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[T.O.P]

If it doesn't affect vs mode I don't really care what people spend

I spent a weekend on the game and got enough for 2 elite packs, I recycled some skins that I didn't care about and got enough to upgrade my Horde class quite enough and get the skins I actually wanted, all good for me

 

[hank_tree]

You can play play all 50 waves of Horde mode over a span of hours and still not be able to afford the cheapest in-game pack for that mode.

I don't think this is true. Getting to wave 20/30 on casual is usually enough for me to be able to afford a Horde pack.

 

[johnnydrama]

Stop buying into this nonsense.

They were making a fine profit either way.

GTA V is making shitheaps of cash through GTA Online. None of it is nonsense if people will pay for it. The aim of AAA games isn't to just make some profit. It's to maximize profits. And if they can they will. Looking at a business from consumer's point of view will always give you the partial picture. I don't like microtransactions, but they're here to stay, and saying that AAA games need DLC and MTs to thrive is not nonsense at all.

 

[T.O.P]

I don't think this is true. Getting to wave 20/30 on casual is usually enough for me to be able to afford a Horde pack.

Yeah, since you get also credits for leveling up

 

[hawk2025]

Microsoft is now selling early access, slot machine multipliers, and paid gatcha slot draws across the board in all of their major games.

It's gross.

 

[jadedm17]

The system does need some heavy tweaking: My biggest gripe is that you don't even unlock basic skins with level progression. Sure, keep the fun stuff locked, but give us most basic skins.

The new e-sports pack is especially ridiculous.

If you want to get all the exclusives from it you have to spend $100 ($10 each) at a minimum, but that's assuming you don't get a single duplicate which is pretty much impossible. People that have gotten everything have spend over $500 in some instances.

The economy of Gears 4 is in a pretty sad state currently.

Alternatively you can not worry about having every single thing in existence?

Overwatch does this well : Prioritize.

 

[texhnolyze]

Stop buying into this nonsense.

They were making a fine profit either way.

Why stop at fine if you can go bigger?

 

[Shpeshal Nick]

It sucks I guess, I dunno, I've been paying Horde just fine and haven't paid money for packs.

Would it be better if they weren't there? Yeah. Are they making you buy them? No.

 

[hawk2025]

Yes, no one is being made to buy anything. This isn't a human rights issue.

Can we drop that ridiculous pretense when discussing these things?

 

[Shpeshal Nick]

Yes, no one is being made to buy anything. This isn't a human rights issue.

Can we drop that ridiculous pretense when discussing these things?

Why? Isn't it a pretty important component to it though?

 

[BananasWithGuns]

Alternatively you can not worry about having every single thing in existence?

Overwatch does this well : Prioritize.

That's not an option with the e-sports pack exactly. They only put it up on the store for 24 hours and it's only available for real money, not in game credits.

So your only option is to pay $10 to roll the dice and hope you get what you want. It's shitty any way you look at it.

And as someone that would have really liked to have had the Black Steel Del skin, TC and MS managed to completely alienate me by turning it into a slot machine that costs $10 to pull the lever each time.

 

[Psychoward]

I remember when all gears 3 weapon skins were gonna be free and then they revealed they had to be bought like a week before relesse. Good times.

 

[Super Stardust]

They should have copied the halo 5 req system, I feel like I'm always progressing and opening packs in that game.

 

[ElBoxyBrown]

The system does need some heavy tweaking: My biggest gripe is that you don't even unlock basic skins with level progression. Sure, keep the fun stuff locked, but give us most basic skins.



Alternatively you can not worry about having every single thing in existence?

Overwatch does this well : Prioritize.

Except it's for a limited time and you can't buy the esports skins and pack with credits. Once it's gone, it's gone.

 

[Shengar]

The problem with microtransaction that it will somehow find its way ti detract you fron enjoyment, especially when the said transaction is to be found within a $60 game.

 

[jadedm17]

That's not an option with the e-sports pack exactly. They only put it up on the store for 24 hours and it's only available for real money, not in game credits.

So your only option is to pay $10 to roll the dice and hope you get what you want. It's shitty any way you look at it.

And as someone that would have really liked to have had the Black Steel Del skin, TC and MS managed to completely alienate me by turning it into a slot machine that costs $10 to pull the lever each time.

In that regard they're not the only one as the aforementioned Overwatch is the same : The Summer skins in that game wouldn't be as special if they weren't that rare. I'd love to have the Halloween Reaper but I know my chances are slim and I can accept the disappointment if that never happens. (Yes I understand you can use in game currency there but the principles remain for cosmetic items.)

Destiny had plenty of guns I never got to try, Halo had fun outfits... You can't get everything.

