30 replies to this topic

[Vaux]

I remember a time when $50 dollars bought you a fully unlocked game, where you could play as you wanted. Not so much any more with the new F2P and subscription models. Yeah, the face of gaming has changed, but not necessarily for the better.

[Spymonkey]

Xinaoen, on 04 August 2012 - 07:10 PM, said:

*snip*

On the other hand, I think that a developer needs to have the courage and integrity to stand to its guns when a design choice sparks controversy. I'd rather play a game created by a group of people with good enough design sensibilities to make it in the industry to begin with, than something designed-by-committee courtesy of the loudest voices on the Internet.

*snip*

/QFT

I feel the same way, devs these days dont have the balls to take risks anymore. '

OTOH, players too are to blame, I mean most of the time we dont even know what we want, add trolls to that, and what do you get? One word, crap....Star Wars Galaxies, is prime example. Cant comment much with SWTOR, I didnt like Old Republic setting much.

Edited by Spymonkey, 04 August 2012 - 08:08 PM.

[TunaR]

I'm super excited for this game- not only to see the return of Mechwarrior, but for it to be developed by the Devs that we have. They're doing everything a good team should do- from listening to players and building a loyal community to focusing on gameplay first, features second.

A lot of companies now seem to be announcing release dates as soon as the first screen caps are out online. They set a date and pretty much say, "It's going to be perfect on this date." What I particularly like about the team that we've got is that they're not afraid to take their time. As it was drawing closer to the July 19 beta tests, they recognized that they wouldn't be ready and rolled their schedule back. When Founder's packs were announced, they didn't include instant access to an incomplete experience. They waited, and let players trickle in when they were ready. As of yet, I for one haven't heard an official open beta date, again showing that the guys at Piranha are more concerned with getting it right then getting it soon.

The only test left for them is the payment aspect of the game, which has been the crux of FTP since the beginning. From the fiasco of WOT's golden ammo to my personal gripes with Tribes Ascend's imbalance of currency (a practically necessary weapon costs $8ish or 100 games worth of xp. A small price, but who can go 100 matches with no other rewards?), the FTP model is plauged left and right with balance issues. The first showing of MWO's income scheme seems to be better executed however, with the Founder's packs reasonably priced, with tiers for fans on different budgets all with appropriate awards. Additionally, from what I've heard from friends in the beta is that while you do have to save a bit to get a new item that could also be bought for cash, the difference is manageable and fair to casual gamers. The greatest thing for me personally is that you can't buy victory with money. You can't buy different weapons for your mech, you can't buy better weapons or the ability to have more of them. You can buy more mechs, but you still only get to drop one and that mech is going to come in the same box as the players who grinded for a few games and bought it with xp. What you can buy- be it visual effects, the ability to store more options in your mech bay, or the like- isn't going to make you any different from someone who didn't pay a cent once the game starts. Props to Piranha for that, and here's hoping they keep it up through launch and beyond.


TL;DR
FTP games and games in general get ruined by launch schedules and payment aspects. Good on Piranha for taking their time, doing it right, and setting forth a business plan that's fair to everyone, including the penniless. Other publishers should take note.

[Caboose30]

Blue Footed Booby, on 04 August 2012 - 07:45 PM, said:

I'm not sure whether it's primarily an anti piracy scheme or a way to get people a few more steps closer to being able to one click impulse buy stuff for real money. I guarantee it's both, I'm just not sure if one was a bigger motivator.

Also, friendly advice: administrators of game forums tend to frown on posts expressing intent to pirate games.

Oh no, I'll still buy it. I'll just do what I did with my copy of StarCraft 2 and crack it for offline use so I can do single player matches.

[KnowBuddy]

You know, back in my day we had to game uphill in the snow, and then for the next level we had to game uphill in the snow.

Kids these days have it so easy.

Oh, and get off my lawn.

