Home Gaming When it comes to microtransactions, “you should pay for good work”

When it comes to microtransactions, “you should pay for good work”

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mustpay

Microtransactions are not a thing that most gamers are particularly fond of – especially when they appear in full-priced, retail games. For publishers and developers, there are good reasons for them to exist – and though words like “player engagement” are bandied about, they’re ultimately there to make money.

Now I don’t inherently mind microtransactions when they’re done well, offer expansive new content or are aesthetic, with no real effect on gameplay. I’d happily pay for something like The Witcher 3’s Hearts of Stone campaign, for example – but I’d be less inclined to pay for in-game credits to help my characters level up faster, or buy more cars.

Former Naughty Dog community Strategist Eric Monacelli, now director of communications at Infinity Ward, says people should pay for good work.

“Microtransactions tend to get a sort of negative connotation in the games industry,” he explained. “If you remember back in the day, people bristled when they sold horse armour [for The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion]. It’s something that has always happened.

“But if it’s good enough content and you want to pay for it, why not pay for it? That’s what it comes down to.”

Monacelli has first-hand knowledge of the backlash that Naughty Dog saw after introducing paid-for guns to The Last of US’ multiplayer.

“A lot of times I’ll hear people say: ‘That’s just something they cut from the game so you can pay for it.’ No, often it’s not,” he retorted.

“A clear-cut example of that is the burst rifle in The Last of Us. A lot of people thought ‘Why are they charging for guns?’ We did the research and noticed that a lot of players were having trouble jumping into the game for the first time, so we wanted to give people a weapon that was easily accessible and would give them a bit of a leg-up.

There were other weapons if they were a more experienced player that they could buy – it’s up to them. If you’re already kicking ass, you probably don’t need these, but if you want ’em, have ’em. It’s just a matter of personal preference.”

New guns and the like – ones that actually have an effect on core gameplay – are the sort of DLC that I’m not particularly fond of. The Left behind DLC campaign though? That was stellar, and I’d happily shell out money for that.

“There are hot debates around this all the time in the office, because everybody’s got their own opinion. For me, the more thought that’s put into DLC, the more you should be able to charge for it, because it’s one of those things where you’re creating another game unto itself – The Last of Us: Left Behind was another game. It’s essentially the second Last of Us game, right?

“It’s work, and you should pay for good work.”

Last Updated: November 19, 2015

96 Comments

  1. Pieter Kruger

    November 19, 2015 at 08:40

    Your Matchmaking should scale accordingly. Like if it’s Tier based like WOT for example. Let them buy the Tier X tank early but only allow them to play against other Tier X’s via matchmaking.

    Reply

    • Hammersteyn

      November 19, 2015 at 08:44

      Did they fix the matchmaking? 😛
      *runs

      Reply

      • Pieter Kruger

        November 19, 2015 at 08:50

        Did you back up yet? ????
        *stands his ground

        Reply

        • Hammersteyn

          November 19, 2015 at 08:56

          Nope and I never will

          Reply

  2. Captain JJ the Goo

    November 19, 2015 at 08:42

    Some of the worst microtransactions was from the terrible Planetary Annihilation.
    $5 for a different looking commander, which is literally just a blockish figure that anyone with LEGO could’ve made up.

    Reply

  3. Hammersteyn

    November 19, 2015 at 08:43

    burst rifle? Never used it and I finished the game. As for those who find it hard to jump into the game? I call bullshit. Standalone DLC is the only DLC I prefer at them moment. My favourite examples would be Blood Dragon and Wolfenstein.

    Reply

    • Captain JJ the Goo

      November 19, 2015 at 08:44

      Yess. Blood Dragon!

      Reply

      • Hammersteyn

        November 19, 2015 at 08:46

        Ubisoft must hate gamers. They can release a full Blood Dragon game and have preorders sky rocket into the stratosphere. but no, we must have to be content with R6 : The Grind

        Reply

        • Captain JJ the Goo

          November 19, 2015 at 08:48

          You know they released The Crew Wild Run? Which is really good, but…with the expansion they changed the key bindings and then tied them…making it impossible for you to change them.
          So you’ve gotten used to playing the game with your bindings, but after the new update…sorry, but you have to use our bindings now, and you can’t change it.
          That’s typical Ubi.