Personally I just think the problem is the disparity for time played to what you can realistically obtain; As for the other things it's their game and they told you the odds so while it make not be what you prefer it is what people are willing to buy so whatever.

Except it's for a limited time and you can't buy the esports skins and pack with credits. Once it's gone, it's gone.

That makes them all the more special for what you do have.

To me it's like people who hate Gamestops trade values (or any pawn shop) : It's not ideal, I'd like it to be better too, but they're upfront about what they offer and you're not forced to be a part of it.

The system could be better but it's their system and its cosmetic.

Edit : I'd love to have an Xbox Onesie but that wasn't even a US contest; I understand disappointment but again : You can't have everything.

 

[Soodanim]

The new e-sports pack is especially ridiculous.

If you want to get all the exclusives from it you have to spend $100 ($10 each) at a minimum, but that's assuming you don't get a single duplicate which is pretty much impossible. People that have gotten everything have spend over $500 in some instances.

The economy of Gears 4 is in a pretty sad state currently.

Is there any surprise that they do it when you have people who are willing to drop half a grand extra? That's insane.

 

[painey]

this week they launched a $100 "micro" transaction pack. In-fucking-sane.

 

[justsomeguy]

How does it compare to halo 5's req packs - which personally I love

 

[jadedm17]

Is there any surprise that they do it when you have people who are willing to drop half a grand extra? That's insane.

Well said.

I have brand loyalty but I understand their loyalty is to money.
A business is to make money, not be your friend; Some have more passion for what they do than others, but it's money they live for and were the same.

How does it compare to halo 5's req packs - which personally I love

I'd say a fair bit more ridiculous : Earning in-game credits is far more grind in Gears4.
Halo 5's req system was great; Gears has no daily packs and takes longer in general for everything.

 

[Saucycarpdog]

They should have copied the halo 5 req system, I feel like I'm always progressing and opening packs in that game.

The REQ system kind of has to be generous considering most of the items you get are consumables.

 

[Sword Of Doom]

Chests in games need to go away. From Overwatch to Gears of War, it's all rotten. Cosmetic or not. Of course, things like maps and other content are free for all so that shuts people up from complaining too much. It's just all so shady to me

That's not an option with the e-sports pack exactly. They only put it up on the store for 24 hours and it's only available for real money, not in game credits.

So your only option is to pay $10 to roll the dice and hope you get what you want. It's shitty any way you look at it.

And as someone that would have really liked to have had the Black Steel Del skin, TC and MS managed to completely alienate me by turning it into a slot machine that costs $10 to pull the lever each time.

Unfortunately people keep buying them. Just go into any Overwatch thread.

 

[Crimsonclaw111]

Glad the only pack I've ever opened were the free ones given to me. That's the way it is gonna stay too.

I've not played horde mode to know if this is an issue to me but the regular multiplayer seems fine.

 

[barneystuta83]

Microtransactions are not the issue specifically in Gears, although they are a concern in general gaming.

The problem is the awful economy.

MS/343 were 'praised' for their approach in Halo 5 with REQ packs. People were apprehensive at the start, but once the game launched, people seemed pleasantly surprised. If you are going to do Microtransactions, that is the way to do it.

In Gears, the principal is similar. But execution is very different:

- Duplicates in Gears - in Halo, you could grind the smaller packs and unlock all the common items. Then, you could go for a Gold pack with an even higher chance of a high tier skin.

- Daily Req Packs/level Up Packs - Halo had these. The dailies were introduced later, but the latter was there from day one. No sign of anything in Gears.

- Points per Game - One round of Warzone or a few Arena matches and I had enough to buy a pack or 2. If I wanted a Gold pack, I'd have to save for 8-15 matches depending on the game mode. But REQ points boost cards helped. Gears? I've played 20 matches and still unable to buy the top 'free' pack.

- Content - probably the biggest reason why Halo works better. The number of skins (Helmets, Armours, Weapons) at launch was far higher than Gears. There was none of this star burst colour Swarm nonsense. The skins were actually interesting. Not just a brightly coloured Shotgun. The fact that Halo had so much good content, you always got something interesting and different. In Gears, bar the top tier, they are pretty awful.

The one thing I do like about Gears is you can break down cards into scrap to get the specific card you want. But the grind is real.

If Gears can get more decent content out there, not just a bright purple Swarm skin, then they could re balance the economy and give more to help the grind.

As it stands though, I am going to be pretty much ignoring this feature, even with the 'free' points. Which is a shame, because I loved the chase on Halo.

 

[RoslindaleOne]

How does it compare to halo 5's req packs - which personally I love

Gears 4 is a grind. It doesn't feel as rewarding as Halo 5 when it comes to unlocking stuff.

 

[IHaveIce]

The new e-sports pack is especially ridiculous.

