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

The general responses here are very... Interesting. Looks like Overwatch is in fact getting a free pass by some people.

Or some people are okay with microtransactions when they are useless cosmetics and help fund future support.

I'm not sure where all this "free pass" shit is coming from. Overwatch does this in a way that very few other games do.
 

Bulzeeb

Member
Are you sure this isn't a crucial piece of character development, in a team based shooter?

Well I know for sure that I add to the comic relief role in the game when I spam Mccree's "watch and learn" voice line before going out of the base just to die die die a few seconds later.
 
It's really not. There is no issue to begin with. OP has taken an incredibly minor complaint and tried to turn it into an example of bad microtransactions, when there are 1000+ better examples on the market right now.

This is what happens when you make a thread and you don't know what you're talking about.

『Inaba Resident』;204816105 said:
Theres no issue to begin with
Exactly.

It's a general misunderstanding of how the system even works and what microtransactions there even are in the game, exploded out into a thread full of people either going off that false assumption or just responding to the idea presented in the title and saying "yeah that sounds bad."

And then the people who have played the game/understand what MTs Overwatch actually has.
 

Swarna

Member
i dont think blizzard blind fans will be able to see this as a complaint. i bet they see it as a great thing and the greatest f2p cosmetic system ever made.

It is better than 99% of the market for sure. I'm not a blizzard fan, but if every game handled microtransactions the same way OW does, that would be an improvement across the board.

Just to name recent games that easily have garbage microtransactions: KI (in F2P mode), Doom multiplayer (buy guns), and UC4 multiplayer (buy guns) off the top of my head.

Blizz drones exist but to criticize the microtransactions in this game of all things...lmao
 
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Deleted member 325805

Unconfirmed Member
The general responses here are very... Interesting. Looks like Overwatch is in fact getting a free pass by some people.

If people were to flame Overwatch it wouldn't make SF any better, so there's no need to hope for it. Plus Overwatch is just great.
 
Microtransactions itself in a fully priced title is a new low.

This I can totally see as a valid complaint. It's why I bought the $40 version in PC as paying an extra $20 for cosmetic items seemed downright silly.

That said, calling this "new" would be incorrect. It's hardly new.

I'm not sure where all this "free pass" shit is coming from. Overwatch does this in a way that very few other games do.

Much like "PS4 has no games," it's a thing people can mindlessly glom onto while still feeling like they've hit upon something meaningful. No need to create an argument and back it up when you've spoken such a poignant truth.
 

Firehead

Member
And like i said, i know how paradoxical i sound. Gameplay unlocks are garbage but you could see it coming or how some devs would chose it. Who the heck saw speech unlocks coming? Who thought these characterization and 'personalitization' voice lines as something too add to the unlocking process. Blizzard went there. They went somewhere no one thought existed.

You do realise unlocking quips/taunts in games isn't anything new.. right?
 
New rule should be if you don't play a game or have no interest in it you don't get to make threads complaining about it.

I'm sure you're very concerned about people who are totally enjoying over watch ruining other games for you op. We will all sell our copies and stop enjoying it so your concerns can be satisfied.
 

DrArchon

Member
The general responses here are very... Interesting. Looks like Overwatch is in fact getting a free pass by some people.

There's plenty of complaints to be had about OW's microtransactions. You can't buy things directly with money, you have to gamble on getting the skins you want or the coins you need, duplicate items give you much less the value of the item, etc.

But complaining about voice lines being gated away is truly making a mountain out of a mole hill. No one cares about them and I guarantee that most people would be OK with never seeing a voice line show up in a loot box because it would just mean they'd have a better chance at getting something they do care about, like a skin or gold to buy a skin.
 
I played for 3 hours last night, and had no idea this game had microtransactions. I think that should tell the average person how intrusive they are.
 
The general responses here are very... Interesting. Looks like Overwatch is in fact getting a free pass by some people.

