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[Interfectum]

When i say 'communications' i mean any kind of character speech, anything that my character can utter. I mean, the best speech in games are the non-functional ones like the 'Cheers' and 'Jeers' in TF2.

Who the heck cares about saying something about myself? That's not what i use speech commands. It's about breathing life and character into those people by way of how each hero is written, the voice acting, the line delivery and the like.

Every character already has a taunt. There is plenty of communication and the characters even talk to each other from time to time.

They could remove all of the taunts from the game and you'd literally be missing zero character development.

You honestly should play a game before leveling this kind of critique at it. You look really silly, tbh.

 

[SocksAndShoes]

When i say 'communications' i mean any kind of character speech, anything that my character can utter. I mean, the best speech in games are the non-functional ones like the 'Cheers' and 'Jeers' in TF2.

Who the heck cares about saying something about myself? That's not what i use speech commands. It's about breathing life and character into those people by way of how each hero is written, the voice acting, the line delivery and the like.

You're really over-reaching here on the importance of 2 second voice overs. Half of them are just the character saying "haha, I'm better than you" in so many words.

There are much bigger issues with microtransactions than this.

 

[Pompadour]

Honestly I agree with you. I think the microtransactions in Overwatch are an abysmally poor value proposition and I honestly can't understand why anyone would ever spend a penny on this shit.

But then I'm more than happy to play the game and get the stuff at the rate that was given. This game was great fun long before there were ever cosmetics, and so anything that comes out of a crate that I want is just gravy.

This may be callous but I'm perfectly happy earning a consistent stream of new content through gameplay with the caveat that this content is paid for by people who can't control their spending. I'd rather have a game I like receive continued free updates as opposed to buying it once and that game's development remaining static.

 

[SmartWaffles]

When i say 'communications' i mean any kind of character speech, anything that my character can utter. I mean, the best speech in games are the non-functional ones like the 'Cheers' and 'Jeers' in TF2.

Who the heck cares about saying something about myself? That's not what i use speech commands. It's about breathing life and character into those people by way of how each hero is written, the voice acting, the line delivery and the like.

It is your problem to over value things that is utterly unimportant, not the game's. And ironically, the lines that actually are related to the story are not paid at all, they are automatically triggered when certain characters are on certain maps, or certain characters interact with each other. Voice lines are the very last things to matter about however little story there is in the game. You don't even play the game to know that.

 

[truestatic]

When i say 'communications' i mean any kind of character speech, anything that my character can utter. I mean, the best speech in games are the non-functional ones like the 'Cheers' and 'Jeers' in TF2.

Who the heck cares about saying something about myself? That's not what i use speech commands. It's about breathing life and character into those people by way of how each hero is written, the voice acting, the line delivery and the like.

You can hear all of it in the menu if you just want to better acquaint yourself with the game's characters. And the characterization is far stronger through the unavoidable autocallouts and contextual conversations that do not need to be unlocked. Spamming "CATCHPHRASE" does not breath life into Reinhardt. It makes him sound like a cardboard standup.

 

[Tempy]

Just hit the mic key and make your own Bastion sounds.

BEEEEP DOOOT WHIRRRR

 

[ViciousDS]

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.



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.

Holy crap the uninformed fucking people in this thread! They are not locked away via money if you just PLAY THE GOD DAMN GAME.


but you apparently don't, so don't spew shit you know absolutely nothing about

 

[Jito]

When i say 'communications' i mean any kind of character speech, anything that my character can utter. I mean, the best speech in games are the non-functional ones like the 'Cheers' and 'Jeers' in TF2.

Who the heck cares about saying something about myself? That's not what i use speech commands. It's about breathing life and character into those people by way of how each hero is written, the voice acting, the line delivery and the like.

I've never seen someone so passionate about 2 second long voice lines that have no effect on the game. Even crazier when you don't even own the game.

 

[VariantX]

Map Packs behind paywalls that split the community, fair enough.
Weapons and equipment that give more tactical options to players who pay versus those who dont, sure.
Extra characters /heroes again for those who pay versus those who dont, right on.
Voice callouts, and costumes and other cosmetic stuff? Nah, cant help you. It's not even behind a paywall. You either get it outright from a loot box or you buy it with in game currency you accumulate over time.

 

[pizzasqueeze]

Neogaf poster marks a new low in shallow outrage

 

[EBreda]

What? Really, what??
New low? One liners? Clothes? In a purebred multiplayer team fps? Is that what you're worried about?

Let's dismiss the notion that you can unlock everything by playing.

Sorry, that's too much for me. What a thread.

 

[Newtype-001]

I find it funny that some people are saying they miss out on characterisation when you can just go to the gallery and listen to them all lol

 

[Jonneh3003]

I haven't even touched any of my unlockables so I honestly don't care, they don't do anything.

