Overwritten.net
Games => General Gaming => Topic started by: idolminds on Thursday, September 30, 2010, 01:04:59 PM
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Now we know what Steam Wallet was for. (http://www.pcgamer.com/2010/09/30/team-fortress-2-now-selling-items-for-real-money-massive-update-just-launched/)
Valves own FAQ (http://www.teamfortress.com/mannconomy/FAQ/)
It begins.
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Now that get to see if all that fanboyism they built up will pay off. It'll be fun to see people try and say this is totally awesome and that naysayers are just being ungrateful, as if we owe Valve something for allowing us to buy their games (fun as in hitting your head against a brick wall).
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I hate the whole idea of DLC and micro-transactions more and more w/ every single day...
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Now that get to see if all that fanboyism they built up will pay off. It'll be fun to see people try and say this is totally awesome and that naysayers are just being ungrateful, as if we owe Valve something for allowing us to buy their games (fun as in hitting your head against a brick wall).
Three years of free updates and people are going to complain about valve giving the option to purchase items instead of finding them? If you don't want to buy them then just wait to find them, but please stop complaining. After years of free content for tf2 and l4d, valve has earned the right to have a micro transaction store for items that you can still find 100% free in-game.
Actual comment on Shacknews.
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Valve has the right to have a micro-transaction store...
And I have a right to just not buy any micro-transactions.
More reasons to wait for the obligatory Ultimate Edition re-release of a game.
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Honestly, I don't care about the game enough to care. It is a two year old game that is ridiculously cheap now, so really who cares.
Though, when I think about it, the problem is if this experiment is successful enough to carry on to new games. I don't see it.
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I think it goes to show how far we've come (fallen?). We still refer to overpriced/useless DLC as "horse armor" because Bethesda had the audacity to charge $3 for a simple cosmetic item.
And now Valve is charging up to $5 for digital hats and thats just groovy.
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I think it goes to show how far we've come (fallen?).
You got it right w/ "fallen."
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I saw an big update downloading in Steam, apparently that was the "Mann-conomy" update. I am impressed with one thing: they've finally fixed up the in-game menus. That is all.
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I'm so glad I don't care about games anymore.
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I haven't played TF2 at all, so I'm at a loss at what these 'items' that are for sale will do. Is there some form of persistence with your character now and weapons and tools that change the game and how it plays?
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I guess companies would rather start with baby steps like this, but the main problem with microtransactions (for me at least) is that they need to be in a FREE GAME. I don't want to buy a game, then get nickel and dimed.
1: Free game + microtransactions
2: buy a game + zero microtransactions
Pick one, gaming companies! Fuck your TF2 hats and your WoW item store exclusive mounts.
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I haven't played TF2 at all, so I'm at a loss at what these 'items' that are for sale will do. Is there some form of persistence with your character now and weapons and tools that change the game and how it plays?
Yeah, pretty much. A lot of this was added after I stopped playing.
They started off with unlockable weapons when they added achievements. If you got a certain number of achievements, then a new weapons would unlock. These were tied to the class updates, so if you got 10 Pyro achievements then it would unlock one of the Pyro weapons.
People didn't like this so much and it caused a lot of achievement maps and stuff so people could just get them over with to unlock the goodies, so Valve changed it so you could get them from achievements OR random "drops". I'm not exactly sure how drops work...if a player actually drops the weapon for you to pick up or you just get a random chance for it to unlock every time you kill someone. There was also a simple matter of unlocks happening the more time you played so people made idle servers that they would sit in and let stuff unlock.
The problem with random drops is you never knew what you were going to get and you might end up with duplicates. They eventually added "crafting" so you can combine duplicates to make the item you do want.
And now you can just buy the things. And at some point they added funny hats in addition to weapons. TF2 is a clusterfuck of ideas. The game is basically a mess.
