CliffyB: Microtransaction is Not a Dirty Word, EA is Not The Bad Guy

[Genocidicles]

It doesn't matter how good Origin will be, or how bad Steam was. I am not having Origin (or Uplay for that matter) on my computer.

I already have Steam, and it has most of my games on it, so I'm not having another piece of bloatware clogging up my computer just so I can play EA games.

 

[Daystar Clarion]

Difference being, Valve didn't charge me 40 quid for TF2.

Microtransactions are fine in F2P models, but when you charge full price for the game, it gets a little sketchy...

You're implying TF2 was always free which is an outright lie

No, I was implying that I didn't pay 40 quid for the game.

Don't presume to know my intentions.

If your only comment was on your personal experience is one thing, but when you imply that TF2 fits into the "F2P" model and always has you're misrepresenting the facts deliberately or through an inability to communicate

It's akin to me saying "Well EA didn't charge me 60 bucks for Mass Effect 1, so you know, EA is awesome." and then I neglect to mention that I bought it 2 years after release and it was originally 60 bucks.

I'm not in the mood to have another semantics argument over the internet, so please, just it leave it there.

 

[Frostbite3789]

Hey, remember a time when games look like pixel blocks and controlled with just a joystick and a single button? We should cut Aliens Colonial Marines some slack because that's how things were back then!

**** NO! Standards have changed. Valve has set the bar higher and you can't release bull**** like this and just say "Well Steam started this way too."

If Origin was released at the same time as Steam, then they might have been able to get away with it. Might have. But now we live in a day and age when Steam is filled with awesome and chocolate. Deal with it.

This is where my problem lies. I still have a myriad of problems with Steam. From not being able to play a legally purchased game because it's DRM at it's core. To the offline mode being half broken.

Never encountered any of these problems with Origin. Part of this is function of I have more games on Steam than Origin, but that doesn't excuse Steam in the same way the stuff CliffyB said doesn't necessarily excuse EA. Origin has never mysteriously needed to 'complete the install' on a game when I'm in offline mode, then play it fine when I'm online again, despite doing nothing at all on half my games.

 

[Beryl77]

Oh the excuses, they are overwhelming. We left out a couple things there didn't we?
Let's see, the ring for example was and idea from the TF2 community and not from Valve themselves or most items that Valve charges in their games are cosmetics, while EA tends to charge weapons and other things like that or TF2 is ftp and the only source of income are the items, while EA charges for everything, including weapons and DLC even though the game is full price and let's not forget that TF2 has grown more than double its size since release without ever having to pay additionally for it whatsoever. Should I go on and mention all the bad things that EA has done to earn their reputation?
I'm sorry but when the company does often bad things and another one does good things then they simply will be treated differently. If you do something that's considered to be bad but usually do good things, then people are much more likely to forgive you for those actions because you've also done many good things. If, however, you usually do bad things, then they just stack and people are less likely to forgive you. What for? You generally do only bad things, one good thing won't change that.
It's EA's own fault so quit your whining, they brought it upon themselves. When EA started to get better a few years ago, like releasing games like Mirrors Edge or Dead Space and stopped those bad practices of them for a bit, gamers showed that they're willing to change their attitude towards EA but then EA's own actions changed that again. If you start doing many good things, people will eventually forgive you, IF you start doing good things. It's not the gamers, it's EA.
Sheesh, he sounds like a little kid that doesn't understand why he's disliked. I mean, he bullies the other kids, that's no reason to dislike him, right?
Seems to me like after he quit, he didn't get the attention that he wants anymore and writes something like this to be in the news. Then again, I've never had a good opinion of Cliffy C.

 

[Daystar Clarion]

Difference being, Valve didn't charge me 40 quid for TF2.

Microtransactions are fine in F2P models, but when you charge full price for the game, it gets a little sketchy...

You're implying TF2 was always free which is an outright lie

No, I was implying that I didn't pay 40 quid for the game.

Don't presume to know my intentions.

If your only comment was on your personal experience is one thing, but when you imply that TF2 fits into the "F2P" model and always has you're misrepresenting the facts deliberately or through an inability to communicate

It's akin to me saying "Well EA didn't charge me 60 bucks for Mass Effect 1, so you know, EA is awesome." and then I neglect to mention that I bought it 2 years after release and it was originally 60 bucks.

I'm not in the mood to have another semantics argument over the internet, so please, just it leave it there.

It's not a semantics argument, it's about you basing your opinion of a company based on personal experience rather than looking at the situation objectively with you know a reasoned, mature perspective.

Team Fortress 2 was 60 bucks at launch in orange box
Mann Co store opened a year before TF2 became free to play

So to imply that TF2 falls under what is commonly understood as the "Free to play" model is not accurate.

Valve was charging for the game and then later began offering optional people micro-transactions within said game. Just like Dead Space 3 was released at full price, and offers players optional micro-transactions within the game.


This constant grasping at straws by gamers to justify what are obviously skewed perspectives is laughable at best.

Okay, scratch that, I'm not in the fucking mood to get into another fucking argument over the fucking internet, period.

Yes, the game wasn't F2P originally, but it also only charged for cosmetic items, the point is that it's F2P now.

 

[sniddy_v1legacy]

Microtransactions in the right place fine - in a $100 game, GTFO

Im also sick of $100 games being vessels to sell me DLC thats getting worse and worse

 

[Daystar Clarion]

Difference being, Valve didn't charge me 40 quid for TF2.