 

[Ken]

Microtransactions aren't good for the consumer. They're just not. They're not put in the game to make things better for the people playing the game. They're put in to make money.

In that lens I can easily say I'd rather Overwatch didn't have them, but that's just not the reality of how games work anymore.

With all that said, the microtransactions in Overwatch are comparatively innocuous when looking at many other examples in the industry. Mobile, AAA, or otherwise.

They're good for me since I have a way to skip straight to the skins I want!

 

[LiK]

Are the voice lines a big deal? I barely notice people chatting when playing.

 

[SkoomaSuckinSwit]

This is exactly how micro transactions should be done.
You get the game, all the characters, and the levels.
Cosmetic fluff that has nothing to do at all with gameplay, are drip-feed unlockables that are a reward for playing.
For the impatient "I want it now generation", going around the reward system will cost you, as it should.

 

[The Lamonster]

Wow I haven't read an opinion thread that I disagree with so much in a long time. It is nice to see how passionate OP is about the game but I think Overwatch totally nailed progression, loot and microtransactions.

 

[Saty]

Nah I do realize that.

Except not in this case

You havent even played the game.

What the heck does it to have to do with it? I don't need to play a game to say that i like character writing and speech in games and i don't think it's that inconceivable position to resist such content being 'eligible' to an unlock system rather that offered up front.

I also like how all you are centering around the Robot character voice lines instead of the plenty human characters. You can't even be ingenuous in your counter-argument.

 

[ahoyhoy]

You can just use your microphone to say your locked line of choice.

Or you can use your microphone to say your own customized lines.

All for free!

 

[ScOULaris]

What? It's just a bunch of (mostly cool and worthwhile) cosmetics that can all be unlocked simply by playing the game without spending an extra dollar. This is actually a good example of having unlockable content as a "carrot on a stick," so to speak. It's not even like you have to grind this stuff out. It just drops randomly as you gain XP by playing games.

Not to mention all gameplay-affecting content coming down the pike will be completely free. Blizzard really made all the right decisions with OW, IMO. The game could've easily ended up like HotS.

 

[Jebusman]

Wait, how is Destiny Pay to win? If you are referring to those new sterling boxes which contain equipment with an armor value of 3 you get those from completing weeklies and the item pool is low enough for you to get what you want fairly quickly. Not that i like the boxes but it wasn't as bad as people made it out to be.

While I wouldn't call Destiny P2W, the concept of P2W is essentially that you can pay money for something that is directly gameplay affecting. Rather than work and earn it for yourself (if that's an option at all), someone who has enough money can bypass all that and just buy it themselves.

Merely having the presense of a way of unlocking things without cash doesn't stop something from being "P2W". Now obviously in Destiny all the armor/guns in the world won't help you if you can't play, which is why I wouldn't consider it P2W, but I understand the comparison.

 

[Catdaddy]

Micro transactions for cosmetic items that add nothing to gameplay behind a paywall are perfectly fine IMO. I personally don't care about any of that, but as I level if there is one I like, I'll use it.

 

[truestatic]

Are the voice lines a big deal? I barely notice people chatting when playing.

It's not even communicative. You can equip a single 'voice line' at any one time, per character. They're a vocal taunt. A one liner. And the one voice line that everyone uses all the time anyways is the 'hello' option in the ready room, which is one of the standard, non-swappable options. There's a commo rose of vocal options, and your customizable 'voice line' occupies just one slot on that rose. The rest are your hello, your emote, a request for heals, an invitation to group on you, a thank you, and an acknowledgement. Those are all non-customizable and are always there, and require zero unlocking.

 

[fanboi]

I don't get this type of complaint.

If you release content that can unlock via money that doesnt affect gameplay what is the problem with that?

For fuck sake, for some it seems that they cant controll themself and *must* buy it instead of just ignoring it.

 

[In Service]

Just hit the mic key and make your own Bastion sounds.

BEEEEP DOOOT WHIRRRR

This is the answer.

I don't care about the microtransactions. I'm even happier that this isn't a COD weapon unlock progression system because I'm not a hardcore FPS fan.

For me, the unlocks work just fine.

 

[Mupod]

So games that let you buy power and straight up pay to win are okay, but cosmetic unlocks and voices that cost a tiny amount of in-game currency is a 'new low'. There's gaf hyperbole and there's just being straight up completely 100% dead wrong. For god's sake they cost 25 gold (in-game currency), I could have gotten a voice line for every character when I was level 12.

