[Srs Disscushin] "The future is Free to play"

[๖Ϝцzsioᴎ]

...says fucking Candy Crush

“The micro-transaction is so strong and it’s definitely a much better model. I think all companies have to transition over to that. If you talk to many hardcore gamers, they’re not happy about it right now, but if you asked them about the long term, “Do you want to continue playing your favourite game for years to come?’ And the answer will be yes.”
http://www.ign.com/articles/2014/04/14/the-future-of-games-is-free-to-play-says-candy-crush-developer

WHY. I hate it when companies do this shit, nothing's free; especially with micro-transactions, it's even worse when a paid app has micro-transactions for some bullshit currency, all this is is a money grab, a giant bullshit money grab.
Mobile gaming really is cancer, eh?

Discuss.

[Alphaggot]

I mean, just look at Maplestory.

[Prox]

WHY. I hate it when companies do this shit, nothing's free; especially with micro-transactions, it's even worse when a paid app has micro-transactions for some bullshit currency, all this is is a money grab, a giant bullshit money grab.

Yeah, it's like game developers can pull money out of their asses to cover the cost of servers and employee salaries. I mean, you don't seriously expect them to give everything to you for free, right? How else are they supposed to make money?

[Zevante]

It really depends. I guess now you just have to research a game to see what the F2P model will be. If it goes in the way of most mobile developers, we'll probably have a big problem. If they're smart and copy a good successful model (a la TF2) we might just make it.

But let's face it, gaming is dead. Not in the traditional sense, there are still plenty developers that are full of passion that want to make a great game. I'm talking "rock is dead". Sure, you have the Chili Peppers, the White Stripes and the Killers, but rock music will never be in the mainstream ever again. The target demographic went from Gen-xers that work an 8 hour job and come home to play a few hours to patience-lacking millennials that have a few bucks to spare every few days. Yeah, Valve is still going. Nintendo is still around. But when normal people think gaming their heads go to either Sony or Microsoft, both of which are corrupt with DLC and various memberships already. I think in a few years we'll have a hard time remembering what it was like without micro transactions.

[Fenix]

I believe it might actually switch to this model in the future; however, I think once everyone starts to see how much it really impacts their experience with the game, no one will really want to play these games anymore. There will also be the people who don't want to play that extra money and the market for games will start to go downhill. The main reason games make the profit is because of the starting selling price. A million micro-transactions won't come in as easy as a million copies sold of the game, if they even do get the million micros.

I mean, just look at Maplestory.

This. was. my. SHIT. I remember when getting level 70 was godly and anyone past level 120 was just amazing in every way, shape, and form. Now 120 is normal and it doesn't matter.

[Alphaggot]

This. was. my. SHIT. I remember when getting level 70 was godly and anyone past level 120 was just amazing in every way, shape, and form. Now 120 is normal and it doesn't matter.

I mean, I'm still playing it even right now. It costs around 150$ to do any significant damage to bosses, it's ridiculous.

[Frank]

It's the entire crappy transition from products to services hat has been going for the entire 20Th century and now the 21St. Why sell the cow when you can sell its milk?

[๖Ϝцzsioᴎ]

Yeah, it's like game developers can pull money out of their asses to cover the cost of servers and employee salaries. I mean, you don't seriously expect them to give everything to you for free, right? How else are they supposed to make money?

That's not what I meant, I meant mostly on micro transactions on a paid app, free apps are obviously.. well free, look at Dungeon Keeper for iOS and Android, it has a full day cooldown to destroy one area before you can do it again, and that's where the micro transactions come in, to reduce the cooldown BY 12 HOURS.

[Cake Faice]

Yeah, it's like game developers can pull money out of their asses to cover the cost of servers and employee salaries. I mean, you don't seriously expect them to give everything to you for free, right? How else are they supposed to make money?

Because god forbid if anything is free in the world and just for the fun. bitch.

Also, it's pretty fucking stupid how every game nowadays is micro-transactions. If the game isn't P2W, then it's Pay "or feel inferior to every player in the game and have no fun". I don't really mind micro transactions if EVERYTHING in the store is available to obtain without paying, but when 75% of the content is microtransaction bullshit, the game pretty much sucks.

But, I got something worse that game devs now are using:

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

cash shops where you buy an item and it only lasts a certain number of days before you have to rebuy

I wish who ever puts that in their game, that their company goes under immediately.

[Prox]

That's not what I meant, I meant mostly on micro transactions on a paid app, free apps are obviously.. well free, look at Dungeon Keeper for iOS and Android, it has a full day cooldown to destroy one area before you can do it again, and that's where the micro transactions come in, to reduce the cooldown BY 12 HOURS.

>buying games for your phone
You deserve everything what's coming your way.

Because god forbid if anything is free in the world and just for the fun. bitch.

Those who make and maintain video games want and need rewards otherwise they'd just stop maintaining and making them. How far their greed goes is another topic.
 Also, notice how most of the completely free to play games with no microtransactions are usually shit and get boring fast because nobody wants to bother that much for creating something that won't give them profit for making it. 

[Cake Faice]

>buying games for your phone
You deserve everything what's coming your way.
Those who make and maintain video games want and need rewards otherwise they'd just stop maintaining and making them. How far their greed goes is another topic.
 Also, notice how most of the completely free to play games with no microtransactions are usually shit and get boring fast because nobody wants to bother that much for creating something that won't give them profit for making it.

Notice how a large chunk of them use Ad revenue for reward benefits rather than micro-transactions.

[jimonions]

I don't play mobile games but I am a supporter of micro transactions.
I feel like I can actually pay for what I want from the game.
If the game offers transactions that I don't like then I just don't play it.
Currently I play Path of Exile and Gw2 on and off, both with full ingame shops.
POE does a much better job of this though, all transactions being just cosmetic with absolutely no advantage.

[Prox]

Notice how a large chunk of them use Ad revenue for reward benefits rather than micro-transactions.

I don't think that's a very profitable way for them to make money. It might be good enough for reletively simple games but for the bigger ones they need more money then what comes from Ad revenue.

[Cake Faice]

I don't think that's a very profitable way for them to make money. It might be good enough for reletively simple games but for the bigger ones they need more money then what comes from Ad revenue.

Because I always wanted to pay $10 for a 1 hour sword/gun model that was slapped on template animation set. Good goy, buy dem hats. That's almost the same principle as 7 days to die $500,000 "upgrade" aspect, where if they get another $100,000 they'll add one new feature or some bullshit like that.

[Fenix]

POE does a much better job of this though, all transactions being just cosmetic with absolutely no advantage.

This is how Maplestory used to be in its first 2-3 years before Nexon became a huge whore for cash, and boy, I spent ALL my petty grade-school money there.