gems.

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The game is not free; parts of it are, the rest you have to buy gems to access. I understand some people think that because WOW lets you play to level 20, the game is free and no one forces you to pay a subscription to unlock the rest of the levels. However this is just like almost every "free game" out there and not free. BOI is a game which allows the user to purchase cash shop items and currency for in game coin. This means you have access to the entire game, no purchase necessary.

Maybe I just don't know what free means! This reminds me of those adds I see on TV saying "FREE" (in small print or low voice) just pay shipping and handling. With S&H being 20 bucks to get the free item worth 10 bucks.

I like the game for what it is and when people start buying gems I will move on to the next FREE game until I discover once again it is not truly free.

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Originally Posted by Afetogbo

The game is not free; parts of it are, the rest you have to buy gems to access. I understand some people think that because WOW lets you play to level 20, the game is free and no one forces you to pay a subscription to unlock the rest of the levels. However this is just like almost every "free game" out there and not free. BOI is a game which allows the user to purchase cash shop items and currency for in game coin. This means you have access to the entire game, no purchase necessary.

Maybe I just don't know what free means! This reminds me of those adds I see on TV saying "FREE" (in small print or low voice) just pay shipping and handling. With S&H being 20 bucks to get the free item worth 10 bucks.

I like the game for what it is and when people start buying gems I will move on to the next FREE game until I discover once again it is not truly free.

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There is only two gem only adventures that exist both near the level cap, everything else has some equivalent in the free+time category, hunting for mines instead of refilling, waiting for resources instead of spawning them, etc.

So there is a way to get 180 extra licenses. In that case sorry for my ignorance, I thought unless you payed you were stuck at a lower license limit and could never match someone who buys them. Much like pvping on a level 20 char with free wow against the level 29 chars in the same bracket that pays for a subscription.

How do I get the gem adventures without paying? How do I get extra licenses once I am level 50?

Anyway back to the OP gems are too pricey for me as well.

Gems do not seem to pricey to me.
I would however like it if there would be some way to get them in game without paying. I like to play for free and don't mind to wait a long time before leveling up, but as said by others adding building licenses, would be very helpful to level up.

Would it be an idea, to make it possible to buy gems in game with the Gold Coins, or make items available to buy with either gems or gold coins?

I am so looking forward to payday and spending that $100. 16,000 gemarooni's. WOOT!

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Originally Posted by Afetogbo

So there is a way to get 180 extra licenses. In that case sorry for my ignorance, I thought unless you payed you were stuck at a lower license limit and could never match someone who buys them. Much like pvping on a level 20 char with free wow against the level 29 chars in the same bracket that pays for a subscription.

How do I get the gem adventures without paying? How do I get extra licenses once I am level 50?

Anyway back to the OP gems are too pricey for me as well.

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There are adventures that you can get through map pieces as well as gems. Extra Licenses are not a necessary item, you just need to be more patient and wait for resources to become available.
You seem to think that a "free" game is a simple thing to create. Money and a lot of hard work from a lot of people go into making games like this. It is constantly changing. Do you think that happens for free? You should be thankful that there is an option to play these games for free so that you get to play them. While everyone cannot afford gems, those that can are the ones who support the games and allow them to exist.

I do not see how you can call a little over $.01 each for gems pricey. For $10 you could add 10 license and do an adventure. The problem isn't the price, the problem is that people are too impatient and want to get to the top as quickly as possible will the smallest amount of effort they can muster.

Your also forgetting this is still in Beta. You have no idea if gems will be available in game without spending money. Right now you could be earning gems by participating in the events in the forums. Would probably be a lot more productive than whining, give it a try!

I don't think that gems give enough "bang for the buck". The cost is higher than any other game I play that uses RL money for enhancements, and it takes too many gems to purchase items.
Will I buy some, not right away. I am doing well enough, there is nothing new or exciting to do with gems that I can't do already...albiet at a slower pace. This island is all there is at the moment, and adventures are the same battle drivel. No need to spend RL money for that.
Right now, I have 100 gems and I have absolutely no interest in spending them. The instant upgrade or instant build-finish options don't seem to work yet, though that is one place I could see myself spending gems on. Some upgrades and builds are listed as taking 24 hours!

