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Star Wars Battlefront 2s Microtransactions Are Shaping up to Be Pay-To-Win
- Thread starter Strakt
- Start date
nuclearaddict
Banned
Once the full game drops you will earn rare items at an alarmingly slow pace. Example: in Battlefield 1 beta I hit rank 30 in like a short day of playing, but as for the full game? A year later I'm barely in the 40s after on and off again playing.
Principate
Saint Titanfall
We've seen ea games with this system before. None of this is new.
What's new is that they actually dared to apply it to a pvp game.
PodcastFips
Member
I'd rather have free maps and 1% of players paying cash for star cards than the other way round. They aren't game-changing in my opinion.
Nightmare452
Member
I agree actually. The problem is, people are buying them. Developers and publishers probably got the real data, and it states that for all the hate/bad comments from people from news such as this, the fact is probably it does not deter 99% of us from buying the game. Which means we will still buy the game, play it, and some of us will buy loot boxes. Some will complain, but will be a vocal minority. Sadly, but yeah, agreed its not the real world.
fluffydelusions
Member
You don't have to buy a Samus Aran figurine in hope of getting that mode. You simply get it.
I would also consider microtransactions in case of Battlefront 2 acceptable, but they went a significant step further and made loot crates lookalikes.
MHWilliams
Member
I do find it interesting that folks forget Amiibo. Especially since for certain figures, they're hard to find, which is actually worse than a fully digital version.
Nah. You get Hard Mode. Fusion Mode is an additional level of difficulty.
Hoya Destroyer
Member
I hope this game is good. Im not buying CoD this year and Im a bored of Overwatch. I need a good FPS to play, with a healthy population.
Not right to group everyone together like this. There's no excuse for being p2w. If microtransactions are necessary, go the Overwatch route and at least make sure they're only cosmetic.
Krappadizzle
Member
There's like 40 years of lore from comics/toys/movies/books that they could pull a million different cosmetic items from that don't affect gameplay in the slightest and that would have been a better option than this.
Daffy Duck
Member
Well you see its a catch 22, I dont want to play a game that has these elements in, but I can only find out about by reading such things.
Im not overreacting at all, Im sick of lootboxes being in everything these days, blame CoD for me being so bitter about this system their system has burned me hugely.
A small minority may not feel the need to buy these crates but they are there to feed on the psychology of those that do want to open them, and theres millions of who will just do it.
Principate
Saint Titanfall
True dat, but ir's far from actual gambling which is abhorrent. Amiibo'a are a worse version of traditional microtransaction but paid loot crates are worse. Especially when use in this manner.
There's a reason why gambling is strictly regulated.
buttery fistful
Member
I'm not going to be the first to say this but god I'm sick of loot crates.
Evolution of Metal
Member
Message to you: OW business model isn't possible for every game. What are you going to sell? Clone skins? Beach chef Stormtrooper skin?
A red droid or iconic X-wing paintjob is trash if you have to pay money for it. People don't care about marginal cosmetics like the ones in Battlefield 1, someone has to fund the post-launch content support.
EA sells the majority of the copies during the holiday season before the content even drops, there is so little initiative to release large-scale free DLC that it is pointless to discuss it.
It is the bullshit circle argument where the only solution is:
Someone pays for the content
There is no content made
UpDownLeftRight
Banned
Noticed this immediately upon logging into the beta. It put me off heavily and so did the map I played. It felt off visually somehow too and there seemed to be some small occasial skip in the server. Plus where were the vehicles?
Right now it's looking like I'll skip this and I actually like the first one.
Right now it's looking like I'll skip this and I actually like the first one.
QuixoticNeutral
Member
The real danger is if loot boxes go the way of cosmetic DLC and become completely normalized within five years, when a generation that grew up completely accustomed to this business model can't imagine the world working any other way, and actively demands loot boxes where there are none. Say no to them now or you won't get the choice to say no to them later.
What about PUBG?
Actual GOOD game without p2w or other money milking anticonsumer tactics priority #1
Salty Rice
Member
Great another game infested with this shit.
I pray there gonna be gambling laws striking down on this shit in the future.
I pray there gonna be gambling laws striking down on this shit in the future.
bbkkristian
Member
People are just realizing this now? :/ They announced this system months ago.
