havent played in a long time but i come back to this predatory anti-consumer anti-fun money funnel. such a small shop with ridiculously overpriced tiny sets, and limited time ? wtf is the purpose of this other than manipulation ? the old DLC system was so much better.
put everything in the shop, youll sell more.
&
reduce the prices, youll sell more.
FOMO was in the game from the start. Afraid to say, but you didnât come back to it, it was always there. Starting with Royal Armor and Atlantean Sword. Conan Exiles has been a FOMO game from its inception.
Was limited to those two items.
Which it should never have been done in the first place.
Welcome to the party, youâre real late but if this hasnât changed by now itâs not going to.
We have put our trust and paid money for unfinished game did we not?
So now we deserve to be bent over and scammed by some Chinese web shop.
Itâs hurting the community.
But, itâs benefiting the wallets of the CEOs, so itâs not going anywhere.
I know thereâs been alot of this kind of âthread topicâ well since the format changed and im not discrediting it or in opposition of it, i am not a paid Funcom agent, but thereâs somrthing ive been keeping track of for a while now and thats the Steam store Most Played analytics, and i just have to say âNah dog they aint hurtin at allâ CE has been in the top 100 (near the bottom usually between 85-100 ) for the last 3 months.And i think thats pretty impressive for our little survival game, Also thats just Steam, it doesnt take in account Xbox game pass players, in which there are 2 communities made of two whole separate server banks (console and PC), Playstation players, and Private server players. Its growing, in fact todayâs player count on Steam which is over 16K is highest player count ive seen since i started monitoring it 3 months ago.
The issues isnât about CE but the micro transactions, in general. Like there is some moral code that folks held respect to games that donât do this and then when a company transitions into this, there is a feeling of betrayal. Everyone knows itâs a far better revenue system for gaming companies but they believe executive management should stay the moral course to not engage in this and employees, debtors, and shareholders should understand there is a bigger picture here and their sacrifices will empower a revolution to stop these types of practicesâŠeven though it doesnât and the players that complain the most donât have the cash to compete with the micro transactions crowds (which is why you are starting to see more venom towards âwhalesâ).
There wasnât any starting to see nastiness towards those who can afford things they like. Its always been there since the moment game sized expansions were made available. And long before. Letâs not be afraid to call it what it is. Jealousy and Envy, and then shun those who engage in such vile vices.
I donât want to take the fun away from anyone. The truth is that iâm happy for everyone who enjoys CE and doesnât suffer from bugs and glitches to the same extent some others do.
The experiences different players get are sadly heavily affected by the different platforms.
Pc players (mostly) have less struggle than console players.
That being said.
I wouldnât mind the bazar or the prices if CE would deliver quality. Like gameplay mechanics which work as intended and stay consistent. But in retrospect i have to say, thatâs not what CE is about.
Game breaking bugs and glitches we had since release are still in the game, and every new âupdateâ, bugfix or hotfix breaks something else.
And even many things from the bazar donât work.
If CE was a smoothly running triple-A title i would say: âwell, quality has its priceâ.
But thatâs simply not the case. 
People wouldnât be so upset if they played CE for the first time just recently. They would realize itâs a broken mess and just leave.
But many players (including myself) played the game since release. It had a lot of problems no doubt, however slowly but surely it got better. And before AoS hit i played a lot, and it was almost perfect back then on ps4 pro.
I even bought all the DLCâs.
But then AoSh!ttiness hit and i lost all my progress, everything was gone.
Years of patience and support rewarded with a broken product.
Of course many people get mad.
Those numbers arenât all that impressive if you compare them to other games.
Like ARK. A game that is even older than CE.
Or Monster Hunter World : Iceborne. A game that was released in 2018 just like CE, and got back in the top 20 because of the hype for Monster Hunter Wilds (the next game in the series).
The first trailer for that dropped December 2023, and the release will be at the end of this year i think.
And unlike for CEâs next chapter âInconsistencies of Borderlineâ , i am actually hyped for Wilds.
