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Overwatch marks a new low in Unlocking and Microtransaction systems that I'm aware of

How isnt it grinding? the unlock criteria is gated by how much currency you have, which is gated by how many matches are played by the user. If you want that item, you have to unlock it by putting time/money into the game and literally nothing more. That's a grind quota.

Grinding implies performing a menial task over and over for the unlock. You are playing a fun game to unlock things, it's not grinding. I'm not mining ore in WoW, I'm playing the game as it's supposed to be played.
 
...for meaningless cosmetic items. So if you want a cool looking skin for your waifu, you can either continue playing until you unlock it, or use currency earned in loot boxes to buy it.

Again, for Meaningless. Cosmetic. Items.

Yes, you think grind mechanics are fine if the payoff is something suitably minor. I agree with you that that is your opinion.
 

Kurdel

Banned
You hit criteria that unlocks that content. The critieria is, hopefully, more interesting than "sink enough life into the game to get grind currency" which is how phone games and overwatch do it.

If you played the game, you would know you get thise boxes from leveling up, which goes faster is you perform well and get medals at the end of a match.

And you get currency for dupe items, which allows you to buy what you want.
 
The the loot box/unlocked voice lines are simply taunts and quips. I'm really lost as to why people are this upset at something that like most people aren't even going to use except for like during the start of the match.
 

kiguel182

Member
I take cosmetic micro transactions over paid DLC in multiplayer shooters any day of the week.

What is bad is having to pay for maps and modes that not everyone gets and splitting the community. Now that is terrible.

This new way of handling multiplayer updates is much, much better.
 

Bulzeeb

Member
You got the T. Racer skin...you lucky bastard.

winkyface! ;)

anyways, since people seem confused, this is the voice line the OP is refering to

emotewheeloverwatch.jpg


see that command that says "voice line" yeah thats the only one, a single line that gets spammed at start of the game that serves no purpose other than spamming for attention.
 
You hit criteria that unlocks that content. The critieria is, hopefully, more interesting than "sink enough life into the game to get grind currency" which is how phone games and overwatch do it.

You have an axe to grind, I get it. Please acknowledge that you unlock cosmetic items in game by playing a fun game. It's not a "phone game" whatever that means.
 
Grinding implies performing a menial task over and over for the unlock. You are playing a fun game to unlock things, it's not grinding. I'm not mining ore in WoW, I'm playing the game as it's supposed to be played.

Yes, you're having fun grinding out overbux. I never once contested that and that is why the system is so successful. People love getting consistent, tiny rewards just for participating.
 
You hit criteria that unlocks that content. The critieria is, hopefully, more interesting than "sink enough life into the game to get grind currency" which is how phone games and overwatch do it.

How is "achieving the next level and earning a loot box" not "hitting a criteria to unlock the content"?

You have a very poor argument and now you're using semantics to try and back out of it.

You literally have no concept of what you're talking about in regards to Overwatch.
 

Firehead

Member
You hit criteria that unlocks that content. The critieria is, hopefully, more interesting than "sink enough life into the game to get grind currency" which is how phone games and overwatch do it.

Some phone games restrict the amount of plays, your abilities, characters you have access to, etc. Is that what you're trying to compare Overwatch to? Are you trying to say Overwatch is Pay2Win?
 
You hit criteria that unlocks that content. The critieria is, hopefully, more interesting than "sink enough life into the game to get grind currency" which is how phone games and overwatch do it.
Play RPG.... Level up... rinse & repeat.
Play racing game... Unlock new cars and parts and tracks... rinse & repeat.
Play fighting game... Unlock new fighters... rinse & rephrase.
Etc etc etc.....


Yes. In life, you must play the game to get more out of the game.
 
Yes, you think grind mechanics are fine if the payoff is something suitably minor. I agree with you that that is your opinion.

The problem is that you're looking at the game as something you have to do in order to get cosmetics. On the contrary, the cosmetics are just a minor, fun byproduct of playing the game.

