Welcome to the future of BF

[CarbonFire]

After loading up the Battlefield: Bad Company Xbox 360 Beta, I started digging through the list of weapons and achievements. I was not surprised at all to find this in the weapons selection screen (this was linked from elsewhere)



The bottom 2 rows of the weapons list were all for-pay, with such notables as the F2000, USAS12 (auto shotty), Silenced VSS and the M60.

Now this is of course a console-only title. But it shows the clear direction EA/DICE is taking with the battlefield franchise. I fully expect Battlefield Heroes and BF3 to offer some sort of system that mirrors this to at least some degree. Who needs skill, when you can just buy better guns?

Richest player wins

[BenKenobi]

:/

[Cain]

Damn

[MR_MADHATTER]

Virtual arms dealers.

[Apache Warrior]

I am surprised EA hasn't bought Al-Qaeda yet.
Apache

[DougBob]

Greedy pigs!!!

[Apache Warrior]

Greedy pigs!!!

Oh, that's why. Al-Qaeda doesn't like pork.
Apache

[-IRC-MIKE]

I think it is a good idea actually. I kinda like the idea of being able to NOT be standardized.

[ryanbatc]

Lame

[-Bar]

morons.... They could make a huge amount of cash if they would make 1 game with out lag/glitches/unstable servers.

[CarbonFire]

I think it is a good idea actually. I kinda like the idea of being able to NOT be standardized.

Well no one is arguing against customization. I think that is a great addition to arcade shooters such as this. The main problem with this particular example, however, is that they are (seemingly) unbalancing the game to force people to pay MORE money.

*Fires up the patented Carbonfire doom'n'gloom engine*

First they offer these (potentially) better weapons for a couple of bucks each. Not a huge, game-shattering deal, right? Those that pay get an advantage over the non-payers, so the non-payers have to pay in order to stay competitive. But in EA's wildest dreams, that is only the beginning.

Next they start offering better armored-vests, then agility improvements, then deadlier bullets. All the things that would have otherwise been included in a "full" game, are doled out in micro-transactions that hide the true cost of the product. Imagine all the perks and add-ons in COD4 being for-pay booster packs, and you get the right idea. Of course the balance tips in favor of those that pay, to encourage more people to pony up and level the playing field. And let's not forget that they slowly block out independent server owners, like our beloved Cain's Lair, in favor of company run or sponsored servers (with advertising of course) that they have full control over, and can shut down once it's time to bilk their customers for a new round of upgrades. (EA servers shutdown).

At the end of this trend is the panacea for game publishers: leased games. Just like MMOs, where people pay monthly for new content (which is usually balanced), this for-pay FPS model will yield a similar result. Players will constantly have to pay the piper in order to compete on a level playing field, otherwise get pummeled by the guys who do pay. Want to drive that tank? You need a tank license, only $5! Dying too often? Buy extra health packs, only $5 for 100! EA has been trying to fit more gaming genres into this continual payment scheme, and this is just the next logical step in getting there.

This change will not happen overnight. Most gamers right now wouldn't stand for it, and there's enough competition around that prevents EA from pulling this scenario and having it be 100% successful. But with the slow decline and impotence of PC gaming, and the rising costs of developing these large-scale blockbuster games, the pool of potential EA-spoilers continues to dwindle or be bought out. It's likely we've seen the last COD and UT on the PC, so who's left to step up to the plate? id? Their games are mainly tech demos anyway. Valve? Maybe, but they're so small and move so slow, I fear they're going to get firmly planted with the rest of the PC gaming industry in the "Niche" category. EA is just biding it's time, testing the waters here and there seeing how far gamers will let them go.

