Support NeoGAF

[Yukinari]

I'd be happy with themed boxes only having themed items. Like the Anniversary one only having anniversary skins and not stuff from regular loot boxes.

TF2 manages to do this just fine and that game has TONS of other ways to get event items ontop of that.

Theres plenty of solutions but they all make Blizz less money so they dont care. I leveled up twice today and didnt get shit, not even one of the new taunts.

 

[Fret]

.

 

[Floex]

Some of the replies here are hilarious. These are cosmetic items. Nothing effects gameplay, you don't need them. Gamers are literally impossible to please.

It's really not the point, at all.

The new items have a short window to be earnt, it's simple impossible to even make a dent on the new items when you're getting old items mixed in when you open boxes.

To play along with your point, sure, these do not effect the gameplay but people like getting rewards for putting time into the game. A little more respect to consumer would go along way.

 

[Maximo]

Some of the replies here are hilarious. These are cosmetic items. Nothing effects gameplay, you don't need them. Gamers are literally impossible to please.

*Shut up and keep gambling*

 

[ZeoVGM]

I feel like the Overwatch loot situation actually started out okay, and has gradually gotten worse over the year it's been out. Now it's a complete mess.

At launch, the game cost 40 bucks (on PC at least, I know consoles had to get Origins for whatever reason) and you got loot boxes at a very decent clip just playing. You could toss a few bucks at it to get loot boxes even faster. There was a decent pool of skins and for a while this worked well - at least as well as this kind of system could, anyway. I know most of us would prefer there to not be any sort of real money gambling in the game at all, but for a big game Overwatch's at least seemed alright.

Now that we're several events deep and most players have been whittling away at the game for a while, it's become a bit of a nightmare. Leveling is incredibly slow for most of the level cycle. The more skins you own, the more dupe chances you get, and the gold payout for dupes is a pittance, especially come event season where 250 gold is 1/12th of the price of a new skin. The fact that you can get non-event golds during an event at all is insulting - especially given how slow getting boxes can be and how, for some players, beating the odds and getting multiple gold rarity items isn't feasible. It's a slow and frustrating grind.

It doesn't help that for this event, every skin is gold rarity, so the odds of walking away with every skin you want is even worse than usual. The flood of crap sprays and voice lines has never been interesting, but now it just feels actively antagonizing to open a box and not get an event skin or emote.

Over the course of the game's run, Blizzard has added more ways for you to get more loot boxes, but I honestly think that's the wrong solution. Getting more boxes with piddly odds just compounds how frustrating they are to open during events. They need to change the way this shit works. Obviously their goal is to funnel you into buying them; the stuff you want is always juuust out of reach to tempt you to buy. Right now though, the carrot on the stick is just rotten enough to make some people not want to chase it at all.

Also for the love of god put some more items in the basic rotation. When there's no event on, the item pool is hilariously tiny.

This is a perfect post.

 

[ZeoVGM]

Some of the replies here are hilarious. These are cosmetic items. Nothing effects gameplay, you don't need them. Gamers are literally impossible to please.

And this is not.

 

[Sande]

Theres plenty of solutions but they all make Blizz less money so they dont care.

I don't think that's true. The boxes are so expensive and give you so little that a lot of people are just not going to bother. I know I won't. They're basically chasing whales who MUST HAVE THAT SKIN exclusively at the moment. I have friends who love throwing money at Hearthstone and Rocket League, but not OW because it's just such a miserable system to partake in.

 

[FoxSpirit]

Some of the replies here are hilarious. These are cosmetic items. Nothing effects gameplay, you don't need them. Gamers are literally impossible to please.

You know, in the past, visual character customisation was part of a good complete package. Then it became microtransactions. Now it's gambling.

I have NEVER bitched about League of Legend's system, even if the price of new Legendary skins really high. But they come our selfomly and I can straightup buy them. In OW it's easily possible to spend 30 bucks and not have the one legendary eventskin I want. And this time around, they are ALL legendary.

Fun thing: logged into OW, opened free box, legendary! Some random non-event legendary I don't care about. I only wanted to play OW for the event because I currently do other stuff but maybe getting a few event skins would be fun. And was off right after I logged in.

Events are supposed to be a draw, even for players taking a break. In that regard, the whole thing fails spectacularly. The only event here is the skin. Which are total luck to get and when bought with gold are the equivalent of 25 bucks. IF you get dupes only. Which you wont. So more like 40-50 bucks to 100% be able to get the one skin i want.