          Reply

  4. oVg

    November 19, 2015 at 08:47

    Remember the old days? when playing HALO and the resident ALPHA was sporting a SICK skin? He was respected because he earned his colours.

    Now you just throw money at the store for the skin.

    FAIL

    Reply

    • Kromas untamed

      November 19, 2015 at 08:51

      Playeds Hots last night and kept getting into games with way better players all having awesome skins. Still not interested in buying them. 🙂

      At least every Blizzard CE I own gave me some skins and mounts to work with. 🙂

      Reply

      • oVg

        November 19, 2015 at 08:53

        I think its the reverse now lol pretend to be a noob by sporting a default skin and then proceed to kill all rich little gamers. Kind of a better incentive not to change the skin lol.

        Reply

        • Captain JJ the Goo

          November 19, 2015 at 08:54

          The problem is that it’s alienated the people in the middle who aren’t that hardcore into those games.

          Reply

        • Kromas untamed

          November 19, 2015 at 08:54

          Kinda like how BF players register a new Origin account and start from scratch?

          Reply

      • Hammersteyn

        November 19, 2015 at 08:57

        People buying skins are prostituting themselves to the publishers. They pay to look pretty for them

        Reply

        • oVg

          November 19, 2015 at 09:03

          Its in our nature and these marketing people know the psychology of our minds. The players do not feel guilty at all. They are just hunter gatherers.

          Reply

          • Hammersteyn

            November 19, 2015 at 09:09

            They’re whores!

  5. Kromas untamed

    November 19, 2015 at 08:49

    Mass Effect Citadel DLC was Stellar.
    Mass Effect multiplayer weapon pack …. not so much.

    At least that was a relatively cheap buy though.

    Reply

    • justlikemo

      November 19, 2015 at 09:31

      I got the Leviathan.

      Reply

      • WitWolfy

        November 19, 2015 at 09:39

        Citadel DLC was just a party DLC you play before head cannoning your own ending. Thats what I did. Indoctrination theory was real… Boom!! Made my own ending.. Played Citadel DLC.

        Reply

  6. Captain JJ the Goo

    November 19, 2015 at 08:51

    They ruined PayDay2 after they introduced the microtransactions after they specifically said they would never do it. I don’t that they’ve rebalanced it since then, I’m tired of companies lying to the customers.

    Reply

  7. Greylingad[CNFRMD]

    November 19, 2015 at 08:53

    I have a huge problem with game changing MTs, especially the kind that gives you the “leg up” against other players that have been playing to earn their colours, MTs and “Post Launch DLC” is filth, it’s the worst kind of extortion that there is to find in any form of gaming, if people want to pay to look different in gaming, that’s fine, but don’t give the upper hand to the guy with the bigger pockets…

    Reply

    • oVg

      November 19, 2015 at 08:59

      I found Dead Space 3 so frustrating playing with shitty weapons. They made it that way to edge you into the transaction store. That was a good example of how these things do effect the game.

      I only unlocked 0 damage from splash damage 5 minutes before the end. The game was frustrating and because of that memory I never returned.

      I killed 1 and 2 so Im not a Dead Space noob if you are wondering.

      Reply

      • Greylingad[CNFRMD]

        November 19, 2015 at 09:04

        I don’t just hate MTs…. It makes my blood boil… The Dead Space games are the perfect example of games I’ll never support again….

        Reply

  8. oVg

    November 19, 2015 at 08:55

    Imagine if FALLOUT 4 had micro-transactions? They know they could have made millions from that work model. Need more Power Cells? buy the $3.99 PACK FOR 9. Need more resources…

    Has nobody thanked BETHESDA for not being a DICK?

    Reply

    • Hammersteyn

      November 19, 2015 at 08:57

      Yeah, we’re in a time where we have to thank publishers for not bending us over a barrel

      Reply

      • oVg

        November 19, 2015 at 09:13

        You mean radioactive oil drum.