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@Idol
Whoa...WTF happened to the awesome game that once was TF2 that I bought straight out The Orange Box? :o
It's sounds like they turned TF2 into some other game...
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I couldn't fucking believe it when I saw a new character for download on PSN for BlazBlue: Continuum Shift and it was like $8. Fuck you, assholes.
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They wouldn't be charging so much if people didn't pay for it - the assholes are the people that actually pay these prices and create the market.
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They wouldn't be charging so much if people didn't pay for it - the assholes are the people that actually pay these prices and create the market.
That's it, on the nose.
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haha, more apologetics:
If Valve didn't offer a way to buy items directly after trading was introduced, then those crazy people who have too much money would just go to eBay to trade everything, leaving Valve out of the picture entirely.
Maybe they could have designed a system where people wouldn't want to try get around the mind numbing grind and pure luck to get a single stupid decorative hat, or even regular weapon unlocks?
Please ignore that this makes Valve money. They are only looking out for you, the gamer. To save you from the evils of the ebay sellers.
EDIT
PC Gamer goes through the items for sale. (http://www.pcgamer.com/2010/10/01/which-team-fortress-2-items-are-worth-your-money/) This one stands out: Dueling Mini-game (All)
$1 (for five duels)
Hold on, these are consumable? What the hell. You get five duels, initiated by equipping the item from your backpack, hitting H, and selecting the player you’d like to spar with as a metagame within your match. But bizarrely, duels don’t last an entire map–just a round within that map. In other words: if you initiate a duel with someone with two minutes remaining on the second stage of Dustbowl, it’ll only count kills within the context of those two minutes. Winning a duel grants you a badge that tracks your wins and win percentage in duels, levelling up metallically as you win more.
Worth it? NO, AND POTENTIALLY HABIT-MAKING
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Whoa...WTF happened to the awesome game that once was TF2 that I bought straight out The Orange Box?
I guess I'll continue to be on the other side of this argument since I actually played the game a bit a couple months back, and clearly you haven't. This is still TF2, the basic game hasn't changed, they have rebalanced some classes and added additional weapons, none of which has broken the game or significantly changed anything. You can still play the game straight out and never touch any of the new weapons and you won't have a clear disadvantage to anyone. This is a game that has been nurturing its community for a long ass time, people who are into it love it, and the community keeps getting stronger and stronger as the game gets bigger and bigger. So now instead of having to unlock the weapons by having to play a whole lot, you can simply buy them. Perfect, fine, I see no problem in that, in fact from a business standpoint you'd be stupid not to. Its microtransactions for totally optional shit that doesn't even gimp the game. When I played and unlocked stuff I felt it was a great incentive to keep playing, never did any time did it feel like a "mind numbing grind", it was totally fun like TF2 has always been.
But hey, Valve wants our money, who knew?
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Tee-hee! (http://www.joystiq.com/2007/05/25/valve-not-charging-for-downloadable-content/)
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Tee-hee! (http://www.joystiq.com/2007/05/25/valve-not-charging-for-downloadable-content/)
Didn't take long to change their mind, now did it? :o
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"You buy the product, you get the content ... We make more money because more people buy it, not because we try and nickel-and-dime the same customers."
I hope Valve (and other developers) stand by that statement.
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Didn't take long to change their mind, now did it? :o
That's from 2007, D.
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Has someone pointed this out to Valve btw? Maybe on the Steam forums? haha
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That's from 2007, D.
"No shit" it's from 2007...
Did you miss my point entirely? :o
I thought it was clear.
I'm saying they are so jumping on the micro-transaction bandwagon. Of course, they would - just look how well DLC does in general - especially for console-gamers and especially on Steam. Especially since Steam will actually put DLC on sale at reduced prices, unlike say online DLC stores from Bioware or Gearbox.
Also, 3 years isn't a lot of time for them here - especially in Valve Time. :P
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"No shit" it's from 2007...
Did you miss my point entirely? :o
I thought it was clear.
