EA getting into legal trouble over BF 2

i for one learned with the first one what a piece of crap that EA had become with this exploitative bait and wait game so they could nickle and dime you. Micro-transactions gone to far with in game gambling its insane and especially exploiting young minds who don't have the cognative brake to not get lured into this clearly manipulative scheme.

Haven't similar accusations been made about CCGs like Magic: The Gathering, Pokemon, etc. (and even the Star Wars Galaxies Trading Card Game back in the day) and gone nowhere?

I play the game. Even if you ignore the fact that pay-for-benefits have been rampant in games for years, the news on BF2 is overly exaggerated at least, and completely fake at the worst. In my opinion it's whiney gamers making a story. It's so ridiculous in my opinion that I wouldn't be surprised if we later find out a competitor was somehow connected to the exaggerations.

The general complaint is having to pay for "loot crates" after purchasing a game. Currently, you can't yet buy these. They've been disabled due to the whining. So, the next argument became that gamers have paid for a game but can't play Darth Vader, or Boba Fett, or whoever their favorite "hero" is until they unlock it by making another purchase. As I've said you can't make purchases yet, but even so you can earn in-game credits simply by playing to unlock whatever you wish. I've been beat down by Darth Vader a few times already and no one can yet make in-game purchases with real money. Next, I've heard the complaint that it is too difficult to unlock these, that it would take endless hours of grinding. Not true. The current price to unlock that most expensive hero is 15,000 credits (Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker, for example). If my goal was to unlock a hero (it wasn't, I like playing and upgrading the no-names) I could have unlocked one of those at the end of the first day or possibly in the 2nd day of playing. I have a full time job and a family and still could have easily unlocked my choice of the most expensive hero by day 1 or 2. By now, I probably could have unlocked over half of the few locked hero's if I didn't spend credits on something else I liked. The game launched only a week ago. I haven't spent credits on unlocking any hero and yet I've got over half of them already open (they were already unlocked by default or unlocked through the short single-player campaign?). Today before work, for example, I played 2-3 hours and earned at least 5,000 credits, possibly more. You could actually argue that it's too quick to unlock some of the top tier stuff.

So what's next? Will we be hearing that players of BF2 shouldn't have to work at unlocking gear, talents, and characters since they purchased the game? Unlocking stuff through game play is a core ingredient in these type of games. It provides goals and keeps people playing. If unlocks aren't in place, multiplayer game would become a ghost town way too quickly. Will the whiners be demanding all content should be unlocked at purchase? Go yell at the mmorpg's first to unlock level 100 for all players at game launch and see how that goes for the game's longevity.

BF2 had previously announced DLC's will be free, unlike many games out there. So, I don't see myself ever having to spend another cent on the game after the initial purchase.

The point being made is that bf2 is a tipping point in gaming. I totally agree that grinding in game is the essence of many games especially mmorpgs but more recently loot crates as with swtor started cropping up (EA again) with random contents at the cost of money via purchasing credits aka gambling with extra steps. Though in swtor the loot crates offered no tactical advantage and were purely cosmetic. Now with bf2 it offers players an advantage if they are willing to spend the cash. Which upsets the Apple cart. While I do note that your claim you can simply grind it out but that does not obscure the essence that gambling is taking place. That minors could be manipulated or not be reasoned enough to spend without concern which is why their are regulations on gambling. Belgium has already brought this game to the attention of their legislator. Maybe bf2 will be the straw that broke the camel's back. While I'm a traditionalist that everyone should have to grind it out ala wow raid but it has become a little too obvious and crass in the designers business model. We'll see what the legal department makes of this.

2 hours ago, splad said:

The point being made is that bf2 is a tipping point in gaming.

Why?

There are countless apps, collectible card games, collectible miniature games, and computer games that give bonuses over opponents for cash and/or random benefits for cash. For digital games, it is pretty much the default model for many competitive gaming Iphone apps and has been moving into full fledged console/computer games for years. Apple apps have tipped that apple cart long ago. EA isn't the first game company to offer in-game purchases that give real benefits. Mmorpg's have been doing this for years. "Premium" accounts have great benefits over non-paying accounts in many leading mmo's. Heard of World of Tanks? "Premium" tanks rule the field. BF2 is in no way doing something new.

If the randomized benefits for cash is deemed equal to gambling, then as noted above by Nytwyng (CCG's), lots of things need to receive an 18+ rating or be outright banned. Why did Wizards of the Coast not receive such scorn over their miniature game when selling randomized boxes?

Splad, if you are playing BF2, can you tell me exactly what benefit you've been precluded from receiving except by paying money?

