Yes! More Micro-transactions! (Activision, WB Games and EA appreciation thread)

SunnyJ

An interesting look of what is getting talked about in the gaming industry.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-LA6mi2v7ec

Ghost

This pisses me off, greatly, being a Destiny 2 fan and all.

I mean, this is some low-down dastardly, nasty, no-good, cantankerous, megalomaniacal, O.J. Simpson, supervillain BAWWWWLSHIT.

Somewhere along the timeline, these greedy motherfuckers forgot that they were in the business of providing entertainment to us for trade, not proving us with a means to supplying them with a constant revenue stream.

Misadventure

What-now?

Okay, so this describes what could be terrible.

It wasn't in Destiny. Can't tell you about Destiny 2.

But until you can actually buy things that are above average gear, it really won't matter.

People are very clear about what is a pay to win game, and any major push for it would annihilate Destiny populations.

It might be popular in Korea or China.

Ghost

@misadventure Short version: Activision patented a microtransaction+matchmaking system that will provide options for advertising in-game for items/purchases that require hard currency, and then the matchmaking system will purposefully pit players who opt-in/buy-in against players who don't.

Thus rewarding people who pay with a better chance of winning(by setting them on one side of the fight against players who don't), and punishing players who don't and enhancing the pressure to opt-in in by pitting them against players who did.

Ghost

It's not currently in Destiny 2.

If it comes to D2, then I'm out.

Misadventure

Sorry I made you type that out.

The equivalent (atm) would be match making in OverWatch where you will see Heroes you play often but with their other skins, or with Golden Weapons, to show off how cool that looks and encourage you to get them. One takes money to get quickly (via purchased instead of earned lootboxes), the other takes skill and time.

I think even adding that to the really difficult and intensive matchmaking process would be too much for OverWatch. Probably less so for a less stakes intensive setup like Destiny 1 & 2.

Ghost

@misadventure it was good exercise.

Alzie

@ghost said in Yes! More Micro-transactions! (Activision, WB Games and EA appreciation thread):

@misadventure Short version: Activision patented a microtransaction+matchmaking system that will provide options for advertising in-game for items/purchases that require hard currency, and then the matchmaking system will purposefully pit players who opt-in/but-in against players who don't.

Thus rewarding people who pay with a better chance of winning(by setting them on one side of the fight against players who don't), and punishing players who don't and enhancing the pressure to opt-in in by pitting them against players who did.

Holy shit. That's so evil I have to step back and appreciate it. Buy this instagib cannon and we will guarantee you multiplayer matches against people that you will one hit kill. That's beautiful.

Sunny

That is so insane.

Tempest

On one hand, people tend to stay away from P2W stuff anyways, do they not?

Not sure they're doing themselves any favors here.

Like for the microtransaction+matchmaking thing to 'work' there has to be some element of p2w. Even if it's just 'pay to get stronger faster' which is generally a little more tolerated. This would probably exacerbate that to being not tolerated either.

I mean, I play Smite, how would it work in say, a MOBA. What are you going to do, match me against people who have less skins than I do?

Ganymede

@alzie said in Yes! More Micro-transactions! (Activision, WB Games and EA appreciation thread):

Holy shit. That's so evil I have to step back and appreciate it. Buy this instagib cannon and we will guarantee you multiplayer matches against people that you will one hit kill. That's beautiful.

It is, but that's why I'm playing Horizon Zero Dawn and NHL '17.

Ghost

@ganymede How is NHL17?

I usually only buy an NHL game every other year.

Ganymede

@ghost

Really fucking good, actually. Physics are spot-on, and the controls aren't too sensitive. Checking is more realistic. And you get to micromanage errrrrrything with your franchise. Don't like the price of nachos at the Air Canada Centre? Knock it down or jack it up -- whatever!