If you want to get all the exclusives from it you have to spend $100 ($10 each) at a minimum, but that's assuming you don't get a single duplicate which is pretty much impossible. People that have gotten everything have spend over $500 in some instances.

The economy of Gears 4 is in a pretty sad state currently.

Aren't esport packages more to support the competitive scene and fund tournaments?

Like with Dota?

 

[Ghazi]

Aren't esport packages more to support the competitive scene and fund tournaments?

Like with Dota?

Yeah... but they've never been this gouging.

 

[Maintenance]

The microtransactions are totally optional! Except they’re not if you want to have the highest damage weapons and in-game buffs for Horde mode.

Doesn't seem like cosmetic to me.

 

[deadscreensky]

Just adding to all of the existing complaints, the vast majority of cosmetic unlocks in Gears 4 seem to be tacky, lazy shit. Nearly all of the weapon unlocks I've earned clash terribly with the game's existing art. They don't look cool, or unusual, or generally even funny. Their only value is they shout "LOOK AT ME!"

Halo 5 has a pretty good system, especially in comparison. I think part of the problem is that the burn rate for your cards in Halo is so much faster than in Gears, so they can afford to throw more at you. But Gears still feels extremely unrewarding even on its own terms.

And even aside from the money grind, stuff like unlocking extra skill slots in Horde takes forever too. It'd be okay if the leveling process gave you unique character specialization options (like the Last Stand), but no, in Gears 4 it's a straight power-up thing. The more you grind the stronger you get, that's it. ZZZ.

 

[Peterthumpa]

Uh, what exactly is wrong with MD micro-transactions again? Honest question.

 

[Sniffynose]

The new e-sports pack is especially ridiculous.

If you want to get all the exclusives from it you have to spend $100 ($10 each) at a minimum, but that's assuming you don't get a single duplicate which is pretty much impossible. People that have gotten everything have spend over $500 in some instances.

The economy of Gears 4 is in a pretty sad state currently.

Saw this and was really pissed off, the season pass is a joke for this game, since you will need to spend hundreds on top of ultimate edition if you wanted these "limited time" offerings, and of course they look amazing compared to the crappy face paint and color splat skins grrr

 

[Card Boy]

I can't complain i got my copy for free.

 

[Floody]

The thing that annoys me most about this is we still have to pay MS monthly just to be able to play online, you'd think that'd be enough for them not to have MTs in their games, but no, they are just being greedy, because they can now.

 

[Giftofgab24]

Only issue I see is that it is horribly balanced for people who mostly/only play Horde. Maybe if they upped Horde eaenings and made a Horde only pack which was slightly more expensive, it could balance it.

There's already a horde only pack that's considerably cheaper. It takes just a few rounds to earn enough for one. This is a complete non issue in my opinion.

 

[Sword Of Doom]

The cost of modern AAA.
You want games bigger, longer, prettier, more content for same $60, better accept that and let whales fund part of it.

How do you explain these same kinds of microtransactions in mobile games? Those have nowhere near the budget of AAA games. Publishers do this because they can get away with it.

 

[SlickShoes]

It's barely comparable to overwatch though, the rate you earn credits in this game is so slow. In overwatch you get a loot box every time you level up.

In gears you get 500credits every 5 levels I think, and 50credits per game otherwise. The cheapest crate is 1000credits, the good crate is 3500.

The system is designed to be slow and frustrating so that you feel like you need to spend real money on it. Overwatch is designed to give you a reward from playing regularly and if you want to buy extra you can, it never feels forced there but in gears the only thing you get from leveling up is a number increase and a paltry amount of credits.

 

[Comfort Jones]

GTA V is making shitheaps of cash through GTA Online. None of it is nonsense if people will pay for it. The aim of AAA games isn't to just make some profit. It's to maximize profits. And if they can they will. Looking at a business from consumer's point of view will always give you the partial picture. I don't like microtransactions, but they're here to stay, and saying that AAA games need DLC and MTs to thrive is not nonsense at all.

Are you telling me these games cant turn a profit without all of this stuff?

 

[Joco]

The abundance of microtransactions in many $60 games these days has really turned me off of a good number of purchases this console generation. I'd rather play a game like League which is free and has a fair business model than pay $60 upfront and then be expected to pay more for the full experience.

 

[Giftofgab24]

Stop buying into this nonsense.

They were making a fine profit either way.

Yes, their gaming division was doing so great that they had to close only three studios and limit it to putting only hundreds of people out of work. Also, how much did Microsoft pay for the Gears franchise? They're gonna wanna make their money back on that.

 

[Doikor]

Are you telling me these games cant turn a profit without all of this stuff?

