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Microtransactions "Way of the Future"?
One thing people are always wary of in a free-to-play game is the quality. Typically, they're not top-tier, not quite the triple-A variety. Do you feel that you're fighting against the idea that free-to-play games aren't as "good" as traditional $50 packaged games?
I think that is a concern. We're going to prove ourselves out of the gate, that Mytheon has triple-A production qualities. It's very similar to the other games we've done. We're a developer of triple-A games. That's what we know, and that's what we doing here. We're putting as much into this as any other project that we've done, so we're not holding back.
Where the difference might be is that we're not going to have as much content upon release as we would with a regular boxed product, but we will have enough content there to have people play through and have fun with it until we're set up with a pipeline to deliver more content.
There's a concern about the "free-to-play" stigma, but we'll have to prove out of the gate that this is not your typical free-to-play game. It's like a regular boxed product, except it is free-to-play. We don't make any bones that as you continue to play the game and have fun with it, we want you to buy the items and the services that enhance your gameplay. But it's our obligation to provide a very compelling game.
In reality, I think this model adapts to what people really want in the first place.
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Copyright 2006 - 2009 Future Publishing Limited, Beauford Court 30 Monmouth Street Bath, UK BA1 2BW
England and Wales company registration number 2008885
It's not my 'way of the future'.
Let's get back to the old days when developers actually had an incentive to pack their cartridge/CD full of secrets, eh?
Can you imagine Chrono Trigger being released on the 360 today and being forced to download the extra endings as DLC for a small fee?
I also hate how nowadays games are released incomplete and/or with known bugs, knowing that you can bring out a patch (or more) to fix them after a few days.
However MMO's are a different matter. You can't really make one that's complete 'out of the box', as MMO's are very much about the players that inhabit them. They decide a lot of what happens and developers must adjust the game accordingly. It only makes sense to release expansions every now and then to keep the game fresh and interesting, depending on what players want.
The thing is - it's not milking people for money if they're ready and willing to pay for things, is it? It's about giving people a choice: you CAN buy this item if you'd like to, or simply choose not to. Kroegel states, "But people are willing to pay for vanity items and the like," which is exactly the point. It's not pay to become more powerful, but pay if you want to have a purple hat, etc.
I would add that it is very possible to add microtransactions that make your character stronger to an MMO, as long as they are balanced in an interesting way: If you can just buy everything to start with, it'll make the game very uninteresting. However if you would have to play for a ten hours first to unlock the ability to buy a new skill, the game will stay fresh and every now and then you would run into something you might actually want to buy (having earned the right to do so), because it suits your character or playing style well.
That way the developers can also clearly see what it is players are most willing to pay for (equipment, access to new areas, skills, etc.) and adjust their offerings accordingly.
The thing is - it's not milking people for money if they're ready and willing to pay for things, is it? It's about giving people a choice: you CAN buy this item if you'd like to, or simply choose not to. Kroegel states, "But people are willing to pay for vanity items and the like," which is exactly the point. It's not pay to become more powerful, but pay if you want to have a purple hat, etc.
Let's see how a top tier production house can deliver before the moaning begins.
I will moan about it as long as it involves charging money for essentially rubbish in-game items.
I have no problem with free, downloadable expansions, such as the packs for Wipeout Pure. Let's see more of that instead.
With a credit crunch going on, now's not the time to start another one of these fraudulent 'credit' Ponzi schemes.
And I know I'm being hypocritical because I do buy the occasional thing from Xbox Live or Wii Shop - I guess I just don't want this type of e-commerce becoming overly prevalent to the point where I have no more choice in the matter and am expected to go along to get along.
The whole thing/concept just smacks of over-commercialization and a raping of videogames' risk-reward structure.
I can agree with this "this microtransaction model is a way to address what already appears to be a need." because that's true. But it's also a reason why some certain players are resisting CSP model, because these kind of people (count I as one them) may consider the best way to earn what they need in a game is about how much effort they've put into the game, expecially when someone's getting stronger just because they spent a lot of money.
It might be fair that someone who have enough time but not enough money so he can get better something by investing time, whole someone who have enough money but not enough time to get the samething or same effect by investing money. However, is it really easy to control the balance of the game to fulfill both them? I am not sure.
I couldn't say I hate CSP. But what I see in China is that, many people come into a new CSP game and leave with a "SUCK GAME" and then try another one.
For me, Free-to-Play can lower the barrier of entrance of a online game, but it also lower the barrir of exit of it.
Yeah now all there doin is tryin to milk ppl for there money its ridiculous
It's not my 'way of the future'.
Let's get back to the old days when developers actually had an incentive to pack their cartridge/CD full of secrets, eh?
Can you imagine Chrono Trigger being released on the 360 today and being forced to download the extra endings as DLC for a small fee?