I paid 50 bucks for the whole game. 60 bucks gets me Witcher 3 and GTA V. How is this sane or fair?

 

[DR2K]

So if a game makes a billion dollars, you expect a billion dollars in free content? I'm not following.

I'm just saying that we're past the point of cosmetics paying for content, shit is paid up. It just doesn't fly anymore, not when the content is so sparse and insignificant, the stingier RNG makes no fucking sense.

 

[i HeaR MusiC]

I never knew people were so outraged over cosmetics. I understand things that effect gameplay, but this is a bit much to be outraged over. The thing that outrages is me is the small amount of actual gameplay content they've added in an entire year. Cosmetics will never be anything more than a few days of hype.

 

[DevilDog]

I never knew people were so outraged over cosmetics. I understand things that effect gameplay, but this is a bit much to be outraged over. The thing that outrages is me is the small amount of actual gameplay content they've added in an entire year. Cosmetics will never be anything more than a few days of hype.

They are outraged on both.

Had we gotten more than the pitiful amount of the substantial content we have right now, people would be more tolerant.

 

[Kysuke]

It's really not the point, at all.

The new items have a short window to be earnt, it's simple impossible to even make a dent on the new items when you're getting old items mixed in when you open boxes.

To play along with your point, sure, these do not effect the gameplay but people like getting rewards for putting time into the game. A little more respect to consumer would go along way.

There is respect to the consumer imo. Everything is free and being able to get a ton without buying loot boxes is more disrespectful to the buyers imo. Tons of games do worse.

 

[ShironRedshift]

Some of the replies here are hilarious. These are cosmetic items. Nothing effects gameplay, you don't need them. Gamers are literally impossible to please.

Nah. They're easy to please. Just give people an option to outright buy the things (and also increase the amount of coins dupes are worth). Done. Given how much people do in fact care about the things, Blizzard will still get plenty of money from people buying them to fund more DLC characters and the like for free for everyone else, and then everyone ends up winning.

Very easy to do and pretty much everyone would be happy. The only problem is that Blizzard doesn't want to do it because not only do they want to get enough money to fund the extra characters and map, but they want to milk as much extra money out of whales as they possibly can, and hence the complete RNG nature of the loot-crates and minuscule gold from dupes, and hence I'll also believe it when I see it when it comes to them actually changing anything about this

 

[Rodelero]

On the one hand, I can definitely think of ways Blizzard could improve the current system to make it fairer and less frustrating. On the other hand, I find a good half of the posts in this thread hysterical and over the top, given that this is merely a system by which you can cosmetically customise your characters, and I find it even harder to be outraged given that many other AAA games have systems I dislike even more.

I don't care that I am never going to have every cosmetic, so while some people seem to feel this event has crossed a line, I'm kind of in love with how many desirable skins there are for me to try and gain, even though I'll probably only get two or three (already got the Soldier skin). If I get Lucio's and D. Va's by the end of the event, I'll be pretty happy.

They could definitely make some adjustments to make the system a little less psychologically depressing and a little more fair. The ability to directly buy currency (even if the rate was really high, like $10 for 1000 coins) would take the edge of the gambling side of the system. Event duplicates should certainly be more valuable than non-event duplicates corresponding to the triple cost of event items. Duplicates could probably be a little more valuable generally too, instead of the 20% they currently are, maybe 30-50%. I also think the odds need to be displayed clearly within the game. I would also be quite open to seeing some kind of system by which you could earn character specific items by playing with that character. Blizzard could perhaps reward Character Chests that are earned specifically by playing with that character, which only rewarded items for that character. This would enhance the likelihood you got the item you desperately wanted for your 'main'.

Even so, even if they make no changes whatsoever, I can live with it. Ultimately all the current system boils down to is that you have a low chance of getting what you want randomly, with the occasional ability to get exactly what you want via currency (though, the more stuff you have, the faster you gain gold via duplicates).

 

[Budi]

Some of the replies here are hilarious. These are cosmetic items. Nothing effects gameplay, you don't need them. Gamers are literally impossible to please.

Those affect the game though and in all honesty game's reward system is part of the gameplay loop. Lootboxes have an effect how generous the system is. Mass Effect Andromeda's faces and writing don't affect gameplay either, people still didn't shut up.

