Why I'm Not Concerned About Microtransactions

Games Halo 5: Guardians
1

Have you ever played Titanfall? Ever hear of it’s Burn Card system? If not, burn cards are cards that can be equipped for a single match and grant special effects. The burn cards can be anything from an upgraded version of certain weapon to getting a free Titan that can be called at anytime (this one is very fun at the start of matches). You earn burn packs in a series of different ways.

  • For competing challenges - Buy them using in-game currency in a place called the Black Market. - Every five levels after you reach level twenty fiveThe challenges for burn cards are so easy to complete that by the end of each match, you’ll have at least three new burn cards in your deck. And if your deck is full, which is often, you can destroy the cards you don’t like or won’t use and get points back, something Halo 5 also has. Basically, you’ll be rolling in burn cards all the time.

This is very similar to unlocking Req Packs in Halo 5. You can unlock Req Points by completing commendations (Halo’s version of challenges), completing matches, and leveling up your spartan. The Req system seems to have taken some heavy inspiration from Titanfall’s burn cards. Now, there are no microtransactions in Titanfall. At all. So let’s look at another video game that does. This video game also has more rewards from their packs.

Let’s look at another EA game, Plants vs Zombies: Garden Warfare. This game offers an in-game marketplace in which you can purchase sticker packs (because you know, it’s a kids game! Stickers are fun!) Sticker packs offer several things. Cosmetics (such as hats, weapon skins for zombies, character skins, etc.), skip challenge stars which allow you to skip a challenge and add another star towards your next level (play the game to understand more), stickers that go towards unlocking new character variants, and AI plants or zombies to summon in modes they are allowed to. Garden Warfare offers microtransactions for it’s in-game currency (silver coins) that are entirely optional and some might say USELESS. One game of Gardens & Graveyards is twelve thousand coins on average, that’s little more then one fourth of the most expensive sticker pack in the game that costs forty thousand and guarantees a free character variant.

Garden Warfare Microtransaction Prices (USD):

  • Pack #1- 13,500 - $0.99
  • Pack #2- 30,000- $1.99 - Pack #3- 85,000- $4.99 - Pack #4- 200,00- $9.99Why spend that money when just a few matches are more then enough to get me something new and awesome for my plants or zombies?! This was made for people who wanted lots of content by being lazy.

So why am I bringing up GW? Well for one, the rewards are very similar. While you can buy specific packs for certain objects in GW (packs for only plant items, zombie items, packs for DLC items, etc) they are still random. You could get one of many cosmetic pieces for any plant or zombie, you could get skip challenge stars, or you could get a sticker and unlock a new character after completing it’s set. Only the 100% character unlock for forty thousand ensures the item type you are looking for, unless you’ve unlocked every character variant in which it’s just really rare cosmetics or AI then. Two, it looks like it’ll be very easy to earn points towards these packs. Twelve thousand coins is already enough for the first three sticker packs by the way.

From what we’ve heard, this is the same for Halo 5. Weapons and armors, vehicles, skins, assassination animations, and more are in Req packs. You have no idea what you are getting. Could be a Phaeton, new assassination, and two weapon skins. Could be a warthog, new armor set, and two armor skins. Now, we don’t know the specifics for how many Req points we get from the different methods for earning them, how much a pack costs, how many items one pack contains or, if there will be different packs catered to different things (one pack just for skins or one pack just for vehicles, etc). But as far as we know, Halo 5’s Req packs took the ease of earning Titanfall’s burn cards and combined them with Garden Warfare’s rewards and microtransactions.

2

I can only agree with you!!
A lot of people read microtransactions and then they instantly start rage mode without looking at the whole picture, as far as we know right now, there will be no reason to buy these packs with real money other than being lazy.

3

I’m not worried either. players buying cards doesn’t give them an advantage anyways…still gotta kill my spartan with their shiny new weapon, i’ll be sure to pick it up off the ground after beating them.

4

But really though I’d rather pay $2 than $15 for a map pack and plus a good portion of the money from REQ Packs will go to HCS Prize pool. The REQ Pack system would be cool if it operated like a CS GO Case system almost where things have a rarity to them, even though you can earn them in game.

5

Or basically they are doing exactly what everyone is doing…

Evolve with their weapon and player skins.
League Of Legend/DOTA/HOTS… with only skin.
CS:GO With dropable item like kinfe and riffle.
GW2 with customization and assassination…

In all game in every platform there is now this cosmetic system. So they just follow what everyone is doing.