ETA: Don't take this defense as me actually liking pay-to-win creeping into games. I too wish it didn't exist. I just think it's silly that BF2 has received such scorn for committing this new, horrible crime to make more money (shocking a company would do that!) while others have used the same model for years without little scorn. That's laughable.

It could be any number of reasons why EA has been singled out over BF2. They didn't grease the right wheels? This is finally too much to ignore? They pissed off the wrong people? Who knows but it isn't a trend i like. It should be an even playing field if you want to compete high level then you should put in the time and not bypass with cash. The game because of it's enduring genre is capturing people an audience from all demographics and i figure that's the point that this is the 'enough' point. If this game creates a legislative precedence to reduce this gouging in game so game like Witcher 3 continue to be the focus. Content content and content and not a nickle and dime circus. I though the season pass was bad enough now this. I mean Rockstar with GTA V said they were going to make more single player content but finally admited this wasn't going to happen because they more readily had players cash with their multiplayer game purchases. What I'm trying to get at is the steer away from single player content has been happening with increasing bounds. The 7 hour single player in BF2 was just a shut up token to players who complained about BF1.

But you are right on another token i did not see such as the ccg environment. Yes this could spill over their and many other places. I'm morbidly fascinated to see what transpires next.

On 24/11/2017 at 11:41 AM, splad said:

EA getting into legal trouble over BF 2

i for one learned with the first one what a piece of crap that EA had become with this exploitative bait and wait game so they could nickle and dime you. Micro-transactions gone to far with in game gambling its insane and especially exploiting young minds who don't have the cognative brake to not get lured into this clearly manipulative scheme.

Totally agree, its pay to win extortion, I was so outraged by this that I'm not even considering buying battlefront 2,

very unwise, they must of pissed of so many customers due to this and as a result lost sales,

best Star Wars video games always came from Nintendo....

....and yet if you had played the game you would know you can't actually buy anything yet while the game has been out over a month.

As I've said before, this isn't something EA created. They just had plans to continue an old money-maker that has been around in collectible card games, collectible miniature games, and online video games/apps for years. It's ridiculous that they are the company that is getting raked over the coals for something others trailblazed in gaming 2 decades ago. And it's even more laughable when BF2 has become the target of the 1st Gamer Crusade while the pitchfork wielders ignore the fact they haven't actually done it.

Battlefront 2017 is just the straw that broke the camel's back. It's not just this game, but EA's overall business practices and their past record, and the micro-transaction problem has been something that people have been grumbling about for a few years in the gaming scene.

Compounding the outrage is EA's closing of Visceral Games, a studio that was working on the unnamed single-player Star Wars game (closing studios, or acquiring a studio then closing them, is something that EA has a notorious reputation for). This was followed by the company's CFO saying that people aren't interested in linear single-player games anymore*, and that it wouldn't make enough money, so the game would be changed to a games-as-service style game (like Destiny)--something that they can monetize easier.

*Despite the success of games like Breath of the Wild , Super Mario Odyssey , Nier: Automata , Persona 5 , and Horizon: Zero Dawn , all from this year alone.

EA also wants constant serial number validation .. can't play many releases unless the machine can check at launch to see if you are allowed to play.

EA is hostile towards their own customers.

**** those EA jerks for making sure you bought the game they sold! EA should let us play their games for free!

They aren't being hostile towards their customers. They are being hostile against their non-paying customers. AKA "thieves".

7 hours ago, Sturn said:

**** those EA jerks for making sure you bought the game they sold! EA should let us play their games for free!

They aren't being hostile towards their customers. They are being hostile against their non-paying customers. AKA "thieves".

I can't play the games I PAID FOR offline because of their paranoia. Excepting the WiiU titles.

Now, living where I do, that means the non-console editions simply aren't working half the time.

16 hours ago, AK_Aramis said:

I can't play the games I PAID FOR offline because of their paranoia. Excepting the WiiU titles.

Now, living where I do, that means the non-console editions simply aren't working half the time.

Ah ok I get it now. Every EA game I have is a multiplayer game so hadn't considered playing somewhere without broadband.

They should have it set to only check for validation while playing multiplayer? It still wouldn't combat thieves playing single-player with pirated copies, but it would cut down on some of it without hurting those playing offline.

7 hours ago, Sturn said:

Ah ok I get it now. Every EA game I have is a multiplayer game so hadn't considered playing somewhere without broadband.

They should have it set to only check for validation while playing multiplayer? It still wouldn't combat thieves playing single-player with pirated copies, but it would cut down on some of it without hurting those playing offline.

That's because EA is pretty much focusing almost exclusively on Online Multi-Player, Subscription Service games that they can rake in money through microtransactions. Pretty much every single player game the various studios under their umbrella have tried to develop for Star Wars in recent years has been canned by EA, and the studio in question shut down.