VC in 2K - Pay to Play - The Real Issue

[MoodMuzik]

Preface:

2016's Best-Selling Games (U.S.)
Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare
Battlefield 1
The Division
NBA 2K17
Madden NFL 17
Grand Theft Auto V
Overwatch (no Battle.net sales)
Call of Duty: Black Ops III
FIFA 17
Final Fantasy XV

Let's be honest here. The REAL problem with in-game/VC purchases in 2K... are the customers. Before you rage comment, let me explain.

The issue is not that 2K is money-hungry, cash-grabbing, profiteers trying to grab your wallet in order for you to play their game. The issue... is the customer, and how they PLAY the game.

COD: Infinite Warfare - $60 retail / $50 season pass. 3 DLC's - $15 each, or $45 total add-on to play.

Battlefield 1 - $60 retail / $50 season pass. 4 DLC's in the works, suggested at $15 each or $60 total add-on to play.

The Division - $60 retail / $40 season pass. 3 Expansions - $15 each or $45 total add-on to play.

Call of Duty Black Ops 3 - $60 retail / $50 season pass (INCLUDING 4 DLC'S... NOT THE REMAINING 5TH DLC - $20-ISH)

Final Fantasy XV - $60 retail / $25 season pass for 5 DLC's


NBA 2K - $60 retail......... $15 DLC for 10 College teams you could create on your own?

Prelude - no charge, MyCareer - no charge, MyGM - no charge, My Park - no charge, Pro-Am - no charge, MyLeague - no charge, MyTeam - no charge, (soon to be 2k18) My Dynasty - no charge, MyPlayoffs - no charge, MySeason - no charge, MyLeague Online - no charge.

So it seems to me, that 2K is not the money-hungry elitest that most think it is when so many of the Top Selling Games of the Year... are charging for more and more and more and more money for DLC's and Season Pass's and Expansions in order to fully enjoy the end-game.... when 2K isn't charging... anything.... for any of that. At all.

VC? Pay to play? Money grab? The real problem... is those spending extra money to level up their Player to beat other players... or to pay for all the good players, to beat all the other players

And be honest with yourself, those that are doing that... are typically the worst at the game. And play to exploit and win, not to strategically play to win.

So... the consumer (and how they play)... is the problem. Not the system put in place to speed things along should you want a few more attributes to increase your acceleration.

I'm so sick of hearing how VC is breaking the game... when it's not. It's put in place to help you SKIP the grind that is hours of gameplay (if that's something you want to skip, hours of gameplay lol to each their own) and get the character they want. When the reality is the players that are DOING SO... are the ones breaking the intention of VC.

Want a certain crossover 8 that costs 300 VC? Play 1 or 2 games and it's yours. Simple. Or... shell out some coins so you don't have to play the game lol.

But be honest with yourself, it's not VC that's the problem. It's the ones that use VC SOLELY to exploit the game.

Because until 2K starts charging for a Season Pass for it's 4 DLC's... they're giving us a full game for, in many cases 40% off... what other companies are giving for THEIR "full" game.

[Thunderhorse]

Sounds good.

I'll spend the $60 on a myplayer this year and not worry about it.

My wife and kids will thank me.

[coachcolbert]

i understand where OP is coming from to a point.

hell yea ive spent tons on myplayers and myteam packs - youre right, those have been my decision. this year, ive decided i will buy the $80 NBA Live and get 2k used, if at all.

my decision for that is primarily the 2k community and the 2k money grab. 2k when 1st released has been a great game. i didnt like how every year things that were "no charge" the previous year were now being charged.

in my own opinion, playing any of the myplayer modes without the vc boost starting at a 55ovl is like when we got toys back in the day but our parents forgot the batteries lmao. heartbreaking..

where i do agree with you is, yup i spent my money on 2k. this year im making a different decision. i dont think everyone who buys vc is exploiting the game however the majority of the community only plays to exploit the game - but vc isnt the reason why. we disagree that 2k is not nickle and diming everything, but thats ok. we can certainly agree to disagree

hopefully topic doest get toxic - good thread

[ATLBrayden]

You're just listing out game modes and saying they're no charge, that's not the same thing as people paying for DLC. These games are adding entire maps, missions, and other things. The Prelude is essentially a demo, why would they charge for that?
Madden doesn't charge for their franchise or be a pro modes either. I don't think a single game charges for their Ultimate Team mode. Pro-Am/Park/etc are their multiplayer modes, Call of Duty/Battlefield/etc don't charge you for that either.

