Overwatch's Microtransactions Detailed And Priced

[WindKnight]

I fail to see the issue with this, at all. I mean, yes, we can all whine about the very concept of microtransactions daring to exist in the world because some other company in some other instance implemented them in a stupid, invasive way, but that ignores the reality of the situation for the sake of your cathartic whining.

It's purely cosmetic things that you can get; all future content of actual import will be free; you unlock these things through leveling up normally; and duplicate items seem to be converted into in-game currency to avoid drowning you in the same thing over and over again. At this point, there's nothing wrong with this other than that they're microtransactions and are therefore inherently bad and must be destroyed.

I don't hate it really, but its kind of annoying with how the customization options work in game - there's 21 characters in the game and 54 unlockable customisations, and you'll probably focus on only a few (or one) as a rule, meaning at four 'dice rolls' per loot crate you have to be lucky to get something for a character you like, and moreover for it to be something you want for the character you like. As has been said, duplicates do translate into ingame currency, but that is so far the only way to get the currency in question - so instead of planning out what you want, and giving yourself targets... You roll the dice. And roll the dice. And roll the dice.

And when you roll the dice enough times with no luck (for example, I got to lvl 10 in the beta and I'd only unlocked two 'basic' skins I really wanted, and all the rares and uncommon items I had were for characters I had no interest in) the option to buy few extra dice is mighty tempting, frustrating or both.

 

[Naldan]

Aren't the levels reset every time a new match begins? If so, this seems to be too OK to be true.

Levels don't actually mean anything.
Unlike saaaay Battlefield where you unlock weapons.
Every time you gain a level you get a loot box and the number by your portrait goes up by one.
Other than that nothing happens.

I think that's where my misconception about the levels resetting came from.

Well, then it would come down to how much experience one needs to level up, especially in high-level ranges. And if there is a level cap.

Because if you'd need ten billion matches to win just to level up from 100 to 101, and it would cap at say level 110, this system would be bullshit. Riot Games, makers of League of Legends, have a way better system for this. Why? Because you at least know what you get for your money. Here, it's random.

 

[The Lunatic]

Oh look, an Activision-Blizzard game has awful microtransations and in implemented in a scummy way.

Two crates with like 4 (100% cosmetic) items each for less than the price of one TF2\CS:GO crate key is "awful and scummy" now. mmmmmmm'k.

For a $40 game at release?

Yes?

It's great you're having fun and all, but, it's not really a price I'd pay for a game with only two modes and multiplayer only.

I mean, TF2 is free, for example.

 

[jayzz911]

Oh look, an Activision-Blizzard game has awful microtransations and in implemented in a scummy way.

Two crates with like 4 (100% cosmetic) items each for less than the price of one TF2\CS:GO crate key is "awful and scummy" now. mmmmmmm'k.

For a $40 game at release?

Yes?

It's great you're having fun and all, but, it's not really a price I'd pay for a game with only two modes and multiplayer only.


I mean, TF2 is free, for example.

TF2 wasn't free when it came out though. Also the only thing they are selling is something comestic you can get for free by just playing the game.This literally just benifits the people that have more money than time and doesn't negatively effect anyone.

 

[jayzz911]

Aren't the levels reset every time a new match begins? If so, this seems to be too OK to be true.

Levels don't actually mean anything.
Unlike saaaay Battlefield where you unlock weapons.
Every time you gain a level you get a loot box and the number by your portrait goes up by one.
Other than that nothing happens.

I think that's where my misconception about the levels resetting came from.

Well, then it would come down to how much experience one needs to level up, especially in high-level ranges. And if there is a level cap.

Because if you'd need ten billion matches to win just to level up from 100 to 101, and it would cap at say level 110, this system would be bullshit. Riot Games, makers of League of Legends, have a way better system for this. Why? Because you at least know what you get for your money. Here, it's random.

