• glitchdx@lemmy.world
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    7 days ago

    At this time I’d like to shill for Warframe.

    The game is free. The battlepasses are free. The lootboxes are free. The ways you open those lootboxes are also free. The premium currency is a tradable item, so it is 100% viable to get it and buy premium shit without ever spending real money. Digital Extremes (the devs) once accidentally created a gambling machine (for pet cosmetics), and upon discovering what they did, removed it from the game and refunded everyone who spent money on it.

    Warframe is the one game that I’ve spent more money on than any other game, I’m not biased, you’re biased.

    EDIT: I’m glad that people around here like warframe.

    • Madison420@lemmy.world
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      7 days ago

      EvE is similar but with a functional economy including scammers, thieves and general douchebags… And spaceships, is pretty fun but extremely addicting and technical.

      • TheObviousSolution@lemm.ee
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        7 days ago

        The problem with Eve is that you will have to join a big group to enjoy it, and if you join one up, you are increasingly going to feel the pressure to whale if you are a normal player who isn’t min-maxing the system. The game is chock full of whales.

        • Madison420@lemmy.world
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          7 days ago

          I’m a miner, my father was a miner, my mother’s a miner, my father’s father was a miner.

          Yeah some pressure you sure but I just stayed with newbie guilds and turned to helping people instead.

          Honestly some of the technically non combat classes are quite fun. It’s been awhile since I’ve been on but I have more money than I could honestly figure out what to do with just from mining.

          That said yeah even mining has spreadsheets, which is both neat and kinda daunting.

          • TheObviousSolution@lemm.ee
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            6 days ago

            The people who are most successful don’t just stick to one defined job, they min-max to the extreme. They can be taking down freighters with their multiboxed destroyers one day, and they can be multibox moon mining with orcas the following day.

            I don’t believe there is anything fun about mining. It’s just an activity that when you believe you’ve sufficiently secured yourself enough you can do with relative minimal investment in it. Usually the people who mine the most aren’t enjoying Eve, they are enjoying the conversations and the Netflix they are watching on the side. About the only thing tickling the dopamine with mining is getting to think you are getting ahead from doing a comparatively less stressful activity for longer than other people doing riskier activities more prone to failure and doing so for less amount of time, allowing you to fantasize about how you will spend your gains in the future. Mining barely has any user involvement as a game mechanic in Eve, there are idle games with more user interaction.

            • Madison420@lemmy.world
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              6 days ago

              Ok that’s a very good argument as to why you hate mining. It’s not however a good excuse for anyone else to not like it.

              Do what you please, don’t be an elitist, it’s one why people don’t even try to play. Similarly you say there’s no engagement but people presumably like you tend to heckle and try to murder miners because they “aren’t playing the game” though most of the resources in the game are available solely because they’d been mined, no miners no resources… You know like an economy.

              • TheObviousSolution@lemm.ee
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                6 days ago

                You’ve suddenly brought up “hate mining” and “elitist” out of nowhere, when all I did was make observations about the activity. It is not inherently fun IMO. You also bring out “no engagement”, which is another gross exaggeration of minimal engagement. And if you think the gankers aren’t mining, you really haven’t gotten out of your solar system to explore. You seem to be stuck within the bubble even within the game, and you will be socially manipulated for it.

                I haven’t played Eve in years, and have only “ganked” in a few minor instances and enough to realize that it also wasn’t a fun mechanic, it was just exploiting the uninformed and the careless within the statistics, and it didn’t so much require effort or skill so much as preparation. There’s also quite a bit of a similarity between the dopamine hook the people who gank have to the people who mine, although there’s a lot more sadism as well.

                • Madison420@lemmy.world
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                  6 days ago

                  I don’t believe there is anything fun about mining. It’s just an activity that when you believe you’ve sufficiently secured yourself enough you can do with relative minimal investment in it. Usually the people who mine the most aren’t enjoying Eve, they are enjoying the conversations and the Netflix they are watching on the side. About the only thing tickling the dopamine with mining is getting to think you are getting ahead from doing a comparatively less stressful activity for longer than other people doing riskier activities more prone to failure and doing so for less amount of time, allowing you to fantasize about how you will spend your gains in the future. Mining barely has any user involvement as a game mechanic in Eve, there are idle games with more user interaction.

