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[Fbh]

Earlier this year we learned Rocket League would be dropping the crates (a.k.a loot boxes) mechanic in favor of a new system where users would know what their are getting for they money.

According to their site:

A game update in December will introduce a new system called Blueprints. After you play a match of Rocket League, you’ll have a chance to obtain a Blueprint; a new type of drop that will replace Crates. When you receive a Blueprint, it will show you exactly what item you can create from it, for a set price. Once they're in your inventory, Blueprints will allow you to pay to create the item it offers and receive it immediately; or you can leave it in your inventory and choose to create the item later.
Like the Crate items that preceded them, Blueprints can drop with special attributes like Painted, Certified, and Special Editions.

Additionally they'll be introducing an rotating item shop where players can just straight up buy a bunch of new and old crate content:

There's more than just Blueprints coming to Rocket League. In the same game update in December, we’ll be introducing a new rotating Item Shop. The Item Shop will offer a wide variety of content including new items, legacy Crate content you might have missed out on, and the long-awaited debuts of items like the Titanium White Dominus. Important note: Item Shop purchases will be bound to your account and cannot be traded.
Items from Blueprints and the Item Shop will be obtained by Credits, our new premium currency replacing Keys. You’ll use Credits to create items from Blueprints, upgrade to Rocket Pass Premium, and buy content from the Item Shop. Esports Tokens will be separate from Credits, and will be the only way to purchase items from the Esports Shop.

Source: Rocket League Website


Seems fine?
My biggest issue with cosmetic loot boxes in games like this is the randomness of what you get. I don't really mind paying a few bucks for a cosmetic items in some game I play a lot but I never have and never will pay for some random item or a "chance" to get what I want.


EDIT:
Damn, forgot the tag

 

[Soleil rouge]

It's an improvement for sure, but I wonder what will happen with unused crates and/or keys you have in your inventory?

 

[MiyazakiHatesKojima]

I've never played this game in my life even though I have it for free on PS Plus.

 

[Fbh]

It's an improvement for sure, but I wonder what will happen with unused crates and/or keys you have in your inventory?

Keys will be converted into "credit" which is the new currency used to buy the content in Blueprints.

And unused crates will be turned into a blueprint for one item in them.

 

[GermanZepp]

I've never played this game in my life even though I have it for free on PS Plus.

you should be ashamed of yourself

 

[HeisenbergFX4]

This game needs cross progression next.

All the years of playing on different platforms before cross play yo play with friends means I have stuff I would like combined on one platform.

 

[DonF]

I've never played this game in my life even though I have it for free on PS Plus.

You are missing out, dude. Its great in short bursts, it has very VERY high skill ceiling, but a great learning curve. Runs great, its fun and cosmetics are just that, cosmetics. There are ranks and many modes, 1v1, 2v2, 3v3, 4v4, hell there is even a basketball variant!

 

[Pejo]

This is great. My luck with crates have always been awful. I'd much rather just be able to straight up buy the cars/paint I want. Still seems RNG of when you get the blueprint, but that's still better than having the extra RNG on top of that of what you get.

 

[Thabass]

I've never played this game in my life even though I have it for free on PS Plus.

The more you say things, the more you disappoint me.

 

[Handy Fake]

This is great. My luck with crates have always been awful. I'd much rather just be able to straight up buy the cars/paint I want. Still seems RNG of when you get the blueprint, but that's still better than having the extra RNG on top of that of what you get.

It's not a bad system at all actually, is it?
I do like the randomness anyway, but being able to actually choose whether or not to invest in what you've rolled is certainly a step up from blindly hoping for the best while you reach for your wallet.

 

[Grinchy]

I wonder how much stuff will cost. It doesn't seem like it would make sense for the blueprints to each cost as much as a single key since people only want the more rare and cooler items. I have to imagine the good stuff will just cost more. So like an item that's painted costs 3x what the base model costs or something.

 

[Fuz]

Can you get an infinite number of blueprints until you have exactly what you're looking for, whithout spending a dime?

 

[Handy Fake]

Can you get an infinite number of blueprints until you have exactly what you're looking for, whithout spending a dime?

That's how I read it, yes.

 

[Fuz]

That's how I read it, yes.

I'm not sure what the point is, then.

 

[Pejo]

I'm not sure what the point is, then.

I think they're trying to get out a head of the impending loot box regulation stuff. That seems to be the only reason I can see, as it will almost definitely negatively effect their bottom line.

