Pay to Win?

[freak180]

http://www.ign.com/articles/2014/05/20/soulcalibur-lost-swords-designed-to-be-pay-to-win
What are your thoughts? This is destroying the gaming community! Just Pure Greed!

[spacer]

In my opinion, they killed the game before it was even released. Unless they pull an immediate and public 180, the game is dead in the eyes of the core fighting game market.

 

All fighting games, but especially Soul Calibur, are focused on fighter balance. Why they would knowingly add a mechanic that completely breaks said balance AND remove multiplayer because of it boggles my mind.

[neoadorable]

At least they're honest about being greedy and are calling a spade a spade...just ignore this crap and don't give them a penny. I would hardly classify this as a threat to gaming, don't feed this trend and it will always remain a minor annoyance.

[madd-hatter]

Odd example... The Soul Caliber spinoff here is "free-to-play" to begin with and the pay-to-win functionally of the game is restricted to it's single player nature. The game reviews around 2-3 out of 10. I don't think anyone really cares. However, I'm confused as to why people are creating such poor quality titles.

 

At the end of the day, the consumer is responsible for their money and making good choices. (Like don't buy EA games.)

 

But yeah, it's bull****.

[Emn1ty]

I stopped caring about Soul Calibur when I got my hands on SC5. The series has been going downhill. As for Pay 2 Win, it's frustrating. It exists in many forms in the gaming industry and while most people classify it as the ability to flat purchase an item unavailable to others for an advantage, I see it in other forms as well. Games like battlefield where you can buy experience/unlocks from the store is one good example.

 

I think games need to draw back on the RPG mechanic fanaticism. I'm tired of having to play 300 hours to unlock the full game and to be on a fair playing field with others. What ever happened to a game where everyone was on an even playing field from the start?

[DrunknMunky Veteran]

Blood Money: Battlefield 4 Adds Microtransactions

By Nathan Grayson on May 28th, 2014 at 12:00 pm.

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Somewhere beneath all of Battlefield 4?s glitches, server woes, and ceaseless controversy lies a very good game. Even back when it first launched, I jumped into a few matches that went off without a hitch, and I thought to myself, ?Wow, there is a preposterous amount going on here and also I just murdered a man with a defibrillator.? But it?s like a ?levolutionary? building with sickly hunks of concrete hanging from twisting threads of rebar ? one small push, and everything comes crumbling down (unless there is a physics glitch). And now the latest not-so-great-looking mark on a very not-sterling record: EA and DICE have added microtransactions to Battlefield 4, a premium game that still hasn?t seen a single price drop. But hey, at least they?re optional.

 

In addition to earning Battlepacks in-game, you can now opt to buy them with real world money. DICE made the announcement in a blog post:

 

?Starting today, we are introducing a new way to acquire Battlepacks, the bundles of content that provide a mix of in-game items including accessories, emblem shapes, profile pictures, dog tags, XP boosts, knives, and paints. Battlepacks can still be earned through normal gameplay progressions, but we are now giving players the option to purchase Battlepacks as a shortcut to catch up with their friends on the Battlefield.?

 

Bronze battlepacks will run you $1, silver will go for $2, and gold for $3. So yep, if you don?t feel like playing, you can gear up for money now.

 

As if this even needs to be said, this seems like a pretty poor choice on DICE/EA?s part given that the game?s been marred by technical troubles since day one. Asking for more money ? whether from new players or longtimers ? is maybe not the best idea when many still don?t feel like they got their money?s worth out of your original product.

 

But here we are. Who?s still playing BF4? How do you feel about buyable battlepacks? How do you feel about the word battlepack? Personally I think DICE should just go all the way and preface everything with ?battle.? Hungry? Have a battlesnack. Tired? Take a battlenap. Feel an overwhelming need to weaponize an otherwise docile mountain creature? Have this battleyak. I can do this all day, which means I should probably stop now and never speak of it again.

 

http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2014/05/28/battlefield-4-microtransactions/

[Alwaysonacoffebreak]

And this is how BF turned into CoD. I was fine with it until I read "XP boost" aww hell no. Dog tags, knives, paint, emblems...sure, but XP boost...

[spacer]

Micro-transactions in a premium game are, and never will be, a good thing because it will always feel like the resource grind is artificially inflated to encourage extra spending. Even if it's not, it will always feel that way. EA just killed any chance they had of getting my money for this game, Hardline, and any future Battlefield game.

[+Thayios Subscriber²]

wtf

 

That's the end of that then

[Guest]

:laugh: So glad I didn't get it.

[Alwaysonacoffebreak]

Anyone want to buy an cupon for this game? :rofl:

[Luc2k]

Too bad they haven't introduced microtransactions for bug fixes.

[Mr. Gibs]

Bronze battlepacks will run you $1, silver will go for $2, and gold for $3. So yep, if you don?t feel like playing, you can gear up for money now.

You've been able to do that since like BF3......

The reason they put them in is because new people constantly complained about getting killed by people with weapons that were better than theirs. Anyone remember the F2000? The amount of whining that one weapon brought on was absolutely pathetic. The only thing that got more whining was the Saiga.

Asking for more money ? whether from new players or longtimers ? is maybe not the best idea when many still don?t feel like they got their money?s worth out of your original product.

Then don't buy it?

I don't agree with the battlepacks because I think they're stupid, so guess what? I won't be buying them. But if someone wants to pay for them, then that's their own problem. EA isn't forcing you to buy them or making it impossible to get the items that the battlepacks give you without buying them.

