Global Chat: It's not dead, but at least it's free edition
As always here at the Massively office, we've had our say about things this week! We've talked about free-to-play games and we've talked about the new Lord of the Rings Online! (Also an F2P title. You should see the trend here by now.)
So, in all of this news about free-to-play, you guys had something to say as well! As is the case with Global Chat, we've had our turn to speak, now you guys get yours! I've delved through two of this week's hottest posts, and I've found a few awesome comments that need to be pointed out. Two are personal anecdotes about F2P, and one is... well... very long but very clearly stated. So come along after the break, and read what you had to say!
Opinions of microtransactions
Love them or hate them, microtransactions are here. During this week's Ask Massively, we rounded up the team's opinions of MTs into one, easy-to-read post. But there were a few notable opinions in the comments section as well!
Pingles (Not Pringles... mmm... I could go for some Pringles...) brought up a personal story to explain his enjoyment of the F2P model:
As an F2P supporter I think the way the question is worded this week is exactly what I find so frustrating in this whole situation.
Some folks seem to believe that everyone has been brainwashed into supporting F2P and couldn't possibly actually like it. It's as if they're running down the street shouting "It's made of people!" and nobody will listen to them.
I have this to say to them: F2P matches my play time perfectly. I am VERY happy in the F2P world. I've tried probably a dozen and have only bought things in a cash shop ONCE and it was just bags.
In other words in the last year Ive paid twenty dollars total to play a dozen games several months each (sharing time between 3 or 4 at a time).
Several years back I bought AoC, LotRO and City of Heroes. When I gave each three months I paid about 120 dollars to find out they weren't for me.
I'll take F2P.
Xtofer had a differing opinion, but a personal story nonetheless:
I think that the free-to-play model works best when it doesn't go out of its way to punish players into paying. I started to play Allods Online last month, and I was amazed at how amazing the game looks for free-to-play. It felt like a genuinely premium experience, and then I read that interview posted on this site and found out about how the game actually penalizes you into buying cash shop items. That, in my opinion, is a huge deterrent for a player like me. See, I would probably more than likely use the cash shop for things of convenience, but I would hate to use it because the game has inconvenienced me.
I ended up quitting the game before I got too engrossed in it so that I didn't feel like I invested time for nothing.
And, because nothing quite says an ending like a wall-o'-text, Hippie had one heck of an analogy to put towards Lord of the Rings Online going free-to-play --specifically regarding reputation horses and other in-game "trophy" items.
I'm in the tough sh*t camp as well - you don't get 'good' at anything in this world without a little effort.... gaming is a skill which requires time to develop like anything else and the point of a good game is that good players get rewarded.
If you only have two hours of free time on Saturday and want to, say - go bowling, but a bowling team requires three hours what happens? Do you find something else to do or do you go to the alley and offer the manager $10 extra to play eight frames with all the pins counting an extra 20%? How would the other players feel competing for the trophies against you? Maybe you can even just buy the trophy...
What Turbine is doing though is actually the reverse of that analogy. They're the alley manager who wants a Mercedes instead of a BMW, so in the middle of a league season they start offering better shoes, shorter lanes and tickets for 20% bonuses to those who will pay extra. Sure, you can get on an old unwaxed lane with missing pins for free now or you can pay the old lane fee for a regular lane, but everyone is still playing in the same league towards the same trophies except those with the cash get an advantage.
Trophies are a representation of the work put into a specific task - that's it. Without the work they are meaningless. Let's be real here - digital clothes aren't even real. The only value they had at all was as a status symbol representing in-game accomplishments. With the addition of the store they really become just digital wastes of money. Furthermore, I worked really hard for my digital trophies, but now Turbine has stepped in and made them worthless. Really, I think they should give me my game box fees and subscription money back - sure I played their game, but it was a complete waste of time - they just stepped in and made my trophies meaningless.
I know I'm putting waaay to much thought into this, but I loved that game, the world and the IP. I have no problem with 'F2P' games if that's what others want, but I don't play them personally. Now excuse me - I'm off to complain to Steam because I don't have enough time to unlock all the achievements in Just Cause 2 - maybe they'll just let me buy them.
disclaimer- I don't personally endorse bowling or the broadcasting of bowling related sports programming immediately after Saturday morning cartoons. In my opinion, cartoons being over is disappointing enough - broadcasting bowling afterwards is just mean spirited.
Phew! That's a lot of conversation on free-to-play titles this week! Next week, who knows what the discourse will be, but I can assure you one thing: We'll be here after you get done your Saturday morning cartoons!
