APB Charging to Remove Ads from Voice Chat

[Kontar]

I pre-ordered this game after I got into the free test a week ago. It was amazingly fun, it really does feel like a persistent GTA online game.

As for the advertisements? Yeah that's pretty lame, but I turned the in-game VOIP off after about 5 min in the game, I really don't want to listen to idiots whining because they don't understand how to change their clothes. If I want to talk to someone I will talk to the on Vent or TS, this really doesn't change anything IMO.

If you are so pissed about the advertisements turn off in-game VOIP, there problem solved, you didn't have to pay extra to turn it off or anything. If you really want to use the voice system and not pay, then I guess you have to listen to what is most likely an incredibly short ad every 3 hours. If you played for 12 hours straight you would hear 4 of them, that's all, 4 ads, and that's if you are switching districts every 3 hours. I wish television ads were that scarce.

 

[brewbeard]

I've thought about trying APB, but now I won't bother. It's not that a 30 second ad every three hours or log in period or whatever bothers me, it's that it sets a precedent, and once the precedent is set it will snowball over time. I already don't watch television because commercials are detract from the medium and are a tremendous waste of time. I don't want them in my games, too.

 

[Swarley]

but dont fucking add voice adds that will blare over my teammates in the middle of an intense game

Now try reading the article.

Those devs are idiots. If you're competing with WoW, anything bad you do, even if it's just an ad every 3 hours, is going to make your loss inevitable.

But they are not competing with WoW. Since when is a third-person shooter game trying to steal RPG fans?

Didn't you know? If its an MMO it is clearly is trying to kill wow!

 

[Maze1125]

This would bee acceptable in a free-to-play game. Not so in a pay-to-play.

I won't be trying this.

Agreed. I was interested in this game, but now, I think I'll just say "Fuck it".

They could have just made the fee mandatory part of the subscription and you'd never have known, but because they decided you let you choose between paying or having ads, you decide to avoid the game completely.

How does that make any sense?

but dont fucking add voice adds that will blare over my teammates in the middle of an intense game,

Except that ads can only happen when you transition from one area to another, and so can never happen during an actual gaming moment.

 

[The Austin]

This would bee acceptable in a free-to-play game. Not so in a pay-to-play.

I won't be trying this.

Agreed. I was interested in this game, but now, I think I'll just say "Fuck it".

They could have just made the fee mandatory part of the subscription and you'd never have known.

Well they didn't.

 

[RvLeshrac]

I mean, what they could have done instead is not had the ads at all and added the cost directly to the subscriptions.

Excepting that the game is already $10/mo (as a subscription) for what amounts to 100-man GTA4 Multi.

This is no serious MMO we're talking about. These districts are *small*. Painfully so. Balance is nearly non-existent.

The game is mediocre.

*edit*

If I offer you the "choice" between kicking you in the nuts hard, or kicking you in the nuts harder, is that better than not kicking you in the nuts at all?

 

[RvLeshrac]

If they use a 3rd party adserver then the ads can be blocked using a hosts file. If they are using rootkit-like tactics or are bypassing DNS resolution then you can block the IP range of the advertiser in your router or DMZ.

If they are using first party served ads then I wouldn't use the in-game voice chat. Just tell your party members you are deaf, thats what I do in DDO.

The difference is that the target audience for DDO hasn't been playing Halo for years.

That, and there's no way to disable incoming voice in APB.

 

[RvLeshrac]

I wonder if people are aware that most mmos cost more per month than apb...

That would require people not being a freetard to begin with. Based on what I've seen in my life most people consider free things better than higher priced quality items just because they are free. I pay for my own vent server just so I can hear people clearly. It is easier to just shit all over something than to actually look for reason. They gave one, VOIP is done by a third party, this is their way of paying for it. APB is a great game, I have played it. But try telling that to people who are only concerned about money, regardless of how good or shitty the game is.

APB is $10 because it isn't the same scale, nor does it have the content to back up a higher MMO sub.

You should also bear in mind that the $15 MMO is a relatively recent phenomenon. EQ started out at $10. Eventually, someone determined that suckers would pay $15/mo, and *poof*, everyone started doing it.

 

[Korey Von Doom]

I'm pretty sure this game fell off many people's radars when they announced it wasn't going to be free to play

 

[rembrandtqeinstein]

If they use a 3rd party adserver then the ads can be blocked using a hosts file. If they are using rootkit-like tactics or are bypassing DNS resolution then you can block the IP range of the advertiser in your router or DMZ.

If they are using first party served ads then I wouldn't use the in-game voice chat. Just tell your party members you are deaf, thats what I do in DDO.