 

[Rodelero]

Those affect the game though and in all honesty game's reward system is part of the gameplay loop. Mass Effect Andromeda's faces and writing don't affect gameplay either, people still didn't shut up.

This really does take the biscuit. You are seriously saying there is some similarity between the cosmetic skins in a multiplayer shooter and the animations and writing in a story based single player action RPG?

It's kinda bizarre how crazy some of the arguments in here are. It's not hard to make a pretty persuasive and sensible criticism of Overwatch's loot system, but every time one of the anti-Overwatch/Blizzard brigade makes a post like this I feel more inclined to defend Blizzard than to critique them.

 

[TheSeks]

The main issue in all of this imo is the amount of gold you get for dupes. Like only 250 for a duplicate Legendary skin is ridiculous. I get they need to monetize and make money so getting the full 1000 gold is unrealistic, but you should at least get half of the items value

+ Not getting Gold in the boxes in general. You can open 15 boxes and get 0 Gold. How the fuck do they expect you to buy the stuff you want instead of relying on RNG?

Fuck them. I doubt they'll ever fix it since they obviously are getting money from whales that want to gamble for shit.

Spoiler

Still salty about not getting Power Ranger Genji

 

[Wickerbasket]

-did my weekly arcade loot boxes, got nothing but junk
-bought 3 packs of 11 boxes spending £24 in total
-get lots of dupes, don't get the Dva skin I want
-dont even have enough gold to buy the skin I want
-rage quit

The whole process is shitty. I shouldn't feel shitty when spending money on your game. I dont mind giving them money, but I want to feel like I got something in return.

For instance, its not so bad in tf2 because I could at least trade for the item I wanted or just outright buy it.

 

[Arttemis]

Loot boxes fucking suck. I played Rocket League exclusively for the longest time, and after they introduced their crate system and buying 20 keys expecting to get what I wanted out of the boxes, I became disgusted at the community economy. It legitimately pushed me away from the game.

 

[BossDarkseid]

Let me buy player icons, and let me trade an item of equal rarity for another one. like i had every Mercy cosmetic apart from one or two event items, but I would trade them for skins...do it Blizz. I'll still buy lootboxes every now and again.

 

[Skinpop]

it's basically gambling, and should be regulated as such.

 

[Azzurri]

I feel like OW is becoming more about spending money then actual game play. What I mean is, it like when those F2P MMO's add more items in the cash shop as their weekly or monthly update with little actual game play actually being added, but hey we have some new shiny cosmetics.

Not saying OW hasn't been updated game play wise, but it feels like they care more about loot boxes, then adding large game play updates.

Or maybe it's because it's only what is reported?

 

[Coreda]

Scanned the title as 'skinner box'

 

[Budi]

This really does take the biscuit. You are seriously saying there is some similarity between the cosmetic skins in a multiplayer shooter and the animations and writing in a story based single player action RPG?

It's kinda bizarre how crazy some of the arguments in here are. It's not hard to make a pretty persuasive and sensible criticism of Overwatch's loot system, but every time one of the anti-Overwatch/Blizzard brigade makes a post like this I feel more inclined to defend Blizzard than to critique them.

Ok sure, I can drop the writing I guess since stories are big reason why people might play something from Bioware. But faces and the animation of faces, lip sync have 0% effect on gameplay. But let's not pretend that the characters and their design even the ability for that little customization through skins, voice lines isn't a big factor in Overwatch's success. Just like the ability to create your own characters appearance is one of the strenghts in Bioware games. Why do you think these multiplayer focused games like Overwatch, Dota, For Honor include those weapon skins and hats if people wouldn't care about them.

And please, anti-Blizzard. I would be surprised if you have played more Blizzard games than I have. Since I have played those an unhealthy amount, you have no idea. Am I a big fan of Overwatch, well no you got me there. Do I think it's a good game, yes I do. Do I like the lootboxes, no I dont'. It's simple.

Atleast you admit that your defensiveness is based on emotion rather than logic.

 

[MetalliCabombination]

Just give gold rewards for matches
Even f2p games arent this ruthless

 

[Pocketsfriend]

Some of the replies here are hilarious. These are cosmetic items. Nothing effects gameplay, you don't need them. Gamers are literally impossible to please.

Eh, the skins and emotes this time around seem to be the main meal for this update so if you end up not getting one it feels like you've missed out on participating in the event. Doesn't matter if it doesn't effect routine gameplay, it'll still leave a bad taste for some players.