        Reply

    • Captain JJ the Goo

      November 19, 2015 at 08:58

      Bethesda shouldn’t be thanked. They’re doing what all companies used to do. They should just be commended.

      Reply

      • oVg

        November 19, 2015 at 09:01

        They should be thanked because if we do not point out these things out, then fan service AKA CD Projekt Red will be drowned out.

        I have seen how Industry boils the frog slowly.

        Reply

        • Captain JJ the Goo

          November 19, 2015 at 09:02

          CDPR really did make the perfect game.

          Reply

          • oVg

            November 19, 2015 at 09:04

            Yet you are only ever remembered for your last fuck up.

          • Captain JJ the Goo

            November 19, 2015 at 09:05

            I know, it’s sad. Strange though that EA and Ubi can screw up multiple times but you just mention The Division in a room of gamers and half of them pass out.
            That’s what wrong with gaming these days.

          • Alien Emperor Trevor

            November 19, 2015 at 09:07

            You know, it’s not so much the initial fuck up that bothers me, because shit happens, it’s how they respond to it. Are they just be honest about it & fix it, or do they run around pointing fingers, or even better, deny the fuck up even exists?

          • Captain JJ the Goo

            November 19, 2015 at 09:09

            WB (as big as their screwup was) did handle the Batman debacle quite well. They admitted it was a mess, they took it off Steam…they never really fixed it….yea no, they’ve definitely hurt my trust.

          • Alien Emperor Trevor

            November 19, 2015 at 09:14

            They did the right thing eventually. But I won’t soon forget their initial attitude was “sure, let’s just release it broken and patch it later.”

          • Captain JJ the Goo

            November 19, 2015 at 09:16

            I completely agree.

          • oVg

            November 19, 2015 at 09:23

            Mine is 3 floors taller than this.

          • Captain JJ the Goo

            November 19, 2015 at 09:27

            Excellent.
            My largest so far is four stories.
            In 7 Days to Die I built a tower so immense this one time that it actually case a shadow over the entire lake. I actually have a screenshot of it somewhere. Was pretty crazy. When you were up there at the top the zombies didn’t even sense you. 😀

          • oVg

            November 19, 2015 at 09:30

            Creativity never gets old. As for Geoff lol He could not give 2 shakes of a puppies dog tail for this shit let alone learn how to play Gwent 😛

          • Captain JJ the Goo

            November 19, 2015 at 09:31

            But Gwent is part of the Witcher experience! Damn it.
            What the hell Geoff!? XD
            This begs the question. Fallout 4 GOTY or Witcher 3 GOTY? Everyone is thinking it.

          • oVg

            November 19, 2015 at 09:35

            I think it goes to Fallout 4, for its mass appeal, sand box experience, marketing with free cell phone games, no hype until E3, non graphical focus, gameplay… and, I have not had any bugs or hard crashes yet.

            But for me, its D-Dog first, Roach second and Dog Meat third 🙂

          • Captain JJ the Goo

            November 19, 2015 at 09:39

            For me it’s Witcher 3 without a doubt.
            Fallout 4 is excellent, and I love it, but being a pc gamer we’ve seen a LOT of games with such crafting systems and open worlds lately.
            Fallout 4 for me has lots of great elements, stapled together in a fun package of do what you want, be what you want, go where you want.
            But Witcher 3 is one solid and seamless experience put together like an orchestral song, where all the tiny things make for one incredible experience.

          • WitWolfy

            November 19, 2015 at 10:19

            IS there a 3rd person mode? I hate FPS games.

          • oVg

            November 19, 2015 at 10:24

            I loath 1st person games also, because I have always been a narrative junky and seeing the character in 3rd person adds to the narrative. BUT, I feel more like “I” am the player in Fallout. Its odd, I have been thinking about it. It does have 3rd person but with floaty animations yet I prefer 1st person.

            Far Cry 3 you knew you were playing as Jason Brody but the view detracted from his character. Fallout gets away with it probably because the world is the character.

