H5G: Map Packs or Microtransactions?

Games Halo 5: Guardians
1

In the FPS market, there are two common means of gaining post-launch profit used by developers: DLC maps and microtransactions. Out of the two forms of DLC, which ONE would you prefer?

Map Packs

Traditionally, Halo’s DLC methods have been charging players $9.99 for a set of three multiplayer maps added to the game.

Unfortunately, often times, these Map Packs, as great as they might be, won’t pull ten dollars from the average gamer especially with the abundance of competitors in the FPS market. And a consequence of this is the Map Packs not only rarely appearing in matchmaking, but attempts of creating DLC-exclusive playlists would fragment the population and simply making the game DLC-required would shove 90% of it away. Ultimately, the players who pay $9.99 for their DLC end up never being able to play it.

Microtransactions

With a growing consumer market, many developers have turned to charging a dollar or two for a number of small items in the game. In context with Halo, microtransactions would come in the form of items in the armory, such as armor of weapon skins.

However, while the use of MT’s would allow both free DLC-maps and assured experience of the maps in matchmaking, they too aren’t without drawbacks. In order to have the sales of the MT’s balance out the resources used in making the DLC maps, there would have to be an incentive to buy them. These incentives would range from having the some of the MT armor looking better than the armor available for unlock, and worse, could be items that give the player an advantage over others.

One last thing: if you don’t like having to choose ONE of the two, don’t vote! There’s no need to derail the thread.

2

Halo just doesn’t have the player base anymore to support paid DLC maps.

The best thing for 343 to do on that front is to develope Forge into a full-on map creator, and let the community handle the map side of it. Or just release a new in-house map every month or so.

343’s efforts would be better focused on creating new gametypes, cosmetic micro-transactions (i.e, CoD’s personalisation packs) and story/co-op content.

3

> Halo just doesn’t have the player base anymore to support paid DLC maps.
>
> The best thing for 343 to do on that front is to develope Forge into a full-on map creator, and let the community handle the map side of it. Or just release a new in-house map every month or so.
>
> 343’s efforts would be better focused on creating new gametypes, cosmetic micro-transactions (i.e, CoD’s personalisation packs) and story/co-op content.

they do, what they need is a game that keeps the players for more than a month. a game with micro-transactions that allows for the best looking armors to be bought (instead of earned through long game play) pushes more people away faster than you’d think. there are a great deal of people that stay for that very incentive to unlock the best armors. think of recon or sword hyabasa

4

It’s an interesting question. Map packs have worked in the past but in H4 we saw a huge problem when 343 gave no means for a majority of players to play the DLC. That said, DLC maps would work better if there was an easy way to be sure that they could be played (eg. DLC playlist, or setting in MM preferences, which would be any better.

I would love to see forge become more than it is now. Since the addition of forge, forge maps have hardly found their way into matchmaking , which is a major problem. If forge was better implemented into matchmaking, it would reduce the need for DLC maps and make micro-transactions a more viable option.

5

As Darkslayer mentioned above, I’d have to agree the best choice would be bringing Forge back in all it’s glory and having Forge playlists instead of new DLC that would split the population of the game.

6

I already did a poll about this, maybe a month ago. It was a draw.

I believe people care too much for aesthetics over game-play/game longevity.

7

Micro.

The purchase price of a AAA game should guarantee full functionality for the duration the manufacturer supports the game. That means all gameplay items - even ones released later - are covered by the purchase price.

But aesthetics or non-game add-ons (like SuperAwesomeForge or ExtraordinarilyCoolCustomsMaker) can require $$ to keep the cash flow going.

8

Halo 3 had the DLC right. You could play any social playlist without the map packs, but you couldn’t play some ranked playlists unless you had the maps. That is how it should be. If you aren’t going to put up some dough for the game, then you shouldn’t be holding back the people that do.

Also no voting system anymore. We need to get back to the veto system or even just a system where you don’t get a choice. You just play the map that is given to you and you are locked into the game so you can’t back out if you aren’t happy with it. SO many times games have been ruined because people bail on the lobby without even trying to attempt the game.

9

Microtransaction with free dlc maps.

They’d however have to make enough armor for players to unlock through gameplay as well and just not toss everything under a “purchase” button. Or make it so that when a player completes something that would unlock an armor, the player instead gets credits to use in the armor store, enabling him/her to unlock whatever he/she wants for those credits.