I'm saying they are so jumping on the micro-transaction bandwagon. Of course, they would - just look how well DLC does in general - especially for console-gamers and especially on Steam. Especially since Steam will actually put DLC on sale at reduced prices, unlike say online DLC stores from Bioware or Gearbox.
Also, 3 years isn't a lot of time for them here - especially in Valve Time. :P
Think again, read your post and think about it another way and then think about how you are.
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@Pyro.
Ahhhh...I see your point now...
LMAO.
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Everyone will be a lot better off when they start looking at video game companies as a business and not some white knight to come save us gamers from evil corporations.
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Everyone will be a lot better off when they start looking at video game companies as a business and not some white knight to come save us gamers from evil corporations.
Yes, gaming is a business - but really, are the items they selling worth the price of admission? I'd highly doubt that. Most of us - we're happy w/ TF2 as it was, before the Mann Co junk.
If they really want to get people excited about TF, why don't they do a BIG TF2 expansion pack w/ a good amount of maps, new weapons, and new items? Valve has already done good to the community by updating the life out of TF2 (over 150 times); and adding new content for free here and there - I'm sure they'd buy a $30 expansion willingly.
I really hate what micro-transactions and DLC have done and are doing to gaming. It's screwing it all up in so many ways, I don't know where to begin.
Or better yet - here's an idea: why doesn't Valve just do a TF3?
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Well they're not twisting your arm to purchase it. In fact, its just an easy way to earn in-game items you can still earn on your own right?
What's the problem? I can definitely see issue with DLC, especially when it unlocks something already embedded in the program. But this? It's appears to be an easy avenue to get in-game items.
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And the items they are selling are definitely worth the price of admission if people buy them. Every game company is trying to take as much of our money as possible. Every small company that is supposedly for the little guy wishes they could be the big dog. It is what it is.
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@Pyro.
Ahhhh...I see your point now...
LMAO.
hehe yea I thought you had misunderstood that Valve had changed their minds.
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hehe yea I thought you had misunderstood that Valve had changed their minds.
I realized that, when I thought about what Pyro was actually saying in his reply...hehe.
You know - it would be nice if Valve did nix the idea of micro-transactions, but that ain't gonna happen anytime soon, I don't think.
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The points made in the thread are all valid. But the final say is in the gamers' hands. If they jump into every "nickel and dime" trap dangled before them, then that's where the businesses (definitely not white knights) will chase revenue, rather than from good, long, complete games sold at a traditionally accepted price. They won't have to care about those of us who see that as a ripoff.
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And the items they are selling are definitely worth the price of admission if people buy them. Every game company is trying to take as much of our money as possible. Every small company that is supposedly for the little guy wishes they could be the big dog. It is what it is.
For the game-dev's - of course it's worth it. They make something that probably takes little time to do and get a huge profit and return from doing do. If it works for them - that's more money for them to do what they want to do w/ their next project.
For the consumer - eh, not so much. It doesn't seem in most cases of DLC's and micro-transactions that we, the gamer, are often getting very much value for our buck. It seems like in many cases, games are getting smaller and smaller and shorter and shorter in length and in what they are offering to you, in general.
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The points made in the thread are all valid. But the final say is in the gamers' hands. If they jump into every "nickel and dime" trap dangled before them, then that's where the businesses (definitely not white knights) will chase revenue, rather than from good, long, complete games sold at a traditionally accepted price. They won't have to care about those of us who see that as a ripoff.
That's the thing, Cobra - I'm afraid we'll get more incomplete products on the market.
We've already seen some of the tricks 2K-published game companies and the 2K-publisher tried to pull w/ Bioshock 2 (first DLC was already on the disc, but just locked-out) and Mafia 2 on the DLC side (many believe the first DLC were originally the side-missions to Mafia 2, but they re-skinned the Tommy character into Jimmy).