                  I think that is pretty self explanatory.

                  And if you think the gankers aren’t mining, you really haven’t gotten out of your solar system to explore. You seem to be stuck within the bubble even within the game, and you will be socially manipulated for it.

                  Not at all, that said the vast majority is done by contracted mining corps. If the mining corps shut down today within 3 months the game would be entirely different and mining would be a necessity for all but the ultra rich. Similarly aren’t you in a socially manipulated bubble as well? You’re spouting literal in-game billboard propaganda.

                  So gankers also aren’t playing correctly to you, what exactly is the point of the game again according to you? Who’s playing right enough for you?

      • DontMakeMoreBabies@lemm.ee
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        7 days ago

        I miss having time to play Eve - big fleet battles were fucking epic but I can’t dedicate the hours anymore.

        Yes I’m aware there are ways to have quicker fun, I remember faction warfare, but that’s even hard to do when you have to drop at a moments notice (kids don’t pause well).

    • Landless2029@lemmy.world
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      5 days ago

      WF isn’t pay to win.

      Its pay to look fly.

      I was playing the first descendant. They had free armor dye giveaways.

      • can’t use them unless you can a skin
      • when you do use it then it’s gone. Stuck on that character AND skin…

      Fuck that game right there.

      Color packs cost like $2.50 for a paintjob in TFD and that’s like 5 colors.

      Warframe has color themes with a full set of things like camo, smoke or sky. You unlock the pallete and you can reuse it everywhere in your account.

    • OtherPetard@feddit.nl
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      6 days ago

      Just past week restarted the game and I love finding random Tenno in these comments. Hadn’t played for a year or more and it’s still going strong with exciting new content free for everyone to play. If you’re bored of the loot-n-shoot part you can go fishing, decorating, trading, horseriding and whatever else is in the game.

      Also love to look for streamers starting fresh and reliving the awe of the game through them.

    • Sanctus@lemmy.world
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      6 days ago

      I love warframe, but having to level every piece of gear up fills my brain with anxiety for some reason so I can’t play it much. The combat loop is pure happy chemical.

      • glitchdx@lemmy.world
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        6 days ago

        there’s so much that you can focus mostly on just gear you’re interested in. mastering %100 of everything is just not a thing that is reasonable unless you want to sink all of your time forever. It also gets easier to start leveling new gear as you progress.

    • PrejudicedKettle@lemmy.world
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      6 days ago

      I come back every year or so and play for a month or two each time, still haven’t spent money on it (but starting to think I should, to support the devs)

    • djsoren19@yiffit.net
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      6 days ago

      DE absolutely rules. In an era of constant enshittification, it’s so nice to have a dev that is actively, constantly working to improve the player experience. From consistent bug fixes and engine optimizations, to little additions like reworks of old frames and new ways to interact with old content, to the massive story expansions like Whispers in the Walls and the upcoming 1999, it’s just a great time to be a Warframe player.

      • glitchdx@lemmy.world
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        6 days ago

        remember when coptering was a thing and instead of just patching that bug they implemented a whole new movement system which includes bullet jumping? yeah, another dev would have just patched it out and give a middle finger to everyone who grew accustomed to that level of mobility.

      • glitchdx@lemmy.world
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        7 days ago

        At the time, changing the colors and patterns of the fur of your kitty and doggo were tied to a randomized drop, which there was a roundabout way to just buy chances for. Some dude spend literally thousands of dollars just to get his doggo to look the way he wanted.

    • OhShitSon@lemm.ee
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      7 days ago

      It’s just so difficult ro get back into it, I didn’t play for about 4 years because I got tired of playing on Ps4. Tried playing again when I could transfer my save to pc, but didn’t even know where to start again. There is too much to do, and little to no guidance.

      • GhostTheToast@lemmy.world
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        7 days ago

        Hate to say this, but just restart. They revamped the “new player” experience and imo does a decent job of telling you where to go and getting you started. Once you get your bearing again, you might want to reclaim your old account or just stay where you are.

        • glitchdx@lemmy.world
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          7 days ago

          if it’s been long enough, the game will just make you do the new player experience all over again even if you’re playing on an old account. Happened to me when I took a hiatus a while back.

        • OhShitSon@lemm.ee
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          6 days ago

          Yeah, I considered restarting, but I really don’t want to start from scratch. If I have to start from zero I’d rather not play at all.

      • glitchdx@lemmy.world
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        7 days ago

        That is the tough part. I’m the sherpa for my friend group, I’ll answer questions to the best of my ability until I either pass out or get too drukn to continue, if you feel so inclined to ask.

  • Pika@sh.itjust.works
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    7 days ago

    The biggest reason of why I struggle to get into any of the subscription-based games, because none of them are only subscription based, they charge you both for the game and the subscription afterward so you have both the price of the game plus any type of expansion packs plus the subscription cost monthly afterward and that’s without including any of the microtransactions. I don’t know why anyone plays them

  • TheObviousSolution@lemm.ee
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    6 days ago

    I’ve completely stopped playing MMOs, but there is a difference when it’s an online service. What I consider absurd are the publishers and developers who close down their MMOs when they still have players who have invested and will invest money into it, without even considering selling it off. I’m looking at you, NCSoft. Almost happened to Spiral Knights, and because it didn’t, it’s still going. It’s like they think that people playing them are players that would otherwise playing their new MMOs, when the reality is they avoid those publishers that don’t respect their persistence and investment.

    There’s also a lot of MMO’s with no subscription and plenty of whaling. But cosmetics are cosmetics, there’s people that can legitimately complain about a $90 dollar mount if it gives an unfair advantage when they would otherwise not mind paying for just cosmetics. But there are people who don’t mind unfair advantages in certain games either, as long as they have a F2P model and the devs have a good rep.

    Nowadays, what drives me off is the feeling of never getting the full experience, having to constantly feel that way to avoid getting caught in predatory addiction loops they implement, and just being able to buy a full, self-contained experience for what would otherwise be two months of subscription in an MMO.

    • Johanno@feddit.org
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      6 days ago

      The difference mostly is that the old games were games built first and microtransactions second. Slowly creeping up the invasive methods. Which is acceptable for most people.

      However new games have a fully fledged out microtransaction system and shop and the whole game is built around maximising profits. Just like mobile games are.

      It is rare that when you put the money first you will produce a game that is fun. And definitely not possible to make a good one.

      • GHiLA@sh.itjust.works
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        6 days ago

        I have the strangest hunch that if a large MMO or game with lootboxes decided to make every item available via unlocks for free but make them all immediately buyable now, they’d have a nice business model. The player isn’t buying exclusivity or an advantage, they’re buying convenience.

        Warframe heard that

      • Queen HawlSera@lemm.ee
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        6 days ago

        The Past “We made this game, and if you like it and want to support further development, we have these small DLC bundles, some skins or what not… Nothing fancy, but we wanna work on new maps to keep the game alive. There’s no obligation, the maps will be provided free of charge, we’re just happy the playerbase is so enthused”

        Now “We’ve made a new venue for buying skins, the marketing people call it a game? Look whatever, oh and while some of these skins look unremarkable, remember they’re only available for a limited time and those will cost 30% more than normal, but if you don’t buy it you’ll regret it forever when we take it away, either forever or until the GOTY edition.”

        (Seriously: Ban FOMO)

        Seriously it has gotten to the point where games are so content bare that people are talking about the DLC before the main game’s out.

        Mortal Kombat 1 made that mistake so hard it had to start giving skins away to try to goad me into playing it again. Great story, terrible gameplay… weirdly the opposite of Mortal Kombat 11… (Maybe it’ll help if your big DLC expansion wasn’t 2 characters that are literally just genderflipped recolors… How weird is that Cyrax and Sektor are female now. I mean, normally that’s fine whatever, but in the context that Liu Kang created this universe to be his ideal, did he just have a Rule 63 kink for Cyber Ninjas or something? Or did turning the Transhumanists into Transgenders seem like too hilarious a pun for him?)