I unpacked a dupe of a vanilla skin with the few boxes I bought but I should have enough to craft one skin by the end of the event which is fine with me since I only play OW casually. I'm probably being a bit more forgiving on this event than some after how experiencing how bad the hearthstone team handled the only alt priest skin. It has been nearly 9 months since they gave the same response Kaplan did for OW and they haven't done anything since.

 

[Kinyou]

Some of the replies here are hilarious. These are cosmetic items. Nothing effects gameplay, you don't need them. Gamers are literally impossible to please.

Since those items are the only real reward you get for your progress I'm absolutely not surprised people are so focused on them.

 

[Risible]

I am utterly astounded anyone spends money on this game. The loot box system is fucking ludicrous.

When the game came out I thought about buying some boxes. Then I watched Jeff Gerstmann open 50 and get totally fucked and was like "whew, bullet dodged."

If you are buying these boxes YOU are literally the problem.

 

[Dipper145]

Dupes from non-purchased loot boxes should reward no gold at all.

 

[ArgyleReptile]

I vote that lootboxes give us the option to choose a character to focus on. You are given a higher drop rate for that character alone, increasing the odds of getting their rare items. Switching characters to focus on could cost 5000 gold or something.

Spoiler

I've literally had to purchase all of Symmetra's event exclusive stuff using gold, even the goddamn sprays.

 

[Neverfade]

I'd certainly like to see event item prices dropped. Want to keep the gold sink? Make them purchasable year round with the inflated cost.


Also bring over dailies ala HOTS for gold rewards.

Play 3 games as defense
Play 3 games as Support
Win 3 games
Etc

 

[K' Dash]

The main issue in all of this imo is the amount of gold you get for dupes. Like only 250 for a duplicate Legendary skin is ridiculous. I get they need to monetize and make money so getting the full 1000 gold is unrealistic, but you should at least get half of the items value

Monetize? They already got $60 for the game, they sold 25 million copies so far and will keep selling like hotcakes, they need to stop ripping off their fans.

They can give a little more value to the shit you receive in those loot boxes and it wouldn't make a dent in their financial situation.

 

[Arkeband]

Some of the replies here are hilarious. These are cosmetic items. Nothing effects gameplay, you don't need them. Gamers are literally impossible to please.

Debateable, for instance, the item that changes Hanzo's ultimate into wolves is super quiet compared to the dragons, which is an obvious buff.

 

[Deputy Moonman]

Some of the replies here are hilarious. These are cosmetic items. Nothing effects gameplay, you don't need them. Gamers are literally impossible to please.

Im in the minority but I really don't get the sentiment that you should be able to have everything. Life doesn't work that way and if a developer wants their game to be that way so be it. Its actually refreshing to have honest to goodness rare items imo. As you mention this is purely cosmetic. The complaining seems to border on entitlement. Money is the solution here if you don't like the rarity of the skins. Unfair? Not really. Its just the system the devs have implemented to make money. Capitalism heyo!

 

[Diablohead]

Event dupes should pay out more, that's the worst thing getting two event skins and only handing out 200 coins for a 3000 item.

Right now I see no reason to buy the lower price loot box bundles because nothing good will come out of a few boxes back to back.

 

[FrontalMonk]

I'd certainly like to see event item prices dropped. Want to keep the gold sink? Make them purchasable year round with the inflated cost.


Also bring over dailies ala HOTS for gold rewards.

Play 3 games as defense
Play 3 games as Support
Win 3 games
Etc

Honestly of all the Blizzard microtransaction models hots has turned out to be arguably the best. It used to be that gold was a faucet until a certain point and then it closed off because you already hit level 5 with all the heroes and whatnot, and you couldn't buy skins with gold at all, but now it's like...there are a bunch of different ways to get gold and the dupes allow you to buy skins, and the lootboxes have unlocked many more skins for me already. It really feels like they just lifted the model from Overwatch, but I also feel like Overwatch could lift the quests from hots and be a better game for it.

 

[Tacitus_]

Since those items are the only real reward you get for your progress I'm absolutely not surprised people are so focused on them.

Back in my day, people used to play games because they were fun, not because they could add +1 on a progress bar every now and then.

