WTF EA thread # 564453435676

[gothamhunter]

Welp, no surprise they'd turn their main MP game p2win:

 

[KeithTalent]

Is that for realzies?

KT

 

[gothamhunter]

Is that for realzies?

KT

Nope, I just created that mockup.

Spoiler

/sarcasm teehee

 

[maniacalpha1-1]

It is for real.

Hopefully this puts the design decisions I've been complaining about in the proper context- ie, EA is out of their minds. They've got dollar signs flowing out of every bodily orifice.

 

[The Boston Dangler]

the only thing left is to pool all the money generators together:

$75 initial purchase (with $150 and $250 "collector's editions")
$15 monthly
pay to win on top of that

never mind the game itself is terrible, people will pay

 

[gothamhunter]

It is for real.

Hopefully this puts the design decisions I've been complaining about in the proper context- ie, EA is out of their minds. They've got dollar signs flowing out of every bodily orifice.

Sadly, they're not out of their minds. So many people will pay for this, and they'll make thousands.

 

[shortylickens]

April Fools?

 

[Anubis]

i honestly have no issue with this, the game has been out for 6+ months, this simply removes the late comer penalty which in BF is f'en massive

 

[RavenSEAL]

Jesus H. Christ. What the hell?

 

[maniacalpha1-1]

Sadly, they're not out of their minds. So many people will pay for this, and they'll make thousands.

They gots the money-crazies! I know they aren't out of their minds from a corporate sense, naturally.

Sad thing is, the latest patch actually made it slightly better of a game experience, but I know they'll never take the final steps to complete the transition.

 

[power_hour]

i honestly have no issue with this, the game has been out for 6+ months, this simply removes the late comer penalty which in BF is f'en massive

+1 Sad to say, pay to win is here. Suits at EA are just doing what is inevitable. I don't agree with this. But when you play and notice all the unlocks this becomes a point of competitiveness that people will pay to fix. On a side note I still chuckle at the email that EA sent me asking why I stopped playing BF3. I could have told them with my 60hr week job, plus young child, plus recertifications, all killing my free time. Instead I just told them that I am pissed off about all the cheaters and will never play another EA game again until they fix it. Ebil is me.

 

[maniacalpha1-1]

i honestly have no issue with this, the game has been out for 6+ months, this simply removes the late comer penalty which in BF is f'en massive

I actually have no problem with this from the standpoint of, is it fair to other players. Slightly off-the topic, I don't have a problem if people buy fully-leveled MMORPG characters either, the hypocrisy would be if the MMORPG makers sold fully leveled characters but continued to disallow players to sell their own accounts.

No, my problem with this is twofold:
1. Even though I don't consider it unfair to other players, EA still has $$ in their eyes.
2. They made major design decisions around the unlock system, not the least of which was that they balanced the entire game around close quarters stat padding combat, even in larger maps, which people are all the more driven to engage in for the purpose of getting unlocks faster. Now there is a way to get the unlocks immediately, but the stat padding focus of the game remains.

 

[veri745]

I've never thought the "grind to win" formula of unlocking weapons for MP games made any more sense than the "pay to win" formula for F2P.

Hell, I don't even play MMORPGs because of how much grinding is involved.

This is pretty ridiculous though.

 

[Stringjam]

It isn't that big of deal in BF3 to unlock weapons.....it's not like you start out with noticeably inferior stuff.

If you aim your gun and shoot somebody in the head, they die.....no matter which gun it is.

I top 3'd the scoreboard numerous times with 1st level gear when I started playing engineer class.

There are some other things that are very helpful when unlocked, but aiming skill and map knowledge are still far more important. Any new player who buys this package thinking they're going to have some sort of big advantage is in for an unpleasant surprise.

 

[J-Money]

It isn't that big of deal in BF3 to unlock weapons.....it's not like you start out with noticeably inferior stuff.

If you aim your gun and shoot somebody in the head, they die.....no matter which gun it is.

I top 3'd the scoreboard numerous times with 1st level gear when I started playing engineer class.