What's next? We gonna buy quests, missions, game-worlds, maps, items, and everything else piece-by-piece? :o
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Oh, so Mafia II needs DLC to become more like the game people expected it to be? I felt very let down when I learned it was linear and short. The demo makes it look like the perfect evolution of the GTA open-world theme (and technically superior to Rockstar's efforts too).
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I've always thought DLC ought to be after-thoughts or extra content that doesn't take away from an otherwise complete product; mostly costumes, customizations, and other various bells and whistles.
I'd be pretty ticked if I bought a game and then found that the only way to finish it and see the ending was to buy a DLC of the last chapter. If I feel that significant content is missing from the game and it is provided via DLC at an additional cost that's where I take offense.
The DLC for Mafia II is inconsequential and purely trivial.
On the other hand, we have Bioware setting up planned DLC for Dragon Age: Origins and Mass Effect 2, the latter having significant DLC that may carry consequences into Mass Effect 3 (Lair of the Shadow Broker). I'm not against them preparing certain content for the downloadable format but I do take issue with the significance of the content on the game as a whole as well as any effects on successive titles. Regarding ME2, I would have been delighted if they never released any of the DLC and instead made an expansion pack which included all the DLC and extra missions in one lovely package and sell it at the market standard expansion price ($20~$30).
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The funny thing is DLC makes me want to not buy a game right away, just because it seems like a year later they come out with a "GOTY Edition" with all the DLC included for less than the cost of the original game alone.
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For the consumer - eh, not so much. It doesn't seem in most cases of DLC's and micro-transactions that we, the gamer, are often getting very much value for our buck. It seems like in many cases, games are getting smaller and smaller and shorter and shorter in length and in what they are offering to you, in general.
D, you're not getting it. At all. Who are you to say what is "worth it" to consumers and what isn't? Ultimately it's up to the individual to decide whether or not the DLC is worth their dollar. If so, then it automatically becomes "worth it" to them. If they decide to not purchase it, then it isn't worth it to them. Plain and simple.
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I think you're not getting the other view, which is that hordes of people with too much money and too little sense are screwing up gaming for everyone else by validating a ripoff business model.
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I think you're not getting the other view, which is that hordes of people with too much money and too little sense are screwing up gaming for everyone else by validating a ripoff business model.
I agree, but they're still buying it. Which means companies officially don't give a flying fuck whether or not anyone feels like it's a ripoff. Which makes it really not worth arguing about.
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On the other hand, we have Bioware setting up planned DLC for Dragon Age: Origins and Mass Effect 2, the latter having significant DLC that may carry consequences into Mass Effect 3 (Lair of the Shadow Broker). I'm not against them preparing certain content for the downloadable format but I do take issue with the significance of the content on the game as a whole as well as any effects on successive titles. Regarding ME2, I would have been delighted if they never released any of the DLC and instead made an expansion pack which included all the DLC and extra missions in one lovely package and sell it at the market standard expansion price ($20~$30).
See, that's the problem, Xessive - the Vanilla retail version owners usually need to buy the entire re-release box (Vanilla game + all DLC) to basically get all of the DLC. When all the DLC is done with, they often don't create just a Retail Box w/ ONLY ALL of the DLC content to be sold at retail. Given how well games like DAO and ME2 sold, it seems silly to NOT sell a ALL DLC Content Box - even if they release it in say a very limited quantity.
I'd be very happy to get a ALL DLC Only retail box for ME2 and DAO - sold say at expansion pack pricing ($20-30). For Elder Scrolls IV, when BethSoft did release The KOTN Expansion Pack Retail Box (included All DLC + KOTN), I was a VERY happy customer - b/c I now had a way to get all Oblivion-related content. :) I would be really happy if say FO3 or Borderlands had at some later date an ALL DLC Box - but, I do doubt that is going to happen...
EDIT #1:
The funny thing is DLC makes me want to not buy a game right away, just because it seems like a year later they come out with a "GOTY Edition" with all the DLC included for less than the cost of the original game alone.