The difference is that the target audience for DDO hasn't been playing Halo for years.

That, and there's no way to disable incoming voice in APB.

Rofl...no way to disable incoming voice? I would turn the sound off first. I don't get on voice chat because listening to other gamers talk makes me want to stab myself, knowing I probably sound like that when I talk.

 

[MajoraPersona]

It's unsettling that this is the case, but easy enough to ignore.

 

[Antiparticle]

Death to all in-game advertising.

 

[SL33TBL1ND]

Ooooooooor use the very nice sounding Teamspeak 3? or the slightly older Ventrilo?

Not impressed, APB.

But meh, its only once every 3 hours. I suppose its fine as long as your not doing the equivalent of raiding.

"Deo I need a heal-Head on, Apply Directly to the forehead"

FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU

Or skype even. But yeah, this is pretty much why I don't give a shit about APB.

 

[Maze1125]

This would bee acceptable in a free-to-play game. Not so in a pay-to-play.

I won't be trying this.

Agreed. I was interested in this game, but now, I think I'll just say "Fuck it".

They could have just made the fee mandatory part of the subscription and you'd never have known.

Well they didn't.

No, they didn't.
They choose to give you information, rather than hide it from you.
And they choose to let you choose what to do with that information, rather than take the choice away from you.

And for that you're going to refuse to buy their game.

I ask again: How does that make any sense?

If I offer you the "choice" between kicking you in the nuts hard, or kicking you in the nuts harder, is that better than not kicking you in the nuts at all?

That's a flawed analogy. You're not forced to buy the game at all, so you can choose to avoid a "kick in the nuts" completely.

If a company is selling a game and offers two ways to pay. Either you pay the full $60 price or you only pay $25 and let the lead developer "kick you in the nuts". That is a better choice than if they only let you pay the full $60. Maybe most people won't pick the $25 option, but the allowing you to choose is always better than forcing a choice upon you, and it makes absolutely no sense that people would refuse to buy the game because they gave us extra choice when they were considering buying it when they were given no choice.

 

[jpoon]

I'm gonna vote with my dollars and not buy this hunk of shit.

 

[Cropsyck]

Just thought I'd throw my 2 cents in.. I loved the beta, and am very much looking forward to the 26th. This isn't the best news in the world, but honestly, it will be less than one minute of an ad, by the time you get into a mission it will be over. Not to mention the fact that you will hear a TON of ignorant people that I can guarantee will be more annoying than the ads.
I'm already sick of people complaining of the ads "Blaring over" you and your buddies talking in an intense fire fight or something of the sort. If you read the article or the official posting on the RTW site, you would know the ads are only every three hours and when you are going from one disrtic to another. I don't think it will even be noticable. If you don't like ads, don't buy the game, cancel your internet subscription, stop watching tv, remove your car stereo, oh and also remove your eyes *edit: and ears*. That would solve the problem.

 

[Mcface]

but dont fucking add voice adds that will blare over my teammates in the middle of an intense game

Now try reading the article.

Those devs are idiots. If you're competing with WoW, anything bad you do, even if it's just an ad every 3 hours, is going to make your loss inevitable.

But they are not competing with WoW. Since when is a third-person shooter game trying to steal RPG fans?

Didn't you know? If its an MMO it is clearly is trying to kill wow!

I read the article. When you join the zone, and after 3 hours. I played in the action district for 5 hours straight, its not hard to do, its a good game.

I don't want to be trying to listen to my teammate and out of no where hear "YAY PROGRESSIVE AUTO INSURGENCE!" as my car is getting blown up because we cant hear over the 40 second ad.

 

[Mcface]

This would bee acceptable in a free-to-play game. Not so in a pay-to-play.

I won't be trying this.

Agreed. I was interested in this game, but now, I think I'll just say "Fuck it".

They could have just made the fee mandatory part of the subscription and you'd never have known, but because they decided you let you choose between paying or having ads, you decide to avoid the game completely.

How does that make any sense?

but dont fucking add voice adds that will blare over my teammates in the middle of an intense game,

Except that ads can only happen when you transition from one area to another, and so can never happen during an actual gaming moment.

The Official fourms say "When joining a new zone, and after 3 hours of game play in that zone"

 

[tehweave]

Would in Game ads, like virtual Billboards, Car Radios, cars themeselves, Get the adds across just as well without pissing off alot of people?

I think this would work better. That way, they could sell advertising space and it wouldn't interfere with teamspeak. Plus, I think visual advertisements are more effective then aural ones.