The Electronic Arts thread

[Doublezero]

The most downvoted post in Reddit history.

 

 

 

 

[Kendo 2]

Yeah, Battlefront 2... 

Flagship characters locked behind massive grind walls or multiple loot box purchases.  They lower the costs by 75% BUT the in-game credits reward for completing the single player campaign cut by 75%.  So 40 hrs of grind is still takes 40hrs.  And now there's a credit cap on Arcade Mode to where you have to wait a few hours before you can start earning credits again.  You can still play the game, but what you do doesn't count towards your in-game rewards and you won't earn credits during that time.  This has been a really fucked up year as far as gaming goes.

• The failure of Mass Effect Andromeda was 'our' fault.
• Destiny 2 shaders are one-use consumables when they used to be free and reusable.  Bungie says to stop crying about it and pay up.
• Bethesda says paid mods aren't paid mods but what Creation Club users are really doing is paying for mods.  Just believe Pete Hines and you'll be fine.

This is the new normal; game companies openly treating their customers like shit and then blaming those same customers when they dare to say something about it.

[Kendo 2]

 

[Doublezero]

12 hours ago, Kendo 2 said:

Yeah, Battlefront 2... 

Flagship characters locked behind massive grind walls or multiple loot box purchases.  They lower the costs by 75% BUT the in-game credits reward for completing the single player campaign cut by 75%.  So 40 hrs of grind is still takes 40hrs.  And now there's a credit cap on Arcade Mode to where you have to wait a few hours before you can start earning credits again.  You can still play the game, but what you do doesn't count towards your in-game rewards and you won't earn credits during that time.  This has been a really fucked up year as far as gaming goes.

• The failure of Mass Effect Andromeda was 'our' fault.
• Destiny 2 shaders are one-use consumables when they used to be free and reusable.  Bungie says to stop crying about it and pay up.
• Bethesda says paid mods aren't paid mods but what Creation Club users are really doing is paying for mods.  Just believe Pete Hines and you'll be fine.

This is the new normal; game companies openly treating their customers like shit and then blaming those same customers when they dare to say something about it.

I hope this game will crash and burns sales wise. I hope this controversy will mark the beginning of the end of loot boxes and pay to win in games. I hope gamers will finally realize that we have the power to stop all of this by simply not buying these games. Wont happen though.

[Doublezero]

Google translate of an article from a Dutch website.

Quote

The Gaming Commission opens an investigation into the new Star Wars video game: Battlefront 2. In that game you can pay to improve your character or vehicle. Only that mechanism is based on an opportunity: you do not know in advance what you get. Another popular game, Overwatch, is being investigated.

The game 'Battlefront 2' is from Friday in stores and is seen as one of the biggest video games of the year. In the game you can grow as a player and improve your character. For example, you can get new weapons or upgrade your vehicle.

But those who do not feel like or have the time to make the characters play better, can also buy these improvements via so-called 'Loot Crates'. These are virtual boxes that you purchase without knowing what is in the boxes at that moment. 

And that's where the problem lies, says the Gaming Commission. Because you want certain things but do not know what you are buying, you are actually gambling. "It is therefore dependent on chance how well you can play the game. And in that case, this is one of the games of chance, "says Peter Naessens, director of the Gaming Commission, to VTM NIEUWS. 

Research started
According to the Gaming Commission, such a game is primarily a danger for minors, who spend a lot of money under social pressure. That is why they start an investigation into the game. "If there is a game of chance, it is not possible without a license from the Gaming Commission", says Naessens.

In the worst case scenario, the Gaming Commission's investigation can lead to EA having to pay up to hundreds of thousands of euros of fine or to having the game removed from the shelves. Electronic Arts, the creator of 'Battlefront 2', does not want to respond.

https://nieuws.vtm.be/binnenland/onderzoek-naar-nieuw-star-wars-spel

[Kendo 2]

People are hashtagging Disney and asking why they are supporting virtual gambling in a rated T for teen game.  It's a valid point.

[Kendo 2]

[Doublezero]

Bait and switch? Or maybe EA got a tap on the shoulder from Disney. Either way the backlash they are getting has been fun to watch.

[Doublezero]

Quote

Earlier today, Electronic Arts chief executive officer Andrew Wilson had a phone call with The Walt Disney Company chief executive Bob Iger about Star Wars: Battlefront II, according to sources familiar with the situation. A few hours after that call, players are finding out that they can no longer make in-game purchases with real money. EA has confirmed that it is taking that feature down to address fan concerns just as the game is about to launch worldwide tomorrow. All of this comes after multiple days of outrage from fans who are upset that EA and developer DICE have implemented an online multiplayer system that gives an advantage to people who pay money.

https://venturebeat.com/2017/11/16/star-wars-battlefront-ii-microtransactions-go-offline-until-ea-can-make-changes/

[Guest]

That's definitely a bait and switch. This is EA just pretending to be the good guys to get gamers to think they are listening so they can get them early sales and then once they hit their marks in sales, it's back to microtransaction. They said it was temporary anyways.

Edited November 17, 2017 by Guest

[Kendo 2]

40 minutes ago, endgameaddiction said:

That's definitely a bait and switch. This is EA just pretending to be the good guys to get gamers to think they are listening so they can get them early sales and then once they hit their marks in sales, it's back to microtransaction. They said it was temporary anyways.

Solution: Don't buy the game.  Since they are targeting wallets...target theirs.  If week-one sales don't hit the beacon score they need, Battlefront2 will be a replay of Andromeda.  And that is a good thing.

[Doublezero]

 

[Kendo 2]

Battle Front (2015)  Not a lot has changed for 2017.

FUNNY TROLLING 

 

[nsfwmodszzz]

EA still has 5 years left of the original contract.  Even if Disney is not happy with EA the earliest of us getting a decent SW game is at least 7 years away... 

