I know that looking at the numbers everything probably looks great so far; but please listen: you’ve designed exactly what players wanted, then you buried it under very real disincentives. Progress being meted out in 50 point face slaps (that was only implemented after people complained) is turning off the new players you wanted so badly (and went esrb Teen to get), and its turning into a matter of principle for longtime fans. Reddit, like twitter, isn’t reality, so the endless complaining that’s going on there probably seems irrelevant to you, and understandably so. That being said, the sense of betrayal isn’t relegated to reddit, or twitter, or even legacy media as a whole. Its practically every single player, casual or otherwise. It’s simple, unlock color customization, lobby/game mode control, give exp for badges/medals earned in game. Players need rewards for actual in game accomplishments; simply booting up a game and leaving it on until the end of a match is not an accomplishment. Consider rewarding players with retroactive exp points when the game officially “launches” on Dec. 8th, do this as a nice surprise and as an opportunity to showcase plans for the final multiplayer product (no one, even the staunchest of fans, can face the idea that this “beta” form is it, WIP notwithstanding). It would go a long way to repairing the fresh coat of goodwill that was an accomplishment to regain in the first place. As it stands right now the players have absolutely no control, no agency, no input into the experience, we may as well not be there; we’ve been turned into employees and the job/grind is a thing we’re learning to hate, despite how great the gameplay is. Players need in game motivation, not real world wallet flexing. Its alienating in a way that has nothing to do with how much disposable income a player has, and everything to do with trust and a game’s interior logic. I have absolutely no qualms whatsoever with profit, and costs don’t pay for themselves; no one is arguing otherwise. But Halo is not a mobile game. It is a 20 year and counting legacy, and it deserves respect. 343, you have every right to want to be your own studio, and to apply your signature to your work, but frankly, Halo is bigger than that. We want this relationship to work, we really do. But as it stands its an abusive one, and once you’re good and truly out of that kind of relationship, you simply don’t go back. Please take these words as they are intended, as constructive criticism.
I would love to play this game for years, but if the game hates me, I wont. It plays amazingly, please stop doing this. Its your iteration, its your creation. But its the players’ game.
Thanks for reading.
I understand you want this stuff fixed like NOW NOW NOW. Many people do but currently the dev staff are taking an extended holiday and will be back soonish. They heard us and probably want us to riot like this so microshaft can let them tone down the monetization but currently the staff need to rest from their probable last stretch crunch. They heard us don’t worry but theres currently little to no people in the right condition to get anything done. Continue to riot if its still bad when they have returned though.
To be fair, the devs probably hate this abusive monetization, as well. The people that need to hear this are the Microsoft execs that are sitting in their corner offices counting their money. The only thing that appeals to them is the bottom line.
Absolutely! I know its far too complex a project to just slap quick fixes on, and its good enough to warrant considered approaches to the problems outside of gameplay; these things take time. And I do sympathize; the development team is getting Hell from every direction when none of us know who made what decisions regarding mtx. I just wanted to get it out there; its too stellar of a game to just walk away from. If any of us want microsoft to hear anything at all then this seemed like a good place to start.
A very good decision friend! And I thank you for being understanding to the staff. I may not work for 343 but I understand that negative feedback is data that can be used to convince the money focused execs to let there be change for the better. I have faith there are good people in 343 that didn’t want this either the MCC has way too good of a system to make me believe its someone in the company doing these. Hopefully MS will be willing to let 343 change the system to be more in line with the initial vision told about in interviews.