Microtransactions *can* be good. (Destiny)

by CruelLEGACEY , Toronto, Wednesday, July 22, 2015, 14:11 (3511 days ago)

We've talked a lot about Microtransactions here at DBO, and the fear or concern that they might make their way into Destiny.

This got me thinking about one of my favorite multiplayer games: Mass Effect 3. ME3 featured microtransactions right out of the gate... and it was awesome.

For those who don't know, here's how they handled it.

ME3's multiplayer mode was a 4 player co-op, wave based, loot-driven arena mode with team objectives. It launched with somewhere around 20 playable characters across 4 or 5 subclasses. Each character has their own unique set of powers and upgrade tree. You start with access to a small list of characters. As you play, you earn "credits" (the in-game currency). After each game, you can then use these credits to buy "Resupply Packs" (loot crates). These packs would give you random loot; everything from med packs and ammo packs to new weapons and new character unlocks. There were several levels of loot packs; the cheaper ones would contain basic supplies, while the more expensive ones had a better chance of dropping weapons or new characters.

Over the course of about a year, Bioware released constant DLC packs and game updates for ME3 multiplayer. New maps and weapons, over a dozen new characters (with their own new abilities), new objectives, and updates to existing maps (including environment and weather effects, hazards, and geometry tweaks). And it was all free. ALL of it.

Instead of charging for DLC, they let players buy the loot packs for real money if they wanted to. It was completely optional, and it didn't give you access to anything that couldn't be earned by simply playing the game. There were initially some concerns about buying loot packs that contain random rewards... you might get what you want, or you might get something you already have (beyond the microtransactions, this is a problem with RNG based loot in general, as we all know). But Bioware had a great solution to this problem. If a loot crate gives you a weapon you already have, it upgraded your gun to a "Mark II" version that would do slightly more damage. Your weapons could be upgraded all the way up to Mark X, so getting duplicates was actually a good thing. If you got a character that you have already unlocked, it would give you re-spec points so you could re-do your upgrade tree (ME3 didn't allow re-specing the way Destiny does).

Obviously, this exact system wouldn't work for Destiny (having PvP in the game makes buying loot crates for chances at better weapons problematic). But the point I'm making is that Mass Effect 3 was able to release great new content on a frequent basis, with constant tweaks and additions in between major releases, without ever charging a penny for that new content, all thanks to a microtransaction system that didn't interfere with the game in any way.

So it is possible :)