Pre-Order Storm of Arrows & Save 20%

Paisley · Post by **Paisley** » Tue Mar 16, 2010 6:31 pm

Do you not think it more likely, as the 'overcharge' is 20%, that they simply forgot to apply the discount? Rather than it being a deliberate attempt to bring extra European money into the British economy. It hardly seems likely that they have an anti-European bias.

arsan · Post by **arsan** » Tue Mar 16, 2010 6:44 pm

Well, with the current crisis, every bit of help to the domestic economies is welcome

Joking aside, i'm not saying its deliberate, but what's for sure is that there is a mistake somewhere and that all the euro buyers that have preordered are paying a 21% extra charge they shouldn't have paid

arsan · Post by **arsan** » Wed Mar 17, 2010 4:00 pm

arsan wrote:Hi!

I was checking Storm of Arrows price to do a preorder and noticed that something is fishy with the price in euros.
Storm of Arrows costs 11.99 GBP if you preorder, which, translated to euros by the webshop amounts to... 15,99 euros they may be joking!
11,99 GB is currently less than 13,20 euros!!
With the current abusive conversion to Euros the game cost a 21% more than it should to euro users! So bye bye preorder offer...
This didn't happened when i bought RoR a month ago, I was charged a fair 12,99 euros plus taxes.
I really hope this is just a mistake with the conversion or that the shop is not applying the 20% discount to buyers in euros.

Please could someone at Slitherine check this... of course my pre-order is on hold right now...
Cheers

Hi!

There isn't any official answer to this??

I rechecked Slitherine store prices and found that is not just Storm Of Arrows what is unfairly priced in euros, but also Rise of Rome expansion.

Its 19,99 euros at Slitherine, while Matrixgames only charge 15,99 euros, a much fairer GBP to euros conversion rate.
Could someone explain if this is just a mistake that will be solved (and i guess buyers that bought at the wrong price should get a partial refund) or a new discriminating "pricing strategy"??

Post by **IainMcNeil** » Wed Mar 17, 2010 11:37 pm

The prices are set by currency based on local market conditions and not directly related to the exchange rate.

arsan · Post by **arsan** » Thu Mar 18, 2010 7:53 am

iainmcneil wrote:The prices are set by currency based on local market conditions and not directly related to the exchange rate.

And what is that supposed to mean??

That euro buyers are supposed to be millionaires?? that prices over here are 20% higher than in the UK??
I'm not buying games at my local market, but on Internet. And i expect to pay the same price than any other customer and not a 100% arbitrary price!
Thats cheeky to say the least!

It was certainly was not the case some weeks ago when i preordered RoR from you and was charged with the normal currency exchange.
I'm not talking about some cents... its a 20% increase!!!!!!!!!!

Whats more: an sneaky, unannounced, unfair and discriminating 20% price increase for all Euro zone customers!

How is that euro buyers are fairly treated if we but RoR at a USA shop like Matrix games but ripped-off by a fellow EU member shop like Slitherine?? are we second rate customers for you or what?? it makes no sense!
That's an outrage and I'm royally pissed-off!!!!!

Hope you reconsider this new "pricing policy" because its unfair and makes no sense at all.

Scutarii · Post by **Scutarii** » Thu Mar 18, 2010 8:46 am

Sorry iainmcneil but i receive an e-mail where i read "Amount: GBP11.99" and when i buy it i see the price in GBP not in your "magical" conversion to euros, if i buy the game here is for the discount and if europeans dont have it i dont see any motive to buy it here after try to use "dirty" tactics, at least in Matrixgames they have european shop, they do the same abusive conversion to euros but dont try to take their eurpean clients as stupids. For RoR the conversion was close to the real conversion but with SoA not.

PD: i am curious if tomorrow the GBP have a greater change than euro you mantein the actual conversion

Nihil · Post by **Nihil** » Thu Mar 18, 2010 8:52 am

iainmcneil wrote:The prices are set by currency based on local market conditions and not directly related to the exchange rate.

What does it mean local market to you? I mean, I could believe that if you were charging accordingly to the country, because Greece and Germany both use € but their local conditions are miles away one from the other.

You are just making a currency exchance applying an undercover price increase for € buyers, and that didn't happen with the RoR expansion.

The truth is I preordered without noticing the price increase, I hope you don´t kill the goose laying the golden eggs..

grumblefish · Post by **grumblefish** » Thu Mar 18, 2010 6:20 pm

Not to interrupt the economic discussion here, but I wanted to ask a few things.

