'Call of Duty' Sets Sights on a Fee

[archvile93]

Did it say PC gamers won't have to pay the monthly service? I hope so. It's not like we'd be paying to get the DLC earlier than others. This is just a bad idea either way, though, at least I hope so.

 

[SovietSecrets]

Didn't they say this before?
Then say they'd never do that?
And its back again... surprise surprise.

They said they might charge for premium content. They said they would never charge to actually play the game online. Not really back as much as the premium content fees going into effect and honestly, its really better than paying $15 for a map pack every couple of months.

Unless its changed since COD4, don't they have the DLC maps in a separate matchmaking playlist?
And I think that COD4 was the only one with a GOTY version...
Well, balls. If you're THAT devoted to it, then fine. It's still bloody ridiculous. After all, wouldn't it add up to MORE than $15? Not good in the long term.

Hasn't changed since CoD 4. DLC is still on another playlist. The map packs come with the premium service as well so you won't be paying two costs for the service and then again for the map packs. Its all in one bundle so its not too much. I don't pay for the extra content that comes with it as I don't have a job, but I would gladly because it really isn't as bad as people make it out to be.

Its still overly expensive. You're already paying a damned lot for a paper thin game.

I would respectfully disagree. The game is very enjoyable on all fronts and the story is over the top and fun to go through. I know people call it copy and paste, but then again if you look deep enough every game is. Multiplayer is always a blast to play. I enjoy the game and what it brings, though yeah its just me. Many people don't and I understand, but what you see as paper thing, I see as full and filled with replay value.

 

[DethKid]

isnt this monthly fee completely optional. its for cod elite so if you dont want the extra maps and content cant you just not pay for it?

so i dont see the issue here

fair enough you can play the game for free, but im worried that if this catches on...more and more content will be held back from us in order to suck more cash from our pockets

if you think about some iPhone games as an example. they are free to play, however you are stuck with the most basic equipment the only way you can develop is pay more monney.

whats the next step, lowering the level cap for free players...less weapons for free players.

And if we think back to World at War and how the matchmaking was screwed because if you didnt buy the new map packs you could barely find a game to join.

I see this dividing up the community and wreaking havoc.

Plus i already pay to much for online play...i dont want to be left behind because im not willing to pay extra for stuff that i should have been given...

they would probably have the content on the disc already and are just taking advantage of their popularity

ugh...not worth the effort. If this happens il just keep playing MW2...its all the same shit anyway

 

[ShockValue]

Didn't they say this before?
Then say they'd never do that?
And its back again... surprise surprise.

They said that they would never make people pay to actually play it online. No one is going to be forced to pay a monthly fee to play the game. It's additional content etc. If anything it may be similar to the stat tracking and stuff that Bungie has set up for Halo. Yeah I'm withholding judgement until I learn more tomorrow
"COD ELITE is free, for all players, some paid aspects TBD. Absolutely NO fee to play"

 

[Kyogissun]

Here's a more humorous breakdown of what I imagine the boardroom meeting went like for this whole thing:

BOBBY KOTICK: WE NEED MORE MONIEZ!!!

INFINITY WARD GUYS: LETS MAKE MOD WAR THREEEEE!!!11!1!

BOBBY KOTICK: NOT ENUF MONIEZ, HOW WE MAKE MOR?!!?!?!?!!?1

BLIZZARD GUYS: INTRODUCE SUBSCRIPTION FEES FOR STUFZ

BOBBY KOTICK: BRILLIANT, WE MAKE MORE MONIEZ!!!!

Or something, I don't give a fuck, I just still find this whole concept hilarious.

But at the same time, I'm also sad about this, because there are a fuckton of completely idiotic mainstream american fuckwits who play call of duty and ONLY CoD alone, aside from maybe 2/3 other games a year, and they will TOTALLY fucking buy into that bullshit.

To be clear, I'm not against DLC. DLC is awesome and extends a game's lifespan for most of us who get bored with games after a few months of owning them, but it needs to be a one time payment for permanent access. This is just making DLC EXCESSIVELY profitable and it's kind of a disgusting move on Activision's part IMHO.

Here's hopes maybe the masses will reject and fight against this bullshit, god knows Activision DOES NOT need MORE money.

 

[Traun]

Did it say PC gamers won't have to pay the monthly service? I hope so. It's not like we'd be paying to get the DLC earlier than others. This is just a bad idea either way, though, at least I hope so.

