EA is in trouble.

[Sith Holocron 2,479]

 I'm going to give EA the benefit of the doubt

After shutting down Maxis, Mythic, Bullfrog, Origin, Westwood, Dreamworks Interactive, Phenomic, BlackBox Games, Pandemic, Playfish, NuFX, and Visceral - they no longer will ever get the benefit of the doubt from me. 

 

The onus is on them to prove it to us.  If you're going put your money down, make them make it worthwhile to you.  

 

Edit: Technically, Visceral was created as an in-house studio.  However, EA did shut them down so they stay on my list.

[Domino5555 119]

After shutting down Maxis, Mythic, Bullfrog, Origin, Westwood, Dreamworks Interactive, Phenomic, BlackBox Games, Pandemic, Playfish, NuFX, and Visceral - they no longer will ever get the benefit of the doubt from me. 

 

The onus is on them to prove it to us.  If you're going put your money down, make them make it worthwhile to you.  

 

Edit: Technically, Visceral was created as an in-house studio.  However, EA did shut them down so they stay on my list.

I'm just saying that after the sh*tstorm generated by these microtransactions, I don't think that even EA is stupid enough to return to pay-to-win in Battlefront II.

[Sith Holocron 2,479]

I don't think that even EA is stupid enough to return to pay-to-win in Battlefront II.

Betting on stupidity is usually a safe bet.

[1Leonard 134]

I think it's extremely naive to give EA/Dice the benefit of the doubt just because they shut down micro-transactions.
 
First of, this shutdown is only temporary and the micro-transactions will return, either when they have retooled the mechanics around it, or when the outrage has died down, whichever one comes first.
 
Secondly, even if the micro-transactions don't return (which they will) and EA/Dice actually takes time to completely retool the games' systems (which they won't), they already admitted that they will not take out the lootboxes in any way whatsoever, it's supposedly a central part of the experience.
 
Which brings me on my final point: people are focusing on the wrong problem. The micro-transaction were only a small part of the whole design of the game. The problem with the game is actually the progression system. With Battlefront II you don't buy a complete game, you buy a chance to start completing your game. There are parts of the game which are locked away behind paywalls which can only be removed by two ways: time or money. EA/Dice only removed one of those two ways. It's still expected of the player to put in a significant amount of time in order to unlock a single piece of new content. 
 
Personally, I could live with parts of the game being kept away as a kind of reward for players - we've had completionist rewards in games for years - but in this case the content is both: 
 
- Critical for the players' enjoyment (Darth Vader, The Emperor AND Luke Skywalker are all hidden?)
- Way too time consuming to unlock (Gaming already is time consuming as it is)
 
The fact is, the unlocking of new content is based upon random chance, a chance which you can increase in your favor if you pay. To me, this is borderline gambling and unethical and I'd urge anyone to not support these practices.

[Domino5555 119]

Okay, suppose that we fix the progression system, so that it is more in favor of the consumers, than in the publishers. What then?

[Sith Holocron 2,479]

Okay, suppose that we fix the progression system, so that it is more in favor of the consumers, than in the publishers. What then?

What is this "we" you refer to?  Never lump me in with those EA soul suckers!  (Unless they start paying me, of course.)

[Guest Qui-Gon Glenn]

Okay, suppose that we fix the progression system, so that it is more in favor of the consumers, than in the publishers. What then?

I agree with Sith Holocron, unless you are suggesting that WE as a modding community should "fix" it.

 

Don't worry, CPY is working on fixing it as we speak lol. That's the game I'll play, if I do, just to be a turd finstler.

[Domino5555 119]

CPY?

[Sith Holocron 2,479]

That's the game I'll play, if I do, just to be a turd finstler.

What's a finstler?

 

I - like Domino5555 - also don't know who (or what a) CPY is. As I refuse to purchase the game however, this one is less compelling than the "finstler" inquiry. LOL

[1Leonard 134]

Okay, suppose that we fix the progression system, so that it is more in favor of the consumers, than in the publishers. What then?

 

That would entail redesigning the complete multiplayer experience.

 

For the consumers, the point of buying the game is the ability to play it. For the publisher, the point of consumers buying the game is selling as much crystals as possible. Those two are mutually exclusive: as soon as the decision is made to include the ability of buying new content, said content will suffer by being walled off either pre- or post-production. 

 

Remember, this is not EA's first foray into micro-transactions, they've done it in the FIFA soccer games for years, with results. Sadly, boycotting is only a small part of the solution. People have to stop buying into the lootbox mechanic, even if it's just for cosmetic items like skins. 

 

The only compromise would be taking out the random element, with consumers able to directly buy a skin or piece of new content, which in most games is either impossible or the content is horribly overpriced. 

[Domino5555 119]

That would entail redesigning the complete multiplayer experience.

 

For the consumers, the point of buying the game is the ability to play it. For the publisher, the point of consumers buying the game is selling as much crystals as possible. Those two are mutually exclusive: as soon as the decision is made to include the ability of buying new content, said content will suffer by being walled off either pre- or post-production. 

 

Remember, this is not EA's first foray into micro-transactions, they've done it in the FIFA soccer games for years, with results. Sadly, boycotting is only a small part of the solution. People have to stop buying into the lootbox mechanic, even if it's just for cosmetic items like skins. 

 

The only compromise would be taking out the random element, with consumers able to directly buy a skin or piece of new content, which in most games is either impossible or the content is horribly overpriced. 

So even Overwatch's microtransactions aren't good?

