Microtransactions, SCEA, and RTTS.

[Gagnon39]

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.

[Drty_Windshield]

I understand where you're coming from with the whole offline vs online thing. That being said, they haven't gotten rid of "micro transactions" per say, because the only way to further extend the arbitrary max caps from the different archetypes is to use equipment and guess how you are going to get better equipment. Granted, they got rid of training points, which I'm all for, because you should have to earn your players skills through in game game play, but to say that there are no micro transactions is very misleading, if I understand the system correctly.

[Dolenz]

First off not all micro transactions are created equal. Some are evil. Some are benign.


Secondly they are touting no micro-transactions but they are conveniently not stating the obvious. "We changed our advancement system to not use training points so we had no choice but to take out that micro transaction"


As for the Micro transaction to heal injuries, did anyone ever use it or did they just exit the game and reload?


They could have probably devised another micro transaction to replace training points if they wanted to but honestly I predict that more RTTS players will be using stubs or even real money to buy equipment now, since it is more important than ever to those who choose to be overpowered.

[wellred]

Well to be fair the best cards won't be able to be had with packs so they are kinda stepping back from the microtransactions for DD as well. Believe me, if they wanted to go full blown P2W and suck up every last cent out of the customer base that they can, they'd bring in some algorithm engineer and optimize the hell out of DD to be the cashiest cash cow that ever cashed. But I don't really see them doing that..there's enough guides online about how to make stubs and they give you plenty of options in game to do it, it's just some people are lazy and would rather spend the money, whatevs.

As for the RTTS changes, you have some points and I think it sucks that there isn't more flexibility in that mode for people that wanna play that way, but I'm personally excited for the changes. I think it's more about getting people engaged in what the mode is supposed to be about, it's always been easy to max out a guy and get called up within the first season, and if they give you the freedom to do that, the vast majority of people are gonna do that. I believe they think this approach to the design is closer to what they intended players to do with the mode, so they're forcing your hand there. Nobody likes to be told how to play, but it's also their vision and their game, we have to operate within those confines that they set just as ever.

[Trackball]

Quote: Originally Posted by Dolenz

As for the Micro transaction to heal injuries, did anyone ever use it or did they just exit the game and reload?

I used it once to heal from a leg injury from a comebacker (I was a pitcher).

I actually always kept 1,000 Stubs on hand just for that sort of occasion. Don't want your pitcher blowing out their rotator cuff in AA, now, do we?

Yes, I'm that paranoid.

[Impetuous65]

Some people take stuff to literal. My understanding for Micros were simple. In order to progress in the game, you don't need to buy anything, just play the game. Very simple and succinct statement. Too much over thinking and analyzing.

[EnigmaNemesis]

Quote: Originally Posted by Impetuous65

Some people take stuff to literal. My understanding for Micros were simple. In order to progress in the game, you don't need to buy anything, just play the game. Very simple and succinct statement. Too much over thinking and analyzing.

Exactly, and it has already been noted that RttS microtransactions were some of the most purchased in the game.

They could have easily pulled an EA or 2K and expanded on them even further making them even more Insidious/intrusive, instead they chose to completely remove them from progression and make them optional for equipment.

Sent from Tatooine using Tapatalk

[Dolenz]

Quote: Originally Posted by EnigmaNemesis

Exactly, and it has already been noted that RttS microtransactions were some of the most purchased in the game. They could have easily pulled an EA or 2K and expanded on them even further making them even more Insidious/intrusive, instead they chose to completely remove them from progression and make them optional for equipment. Sent from Tatooine using Tapatalk

More than buying packs or buying cards on the marketplace?

If they are not considering Packs or Cards as micro transactions then it is obvious that they are using a different definition than I am.