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[Saty]

A new low in 'carrot & stick' progression design; in closing-off any kind of content to give the illusion there's more of it by unlocking. A new low in nickle and diming microtransactions.

Blizzard are already monetizing skins and sprays but now they are fucking monetizing speech lines?! Obnoxious. And before you say that it doesn't affect gameplay so it's good - it does effect the writing, the characterization and basically the heart of the game. In Multiplayer games, any piece of writing is crucial to set-up the characters, to give them personality and to give them voice, figuratively and literally.

Imagine TF2 releasing with only one line per class. Imagine if you had to unlock the rest line by line, trying to glue back together a character who was shredded in sake of 'progression' and microtransactions. Imagine any other game or any other medium with lines of dialogs stripped out of it and locked away until some asinine demand is met.

And how do you unlock speech back to the game? As i understand it, you either get lucky with the loot box and it has a speech line or you get lucky and the loot box and it has in-game credits that you can spend on buying the lines. (not sure if there's any other way to get credits). No one would be shocked if they add the option to buy it also using real money.

There you have it. At best this is a new low in bullshit game design where more and more basic properties of a game are put on an unlock treadmill to give fake and artificial sense of progress (fucking lines!), to act as a cheap tactic to retain players' engagement instead of having confidence in the actual game and to mask what might be perceived as too-little content in the game.

At worst, you have all that + malevolent intent to hollow-out the game in order to drive microtransactions.

--
EDIT: I've been notified that Overwatch isn't the first AAA game to have locked speech content behind unlock system\microtransactions so i take back the statement of Overwatch marking a 'new' low. I remain disappointed Blizzard resorted to the same means and help to 'legitimize' this treatment of this content type since for me there's a value distinction between visual cosmetics and lines of character voice work.

 

[SmartWaffles]

What... This has to be one of the most nitpicky complaint I've seen in games. I get it that you don't like having MTs in paid games but just single-out one of the least important things in a multiplayer only game is a bit weird.

 

[SoulUnison]

Skinner Boxes just keep getting Skinnier, crushing us all.

 

[LewieP]

If only there were some way to not buy games with this kind of microtransaction if you find them objectionable.

 

[Tenki]

Talking about overreaction.

 

[TomNinetyTwo]

I enjoy the unlock system...

 

[MUnited83]

is this the first game you ever saw with microtransactions OP?


Also, TF2 now has a one-liner that you can use from a choice of various ones, a one liner meant to be just that, a one liner?




Because, you know, the characters have a lot of fucking lines in the game while playing, like TF2?





TF2 also sells fucking guns with different effects. That's seems way more low.

 

[McBradders]

You can break down unwanted or dupes into cash to buy stuff you want. I don't see there being any real problem here. As for it being a "new low", sir I suggest you widen your vision to find the plethora of truly egregious examples of Microtansactions. This aint even close.

 

[AzureSkies]

it's hard to call it a carrot on a stick when it's all cosmetic stuff.

I wouldn't spend a dime on crates in Overwatch, as there's never a limit to how many you can get free leveling up.

 

[CryptiK]

And COD hasnt?

 

[RulkezX]

Must have thought this was your chance at being the OP of a GAF outrage thread?

 

[Dunkley]

It's just cosmetics, it's not like they actually have any affect on game-play whatsoever.

 

[Xater]

Weird I think it's the best one in a long time.

Calling this a new low is ridiculous. I have seen way worse. You also have clearly no idea what those voice lines are. They are just the funny one liners to throw out and not gameplay related at all.

 

[Cave Johnson]

Microtransactions itself in a fully priced title is a new low.

 

[Lemstar]

you could just listen to the lines without buying them

 

[Hektor]

I take skins and voice acting lines over crucial character abiltiys, weapons and weapon modifications every day a week, fiftytwo weeks a year.

 

[Squire]

It's hilarious to me that you're actually mounting an argument for why them locking off certain lines is terrible on the very same night someone posted a very thorough thread about the audio design in the game, including spoken lines as cues for certain actions.

You can hear everything you need to out of the box, OP.

 

[Diffense]

I don't think that's so bad TBH. Does the game even have a deep story?

You could easily enjoy the game without getting the extra lines so nothing critical is lost.

 

[Data West]

But the characters still have dialogue with each other. It's not like the voice lines are stuff like 'medic' they're corny little one liners that can be bought with in-game currency.

None of the voice lines you unlock match up with the importance of any of the voice commands in TF2.

 

[IbukiLordSA]

Makes no difference to gameplay, shrugs. By level 15 I had enough to buy every voice line for a character, not that I would waste money on that.

Should add a L into your name

 

[Jamie OD]

The letter L should be in the middle of OP's name.

Edit: Damn it Ibuki!

 

[VoltySquirrel]

you could just listen to the lines without buying them

And beyond that they have literally no purpose beyond being an audio-only emote.

Calm the fuck down OP.

 

[bidguy]

i dont agree with you op however i think the rate loot boxes drop from is abysmal. its 1 per level up which is way too low. this is blizzard were talking about, they should have found 50 creative ways of awarding lootboxes by now

 

[Shahadan]

Lines are useless.

 

[CyanideFuse]

Is it really that much of an issue? It isn't guns, abilities etc.

