So let's take a walk, shall we? (Gaming)

by cheapLEY , Friday, January 24, 2020, 09:59 (1764 days ago) @ Malagate

Wait, but that's a criticism of the season pass system, not microtransactions. And I don't really disagree with you, but unlock tracks are not microtransactions.

I have to pay $10 to even start the season pass track, and I can buy levels in it. They are absolutely microtransactions.

So you're saying that Destiny contains an element of Pay-to-Win? Because the LL system seems designed in part to thwart that.

I guess it does. There are weapons you can only get through the season pass, correct? I don’t really care about that, though. Most of the season track stuff is cosmetic, and you can just buy your way through those levels. That’s a microtransaction. They want you to spend money if you run out of time, and it’s not exactly trivial to get to 100. They are 100% banking on people running out of time and buying their way through to get whatever stuff they want, and you’ll never convince me the game isn’t at least subtly designed around that. Developers from Bungie could straight up tell me to my face that’s not the case and I would not believe them—actions speak louder than words.

No, I'm not disregarding the experience, I'm saying it doesn't change the gameplay. Different things, different motivations for quitting, if that's what you feel you have to do. We can sit down to play chess and you bring a finely-carved, marble set with gold inlay, and I can bring a painted plaster set of dinosaurs, but we're still playing chess, regardless of how ridiculous I look.

You’re saying Destiny would be just as good of all the enemies were grey blobs, all the environments low-poly colorless masses? The gameplay wouldn’t be any different after all.

Now, come on. I gave a simplistic example for brevity's sake. You know that's not what I'm saying. If we were talking solely within the context of custom Crucible games, sure. You're not going to care or be affected by the ornaments I've got on my gear.

It’s the same thing. You said looks don’t matter. I’m making a very obvious point to show that’s not true. Gameplay can not be separated from graphics, just as it cannot be separated from cosmetics. I absolutely pay attention to what people are wearing in Crucible, if only to laugh at them when the look like mismatched clowns (which is often because their gear has good perks, which is gameplay affecting), or to ogle them because they look cool. It is tied implicitly to how I feel about the game I am playing.

Obviously we feel differently. I don’t inherently hater microtransactions. I think they have very clearly and obviously negatively affected the game that Destiny is.

Well, I don't agree, but ultimately we're talking about taste here. Circling back to the original point RE:Disintegration; I think it stands to reason that a fledgling IP that's attempting to innovate on gameplay is taking risks that can be reasonably(albeit only partially) mitigated by allowing for a revenue stream in microtransactions without impacting the core gameplay.

I don’t think it’s just about taste. Destiny is undeniably a different game than it would be without microtransactions. It may be better or worse, but it is inarguably different. We saw that progression happen over five years. We can chart the differences.

Whereas I hear a game is going to be supported by microtransactions, I immediately wonder how the game might be compromised to make microtransactions enticing to players. The fact of the matter is that cosmetics are important to me in games. When you say I can buy them, it’s an immediate turn off. Does that mean there are no cosmetics options if I don’t pony up more cash? Can I get more without paying but I have to grind far more than reasonable to do so?

Again, it won’t keep me from trying the game, but it is a practice that immediately makes me question the design of the game.