Agreed.
It's as if Vanilla game-owners basically have become Beta-testers - but are insteed paying money to play Beta (in-a-box).
EDIT #2:
I think you're not getting the other view, which is that hordes of people with too much money and too little sense are screwing up gaming for everyone else by validating a ripoff business model.
Agreed.
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I agree, but they're still buying it. Which means companies officially don't give a flying fuck whether or not anyone feels like it's a ripoff. Which makes it really not worth arguing about.
It's not meant to be an argument, K-man. Call it a lament, if you want. With all the suckers out there at the helm, I weep for the future of gaming. You're right; debate is moot.
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I think DLC can be a great thing. Fallout 3 for example. It sucks that companies are essentially milking it, but what do you do? We vote with our dollar, but if it's a game I wholeheartedly enjoy odds are I'm going to break down and get the extra content.
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I think DLC can be a great thing. Fallout 3 for example. It sucks that companies are essentially milking it, but what do you do?
Eventually, down the line, we have to just buy the GOTY Edition/Ultimate Edition/Enhanced Edition/Whatever they name the Re-Released Edition that comes w/ Vanilla game + All Extra Content (DLC + Expansions), whenever the price feels right to us. We have no choice.
For example, I am waiting for Borderlands: GOTY, Fallout 3: GOTY, DAO: GOTY, and probably some other games to majorly price-drop - just so I can get all the DLC content that I'm missing. I ain't paying in-full for it, since I already bought Vanilla Game.
i.e.
For Borderlands, I'm only missing DLC #3 and #4 - since they ain't been released on disc.
I already own Borderlands + DLC Double Pack (DLC 1 and 2 - Dr. Ned and Moxxi) from retail.
For DAO, I'm missing every DLC from Warden's Keep (DLC#3) to the final DLC (Witch Hunt).
I own already DAO + Awakening expansion.
For FO3, I'm missing every single DLC released (DLC #'s 1-5).
For ME2, I'm missing every NON-Cerebus Network DLC.
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I think DLC can be a great thing. Fallout 3 for example. It sucks that companies are essentially milking it, but what do you do? We vote with our dollar, but if it's a game I wholeheartedly enjoy odds are I'm going to break down and get the extra content.
That's a perfect example of Idol's thought (and now MysterD's). There's a game I got after kinks were ironed out and all the DLC was included. So I guess now we have to wait a year before we can buy games, if we expect completeness? I still weep.
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That's a perfect example of Idol's thought (and now MysterD's). There's a game I got after kinks were ironed out and all the DLC was included. So I guess now we have to wait a year before we can buy games, if we expect completeness? I still weep.
That's the problem, Cobra - they don't give much of an option to Vanilla owners. They often just don't sell a straight-up ALL DLC Only Retail Box at expansion pack pricing ($20-40), after they've finally finished doing all the DLC. I'd have no problem w/ shelling out extra money to get an ALL DLC Only Retail Box at expansion pricing - as I could at least STILL be able to get the DLC content I'm missing on a retail disc.
Also, they might say package some DLC's together at retail, but eventually, for some reason, they might stop. (Maybe DLC boxes didn't sell as well at expected? I don't know). So, something wind's up missing - and in the end, Vanilla owners wind-up stuck somewhere in limbo, for some time.
I.e. Fallout 3
I own FO3: Collector's Ed for PC - which is FO3: Vanilla basically. Bought it day of release. So, I have NO DLC.
There's two FO3 double-packs on retail.
Double Pack 1 is Anchorage (DLC 1) + The Pitt (DLC 2);
Double Pack 2 is Broken Steel (DLC 3) + Point Lookout (DLC 4).
If I went out and bought both of the FO3 DLC Double Packs (DLC's 1-4) on retail disc, I'd still be missing Mothership Zeta (DLC #5) - BTW, Newegg and Amazon does sell them double-packs quite cheap for PC. Mothership Zeta actually never got a disc release - I'd have to go through G4WL to get Zeta, basically.