 

[Kendo 2]

55 minutes ago, nsfwmodszzz said:

EA still has 5 years left of the original contract.  Even if Disney is not happy with EA the earliest of us getting a decent SW game is at least 7 years away... 

True.  It's also very likely Disney has 'morality' clauses or other means to prevent the corporations they sell Star Wars licenses to from damaging the IP.  If Mattel or Hasbro had licenses and made Chewbacca choking hazard toys it's probable Disney has clauses in place to stop production or revoke their licensing.  I doubt EA has carte blanche to do whatever they please with the Star Wars game.  And Disney was probably 'aware' of what EA was planning for the game, they just didn't understand the implications until the backlash started.

EDIT: And depending on how the contract(s) are worded there is definitely a 'termination for cause' as an addendum or it's clearly defined.

[Kendo 2]

Well, next year will be 'the year' for games.  Cyberpunk 2077, Vampyr, Reddead Redemption 2, etc.

Spoiler

And from what I've read Vampyr will be like if Vampire Masquerade: Bloodlines and Witcher3 had a love-child together...and there won't be any DLCs, loot boxes, microtransactions, season passes or other shit publishers want to insert into games these days.

 

[Guest]

2 minutes ago, ritualclarity said:

Is there an actual release date for CP 2077?

Not familiar with Vampyr but the name and your description makes me interested.

If everybody started voting (paying) for games like Witcher 3 which doesn't have that bullshit and show a strong fan following, it will be a wake up call in and of itself to the game manufactures.

Let's say I like an EA game (even if it does have micro transactions) or loads of mini dlcs (like Sims) or whatever. I really like it. The key here is not to buy it for sometime after it gets released. Hold off for a bit. preferably until one of the sales (best perhaps second sale etc) or 1 year later. This gives the producer some serious concerns as they get (NEED) their money from the release of the game to start the next game they want to work on. The rest just helps fund the lights and such (not exactly but you get the idea) If we can hold off, no matter how good or how much we might like a game for sometime like mentioned above, the producers will have to make changes. AT least that is what I believe.

Slightly off topic but if some are interested in early info on Vampyr

  Reveal hidden contents

 

Looks interesting and even more so if they don't give the same BS that EA is given (and Bethesda is trying to follow)

No there isn't, but it's obvious that CP2077 will be talked about in 2018. Gwent is out of the way now. And remember that CDPR said in 2017 that this year goes to Gwent. I presume that it's either 2018 or 2019 the relase of CP2077. It could be a few more years given that they were granted an extention of the government grant if they needed it.

I've been intrigued in Vampyr myself but have not kept up with it. Not interested in Reddead Redemption 2.

As much as CDPR has a following, they also have a lot of haters. Mainly Beth fanboys. Regardless of how CDPR is far better than Bethesda. They are the equivalence of angry SJWs who hate a Polish rally because they refuse to share that "diversity" the rest of Europe does. Despite that it is a peaceful rally. Beth Fanboys hate CDPR because their games are too RPG for them.

 

[nsfwmodszzz]

Disney is probably pissed at the PR management than wanting to side with the consumers and that would lent credit to the story that it was Disney pressure led to the temporary suspension of day0 Crystals.  It surely did not sound like EA as its modus operandi has always been to circle the wagon.  Disney on the other hand cares about its image.  However, all the crap BF2 is adding started with Star Wars:Galaxy of Heroes and that game has been printing money since 2015.  The success of SW:GOH was surely behind EA's "pivot" announcement this year that ironically started with BF2.  Obviously the difference being SW:GOH is f2p and BF2 costs $60 but Disney knows what EA was doing.

 

Edited November 19, 2017 by nsfwmodszzz

[Kendo 2]

Holy shit.  LMFAO.

 

[Doublezero]

 

[bjornk]

12 hours ago, ritualclarity said:

"12 big upcoming games you'll spend over 100 hours playing"

Yeah, sure, I might spend another 100 hours playing "Skyrim Switch"...  and another 100 hours on Skyrim Android... 

[Doublezero]

Quote

Lucasfilm weighs in on Star Wars Battlefront 2 loot box ordeal

Disney unhappy with how outrage "reflected on [its] marquee property."

Over the weekend, we learned that Star Wars Battlefront 2 developer EA told investors that the removal of the game's controversial microtransactions will not have "a material impact" on its projected earnings. On Friday, the Disney-owned Lucasfilm issued a statement in support of the withdrawal. 

In an statement provided to the Washington Post (via Eurogamer), a Lucasfilm spokesperson said: "Star Wars has always been about the fans—and whether it’s Battlefront or any other Star Wars experience, they come first. That’s why we support EA’s decision to temporarily remove in-game payments to address fan concerns."

Despite EA's earlier claims that Battlefront 2's loot crates did not constitute gambling, they were temporarily removed last week off the back of a turbulent Reddit AMA between the publisher and the game's players. 

The Washington Post reports that Jimmy Pitaro, the chairman of Disney's consumer products and interactive media division, voiced concerns to EA about Battlefront's in-game transactions hours prior to EA's decision to pull them. The Post says this call "was to express Disney executives’ unhappiness at how the outrage 'reflected on their marquee property.'" 

Lucasfilm and Disney's stance seems clear, then, despite the fact EA plans to reinstate microtransactions once the game's progression system has been tweaked.

If you're yet to play Star Wars Battlefront 2, head in this direction for Tyler's review.  

http://www.pcgamer.com/lucasfilm-weighs-in-on-star-wars-battlefront-2-loot-box-ordeal/

[Kendo 2]

 

[Kendo 2]

 

[Kendo 2]

Of course they will blame the customers.  It certainly can't be their fault.