I'm of the opinion that map packs and pay to win (or pay to not grind for those into arguing semantics) are the worst things to happen to online shooters. Long term official support - like TF2 and every Blizzard game - is awesome, and absolutely necessary in this day and age where every year there's a new AAA shooter or three that the big companies want you to jump ship for (better buy our $40 season pass or good luck finding other players). If that long term support can be funded entirely by stuff that has no gameplay implications, without fracturing the community, then yes this is a great system.

 

[Sir Garbageman]

It's all cosmetic and all future maps, modes, and characters will be free.

Disagree 100%, sorry OP.

 

[imBask]

Are the voice lines a big deal? I barely notice people chatting when playing.

they're not and people only spam them during the pre-game stuff.

this thread is ridiculous

 

[Medicated]

Are the voice lines a big deal? I barely notice people chatting when playing.

They are just the cheesy like 2 second long taunts each character can say during matches. I am thinking most people here who are acting all worked up don't even own the game.

 

[NinjaBoiX]

"The way this game openly and entirely transparently charges the die-hard fans for cosmetic, ultimately frivolous items so it can provide free meaningful content that people actually care about is disgusting."

It's a brilliant business model that I wish more would adopt.

OP, get a grip.

 

[labx]

He hasnt even played the game bruv ^_^.

And you are correct, swbf is way way worse.

Destiny as well.

I want it to be like a general option sell the game people. My writing skill in second language isn't my strong suit.

Thanks, going to edit it.

 

[Chronospherics]

So you just ignored my other posts? like the CS:GO one which is a good example?

Also why don't you post my full post where i said everything can be unlocked for free?


Nice contribution to this thread dude.

How does another decent post justify others being trash? I find that hard to understand.

I wasn't quoting posts that were good, there are a number here that are and I'm sure the OP appreciates everyone that took the time to give his thread a decent response. But in doing so, you are only doing what you should be doing.

Also I feel that commenting on the quality of posting is a decent contribution to the thread. All of the OTs on GAF are filled with comments that commend both the OT, and other posts within the thread, yet when I make a note of people whose posts offers less than it should, that's suddenly an issue?

I absolutely do not see how attempting to remind people that it would be nice if we could give the OP respectful responses and collectively, promote educated discourse, is a problem. But whatever man.

 

[Glass Shark]

The voice lines you unlock via loot boxes aren't the only things your character says in a match, though. They are just the thing you can activate via the chat wheel.

Your argument is moot.

 

[MUnited83]

I find it funny that some people are saying they miss out on characterisation when you can just go to the gallery and listen to them all lol

Yep. And if he actually played the fucking game he would get the lines he wanted pretty quickly since they are quite cheap.

 

[base shagohod]

I've never shaken my head harder.

 

[-MD-]

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.



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.

They are free... everything is free...

A voiceline is 25 coins, you can only have one line equipped at a time. I've already earned well over 1000 coins since this game went live a few days ago.

Why do you guys feel the need to bitch and moan about total non-issues? Play the game, earn some coins, unlock the shit you want. Easy.

 

[Panda Rin]

The voice lines you unlock via loot boxes aren't the only things your character says in a match, though. They are just the thing you can activate via the chat wheel.

Your argument is moot.

Even if it was, just buy them with the in-game currency. They're really cheap. It's not as if you need all of them, since you can only use one at a time.

 

[Interfectum]

What the heck does it to have to do with it? I don't need to play a game to say that i like character writing and speech in games and i don't think it's that inconceivable position to resist such content being 'eligible' to an unlock system rather that offered up front.

I also like how all you are centering around the Robot character voice lines instead of the plenty human characters. You can't even be ingenuous in your counter-argument.

You need to play the game to understand how ludicrous your argument is.

 

[Phrozenflame500]

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

This is more my problem with it. I wouldn't really mind the rampant cosmetic microtransactions if there wasn't a $40 price tag attached to the game itself.

 

[Ryo Hazuki]

It's 2016. Microtransactions in full-price games is becoming the norm and is not new by any means. Calling it a new low because Overwatch happens to include character voice lines is really odd as these can all be unlocked for free in game and if there's one or two you like you can just purchase them with IN-GAME currency, no real money needed.

It sounds like the OP is mad because they've been playing for a while and haven't unlocked the voice line they want or something? I honestly can't see how this unlock system can bother someone to the point of calling it a new low.

The unlock system feels like a fun way to get random shit as you progress from just playing the game, if there's something I kinda like I'll buy it with the free in-game currency they give me levelling up and that's about it.

 

[Chronospherics]

Holy crap the uninformed fucking people in this thread! They are not locked away via money if you just PLAY THE GOD DAMN GAME.


but you apparently don't, so don't spew shit you know absolutely nothing about

21 characters
54 unlocks per character
1134 total unlocks
4 items per lootbox
Loot boxes take an average of 90 minutes to obtain
Loot boxes are random and may obtain duplicates

You're looking at almost 400 hours played to unlock everything even before we factor in the potential for duplication. It seems as though so long as 'everything is unlockable' then everything is okay, regardless of how absurd the path is to unlock those items.

