Anthem: Bioware's next Mass Effect-like IP

[Lord Pebbleton]

I get you now. I didn't read your previous post in the intention that you wrote it I think. My apologies....hopefully you didn't take my reply as a smart ass comment as it wasn't meant to be.

Don't worry. I admit I could have written that a bit better. What I meant to say is, after you have taken into account all the fun, the genre, the gameplay etc, I think that also your expectations play a role. I started putting thought into this after Mass Effect Andromeda bombed, and among the angry crowd, there were people saying "it is a good game, but not a good Mass Effect game". That got me wondering, because an average game, slapped with the ME title on it, suddenly becomes worse if it doesn't meet expectations.

[kaelleria]

Some new armor and weapons were datamined.

These are a bit more exotic than previously available stuff.

[Ophenia]

To be fair I don't really like the Elysian Chest thing. I always feel like an asshole when I'm going into my second stronghold of the day, knowing I'll "screw" someone who will have at least one chest unopened. :P

This is a real lottery and that sucks for people who can barely do one or two strongholds a day x)

[Vineri]

YongYea's take on the changes (patch 1.0.4), video released yesterday.



Loot sharing gone awry .. pick up the loot others didn't want, to junk up your inventory. Get enough junk go back to town to handle your inventory issues.

Elysium chests .. where? Oh they spawn later, sometimes.

The video spent some time on cosmetic items... but you know what, those items should be unlockable as you play the game. It's stupid to pay for cosmetics in a game that is a Pay for Service style game. Da fuk do you pay for? Server space on a single player game?

Ya OK, EA says it's multiplayer .. hows that working out. Is it really multiplayer? (I say meh).

[Edge-]

Da fuk do you pay for? Server space on a single player game?

Free DLC. There is no paid content planned for the game, cosmetics are how they both fund game servers and continued development. Unless folks would rather they monetize DLC.

[Vineri]

Free DLC. There is no paid content planned for the game, cosmetics are how they both fund game servers and continued development. Unless folks would rather they monetize DLC.

Once upon a time, those cosmetics were earned after a player unlocked them, within the game environment ..

Imagine everyones frown when WoW's tuxedo patterns would be only buyable in a stupid cash shop, instead of earned. Or Devilsaur gear at the other extreme. What if the materials were droppable, but you needed to cashshop the patterns? People play to unlock cool stuff. If the cool unlockable stuff is paywalled, why bother playing?

[Edge-]

Once upon a time, those cosmetics were earned after a player unlocked them, within the game environment ..

They still can be, with some grinding. But this is how they fund continued development. It's either sell content or sell cosmetics, and folks have been complaining about selling content for years and begging for cosmetics to be monetized.

And now they're complaining about that. It's almost as if people will complain about anything and want to get everything for free.

Imagine everyones frown when WoW's tuxedo patterns would be only buyable in a stupid cash shop, instead of earned. Or Devilsaur gear at the other extreme. What if the materials were droppable, but you needed to cashshop the patterns? People play to unlock cool stuff. If the cool unlockable stuff is paywalled, why bother playing?

Except WoW has a mandatory subscription. It also has cash shop exclusive cosmetics.

Do you want Anthem to have a subscription instead?

[kaelleria]

They still can be, with some grinding. But this is how they fund continued development. It's either sell content or sell cosmetics, and folks have been complaining about selling content for years and begging for cosmetics to be monetized.

And now they're complaining about that. It's almost as if people will complain about anything and want to get everything for free.



Except WoW has a mandatory subscription. It also has cash shop exclusive cosmetics.

Do you want Anthem to have a subscription instead?

It's worthless trying to explain anything to Vineri. They've basically had a terrible attitude about the game before it launched and has jumped onto every clickbait video possible.

[Vineri]

They still can be, with some grinding. But this is how they fund continued development. It's either sell content or sell cosmetics, and folks have been complaining about selling content for years and begging for cosmetics to be monetized.

And now they're complaining about that. It's almost as if people will complain about anything and want to get everything for free.

EA's CEO is filthy rich. Do they need to excessively find funds for their games?

Or would just plain funding them be sufficient for their continued development.

Except WoW has a mandatory subscription. It also has cash shop exclusive cosmetics.