Hell, I'd be better off probably waiting for FO3: GOTY to drop in price, if I want ALL the DLC content.
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That's a perfect example of Idol's thought (and now MysterD's). There's a game I got after kinks were ironed out and all the DLC was included. So I guess now we have to wait a year before we can buy games, if we expect completeness? I still weep.
You know that's been happening for years right? They called them expansion packs.
And you have every right to wait until the complete edition is released, or you can just buy it as you go. You pay more that way, but obviously you get access to the content sooner. I don't regret a penny of the money I spent on Fallout 3.
Edit: In fact I can't believe anyone's even bitching about DLC like Fallout 3's. What, we're going to bitch about companies when they give us extra content that wouldn't have seen the light of day if not for DLC? Just for the sake of a "complete" game?
Seriously guys.
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You know that's been happening for years right? They called them expansion packs.
And you have every right to wait until the complete edition is released, or you can just buy it as you go. You pay more that way, but obviously you get access to the content sooner. I don't regret a penny of the money I spent on Fallout 3.
Well, you kinda can't always buy as you go at Retail on some games for Expansion packs/DLC Package boxes - b/c some DLC's for some games do NOT wind-up on retail disc.
If you bought a Vanilla version and/or maybe bought some DLC Retail Box Packages, you might still, eventually, have to buy the re-release w/ everything,.
I.e.
Fallout 3 never got Mothership Zeta (DLC 5) on disc.
Some of the NWN Premium DLC's never got a disc release (Pirates of the Sword Coast, Infinite Dungeons, Wyvern Crown of Cormyr).
NWN2: Mysteries of Westgate (DLC) never got a disc release.
Borderlands has not had Knoxx (DLC 3) nor Claptrap Robot Revolution (DLC 4) on disc...YET. Doesn't mean will or won't - we don't know yet.
Mass Effect 1 never had Pinnacle Station (DLC 2) released on disc.
Mass Effect 2 has NO DLC on disc currently - Who knows if it will or won't.
Same goes for DAO - no DLC on disc currently.
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Edit: In fact I can't believe anyone's even bitching about DLC like Fallout 3's. What, we're going to bitch about companies when they give us extra content that wouldn't have seen the light of day if not for DLC? Just for the sake of a "complete" game?
Seriously guys.
That's not my point. They often don't release a retail box w/ ONLY ALL DLC, at a later said date - that's my point, for Vanilla Retail Owners. Instead, they just sell often at retail a Re-Release Box w/ everything, instead.
Vanilla owners get left in limbo here, basically - especially when companies release a box or two w/ some DLC, but don't finish things off - there's still missing DLC's not released at all on disc.
(See my above post, Reply #49).
Seriously...why didn't Mothership Zeta (DLC 5) get a disc release? :o The other 4 DLC's wound-up on disc.
EDIT:
In the old days, before DLC - I didn't have to worry about going after a GOTY Edition, Gold Edition, Platinum Edition, Ultimate Edition, or whatever they wanna call the final edition that contained everything. If I bought Vanilla game + Expansions as I went along and as they came out on disc, I still had a chance at owning everything offered in the Final Edition with everything on disc.
I.e. I bought all of Elder Scrolls 3's content as they went along on disc - Morrowind (Vanilla), Tribunal (Expansion 1), and Bloodmoon (Expansion 2). When the GOTY Edition came out - oh, that's right, I already had it all, so it wasn't even on my radar.
Same cannot be said about many games today - See above post, Reply 49.
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I'm not complaining about DLC like FO3 or Borderlands. Stuff thats pretty meaty and only $10. Stuff like "Buy a hat for $5" or "$3 for a new costume" are just pitiful. Fighting games are really bad about it. You used to just unlock characters and costumes, now you pay for them.