There are some other things that are very helpful when unlocked, but aiming skill and map knowledge are still far more important. Any new player who buys this package thinking they're going to have some sort of big advantage is in for an unpleasant surprise.

Exactly. I often use the first or second gun unlocks because they are the ones I like and feel I do better with too. There isn't really anything that is "pay to win".

It's only an issue because it's EA and it's trendy to hate on them.

 

[Zenoth]

It's basically a micro-transaction based system after initial purchase then. It's kinda horrible. I can understand micro-transaction for a "Free to Play" MMORPG type of game, but you purchase BF3 at initial price, then can "unlock" (immediately) specific items with those priced "shortcut" bundles. Are those items ALL available in the game if you manage to unlock them over time? Or are some of those items unique to the bundles themselves?

It's weird anyhow, for a FPS shooter it's... dunno, unfitting.

 

[Stuka87]

I don't have any issue with this. I won't be buying it, I unlocked the weapons myself. However I know people that only play casually and don't have time to unlock. That who these types of things are aimed at. They can buy it, and play with whatever they want. They don't gain any advantage over the rest of us. If they want to dump money into that, let em.

 

[Grooveriding]

lol, not a surprise, but still hilarious to see it actually happen.

 

[KaOTiK]

Surprised it took this long

 

[dighn]

doesn't really affect me in any way, but gotta say, that's real lame.

 

[J-Money]

It's basically a micro-transaction based system after initial purchase then. It's kinda horrible. I can understand micro-transaction for a "Free to Play" MMORPG type of game, but you purchase BF3 at initial price, then can "unlock" (immediately) specific items with those priced "shortcut" bundles. Are those items ALL available in the game if you manage to unlock them over time? Or are some of those items unique to the bundles themselves?

It's weird anyhow, for a FPS shooter it's... dunno, unfitting.

All items are available in game as far as I'm aware.

This is for those who want some more guns without putting in hours of playing. Not really a big deal except for those who hate EA.

 

[maniacalpha1-1]

I wonder if they will use a deeper unlock tree that can't be all unlocked in 2 weeks like BC2 as a selling point for BF4?

 

[Elcs]

Paying for faster "leveling" progress in an online multiplayer game? So what?

As long as it doesn't give them a distinct and tangible advantage over someone who has just started (and from the sounds of it, it doesn't) then why wouldn't someone say "Hell I don't want to play 1000 matches just to unlock these other weapons. I want to be able to swap and mix it up right now!".

This is not Pay to Win. It's Pay to remove an inconvenience. (A lot of people will enjoy the gameplay aspect of earning new weapons but there are a lot of people who don't. This pack was made for those of them with money)

 

[heavyiron8]

That is the most retarded money generating idea I've ever seen. So it costs 40 dollars to ruin the fun experience of slowly leveling up and unlocking everything.. fucking scammers.

 

[Fire&Blood]

Paying for faster "leveling" progress in an online multiplayer game? So what?

As long as it doesn't give them a distinct and tangible advantage over someone who has just started (and from the sounds of it, it doesn't) then why wouldn't someone say "Hell I don't want to play 1000 matches just to unlock these other weapons. I want to be able to swap and mix it up right now!".

This is not Pay to Win. It's Pay to remove an inconvenience. (A lot of people will enjoy the gameplay aspect of earning new weapons but there are a lot of people who don't. This pack was made for those of them with money)

Agreed but this move may have opened the gate for shady scenarios down the road. I have no doubt they will try to replicate MMO's continuous revenue streams, it's only a matter of how far they will go.

BF4 launch: dx11 version: $59.99 dx12 version: $64.99. Weapon pro pack: $9.99. In battle satellite surveillance feed: $4.99 per month.

I know the above scenario sounds unlikely yet it's likelier after this "convenience" fee.

That is the most retarded money generating idea I've ever seen. So it costs 40 dollars to ruin the fun experience of slowly leveling up and unlocking everything..

I'm worried about the impact on the quality of the game. If they plan these bundles in advance, the process and fun of "manually" leveling and unlocking could take a turn for the worse.