Personally, and I guess I am in the minority(?), I do not give a toss about personalising my character. As long as functional items are not hidden behind stupidly large progression grinds / microtransactions then I don't care.

 

[TheSpoiler]

you could just listen to the lines without buying them

Also, it's not the heart of the game. The gameplay is. To suggest voice clips are that is ridiculous.

 

[azyless]

Completely cosmetic stuff that you can unlock while playing normally is "a new low" ? You're cute.

 

[RipperGrim]

If only there were some way to not buy games with this kind of microtransaction if you find them objectionable.

If only fully priced games didn't nickel and dime you for the smallest shit.

Our acceptance of this kind of thing is really sad.

 

[Kalamoj]

It's just cosmetics, not like they actually have any affect on game-play whatsoever.

This, who cares about all the worthless shit.

Edit: back in the day 'ultimate' skins were usually locked behind insane difficulties and excessive farming, now RNG and mt. So you can pay instead of sinking dozens of hours into something you'll never use since you already maxed out the game.

 

[Addnan]

Yeah man. I am in the multiplayer pissed off that i can't learn the backstory of the characters.

 

[CountAntonius]

I've gotten 30 for free already and have got a lot of decent stuff. You get 4 items per box and credits for dupes to eventually buy whatever you want.

There are already plenty of lines said by each character by default this is simply one line of dialogue that serves no purpose other than to spam for fun. In fact by default these character have more lines than the TF2 characters.

If only fully priced games didn't nickel and dime you for the smallest shit.

Our acceptance of this kind of thing is really sad.

Games that get support for years need income beyond initial prices. Sure they can go a CoD or sports game route and release overwatch 2 a year from now but I prefer them to keep adding to the existing game and letting people who want cosmetic items that in no way effect the game fund development.

 

[IbukiLordSA]

The letter L should be in the middle of OP's name.

Edit: Damn it Ibuki!

Winkyface!

 

[veloxStrix]

I like having a ton of stuff to unlock. It gives me some sense that there is always a reason to keep playing. There are a lot of games out there, and I tend to bounce around a bit. Unlock systems let me thwart my ADD.

 

[IvanJ]

I am totally fine with speech unlockable system.

But the victory poses hidden behind a MT paywall is disgusting. I spent over $2000 on loot boxes, and still haven't gotten the Victory Pose #2 for Character #17.

 

[『Inaba Resident』]

If you think this is a "new low", this is probably the first time you've seen any time of microtransaction system.

Complete overreaction

 

[Nugg]

This is the dumbest complaint I've ever heard.

 

[WaterAstro]

Wait, are these speech lines for the base character?

Yeah, I can definitely see that as a problem, especially when you paid up front for the game already.

Edit: Holy crap the apologists.

I like having a ton of stuff to unlock. It gives me some sense that there is always a reason to keep playing. There are a lot of games out there, and I tend to bounce around a bit. Unlock systems let me thwart my ADD.

Oh yeah you like having tons of stuff to unlock? Then how about they make tons of stuff to unlock that isn't something that should be free.

Played Uncharted 4 multiplayer? They didn't lock away Nathan Drake's lines, and there's a ton of stuff to unlock to keep you happy.

 

[Mr E.]

Curious as to what was the previous low?

 

[Foshy]

i mean you can reduce all unlocking to "giving the impression that there's more to do than there really is" if you want to

sounds like complaining for the sake of complaining.

 

[1st Course]

Talking about overreaction.

yup.

As long as the MTs are cosmetics only I don't care personally.

 

[TheSpoiler]

If only fully priced games didn't nickel and dime you for the smallest shit.

Our acceptance of this kind of thing is really sad.

Yeah it sucks that we have to pay for the voices and skins on top of the maps AND characters.

A full priced game with no content. Heh. I bet people will support this idea just fine.

 

[PrivateRyan]

OP marks a new low for outrage threads.

 

[Forkball]

I agree that having to unlock speech lines is pretty ludicrous. But there are games with far more egregious micro transactions that actually affect gameplay, I definitely wouldn't call it a new low. Voice lines are unlock able because they need something to fill loot boxes with so you don't get glorious skins each time.

And Valve is still the king of multiplayer game voice lines.

 

[Baleoce]

Microtransactions itself in a fully priced title is a new low.

Unfortunately not new, but certainly low.

 

[SalvaPot]

I was expecting something far worst than this.

Edit: Wait, the voices are locked even if you paid for the full game? Ok, now THAT I can see as shitty.

 

[mcz117chief]

Smite is even worse, you have to spend real money to unlock God voices, until you do every character (male or female) has the same "generic male" voice.

 

[NeoGold123]

My buds and I are far too busy spamming "hello"s and "my ultimate is charging"s to care about the voice unlocks. We're disappointed when we get them in our boxes. Epic and legendary skins are where it's really at.

 

[Oersted]

If only there were some way to not buy games with this kind of microtransaction if you find them objectionable.

If only there were some way to buy games with this kind of microtransaction and still complain if you find them objectionable.

Oh yeah right, discussion forums, thats the way.

 

[Wickerbasket]

Yeah it sucks that we have to pay for the voices and skins on top of the maps AND characters.

A full priced game with no content. Heh. I bet people will support this idea just fine.

You unlock the stuff just by playing the game though.

 

[Permanently A]

You're right without the winky face voice line D VA is a shell of her former self.