I was under the impression (perhaps incorrectly so) that microtransactions built around things that do not impact the actual gameplay is not that big a deal.

...in fact I still don't think it's that big a deal.

I'm not giving Blizzard a pass because I enjoy Overwatch. I think DOTA 2's method of microtransactions for cosmetics is all above board too and you couldn't pay me to play that game.

You...keep fighting the good fight. I'm sure you're getting something positive out of it.
 

azyless

Member
It's pretty telling that the vast majority of people annoyed by this are people that don't even play the game. If I play it I should be the one complaining about being locked out of stuff, right ?
 

Sylas

Member
I'm baffled by speech being a big deal if only because I don't think anybody actually hears the lines more than... what? 15 seconds total over a few hours of playing? Does the simple fact that it exists make the OP upset? Are they really that hyper-focused on the purity of a game that they get pissy about voice lines that you may very well not ever hear?

I dunno man--that's a special level of throwing a fit over absolutely nothing. I listen to the line when I unlock it and then I never hear it again because I don't even know where or when my character says it.

As for always working towards unlocks and feeling like it's some cold, calculated machine. Man, I feel nothing but pity for people like that. The carrot on a stick is nice but it feels like it's just a carrot when I'm not on a diet; It's a fun little snack but I'm not seeking it out. Fuck that, I want the cake over there! In this case the cake is the gameplay itself and how much I'm enjoying it.

Like damn, dude. Go outside and pet a dog; But be careful. Petting that dog isn't gonna net you any sick exp that you can put towards advancing in some arbitrary system! So maybe don't do that. You'd probably throw a fit.
 

kiguel182

Member
Just so people have an idea:

Black Ops 3 is a game where you can buy (and earn) loot boxes that contain not only cosmetics but also unique weapons. This system was not there at launch (the weapons part) and it wasn't announced.

Not only that but it also has a season pass with paid DLC maps on top of that. That season pass costs 50 dollars.

Now tell me that Overwatch has a bad system.
 

Apathy

Member
The general responses here are very... Interesting. Looks like Overwatch is in fact getting a free pass by some people.

Well see if the game had loot boxes that required keys and the keys could only be bought at say 2 dollars each, then I'd be pissed, but no, you get a loot box when you level, every level, forever, for playing the game which you would be doing anyway. The fact that boxes can also give you over bucks, and dupes also give you over bucks means that you also don't get punished by severely bad RNG and you'll eventually have enough to buy what you want, even if it is voice lines that are for fun like emotes and not something vital or story driven.

Reindheardt yelling out "catch phrase!" or pharah saying "rocket jump? That sounds dangerous" are joke cosmetics, that the op seems to want others to believe are so vital that of course blizzard has to be vile to put them behind some fictional paywall (cause you know, you can't pay for a specific item)
 
The general responses here are very... Interesting. Looks like Overwatch is in fact getting a free pass by some people.
People say this as if there's no flack thrown to any game with microtrasactions, though it's the majority. It's just funny that we are finding ways attack the games trying to meet us in the middle.

Blizzard, Naughty Dog, 343, Capcom etc:
"No season pass or map packs...Play to unlock cosmetics...if you really want them buy coins or loot packs...free content updates forever years in advance..."

People like OP:
"NO MICROTRASACTIONS! THE VOICES are the lore!!! I'll pay $35-$40 for a season pass! And for the second season pass too!"

Funny though because I don't see any threads praising Battlefront for its season pass. Or Battlefield.

Why be mad about getting bigger, better content for no charge? They've never forced me to by a microtrasactions. It's a choice to participate in supporting them in that way. I understand what buying the base game entails and what I won't necessarily have right out of the gate. But hey at least the game is balanced, plays well, has a huge community supporting it, oh and is guaranteed to get more stuff....for free. Freeeeeeeeeee.
 

LiK

Member
The general responses here are very... Interesting. Looks like Overwatch is in fact getting a free pass by some people.
but everything you unlock is cosmetic and doesn't impact gameplay. All future maps and modes are free. Whether you bother to unlock any of the stuff is purely optional. There's no free pass given. You could never unlock anything and the gameplay will be exactly the same.
 
With the amount of stuff available to unlock being 1000+, a chunk of them being bullshit voice lines and even worse...sprays...and there being duplicates (I got the same voice line 2 boxes in a row!) And the measly amount of credits given for dupes...yeah it's terrible.

And you can only get boxes by leveling up, right? So longer and longer to get rubbish boxes with nowt in them.
 
I was under the impression (perhaps incorrectly so) that microtransactions built around things that do not impact the actual gameplay is not that big a deal.

...in fact I still don't think it's that big a deal.

I'm not giving Blizzard a pass because I enjoy Overwatch. I think DOTA 2's method of microtransactions for cosmetics is all above board too and you couldn't pay me to play that game.

You...keep fighting the good fight. I'm sure you're getting something positive out of it.

This is the compromise. Publishers would be stupid to leave money on the table when its proven that add on purchases make money.

Players don't want to have to pay to win or pay to keep up with other players.

The compromise is cosmetic unlocks for pay. The way it works best is by selling a chance at a "rare" item because it increases the perceived value of the cosmetic item. This works because he game is exactly the same to play for he person who never spends an extra dollar as it is for someone who buys 5 loot boxes a week.

There is no reason to complain about this. Just stop.
 
Just so people have an idea:

Black Ops 3 is a game where you can buy (and earn) loot boxes that contain not only cosmetics but also unique weapons. This system was not there at launch (the weapons part) and it wasn't announced.

Not only that but it also has a season pass with paid DLC maps on top of that. That season pass costs 50 dollars.

Now tell me that Overwatch has a bad system.

But this is a new low.
 
For Dead Space 3...if you mean their micro-transaction format was a vessel for gutting their IP...then yes. It worked excellently.

As for ME3...I'm not talking about the multiplayer game itself which was fun enough but the blind loot boxes you could/needed to purchase in order to unlock new characters etc was pretty damn ruthless.

You didn't need to buy any boxes, I unlocked everything in ME3mp and I bought exactly 0 boxes, just played the game for the year that they supported it, support that came for "free" because other were buying boxes.

Also Unlocking things in ME3mp was super fast in itself because platinum difficulty gave a shitton of credits so you could buy a large box every 2 games; platinum was all I played.

Edit: gold gave you a box every 2 games, platinum gave you a box every game and even 2 every 5/6th game
 
I seriously thought OP's post was a parody rant at first. You're entitled to your opinion I guess, but I have to vehemently disagree with your stance. Overwatch has the least intrusive microtransaction system I've ever seen. And it'll fund the game's development over the coming years, which I'm sure will be full of lots of FREE new updates including heroes, maps and modes. So chill out bro. If you really feel a certain line adds a lot to your experience just freaking unlock it. It really doesn't take long at all to be able to get all of them anyway.
 
This is an online game that will be supported through new, free content over time. That content has to be payed for in some way, and cosmetic, non-gameplay-affecting microtransactions is a reasonable way to do it.
 
With the amount of stuff available to unlock being 1000+, a chunk of them being bullshit voice lines and even worse...sprays...and there being duplicates (I got the same voice line 2 boxes in a row!) And the measly amount of credits given for dupes...yeah it's terrible.

And you can only get boxes by leveling up, right? So longer and longer to get rubbish boxes with nowt in them.

The amount of exp it takes stays the same around level 20 (which isn't that much) all the way until level 100 where it resets. There is no level cap.
 

Firehead

Member
This I can totally see as a valid complaint. It's why I bought the $40 version in PC as paying an extra $20 for cosmetic items seemed downright silly.

That said, calling this "new" would be incorrect. It's hardly new.