I love PUBG and play it daily, but lets be real, once it launches they're gonna make u purchase keys ($3 each) for rng crates. They did a test version of this already in early access.
Tal Shiar Agent
Member
Thats an extreme reaction to something that isn't pay to win.
UpDownLeftRight
Banned
I don't like it myself but really? At least play it if you're gonna tell people they shouldn't even touch it.
The overreactions.
You can buy what are essentially scratcher tickets for in game money you earn every battle or for real money. Just like scratcher cards you can get a whole lot of nothing or maybe you get lucky and get something useful.
Dice has been doing this kind of thing for years. You could be the grinder who grinded his way through levels in engineer or you could be the guy who runs to battlefield website and buys the engineer shortcut kit.
You can buy what are essentially scratcher tickets for in game money you earn every battle or for real money. Just like scratcher cards you can get a whole lot of nothing or maybe you get lucky and get something useful.
Dice has been doing this kind of thing for years. You could be the grinder who grinded his way through levels in engineer or you could be the guy who runs to battlefield website and buys the engineer shortcut kit.
And it will be all cosmetic, none is making u buy them.
No its not, theyre just greedy asshole.
Rellik
Member
Yep. It's putting me off this hobby and you've got the the usual names in here defending this cancer.
This article is a bit hyperbolic.
From what we can see in terms of rarity on the Star Cards in the beta as well as leaks/datamining the range of effects in Star Cards aren't particularly outrageous between the lowest tier and the highest tier. At a quick glance the most egregious things I'm seeing are along the lines of recharge time cooldown % increase at 10/15/20/28 from lowest to highest tier, or a 5/5.25/5.5/6 blast radius, things like that.
On paper that IS P2W, 100% no questions asked and it's not defendable in that regard. What I care about personally is how much of a factor are these in actual gameplay, and the answer is probably not to a huge degree. Battlefront 1/2 are not super serious competitive games where you are generally engaging in serious even footing one on one encounters. This is a game where at literally any time you are going to get fucking creamed by someone with a lightsaber, in a turret, on a tank, in a starfighter, with an explosive, or any other of a million variables completely outside of your control regardless of how good you are or what Star Cards you have. And that's completely ignoring the fact that you can level up Star Cards with dupes and any other upgrade paths.
With something like say Call of Duty this would be a much bigger deal and is why there is pretty legitimate outrage about the path that series has gone down. And it's already been pointed out that this is similar to the Battlefield unlocks they've sold for real money, and they did almost the exact same thing in Battlefront 1 (you could buy to unlock all the gear ASAP but for some reason no one ever talked about that?).
While I don't think this is a significant issue and I'll take it over everything else being free I'm not exactly fistpumping over here with excitement. I think if someone was concerned about this you should absolutely wait to see how it pans out at launch, but given the context of the game and how it works as far know and have played I'm not at all concerned about someone dumping $100 or whatever in the game having any sort of real advantage over me.
But that said people are just going to read the headline and have already made up their minds one way or the other.
From what we can see in terms of rarity on the Star Cards in the beta as well as leaks/datamining the range of effects in Star Cards aren't particularly outrageous between the lowest tier and the highest tier. At a quick glance the most egregious things I'm seeing are along the lines of recharge time cooldown % increase at 10/15/20/28 from lowest to highest tier, or a 5/5.25/5.5/6 blast radius, things like that.
On paper that IS P2W, 100% no questions asked and it's not defendable in that regard. What I care about personally is how much of a factor are these in actual gameplay, and the answer is probably not to a huge degree. Battlefront 1/2 are not super serious competitive games where you are generally engaging in serious even footing one on one encounters. This is a game where at literally any time you are going to get fucking creamed by someone with a lightsaber, in a turret, on a tank, in a starfighter, with an explosive, or any other of a million variables completely outside of your control regardless of how good you are or what Star Cards you have. And that's completely ignoring the fact that you can level up Star Cards with dupes and any other upgrade paths.
With something like say Call of Duty this would be a much bigger deal and is why there is pretty legitimate outrage about the path that series has gone down. And it's already been pointed out that this is similar to the Battlefield unlocks they've sold for real money, and they did almost the exact same thing in Battlefront 1 (you could buy to unlock all the gear ASAP but for some reason no one ever talked about that?).
