[Open Letter to GGG] Steam Winter Sale Imp Masks

I'm very upset that you've introduced not only a one-time-only holiday steam exclusive game effect, but that you've made them so extremely hard for anyone to collect.

I'm not a fan of Steam marketplace or steam cards at all. I was planning on buying a PoE Steam Profile Background from someone when it got to a reasonable price (less than the cost of a game), but I have never sold a card or done any of that booster pack bullshit.

A tiered luck-based virtual collectible game traded with real money, I find the whole scam a repulsive front for money laundering and rife with market manipulation. Now you've enticed all of your customers to join in the cards/marketplace pyramid scheme. That's just immoral.

I've already spent hundreds of dollars supporting you, I have the points I want to spend on microtransactions already. Why do I need to put in more money (which wouldn't even benefit development) for these? You can't put these exclusives in the normal mtx shop for sale can you? No, these are Steam event exclusives, available only during the 2013 Winter Sale. You've given Valve a new currency outside of your own GGG points. You've made your customers a captive market to them now. Not only does that hurt your bottom line, that's immoral.

You've wanted me to collect game effects, the whole business model you run your company on relies on people like me. Yet you've not only given me a deadline to pay Steam for these effects, you're letting them control supply of these things. How can anyone collect these item effects if you're letting them release just a few of these steam exclusives? Artificial scarcity like this isn't fun. Being forced into helping the Russian mafia isn't even part of the game anymore. You sold your soul to the devil, GGG. Get it back.

I don't really understand half of what this is about, mainly because I hate Steam and only use it for 1 thing: Civ 5.

But I agree with the basic premise: Steam-only stuff seems like a giant "Fuck you" to loyal poe.com folks, and most of us have been here much longer than Steam folks.

Mtxs in the game itself and through the main website should always be the best or most exclusive or whatever, if that type of thing even has to exist (which I think shouldn't).

I don't see why you care so much about Steam doing this, it encourages people to play POE and gives them more exposure to entice more players. Stop complaining. If you don't like it don't buy it.

I still don't understand any of it. Like trading cards, crafting hats, or whatever the hell is going on.

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gump132 wrote:

I don't see why you care so much about Steam doing this, it encourages people to play POE and gives them more exposure to entice more players. Stop complaining. If you don't like it don't buy it.

Under international copyright laws, Valve cannot do anything with GGG's intellectual property (i.e. Path of Exile) without GGG's consent. So ultimately, the responsibility belongs with GGG.

I was afraid I wouldn't be clear enough.

I'm not using Cards because it's a giant un-fun pyramid scheme for Valve.

I'm not supporting the Steam Marketplace because it is linked to the organized crime, and those who are turning a profit are criminals (Valve turns a blind eye since they get a cut).

In addition to the criminal aspect of the marketplace, I'm faced with artificial scarcity caused by these "random drops" having not even crafted all of the game items yet. Not only are most of these financially unobtainable, they are literally unobtainable until someone gets very lucky.

GGG does not benefit from any of this, they get no cut from all these real money transactions as far as I know. More customers? If I saw that kind of exclusive price gouging before I'd heard of PoE, I would definitely associate it with the "Fee-to-Play" games, and not even bothered to see what these masks were for. People avoid economies where they have no chance to compete, it's a main reason we do ladder resets in the game. I just wanted a chance to have access to a full collection of the effects someday, but now I'm forced to support someone besides GGG for this to happen.

Giving Valve these game items was giving them in-game currency under their direct control.

I wish Chris Wilson could just add the damned exclusives to the main shop, or make valve drop these items forever from steam cards. He really signed away something important though, it sounds.

Overreacting a bit much? For one, it's just one item. Ya there are different colors, they are all the same other than that though. You don't even have to earn it yourself by crafting the badge, I'm selling every card I get right now which is more than paying for the mask. Right now you can get the lowest tier imp mask in steam marketplace for like 20 cents (goes up and down a bit but that's fairly close). Which is a whole lot cheaper than any cosmetic item you will find in the Path of Exile store. If you don't want to use steam, then don't bother getting it. As much of a hardship as it is for you to go through this, I am sure you will survive. It's a mask skin. That's it. You get no advantage over other players with it, you can get it for a cheap price (unless you INSIST on having the highest tier, then it's your problem for not being happy with the cheap one). They are making a bit of money and doing something nice for anyone that wants it. People need to stop flipping out, raging at the devs and acting like they stuck a big middle finger in your direction. It's one little mask skin, it's not game changing, it's not anything amazing, and within a couple of months it will be old news. And it's a nice little way to continue promoting their game, which I think they more than deserve. Do you not? The steam community is very large, it is a great opportunity for them. Get it for 20 cents and enjoy it like I will, or move along man. Stop looking for reasons to be mad and complain, be happy with what you have.

I imagine they'll react to this the same way they've reacted to the Razer and Garena concerns.
I'm sorry in advance.

So, my question is: could I get my account bound to steam, get these microtransactions, and then get my account unbound from steam? I have no clue since I never used this program.

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dust7 wrote:

So, my question is: could I get my account bound to steam, get these microtransactions, and then get my account unbound from steam? I have no clue since I never used this program.

I'm sure you can bind and unbind the account.
I'm not sure if the MTX lives on your account with GGG or if it lives in Steam inventory.
Some clarification from the GGGang would be nice.