 

[Interfectum]

It's 2016. Microtransactions in full-price games is becoming the norm and is not new by any means. Calling it a new low because Overwatch happens to include character voice lines is really odd as these can all be unlocked for free in game and if there's one or two you like you can just purchase them with IN-GAME currency, no real money needed.

It sounds like the OP is mad because they've been playing for a while and haven't unlocked the voice line they want or something? I honestly can't see how this unlock system can bother someone to the point of calling it a new low.

The unlock system feels like a fun way to get random shit as you progress from just playing the game, if there's something I kinda like I'll buy it with the free in-game currency they give me levelling up and that's about it.

That's the kicker. The OP hasn't even played the game.

 

[Jebusman]

How does another decent post justify others being trash? I find that hard to understand.

I wasn't quoting posts that were good, there are a number here that are and I'm sure the OP appreciates everyone that took the time to give his thread a decent response. But in doing so, you are only doing what you should be doing.

Also I feel that commenting on the quality of posting is a decent contribution to the thread. All of the OTs on GAF are filled with comments that commend both the OT, and other posts within the thread, yet when I make a note of people whose posts offers less than it should, that's suddenly an issue?

I absolutely do not see how attempting to remind people that it would be nice if we could give the OP respectful responses and collectively, promote educated discourse, is a problem. But whatever man.

You literally made a post to name and shame people because you believed a hyperbolic statement from an OP who has a pretty clear agenda against the game itself (given his posts and previous on the matter), didn't deserve hyperbolic responses.

Again, as others have mentioned, if people are out of line the mods will deal with them. That's their job. Not yours. Have a problem with it? Take your wall of shame and PM a mod about it.

21 characters
54 unlocks per character
1134 total unlocks
4 items per lootbox
Loot boxes take an average of 90 minutes to obtain
Loot boxes are random and may obtain duplicates

You're looking at almost 400 hours played to unlock everything even before we factor in the potential for duplication. It seems as though so long as 'everything is unlockable' then everything is okay, regardless of how absurd the path is to unlock those items.

You're forgetting ingame gold/duplicates being broken down into gold as well.

 

[Hektor]

I like how the OP now complains about missing out on important communitcation when half the voicelines the characters have are in foreign languages like Japanese, Korean or Indian. Give me a fucking break.

 

[Sanke__]

lol

you have been blissfully ignorant of microtransaction practices living under your rock for a while now

having microtransactions for purely cosmetics is as good as it gets in the modern world

 

[Incitemaybe]

Complete non-issue for me, and certainly doesn't affect the "heart" of the game whatsoever.

 

[truestatic]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0H-RrG6mh9U

A run through of each of McCree's voice lines, for the sake of those who haven't played the game and don't know exactly what's being discussed.

 

[Militaratus]

Having all speech lines unlocked at the start?

Is this Easy Mode?

 

[Zen_Arcade]

You mean gameplay value. Because speech lines do have value to me. A type of value that doesn't exist with skins.

But again, you fail to realize than an unlock system can negatively impact a user enjoyment of a game wo it affecting gameplay.


There's a 'Voice Lines' category.

--
Saw a the thread title change. So what other full-priced AAA games lock away character speech? Thanks.

Even if you do find value in speech lines by saying that this was a new low in microtransactions it means that you think that giving the option to buy speech lines is worse than giving the option to buy aspects of the game that actually effect how the game functions on a competitive level.

This means you either:

A) Are being extremely hyperbolic in your criticism.

Or

B) Actually feel that cosmetic items are more important to your experience of a video game than how it actually plays.

Either way, it shouldn't be surprising that people aren't taking your opinion very seriously. If you honestly think that having to buy the ability for Bastion to go "Boo-Doop" is worse for video game design than some of the Pay To Win bullshit we've seen from other games then I can't really fault people that think that you're either over reacting or don't understand what makes a video game exploitative to a consumer in the first place.

 

[Bumblebeetuna]

FYI, all those prices you're seeing is for in-game[/] gold, not actual money. The only thing that costs money are the random loot boxes.

So it has exactly one microtransaction. In the entire game. by the by, that's all they've said they would be monetising. Fuck, I don't think even the boxes would be buyable initially but people asked for them.

So nah, not a new low because Evolve still exists.

Evolve had day one cosmetic skin DLC, most of which has been earnable in game for free. Idk what is so terrible about that. Compared to virtually every other MP game nowadays, anyway.