CoD:Black OPs DLC outsold Dragon Age 2 on Steam (just so we're clear, Steam estimates Top Selars in Profits, not units sold, this means that CoD's DLC made more money than Dragon Age 2) and was at the Top Sellers list first 5 spots for 3 weeks.

PC gamers bent over and took it like a champ.

 

[Troublesome Lagomorph]

Didn't they say this before?
Then say they'd never do that?
And its back again... surprise surprise.

They said they might charge for premium content. They said they would never charge to actually play the game online. Not really back as much as the premium content fees going into effect and honestly, its really better than paying $15 for a map pack every couple of months.

Unless its changed since COD4, don't they have the DLC maps in a separate matchmaking playlist?
And I think that COD4 was the only one with a GOTY version...
Well, balls. If you're THAT devoted to it, then fine. It's still bloody ridiculous. After all, wouldn't it add up to MORE than $15? Not good in the long term.

Hasn't changed since CoD 4. DLC is still on another playlist. The map packs come with the premium service as well so you won't be paying two costs for the service and then again for the map packs. Its all in one bundle so its not too much. I don't pay for the extra content that comes with it as I don't have a job, but I would gladly because it really isn't as bad as people make it out to be.

Its still overly expensive. You're already paying a damned lot for a paper thin game.

I would respectfully disagree. The game is very enjoyable on all fronts and the story is over the top and fun to go through. I know people call it copy and paste, but then again if you look deep enough every game is. Multiplayer is always a blast to play. I enjoy the game and what it brings, though yeah its just me. Many people don't and I understand, but what you see as paper thing, I see as full and filled with replay value.

Short and bland. And you already gotta pay for Xbox Live. It also plays better on PC. However, getting it on PC isn't smart because you can get something better. Also: Replay value? We ARE talking about Pre- MW2 ones, right? MW2's campaign was tacked on, too short and downright uninteresting. Black Ops might have had a worth while campaign, but I wouldn't know. Multiplayer is good, but not worth the price of the game. Overall: any type of premium for an already over-priced game is downright ridiculous.

"COD ELITE is free, for all players, some paid aspects TBD. Absolutely NO fee to play"

It'd better be.

 

[MiracleOfSound]

'COD ELITE is free, for all players, some paid aspects TBD. Absolutely NO fee to play #MW3 multiplayer. Detailed reveal coming tomorrow AM'

-from Robert Bowling's Twitter just now.

 

[dibblywibbles]

wait people are still excited about modern warfare 3? for me it's the least anticipated game of the year and to have it compete for my money with skyrim and battlefield 3? yup I think I'll pass.

 

[Super Toast]

Just another reason why Battlefield 3 >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> MW3.

Seriously, fuck Activision.

 

[Greatjusticeman]

Well...good thing I was getting Battlefield 3 anyways.

I doubt this is going to go over well, though. Most people I know that play COD are really casual gamers, and COD is one of their only games they play. So getting a casual person to pay a fee? Who knows.

I also lol'ed at "hyper-realistic combat-simulation" as well.

 

[Broken Boy]

Now I am truly glad I have given up the CoD series forever. Black ops was the lid of the coffin this is the last nail in that lid.

 

[Waaghpowa]

Did it say PC gamers won't have to pay the monthly service? I hope so. It's not like we'd be paying to get the DLC earlier than others. This is just a bad idea either way, though, at least I hope so.

CoD:Black OPs DLC outsold Dragon Age 2 on Steam (just so we're clear, Steam estimates Top Selars in Profits, not units sold, this means that CoD's DLC made more money than Dragon Age 2) and was at the Top Sellers list first 5 spots for 3 weeks.

PC gamers bent over and took it like a champ.

I think you forgot that the boxed version of CoD requires steam, whereas DA2 didn't when you bought it in stores. Still probably didn't beat it.

I'd also like to mention that I saw this coming over a year ago.....but I hardly think that makes me psychic.

 

[Negatempest]

isnt this monthly fee completely optional. its for cod elite so if you dont want the extra maps and content cant you just not pay for it?

so i dont see the issue here

See, I understand where you are confused, I do.

Let me use the Playstation Plus as an example. As long as you are subscribed you have access to the plus content (maps), when you don't pay you are cut off from said content(maps). Now what if you just want the maps, well since the subscription could go for $8usd for access to all extra maps, it would be possible that the cost of just 1 map could go for $10 each for "permanent" use.

Now the reason such a Sub works well for MMO's is because there are constant fixes for the MMO. Bug fixes, balances(nerfs), exploit fixes, etc. Considering activisions' track record with CoD, I don't expect "fixes" to be a high priority for the game. This is also just a minor step in other games that would have an added "fee" to play it online if you read the article.