This is a terrible game to play if its primary appeal for you is collecting the cosmetics. If that's the angle of attack you're taking on this problem, then I really don't think this game is for you. The game is supposed to be innately fun and rewarding. The unlockables are just gravy.
 
see that command that says "voice line" yeah thats the only one, a single line that gets spammed at start of the game that serves no purpose other than spamming for attention.

Because the start of the game is the only time when you're not actively playing.

OP would know this if he actually played Overwatch but alas.

I'm guessing the OP has never played the original home console versions of MvC2.

I remember some people were annoyed when all the characters were unlocked right from the start for the XBLA/PSN releases. I... no. Just no.
 
Yes, you're having fun grinding out overbux. I never once contested that and that is why the system is so successful. People love getting consistent, tiny rewards just for participating.

Yep, you're definitely trolling now. Either that or we no longer have fun with games and instead exist only to unlock.

As I said previously, I don't care about the cosmetics and in fact I despise carrot on a stick bullshit in games like Call of Duty but this is the least egregious form of that in any game I know of.
 

DrArchon

Member
I never hear voice lines. No one uses them. They're worthless bits of flavor text, and aren't even as flavorful as the pre-fight banter between teammates that's in the game.

Like, I can see complaining about not being able to purchase specific items and instead being forced to buy random chances at items, but this complaint seems really trivial.
 
So you're telling me that this microtransaction that in no way or shape effects how the game plays, and offers you no advantages once or ever, is a "new low?"

My friend, you must lead a very sheltered life. There's a whole school of microtransactions called "pay-to-win." Seeing as this is all 100% cosmetic, I'd say you couldn't be further off the mark.
 

maouvin

Member
see that command that says "voice line" yeah thats the only one, a single line that gets spammed at start of the game that serves no purpose other than spamming for attention.

Unless you're DVa, so you spam "winky face" the whole match. Real MLG pros even map it to a mouse key for optimized winkyfacing.
 
How is "achieving the next level and earning a loot box" not "hitting a criteria to unlock the content"?

You have a very poor argument and now you're using semantics to try and back out of it.

The criteria is simply participation. If you love getting a reassuring pat on the head and a tiny unlock of content that has no reason to be locked at the end of a match, power to you. I just personally dont think thats very interesting.
 
Some phone games restrict the amount of plays, your abilities, characters you have access to, etc. Is that what you're trying to compare Overwatch to? Are you trying to say Overwatch is Pay2Win?

Apparently paying for skins and voice lines is the same as buying 3 months of progress in a city building mobile game now.
 
No there isn't, that's why smash is good enough to have alternate unlock criteria for its content besides grinding out matches.

Play X amount of matches or collect X amount of grind currency isn't very fun unlock criteria.
I wasn't referring to the multiplayer mode. I was referring to "Classic" which is Smashs version of arcade mode. There are certain characters locked behind playing that mode with every character (Even ones you don't enjoy playing). Trying to claim that that is any less grindy then expecting people to go through the same arcade mode over and over just to unlock one character is some pretty faulty logic.

At least the grind in Overwatch isnt there to make you unlock things like characters, it's all cosmetic stuff. And even then, it's not making you play a bunch of modes you might not want to play, or expect you to play with characters you have no interest in using.

"Play Arcade mode X times to unlock character" has zero difference from "Play X number of matches to unlock skin." They're both grinds. The only real difference is that there is more to grind in Overwatch because there is more content, and the rewards are randomized. But randomization isnt that bad when everything you're unlocking is cosmetic. From playing the beta and playing Melee, I can tell you that going through Classic on Easy with a bunch of characters I didn't like playing felt like much more of a grind than playing Overwatch like I would be anyway and getting a random skin or voice every handful of matches.
 

Afrodium

Banned
You hit criteria that unlocks that content. The critieria is, hopefully, more interesting than "sink enough life into the game to get grind currency" which is how phone games and overwatch do it.