[MWO Atari2600]

99% of any company for any product saying "we listen to the fans and gave them what they want" is simply not true
It's marketing. Franchises are built with years of professional work. User input is nil. EA Sports consults athletes....come to our studio, take a picture, give us ideas (3 days before launch)...wow, this is great stuff. we had no idea fans wanted the new teams included. so insightful"

The only input a product maker wants to know and will actually read and consider is what they can sell you like all the non-stat extras in FTP games or if something new would be introduced they don't alienate the majority of paying customers. Marketing / focus testing. Piranha's using the forums for a bit of this.

But a company that doesn't say they listen to their fans, I question. Though I know the marketing spin is nearly blowing smoke in all cases I still want to hear 'em say it every time.

I have over 20 years experience in this field, so stop with the hatred postings when I don't gush over this game which is still a closed demo. Forums = opinions and discussion.

[wpmaura]

Blizzard is milking a dead cow, I am honestly floored so many people still stick with it, to be honest I would play WoW if people were actually in the world but its basicly just a lobby game, people just wait for the dungeon finder to pop.

I am hopping for Arche Age free, some times you need to give them what they need.

[BigMo5]

F2P is the way to go as long as players feel like they are getting VALUE for their money.

STO: Good bad or not, I am having a BLAST I spend money here and there just because I can. Don't have to.

WoT: Good bad or not, its Meh, Game is fun enough once you get past the Randomization...I spend NO MONEY because the value is not there...FYI $50 for a TANK is insane...LOL No value.... Anythign Past TierVII and you are spending $$$$ to regularly play them...No Value. Also since the NA Server has to spend $100 to get the 1USD to 250g its a bit of a slap in the face.

Navyfield: Was there since before F2P, It went retail and people were Pissed. They went F2P a LOOOOOONG time ago and you don't need to spend any money at all even at HIGH Tiers...you can spend money if you want but it really is not needed...


F2P is a great concept unitil the PRODUCE gets stupid...


Paying to play Beta is going to become the norm...Thanks for that players, Pay for unfinished product...LOL...

[Zalikar]

Namwons, on 04 August 2012 - 03:20 PM, said:

so...are pandas part of the alliance or horde? lol Blizzard has ruined there franchises. i mean cmon, *** is a damn panda doing in azeroth.

ps. my highest WoW toon was a lvl 10 elf assassin...i effin hate questing.

They start as neither, but get to choose around level 10. As for having a level 10 assassin...I think you were playing a different game...

[JFlash49]

i see where youre going but referring to Blizzard only doesnt support the thread title of gaming is changing. its just a few companies.. but i see your point

[Bashars]

Xinaoen, on 04 August 2012 - 07:10 PM, said:

See, I actually like Diablo 3.

I read an interview with Jay Wilson where he referenced the Henry Ford quote, If I'd asked customers what they wanted, they would have said "a faster horse." For me, that kind of hits the nail on the head. If Blizzard had responded to all of the feedback that they received, we would've gotten "Diablo 2 : HD Remix" instead of "Diablo 3."

My two c-bills.

He also said this...
"First and foremost, we here at Blizzard recognize and acknowledge the lack of end game content for our more dedicated players. We apologize. Please know that this was not intended, only a misinterpretation of what the player experience of clearing inferno would really be like. We have configured an amazing team of senior designers and developers to immediately begin creating new additional features that will be added in to the game as quickly as we possibly can, but please understand that these things do take some time. That isn’t me saying that it will not come out until the next D3 expansion. I simply need people to acknowledge the fact that we cannot develop new quality content at the drop of a hat, but we are working diligently to resolve this issue."

I have 4 lvl 60 sitting around in act 3 info with nothing to do..no real goal to clear act 4. As do about 10-15 other people I play with.
I like the pay to play.. I play Tribes and have spent some money on that game just I have this one. But its missing team play that the first one had. Besides the fact I like these type of games I hope the group, clan ect play is what they say its going to be.. thats what is going to keep me playing and spending money
.

Edited by Bashars, 08 August 2012 - 09:16 PM.