SUMMARY
With the transition to free-to-play, Star Trek Online has seen some interesting decisions when it comes to how they address their audience and potential customers to give them money. First they started by providing the dilithium exchange and a capability to translate microtransaction currency (C-Points) into in-game commodity money (dilithium.) Everything available for C-Points therefore becomes available to people who can trade dil for C-Points.
Free-to-Play Implications
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Dilithium Exchange
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Then they introduced lock boxes with the Cardassian lock box and now the Ferengi lock box. The primary source of income on these boxes is people interested in winning an extremely rare ship from inside them--this was the case for both the Cardassian and Ferengi lock boxes. Boxes drop for free, but to unlock them you must by a key for 100 C-Points -- in current exchange terms that's about 30,000 dilithium or almost 4 days of grinding dilithium. 100 C-Points can also be bought for about $1.25 USD.
The Ferengi lock boxes also contain a new currency, Lobi Crystals, which can come in small or large quantities in the lock boxes. This is designed to incentive people to buy more keys; however, since they're another unexpected gamble they're still a bit of a tax on the community and are seen as such.
Also during this introduction of new lock boxes some drama erupted with Massively took some discussion from STO Dev Borticus as meaning that the developers were unconcerned about players (or even countries) leaving lock boxes at the curb due to the provisions of gambling. The comments, however, are thought to have been taken out of the context of what Borticus was discussing as he mentioned he doesn't speak for Cryptic's or PWE's policies.
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This generated a bit of controversy in the STO community due to the potential illegality of the boxes themselves; however, the important considerations of the lock boxes involves that they seem to give less worthwhile contents than is paid for them and the chances of receiving a Marauder is very low.
As a result, some players are depressed and annoyed whereupon seeing one of them and refuse to involve themselves in their trade.
As lock boxes have been a big hit for STO, they will probably continue to reintroduce them, even if there's a vocal contingent of the community on the forums and in the game complaining about their presence.
FURTHER READING
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BLACK HAT MAGICK
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MILL AVENUE VEXATIONS
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CREDITS
To thank him for that lovely intro animation here's Chris Warren
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