Will you be adding more terrain tiles? RoR added steep hills, impassable terrain, and some others, but I still feel like the game needs more visually distinct terrain. For example, when I place trees I think I have two types; maybe add some more trees, some bushes, add a few more unique looking hill effects, etc. It would really help the scenario builder in my opinion; you don't have to figure out new terrain types, just new visually distinct additions within the currently existing categories.

Also, are there any plans to add a campaign mode somewhere down the line? Some way of linking the individual battles at all? Even if you lot don't want to make your own campaign, I think it'd be great for the scenario builder. All the battles took place in an over-arching campaign that consisted of multiple clashes of arms, but FoG can't represent that at all. I'm not saying I expect FOG to do a good job of it or anything, but at least chuck us a bone. Perhaps an option where one battle forks into one of two other battles, for example:

Battle 1:
Athens v. Sparta
Battle 2:
If Athens won, then go to scenario 2
If Sparta won, then go to scenario 3
Battle 3:
etc

This way, you can make a very basic campaign that has a sense of continuity. Would make singleplayer more exciting, and improve multiplayer.

Examinondas · Post by **Examinondas** » Thu Mar 18, 2010 9:15 pm

Grumblefish: your idea of chained scenarios is great

(IIRC, there was something similar in Steel Panthers, and it allowed for basic campaigns)

Speaking of adding more terrain types - city, wall, and palisade hexes would be a nice addition.

Also, unless I'm missing something, it is not possible to place camps in the scenario editor.

grumblefish · Post by **grumblefish** » Thu Mar 18, 2010 10:44 pm

Seeing as that suggestion was well received, how about another one...

Can we get an option to skip the AI's turn in single player? I've gotten so used to multiplayer, where you just pick up the game when your turn begins, that I can't handle watching the computer move (especially in scenarios involving massive battle groups). It's completely ruined single player for me, I can't stand it. If there was an option, however, where the PC just calculated the AI turn without displaying each individual move, then I'd easily start to enjoy single player once again.

hidde · Post by **hidde** » Thu Mar 18, 2010 10:55 pm

You don't look at the replay in multiplayer!?
It's too exciting to miss, I wouldn't skip it for the world

Singleplayer is another story, I agree

Post by **IainMcNeil** » Fri Mar 19, 2010 2:44 pm

The price structure has not changed at all. If you are seing something different let us know and we can investigate. There is absolutely no intention to pick on any country/currency.

arsan · Post by **arsan** » Fri Mar 19, 2010 11:57 pm

iainmcneil wrote:The price structure has not changed at all. If you are seing something different let us know and we can investigate. There is absolutely no intention to pick on any country/currency.

Hi Iain!
First, thanks for taking interest in this. i think it's pretty important.
Second, yes, indeed there has been a price structure change in regards to € cost.
And a pretty big one: now, we euro users are charged a 20% higher price than the rest and what we were charged some weeks ago.

Let me show you:
I pre-ordered Rise of Rome expansion in your shop on February 26. It cost 11.99 GBP and i was charged as you see here (copy+paste form the email receipt i recieved from you. I can resend it you if you want to check it)

SubTotal: EUR12.99
Shipping: EUR0.00
Tax: EUR1.95
Total: EUR14.94

The old 11.99 GBP to 12.99 euros was approximately the official currency exchange (1 GBP is a bout 1.10 euros).

But now, if i try to pre-order Storms of Arrows (which cost 11.99 GBP too) your shop try to charge me 15.99 € !!!. 20% above the official exchange rate!!!

With VAT included it will cost me around 18 euros! No pre-order offer at all to Euro users because of this new and arbitrary and unfair GBP to euros exchange!

The same happens with Rise of Rome now. If you check the current RoR price at Slitherine Shop you will see that it cost us 19.99 euros instead of the much fairer 15.99 euros Matrix Games shop charge us for the same game.

So, IMHO its pretty clear there has been a VERY BIG price structure change.
Don't know if by mistake of by design. I hope its the first, because if its the latter i'm definitely done with Slitherine shop.

Its not just the extra 4 or 5 euros. Its the arbitrary unfairness to the Euro users. I will feel ripped off and mistreated. And i don't want to...

Hope you can investigate and solve this
Cheers

Retreat_in_shambles · Post by **Retreat_in_shambles** » Sun Mar 21, 2010 9:35 pm

Retreat_in_shambles wrote:From that screenshot it looks like an isometric view. Is that new ... or is it something I have missed in the current game? If it's already there, how do I do it?

Dumbest.Question.Ever.

Just realised that the units are deployed rotated that way.

D'oh!

grumblefish · Post by **grumblefish** » Tue Mar 23, 2010 6:23 am

Okay, just placed my pre-order today.