You are now comparing buying skins to something that is way closer to hextech boxes. And no there is no level cap (or atleast im fairly sure i ran into people that were level 150+ in the beta) and the xp per level is capped at a certain amount from like level 20(not sure if that's the exact level)

 

[Strawb]

...it appears that even Blizzard can be seduced to the dark side, when it comes to throwing in free 2 play monetisation elements into premium games.

This isn't new, though. There's been microtransactions in WoW for years.

 

[MCerberus]

Ugh, gocha systems for payment.
Well at least in the west it's shown that the system can be at least somewhat non-satanic while still funding continuing free content, by EA no less. (ME3, while flawed was alright. Being cosmetic only OW is actually an improvement)

There better not be a level cap though.

 

[Madnet]

Tried the Beta...should be FTP. Especially if there's micro-transactions. Why buy Overwatch when you can get TF2 for free? It's just as good.

Literally the first thought I had when I played the Beta.

 

[Scarim Coral]

So in another word, the crate boxes like in Team Fortress 2 except it's not hats? Good to know.

 

[RaikuFA]

Well looks like my interest died off completely. Time for it to go in the same pile as Titanfall and Evolve.

And here I thought the only issue would've been connectivity a la Diablo 3. And for those who say "We were told in the Beta" not everyone could get into it. I know I didn't then again I've never gotten into a beta.

 

[Newage]

Aren't the levels reset every time a new match begins? If so, this seems to be too OK to be true.

Levels don't actually mean anything.
Unlike saaaay Battlefield where you unlock weapons.
Every time you gain a level you get a loot box and the number by your portrait goes up by one.
Other than that nothing happens.

I think that's where my misconception about the levels resetting came from.

Well, then it would come down to how much experience one needs to level up, especially in high-level ranges. And if there is a level cap.

Because if you'd need ten billion matches to win just to level up from 100 to 101, and it would cap at say level 110, this system would be bullshit. Riot Games, makers of League of Legends, have a way better system for this. Why? Because you at least know what you get for your money. Here, it's random.

The leveling system in OW is comparable to the Prestige system in Call of Duty. Basically, the levels go from 1 to 100, and once you reach 100, you go back to 1 and start a new loop. IIRC, the last portrait frame to unlock (you get a new portrait frame every ten levels, and you get extra permanent stuff like stars or a new color when you loop) is at level 1890. I don't know if you can level up after that, but before they implemented that system they said there was no level limit. I think the highest I've seen in the closed beta was around lvl 500.

As for experience, to go from 1 to 2 it's 2000 xp (less than the average match, especially if it's a win), and the xp requirement increases until level 21, where it's 22 000 xp (around 10 matches, depending on their quality). When you loop, the xp requirement is also reset (which means faster lootboxes). Ofc the number of matches per level depends on your performance (you get bonus xp for wins and the best medal you have), and if you're playing with friends (20% extra xp if you're in a group of any size).

Personally, I don't really mind it too much. They promised that they would keep heroes and maps free (whether or not they respect that promise is another thing, but I don't think Blizzard would make a move like that). Unless there are specific skins you really want, in which case you're gonna buy boxes to either get them directly or get enough ingame gold to buy them, there's no real reason to buy them. You get them fast enough that you'll be able to amass gold through them so you can buy whaever you want.

 

[SirSullymore]

I guess I'd deeper in dat OW fandom then most because I've known about this for a while. Guys, not only are the loot boxed purely cosmetic, but there is absolutely nothing you get from paying that you cant just unlock by playing. You get a box every level and once you get to level 100 it resets back to 1 (with a star next to your name) allowing you to get boxes more easily again. You guys need to chill a little bit.

 

[elvor0]

I just don't understand why Blizzard seems to get a free pass on all this crap.

In my opinion they are the absolute worst offenders for bleeding their customers.

Look at WoW, that is now using all 3 MMO payment models:
It is a full-price purchase for the game, as well as separate full price purchases for each expansion,
It has a monthly subscription fee,
And to top it off it has an obscenely over-priced Microtransaction store, which is edging ever closer to P2W territory.