[Guest Qui-Gon Glenn]

I have no idea what a finstler is... Sometimes I invent words to convey a meaning from my spiderweb of a brain, and assume the translation is perfect.

 

People seem very confident that Star Wars will continue being this grand money maker. I am starting to become confident that Disney is (not intentionally) killing the franchise by dilution (too many stories) and lack of originality.

 

The Prequels, while painful at times, and with some new lore I despised, still brought new and interesting things to the table when it wasn't focused on teen romance and angst, or a bumbling wunderkind that does all the right moves becuz 9000 midichlorians yo.

 

These new movies I find to be a significant downgrade from the prequels. Their gaming community hasn't really had a game to love since Lego Star Wars - the last title that LucasArts made was TFU2 and it was an uninspired and rushed mod of the original game.

 

The original DICE Battlefront underwhelmed for pretty much everybody. Now this game starts off on a very wrong foot.

 

Visceral's game was cancelled, and that was the only game many people like myself were looking forward to.

 

EA is in trouble. It is a massive corporation and has plenty of other properties to keep it afloat, but they will lose their Disney Star Wars contract IMO. They lost the goodwill of most of the gaming community years ago. They have their iterative sports service franchises, and then a bunch of garbage. NeedForSpeed would be a bigger deal, if anybody cared.

 

They are publishing titles, more and more, that people may look at, but will shrug and pass on by.

 

They are fucked. It just will take time. In my lifetime though.

 

Edit: CPY is a game cracking consortium. Not something we generally talk about here.

[Domino5555 119]

Can you give me more details about a game cracking consortium?

[Sith Holocron 2,479]

Can you give me more details about a game cracking consortium?

Go to PM's on this subject. No, not with me.

[Haveayap 127]

It took me ten hours + the campaign to unlock all the heros. Plus it is really easy to unlock crates. The changes they have made have improved the game a lot and i didnt find it too challenging tbh

[Malkior 476]

I have no idea what a finstler is... Sometimes I invent words to convey a meaning from my spiderweb of a brain, and assume the translation is perfect.

 

Perhaps you were reading about Euclidean geometry earlier and your brain returned something from those studies?

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Finsler_manifold

 

-Edit

Man, that joke was a long shot

[1Leonard 134]

So even Overwatch's microtransactions aren't good?

Don't know, are they?

 

Do they entice the consumer to buy something with the chance they get what they want even though there is an option that they don't?

 

Or are the consumers able to directly buy what they want?

 

Is there a random element in it or not?

[Domino5555 119]

I don't know, I've never played Overwatch. But I'm sure that it's a better option than Battlefront II.

[Sith Holocron 2,479]

I don't know, I've never played Overwatch. But I'm sure that it's a better option than Battlefront II.

TBH, you seem to have a lot of faith on things that you don't know.  I would suggest doing at least some cursory research on Overwatch's loot boxes before recommending them.  Like here and here, perhaps?

 

However, perhaps I have the wrong read on the situation.  What do the rest of you think?

[Guest]

Overwatch's system is purely cosmetic, so it's 200% better than Battlefront's.

[Domino5555 119]

Yeah. Battlefront II would sell like hotcakes if the progression system wasn't tied to loot crates, or if the microtransactions were purely cosmetic.

 

The system for Battlefront should be "Yeah, man. Your game is awesome, dude. I'm gonna buy two cosmetic microtransctions from you!"

 

Who'd like to be able to be the 501st Legion on whatever map they were on?

[dg1995 28]

EAFront 2 failed in the UK:
http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2017-11-20-uk-boxed-charts-disappointing-debut-for-star-wars-battlefront-ii

 

 

From Gamespot:

Battlefront II's UK physical sales were down 61% compared to the 2015 series reboot, Star Wars Battlefront. Some of that shortfall would have been recovered in increasing digital sales, but it's unlikely enough units would have been sold over PSN, Xbox Live, and Origin to make up that gulf.

[Domino5555 119]

EAFront 2 failed in the UK:

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2017-11-20-uk-boxed-charts-disappointing-debut-for-star-wars-battlefront-ii

 

 

From Gamespot:

Battlefront II's UK physical sales were down 61% compared to the 2015 series reboot, Star Wars Battlefront. Some of that shortfall would have been recovered in increasing digital sales, but it's unlikely enough units would have been sold over PSN, Xbox Live, and Origin to make up that gulf.

Well, this proves that EA shouldn't have tied the progression to loot boxes. Does anyone know any mods that would be helpful to Battlefront II (2005)?

[Malkior 476]

Well, this proves that EA shouldn't have tied the progression to loot boxes. Does anyone know any mods that would be helpful to Battlefront II (2005)?

Check out Dark TImes 2 Rising Son http://www.moddb.com/mods/the-dark-times/news/dark-times-ii-rising-son-released1 and possibly the Battlefront Conversion Pack for those sweet Battlefront 1 maps plus apparently quite a few more http://www.moddb.com/mods/star-wars-battlefront-conversion-pack

 

They both make the game look great and add a lot of replayability due to the sheer number of playable maps and modes.

 

Additionally, it seems someone decided to make a bunch of graphical upgrades on Moddb within the last few months, and although I've never tried them out myself, they look pretty sweet.

[dg1995 28]

Well, this proves that EA shouldn't have tied the progression to loot boxes. Does anyone know any mods that would be helpful to Battlefront II (2005)?

There is also Battlefront 3 legacy mod that adds 3 ground to space map.(Crouscant,Cato naimoda and Bespin)