Now the only thing that will make it works is the amount of cards, the time you spend to unlock them , if some re one use only, and the difference that the weapon will make in the game (I hope not that much). The best system for a game like Halo would be the CSGO one, with an internal market. but that’s not going to happen :’(

6

> 2533274875152675;4:
> But really though I’d rather pay $2 than $15 for a map pack and plus a good portion of the money from REQ Packs will go to HCS Prize pool. The REQ Pack system would be cool if it operated like a CS GO Case system almost where things have a rarity to them, even though you can earn them in game.

The new episodes of the Sprint actually talks about that a little. There will be a few levels to weapons and vehicles. The basic level is normal while the highest is the legendary weapons we’ve seen. Not sure how it’ll play out in the packs but I hope that means we have more then one Req pack that we can purchase. I totally forgot about these things until you brought them up so thanks for reminding me. Also don’t quote me on any of this because I’m not 100% on the details but I do know there will be rankings for the weapons and vehicles. Episode three focuses a lot on this stuff that much I can tell you.

7

I honestly can care less of microtransaction just as long as I can earn the packs without spending real cash I’m fine

8

> 2533275034239520;5:
> Or basically they are doing exactly what everyone is doing…
>
> Evolve with their weapon and player skins.
> League Of Legend/DOTA/HOTS… with only skin.
> CS:GO With dropable item like kinfe and riffle.
> GW2 with customization and assassination…
>
> In all game in every platform there is now this cosmetic system. So they just follow what everyone is doing.
>
> Now the only thing that will make it works is the amount of cards, the time you spend to unlock them , if some re one use only, and the difference that the weapon will make in the game (I hope not that much). The best system for a game like Halo would be the CSGO one, with an internal market. but that’s not going to happen :’(

The thing is Req packs are more then just skins and cosmetics, like Titanfall and Garden Warfare, these can unlock weapons and more that make you more powerful on the battlefield. Burn cards are one time use powerups in a variety of fields for the player.

Sticker packs act as the only way of unlocking content for the player to use. Some one time such as the AI consumables, others can be used whenever such as the character variants. Others are made to add to making the player’s characters unique.

Req packs are sort of a mixture. Some Req cards are one time use. Some Req cards are not one time use. Once you’ve unlocked them, you can use them whenever you want so long as you have the requirements in the match.

9

I would have to disagree, I am the type of person that would rather complete actual tasks in the game to unlock this cosmetic stuff, I just don’t like the random factor. In a game like COD AW and Destiny for example no matter how good you do in a match you will always get a supply drop or 2, and the rewards are completely random, and as an above average player, it feels like i’m getting robed. I want to see a system like halo 3 where the armour that you wore and what you looked like actually meant something. as for the burn cards in halo, it just donnt feel right in a game where map control and knowing what’s going on at all times is going to benefit you 100%, adding that random factor just ruins the natural flow of the game, Eg Halo 4: when you had no idea what was going to be around the next corner.

10

> 2533274821970546;9:
> I would have to disagree, I am the type of person that would rather complete actual tasks in the game to unlock this cosmetic stuff, I just don’t like the random factor. In a game like COD AW and Destiny for example no matter how good you do in a match you will always get a supply drop or 2, and the rewards are completely random, and as an above average player, it feels like i’m getting robed. I want to see a system like halo 3 where the armour that you wore and what you looked like actually meant something. as for the burn cards in halo, it just donnt feel right in a game where map control and knowing what’s going on at all times is going to benefit you 100%, adding that random factor just ruins the natural flow of the game, Eg Halo 4: when you had no idea what was going to be around the next corner.

Good thing it’s just a gametype and not the whole game. also you still have to earn the right to use it in game, not like i can call a tank in right away.

11

> 2533274826066683;2:
> I can only agree with you!!
> A lot of people read microtransactions and then they instantly start rage mode without looking at the whole picture, as far as we know right now, there will be no reason to buy these packs with real money other than being lazy.

On top of that, 343i has said nothing will be locked, so you can obtain everything just by playing the game, and yet still give players the option to pay. Like in Mortal Kombat X, you can either pay to unlock everything in the Krypt, or you can do it yourself (which I’m in the middle of). It adds replay value as well.

12

Well I don’t like microtransactions in any game. I feel that it kinda ruin the feeling of accomplishment you get thru earning something the old-school way. Now I know that many people don’t have a problem with it and if it’s limited to only on game mode then I guess I could live with it. I just don’t want it to spread to other areas of the game. We’ll just have to wait and see. Oh and it’s probably the microtransactions that will pay for the 15 free dlc maps we will get so it ain’t all bad.

13

Absolutely agree! I just wish I could explain why they aren’t a big deal as you, some people immediately dismiss microtransactions as bad, not giving it a chance.