Hearthstone prices are ludicrous - $13 for an alternate hero portrait, $30 for adventures (<1 hour of single player content) which are basically a requirement because essential cards are locked behind that paywall.

HotS isn't much better, and Overwatch will continue the trend.

They are one of, if not the, greediest companies currently in existence.

The WoW in game items you can buy off the shop are mounts, pets, cosmetic items, character boosts, and a game time token. You can't buy gear, currency, profession skill upgrades or reputation: all the parts of the game that actually influence your ability to play in the endgame.

Also, the Blizzard Battlechest is now $25 and contains all the expacs up to Mists of Pandaria, with Warlords of Draenor the only one requiring a separate purchase: so the full game costs (as of this writing) maybe 50-60 bucks. And I expect when Legion is released they will then roll WoD into the base game.

And actually, thanks to the store's aforementioned game token, it is possible - though very grindy - to stop paying cash money to play the game.

Not only is that not a defense, but it's still a great example of how scummy they are. All this extra shit for real money, including over-priced mounts (which used to be something you had to save for), and character boosts to skip to the end, which is still fucking ridiculous, especially when other MMO's gave an option to get more than one class on your characters. And now there there are game tokens to make it less grindy! WTF!!!

Not to mention the original game was first sold at full price with monthly payments, and each expansion wasn't exactly cheap when they first launched, and it was possibly the most popular game in the whole world at some point! Blizzard South and Cashtivision are fucking cancer.

No, the game tokens represent game time you can pay for with in-game gold, currently they go for about 46k on the AH so getting enough dosh together is where the grind comes in.

As for the mounts, honestly they're really boring compared to the ones you still have to grind for in game or rely on the RNG to drop.

And how is scummy to no longer charge for the old expansions and instead roll them into the base game?

Oh good. I was I hoping I was wrong about those tokens, because that would've been insane.

As for the mounts, that's your opinion! Back in the day it was a big deal to finally get one, but that challenge no longer exists now, so it shits on the experience while also bleeding those certain people.

In your last sentence you missed the point. I said they 'first' sold at full (or nearly full) price, the first 5 or whatever expansions, but I haven't been keeping track of the last couple. And besides, it's not 'good' they rolled them into the base game, it's that they had to so people can afford to get it all. I don't think it would look great to any new player if they found out they had to pay for each expansion separately to get the new additions. That would be absurd.

It hasn't been a big deal to get a mount in over half a decade. There's no point, especially as needing a mount is almost necessary to traverse the terrain later on. It would just be hugely aggravating for newer players. The experience hasn't been "shit on". The experience no longer needed to exist. Your argument would hold water if it was still just as difficult to get a mount as it was back in Vanilla, but it hasn't for a very long time. They're not bleeding anyone, because anyone can afford a mount just by leveling now. You cut zero corners by buying the mount.

The addition of mounts to the shop isn't hurting /anyone/, the most prestigious mounts are still only found in game, and are still difficult to acquire.

Moaning that other games let you have more than one class on a character is moot. When WoW launched it didn't, they're not going to change that now. Nor do I think should they. Everyone got a free level boost for buying/owning the game, and will get another for Legion.

The WoW store is /nowhere/ near P2W territory. Not even close.

 

[Neurotic Void Melody]

Yeah, Uncharted 4 has some cheeky multiplayer microtransactions that are only cosmetic but no less fucking insulting to anyone who purchased it brand new. I mean, the cost of 500 ****-minted coins is around ?4 which will get you maybe 2 random crates which only have 2 to 3 items in. There is no skill to unlocking anything, only random crates. I paid for the fucking game, yet i can't customize with the cool shit like privileged Timmy-rich-tit until the alleged arbitrary RNG system decides only after i get to earn one fucking spin for 20 matches of soul crushing games against said Timmy-rich-tit. Fuck you, microtransactions. Yet another side effect of capitalist greed poisoning creativity.