You don't win Overwatch by collecting all the skins. It's completely cosmetic and changes nothing about the game. If you think of playing the game as just grinding for a skin you should probably play a different game.
 

hollomat

Banned
You can never win with some people. Have no micro transactions, but charge for new maps and characters, it's a rip off and you're splitting the player base. Have all new maps and characters be free and charge for cosmetic items that you can unlock by playing the game for free, it's a new low for micro transactions.

I couldn't disagree more and think that it's a new high for micro transactions. I can't think of a game that handles micro transactions better while also providing future free content to players.

To all those people who say it's a grind, clearly the game isn't for you. If you're only playing to unlock skins and hate what you have to do to get them (play the game), why are you even playing it in the first place?
 
A bit silly, honestly. It's cosmetic stuff. You aren't earning stats or new guns or classes. It's a "Rocky 4" reference that you can spam in the spawn room and then forget you have it.

C'mon, OP.

You can never win with some people. Have no micro transactions, but charge for new maps and characters, it's a rip off and you're splitting the player base. Have all new maps and characters be free and charge for cosmetic items that you can unlock by playing the game for free, it's a new low for micro transactions.

I couldn't disagree more and think that it's a new high for micro transactions. I can't think of a game that handles micro transactions better while also providing future free content to players.

I agree that it's one of the more 'fair' games in that regard, hardly a low.
 
Every character starts with a voiced taunt for free, in addition to all their other voice commands. These are alternate voiced taunts you can unlock, but you can only have 1 equipped at a time.
 
The criteria is simply participation. If you love getting a reassuring pat on the head and a tiny unlock of content that has no reason to be locked at the end of a match, power to you. I just personally dont think thats very interesting.

This is how a ton of modern games are designed. Have you not played a AAA title since 1998 or something?
 

Skux

Member
The problem is that you're looking at the game as something you have to do in order to get cosmetics.

If that's the angle of attack you're taking on this problem, then I don't think this game is for you. The game is fun and innately rewarding. The unlockables are just gravy.

Agreed. If your enjoyment of a game hinges on being able to unlock and complete everything in the game, instead of actually enjoying playing the game, you should play Assassin's Creed.
 
It's kinda bizarre to classify Overwatch's unlockables as "progression." They aren't something designed to be "progressed through" so much as stumbled upon; a kind of cool fun thing for players to get every once in a while, including unlocking it directly on occasion--for those super-cool unlockables. (e.g. ;) is totally worth the money.)

Now, while the unlockables don't bother me, comparisons to TF2 will only weaken the complaint. TF2 is a game where significant gameplay advantages are held under lock and key--anything from prestige cosmetics to new weapons are sold both in-store and (theoretically) found in-game. And TF2 has only gotten worse over the years, seeing as it originally had none of this (though it made the change before going free-to-play).


My only thought regarding Overwatch's unlockables is how it will work as new characters are added. Or whether they'd add more during events or something. It'll be interesting to see, either way.
 

vypek

Member
The criteria is simply participation. If you love getting a reassuring pat on the head and a tiny unlock of content that has no reason to be locked at the end of a match, power to you. I just personally dont think thats very interesting.

Ah, so what you mean to say is that you only like unlockables that only come from performing certain tasks? Thats fair. Overwatch only partially has those
 

azyless

Member
We wouldn't even have this thread if there were no taunt lines at all and no one would even think of whining about lack of them because no one cares. The characters speak plenty without them it's not like any "dialogue" is locked.
And you don't have to "grind" for a "long time" to get them, I'm only lvl 12, 4 hours of play more or less and I already have enough in-game money to buy ~20 voice lines, just by playing the game normally and not even taking into account the ones I've already unlocked by leveling up.
 

LiK

Member
Need to be honest that the game is already fun as is. The cosmetic unlocks are a cherry on top. I barely care about anything else other than the Skins. All the voices and sprays are super superficial and don't impact the game in any way.

There's no need to be upset about them. You'll eventually unlock some of them from playing anyway.
 

TheSeks

Blinded by the luminous glory that is David Bowie's physical manifestation.
Funny, you and OP don't even have a single post in the OT so you guys clearly don't care about this game.

