Sticking it to the greedy publishers.

Soldato
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As we all know games publishers are getting greedier all the time. All the crap surrounding loot boxes - How they're exploiting them now, how they're in every game, how they're now using them to make games pay-to-win, how they're making games unbalanced because of them - is getting annoying.

So I've made a Decision: If any game has loot boxes in them when they launch I'm not going to buy it new. I'll get it second hand. Because publishers aren't happy with SOME of my money as they want ALL of my money, they're going to get NONE of my money.
 
Soldato
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Games like Overwatch are fine where it's only cosmetic items, but I do avoid any pay to win games.

Cosmetic is sort-of-OK but they're just getting worse with what they put in them. COD has weapons in them, Battlefront 2 is essentially pay-to-win as they have ridiculous things in them, the new Forza even locked in them features that were in previous games.

My main issue is that publishers seem to be designing games around Loot Boxes rather than just having them as small extra thing that earn whilst playing.
 
Man of Honour
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I agree, and that's why I play a very select few multiplayer games and quite a lot of indie games with a sprinkling of mostly first/second party "AAA" games.
 
Soldato
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the new Forza even locked in them features that were in previous games.

Not true at all, and forza loot boxes are bought with in game money. (though im sure they will add tokens eventually like they did in older games).

OK they changed how you earn extra credits, turning ABS off doesn't get you +10% rewards now, but it doesn't only allow you to turn off ABS if you get a loot crate.
If you want to race with all assists off you can nothing stops you and increasing AI driver level gives you more credits, which many of the "reviewers" got 100% wrong.

Ok they did royally bork the VIP system this time but they have fixed that now and back tracked on it.

A number of my Forza playing friends have refused to buy the game this time because of these lies,
The Tier system gets you buying cars you maybe wouldn't before but credits aren't a problem in the game, cant see how they intend to make people spend on micro transactions except for the most impatient whales out there.
 
Associate
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Absolutely on board with this, and those games which lock out content as DLC unnecessarily (or even those games with ridiculous amounts of DLC)
 
Caporegime
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Do what you want, I don't think the publishers give a toss.

I've mentioned in other threads, but the furore over Shadow of War loot boxes is ridiculous. I'm level 30, playing on hard and literally haven't opened a single loot box. And I have earnt 30,000+ in in-game currency.

Forza 7 - I didn't really follow the controversy closely as I wasn't buying the game, but I believe 'House' has already covered the 'Youtuber' BS.

Lastly - Battlefront II is not "Pay to win"

As game makers, watching millions of passionate players get their hands on our game has been incredibly exciting and – in many ways – inspiring. Believe us when we say that your participation is making the game better, and we’re humbled that so many of you took time to not only try the Star Wars Battlefront II Beta, but to share your thoughts with us too.

The Beta was just a small piece of what we're making. Yes, there’s more content (new locations, heroes, modes, and the all-new single-player campaign), but we heard your feedback loud and clear after the first game. There is more player choice in multiplayer through a deeper progression system and an evolving, event-driven live service that keeps the community together by moving away from Season Pass and having all new gameplay content free for all Star Wars Battlefront II players.

Rest assured, we’re continuing to listen to you coming out of Beta. We’re taking a look at some of the most discussed topics, from Crates and progression to Strike mode (which we're considering changing to a best of three), the Specialist’s Infiltration ability (which might be a little too overpowered) and more. Oh, and the First Order Flametrooper needs some work – we agree he could use a little more... firepower. We are also looking into more ways to allow players to stay and play together as a team – for launch, we’ll have a new feature for you that rewards all players in a spawn wave. These are just a few examples of how your feedback is helping to shape the game.

We know you have a lot of questions about Crates and progression, so we want to clarify a few things, as the complete system was not in the Beta and will continue to be tuned over time:

  • There are many things you can earn in the game, including weapons, attachments, credits, Star Cards, Emotes, Outfits and Victory Poses.
  • As a balance goal, we’re working towards having the most powerful items in the game only earnable via in-game achievements.
  • Crates will include a mix of of Star Cards, Outfits, Emotes or Victory Poses.
  • Players earn crates by completing challenges and other gameplay milestones, or by purchasing them with in-game credits or Crystals, our premium currency.
  • If you get a duplicate Star Card in a crate, you will get crafting parts which you can then use to help upgrade the Star Card of your choice.
  • And lastly, you have to earn the right to be able to upgrade Star Cards and unlock most Weapons. You can only upgrade or unlock them if you have reached a high enough rank, which is determined by playing the game.
We also have heard some players are looking for a way to play where all players will have the same set of Star Cards with flattened values. Like everything else, we will be continually making necessary changes to ensure the game is fun for everyone. We will work to make sure the system is balanced both for players who want to earn everything, as well as for players who are short on time and would like to move faster in their progress towards various rewards.

And you, our community, will play a big role in the evolution of the game. Whether it’s comments on our forums or posts over social media, we’re listening. Your feedback makes a difference, and your passion is what keeps us creating.