No but they can make more profit like this. As he said its for max profit not turn a profit. Does it work? Hard to say (yet). I hope it doesn't so we get back to getting the full game for its normal price tag.

edit: AAA games are tens of millions dollar+ investments that the investors want their money back with a very big return. This way if they bomb an AAA game every now and then it doesn't tank them as the other ones made enough profit to cover it. Basically AAA game business has turned into the same as big blockbuster movies. Also one of the reasons why Epic stopped doing AAA games as the risk is just too big for a company their size to make them (one failure could bankrupt them).

 

[wapplew]

Are you telling me these games cant turn a profit without all of this stuff?

Maybe publishers just don't greenlight AAA project without a micro transaction model.
I mean, studio ask 100-200m for a project, it's not hard to see publisher want some serious return of investment.

 

[LuvOfThaGame]

I have no issues with the in game packs you can get by grinding, however, Here's my issue. I buy a pack to "support" eSPORT and was assuming I'd be, at least, marginally compensated. I mean, asking $10 for what we paid $5 for in Gears1UE seems like a steep enough tax, but I got to at least get a character skin and lancer/gnasher. Nope! Got my 2 skins for weapons I don't use, nor can start with. Then, I get a couple items that I've had before and had gotten FREE by in game grinding. Make matters worse, these skins are only worth 20 scrap! WTF! How they can think this ok is beyond me! Don't buy these. DONT EVER BUY THESE ESPORT PACKS UNTIL THEY CHANGE THIS! They will continue to do this as long as you do.

 

[sammyCYBORG]

It's really disgusting.

Pay £50 for a game, as soon as it loads up the first thing you see is "BUY THESE CRATES FOR £££".

So fucking scummy. Why did I pay full price for this game again if you're just going to try and rinse me of cash at every turn?

I don't know what DRM is like for consoles but I bet this shit increases piracy if it's possible. No respect for the paying consumers. Makes me mad every time I boot up the game.

 

[Giftofgab24]

Are you telling me these games cant turn a profit without all of this stuff?

They're not in this business to turn a profit. They're in this business to increase their valuation and raise their stock price. Do you think a board of directors that sees mobile games making money hand over fist with this kind of shit is gonna ignore it? Absolutely not. As long as it doesn't give you an advantage over other players it's not a problem. You really don't even need them for horde mode. I saw someone in the OT saying they got through wave 50 with only one person on the team with one upgrade. They also made those packs much cheaper. Like less than half the price of the cheaper cosmetic pack. This business model isn't going anywhere anytime soon and I fully expect it to become more pervasive as time goes on. I think constructive criticism on how to make it fair and balanced is better than just crying foul.

 

[Doikor]

It's really disgusting.

Pay £50 for a game, as soon as it loads up the first thing you see is "BUY THESE CRATES FOR £££".

So fucking scummy. Why did I pay full price for this game again if you're just going to try and rinse me of cash at every turn?

I don't know what DRM is like for consoles but I bet this shit increases piracy if it's possible. No respect for the paying consumers. Makes me mad every time I boot up the game.

These micro dlc things almost always only effect multiplayer content. Piracy is actually a rather minor issue there usually. It is very easy to make a working anti piracy system as you are pretty much in an always online system (just check the licence/key on the server at the start of every multiplayer session).

 

[123rl]

I haven't spent a penny on micro transactions in Gears 4 and I'm doing fine in Horde mode. It's optional and I have no intention of buying any to progress any time soon. If you're buying them, who's fault is that? Just don't buy them and vote with your wallet instead of buying $500 of content and then bitching because it wasn't worth it. Horde 3.0 is fucking amazing fun but I'm not going to spend money on packs just to get new perks.

 

[bombshell]

Uh, pretty much every AAA publisher is doing this. Just look at Square Enix, WB, Activision, Blizzard. Hell, even Uncharted 4 has paid perks from what I gather. I may be wrong about the last part though.

In Uncharted 4, with the real money currency you can pick exactly what items you want.

With the in-game currency, you can open different kinds of chests that give you random item(s) in that category, but no duplicates.

Neither of these two things is in the Gears 4 microtransactions from what I gather. It's all random and there's duplicates.

 

[Mrbob]

Wow The Coalition literally turned multiplayer into a free to play game. Heck what they did looks worse than most free to play games. Ridiculous considering every point is 60 to 100 dollars. That's a shame as I did plan to own this game. Probably not anymore though.

 

[Theorry]

Microsoft is now selling early access, slot machine multipliers, and paid gatcha slot draws across the board in all of their major games.

It's gross.

Atleast the dlc maps are free. Gross.

 

[Collateral22]

Atleast the dlc maps are free. Gross.

But if you want to play them with your friends in private you need to buy them!