Microtransactions are fine in F2P models, but when you charge full price for the game, it gets a little sketchy...

You're implying TF2 was always free which is an outright lie

No, I was implying that I didn't pay 40 quid for the game.

Don't presume to know my intentions.

If your only comment was on your personal experience is one thing, but when you imply that TF2 fits into the "F2P" model and always has you're misrepresenting the facts deliberately or through an inability to communicate

It's akin to me saying "Well EA didn't charge me 60 bucks for Mass Effect 1, so you know, EA is awesome." and then I neglect to mention that I bought it 2 years after release and it was originally 60 bucks.

I'm not in the mood to have another semantics argument over the internet, so please, just it leave it there.

It's not a semantics argument, it's about you basing your opinion of a company based on personal experience rather than looking at the situation objectively with you know a reasoned, mature perspective.

Team Fortress 2 was 60 bucks at launch in orange box
Mann Co store opened a year before TF2 became free to play

So to imply that TF2 falls under what is commonly understood as the "Free to play" model is not accurate.

Valve was charging for the game and then later began offering optional people micro-transactions within said game. Just like Dead Space 3 was released at full price, and offers players optional micro-transactions within the game.


This constant grasping at straws by gamers to justify what are obviously skewed perspectives is laughable at best.

Okay, scratch that, I'm not in the fucking mood to get into another fucking argument over the fucking internet, period.

Yes, the game wasn't F2P originally, but it also only charged for cosmetic items, the point is that it's F2P now.

So what if it only charges for cosmetic items? Dead Space 3's microtransactions are for the single player game. Again, you're implying it's "pay to win" which is bullshit. It's "pay to get through the game faster" and completely unnecessary from what I understand.

Charging only for cosmetic items is irrelevant. People are still being charged for a game that some of them purchased (for 60 dollars at launch).

And if you're afraid of being forced to change your mind by arguing, then don't post your opinion.

Yes, well I wasn't aware that a throw away sentence would trigger the Spanish Inquisition 6 hours after I posted it.

 

[Weaver]

So, anything the industry can do to make more money it SHOULD do, because it's an industry?
Seems legit. I guess everyone giving Nike flack for charging $130 for a pair of $4 shoes put together by Indian child labour is just all noise and rabble, right? They just want to make them dollars to pay their employees.

There has to be a point where games as an industry and games as an artform meet in some common ground.
You can't simply see video games as JUST a business industry, because it makes really shitty games that no one wants to play.

Quite frankly, I don't want to pay full price for the privilege of paying you even more money.

 

[Vegosiux]

When o when will people stop calling foul because their customers have complaints? I've worked in a bar, so I know just how obnoxious customers can get, mind, but first rule of business: YOU DO NOT badmouth your customers, and YOU DO NOT blame your customers for your own shortcomings - not even the worst of the customers.

 

[Britisheagle]

I think he makes such a valid point and it has long baffled me that some companies that are seen as "cool" get away with ripping off the consumer whereas some others don't. Bit rubbish really. Especially when it comes to MMORPGs, WoW in particular, £30-40 for a game then however much for monthly payments then microtransactions too?

That being said, I have not to this day purchased a "micro-transaction" not even for my XBL avatar, however they are becoming far more prominent in the game industry so someone must be. So he makes a good point; vote with your wallet.

 

[TotalerKrieger]

Anyone else notice that the mindless greed and verbal diarrhea (ie: two faced manipulative half-truths) usually associated with publishers is now spilling into the domain of developers? Corporate assimilation or something...

Valve, for the most part, has earned some trust from the consumer. Valve rarely attempts to nickel and dime their consumer base, there is usually an acceptable degree of value to what they charge for (a fair deal). EA, on the other hand, can't seem to go more than a month without trying to implement some to scam to squeeze a few more dollars out the consumer. They have fully earned their bad reputation.

It is not a logical stretch to suspect that an EA supported micro-transaction system is not of good value to the consumer. It is not a stretch to assume such a system is just one of the many schemes this company has attempted to force on the consumer. IMO, Valve has earned some leeway in this regard.

 

[Parnage]

I tried voting with my wallet, I didn't buy Gears of War and yet he made three of those.. Meanwhile ol Cliffys company screws over PC drops it deadpan and hops on a console bandwagon and I am supposed to do what? Not buy a game he won't release on my platform anyway?

EA gets flack because they've been ruining franchises and ip's for over a decade. They are now quite literally pulling nickle and dime DLC to get you to throw another 20-40$ on a 60$ title. Worst of all it's generally on day 1 ON THE DISC "DLC" If you expect anyone to like them you are flat out ignorant.

Stay out of the industry cliffy, you said you quit. So quit. Maybe EA will give you a job so you can watch them take your franchise and run it into the ground like they've done with every other ip they've gotten a hand on..

 

[synobal]

Difference being, Valve didn't charge me 40 quid for TF2.

you clearly have a lack of vitamin C. orange box to be specific..

TF2 was in the orange box this is true. How ever it only went free to play long after the organge box was much cheaper, 10 dollars or so on most store shelves and microtransactions were only added then. I hardly think that is comparable to releasing a 60 dollar title and expecting players to pay microtransactions as well.