    • echolalia@lemmy.ml
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      6 days ago

      At least the art got “better”.

      Actually, it’s ugly as sin, isn’t it? The artist probably should have spent more time on the characters hands in the last panel instead of giving his face a tilt. Oh well, at least he’s trying.

  • Nihilistra@lemmy.world
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    7 days ago

    I’m so happy I don’t give a fuck about looking cool or having nice effects in a game.

    The only one I ever spend more bucks than I had to is Path of Exile. And the supporter packs give you your whole worth of money spend as premium currency plus you get the usual skins, emotes and tracking tools.

    I totally feel that I’m okay with buying functional stuff like inventory space if the system itself feels fair.

    In 10 years and around 5000h (only game I play except tarkov for a while) in I spend 122€ so a mount for 90 bucks seems crazy.

    • Buddahriffic@lemmy.world
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      6 days ago

      I’m glad I’ve always looked down on people who spend money to buy shit in games. If something is only available by paying for it, anyone that I notice showing one off in game gets a “tool” label rather than “cool”.

      Which is kind funny because if the game was a bit less abusive and had a way to get that item without paying, that negative reaction wouldn’t be so strong because it would be ambiguous. Did this person play the game and get rewarded with that item or did they just throw money at it and get handed it? Can’t be sure, so anyone that has it isn’t automatically a tool.

      And progression MTX are even dumber. It’s like paying money so you don’t have to play the game.

      Though the overall quality of the game can play a role, plus whether the items are purely cosmetic vs give in game benefits (aka P2W). If the game is amazing, having some microtransactions doesn’t bother me. Like when I pirated games, I had a threshold where if a game was better than that threshold, I’d buy a copy of the game because I wanted the devs to have money. Some MTX are like that, basically a tip jar for a great game.

      But if the game isn’t great, it’s more like seeing an expectation to tip when you don’t think a tip is warranted.

    • 🇰 🌀 🇱 🇦 🇳 🇦 🇰 ℹ️@yiffit.net
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      7 days ago

      The only time I have ever paid for any kind of MTX was for Tribes: Ascend. I bought the cheapest amount of paid for currency (which was $5) just for the permanent VIP status it conferred, which doubled your XP gain to unlock weapons and shit (back before they completely restructured the game and that wasn’t necessary anymore).

      I think I ended up using the currency it gave me to buy one of the original Tribes 2 voice sets because it had the most annoying, ear-splitting version of the “Shazbot!” line and I would spam the shit outta it.

      Never again. Even if I like the game, like I did with Ascend. I especially won’t do it with anything Hi-Rez makes.

  • Queen HawlSera@lemm.ee
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    6 days ago

    Disgraceful behavior…

    Right my Sims? looks to how horribly her game is glitching up due to owning more expansions than Maxis ever intended for Sims 4 to actually have

    But for real, the idea of an MMO still requiring a monthly fee in 2024 is ridiculous.

    in 1998 when it was a new concept and a lot of money had to go into maintaining the sheer volume of people using servers at a time when the internet couldn’t handle more than 20 Star Trek fanboys at once without using up all the bandwith, sure. I could see that.

    But in 2024 where even small Indie studios can afford regular free content updates and still make a profit from word of mouth game sales? Yeaaah no.

    • Phoenicianpirate@lemm.ee
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      6 days ago

      I remember the first big MMORPG that was on the internet: Ultima Online. I wanted to play it back in the day, but I couldn’t because I was far too young to have my own credit card to pay (and my dad was quite firmly not going to pay) and in the very late 90s, at least where I lived, the internet was still a pay-as-you-play affair, meaning every second you spent was logged and charged on your next phone bill. Sometime around 2000 or very early 2001 the internet got some plans by the company that had us pay a single fixed fee, so I could remain online as long as I wanted without worrying about a skyrocketting bill.