            ALSO, you see yourself allot, in cut scenes and in VATS. Not like COD you might see your feet if you are lucky 😛

          • WitWolfy

            November 19, 2015 at 11:16

            I hate that floaty 3rd person crap.. I remember being the same in Fallout 3 too..

          • oVg

            November 19, 2015 at 11:19

            It needs to be played in 1st person. All the building and looting needs it. You are also in VATS most of the time. Skyrim worked in 3rd person especially when brandishing a bastard sword. But this games shooting is like it is in MGS.

            Give it a shot.

    • Alien Emperor Trevor

      November 19, 2015 at 09:02

      Thank you Bethesda. I haven’t even bought the game (yet), but thanks for not being dicks.

      What’s even funnier about that is the fool above brought up Horse Armour, that Bethesda got endless shit for.

      Reply

      • oVg

        November 19, 2015 at 09:12

        That was Zynimax. Im sure Todd Howard had to fight it out with the top brass. But remember, when that horse shit came out the Industry was trying all sorts of crap. Valve believed in episodic content while Capcom were trying out on disc DLC.

        Reply

  9. Alien Emperor Trevor

    November 19, 2015 at 09:00

    HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! You fucking pretentious fucking doos. Do we get to pay less for bad work? I’m guessing the answer is no & that I’m even crazy for suggesting it. I’m guessing then the answer will be who decides what’s good work? Clearly, ONLY YOU DO, because anything you crap out is automatically good and everyone else doesn’t understand you.

    Look, I get it, you’re a business, and MTs and DLC are lucrative money makers. BUT FOR THE LOVE OF GOD STOP FUCKING TRYING TO CONVINCE US THAT’S WHAT GREAT FOR YOU IS GOOD FOR US, ASSHOLE. FUCK. Nobody denies it takes work to make the stuff and that work needs to be paid for, that’s not what YOUR CUSTOMERS are complaining about, they’re complaining about paying for the game, then you turning around and demanding more money for “optional extras”.

    Look at your own goddamn example: “We did the research and noticed that a lot of players were having trouble jumping into the game for the first time, so we wanted to give people a weapon that was easily accessible and would give them a bit of a leg-up.” You didn’t patch anything, you didn’t rebalance anything, YOU CREATED A NEW WEAPON AND CHARGED FOR IT. “Hey, we see you’re struggling with the first part of the game you bought, spend more money on this gun to make it easier.”

    Witcher 3 did it right. Small silly stuff – FREE. Additional, substantial, content – PAID. That’s awesome for customers, and great for them too because it’s good for their brand. “Look, we’re NOT ripping you off”.

    This guy’s clearly been studying at the Randy Pitchford Academy of Free Market Bullshit.

    Reply

    • Captain JJ the Goo

      November 19, 2015 at 09:01

      I read it all. And I liked it. 🙂

      Reply

    • oVg

      November 19, 2015 at 09:06

      • Captain JJ the Goo

        November 19, 2015 at 09:07

        This has kind of a Fallout vibe to it.

        Reply

        • oVg

          November 19, 2015 at 09:09

          I finished my version of Ten Penny tower. Looked at the clock and it was 2:15am…

          I built around the drive in projector, I noticed that there is a hight cap, its twice as high as the projector tower. Also I struggle to keep the AMOUNT meter down.

          But alas I did it. Pictures to follow tomorrow.

          Reply

          • Captain JJ the Goo

            November 19, 2015 at 09:11

            I’ve played so many similar crafting games on Steam that I’m still pulled in more by the Fallout atmosphere and gameplay than anything else. I build and maintain my towns well, but the real excitement for me is out there in the wasteland.

          • Dutch Matrix

            November 19, 2015 at 09:13

            I still need to figure out how to make beds. Nevermind build bases.

          • Captain JJ the Goo

            November 19, 2015 at 09:15

            Compared to other survival games on Steam the base-building is very basic in Fallout, but it’s done well, and with great care.
            I still prefer getting the old-school Fallout experience though and just wandering into the world is where the game really gets it right for me.

          • oVg

            November 19, 2015 at 09:16

            lol, I did have to Youtube allot of stuff. The tutorial is dire.