While I don't think this is a significant issue and I'll take it over everything else being free I'm not exactly fistpumping over here with excitement. I think if someone was concerned about this you should absolutely wait to see how it pans out at launch, but given the context of the game and how it works as far know and have played I'm not at all concerned about someone dumping $100 or whatever in the game having any sort of real advantage over me.
But that said people are just going to read the headline and have already made up their minds one way or the other.
Yea no doubt and I don't really mind microtransactions (cosmetics) since I dont buy them usually.. but it is a money milking tactic even if people like us don't purchase it.
fluffydelusions
Member
cosmetics only though
A lot of those comics/toys/books are now non-canon.
And I don't think there are that many options. Certainly more for Rebels, but for Stormtroopers or those Clone Droid things? Not really. And that's half of your playtime.
Rainbow Six Siege can put characters in Firefighter outfits, or a kilt, but Star Wars can't. Rainbow Six Siege can put key-chains on guns, but Star Wars can't. I'm not that knowledgeable on Star Wars lore, but I recognise its aesthetic, and I don't think you could put enough cosmetic microtransactions to support the financial ambitions of a game like Battlefront without breaking that aesthetic.
Salty Rice
Member
They needed a reminder and since we have now every 2nd game with gambling boxes or other garbage people are realizing now that we are in for a great ride.
Its overreations. Mostly coming from people who will never play the game to begging with.
I remember the overreactions regarding MGSV and the whole FOB thing.
Personally it does not bother me at all. I will play the game, get some boxes and find random stuff and occasionally get something that makes my character look funny or improve/alter my class ability. I won't be paying to get that stuff faster. If someone wants to burn real money to get those things faster, then feel free.
If that slight incrimental upgrades means he kills me slightly faster, it's not the end of the world. I will moan my head off about being a dirty camping cheater and move on.
If that slight incrimental upgrades means he kills me slightly faster, it's not the end of the world. I will moan my head off about being a dirty camping cheater and move on.
Or we can call it that "keep developing the game post launch" like someone said, without ruining the game.
Hoya Destroyer
Member
I thought it was PC only until just now. I'll keep it in mind.
NullPointer
Member
Yep
They didn't have to go the game altering RNG route, but thats how they're rolling.
PC only for now
Xbox release end of this year / start of next year
PS release sometime next year maybe?
If people consider CoD: BO3 and IW to have P2W mechanics when the loot boxes don't actually contain anything that gives you a huge advantage over another player, you bet your ass they will consider this system P2W.
I don't where the disagreement is
I should had worded it better but, yes your both right. I just say it so blandly cause it's EA and Star Wars so it's gonna sell no matter what. Loot boxes should be cosmetic only I agree.
I guess I'm just numb to it. I just ignore it if it's in the game and only get it from the way the game give it to you for free.
Tal Shiar Agent
Member
Would you like to speak directly to us?
I don't like microtransactions, but it if means actual content is free I'll put up with it. So long as it isn't pay to win, which in the case of Battlefront II, it isn't.
The difference here is that Black Ops 3 is pay to win because it has weapons that can only be gotten from lootboxes. It doesn't matter if they aren't significantly better or not. That's an actual example of pay to win in a AAA game.
Yup. I think it's obviously a fair criticism and if someone wanted to not buy the game on principle because of it I totally respect that. But then you have people like this:
Which is hilarious, but also compels people to try to explain or "defend" microtransactions and the whole discussion goes nowhere, because one or both parties isn't interested in a discussion anymore because it's the internet and everyone has to have set in stone extreme opinions. It's kind of depressing actually.
ElBoxyBrown
Banned
PUBG will have loot boxes.
RedRooster
Member
Until winning a round actually pays back out real money, who cares? Sure, the dude who spent 5 bucks for rare cards beat you that round, but so what? HE spent money that you likely(and correctly) thought would be better spent on something more tangible in life. Game is over, he's out 5 bucks, you move to another server, try it all again.
Pay to win is less and less perturbing to me the older I get.
Pay to win is less and less perturbing to me the older I get.