Do you want Anthem to have a subscription instead?

They are putting paywalls up against standard improvements that should have come with the box cost, as rewards for playing their game.

Because sometimes, you need to get in-game rewards for going the extra mile ....not pay for them (whether you earned them or not).

Extra rewards keep you playing, keep you talking, keep you happy.

Eliminate the thrills, and the game simply fades away. The cash-shop will still be available, but other players have other more interesting games to play .. see where I'm going?

[Faldric]

They still can be, with some grinding. But this is how they fund continued development. It's either sell content or sell cosmetics, and folks have been complaining about selling content for years and begging for cosmetics to be monetized.

And now they're complaining about that. It's almost as if people will complain about anything and want to get everything for free.

There would be a lot less whining if the base game actually earned its $60+ price tag. If there is enough quality stuff in the base game, nobody cares about additional cosmetics being sold. If there are hardly any options ingame, people will complain. Deliver a complete game first, then we talk about additional monetization.

[Edge-]

EA's CEO is filthy rich. Do they need to excessively find funds for their games?

Do...you know how companies work? Andrew Wilson isn't personally funding games, dude, that's not how game development works in the slightest.

Or would just plain funding them be sufficient for their continued development.

There is no game that has longterm support that does this, at least none that I'm aware of. Every game with continued development includes post-launch revenue in some way, be it subscriptions, expansions/DLC, or cash shops.

They are putting paywalls up against standard improvements that should have come with the box cost, as rewards for playing their game.

That's not the case at all. There is no "paywall" for any of that. This is straight up misinformation at best, and an abject lie at worst.

Because sometimes, you need to get in-game rewards for going the extra mile ....not pay for them (whether you earned them or not).

And cosmetics can be earned in-game as well. It's almost like you can both sell cosmetics and let folks earn them.

Eliminate the thrills, and the game simply fades away. The cash-shop will still be available, but other players have other more interesting games to play .. see where I'm going?

No, it's very hard to follow anything you post because so little of it is based in reality and so much of it seems disconnected.

[kaelleria]

There would be a lot less whining if the base game actually earned its $60+ price tag. If there is enough quality stuff in the base game, nobody cares about additional cosmetics being sold. If there are hardly any options ingame, people will complain. Deliver a complete game first, then we talk about additional monetization.

Actually one of the major complaints is that the cash shop has been kind of crap up to this point. If you play the game consistently you have plenty of coin to buy just about as many things as you want.

[Vineri]

It's worthless trying to explain anything to Vineri. They've basically had a terrible attitude about the game before it launched and has jumped onto every clickbait video possible.

And what just is it that YOU are trying to explain?

I don't post much, but I have leveled my claims and counter-claims. Then you just come along and say I'm full of shit.

I'd easily assume the same about yourself, unless you qualify your post. Anthem is a poopy EA style game. Rebut away.

[Edge-]

Anthem is a poopy EA style game.

Anthem is BioWare's baby, EA had minimal involvement.

[kaelleria]

And what just is it that YOU are trying to explain?

I don't post much, but I have leveled my claims and counter-claims. Then you just come along and say I'm full of shit.

I'd easily assume the same about yourself, unless you qualify your post. Anthem is a poopy EA style game. Rebut away.

You are full of shit. You regurgitate things from clickbait youtubers that have very little bearing on reality.

Should the game have been delayed? Absolutely. Does it deliver some of the most satisfying gameplay loops of any game I've played. Absolutely.

BioWare == EA.

EA == BioWare.

And the proposed micro-transactions are enough to turn me away.

Been there, done that. Lost interest.

This post occurred before anything other than the fact that everything was going to be earnable in game and before we knew anything about the pricing.

People play a game to enjoy it and FULLY ENJOY it. If cosmetics are sectioned off to paying customers, then the overall game satisfaction goes down, for those who won't spend more.

Because someone who pays can ultimately have more than someone who does not. In an Online game, where cosmetics matter.

It matters to me. If you want to spend $100+ per game, that is you. But don't say I need to spend that much too, just to have as much cool gear as the stuff you bought. I'd as soon not buy the game from the start.

This post is much of the same.

It's EA, they dont have a good track record on conversions like you suggest.