An example is that it took me a on average about 10 to 15 games to maybe be able to purchase one random crate, i wanted to bling up my weapon a bit and was hoping to unlock something better than default metal. The first 2 (and only 2 so far) i got were metallic black and carbon black skins. Is this really an RNG?? Thanks a fucking load, game. That'll really add to the creative personal touch.

 

[hermes]

I would be more OK with this if there was a way to buy a particular item, either with real money or by cashing out items for credit. As it is right now, it all goes down to pure luck in a game rigged by the developers.

 

[Nazulu]

It hasn't been a big deal to get a mount in over half a decade. There's no point, especially as needing a mount is almost necessary to traverse the terrain later on. It would just be hugely aggravating for newer players. The experience hasn't been "shit on". The experience no longer needed to exist. Your argument would hold water if it was still just as difficult to get a mount as it was back in Vanilla, but it hasn't for a very long time. They're not bleeding anyone, because anyone can afford a mount just by leveling now. You cut zero corners by buying the mount.

The addition of mounts to the shop isn't hurting /anyone/, the most prestigious mounts are still only found in game, and are still difficult to acquire.

Moaning that other games let you have more than one class on a character is moot. When WoW launched it didn't, they're not going to change that now. Nor do I think should they. Everyone got a free level boost for buying/owning the game, and will get another for Legion.

The WoW store is /nowhere/ near P2W territory. Not even close.

Nah, that's still rubbish. The mount experience was a great a one, so the fact that they changed that has shit on the experience even more, and putting some in the shop is icing on the cake. Cosmetics in a more than full priced game is utter bullshit and I am talking about when they first introduced real money mounts too (since it was still a challenge then). Also saying it didn't hurt anyone is a complete lie since the reasons my friends and I, and many other people who complained (and left) is because of these changes to the game and additions to the shop.

Moaning hey? Well, that makes me want to respect your opinion. And again, your defense for this shitty, greedy, scummy as fuck move is amazing. THEY SHOULD'VE THOUGHT OF IT BEFORE!!! It's not hard to think what may happen when many players reach the end of the game, like the makers on Lineage 2 did, and they were never the kings of MMO's either. Hell! L2 didn't have it at launch either, they brought in the option 3 years later. It's never too late to do something good. It's just annoying to see that Blizzard South's and Activisions first plan was to take advantage of people first instead of providing those interesting options.

And the level boost thing, it sounds stupid to me. I wouldn't want a level boost if I'm enjoying going through the game. Including the option of adding more than one class to your already high level toons still sounds a fuck ton better to have.

Anyone else want to share their awful defenses for WoW? Send it to Idon'[email protected]

 

[anthony87]

Anyone else want to share their awful defenses for WoW? Send it to Idon'[email protected]

Huh, for someone who doesn't give a shit you seem to have a lot to say on the matter.

 

[Nazulu]

Anyone else want to share their awful defenses for WoW? Send it to Idon'[email protected]

Huh, for someone who doesn't give a shit you seem to have a lot to say on the matter.

Maybe I'm just tired of this thread.

 

[MCerberus]

Anyone else want to share their awful defenses for WoW? Send it to Idon'[email protected]

Huh, for someone who doesn't give a shit you seem to have a lot to say on the matter.

Maybe I'm just tired of this thread.

Or your arguments have been repeatedly eviscerated and you're pulling the "I didn't really care anyway" card.

 

[anthony87]

Anyone else want to share their awful defenses for WoW? Send it to Idon'[email protected]

Huh, for someone who doesn't give a shit you seem to have a lot to say on the matter.

Maybe I'm just tired of this thread.

Try doing what I do. Type out what you're going to say but before you hit the post button just think to yourself "Hang on....do I really care that much about this? If not, delete it. Saves you from a lot of headaches.

If I didn't do that my post count would probably be four times higher than it is now, then again I'd likely also be banned.