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24

Quarter Evil

November 15, 2017 by Tim

I know, I know. Another Battlefront-related comic. But EA is just the gift that keeps on giving.

They were forced into full back-peddle mode after their meager attempt to justify their math became the most downvoted comment ever.

Note: Because today’s comic is regarding the 75% reduction to hero credit costs, I just know someone is going to spout off in the comments about EA also reducing the credits awarded by the campaign by the same amount. And while at face value that looks like another juicy morsel to shred EA over (pretending to make things better while not actually changing anything), I’d like to point out this:

The campaign previously awarded 20k credits. Iden Versio, the campaign’s protagonist (most of the time, anyway), previously cost 20k credits to unlock for multiplayer. Now that they’ve reduced her purchase price to 5k, they similarly scaled the campaign rewards to match. The point being, they clearly intended for completing the campaign to reward enough credits to unlock that character (or a third of another character), and that is still the case. Since credits rewarded from versus matches haven’t been scaled down, the heroes are still 75% more attainable.

The reason I point this out is that there is plenty to criticize EA on without creating outrage just for the sake of being outraged. All that does is create noise that dilutes focus on the actual problems.


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kane
kane
6 years ago

Have you seen latest Blizzards tweets? 😀

Fela
Fela
6 years ago
Reply to  kane

What are you referring to?

Blizzard sucks
Blizzard sucks
6 years ago
Reply to  kane

Unless their tweets say “we’re sorry we opened the door for this kind of nonsense with the release of Overwatch last year”, I don’t care what Blizzard has to say about this situation. Or to use their full name, I don’t care what Activision-Blizzard has to say about this situation.

And hell yeah Overwatch is guilty. It doesn’t matter what’s in the loot boxes, what matters is they have loot boxes. You can learn more about this opinion here because I don’t have time to keep writing at the moment: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NLDid1UNyg8

Mitoni
Mitoni
6 years ago
Reply to  Blizzard sucks

I have to disagree and agree at the same time. I agree that loot boxes are bad, and are basically targeted gambling at kids who get a hold of their parents’ credit card, but Blizzard is far from the start of this. If I was going to place any blame on them being mainstream, I’d go back to the loot boxes in CS:GO. Now that being said, I have to disagree about loot boxes being bad for the game. In CS:GO, and Overwatch, they are cosmetic items. However, once you cross the line of giving blatant upgrades to gameplay for… Read more »

FITCamaro
FITCamaro
6 years ago
Reply to  kane

Can you enlighten us?

kane
kane
6 years ago
Reply to  FITCamaro

https://twitter.com/StarCraft/status/930535216925491200

OK, I am not an overwatch player, but I was pretty much sure that you can buy only cosmetics items (skins, tags, poses) not a weapon or shield upgrades.

Scrysis
Scrysis
6 years ago
Reply to  FITCamaro

Overwatch uses 100% cosmetic loot boxes. All heroes, all maps are available 100% of the time to everyone. You can earn loot boxes by gaining xp through play and hitting specific milestones, or you can get one for free every time a seasonal event happens. Duplicate items give out currency which can be used to buy specific skins that you might want. The sucks poster is just irrationally mad. Overwatch wasn’t the first significant game to offer boxes. Dota2, just from the limited games I have played, offered loot boxes long in advance. So no, Blizzard didn’t open the door… Read more »

Xelian
Xelian
6 years ago
Reply to  Scrysis

As usual though Blizzard did it better than the others. That’s what they are masters of. They get someones original idea, polish it and make shitload of money. That’s why they hold the pretty much only competitive strategy these days, the largest MMORPG, the most popular hack and slash and currently with Overwatch – one of the most played shooters. They kinda know when to draw the line. Unlike EA and Ubisoft for example.

Tim van der Meij
Tim van der Meij
6 years ago

I think it’s back-pedal, like a bicycle!

djhash
djhash
6 years ago
Cody
Cody
6 years ago

Vaders phone thingy changed colors o.o

Barry
Barry
6 years ago
Reply to  Cody

All those downvotes caused the phone to switch to the dark side.

Allan Belcher
Allan Belcher
6 years ago

….Yes it is.
….Like a bicycle.
….As in back pedal brakes.

SWM
SWM
6 years ago

Leave it to EA to solve the problem without actually solving the problem.

raven0ak
raven0ak
6 years ago
Reply to  SWM

*leave it to €A to solve problem without solving problem or like most of time making problem even worse

EA sucks
EA sucks
6 years ago

Reducing the campaign credits is still a dick move. If they wanted people to get Iden after finishing the campaign, they should have just had her unlock instead of giving you credits. Seeing any reward drop by that much just makes EA look greedy and/or petty even if the math checks out. But yeah, still plenty to complain about. Like how the progression system they’re using is still the same. Still based around these unlocks and cards and plenty of loot boxes. Or how pre-release screenshots show Luke at 10k credits, so 15k credits is still a 5k credit price… Read more »

Game-Cynic
Game-Cynic
6 years ago
Reply to  EA sucks

“Reducing the campaign credits is still a dick move. If they wanted people to get Iden after finishing the campaign, they should have just had her unlock instead of giving you credits. Seeing any reward drop by that much just makes EA look greedy and/or petty even if the math checks out.” Not a Battlefront player. Somewhat for the same reason as you. I’m not opposed to some aftermarket monetization, but the implementation here is terrible. But your point make no sense. You’re strictly better off if you get enough credits to purchase Iden, but have the option to spend… Read more »

Robert Loughrey
Robert Loughrey
6 years ago
Reply to  EA sucks

This comment makes no sense. To be making a change because of greed they need to be giving you less and getting more out of it. They are giving you exactly what they were before, the reward didn’t drop BECAUSE the math checks out. Complaining that the price wasn’t the same as it was in Pre-Access is similarly silly. Pre-Access is designed to look at balance and then make changes. I hate loot boxes too. I don’t play games where they give a competitive advantage, and I’ve quit playing games like PUB-G where loot box farming encourages cheating/deliberate lagging. If… Read more »

Erik Heinze-Milne
Erik Heinze-Milne
6 years ago

Actually, it IS a drop, because loot boxes are the same price still. Previously you could have bought 5 loot boxes with the campaign reward, now you can only buy 1. That’s an 80% reduction in the reward payout.

