Bigpoint says game publishers should sell in-game advantages

@ImOnTheRadio

No offense but MMO players seem to be the cheapest people around, pay-to-play, pay-to-win, pay-to-anything...I'd like to see small advantages when spending money. He's saying they don't have to be game-breaking. Maybe my mount goes a bit faster and or holds 2 people. Did I just ruin the game? I think the majority of people unable to see both sides and flame this to all ends, are people who know they won't have the $$ to spend doing this.

@Skiim next time you buy a burger they'll charge you extra for ketchup, and those who complain about it will be cause they don't have the $$

@Skiim

Sounds more like a scam to me, Sell weapons to one side so you can sell bigger weapons to the other, rinse, wash, repete.

... because you know when I play a game, I really want to end up competing with some 12yo who unloaded $1000 off mommy & daddy's credit card to buy stat altering crap that means the only way I can compete is by spending equal amounts of money .....

There is a difference between selling an "advantage" and selling "convenience".

For clarification, I would consider something like an XP multiplier to be a convenience and not an advantage. Since it doesn't give you any bonus over other players save getting from point A to point Z slightly faster.

@ImOnTheRadio

Couldn't agree more. You give an in-game advantage on an FPS preorder and I will never buy the game, ever. I'm also not the only one. Why would I pay $60 to buy a game and be behind other players?

That guy is a tool. The fact that he is in charge of a game company shows where games are headed and shows why I essentially don't buy games anymore.

I used to buy at least 5-6 full priced games a year if not more. You know how many I've bought in the last few years? None. I've gotten one for Christmas occasionally (like MW2) but that is it. I won't pay that kind of money for the bullshit people are putting out these days. And this guy helps sum up a great reason why. Companies are all about destroying the experience to make a couple extra bucks.

There's a reason why when you look at the Xfire top 10 games played each week they tend to all be games at least 4-5 years old. That's the last time games were worth playing.

@ImOnTheRadio

Well said......."not enough facepalm in the galaxy"

@(Unverified) Not really the same though. If the burger came with cheese but you could pay extra for "pepper jack cheese" we might have an analogy that is closer to what he was describing.

@ImOnTheRadio

Look at his eyes. They are snake eyes!

@ImOnTheRadio

I think this motivational poster sums it up nicely!

http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/215/balancemotivational.jpg/

@JohnSGalt

Thank you! I was just about to say that.

@JohnSGalt

Shouldn't you be all "free market" and "sweat from his brow!"

@JohnSGalt I had copied out the very same line from this idiot thinking exactly the same! This guy is a freakin IDIOT! Is English -NOT- his first language, does he not fully understand the meanings of these words?!? It's a basically self-contradicting statement... No great wonder the "quality" of games out these days if this is the level of intelligence behind them. It's probably just what it always is these days the infinite-greed of laissez-faire-style-capitalism finding it's excuses for anything/everything for holy-god-monies sake. regardless of little things like reality, logic.Thou shalt turn 3 times a day toward wall street, prostrate yourselves, and give praise to Mammon who is the one god, and milton friedman who is his prophet!

@JohnSGalt

You beat me to it. But seriously, this guy needs to tell me what he's smoking to come up with that logic - I want some.

@Saker That would be correct, he is German I believe, therefore no, english is not his first language :)

@JohnSGalt
You don't understand! See, if anyone can buy an advantage, the playing field is perfectly level, and a player -chooses- to limit themselves by refusing to spend money!

(This comment has been sponsored by the Foundation of Things I Have Actually Heard Said in Defense of Pay-To-Win.)

@JohnSGalt

It's Chicken or the Egg :D

If you give an advantage you have to balance it to make sure it's not an advantage. But you've just negated the advantage, so you need to give them a new one :(

The only advantage you could possibly give in a game like BF3 would be to say right we are going to let you give you 50k experience straight out of the gate.

@Irem

It's not leveled unless everyone has the same kind of income.

@JohnSGalt Perhaps because the advantage doesn't have to directly affect the combat mechanics of the game. Extra bank slots are an advantage. Am I going to be able to kick your ass because I stored some more ore in my bank than you can?

What if you could pay access to guild chat through an app on your phone? Advantage, no? Affects gameplay not at all.

There are options we aren't considering and seeing as I am not paid to develop games or consider these things my examples may be silly... but I am certain "advantages" can exist without hampering gameplay for those who do not wish to pay.