[Chicane-UK Veteran]

So glad I ducked out of gaming with BF3. You could see exactly how it was going to go when they started with the expansion packs, BF3 Premium, etc etc. I totally 'get' that EA are a business, and businesses make money - but it seems like they're no limit to just how far they'll go to get money out of you, and things like this are a prime example. 

[DrunknMunky Veteran]

You've been able to do that since like BF3......

The reason they put them in is because new people constantly complained about getting killed by people with weapons that were better than theirs. Anyone remember the F2000? The amount of whining that one weapon brought on was absolutely pathetic. The only thing that got more whining was the Saiga.

Then don't buy it?

I don't agree with the battlepacks because I think they're stupid, so guess what? I won't be buying them. But if someone wants to pay for them, then that's their own problem. EA isn't forcing you to buy them or making it impossible to get the items that the battlepacks give you without buying them.

 

The problem is that it sends the wrong message and then they (EA*), will push it further and further, all because we're saying "it's ok, I'll ignore it because x person exists who appreciates it".

 

Today it's weapon packs and boosters. Where does it stop? Are we going to start buying games in chopped up servings where you buy each individual level. Oh, but it's ok, cause x% only plays the first level then forgets about SP / "has a life" excuse.

 

If people don't have time for games, then maybe their spending habbits need to change, rather than rinsing the rest of us who are receving less for our $/?.

 

"Selling you a solution they created" is becoming more and more true with these microtransactions where people actually start to believe that EA et al are providing something positive here. Maybe they just need to stop designing their games around grinding or make games more rewarding without ridiculous time commitments. Then put development effort into genuinely worthwhile content and services.

 

*note that I'm talking about EA here, but it's obviously a widespread issue and they're not the only guilty pub/dev.

[RadishTM Veteran]

So glad I ducked out of gaming with BF3. You could see exactly how it was going to go when they started with the expansion packs, BF3 Premium, etc etc. I totally 'get' that EA are a business, and businesses make money - but it seems like they're no limit to just how far they'll go to get money out of you, and things like this are a prime example. 

 

Ditto (Y)

[McKay]

The reason they put them in is because new people constantly complained about getting killed by people with weapons that were better than theirs. Anyone remember the F2000? The amount of whining that one weapon brought on was absolutely pathetic. The only thing that got more whining was the Saiga.

 

 

Really? The most common complaint I heard was the USAS, and that was because it wasn't a shotgun, it was an Anti-Aircraft cannon. I routinely saw entire squads wiped out from a hundred meters away in the space of a few seconds by a single man with a USAS and an erection.

[Mr. Gibs]

Really? The most common complaint I heard was the USAS, and that was because it wasn't a shotgun, it was an Anti-Aircraft cannon. I routinely saw entire squads wiped out from a hundred meters away in the space of a few seconds by a single man with a USAS and an erection.

Oh oops sorry I meant the USAS not the Saiga. But yeah that weapon got the most whining, the F2000 came second.

[Crisp]

Anti-Aircraft cannon.

 

I see what you did there :shifty:

[xrobwx71]

Remember the good ol days ?(mid 1990s-early 2000's) when you paid $19.99-$39.99 for a game and that was it? Then you modded it to death and really got your monies worth. 

[xrobwx71]

So glad I ducked out of gaming with BF3. You could see exactly how it was going to go when they started with the expansion packs, BF3 Premium, etc etc. I totally 'get' that EA are a business, and businesses make money - but it seems like they're no limit to just how far they'll go to get money out of you, and things like this are a prime example. 

And to further your comment you're almost forced to buy. Scenario: You find a great server that has great people, you have great fun and favorite it. Then one day they upgrade to Premium and just like that, you get the message "you need the expansion blah,blah to play on this server".  :crazy:

[+Thayios Subscriber²]

Remember the good ol days ?(mid 1990s-early 2000's) when you paid $19.99-$39.99 for a game and that was it? Then you modded it to death and really got your monies worth. 

 

You mean the ones when devs released patches that actually fixed bugs, and released new content for free?!

[McKay]

You mean the ones when devs released patches that actually fixed bugs, and released new content for free?!

 

It was a double edged sword for consoles, on PS2/Xbox because games couldn't be patched later, they seemed to put more of a polish to it, but if a bug emerged later, it was there forever. A bug in the multiplayer for Conker: Live and Reloaded on Xbox that basically broke the game forever. It quickly killed the community as eventually all matches became a scramble to get to the glitch area. Then it became a ghost town. 

[Raa]

And I think we're done here.

 

I bought BF4 but never got anything extra (DLC/Premium/etc). And that's the way it will stay now. (N)

[Mr. Gibs]

The problem is that it sends the wrong message and then they (EA*), will push it further and further, all because we're saying "it's ok, I'll ignore it because x person exists who appreciates it".

 

Today it's weapon packs and boosters. Where does it stop? Are we going to start buying games in chopped up servings where you buy each individual level. Oh, but it's ok, cause x% only plays the first level then forgets about SP / "has a life" excuse.

 

If people don't have time for games, then maybe their spending habbits need to change, rather than rinsing the rest of us who are receving less for our $/?

I was just pointing out that BF4 wasn't the first Battlefield to do this, so it's hardly surprising that they would do it again.

Also the reason EA is doing it is because people don't want to put in the effort required to get to that level. Hell I have 51 hours on BF3 and I have pretty much every kit unlocked and colonel rank 5. It's not that hard or time consuming, people are just ######ing lazy and expect everything to be handed to them.

And technically you aren't receiving less of a game if a don't buy the battlepacks. The battlepacks don't add anything new, they just allow lazy whining gamers to get to the higher weapons faster.