RusTranslator
RusTranslator
6 years ago

2014
Ubisoft: i will be worst game company ever.
EA: Hold my beer.

Hamstermer
Hamstermer
6 years ago
Reply to  RusTranslator

3 years later…
EA: I’M BACK!
Ubisoft: How’d it go?
EA: THEY HATE ME!

Deadly-Bagel
Deadly-Bagel
6 years ago

I think I’m pretty much over AAA gaming. More and more of budgets are going into the scenery at the expense of story, and when they run out of story to cut down on the gameplay suffers. Big game companies are either getting lazy and cutting corners (lost count of the number of game-breaking bugs in the new retro Sonic game my wife got for the Switch), or charge through the nose for content. Heck, even Breath of the Wild isn’t free of this. Sure it was a beautiful game and certainly fun, but the difficulty curve was pretty weird… Read more »

Fck EA
Fck EA
6 years ago
Reply to  Deadly-Bagel

FTL is amazingly addicting!

Retro
Retro
6 years ago
Reply to  Deadly-Bagel

Sounds exactly like every Zelda ever

Skorpeyon
Skorpeyon
6 years ago
Reply to  Deadly-Bagel

Yeah, I commented on a thread, on FB I believe, about this stuff the other day and simply said I’ll stick with my $20 copy of Cuphead that got me the game on both Windows and Xbox One. And that game was HEAVILY focused on graphics, it’s gorgeous, just in a very different way than AAA titles are.

Eldest Gruff
Eldest Gruff
6 years ago
Reply to  Deadly-Bagel

DB, I was initially totally with you; I agree that some of my favorite experiences this year have been small studios or one-man endeavors, and often I feel that the only thing that most AAA games bring to the table is shiny graphics. … but, man, the games you choose to demonstrate just don’t do your argument justice. First, I’m assuming you’re referring to Sonic Forces, but neither Forces at $40 nor Mania at $20 is a AAA game. Besides the price point, Sonic really hasn’t been “good” in decades; having Forces be mediocre really shouldn’t have been a surprise.… Read more »

Feemster
Feemster
6 years ago
Reply to  Eldest Gruff

Dude, I really like your prospective on all this. Personally I’ll say that just because the story is sparse in BotW… doesn’t mean that it isn’t enjoyable. I play the game in 30min to 4 hour bursts. The game really doesn’t need “replay-ability” it has so much just to get through one play. Some players like me will never start a second game on something that takes up so much time to get through. It keeps my short attention span for the time I have to give it. And minecraft is only enjoyable for me when I play with other… Read more »

Deadly-Bagel
Deadly-Bagel
6 years ago
Reply to  Eldest Gruff

Sonic Mania was the one I was referring to. I was more using those games as an example of big developers being lazy and just riding on their brand rather than actually setting out to make a good game. I already wait for the reviews to come out and (some) of the bugs to be patched, that’s why my recent experiences of big games has been so limited. Because there haven’t been any good ones. I enjoyed the Mass Effect trilogy and Dark Souls 1 and 2, but aside from that I really can’t think of anything recent from any… Read more »

Nick Rivest
Nick Rivest
6 years ago

So what, those people are just complaining? I said it before, I’ll say it again, you’re part of the problem. STOP GIVING THEM THEIR INCH, OR THEY WILL TAKE THE MILE! The goodwill is fucking GONE. The “only cosmetic” argument, one I myself have made, is OVER. There is NO trust now, so stop justifying ANY of it.

ThatOneGuy
ThatOneGuy
6 years ago
Reply to  Nick Rivest

What the fuck even is your argument? I’m confused. I don’t really get anything from this except that you’re real steamed up about something, and trying to feel better than everyone else

Pulse
Pulse
6 years ago

my thoughts on this is that those who scream the most about hating micro transactions are also the same people now screaming that they are spending too much time on a game. i mean the math came out to 80 hours of playing to get the top characters. i remember playing WoW and EVE for MONTHS OF TIME and still not being the best of the best. people are wanting FAST gaming so much they arent really in the right to complain when game companys trickle in ways to get them to have super fast gaming for alittle extra money,… Read more »

kane
kane
6 years ago
Reply to  Pulse

I am quite sure that the problem here is not ‘you have to wait to prove your skill and dedication to play role of Lord Vader’ but rather ‘you have to wait to prove your skill and dedication to play role of Lord Vader… or just pay us 30£ extra to create better weapons like true Sith’

Black Rose
Black Rose
6 years ago
Reply to  Tim

It’s funny how you said exactly the opposite thing about the same problem with shadow of war.

Black Rose
Black Rose
6 years ago
Reply to  Tim

I don’t know why you think it’s ok as long as it’s single player. In both cases there are gameplay mechanics that were designed to make people pay additional money and ruin the experience for those who don’t. Maybe one is more effective than the other but their intent is quite obvious. They intentionally made part of the game to be bad, so you would pay to avoid it. The fact that you didn’t feel the need to buy lootboxes in Shadow of War doesn’t mean that nobody feelt it.

Jaysburn
Jaysburn
6 years ago
Reply to  Black Rose

Tim’s point is pretty clear… It’s (more) okay in single player because there is no competitive edge pushing you to make those purchases. If you WANT to buy some loot boxes to get some quick orcs/weapons, you can do so. