Microtransactions And You

[Aishi]

Thoughts on how Warframe is going about it?

Inventory spaces? Convenience? Absurd Prices? Fair?

[DeatH-ReapeR]

awesome video

[Kamentari]

That video was interesting, thanks for sharing!

[Winterbraid]

Short story:

 

Good games deserve to be paid for. I don't care HOW I pay for a game (one-time, subscription, DLC, micropayments...), I only care about whether it's worth the price.

 

Long story:

 

You start the game with 50 platinum. That's one free Reactor + one free Catalyst and that's all you need to beat every mission in the game. If you need more potatoes and need them immediately, that means you're enjoying the game and it's time to pay up.

 

You start the game with an extra Warframe slot for building your very own Warframe, and a whopping 8 weapon slots. If you need more slots (and don't want to get rid of whatever is filling them up), that means you're enjoying the game and it's time to pay up.

 

There are no 'absurd' prices aside from buying pre-built weapons or frames. And since most of the game revolves around farming blueprints, then farming resources, then waiting for your items to craft - you're essentially cheating yourself out of the game by buying those. So their prices should be prohibitive.

 

(I see why someone could have a problem with Vauban, but since he's a highly specialized frame that is only necessary to the most advanced of advanced players - I don't have a problem with it. If you are THAT much into the game, then it's time to pay up.)

 

Also I don't see how this belongs in Gameplay.

Edited June 26, 2013 by Winterbraid

[LordMidnightX]

no single weapon should be worth more then 5 dollars. reactors and slots are fairly priced but the weapons and frames are not.

[Automatia]

no single weapon should be worth more then 5 dollars. reactors and slots are fairly priced but the weapons and frames are not.

They're free if you farm them.

[Tyrian3k]

Fair?

Yes. The only part of the game that can be considered unfair (alert system) is already in the process of being reworked.

 

Absurd prices?

Maybe a bit excessive on e.g Warframes that cost 375 plat, as most Warframes are relatively easy to obtain. They might actually sell more if the prices were lower.

In general it would be better, if the prices of items from the shop would be tied more to the effort that is necessary to obtain it, so e.g. Rhino shouldn't be more expensive than Volt, but Vauban and Banshee could be because it is more difficult to get those two.

I know several people (including me) who generally don't spend any plat on anything but potatoes/forma, slots and maybe colours simply because so many items aren't worth that much.

 

Convenience?

Everything that isn't convenience can be obtained in-game.

 

Inventory slots?

Essentially the only thing that always keeps me thinking about if it is convenence or not. Should there be a way to obtain them in-game or not? I'm really not sure about this one.

A problem I see is that players who don't buy slots are quite limited, whereas that limitation gets worse, the more weapons and Warframe the game gets.

Also, the only way to rank up mastery is by leveling up weapons and Warframes, so those players will end up having to leave a slot in their inventory free if they want to rank up. What if you end up finding a weapon that you like on the way? If you keep it, you can't rank up any more without more slots, unless you throw away one weapon, one weapon you previously kept because you liked it and potentially potatoed.

I don't personally know this problem, but I can imagine that choosing between two weapons you got to like can be quite frustrating.

I think that binding the mastery rank to leveling up items was a bad idea, especially since the space for those items is limited.

Edited June 26, 2013 by Tyrian3k

[Aishi]

 

Also I don't see how this belongs in Gameplay.

The floor is yours, tell me where I should put it.

Also, yes, Extra Credit is an amazing series for both developers and gamers alike, it's the TVtropes of youtube, the next thing you know you've watched over hours of their incredibly well done videos.

Thanks for the input thus far to the posters, just wanted to gauge some opinions.

[AnonCat]

Ah, good to see a EC vid on here. I think they should be required viewing throughout the industry. Anyhow, there should be a small, slow way to earn plat overtime in Warframe. Doesn't have to be actually substantial amount, just some from somewhere in-game.

 

What about a tiny plat payout when you complete every mission on a planet?

[Duelshock]

I dont think slots should be obtained ingame. Its pretty much the only useful thing that you can't get ingame. If they let people get them ingame, then they would have nothing to make money off other than maybe potatoes. Besides, with the 50 plat you start with, you can buy 2 warframe or 1 frame and 1 weapon slot. Honestly though I think 8 weapon slots is PLENTY. I might have 2 primary weapons, I don't see why you would need more than 1 secondary, and you might have 2 melees depending on what faction you're fighting. So the max that you would really NEED is 5 slots, which leaves you 3 for any stuff you think you might wanna use again later. If you need more than 8 weapon slots than you just like to try a lot of stuff and then you should probly buy plat. I would just buy 2 warframe slots with my 50 plat, and that should be enough for most people. You can have 1 frame to specialize for each faction or mission type, and 1 that you like to play around with or farm bosses. If you're able to get all the warframes and don't wanna sell any you have, then you're pretty deep into the game and should probly buy plat. 

 

Once alerts are fixed, I sincerely hope DE doesnt screw the game up because im loving it right now.

Edited June 26, 2013 by Duelshock

[Loswaith]

.....  What about a tiny plat payout when you complete every mission on a planet?

 

I have been thinking about this in particular, and basically having an award of say 5 platinum per planet that is 100% completed (ie no yellow locations).  With a bonus for completing everything of 10 platinum wound net players 75 platinum (They could even make Eirs and Pluto 10 platinum each and the bonus 25, for a clean 100 plat too, though going much higher than that would likely be giving out too much).

This basically means they can buy some warframe and weapon slots, maybe even a colour pallet, or that alt helm they realy want.  Having it as platinum too means that those that use purchased platinum for their slots and the like can still use it as they see fit and are not just getting more empty slots (if they have already bought all the ones they need/want).

Edited June 26, 2013 by Loswaith

[Weird_Stealth]

Short story:

 

Good games deserve to be paid for. I don't care HOW I pay for a game (one-time, subscription, DLC, micropayments...), I only care about whether it's worth the price.

 

This a million times, I fork over money into games I like, games I enjoy. Why? BECAUSE the money I spend on games, goes to everyone who helped create the game and get it to me. Rather it be the ISP, truck driver, or the janitor working at the office of the developers.

 

De is a company that is publishing it's own game without help from another company, so their paychecks comes from those of us who spend money.

[Enot83]

*looks at D3 RMAH*

 

Funny part is.

 

When, does DE sell power?  what, that increases your power and ability in the game, isn't accessible in the game?

 

Prices absurd? you mean even comparing their own prices of other items?  I wrote up a thread regarding potatoes and their cost comparison to forma, or rather, that forma is incorrectly priced based upon is benefit to a player.  Didn't get much steam, mostly it was met with resistance.  Apparently, people don't care how much they spend for something, they will throw money at anything and all things they can.  Then complain later.

Edited June 26, 2013 by Enot83