Yup. 2moons, Gunbound are examples of free games with in game buyables and it seems to work wonders.

Haven't EA announced in game advertising ? This could be interesting too. I wouldnt mind playing NHL 2010 with ads on the borders.

I enjoyed the Combat Arms Beta from a few weeks ago and can definitely see myself playing more games of that ilk.

As long as the items you can purchase in the game can still be earned by those that choose not to pay, but may have to play much longer to earn that same item, then I'm totally cool with the idea of grinding away for it if I want it.

That's kinda the whole point. The companies want to create that divide between people who pay for items in the game and people who don't. That way, more people end up paying money just to even the scales between them and the people who pay for items. If the game is worth playing, it's a great idea. If the game isn't fun, then it's just a good way of alienating casual players of the game.

As being one of those people in Asia who has actually spent money on in-game items, it doesn't really make a player "more upgraded", it just makes them look nicer (or at least in the Asian games). Only several items actually might upgrade the player, but that's only for really high-end players.

I honestly think this will work, seeing as how MapleStory is doing wonders with that already, here and in the states.

It won't kill piracy one bit though, imo.

I'm all for micro-transactions to support games, so long as the games are very cheap or free. Class divide? Who cares? There is always a class divide in games because some people have much more time to play than others.

It's when a developer thinks they can charge you full price for a game PLUS additional transactions that I have a problem. Which was my biggest complaint when they wanted to sell guns for Bad Company.

...but pirated games ARE free.

KnightD: 1. Brother of Steve Perry: 0.

Old comment on micro payments is freaking old and honestly I'm getting tired of hearing it. Great, people in China do micro payments, but it's far from the future of mainstream gaming over in the Western Hemisphere, let alone in Europe.

We know there are companies that are going to charge for small, annoying crap in the games. It's not new, and it's not going to stop people from pirating the good games that come out, it only gives them some crappy games to play for free in between the releases of worthwhile games that they will crack and play.

I can has free Earthworm Jim?

Nine Inch Nails did it.

Why not Video Gaming? Add some kickass extra content you can't pirate,(Ala, physical objects).

WOAHWOAHWOAHWOAHWOAH!


WHAT THE FUCK IS QUAKE LIVE AND WHY THE FUCK HAVEN'T I HEARD ABOUT IT YET?

It's a good model for simple games like Gunbound, but it doesn't have a place in something like MGS4. To sneak through a space, find an item, and suddenly it says "Sorry Snake, but the suppressor for that gun costs real money. If you really want it, go into the menu and... You don't need it, but it'd be really helpful!" would be a huge interruption and a frustration.

But not everyone needs to pay. A lot of these items in Gunbound have an impact on gameplay that's small but helpful, besides looking a bit cooler than a newb Joe Blow. So, you never really HAVE to. You could play for years and never pay a dime. But when you do that, other people will get interested in playing because you enjoy it so much, and maybe their wallet is as tightly sealed. Or they want an edge to overcome the skill and hours of disciplined practice other players have gone through.

And then, once you're playing it all the time, you figure "well, might as well look good" or "sure I'm great, but having a little extra oomph in my shots couldn't hurt."

@falinter

Typically, items purchased through micro-transactions are tied to the players account. So unless you can hack the game's database server you can't really pirate the items.

The drawback to this is, you probably wouldn't have access to the game or your items if you don't have an active internet connection.

God, no. Absolutely, undeniably wrong.

Who the fuck listens to David fucking Perry, anyway? That guy hasn't been relevant since MDK- He, and everything he and his company does, has been shit ever since.

The future is online, yes, but no in microtransactions. Do you really think Runescape and Gunbound is more popular than WoW or Steam? Whole games, undivided by microtransactions, are selling more and being far more profitable. Making the main part of your game free and selling off bits and pieces of the extranious details tends to make it a PRETTY CRAP GAME because you have to be able to turn a profit on making the game and hosting servers for all those gazillions of 12 year olds without access to Daddy's credit card, with 5% who will spend money on the game so they can beat on the poor and underprivileged.

David Perry's a fucking idiot.