I sincerely hope that Slitherine is considering adding some of the features suggested into this expansion pack, though. Things like an ability to link scenario maps into a mini campaign would be fantastic; it would add a whole new dimension to multiplayer, too. Storm of Arrows right now seems a little lacklustre. Consider this:

Field of Glory Original: We get the game! Everything is new!

Rise of Rome: We get the DAG, fog of war!

Storm of Arrows: We get... no new features that I know of.

Storm of Arrows is nowhere near as impressive as Rise of Rome, judging by the sales page. New units are nice, but it's not really game changing or expansive in the sense that Rise of Rome was. Rise of Rome feels like a major improvement; DAG is amazing, fog of war will be good when it's changed a little, overall I can't imagine playing the game without it anymore. Storm of Arrows, however... I can't help but recall the insect who told the cow he was going to fly off; "I didn't notice you coming, and I won't notice you leaving."

It'll be nice to have longbows and everything, but that's not really my time period (outside of England), so... any new features hidden away for us to dream about?

EDIT: Actually, I have to give credit where credit is due: the ability to deploy cavalry as mounted/unmounted is very nice. I hope it is implemented in a manner whereby you can choose as you deploy, and not as two separate troops on the DAG window. Either way is still nice, though.

76mm · Post by **76mm** » Tue Mar 23, 2010 9:13 am

Can someone talk me into buying SoA? I am almost completely ignorant of this historical period, and what I do know doesn't really excite me for a wargame. My reaction below is kind of tongue-in-cheek, but only to a certain extent...please convince me otherwise so that I pick up this game:

BATTLES: I'm not sure that I can name a single battle from this period other than Agincourt, and archers firing at knights slogging through the mud frankly doesn't sound too exciting! And the little tiny armies from this period could probably get lost on a soccer field!

TROOPS: Peasants with spears and axes, and knights...is there anything else? Other than small bodyguard-type units and knights, were there any well-trained military units, or just rabble?

TACTICS: Were there any? I picture knights charging each other head-on, or peasant levies sort of milling around...

LEADERS: I am embarassed to say that I'm not sure that I can name a single leader from this period. Henry V? Joan of Arc? Were there any inspired leaders?

STAKES: Rather than the fall of empires or the fate of the Rome, these armies are squabbling over whether my duke should pay tribute to your duke, or vice-versa. Should we care?

I am not trying to belittle the game or historical period, but don't know enough abuot it to get interested in the game--please help! (and don't suggest reading books or anything crazy like that, I've got a whole stack of stuff from the FoG period to read first...)

Post by **IainMcNeil** » Tue Mar 23, 2010 10:46 am

We can look at the pricing but this is the pricing structure we have used for years! If you were charged differently it was a bug and there is no conspiracy going on!

Most of the changes going forwards will be system wide rather than Storm of Arrows specific. There is a huge list of changes we are making but when they will be ready depends on how long each takes to do so we wont be comitting to anything until closer to release.

I'll leave others to comment on the period but I think there is a lot of variety in unit types that mean its not ruled by knights - e.g. Swiss Pikemen & English Longbows.

76mm · Post by **76mm** » Tue Mar 23, 2010 10:56 am

ian, any further thoughts on when/if you guys might add the ability to import/export unit data, or at least a log of end-game casualties, etc. (to allow for campaigns, etc.).

Post by **IainMcNeil** » Tue Mar 23, 2010 10:58 am

We have quite a few issues to look at before this unfortunately so it will be some time. We ned to tidy up the features we have in before adding an new ones as there are a few loose ends causing issues. So at the moment I can't give you an ETA I'm afriad

batesmotel · Post by **batesmotel** » Tue Mar 23, 2010 11:47 am

iainmcneil wrote:We can look at the pricing but this is the pricing structure we have used for years! If you were charged differently it was a bug and there is no conspiracy going on!

Most of the changes going forwards will be system wide rather than Storm of Arrows specific. There is a huge list of changes we are making but when they will be ready depends on how long each takes to do so we wont be comitting to anything until closer to release.

I'll leave others to comment on the period but I think there is a lot of variety in unit types that mean its not ruled by knights - e.g. Swiss Pikemen & English Longbows.

Actually I'm curious to see how knights are going to be as effective in FoG PC as they are in the TT rules. The special advantage they get there is that they fight as well in one rank as other troops do in two in melee, but that they don't benefit from a second rank. At a minimum, the cost of a BG of knights in FoG PC will need to be adjusted down from what it is in FoG TT to reflect that they really won't be that much better than cataphracts of similar quality. The knightly lance POA which beats the normal lance POA would be there only real advantage.

Chris