And i know some people might argue now
âCE and Monster Hunter are completely different games and genres, you canât compare themâ
But that is nonsense.
It doesnât matter what genre a game is, everyone can see if the mechanics are working and consistent or not.
In fact CE and Monster Hunter have a lot in common.
Just like CE Monster Hunter World (MHW) was a surprise hit back in 2018.The series was pretty niche before. Capcom wanted to see if it could be a success in western countries.
In previous games the monsters behaved like the animals in CE.
They circled around in their areas waiting for someone to show up, had pretty gross motor movements and where pretty slow.
In World they took the time to give them much more elegant and faster movements.
They even had routines on every map, they walk around to drink, to eat or hunt, fighting each other, or just take a nap.
The monsters also have different aggro ranges, adding to the character of each creature.
Some ignore you as long as you donât mess with them, some roar at you if you get too close (âpiss off or you will regret itâ), and some attack you the moment they see you.
The endgame was lacking in content a bit in the beginning, but the fantastic graphics and immersive habitats filled with unique creatures payed off for capcom.
The combat system might not be for everyone, but after 7k hours in this game i can say; once you get used to it, you want to master it!
And with 14 unique weapons, each of which offer different playstyles, everyone should find a way to defeat pretty much everything.
And because of the âmostlyâ good balancing, the combat system is very rewarding.
(But of course some monsters can be a pain in the arse sometimes 
)
And maybe some people recognized already where the difference to CE is.
MHW had a rock solid foundation to expand on.
And when players complained about the lack of endgame content, capcom didnât have any issues to deliver that.
They added new Monsters, crossover events and 2019 they released the expansion âIceborneâ (MHW:I).
Their most successful game so far, even more successful than any resident evil game.
And that success is absolutely deserved because the gameplay is actually rewarding and was always consistent, unlike CE.
Sure you can look up all the hidden mechanics in CE like the spreadsheet. To go for the thralls which suits your needs the best.
Or check the CE-wiki for gear and weapons and their stats. And where to find or how to use specific items.
Thatâs all lovely, but in CE you never know how long all this remains. So many mechanics of the game got tweaked so many times, you never know whatâs intentional and whatâs a bug.
Like the weird combat changes, op cannibal brutes, beastmaster teimos and tier 3 bearers being stronger than tier 4 back in the day.
Nevermind range and melee damage modifiers.
Wak4863 just recently covered fighters and archers, many fighters actually have a higher range damage modifier than archers, and the same thing the other way around.
Is this intentional, a bug or just another screwup?
Who knows, who cares. 
He even mentioned himself that FC probably did something wrong there.
In MHW:I are some hidden mechanics going on in the background as well for sure.
Like elemental resistances, thresholds for knockouts, body part breaks, topples and whatever else. But that game was always consistent, if you took the time to do the research you had all the information you needed.
It requires skill and knowledge to get really good in a game. In MHW:I both is rewarded, if you run blindly into Alatreon or Fatalis for the first time it will be shocking.
But you will get better, learn their moves and understand the mechanics and they wonât be an obstacle anymore.
In CE however even an extremely skilled player gets annoyed after a while if the mechanics, he took the time to understand and adapt, get changed all of a sudden. Only because FC canât decide what they are going for.
It feels like âhomeworkâ to keep track of all this.
Anyways, very long story short.
Everyone is entitled to their own opinions. And of course FC canât please everyone.
But only because some people donât suffer the same issues than others, or play the game a different way than others, doesnât mean EVERY criticism is petty.
In-game stores in a working game are completely fine.
Overpriced in-game stores in a working game are debatable.
Overpriced in-game stores in a broken game is a NO GO.
FC will not change their weird business model at this point in time. But at least they could deliver in terms of quality.
But i also lost my hope in that regard.
When MH Wilds (AND space marine 2) release at the end of this year, you know what i will do!
Playing Conan Exiles!âŠNOT!!! 
However, i didnât want to insult or offend anyone. Enjoy CE the way you want if you can.