Again, we want to thank you for taking part in the Beta and helping us make sure that the launch will be, to quote a certain masked Sith Lord, a day long remembered. We’ll have much more to share with you before we see you on the battlefront in November.

https://www.ea.com/en-gb/games/star...&utm_medium=social&cid=38387&ts=1507835560227
 
Caporegime
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I don't think the games industry would exist if people were like me. Never buy anything new unless it's something exceptional like Horizon Zero Dawn. I'm still waiting to purchase Uncharted 4, for example. :p
 
Associate
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I've mentioned in other threads, but the furore over Shadow of War loot boxes is ridiculous. I'm level 30, playing on hard and literally haven't opened a single loot box. And I have earnt 30,000+ in in-game currency.

From what I've read it's mainly the end game grind that has the most loot box impact.
 
Man of Honour
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I don't think the games industry would exist if people were like me. Never buy anything new unless it's something exceptional like Horizon Zero Dawn. I'm still waiting to purchase Uncharted 4, for example. :p

If everyone was like you then only exceptional games would get made.
 
Caporegime
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From what I've read it's mainly the end game grind that has the most loot box impact.

https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/20...t-boxes-to-complete-shadow-of-wars-final-act/

I like to think of what we see in Shadow of War as a new spin on end-game replayability. Normally, once a free-roaming game like The Witcher III or Assassin’s Creed IV “officially” ends, you’re free to run around collecting a few odds and ends, but there’s not much of a point. Shadow of War, though, gives you a point; something to work toward. If the first act through the third is the leveling journey in World of Warcraft, the Shadow Wars are the raids. And there’s certainly an “ending” of sorts at close of Act III – one so absurdly irreverent to the lore that anyone who fancies themselves a Tolkien scholar will probably delete Shadow of War in disgust right then and there anyway. (But c’mon, it is kind of awesome.)

My main complaint is that the Shadow Wars do go on for too long, even with my easily conceived “optimal” approach. I was already getting weary of them at the end of Stage 8, but I know much of that was the pressure to get through the whole thing with just a week or so before the embargo lifted. Were I to take the experience more leisurely, I may not have felt the same way. Even so, cutting back the Shadow Wars by half or even merely three stages would have made it far more appealing for everyone involved.

But never once did I spend “real” cash on a loot box, save to see what happened for the review. (It was crap, honestly.) Never once did I feel the need. I had over 40 legendary weapons and armor pieces at the end. So again, what’s the point? The very fact that I’ve written all these words to show that’s it’s not so bad in Shadow of War demonstrates how thorny the issue is and why it probably shouldn’t have even been implemented in the first place. Yet as we already know from the news of players spending billions on loot boxes and similar items in Blizzard games, someone’s going to buy this stuff.
 
Associate
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Don't buy it at all. Not at a reduced price, not second hand. If you're going to boycott then do it properly.

If you want to send a message that loot boxes and micro-transactions don't belong in full price games then you need to have the conviction to see it through.

Buying used or heavily discounted still shows the publishers that there is a demand for their games. If every copy of Shadow Of War and Battlefront 2 was left on the store shelves then they'd have to react to it and make changes to their business model.
 

fez

fez

Caporegime
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I think the biggest issue with loot boxes is that its basically the thin end of the wedge. You can already see that certain publishers are moving towards giving people a clear advantage in multiplayer if they spend money. I have played freemium mobile games and I am happy to spend for in game currency (games like clash of clans and clash royale) but they are free. When developers clearly spend a lot of time and effort on their loot boxes and the game is buggy or doesn't have the same care and attention it should then its an issue. When they charge you £50 for a game and still demand more for items to allow you to enjoy the game properly thats a kick in the teeth.
 
Caporegime
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Caporegime
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I read that article and the TL;DR is "I figured out the optimal way to avoid having to use loot boxes to beat the game so I didn't buy any". So if you don't want to play the game in that specific manner, what do you do?

IMO Loot boxes are for rich/lazy people and kids with access to their parents credit cards...I know a guy who has spend literally £1000's on 'Free to play' Candy Crush. I think he's addicted to be honest. I've never played the game myself.

But don't all games require you to play "in a specific manner' to some extent. If I want to unlock certain skills in games I have to do it the way the game is programmed. If I want the best ending for Dishonoured 1/2, I have to play stealthily and not kill everything. I mean you can mess about on GTA V if you want, but to complete the story you have to do the missions and pass them.

At the end of the day, publishers have probably ran some projections and figured they can make more money from people spending real cash on loot boxes, than in lost sales to people that take a moral stance (rightly or wrongly)

EA must make a fortune every year from FIFA and the coins. I know my 12 year old Nephew is constantly badgering his mum to buy them for him.
 
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Soldato
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9 Mar 2012
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18,602
I don't mind as long as its cosmetic only.

Just out of interest, those that are dead against them will notice that game prices haven't gone up for years...would you pay £60 plus for a game without micro transactions ?
 
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