So microtransactions are more or less confirmed...

I'm not sure I can support this game in good faith anymore. I've been an avid opponent of microtransactions in buy2play games for the past 5 years, yet I'm being defeated at every point by people blindly accepting these practices as if the companies utilizing them are doing them a favor...

I got slightly worried when I found out NWI was working with a publisher to deliver Sandstorm. Seems now those fears have been confirmed. Microtransactions in a $30 game.

"You can still get them by playing the game"
Take that excuse and stuff it. No sane company puts microtransactions in a game and expects people not to buy them. Now I'm thinking the severe shortage of credits high level players suffer from is completely intentional. Put the screws to somebody after they've already become invested and the freebies dry up.

"It's only cosmetic"
If I hear this excuse one more time, I think I'll go feral. If this was actually a valid excuse, then why does a company like Activision Blizzard earn billions off of microtransactions alone? People care about making their avatar look how they want. Look at the thousands of armor mods for Fallout and Elder Scrolls and tell me looks don't matter. Look at the money Warframe pulls in from workshop skins made by contracted artists and tell me looks don't matter.
They bloody do. Having this feature pulled out and sold back to me, then also have the company doing it grin and pretend they're doing me a favor by offering a paid shortcut, is so utterly ridiculous. Good lord, if this happened back in the late 90s or early 2000s, everyone would think you're off your bloody rocker for charging money for this stuff in a game that already costs money to play.

If paid items are an absolute necessity, then please do it like Killing Floor 1, where they're offered in packs for $5 a pop. At least then, the transaction feels honest.

Just... for the love of god, do not sell credits for money, please. It feels so much more seedy and manipulative when everything is done through an in-game economy that the producer operates and controls. Oh hey look, they added a bunch of new headgear items to the game- oh... they each cost 10,000 credits a pop. Never mind.

I just want a game that I can play and enjoy without any caveats, without feeling guilty for feeding into a system designed to manipulate and prey upon customers, without the game constantly waving shinies in my face and trying to get me to buy stuff. But it seems more and more like I'll just have to abandon modern gaming altogether to get that.

They've already confirmed. Besides the prices for the items are more than manageable. If you want to earn everything then you can, it will take a while sure, or you can earn the stuff you really want, and stick with that, its not The Sims 3 here. Its a hardcore tactical fps. Plus they've also committed to having a modding community, so I'm sure anything you want will be added, for free, by a mod.

I have no problems with it, I don't mind spending $5 or $10 for supporting a good developer as long as its not in a mischievous way. And NWI don't get down like that.

Micro transactions are not evil. If it is implemented with best intention in mind. Cosmetic items are one of the most harmless type of value a customer can have as long as it doesn't affect gameplay. For example, a ghillie suit kind of camo can affect gameplay and that shouldn't be available.

A game especially with a buy2play model can continuously be developed and be supported by a development team if it can continue to be profitable. While high game sales reward the devs previous efforts in developing the game, a micro transaction system can ensure the game survival for a long time. Of course DLCs can be sold but DLCs for addititional content are not considered 'micro' enough for people to casually buy it.

Go feral then...

Official servers cost money. People still need to eat as they're developing other content for the game that constantly dwindling game purchases won't cover. What do you think they're going to do in a time period where people have been found to be more willing to let go of $5 than $60 for game content?

Good lord people are fucking cheap...already gave you a super-discount if you purchased their other game at $5 and now people wanna cry about the potential of content that makes their character look different.

@xdark said in So microtransactions are more or less confirmed...:

Go feral then...

Official servers cost money. People still need to eat as they're developing other content for the game that constantly dwindling game purchases won't cover. What do you think they're going to do in a time period where people have been found to be more willing to let go of $5 than $60 for game content?

Good lord people are fucking cheap...already gave you a super-discount if you purchased their other game at $5 and now people wanna cry about the potential of content that makes their character look different.

Holy shit, this game is $30. Someone who gives them that money should be able to play like everyone else, and not be bothered to keep spending their money.

@tooth-decay said in So microtransactions are more or less confirmed...:

Holy shit, this game is $30. Someone who gives them that money should be able to play like everyone else, and not be bothered to keep spending their money.

...and he IS able to play like everyone else. What's stopping you from playing like everyone else? Explain.

Now this one really pisses me off.

No one is forced to pay for any microtransactions. It is not pay2win, it's cosmetics. It's completely optional.

Devs have 100% right to decide to add EXTRA cosmetics that people can buy for real money IF THEY WANT TO, but they can opt not buy anything AND STILL get those items for free if they play the game.

This thread is pure entitlement mentality bullshit. You're not entitled to anything! NOTHING. The devs owe you NOTHING.

Even though they lowered the prices for the items, you are getting only 100 credits when you level up. You will be grinding for weeks, depending on how good you play as well. All the while you can pay to skip the line. That's a bitter reward if you don't have to earn it. What's wrong with having them all just as earnable unlocks? Why can't we have that? It could a challenge for players to keep playing. What is stopping them from not having this system? It's not a requirement, sure as heck didn't needed it for the last game.

The thing is, if they offer customers to buy skins directly, this wouldn't be an issue. At least a fixed price in the customer's own currency for a single item or packs would be honest and fair. But they're using a system that's typically used in f2p games, one that you can almost never buy enough credits to get the item that you want. No, you have to overpay because they're sold in sets, you have to get more than what you need. If you don't need the extra credits or want them, well that sucks for you, you can't do anything about it. That isn't fair in a game that already charges a price upfront.

My only question is....

Since they're trying to have so much control over player looks, and by making cosmetics be tied to levelling... does this mean they're going to make it impossible for mods to bring in new player skins/uniforms? That was a big thing in the old game. You could download different uniforms for both teams through the workshop.

False dichotomy.

Games can be free and have lots of micro-transactions.

Games can cost a bit and have some micro-transactions.

Games can cost a lot and have no micro-transactions.

@jensiii You are such a tool it hurts.

And here we go again.

What makes them think I won't download mods for my cosmetics?? I don't mind the idea of supporting them a little more, I love NWI and what they do but I'm not grinding for gear or dropping another 30 dollars on credit packs. I support projects like this over the big ones so I won't have to deal with microtransactions, cookie-cutter DLC and overpriced loot boxes. Had more than enough my fill on shitty business practices in the gaming industry and watching smaller companies devolve into the same route, thanks. Not looking to repeat.

The bottom line is honesty and fairness. I would certainly support a system much like OP suggests in Sandstorm, if they absolutely insist on having a way of unlocking items outside regular play..