On 28/01/2025 17:25, Spalls Hurgenson wrote:

Which just makes me sad for where our hobby is going. Remember when
just ENJOYING the game was enough to keep us playing? Or when we got
games that were PROGRAMMED to be enjoyable? Now it's all about the
bottom line, and rewards-based strategies like the above are only
going to make our games more predacious and tedious as they struggle
to claw back the cost of those rewards.

I've said it many times but one of my biggest gripes is the number of
games where the model off give us money as you'll enjoy playing this
game has been replaced by we'll use ever trick in the book for 'player engagement' even if you're not really enjoying it that much. Oh you
don't feel like playing today, well you wouldn't want to miss out on the
daily rewards would you. That battle pass you just bought, it would be a
shame to waste it.

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

On 29/01/2025 16:37, Spalls Hurgenson wrote:

Meanwhile, there are suggestions that GTA6 may sell with a retail cost
of $100USD, and that this will trigger other games to up the price to
a similar level. Again, an understandable reaction but not one, I
think, that will work out the way they hope. People are getting
squeezed financially, and that price jump will probably mean they'll
just buy fewer games.

I did see that and wasn't sure whether that was them leaking information
to test the water or just clickbait as is so common nowadays.

Being charitable and assuming it's true, GTA6 is probably one of the few
games that could get away with it and not lose out overall. Other
companies, I could see them looking at it and using it for a price
increase that doesn't go over that threshold of, hang on a second is
this game really worth this much or are you just taking the piss.

Then again there will probably be some grande fromage who thinks we can
do that with our latest bugfest devoid of interesting content.

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

On 30/01/2025 15:59, Spalls Hurgenson wrote:

So I can't really say if the $100 price is justified. I do think that
if GTA6 releases at that price, other publishers will try to use it as
an excuse to raise the prices on their games too. And I don't think
that will go all that well for the publishers. I think long-term it
will result in fewer sales, and work against the FOMO that encourages
people to buy new. They'll just be training people to, even more than
they already do, just wait until the game is on sale.

I see that line of thought being raised more and more often. Why buy a
triple-A game on release when you can wait six months and get it cheaper
for a version where a lot of the bugs have been fixed. Indeed why not
wait a year and get it cheaper with the DLC?

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

On 30/01/2025 15:06, Justisaur wrote:

On 1/29/2025 12:20 AM, JAB wrote:

On 28/01/2025 17:25, Spalls Hurgenson wrote:

Which just makes me sad for where our hobby is going. Remember when
just  ENJOYING the game was enough to keep us playing? Or when we got
games that were PROGRAMMED to be enjoyable? Now it's all about the
bottom line, and rewards-based strategies like the above are only
going to make our games more predacious and tedious as they struggle
to claw back the cost of those rewards.

I've said it many times but one of my biggest gripes is the number of
games where the model off give us money as you'll enjoy playing this
game has been replaced by we'll use ever trick in the book for 'player
engagement' even if you're not really enjoying it that much. Oh you
don't feel like playing today, well you wouldn't want to miss out on
the daily rewards would you. That battle pass you just bought, it
would be a shame to waste it.

At least there are companies that don't do that still that do very well
such as Fromsoft, Larian, CDPR being most notable to me.  We'll see how
long that lasts.

Something I recently saw in World of Tanks is that a tech. tree tank
(one you can just grind for free) that was removed from the game a few
years ago as it was generally detrimental to the gameplay has been
re-released as a auction reward tank (limited number, I think 3,000,
which players then bid on). The starting bid price was a very reasonable
£250!

Now of course the players were up in arms about this and organised a
mass boycott of the event. Of course not, they all got snapped up in
less than ten minutes.

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

On 1/31/2025 1:51 AM, JAB wrote:

On 30/01/2025 15:06, Justisaur wrote:

On 1/29/2025 12:20 AM, JAB wrote:

On 28/01/2025 17:25, Spalls Hurgenson wrote:

Which just makes me sad for where our hobby is going. Remember when
just  ENJOYING the game was enough to keep us playing? Or when we got >>>> games that were PROGRAMMED to be enjoyable? Now it's all about the
bottom line, and rewards-based strategies like the above are only
going to make our games more predacious and tedious as they struggle
to claw back the cost of those rewards.

I've said it many times but one of my biggest gripes is the number of
games where the model off give us money as you'll enjoy playing this
game has been replaced by we'll use ever trick in the book for
'player engagement' even if you're not really enjoying it that much.
Oh you don't feel like playing today, well you wouldn't want to miss
out on the daily rewards would you. That battle pass you just bought,
it would be a shame to waste it.

At least there are companies that don't do that still that do very
well such as Fromsoft, Larian, CDPR being most notable to me.  We'll
see how long that lasts.

Something I recently saw in World of Tanks is that a tech. tree tank
(one you can just grind for free) that was removed from the game a few
years ago as it was generally detrimental to the gameplay has been re- released as a auction reward tank (limited number, I think 3,000, which players then bid on). The starting bid price was a very reasonable £250!

Now of course the players were up in arms about this and organised a
mass boycott of the event. Of course not, they all got snapped up in
less than ten minutes.

Humans are lemmings being herded over cliffs by Disney cinematographers.

--
I've done good in this world. Now I'm tired and just want to be a cranky
dirty old man.

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)