It all boils down to us. Gamers. The people fueling this billion dollar money train. Unfortunately, we lose a little bit of control over this hobby each time something like this slides. The generation of gamers growing up now should be pretty used to stuff like this by now, which means they'll be more receptive to even more asinine and money grubbing tactics by publishers in the future (like the one described above). I don't blame them....that's all they've known. But gone will be the days of freely available user-made mods (already on the way out), free map packs (RIP old EPIC), and games free from intrusive ads or monthly fees. Either people will except it ( cue Madden 2018 ), or the industry will eventually crash. Or everything will go to casual games, in which case I hope they start offering free lobotomies with every purchase

So there's your doom and gloom, slippery slope, EA is evil scenario. Hope you enjoyed it....now don't let it become reality!

Phew....I think I'm all ranted out for a while

[Dead...Again]

That would suck if they did that. What I would like to see would be the ability to customize your kits like you can in COD4 in the next BF game.

[{CLR} Major.Massacre]

Well no one is arguing against customization. I think that is a great addition to arcade shooters such as this. The main problem with this particular example, however, is that they are (seemingly) unbalancing the game to force people to pay MORE money.

*Fires up the patented Carbonfire doom'n'gloom engine*

First they offer these (potentially) better weapons for a couple of bucks each. Not a huge, game-shattering deal, right? Those that pay get an advantage over the non-payers, so the non-payers have to pay in order to stay competitive. But in EA's wildest dreams, that is only the beginning.

Next they start offering better armored-vests, then agility improvements, then deadlier bullets. All the things that would have otherwise been included in a "full" game, are doled out in micro-transactions that hide the true cost of the product. Imagine all the perks and add-ons in COD4 being for-pay booster packs, and you get the right idea. Of course the balance tips in favor of those that pay, to encourage more people to pony up and level the playing field. And let's not forget that they slowly block out independent server owners, like our beloved Cain's Lair, in favor of company run or sponsored servers (with advertising of course) that they have full control over, and can shut down once it's time to bilk their customers for a new round of upgrades. (EA servers shutdown).

At the end of this trend is the panacea for game publishers: leased games. Just like MMOs, where people pay monthly for new content (which is usually balanced), this for-pay FPS model will yield a similar result. Players will constantly have to pay the piper in order to compete on a level playing field, otherwise get pummeled by the guys who do pay. Want to drive that tank? You need a tank license, only $5! Dying too often? Buy extra health packs, only $5 for 100! EA has been trying to fit more gaming genres into this continual payment scheme, and this is just the next logical step in getting there.

This change will not happen overnight. Most gamers right now wouldn't stand for it, and there's enough competition around that prevents EA from pulling this scenario and having it be 100% successful. But with the slow decline and impotence of PC gaming, and the rising costs of developing these large-scale blockbuster games, the pool of potential EA-spoilers continues to dwindle or be bought out. It's likely we've seen the last COD and UT on the PC, so who's left to step up to the plate? id? Their games are mainly tech demos anyway. Valve? Maybe, but they're so small and move so slow, I fear they're going to get firmly planted with the rest of the PC gaming industry in the "Niche" category. EA is just biding it's time, testing the waters here and there seeing how far gamers will let them go.

It all boils down to us. Gamers. The people fueling this billion dollar money train. Unfortunately, we lose a little bit of control over this hobby each time something like this slides. The generation of gamers growing up now should be pretty used to stuff like this by now, which means they'll be more receptive to even more asinine and money grubbing tactics by publishers in the future (like the one described above). I don't blame them....that's all they've known. But gone will be the days of freely available user-made mods (already on the way out), free map packs (RIP old EPIC), and games free from intrusive ads or monthly fees. Either people will except it ( cue Madden 2018 ), or the industry will eventually crash. Or everything will go to casual games, in which case I hope they start offering free lobotomies with every purchase

So there's your doom and gloom, slippery slope, EA is evil scenario. Hope you enjoyed it....now don't let it become reality!

Phew....I think I'm all ranted out for a while

Carbon have you ever thought about working for G4? Awesome write man! Next their gonna charge for fuel in the game.

[BlackArrow]

This is the model they are going to use with BF Heroes as well.

The game will be free. and as we all know, nothing in life is free.

[Cain]

Love