Drafting and trading remains horrible, and you still can't extend contracts.

bored

@tempest said in Yes! More Micro-transactions! (Activision, WB Games and EA appreciation thread):

On one hand, people tend to stay away from P2W stuff anyways, do they not?

Yes and no.

At least in the US, there's certainly some stigma against purely p2w in the, let's say, competive PC/high-end console space. The people who want to invest serious time into mastery etc and rebel against the idea of anything undermining skill as the only factor.

But that ideological conflict first reared its head in with MMOs, due to the bleed in from Asia (obviously we weren't getting Asian FPSes)... and by now subscription based MMOs are considered nonstarters in the industry vs f2p being everywhere. In the FPS and adjacent areas, AAA shooters are getting us accustomed to loot boxes while avoiding p2w (ie, such as Overwatch and CS:GO skins) but there's plenty of f2p shooters with heavy microtransactions that range all along the p2w scale (from 'unlock faster' in say, Planetside 2, to 'literally shoot money at people' in World of Tanks).

Now with things like Battlefront 2 planned with major p2w (at least in the win-faster sense) it's getting pushed even more into the spotlight.

And then... you take a look at the mobile market, where naked p2w is already basically the ubiquitous norm and unquestioned. Go look up how much money Game of War makes, and be prepared to sit there feeling bad about your life choices for a while. Unfortunately that reality sets a standard for the AAA developers to chase, as I imagine it's really upsetting for them to spend tens of millions on games (as dev costs skyrocket in our HD age) and not see the kind of profits of cheap mobile nonsense. We're maybe not there yet but we'll be there pretty soon.

Ghost

@ganymede said in Yes! More Micro-transactions! (Activision, WB Games and EA appreciation thread):

@ghost

Really fucking good, actually. Physics are spot-on, and the controls aren't too sensitive. Checking is more realistic. And you get to micromanage errrrrrything with your franchise. Don't like the price of nachos at the Air Canada Centre? Knock it down or jack it up -- whatever!

Drafting and trading remains horrible, and you still can't extend contracts.

I always try to make a winger or defender go up through some team like the Brandon Wheat Kings or London Knights and then get drafted by the Red Wings. Like an asshole, I delete the character and re-try the whole process in hopes of getting something else.

I might pick it up, then.

SG

@ghost said in Yes! More Micro-transactions! (Activision, WB Games and EA appreciation thread):

I always try to make a winger or defender go up through some team like the Brandon Wheat Kings or London Knights and then get drafted by the Red Wings. Like an asshole, I delete the character and re-try the whole process in hopes of getting something else.

What is this, Shadowrun NHL?

Insomnia

@tempest said in Yes! More Micro-transactions! (Activision, WB Games and EA appreciation thread):

On one hand, people tend to stay away from P2W stuff anyways, do they not?

Oh hell no. Mobile games are almost exclusively P2W. The War one with Kate Upton in the commercials? It makes nearly $ 750, 000 a day.

It's not loot boxes, but it's still P2W.

Sure lots of gamers don't like P2W, but lots of them would do it to get an edge, and P2W loot boxes are seeping in to single player games too with Shadow of War... and it's selling pretty well.

Players have always gone after cool stuff other people have, in games. Just look at raiding sets in MMOs.

Honestly, I think it was inevitable, really; see cool stuff, want cool stuff, find a way to get cool stuff.

The big take away from this story though is that it isn't in any games yet, they applied for the patent 2 years ago, and just got it.

Ganymede

@insomnia said in Yes! More Micro-transactions! (Activision, WB Games and EA appreciation thread):

Oh hell no. Mobile games are almost exclusively P2W. The War one with Kate Upton in the commercials? It makes nearly $ 750, 000 a day.

And yet, Fallout Shelter is so much more enjoyable.

Insomnia

@ganymede Oh yes, I picked a really bad game that makes a lot of money for a reason.

Lithium

@insomnia Clearly my life path is failing me. I must learn to code a silly app p2w so I can make 750K a /day/.