 

[Fuz]

I think they're trying to get out a head of the impending loot box regulation stuff. That seems to be the only reason I can see, as it will almost definitely negatively effect their bottom line.

Yeah, I mean, at this point just sell the item and get rid of boxes/blueprints.

 

[Tesseract]

rocket league is awesome, support these guys

 

[Grinchy]

Yeah, I mean, at this point just sell the item and get rid of boxes/blueprints.

This is my total guess. The enticement is that these are random drops. I can get a random drop of a car we both want that's painted white. You might get one that's just default. So, mine is better and "more valuable."

The game is going to convert to a currency system. The trading economy that currently exists in the game will continue to function, but now people will trade with currency instead of keys.

People will buy blueprints from other players with this currency, and then after doing so, will be able to buy the item with money. I wonder if Psyonix will directly sell this in-game currency or not. But if you want the pure white cowboy hat blueprint that had an insanely low drop rate, you'd have to buy it off the player that was lucky enough to get the drop.

 

[Fbh]

Yeah, I mean, at this point just sell the item and get rid of boxes/blueprints.

You have to play the game to get Blueprints so I guess it's still an incentive for people to actually play the game.

And I guess it might have to do with items still having "rarity". I imagine some $10 cosmetic item that anyone willing to spend $10 can get isn't as appealing as a "super rare" $10-15 item that not everyone has access to.

There's also a big community surrounding item trading so they probably don't want to kill that.

 

[angelic]

Great news. The only game I play literally every day.

 

[Ribi]

They had one of the worst systems by far behind ea and overwatch. Valve imo did it best where you can sell the crap for real money as opposed to rl that they just give you crap that you have to go onto a black market to sell.

 

[JCK75]

They are charging $20 for skins now, was this supposed to be a good thing?

 

[Digity]

They are charging $20 for skins now, was this supposed to be a good thing?

Prices are a joke.

 

[FranXico]

They are charging $20 for skins now, was this supposed to be a good thing?

I'll for sure spend $0 on the game now, so good for them, I guess?

 

[Digity]

Figured something like this would happen now that Epic is in charge.

 

[angelic]

Possibly the most bone-headed, tone deaf game "update" I've ever seen. Literally decimated a vast array of trading communities and sites in one fell swoop. The prices are beyond fucked, bad stuff is expensive, rare stuff is undervalued. An entire sub culture destroyed in a patch. It's worth looking at just to see how bad something can be.

 

[VertigoOA]

The direct to purchase options kinda suck in comparison to loot crates. Gamers said they wanted it but it tends to be the worse option.

 

[FranXico]

The direct to purchase options kinda suck in comparison to loot crates. Gamers said they wanted it but it tends to be the worse option.

This kind of change is made by design, the intention is precisely to get people thinking "aaw, I had it so good when there were loot crates!"

 

[Chronos24]

Taking a note from Asphalt 9 I see

 

[Catphish]

Dear Epic,



Sincerely,

.

 

[newtypepilot]

 

[Catphish]

Thanks for that. Glad to see the community up in arms. Hopefully, Epic backs off, but it's probably like that one Redditer said. It's overpriced intentionally. It's two steps over the line. After the outrage, they'll take a step back, look like the good guys, having listened to consumer feedback and all, but still be over the line, right where they meant to be all along.

I hope the community gets wise and tells them to shove it.

Jagoffs.

 

[Fuz]

So, uh... I don't quite get it. They removed loot boxes and people are complaining?

 

[Catphish]

So, uh... I don't quite get it. They removed loot boxex and people are complaining?

Watch the video and be edified.

 

[Grinchy]

I think in their mind, people will find that one specific cosmetic that they personally really want, and will drop $20 on it instead of burning through dozens of keys and getting common items you never wanted.

I never really bought a lot of keys or anything, so it's not going to change the system too much for me, but I can see why people who liked getting a ton of random items all the time will be upset.

 

[newtypepilot]

Thanks for that. Glad to see the community up in arms. Hopefully, Epic backs off, but it's probably like that one Redditer said. It's overpriced intentionally. It's two steps over the line. After the outrage, they'll take a step back, look like the good guys, having listened to consumer feedback and all, but still be over the line, right where they meant to be all along.

I hope the community gets wise and tells them to shove it.

Jagoffs.

Bethesda has pretty much perfected the "2 steps forward 1 step back" strategy.