FO3 and Borderlands and the like work because they are much closer to the "expansion" model of new content. They give you a good chunk of game for the money. But the nickle and dime shit has got to go.
Of course we could also add in preorder bonuses, collectors editions with exclusive content, retailer specific bonuses...theres a lot of bullshit the game industry is doing now.
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That's not my point. They often don't release a retail box w/ ONLY ALL DLC, at a later said date - that's my point, for Vanilla Retail Owners. Instead, they just sell often at retail a Re-Release Box w/ everything, instead.
Vanilla owners get left in limbo here, basically - especially when companies release a box or two w/ some DLC, but don't finish things off - there's still missing DLC's not released at all on disc.
(See my above post, Reply #49).
Seriously...why didn't Mothership Zeta (DLC 5) get a disc release? :o The other 4 DLC's wound-up on disc.
EDIT:
In the old days, before DLC - I didn't have to worry about going after a GOTY Edition, Gold Edition, Platinum Edition, Ultimate Edition, or whatever they wanna call the final edition that contained everything. If I bought Vanilla game + Expansions as I went along and as they came out on disc, I still had a chance at owning everything offered in the Final Edition with everything on disc.
I.e. I bought all of Elder Scrolls 3's content as they went along on disc - Morrowind (Vanilla), Tribunal (Expansion 1), and Bloodmoon (Expansion 2). When the GOTY Edition came out - oh, that's right, I already had it all, so it wasn't even on my radar.
Same cannot be said about many games today - See above post, Reply 49.
Hey grandpa, what else happened in those days of PC games? I head that pterodactyls were infamous for stealing PC games from everyone!
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Agreed @ Idol's post on Reply 51.
EDIT:
My complaints about FO3 and Borderlands are not the size and price of the expansions - I think they're priced fairly. My complains w/ those two - and some other games I listed in Reply 49 - are at the way they started releasing some of the DLC on disc - and then suddenly, they stopped releasing some DLC on disc, so something wound-up missing in the mix...
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If they really want to get people excited about TF, why don't they do a BIG TF2 expansion pack w/ a good amount of maps, new weapons, and new items? Valve has already done good to the community by updating the life out of TF2 (over 150 times); and adding new content for free here and there - I'm sure they'd buy a $30 expansion willingly.
I really hate what micro-transactions and DLC have done and are doing to gaming. It's screwing it all up in so many ways, I don't know where to begin.
Or better yet - here's an idea: why doesn't Valve just do a TF3?
.....TF2 probably has more free developer added content to it than any other commercial mainstream game out there. New maps? Check. New Weapons? Check. New items? Check. New game modes? Check. Free? Check. The $30 expansion you want has pretty much been delivered free, albeit sporadically. There's really nothing to complain about there.
As to a TF3? Really? You're complaining that optional micro transactions are a cash in and you're saying a better option would be to take a very popular/populated and updated game and kill the user base by releasing an unnecessary sequel would be less of a cash in? You're basically creating the inverse of the situation which got people rightfully up in arms about L4D.
I get where (most) people are coming from here, and agree to an extent, but in the grand scheme of things, this doesn't affect the majority of the players in the game in a negative way at all. All the new money-only items are cosmetic only, much like the previously existing pre-order and promotional items which have been around for at least a year. If you want to go into the game and grind away for a sandwich, you can still do so. If you want a sandwich without grinding, you now have that option as well.
It's an illegitimate slippery slope to argue that this will be the downfall of TF2 or gaming as a whole. To decry the existence of DLC as a whole, regardless of it's implementation is no less of a fallacy than those who would blindly defend the actions of those who put it in place.
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One item thats a little iffy in the TF2 update: crates. These drop randomly, they hold a random item including stuff that can't be bought, dropped, or crafted. You can only open them with a key and you can only get keys by paying $2.50 for one. Thing is...you have no idea what is in the crate. You could be paying $2.50 for a common item you already have. Its basically gambling.
