ShadoutMapes
Diabloii.Net Member
While I surely don't think enough has changed, I would still argue that AH removal and BOA are fairly drastic changes for those who loved D3 vanilla.
Diablo III has now sold 15 million copies
- Thread starter fmulder
- Start date
Mackan
Diabloii.Net Member
I wonder who loved D3 vanilla.
Steven Hazani
Diabloii.Net Member
i agree and it was a move made out of desparation because their brand name was taking a hit and they have an xpac to sell. in any event, AH was just the latest industry experiment in non-mobile, business design rather than game design. meanwhile, it hasn't stopped GTA online, GT6, forza 5, etc from moving ahead with their own experiments.
the funny thing is some of the rationale and designs aren't all that different from AH. players can either grind it out or pay to skip it and apparently enough "exploitable assets" (ie: players) have shown they are willing to pay for it. the industry knows their goal. it's just a matter of finding the most optimal form of presentation without it blowing up in their faces.
The second thing and this is a point that I think might be lost on many, is a big and substantial portion of digital revenues are microtransactions. When you are 6 hours into playing Battlefield, and you run out of ammo in your clip, and we ask you for a dollar to reload, you're really not very price sensitive at that point in time. And for what it's worth the COGS on the clip are really low, and so, essentially what ends up happening and the reason the play first pay later model works so nicely, is a consumer gets engaged in a property they might spend 10, 20, 30, 50 hours on the game, and then when they're deep into the game they're well invested in it, we're not gouging, but we're charging, and at that point in time the commitment can be pretty high. As a personal anecdote I spent about $5000 calendar year to date on doing just this thing, this type of thing, on our products and others, I can readily attest to how well it works. But it is, it's a great model and I think it represents a substantially better future for the industry. - John Riccitiello, former CEO of EA at a stockholder's meeting in 2011.
Microsoft has incorporated feedback mechanisms in its Xbox One games with microtransactions to monitor player buying behavior as a means to craft an experience more in line with player expectations, Microsoft corporate VP Phil Spencer told Kotaku in a new interview."I want to be able to learn from what we put in," Spencer said. "So let's make sure we are crafting the game and the analytics so we can see what the consumers--the gamers--like and don't--if you assume buying habits are a reflection of what people like. So that we can craft the experience better for the gamer." - Phil Spencer, Microsoft corporate VP.
"Read the posts, the game is just offering an alternative path to busy people."
"Microtransaction per se is not a bad thing," he said. "How the game is designed around it could become a problem." - Shuhei Yoshida,president of sony worldwide studios defending GT6 microtransactions.
"Microtransaction per se is not a bad thing," he said. "How the game is designed around it could become a problem." - Shuhei Yoshida,president of sony worldwide studios defending GT6 microtransactions.
"We don't have paywalls. We have acceleration, and that was based on feedback from players in Forza 4--there's a small group of players that can't be bothered to do things and they have disposable income. They're the sim guys in a lot of cases. They don't want to do the career, and they don't value those aspects, and that's alright by me," he added. - Dan Greenawalt, creative director of Turn 10 Studios defending microtransactions in FM5.
ShadoutMapes
Diabloii.Net Member
ShadoutMapes
Diabloii.Net Member
Mostly people who thought they could earn money on RMAH I assume.
Some people do say they love D3 though.
HardRock
Diabloii.Net Member
Microtransactions can be done well I think. I have no problems with how things are done in PoE for example, but I feel it's an exception. Generally microtransactions feel like a rip off. I hate DLCs with a passion as well. It can ruin games for me. Borderlands 2 is awesome but what Gearbox does with DLCs is a disgrace in my opinion and the fact that the general community seems to love it makes me sick. At least I know how some people feel about D3 here I guess.
ShadoutMapes
Diabloii.Net Member
Yeah, PoEs microtransactions are ok. The right way to do this. Just the way very few will do it.Microtransactions can be done well I think. I have no problems with how things are done in PoE for example, but I feel it's an exception. Generally microtransactions feel like a rip off. I hate DLCs with a passion as well. It can ruin games for me. Borderlands 2 is awesome but what Gearbox does with DLCs is a disgrace in my opinion and the fact that the general community seems to love it makes me sick. At least I know how some people feel about D3 here I guess.
I'm fine with DLC though. They are typically just mini-expansions. The price might be too insane sometimes, but if it is one payment => One piece of real content forever after I'm fairly fine with those, even if I would not run out and buy the overpriced ones myself.
Mackan
Diabloii.Net Member
I miss the times when companies tried to make real games without compromises. When companies grow as big as Blizzard, and go public for shareholders, then you know it's over. It also marks the beginning of the end for themselves as well, because I think they will stop drawing real talent to their company - just as they target "casuals", their teams will consist of "casual" developers and designers, content with producing garbage for the masses, or disillusioned, thinking they make "good" games. Truth is, working with dumb things makes you dumb. When all the garbage PR comments started to come from Jay Wilson, I knew it was over.
