Free-to-play with Game-Item Store. Good or bad.

[Daginni]

GRRRR Fix the damn code that causes Crashes for those with Google Chrome.

Anyways, Team Fortress 2 has gone through a lot of changes since it's release. Some would say the game has changed for the better, while other think it has changed to the worse, and cannot even recognize it anymore.

For those of you not in the know, here is the main changes that are causing controversy.

-Team Fortress 2 is now Free-to-Play after being out for years. Despite the Majority of players already paid for their copy.
-Valve has created a In-Game-Store for their game. It allows you to buy Gear that is normally earned through Achievement Hunting, and Game-Time.

What are your opinions on this? Do these changes make the game better for you. Or have these changes ruined the game for you?

[JustintimeSS]

I have owned the game since release. These changes effected me none. I still get quality games on the servers I play on.

The store doesn't give anyone anything special that gives them the edge over me so it never bothered me.

The F2P thing doesn't bother me either. All the people I play with make a big deal out of it by being elitist but all the f2p thing has done is given people who suck a new nickname.

And yea, I hate typing out a whole reply or post only to have google chrome say "NOPE, FUCK YOU" and crash.

[Bassch]

While they make the game worse for me since I usually can't buy those items, I actually prefer it. They have to make money off of a F2P game somehow, so why not do it with the in game store? :3.

[Deleted]

well, we gonna kill some more cuz they are new and all that, but the rest havent effected me at all

[RenegadeXan]

And yea, I hate typing out a whole reply or post only to have google chrome say "NOPE, FUCK YOU" and crash.

Get firefox

[Doirdyn]

The item store has been in the game for as long as I can remember. And I don't really mind the F2P part, I got TF2 free with orange box.

[Bearshield]

I haven't played that particular game but I'm not a huge fan of the idea of game item stores in general. I'd rather pay a flat monthly sub fee then have to pay for this and that to progress my character and remain competitive. I understand that's how the companies who do F2P make their money, but I just dont care for that system.

[Poppasan]

In some cases, yes, in some cases, no. I just downloaded Spiral Knights (I'm a sucker for TF2 hats D: ) and there is an energy system where you have buy energy to go to dungeons, transmute gear etc. Basically, if you want to play, you have to buy energy (So F2P doesn't make any sense). Sure it regenerates overtime but you get enough to maybe do 3-4 dungeons a DAY, which take 5 minutes. Such a wasted potential.

[ara]

Team fortress' system is fine, since most weapons are sidegrades. I do think it's unnecessary and kind of a kick in the balls to the people who earned their pretty sparkly hats in a legit manner...

[Vook]

Get firefox

Get browser that takes up 3mil memory and lags horribly after being open for an hour? nothx.

Anyways, TF2 F2P hasn't affected me, I just blacklisted all the Valve servers because they're full of the stereotypical "f2p baddies". Noobs, idiots, trolls, griefers, etc.

Item store has actually helped quite a bit seeing as I have horrible luck with drop rates. Hell, I still haven't found a Black Box, or other various items from months and months ago.

The item store is apparently a huge profit too, according to Valve, Mann Co. Store generates more revenue in ONE month than TF2 game sales do in a YEAR. Pretty ridiculous.

The item store has been in the game for as long as I can remember. And I don't really mind the F2P part, I got TF2 free with orange box.

Mann Co. Store was not added until the Engineer Update in 2010. TF2 was released in 2007.

[Lefuu]

Take a look at League of Legends, Guild Wars; now back to me. Free/B2P with a shop and no monthly fee can be a good thing if done properly and don't ruin player experience or lock content. It's the model most future games will go for imo, it just depends how well they implement it.

[Incognito Noctix]

As long as the items from the store are not overpowered compared to what's available in the game by other means, I really don't think that there's a problem.

[FalCie]

In this case it's not bad because it doesn't give players an edge but in any case that it does, terrible.

[blade5o]

Well I didn't play till after it was F2P, but the only thing I bought in game was the quick fix for medic so i could trade. Everything I have were from drops, cow mangler 5k, machina, etc. I don't get to see my character so whats the point in vanity items lol

[Poodles]

TF2 was alright at release, now it's pretty terrible with balance issues.

Not to mention it's named Team Fortress, but it's missing most of the mechanics of the original Team Fortress.

[Doirdyn]

In some cases, yes, in some cases, no. I just downloaded Spiral Knights (I'm a sucker for TF2 hats D: ) and there is an energy system where you have buy energy to go to dungeons, transmute gear etc. Basically, if you want to play, you have to buy energy (So F2P doesn't make any sense). Sure it regenerates overtime but you get enough to maybe do 3-4 dungeons a DAY, which take 5 minutes. Such a wasted potential.

Each dungeon takes 10 energy, you regenerate 100 mist energy in 22 hours' time. I got that hat too :<

---------- Post added 2011-09-11 at 01:06 PM ----------

Well I didn't play till after it was F2P, but the only thing I bought in game was the quick fix for medic so i could trade. Everything I have were from drops, cow mangler 5k, machina, etc. I don't get to see my character so whats the point in vanity items lol

If you use taunts you do. Also: You can't trade or use purchased items in crafting.

For whatever reason, the newer items have a really high drop chance.

[Scummer]

I haven't played that particular game but I'm not a huge fan of the idea of game item stores in general. I'd rather pay a flat monthly sub fee then have to pay for this and that to progress my character and remain competitive. I understand that's how the companies who do F2P make their money, but I just dont care for that system.

You don't have to pay to stay competitive in TF2 , in fact its quite the opposite as practically all classes stock weapons are the better choices , only very few are actually better than the stock weapons and even then they aren't game breaking by a long shot.


Back on topic. Personally i can't say its affected me a whole lot. What does annoy me is the fact that since the its now F2P its opened the flood gates for loads of bad players , after it became f2p and i heard the comments about the reduction in IQ of the average tf2 player i thought they were elitist idiots at first, all that changed when i logged on and it still mostly persists today.
The average quality has reduced which is a shame as ive had numerous games where people will do everything in their power to make sure its team stacked againast the f2p players.

Besides that thorn in the side its really hasn't changed too much for me, i enjoy the new system , especially strange weapons they are just a bit of fun.

[JustintimeSS]

Get firefox

I used firefox for the longest time. Now it constantly crashes, even in safe mode with addons turned off.... so no, no I wont get firefox.

[Athorha]

havent played tf2, but hopefully they did something where people who bought the game before it went f2p get all the ingame store items for free... if not then that's just a slap in the face to those who did buy it.

[Dtloweca]

Depends on how its done. When the stores sell stuff you dont NEED and or are game breaking then its good. When its something like hey all the free stuff sucks but to be any good pay money for this then its done a bit poorly imo.