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Haha, that's just retarded.
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One item thats a little iffy in the TF2 update: crates. These drop randomly, they hold a random item including stuff that can't be bought, dropped, or crafted. You can only open them with a key and you can only get keys by paying $2.50 for one. Thing is...you have no idea what is in the crate. You could be paying $2.50 for a common item you already have. Its basically gambling.
HAHA, Allods Online has the same thing. You can buy or find chests that can only be opened with a key from the item store, and you never know what's in it.
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Hey remember when Valve recently said that they have three surprise announcements coming this year that will shock the world?
Was it my mistake in thinking that we'd like these surprises? :P
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Seems that way. :)
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Ha, so is this the first one?
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I wouldn't be surprised if Valve is behind the Panasonic Jungle, and that is the second surprise. :P
I also remember how Valve hyped their E3 announcement, letting people go crazy with speculation, until it turned out to be all PS3 related.
Anyway, yes, two surprises to go.
I suspect that one has to do with with Episode 3 and an Orange Box 2, or Episode 3 scrapped for Half-Life 3 or something.
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I imagine one of the surprises has to do with the hiring of the DOTA guy, IceFrog. People are speculating that they are working on a DOTA-like game that they will release for free, but sell items and characters in-game (much like League of Legends). This TF2 update is a testbed for that feature so they can work the kinks out.
But, you know, rumors...
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I haven't played dota is it like plants vs zombies?
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No...theres not really much to compare it to. Basically there is a map with bases at either end, and several lanes leading from one to the other. You control a single hero like an action RPG, Diablo-ish. At set intervals several small enemies (creeps) spawn at each base and automatically walk along the lanes until they meet in the middle and fight each other. This would happen continuously without player intervention.
As a player, you want to help the creeps reach the enemy base. So you go fight the enemy creeps to level yourself up. There are also towers along the lanes you must destroy to get the creeps through (they will stop to fight anything they come across), as well as battle the enemy heroes. As you level up you get new abilities, you earn gold to buy items that make you stronger, etc. Ultimate goal is to destroy the enemy base.
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I have to play this now.
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Prepare to be yelled at for being a n00b, kicked from every game you join, etc. Extremely hostile community.
Theres DOTA, the WC3 mod, which is free if you have WC3. Theres League of Legends which is made by the original DOTA creators, free to play game. Demigod, which is $6 right now. And Heroes of Newerth which is pretty much an exact clone of DOTA with better graphics, $30.
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DOTA sounds a lot like Demigod.
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Demigod is based on the same style of game. Its kind of a new genre that DOTA started and now others are making games in the genre. If this were the mid-90s we'd call Demigod a DOTA-like.
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Haha I suppose so.
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Hey, at least its not like they are making tons of money off this (http://gamasutra.com/view/news/31109/InDepth_Team_Fortress_2_Community_Contributors_FiveFigure_Payoffs.php) so we can go back to the way things were...
But with the recent introduction of the game's user-created virtual item marketplace, the Mann Co. Store, the winners' items went on sale to the Team Fortress 2 community -- and a 25 percent revenue share to the modders led to a surprising payoff.
Today, Valve said that community content creators Rob Laro, Shawn Spetch, Steven Skidmore, Spencer Kern and Shaylyn Hamm took home initial royalty payments ranging from $39,000 to $47,000 each from the first round of Team Fortress 2 content creation. And these are just the checks from the first few weeks of operation.
God damnit.
I mean, its good for the modders. They made a ton of money off their skills. But...I don't like where this will lead. Not just in a general gaming sense, but where will this lead the mod scene?
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Heh. You've been calling this for what seems like years.
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OK, that's good for them.
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Valve has no idea why 20-30% of TF2 players spend money on microtransactions. (http://www.joystiq.com/2011/10/25/valve-has-no-idea-why-almost-30-percent-of-tf2-players-spend-cas/)
Makes two of us, Valve... :o