I assume most of us on here know and understand how big of a problem microtransactions have gotten in the video game community. I'll be the first one to stand up and say how they often negatively affect video games and are hurting the creative process in many big, open-world triple-A type games. And SCEA has always seemed to pride itself on being in touch with the community and catering to what its fans want. However, I think what they're doing in MLB 18 is a little bit misguided and definitely unnecessary.
Now let me preface this with the statement that I have absolutely zero interest in Diamond Dynasty. Never have, never will. I play franchise primarily and get into Road to The Show some as well. Which are both "offline," modes basically. The heart of the issue with microtransactions in video games is the pay-to-win scenario that is created by them. This was most evident in Battlefront II last year in which EA got tremendous backlash for and eventually pulled it prior to launch. Now, I have no idea if SCEA is keeping microtransaction in Diamond Dynasty, I'm assuming they are. Which, if that's the case, that's where it's extremely misguided. If you can just buy packs until you eventually get the players you want, that, in a nutshell becomes pay-to-win just the same way that loot boxes in other games do the same thing.
But that's not really what I'm going to, "complain," about here. I'm complaining about microtransactions being taken out of Road to The Show, which is crazy that I'd ever complain about microtransactions being taken out of a game because I generally hate them.
However, this is the one game where I actually purchase them. They talked in the Road to The Show stream about how no one ever has been or ever will be a 99 in everything. And that's probably true. However, if I want to create a guy that's 99 in everything, I should be able to, especially in a single player mode where it affects no one else. I know some will say, "just put it on rookie and hit 100 home runs a year," but I don't like how lower difficulties affect other areas of the game like the way the CPU pitches.
Ultimately I'm just saying that I always liked to play Road to The Show with a super-young phenom that was maxed out from year one. It was fun to me and now I can't do that. It's by no means the end of the world and I basically spend 80% of my time on the game in franchise anyway. But I always had fun with Road to The Show playing it in this manner. It just doesn't make any sense to not allow players to purchase training points in an offline mode yet allow them to buy packs in an online mode where things are competitive against other human players. No one would have said a word about EA's microtransactions if they were simply skins, uniforms, armor, etc. If people want to spend money of things that are just visual, whatever. But the problem comes when it affects progression, and therefore sets up a pay-to-win experience.
It seems ultimately that SCEA is trying to look like the good guys by taking away the "evil," mictrotransactions but they're doing it in a mode that no one cares whether they are in or not. Is anyone upset that I maxed out my Road to The Show player last year when he was 18-years old? No, because a) it didn't affect anyone's experience with their game and b) no one even knew I did until I just posted it. If SCEA is keeping microtransactions out of Diamond Dynasty I'll commend them. But taking them out of Road to The Show and leaving them in Diamond Dynasty is really just a ploy to look good by, "taking out microtransactions," at a time when companies have been vilified for using them.... while actually leaving them in where it makes them the most money.
Now let me preface this with the statement that I have absolutely zero interest in Diamond Dynasty. Never have, never will. I play franchise primarily and get into Road to The Show some as well. Which are both "offline," modes basically. The heart of the issue with microtransactions in video games is the pay-to-win scenario that is created by them. This was most evident in Battlefront II last year in which EA got tremendous backlash for and eventually pulled it prior to launch. Now, I have no idea if SCEA is keeping microtransaction in Diamond Dynasty, I'm assuming they are. Which, if that's the case, that's where it's extremely misguided. If you can just buy packs until you eventually get the players you want, that, in a nutshell becomes pay-to-win just the same way that loot boxes in other games do the same thing.
But that's not really what I'm going to, "complain," about here. I'm complaining about microtransactions being taken out of Road to The Show, which is crazy that I'd ever complain about microtransactions being taken out of a game because I generally hate them.
However, this is the one game where I actually purchase them. They talked in the Road to The Show stream about how no one ever has been or ever will be a 99 in everything. And that's probably true. However, if I want to create a guy that's 99 in everything, I should be able to, especially in a single player mode where it affects no one else. I know some will say, "just put it on rookie and hit 100 home runs a year," but I don't like how lower difficulties affect other areas of the game like the way the CPU pitches.
Ultimately I'm just saying that I always liked to play Road to The Show with a super-young phenom that was maxed out from year one. It was fun to me and now I can't do that. It's by no means the end of the world and I basically spend 80% of my time on the game in franchise anyway. But I always had fun with Road to The Show playing it in this manner. It just doesn't make any sense to not allow players to purchase training points in an offline mode yet allow them to buy packs in an online mode where things are competitive against other human players. No one would have said a word about EA's microtransactions if they were simply skins, uniforms, armor, etc. If people want to spend money of things that are just visual, whatever. But the problem comes when it affects progression, and therefore sets up a pay-to-win experience.
It seems ultimately that SCEA is trying to look like the good guys by taking away the "evil," mictrotransactions but they're doing it in a mode that no one cares whether they are in or not. Is anyone upset that I maxed out my Road to The Show player last year when he was 18-years old? No, because a) it didn't affect anyone's experience with their game and b) no one even knew I did until I just posted it. If SCEA is keeping microtransactions out of Diamond Dynasty I'll commend them. But taking them out of Road to The Show and leaving them in Diamond Dynasty is really just a ploy to look good by, "taking out microtransactions," at a time when companies have been vilified for using them.... while actually leaving them in where it makes them the most money.
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