The current MCC unlock system is its own thing, reminiscent of nothing like the unlock systems featured in the games it compiles. In fact a good majority of the unlocks you can acquire in the base game’s featured were unlocked for free in MCC from the getgo, circumventing the “WORK” entirely.
The rest is tertiary and entirely optional, cosmetics are actually separate from the gameplay. Unlocking Drengr (through a grind or paid) doesn’t do anything to offset your inability to land a 4 shot down Long on Guardian.
PayPal works too right?
This may be anecdotal, but I don’t think I’ve come across a single child in that title. I don’t think the 25+ year old population that grew up on those titles are reliant on “mommie’s credit card” anymore. That’s a bit of a ‘Boomer’ response coming from a (most likely) Gen X/Millennial if you ask me.
What if grinding for cosmetics isn’t the reason they play? Are you honestly ostracizing players who don’t play for the same reasons you do?
I have a couple of buddies who hop on and all we want to do is feel some nostalgia with a Friday evening of pure Old Fashioned Halo again. I think Drengr is appalling, but my buddy likes it, and he picks it up.
Let’s say this is after MTX gets added, how do you know if he bought Drengir or earned it without asking? Does their acquisition (unknown to you) impact the way you play the game? Is that detail a question worth asking if you see him wearing Drengr in game? What if there are a few players wearing Drengr, do you ask each of them how they acquired it? Does this extend to the entire suite of unlockable cosmetics?
AAA Videogames are more than just a game, they are a business.
Halo Infinite had a budget of around $500 Million.
343 has to not only pay that $500 Million back to Microsoft and their investors, but they also have to make a profit from it for all parties involved in the funding and development processes.
Most of the playerbase is in Halo MCC, a game that they can update as they so please.
So.
Tasked with accruing money to pay back the budget of their most recent game AND not only paying it off but some interest to boot; they HAD to add MTX to Halo MCC.
The people are there, ergo, the market moves there.
Incorrect. It utilizes a mix between Reach’s Credit system, 4’s commendation system, and both Reach and 4’s Challenge system. The unlock system works pretty much the same now as it did in Reach and 4. The only difference is how it’s displayed, not how it functions.
And the people Moved there to ESCAPE microtransactions, what do you think will happen when that’s no longer an option? The game will die, just like Infinite.
Indeed there are bad business models.
But not all microtransactions are bad.
As much as I D E E P L Y H A T E a lesser known game known as Halo 5 Gorbians, they had the best MTX I can recall.
No duplicates of cosmetics
You had only a few packs that were actual $$$ exclusive purchases
Bronze, Silver, and Gold Packs can be bought with REQ Points that you can earn by playing the game.
I have LITERALLY all armor sets (except Olive and Achilles) and I am not halfway to max level.
Meanwhile you have games like Call of Duty where the lootboxes have a HIGH CHANCE of giving you duplicates. It is not enjoyable when you own less than 5% of the cosmetics but still receive a duplicate or two in packs.
I remember in Call of Duty WWII where I bought my first CoD Pack and two of the three items were duplicates of a pistol grip cosmetic I earned not an hour prior.
FALSE
That is NOT the reason why Halo Infinite is dying so fast.
The reason is multifold, where the overpriced MTX are simply ONE bullet point of it.
MTX overpriced
Too few cosmetic options
Servers are still broken and desync is NOT in 343’s priorities for updates
Weapons Sandbox is a bit mid and meh with some specific guns.
Map selection is poor as all the Arena maps are three-lanes and the BTB maps are very vehicle unfriendly.
Vehicles have the lowest durability and mobility of all the franchise.
Forge is not yet available
MANY cosmetic items that were promised have yet to even be available (Watchdog, Insider Exclusive Items, and Season 1 “cut content”)
Campaign is incomplete, with even Part 1’s map being only 3/4 explorable.
Co-Op is only NOW getting into the game
Bots are weaksauce
Challenge System is both broken as it doesn’t always track challenge progress and it gives back very little in terms of rewards
Firefight is not in the game yet
There is just so much WRONG with Halo Infinite that players want to play Halo MCC, which took FIVE YEARS to be updated to a playable experience online, rather than play Halo Infinite; which is a game that is pretty much only 1/8 complete and feels like a chore to play rather than a thing you do seeking enjoyment.
Reach rewarded you with “monetary” points per match and through challenges to be spent on cosmetics that was unlocked through leveling with points acting as XP progression as well.
Halo 4 awarded unlocks per level through XP.
MCC XP is tied to points only for the first 100 levels, with each level rewarding a single point (ticket), after which XP becomes nothing more than a “experience” meter showing player time spent playing the game. Additional points can be earned through challenges, though in small quantities. Points are used to progress through the unlock tiers or can be used in the exchange in no particular order except the defined tier active. The system is tied to all titles, with their original progression systems being scrapped.
The only real similarity between MCC and Halo Reach, not even 4, is the challenge system which isn’t even unique enough to be considered inspirational. MCC’s progression system is really its own thing.
Now how about the other points I spent time responding to?
True. And that’s why I still play H5. Because the MTX weren’t shoved down your throat every update. It was more like “Hey there’s a ton of new weapons and vehicles in this update, but here have a few cosmetics too if you’re interested, and don’t worry none of this is paywalled.”
Halo 5’s MTX are 100% optional outside of 2 packs, Infinite’s are not.
Did you forget about commendations? I think you did. Where do you think MCC’s Challenge system came from? It was the commendations system from Reach and 4.
Plain and simple, there isn’t anything close to an itemized commendation system in MCC. Challenges are categorized simply by PvE, PvP and Monthly challenges, with specific challenges not adhering to any subesctional category that can be tracked or progressed.
Did you forget to respond to the other points in response to your points?
You’re racking up a tab here. The replies in green are the ones you’re avoiding, just in case it wasn’t clear.