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Originally Posted by adolia

There are adventures that you can get through map pieces as well as gems. Extra Licenses are not a necessary item, you just need to be more patient and wait for resources to become available.
You seem to think that a "free" game is a simple thing to create. Money and a lot of hard work from a lot of people go into making games like this. It is constantly changing. Do you think that happens for free? You should be thankful that there is an option to play these games for free so that you get to play them. While everyone cannot afford gems, those that can are the ones who support the games and allow them to exist.

I do not see how you can call a little over $.01 each for gems pricey. For $10 you could add 10 license and do an adventure. The problem isn't the price, the problem is that people are too impatient and want to get to the top as quickly as possible will the smallest amount of effort they can muster.

Your also forgetting this is still in Beta. You have no idea if gems will be available in game without spending money. Right now you could be earning gems by participating in the events in the forums. Would probably be a lot more productive than whining, give it a try!

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As tempting as it is to refute your false premisses, straw men, and poisoned wells I will instead of whining move on to the next game. Thank you ubi for the opportunity to beta test your game. Sorry we did not work out. It's not you I just have some things I need to work on. Our short relationship was great but I have to move on. XOXO

Anything bought in an online game through a store is expensive, this is a major way for games to be funded especially the free ones. Kind of like the vending machines at work, $1.00 for a weeee little bag of Fritos. Main thing is, if you don't like the price don't buy them or bring your lunch from home. The bring your lunch only works for the vending machines not the game store.

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Originally Posted by adolia

The problem isn't the price, the problem is that people are too impatient and want to get to the top as quickly as possible will the smallest amount of effort they can muster.

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One important marketing aspect in this game is human psychology.

Many of us will spend gems to increase production speed.

The more impatient you are, the more you spend gems on.

I think allowing us to buy gems with game resources would be a nice perk.

That's one of the things I liked about other online game I play. I can offset the costs of the gems using in game resources.

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Originally Posted by Cenzton

It is free. There's absolutely nothing forcing you to buy gems.

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As Cenzton said in the best way possible, it is free to play. We are offering the gamers who want play at a faster pace to do so using gems for instant constructions or the black market, what you choose to do with them is your choice. We will not force any one to buy gems to play the actual game nor is it required, it is simply an option for those who choose to do so.

the gems them selves are not pricey, the items you spend the gems on tend to be a little pricey, case in point 5 bucks for the starter pack or 10 bucks for the unlimited water well seems little heavy when you compare it to the gem total/price. though personally i have no plans to pay for gems, as i dont see spending upwards of 100 bucks on a free game worth it, when that money can be used for more important things now days. im sure there are people who will drop up to 1000 bucks on CEO, and thats fine its their money if they think its worth it great. i personally do not think the gem price balances with their cost but thats just me.

just looking around the gem shop, leads me to believe the shop is designed to require you to invest heavily in to gems to get the most out of them. makes me wonder why they even bothered adding gems for 2 bucks when its the most worthless gem amount and cant really buy anything (of value) even the gem stack for 5 bucks seems kind of worthless. i cant even see either as an option over the 10 bucks amount for 1120 gems you can get a better explorer or 2 starter packs. so why would anyone bother with the 150-480gem offer?? but once you strip way those two.. the game pretty much is a 10 bucks sub/investment.

ALTHOUGH CEO has nothing on business tycoon online... that game actually requires you to invest 1000 usd for the cheapest items...

Using gems can get a little costly. For example, if I wanted to raise my provision house to lvl 3 using gems to get the 5000 coins required, I would need (if my math is right) 17500 gems. If this looks cheap to you then we are not in the same neighborhood.

i need gems

If you're using gems on a budget, only get the building slots upgrades with your gems. After that you probably want the recyclers, then explorers. Explorers may end up better than recyclers depending on player demand for adventures though if you sell those though.

Don't buy anything else if you're looking for long term efficiency out of your gems. The instant resources are there for people who want early boosts or don't want to bother with even a cursory glance of the game math or spend time honing their island's efficiency but have lots of money.

The things like noble deeds, silos and watermills you can probably buy from players with gold later. Someone will likely be selling them still because it's better coin for your gems than buying the shop items.

Oh, wow... it's still Mega Happy Hour!

Super deal – go for it!

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Originally Posted by Audrey

Oh, wow... it's still Mega Happy Hour!

Super deal – go for it!

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Who needs 48K Gems for 99.99 when you can still get 24K Gems for 99.99?

I rather just wait the weeks to obtain the gems for free, makes gems special, and the waiting worth it.

I have bought gems.... I don't think they are unfair.... just wait for a sale :P

I think there is an ongoing mega happy hour on the giant package too.