The fact that your "time" can be bought in the cash-shop only belittles the efforts of those who actually play the game alot.

How about if WoW allows people to buy achievements? How would that go over?

A Game is good on it's merits. People play it because they enjoy it. Achievements are supposed to feel important. If a publisher "needs" to sell aspects of the game, which would otherwise be normally obtained, they are doing it wrong. They have a shitty game.

Microtransactions happen. Get over yourself. This was also BEFORE ANY OF THE PRICING WAS REVEALED.

I stopped subscribbing to WoW years ago, as a result.



I inserted my input on the subject, take it or leave it.

The game looks overall very good. I'm really turned away from the degree of micro-transactions.

You can accept them. I will not.

At this point you've shit on the game 3 times and spouted off false information.

It makes more sense as time goes on, as publishers limit micro-transactions for the press reviews, and even provide a much simpler overall grind to increase the fun factor, initially. Then when a game comes out, the micro-transactions go in full force, resulting in either hundreds of hours of grind, or just spend $30 here and $25 there.. The glowing reviews are already out, even though the core gameplay design changed.

F2P models are very different. The free players populate the world, making it more enjoyable for those willing to spend money to do so, without fear that their game is dying, or will die... because it's free .. and free games are generally populated for long stretches of time, which spurs even more spending.

F2P also includes occasional free content updates, not paid for DLC.

P2P, B2P, and F2P all seem to attract different types of people, although with some overlap. From past experience with AION, I believe people playing are more open to spending money to support their game, even beyond $60 with F2P games.

Other category players seem to feel jaded at spending more, since they already paid for the promised experience, leading to the sensation of feeling "cheated". They can't simply walk away, as could be done in a F2P title, since they already committed themselves by purchasing the game.

More false information from your favorite clickbait youtubers. At this point you're not a credible participant in the conversation

Not everyone is willing to jeopardize their privacy by installer Origin.

You mean doing things like the steam installer does? Or Blizzard? Or do you own a PS4?



This is all before the game even launched. There's another page and a half of you just shitting on the game because of your preconceived notions fed to you by YouTube and Reddit.

[Vineri]

/SNIP

Ah Edge you are do Cute and Innocent!

If a game paywalls progression, even if cosmetic, It's not worth playing further.

I mean if you worked hard to unlock aspects, only to learn that other players can simply buy them? Whats the point of working hard? Just buy them. Unless you don't want to, in which case you just move to another game.

In all this, I suppose I take issue with games that sell achievements, while allowing others to achieve them in-game. I'd rather have credentials that say I earned them legitimately, as opposed to someone buying my SAT scores.. etc (last part hehe, but yeah, maybe you get it).

Earn what you have for in-game Kudo's. Buy your way in and get BOO's from me.

[kaid]

Free DLC. There is no paid content planned for the game, cosmetics are how they both fund game servers and continued development. Unless folks would rather they monetize DLC.

Kinda ironically if they were trying to bilk people of money they would have a LOT more armor you could buy on the store. There is so little there its not hard at all to just buy them with in game currency I have gotten the three I want so far with just in game coins and there just are not that many others left that I don't have. It seems like they were so gun shy on the microtransaction blow back they just put a massive hold on armor appearance releases.

[Edge-]

If a game paywalls progression, even if cosmetic, It's not worth playing further.

Cosmetics aren't "progression", they're cosmetics. Progression is the gear you get, which is exclusively in-game.

I mean if you worked hard to unlock aspects, only to learn that other players can simply buy them?

This doesn't happen in Anthem. There's nothing "earned" through challenge that can be purchased. You can purchase things from the cash shop with in-game currency, but that's just some grinding and not anything "challenging".

In all this, I suppose I take issue with games that sell achievements, while allowing others to achieve them in-game.

That's pretty cool and all, but it's also irrelevant because that's literally not happening in Anthem.

Ah Edge you are do Cute and Innocent!

Thanks, I think you're a cutie patootie as well.

[Vineri]

*babble*

I guess if you read the posts before re-linking them, you'd probably notice my concern with the game. Along with my anguish with micro-transactions.

Which is what we're talking about tonight. Welcome to the party.

[kaelleria]

Start living in the real world if Anthem or any game gives your anguish.