    • LarmyOfLone@lemm.ee
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      6 days ago

      I’m confused, is this a serious take? How they make their money leads to how the game is designed and who for. If it’s advertising it’s shit. If it’s microtransactions it becomes about min-maxing annoyance for most gamers while attracting whales, gambling and is shit. Monthly subscriptions is a model that needs loyalty and should attract people who want to “live” in an permanent virtual game world.

      Ideally I’d want a global “entertainment subscription” non-profit that is funding projects for the players benefits and is somewhat crowd-controlled like a socialist bank.

    • Xatolos@reddthat.com
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      6 days ago

      MMO still requiring a monthly fee in 2024 is ridiculous.

      May I point you to Call of Duty on consoles? They are Massive Multiplayer Online (MMO) that needs a monthly subscription (Xbox Live, which owns Cal of Duty, or PS Plus).

      Online gaming has more people paying for an online subscription today than ever before (Nintendo Online included). While the companies being paid for it have changed, monthly online gaming subscriptions are here to stay and have only gotten larger.

      • xenoclast@lemmy.world
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        6 days ago

        That’s ok this is a LIVE SERVICE GAME. Definitely not the same as an MMO. Definitely.

        Also I bought that Brutosaur and a friggin love it. Best QOL feature in the game. I don’t even play WoW more than a few times a month.

        I now have all services in the game mobile in some way or another: bank, transmog, mail and auction

        • Xatolos@reddthat.com
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          6 days ago

          What makes a MMO different from a live service? Both have characters, levels, character progression exp based on killing enemies and doing X actions/quests, and have new content added as time goes on.

          From how I see it, it’s just a different name to just avoid being called a MMO.

          • Blackmist@feddit.uk
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            6 days ago

            At this point, I’d say an MMO is focused more on the social side, I guess. MMO is a subset of Live Service for sure, but it’s distinct from the usual games in that category.

            Plus more players able to be in one place. Just earlier I joined a FFXIV hunt train, with 150 players whizzing about taking down bosses for currency. Don’t really get that in a bog standard Live Service game.

            An MMO has a world filled with players, while the likes of Destiny typically just have a hub or menu to get to the gameplay bits.

  • chautalees@lemmy.world
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    5 days ago

    Okay, as funny as it is, I don’t think the people who are complaining are the ones who are actually purchasing. I am pretty sure that the people who are the majority spenders are not even aware of the hatred on the internet for microtransactions, or even if they are aware, they do not see it as worthwhile concern.

    It is easy to get lost in the noise, as many things on internet, everything becomes an echo chamber. But in reality there are a lot of people who thinks it is justified. That somebody is asking for money to deliver a product or a service and they don’t care how the equation of "what is worth what " is derived.

    For them, its just inflation or expense to cover the cost (basically they take publishers counterpoint at face value, can’t blame them honestly), and since it has become the norm, they have given up on taking a moral stance om this and following through

  • helpImTrappedOnline@lemmy.world
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    7 days ago

    The problem with this mount (beside the cost in the first place) is it provides exclusive functionality otherwise not available.

    It provides portable access to the in game auction house and mailbox.

      • helpImTrappedOnline@lemmy.world
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        6 days ago

        Nope. If they did, the engineering vendor bots all have long cool downs.

        I did a bit of looking online, to see if there was an AH bot.

        Apparently there used to be a similar mount with the AH, but no mailbox and for 5mil gold. It was removed from the vendor years ago. Anyone who got it then, supposedly still does.

        This $90 new mount is defiantly unique to game. To top it off, some of the sentiment around the original was “I didn’t use it as much as I thought I would.”

  • Randelung@lemmy.world
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    7 days ago

    Acquaintance of mine just dgaf. He’ll get banned on a game for cheating and just spend another 60.- to get another copy. DLCs, micro transactions, pay to win, doesn’t matter. He’s a cancer on the whole industry.

  • Phoenicianpirate@lemm.ee
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    6 days ago

    I used to be an avid Plants Vs. Zombies player and I won the Jade League No. 1 spot and earned almost every plant that could be earned and I did it without paying a single dime in real life money. I eventually quit because after you finish the main game and win the Jade League (even once) there really isn’t much else for you to do, and when you grind up your plants’ exp to the level I got them the games become a sinch.