Sorry, just wanted to point out
Microtransactions itself in a fully priced title is a new low.
Says Cave Johnson? Portal 2 launched at $49.99 with an in-game store for micro-transactions.
 
With the amount of stuff available to unlock being 1000+, a chunk of them being bullshit voice lines and even worse...sprays...and there being duplicates (I got the same voice line 2 boxes in a row!) And the measly amount of credits given for dupes...yeah it's terrible.

And you can only get boxes by leveling up, right? So longer and longer to get rubbish boxes with nowt in them.

Correction: you can buy boxes outright with real money, but you also receive them for free by levelling up. (And you level up indefinitely, with the XP curve flattening in the mid-20's somewhere.)
 

Megalo

Member
Who thought these characterization and 'personalitization' voice lines as something too add to the unlocking process. Blizzard went there. They went somewhere no one thought existed.

What a drama queen.

Unlocks are there to give you a sense of progression and a "goal" (even if you shouldn't need any in a pure multiplayer online game, but it feels rewarding for a lot of people). Some catch phrases are part of the progression system but these lines don't serve any purpose. They don't inform your team about anything, they don't help you to communicate with your teammates, everything you need to properly play the game is there. It's a bonus, if there was no usable voice lines in the game nobody would've noticed.

So what's the big drama ? I hope you realize that this entire thread really is "over the top".
 

SmokedMeat

Gamer™
Just so people have an idea:

Black Ops 3 is a game where you can buy (and earn) loot boxes that contain not only cosmetics but also unique weapons. This system was not there at launch (the weapons part) and it wasn't announced.

Not only that but it also has a season pass with paid DLC maps on top of that. That season pass costs 50 dollars.

Now tell me that Overwatch has a bad system.

But you have to play Overwatch to unlock the unlockables! Sure that might be fine with you, but to the person that doesn't own the game, it's a horrible concept.
 

Nowy

Member
Literally every unlockable in the game has no impact in the game. The voice lines are not important at all. Its Bastion saying "Beep Boop" or Reinhardt yelling "Precision German engineering". Voice lines contain no story, the dialogue between characters is there at the start. Voice lines are not important call outs, like I need healing or there's a teleporter somewhere. Those are there at the start. You spam your voice line before the game starts and never touch it again. The exp required to level up caps at somewhere around level 22, its not like it takes long to level up anyway.

I would rather have this system than having to pay for new classes and maps. If they start charging us for that stuff on top of loot boxes (which I'll never buy), then I'll get angry with you.
 

Sylas

Member
I mean you guys know TF2 was also a scam because it had literally infinite hats that you can purchase for REAL MONEY!!!!!! and they used to charge full-price for the game. The permutations of unlocks were IN THE THOUSANDS!!!! and there was actually no real way to obtain the items through ingame means other than dropping cash on microtransactions.

Yes, the game is F2P now--but it wasn't always.
 
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Deleted member 325805

Unconfirmed Member
I'd just like to thank everyone who buy crates for allowing me to have free maps, modes and heroes in the future. Bless your golden hearts.
 

Baleoce

Member
I don't consider it low in a multiplayer only game and it happens to be skins etc.

This has been a trend for many, many, many years. You don't have to buy them.

I picked up Overwatch for £29.99, I wouldn't consider that full price. It wasn't the type of game I was referring to in response to that post.
 
Must have thought this was your chance at being the OP of a GAF outrage thread?

5 minutes into Overwatch OP was like "I'm gonna make a GAF thread and..."

MG6pKXO.gif
 

MUnited83

For you.
This :)
When it was fine in other games like lost planet 3, people were speaking loudly...
Blizzard gets a Free pass, right?
Holy shit is like you didn't read a fucking thing in this thread at all or ever researched anything about Overwatch.


Lost Planet 3 had paywalled weapons and maps, and it had no further support down the line. Overwatch MTs are exclusively cosmetic . The situations ate literally nothing alike.
 
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