          • Captain JJ the Goo

            November 19, 2015 at 09:17

            Muggles

          • Captain JJ the Goo

            November 19, 2015 at 09:19

            The default Keyboard and Mouse controls on pc are done so badly I’m about 100% sure that they were set out by someone who has never actually used a keyboard and mouse. I’ve actually changed to using my controller just because the KB bindings are so terrible and unintuitive.

          • oVg

            November 19, 2015 at 09:21

            lol Rince and I were watching a tutorial on Youtube last week and the dude was teaching the buttons on the PS4 control pad, he said “to activate the workbench hold down the touchpad, for PC press whatever the fuck letter on your keyboard” lol

          • Captain JJ the Goo

            November 19, 2015 at 09:22

            It’s really bad. The controller just works so much better.
            But you’re still peasants for needing tutorials though. ;P

          • oVg

            November 19, 2015 at 09:26

            lol

          • Alien Emperor Trevor

            November 19, 2015 at 09:27

            That’s something that really irritates me with modern PC games. Hardcoded key bindings. REALLY? You could change key bindings TWENTY YEARS AGO. Even Witcher 3 did it, and they had to patch it to fix that shit.

          • Captain JJ the Goo

            November 19, 2015 at 09:30

            Yes. Or you could be like Ubisoft and allow people to change their key bindings in The Crew until the latest patch where they’ve changed the keys and locked them. Now that’s just pure scum move.

          • oVg

            November 19, 2015 at 09:15

            LOL Is there a way of linking the workshop to other settlements? because I have linked settlements but its only for recourses.

            I carried all junk, wood and steel from 2 settlements at snails pace to build this tower.

          • Captain JJ the Goo

            November 19, 2015 at 09:17

            I wish. That would have made things a lot easier. But I’ve come to build up quite a nice stockpile in each town now. Just takes time…which I enjoy because it means I get to go out and kill things and loot places.

          • oVg

            November 19, 2015 at 09:18

            I see some people have such a good economy going thanks to 2 points in Leader perk. They get a steady supply of power cells so they are constantly in the armour.

          • Captain JJ the Goo

            November 19, 2015 at 09:19

            It was one of the things I went for once I got my crafting perks up. I’ve got 2 points in there and it makes a huge difference.

          • Alien Emperor Trevor

            November 19, 2015 at 09:21

            Are you guys actually playing Fallout 4 or SimCity? 😉

          • oVg

            November 19, 2015 at 09:21

            Mine Craft with exploding eye balls.

          • Captain JJ the Goo

            November 19, 2015 at 09:23

            What Fallout 4 is, is New Vegas with better graphics, an incredible map and a very basic ARK crafting system.
            And it works perfectly for it.

          • oVg

            November 19, 2015 at 09:26

            Its the first time in a game that I actually enjoy being a trash man.

          • Captain JJ the Goo

            November 19, 2015 at 09:29

            Hehe. Finally Fallout gives you a reason to horde all that crap. I used to collect so much shit in New Vegas, but only to sell it.
            Another perk that’s really handy to get is the one that allows you to get more parts out of scrapping things. I got that one early on and it’s made building a base and having all the right parts SO much easier.

          • oVg

            November 19, 2015 at 09:32

            Same I have 1000000000 screws but no adhesive 😛

          • Captain JJ the Goo

            November 19, 2015 at 09:33

            And to think I struggled with screws when I started. Adhesive is a bitch to get. Best to collect every little piece of duct tape you can find. But looting is just so much fun, so I don’t mind. 😀

          • oVg

            November 19, 2015 at 09:38

            I heard that the best way to get is to make Vegetable oil and break it down into 5 adhesive.

          • Captain JJ the Goo

            November 19, 2015 at 09:40

            Hmmm. I’ll remember that.

          • oVg

            November 19, 2015 at 09:42

            Once you have your supply chains set up for carrots or whatever the recipe is, you basically have an unlimited amount of adhesive.

          • Captain JJ the Goo

            November 19, 2015 at 09:43

            Ah. Sounds like a solid idea.
            I’ll get in on that for sure.

