Ragashigo's post is super important. (Destiny)

by CruelLEGACEY , Toronto, Monday, October 23, 2017, 11:24 (2380 days ago) @ Robot Chickens

"I AM NOT MAKING A BIG DEAL OUT OF THIS"

-CruelLEGACEY

LOL :)

^This comment is meant to be humorous and should not be confused with legitimate critique. You have good points but it feels a bit like the abstract idea of RNG-based microtransactions is being debated more than the actual context of its implementation. Do you really feel like you haven't been able to get something you want and have had to spend money? I'm not talking about the hypothetical player and the macguffin they NEED, I'm talking about your experience thus far. To me, it feels incredibly fair. Either I've gotten something cool from a bright engram, or I've saved up dust to get it when it comes around. I think the actual practice, rather than the conceptual framework, is fine. I agree that I don't like not being able to purchase something directly (were I to choose that), but... it just doesn't feel unfair as I play.

My own personal experience is that there have been a few items in the Eververse that I would have bought with real money, if I were able to purchase them directly for a fair price. But I don’t want to engage with a system that allows me to spend real money and not get what I want. So instead, I treat Eververse much the way you do.

To your general point, a lot of what I’m talking about is more general or based on the principles of the issue. As I said in one of those posts you linked above, I think Bungie is doing a great job of taking a microtransaction implementation that is fundamentally exploitative, and making it as player friendly as they can, given the point from where they are starting (RNG purchases). I’m just trying to carefully and thoroughly point out why it is ultimately a system designed to exploite customers, even if it is easy for most of us to avoid being exploited.

The other thought I have is along the lines of Kermit's suggestion. Games that are not profitable do not get sequels in Activision's world. It may not be an attempt to mustache-twirl our money away. It may be about funding the game so that margins are enough to generate more game content. Perhaps not as directly as "this purchase funds this content," but it may be negotiating leverage. Were that the case, and this is speculation, this seems to be the most innocuous implementation I've experienced. I actually find this implementation far more friendly than ME3s which made me feel left out by the end.

Yeah, I’m having a tough time figuring out my feelings on ME3. Because it clearly was more “in your face” than Des2ny’s economy, and every bit as based on randomization. And yet, somehow, it didn’t bother me as much. I mean, Destiny’s microtransactions barely bother me at all, but I almost liked ME3’s system, which is so strange.

I’m just thinking out loud here, but I think it has something to do with the fact that I was buying actual gameplay content. The new characters were so integral to the game’s replay value. I had a blast learning how to use new abilities, or new combinations of older abilities. And there was the fact that each batch of characters came along with new maps and challenges and other updates. So every time I bought a pack of new characters, I felt like I was getting my money’s worth in new maps alone.

I do wonder if there’s an element to this that has to do with the underwhelming nature of cosmetic items in Destiny in general. Malagate might be working on a similar idea. Much as most of us seem in favour of microtransactions being restricted to cosmetics, I can’t shake the feeling that cosmetics barely matter in Destiny. How often do we actually get close enough to other guardians in-game to see what their armor really looks like? I was happy to buy different Titan chassis in Titanfall 2, because the Titans are 40 feet tall and you can clearly see them from a mile away. And in ME3, every purchase made a meaningful and enjoyable impact on my gameplay experience. I wonder if part of the general saltiness around the Eververse is due to most of the items feeling so underwhelming? I can see myself being more willing to buy the occasional engram if I didn’t think most of the potential items were completely useless. Am I the only one?