 

[sibarraz]

The only fixes that I think will be "Fair" for both consumers and blizzard as a business will be:

-Increase the gold given by a dupe, make it a 1:4 ratio instead of the 1:5 that the legendaries give.
-Increase the amount of gold in loot boxes. I' excited to see the color of the legendary only for later find out that it was just gold that isn't even the equivalent of a new legendary
-Reduce the price of the event items. Give them the regular price within the timeframe of the event, then give them the expensive 3000 gold price for the rest of the game

 

[gypsygib]

"First we need to milk the cow dry"

Milk until the nipples bleed, then add chocolate and milk some more, increase the price and call it chocolate milk.

-True story

 

[levyjl1988]

I spent $170+ on loot boxes thinking I'll be able to get everything, nope. At that point I gave up and said. Fuck you Blizzard. Not going to spend more on your shit.

It's become an episode of South Park. Stupid psychological Loss Aversion crap they pull on us.

 

[Swig_]

I am utterly astounded anyone spends money on this game. The loot box system is fucking ludicrous.

When the game came out I thought about buying some boxes. Then I watched Jeff Gerstmann open 50 and get totally fucked and was like "whew, bullet dodged."

If you are buying these boxes YOU are literally the problem.

This is what I've been saying for a long time. If you want it to change, vote with your wallet and stop giving them money. It's stupid to be buying boxes for real money. It never makes the system better, always makes it worse.

 

[Conrad Link]

It's pretty sad when we're actually wishing for the old 'simple' micro-transaction BS instead of this even higher level of BS gambling crap.

Just buying the skin for more money after already buying the game wasn't enough, they have to keep shitting all over consumers seeing how much their 'fans' are willing to take. Now we're paying for a chance to most likely not get anything we want.

-_-

"Let's have an anniversary event celebrating the game and the fans - and they're paying for the party! LOLOLOL"

"Also, they have to leave when we tell them too, and most likely without even having a piece of cake! LOLOLOL"

Here's to a year of Overwatch everyone. >_>

 

[Squishy3]

The rate you can get duplicates of skins earned in the event is even ridiculous. I've opened something like... 20 boxes? And I've gotten 4 legendary drops, Lucio, D.va and Mei skins... and a Lucio skin dupe.


That needs to be toned down.

 

[Swig_]

The rate you can get duplicates of skins earned in the event is even ridiculous. I've opened something like... 20 boxes? And I've gotten 4 legendary drops, Lucio, D.va and Mei skins... and a Lucio skin dupe.


That needs to be toned down.

I'm on about 15 boxes, the most I've gotten are two dance emotes and some player icons. Haven't had a legendary in any of these boxes. Most boxes have had 2-3 dupes, as well.

 

[FoxSpirit]

Back in my day, people used to play games because they were fun, not because they could add +1 on a progress bar every now and then.

Yes, and we made our own custom models and skins if games had no customisation.
Which nowadays will get you banned.

Why bring up the past and then think only about half of it?

 

[VeryGooster]

Bought 35 loot boxes for two legendary skins (neither of them characters I main) and a ton of dupe dumb ass sprays and voice lines. Not even dances except one or two.

 

[veloxStrix]

Yes, and we made our own custom models and skins if games had no customisation.
Which nowadays will get you banned.

Why bring up the past and then think only about half of it?

While I don't think the person you are replying to is making a particularly powerful point, I'm not sure the scale of people creating their own custom models and skins was ever really high enough to bother making a point out of either.

 

[Dreams-Visions]

While I don't think the person you are replying to is making a particularly powerful point, I'm not sure the scale of people creating their own custom models and skins was ever really high enough to bother making a point out of either.

Let me stop you. Former Unreal Tournament player here.

The mod community making skins and maps was MASSIVE, as were the number of people using them.

Examples:

http://www.unrealcentral.com/

https://www.utzone.de/forum/downloads.php?do=cat&id=55

 

[Nimby]

I really think the loot system in this game is fine. It's just the "event formula" is running pretty dry with each event getting more items, equaling more I potentially want. Everyone gets a new emote, but instead of them being legendary permanent emotes (which only 2 of those exist and one was tied to the Christmas event anyway) they're tied to an event. It's dancing, these emotes are cool and they're a limited time deal. That would be like gating the sit emotes behind the Halloween event.

And another problem I have is the lack of non-event content. I mean how hard is it to just release a bunch of rare/epic skins periodically. I like Zenyatta's default design the best, but I'm getting tired of using the same colors over and over again.

 

[Yukinari]

Theyre super smart too, theyre ending comp this month which is the fastest way to get EXP so now for the rest of the event people are just gonna have to deal with QP EXP and Arcade boxes.