And iâm sorry that i went a little off topic, but i simply wanted to draw a comparison.
CE always had the potential but was handled so poorly. If MHW is the prime example how to handle a surprise hit, CE has to be the prime example how NOT to handle a surprise hit.
Stay safe guys and have a good time! 
P.S.
I might copy and paste this reply for the future. Iâm not willing to type so much again. So donât be confused if you see some of that stuff againâŠ
⊠But probably nobody is going to read all this anyways.
Donât judge me!
It takes money for the game to run. Developers donât work for free.
I just explained in detail how a game can succeed without FOMO monetization.
If you deliver a functional product right from the start the game will succeed. And itâs much easier to expand on a well developed base game.
Monster Hunter World
God of War 2018
God of War Ragnarök
Doom 2016
Doom Eternal
The GTA series
Elden Ring
And many more delivered quality right from the start and succeeded.
Quality and consistent gameplay = more sells = more profit.
Before AoS hit CE was in its prime, and worked for the most part. But it took extremely long to get there. At release it was a dysfunctional mess.
And since AoS the quality went downhill again.
So why are you defending FC?
Where went all the money from the DLCâs and bazaar purchases?
What exactly are they paying them for?
Just google reviews Funcom is getting from itâs own employees and all questions are going to be answered.
I always thought they have these sad faces on the stream because of our toxicity here, but now I think itâs because they are made to be the face of someoneâs elses â â â â â â decisions.
Anyway any dev studio can release something with bugs etc, itâs normal, it gets fixed.
But here we have decades of releasing unfinished unpolished stuff and nobody really cares about it.
So itâs management issue.
Anyway they have found their niche customers who like it this way, they have their âyes menâ youtubers and show must go on 
But by continuing like this they are not going to grow ever, they are not going to attract more people because people buy their game, and then they are like WTF is going on here and run away never to come back 
Because this wasnât Funcomâs doing. Itâs the doing of Tencent who owns them and answers to the CCP. FC has no choice but you do. Either play the game or donât nobody is forcing you to play or pay but yourself. So in the end itâs a you problem. BTW GTA 5 and I guarantee 6 will use shark cards. As for the rest of those games they are franchises that release a new game every time you turn around. Last I checked the Dune game I beleive isnât due out until 2026-27.
Itâs not a me problem, if you as a customer buy a product you expect it to work, no matter what kind of product it is.
If the product doesnât work thatâs just not acceptable, if it is acceptable for you, so be it.
But game developers/publishers wonât change their behavior, as long as they get away with it.
You, me and everyone else spent his hard earned money and his time on CE.
As paying customers we deserve a working product, have some more self-respect!
And BTW, shark cards are a thing in GTA indeed. But they are not even remotely comparable to the bazaar or battle pass.
They give you in-game currency to speed up your progress, but EVERYTHING in the game is still obtainable without them. 
wow, this was a deep dive and very informative thank you for putting that all there.
looking at the bazarr right now⊠i could feed 3 people for the cost of that platters setâŠridiculously overpriced.
im willing to support ongoing services but this doesnt feel ⊠right
Thanks man, iâm glad some people actually read all this.
I appreciate it.
But yeah, support for a game you like is fine.
With CE however it feels more like they milk whatâs left of the player base for all theyâre worth.
Like this. It was about a week ago or something. 
Yes they are obtainable if you survive griefers for a very long time. However in CE it is still a you problem because fear is an emotion. If you canât control your own Fear Of Missing Out you canât put the blame on Funcom as they are only the middle man as the bazaar prices are set by Tencent. Donât like it go to China and complain. Once again all â â â â â â â â aside nobody is forced to buy from the bazaar.
Saw a screenshot someone shared where they had the armor and the discounted price for the set was still almost 600 cc. So if you already own the armor, itâs more expensive than buying the bundle when you donât have any pieces.
I feel like whoever is setting the prices for the Bazaar failed spectacularly at math.
(Not my screenshot)