    • Hammersteyn

      November 19, 2015 at 09:08

      *drops mic?

      Reply

    • Marcus

      November 19, 2015 at 09:13

      Now that we are all really fucked off, let’s try and be nice to our co-workers. LHF CCOIUSHoiahuiovhfdsoivhsfdoighsoiSDIghOIHOIPHGpu!!!11one1!!!

      Reply

    • GooseZA

      November 19, 2015 at 09:14

      Go on. Tell us how you really feel.

      Reply

      • Alien Emperor Trevor

        November 19, 2015 at 09:16

        I need a nap. This guy got on my lawn.

        Reply

    • Grand Admiral Chief SpaceNinja

      November 19, 2015 at 09:49

      I wanted to tl;dr this

      BUT I HAD TOO MUCH FUN READING IT!

      Reply

    • Pariah

      November 19, 2015 at 11:58

      tl;dr

      Reply

  10. Marcus

    November 19, 2015 at 09:00

    I don’t mind MT in games where the actual game was free (Warframe). But if games like Fallout can do without why should other titles have this crap!

    If The Division has this, witch it’s set up really nice to include, I’m going to be really disjointed. Seen as it’s Ubisoft, I guess I should expect it…

    Reply

    • Captain JJ the Goo

      November 19, 2015 at 09:03

      MT in F2P games are fine. As long as buying what you need to have a normal experience doesn’t exceed the price of a regular game, fine.
      I actually believe MTs ONLY belong in F2P games.

      Reply

    • Hammersteyn

      November 19, 2015 at 09:20

      You can get away with not spending MT in WarFrame. Problem is waiting for gear to finish crafting which can be days sometimes

      Reply

      • Alien Emperor Trevor

        November 19, 2015 at 09:24

        Equinox would drive you crazy. 12 hours to craft the components for the day & night aspects, then 72 hours for those, then another 72 hours to merge them. Oh, and you have to get all 8 pieces you need from a single boss fight. Grind baby, grind. 😀

        Reply

      • Marcus

        November 19, 2015 at 09:27

        And that’s what makes the MT ok. You have a choice, you paid nothing for the game and you can still enjoy the game no matter what you decide.

        I downloaded the game and had some great times with it. Never paid for a damn thing. Others are forking out large amounts of cash on this game and are happily doing so. This is what I call a working model.

        Now, grinding to level fuck knows for 6 months and a little fuck face with mommy’s credit card buys his way into the damn game and destroys you in 2 sec flat with no skill… That, that will make me turn to crack.

        Reply

        • Hammersteyn

          November 19, 2015 at 09:55

          I just don’t want MT in a AAA game.

          Reply

      • Sean Carbutt

        November 19, 2015 at 11:59

        You forgot to add that in Warframe you can also generate your own Plat by selling Prime Parts and or Mods etc. I am still holding on to some arcane Helmets and plenty of now, removed Prime stuff like full Frost, Dakra etc. Just waiting for the Price to go up and I could easily generate 100o plat.The downside is being MR 20, there really isn’t too much that I have left to use

        Reply

        • Hammersteyn

          November 19, 2015 at 12:09

          Yes! Sorry, forgot all about that.

          Reply

  11. WitWolfy

    November 19, 2015 at 09:31

    Uuurgh! What a douche. Looks like he fails to see the fact that a mere microtransaction for lets say 100 000 CR in a game can cost up to R300 where it takes you less than a day to get it yourself. THATS what makes it so cringe worthy IMO.

    Fair enough, lets say it cost like R50 for 10 000 000 CR in Forza. Then I wouldn’t mind, but the fact that they made up their own outrages exchange rates for these monopoly money , and next getting next to no CR at that BLOWS MY MIND!

    Reply

  12. justlikemo

    November 19, 2015 at 09:35

    BUt they are good at the way they sell stuff right. All the updates, and ooh look at this video of the new DLC. ANd wow you can get this ammo pack, and after stroking you for a few days, the DLC gets released and your hooked sucker!

    Reply

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