How does it effect offline/non fee. Well, how about "customization" is part of the subscription? Changing the color of the gun or your avatar would end up being part of the subscription. THIS on top of the $25-$80usd your paying just to play on the Xbox360. So yeah, you are getting drained as a customer very badly.

 

[Merkavar]

isnt this monthly fee completely optional. its for cod elite so if you dont want the extra maps and content cant you just not pay for it?

so i dont see the issue here

See, I understand where you are confused, I do.

Let me use the Playstation Plus as an example. As long as you are subscribed you have access to the plus content (maps), when you don't pay you are cut off from said content(maps). Now what if you just want the maps, well since the subscription could go for $8usd for access to all extra maps, it would be possible that the cost of just 1 map could go for $10 each for "permanent" use.

Now the reason such a Sub works well for MMO's is because there are constant fixes for the MMO. Bug fixes, balances(nerfs), exploit fixes, etc. Considering activisions' track record with CoD, I don't expect "fixes" to be a high priority for the game. This is also just a minor step in other games that would have an added "fee" to play it online if you read the article.

How does it effect offline/non fee. Well, how about "customization" is part of the subscription? Changing the color of the gun or your avatar would end up being part of the subscription. THIS on top of the $25-$80usd your paying just to play on the Xbox360. So yeah, you are getting drained as a customer very badly.

ok and from the business side of things. the game companies wouldnt do this whole extra fee thing if people didnt buy it. so the only people who can be blamed for this sort of scheme is the people who buy these games.

vote with your wallet and dont buy the games.

 

[Negatempest]

isnt this monthly fee completely optional. its for cod elite so if you dont want the extra maps and content cant you just not pay for it?

so i dont see the issue here

See, I understand where you are confused, I do.

Let me use the Playstation Plus as an example. As long as you are subscribed you have access to the plus content (maps), when you don't pay you are cut off from said content(maps). Now what if you just want the maps, well since the subscription could go for $8usd for access to all extra maps, it would be possible that the cost of just 1 map could go for $10 each for "permanent" use.

Now the reason such a Sub works well for MMO's is because there are constant fixes for the MMO. Bug fixes, balances(nerfs), exploit fixes, etc. Considering activisions' track record with CoD, I don't expect "fixes" to be a high priority for the game. This is also just a minor step in other games that would have an added "fee" to play it online if you read the article.

How does it effect offline/non fee. Well, how about "customization" is part of the subscription? Changing the color of the gun or your avatar would end up being part of the subscription. THIS on top of the $25-$80usd your paying just to play on the Xbox360. So yeah, you are getting drained as a customer very badly.

ok and from the business side of things. the game companies wouldnt do this whole extra fee thing if people didnt buy it. so the only people who can be blamed for this sort of scheme is the people who buy these games.

vote with your wallet and dont buy the games.

preaching to the choir.

 

[Fenreil]

Unfortunately, it's just a random extra content thing, like forming clans and viewing map statistics. One of my favorite examples in the video Activision took down was "Looking at the map data, you can tell you should use a sniper rifle on this map." It's not the pay-to-play model I was hoping for.

On the other hand, this raises the question of "What the fuck is this supposed to be for?" Everyone else offers this kind of shit for free!

EDIT: I had a link to a video. It seems activision took it down in the time it took me to type this post up.

EDIT 2: Found a new one. Doubt it will be up for long.

 

[Eacaraxe_v1legacy]

Well, maybe if Activision gets their intravenous income supply through monthly fees rather than "annualizability" they can actually focus on making a real sequel with a comprehensible story, upgraded and improved engine, balanced and innovative class and gameplay mechanics, better matchmaking, quality assurance, and reasonable post-release support.

Maybe even just release an umbrella "Call of Duty Online" multiplayer-only title that incorporates different warfare eras (a good place to start would be with WWI, WWII, Cold War, Modern, and Near-Future eras) complete with period-appropriate weapon, equipment and class selections and community-driven-with-developer-oversight content releases similar to that of TF2, instead of hodgepodge games released by disparate developers with almost no communication under strict deadlines.

Eh, who am I kidding. That would raise the bottom line and we can't have that.

 

[SovietSecrets]

Oh fun quote time "COD ELITE is free, for all players, some paid aspects TBD. Absolutely NO fee to play #MW3 multiplayer. Detailed reveal coming tomorrow AM" - From the twitter of Robert Bowling.

http://attackofthefanboy.com/news/call-of-duty-elite-is-free-to-all-features-explained/