Armor alone though won’t be enough, they’d need to bring out more than that. Examples would be Weapon skins if they keep loadouts, or starting weapon skins if they skip loadouts, meaning that the weapon you start with have a specific skin. Then announcer voices, I’d like the Gravemind, different audio for your weapons perhaps, visual grenade explosion effects like a red or purple plasma grenade explosion.

On top of that, I say let the community be part of the creative engine. Let the community design and model different armor, make new sound effects etc. Let the community vote about what gets added or not. However i343 should have the last say about it. I do not wish to have -Yoink!- armors or speedo and bikini armors.

10

> But aesthetics or non-game add-ons (like SuperAwesomeForge or ExtraordinarilyCoolCustomsMaker) can require $$ to keep the cash flow going.

I like this idea.

One of Halo 4’s huge problems was that it was not designed to be receptive to updates. This is why things like Campaign Theater, gametypes, custom gametype options, and Forge options were never added via updates after launch. I like the idea of 343i designed Halo 5 to be capable of being added to, so that they could sell more options or better Forge tools.

11

To date, DLC maps cost money because that’s how Bungie, 343 made $$ after launch and it was a limitation of the game engines/XBL. It was never very good at raking in the dough, though, and it certainly presented matchmaking challenges: fragmented populations over time did not help the health of the game.

Answer me this: WHY do DLC maps need to cost money now?

The new console and new engine give us an opportunity to pursue new, more lucrative revenue streams which do not affect the player population, matchmaking system, or playlist allocation. iTunes nailed this when they broke apart albums. It is proven people spend more on music when they pick and choose, instead of being forced to buy an entire album.

Option 2 gives 343 something new: the chance to break from an old, ineffective method with negative connotations and give us something for “free.” They just get the new maps. No debate, no asking mom (or the wife) for money.

When the money disappears in smaller increments, more of it tends to be spent over the long haul. IF the armory microtransactions are done well, there is potential here to far exceed the price of a map pack. Just for fun: an old map pack cost $20 US, and your odds of playing those maps decreased over time unless you submitted to select playlists.

Now, imagine an armory full of goodies, yours for the mixing and matching, all for a low low cost.

– armor set(helmet, shoulders, chest, forearm, legs, knee guards, boots, whatever) $5 a set.

–cosmetic add-ons (bandoliers, cameras, katana blades, armor effects) at 1:99 cents apiece

–player card stances, 99 cents.

–emblems/backgrounds/whatever, 99 cents.

Right there, 4 old classic sets of armor (Mk V, Recon, Hayabusa, [insert your favorite here] will equal a map pack in terms of cost.

And you’re just getting started, because when you see Inclement Weather on XB1 hardware, it will totally be worth the $2. When you see someone rocking a totally badass pose, you’ll shell out another dollar. The more people experimenting, the more likely others will be to spend. And no one is complaining that the experience stinks because they can’t use what they paid $20 for!

This all assumes the armory is stocked with the right stuff. It needs to be Reach quality, not Halo 4 quality. It needs to be more than Halo 4 quantity. And it needs to have Halo 3’s awesome appeal, like they had with Hayabusa, Recon, and the flaming skull.

12

Albeit potentially controversial, I can see having classic Armors being highly profitable if being made avaliable in microtransactions:

Each peice of armor being worth $0.50 with full sets being $2.50:

  • Mark IV (as seen in Halo Wars)
  • Mark V
  • Mark VI (Halo 2/3)
  • ODST
    If you offer well-loved and classic armor for MT’s, sales will come rolling in. And better yet, the full bundle is worth the same as a map pack.
13

Microtransactions.

CoD can get away with paid maps because of just how many people play the game means that there will be plenty of people who buy the maps for you to play on them. Thus this creates a positive feedback loop where people know they will get their money’s worth with the map packs and so in turn buy them.

Halo could do this. Emphasis on the could.

Might have also been the fact that H3 was essentially pay to play with large portions of the MP being locked out if you didn’t get the new maps. But when Reach didn’t require it AND coupled with the smaller population, my purchase of those maps, and the H4 maps, was equivalent of me burning money for some Achievements.

Doing Paid Map DLC is just repeating the same mistake that Reach and H4 made.

For the love of god, 343, stop beating your head against a wall like you did with H4 and don’t do Paid Map DLC for H5.

It’ll be the exact same situation.

Note: You need a better way to be able to add downloadable customizations to the game though. The Champions Bundle work around isn’t going to work so well if you go whole hog on microtransactions.

Note-note: It’s not just individual armor pieces that you can sell either but skins for them as well. And not just for the armor either. Vehicle skins. Weapon skins.