5ot9Ecg.gif


I guess the millions of people that can't post in the Overwatch GAF thread don't count for discourse, then?
 

Jito

Banned
How isnt it grinding? the unlock criteria is gated by how much currency you have, which is gated by how many matches are played by the user. If you want that item, you have to unlock it by putting time/money into the game and literally nothing more. That's a grind quota.

You clearly have a poor understanding of the system in the game seeing as it's all about getting loot boxes, not grinding out "overbucks" as you call them. I'd take you and your complaints a lot more seriously if you knew what you were even talking about.

And if I could be bothered I'd go back and find some old games that had unlocks behind play time or some menial task but I guess that's irrelevant to you.
 
Marks a new low in microtransaction systems?

OP clearly needs to play more games.

Try Dead Space 3. An IP that they dismantled entirely for the sake of promoting their lottery-loot boxes.

Or Mass Effect 3 multiplayer.


Or countless other games that do it far...far worse for much more than simple cosmetics. OP...mad as a hatter you is.
 
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.

No.
 
I don't even know how to even use the sprays honestly and I've unlocked tons of them already. Does that break the lore? Haha haha. This thread is an aneurysm waiting to happen.
 
Yep, you're definitely trolling now. Either that or we no longer have fun with games and instead exist only to unlock.

As I said previously, I don't care about the cosmetics and in fact I despise carrot on a stick bullshit in games like Call of Duty but this is the least egregious form of that in any game I know of.

"But it's fun" doesnt dispute the fact that the unlock system of the game is all about sinking time into it to obtain currency to obtain minor unlockables. It just so happens that in this case, you are having fun grinding out that money because you think overwatch is fun. And that's fine, because that is how many modern games work, hence why i brought up phone games. One man's grind is another man's 1000 hour game that they spend $40 in microtransactions on.
 

Firehead

Member
The criteria is simply participation. If you love getting a reassuring pat on the head and a tiny unlock of content that has no reason to be locked at the end of a match, power to you. I just personally dont think thats very interesting.

I mean, you seem to be wanting more reassuring pats on the head for 'participating'... ?
 
D

Deleted member 47027

Unconfirmed Member
Marks a new low in microtransaction systems?

OP clearly needs to play more games.

Try Dead Space 3. An IP that they dismantled entirely for the sake of promoting their lottery-loot boxes.

Or Mass Effect 3 multiplayer.


Or countless other games that do it far...far worse for much more than simple cosmetics. OP...mad as a hatter you is.

Thing is those were great systems,and worked!

Love ME3's multi so much. SO much.
 

Avallon

Member
Did OP even play this game or is he just looking for a reason to bitch?

Those screenshots are from Giant Bomb's Jeff Gerstmann, not the OP.
 
5ot9Ecg.gif


I guess the millions of people that can't post in the Overwatch GAF thread don't count for discourse, then?

Billions, but in his defense, Gilga and OP have memberships here on GAF. There's nothing stopping them from posting in the OT, were they so inclined.
 
You clearly have a poor understanding of the system in the game seeing as it's all about getting loot boxes, not grinding out "overbucks" as you call them. I'd take you and your complaints a lot more seriously if you knew what you were even talking about.

And if I could be bothered I'd go back and find some old games that had unlocks behind play time or some menial task but I guess that's irrelevant to you.

You're right, I should have said you unlock things by either grinding out overbux or rollin dem dice like its vegas.
 

Interfectum

Member
You hit criteria that unlocks that content. The critieria is, hopefully, more interesting than "sink enough life into the game to get grind currency" which is how phone games and overwatch do it.

People grind in games, like MMOs or shooters, to get access to content they can't get to yet (dungeons, weapons, etc). Overwatch gives you access to everything meaningful out the gate. Maps and heroes aren't locked behind a grind.

I mean, your argument is close to "Man in order to get my profile to say 1000 total games in Quake 3 I'm gonna have to grind out those games. Meh. Mobile game total."
 
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