Is 2K a more in-depth/complete game than those ones? I'd say so, but you're trying to make an argument that isn't there. These games aren't charging for their modes just like 2K isn't. 2K doesn't really release DLC because it's a sports game, same as Madden. You think if they did that it would be free? I guarantee you that if 2K released multiple DLCs like those games that they would have a season pass to buy.

No one is forcing people to buy these DLCs to enjoy the end game either. You can finish the entire campaign and max out your rank in Call of Duty without spending any money at all, the DLCs are just their to add multiplayer/zombie maps. No one is forcing people to buy VC in 2K either, but they do it because it allows them to enjoy the game more.

I agree that the reason VC is still in the game is because people are still supporting it, but 2K was doing just fine a few years ago without it. They saw an opportunity to make some extra money and they took it. It's like GTA Online, the whole online mode is free, they add tons of free modes and features, but it would take hours upon hours of grinding to get a fraction of what people spend real money on.

2K is also slowly increasing the prices of things and adding items to the list of things purchasable with VC. In 2K15 you could get a jersey with your name on it for free once you got to all-star rep in the park, 2K16 it cost 5000 VC, now in 2K17 it costs 7500 VC I believe.

Game companies in general are getting money hungry, and people are allowing them to be that way. Micro-transactions are spreading like the plague. Post might be a little here and there, I could probably go on but I don't really feel like writing an essay in the summer .

[redsfan4life]

It's a business man. I can't blame 2k one bit for hyping VC. Hell I spent over 70 dollars on VC alone last year rofl.

[Mweemwee]

Sounds like a guy who doesn't play MyTeam or MyCareer wrote this.

To get to a 90 OVR you need to almost a whole season. Being that you need to play 12 min quarters to get the most VC and most people have a life outside of video games that is at minimum a 3 month grind. And I'm being very generous saying that for the sake of your argument. It's probably more like 6 months.

In MyTeam pack odds are terrible. You don't NEED VC for MyTeam but it makes it a damn lot easier. You pretty much can't compete above Ruby League without at least having bought SOME VC throughout the year. People talk about snipes and challenge rewards etc but realistically how many people get snipes? Since 2K15 I've got 1 snipe of any sort of deceny. And I don't have the time to sit there refreshing every 15 mins all day. The fact is that to compete with the people that DO buy VC (and there will always be people like that, just like there's always douchebags in clubs buying 1000 worth of champagne and people dropping grands on diamond packages from hay day etc) you have to have good players. Skill only gets you so far in this mode. Your ego wants you to believe that you with an 80 OVR squad can best a 13 year old noob who has a 99 OVR team with all badges but realistically you will get beaten at least 7/10 because the mode doesn't reward skill at all.

I probably spend about £100 on VC throughout the year. Not for MyCareer, usually for MyTeam. The fact is that us older lot (25+) don't have the free time to sit around grinding just to be able to compete with snotty nosed kids who have full access to daddy's bank account, we need a shortcut.

I hate the concept of VC but it's a reality. Of course 2K could change their game, remove badges and 17000 card tiers and all this crap and reward great play but they are a business at the end of the day and they're not ever going to throw away a money making scheme.

People who don't evolve to accept VC for what it is will ultimately end up moving on to other games. But us guy's who love simulation basketball (barely, but as there's no viable rival this is all we have) just have to accept that this is way things are now and deal with it.

[YaBoial]

The difference between 2k and those other games is that you can buy skills on 2k. On those games all dlc comes as extra playable arenas or extra perks. I can't buy the best guns on call of duty to make me better.

Sent from my BLN-L24 using Tapatalk

[cjacks17]

Quote: Originally Posted by YaBoial

The difference between 2k and those other games is that you can buy skills on 2k. On those games all dlc comes as extra playable arenas or extra perks. I can't buy the best guns on call of duty to make me better. Sent from my BLN-L24 using Tapatalk

I've seen plenty of maxed out guys on Park that are trash.

That's what annoys me. It sucks that it helps disguise people that A) don't know basketball and B) aren't good at the game.

That being said, it's a video game - so what do you expect?

VC is a good business move that clearly works well. As long as they keep improving the game then the money is going somewhere. Good on 2k for being good at business.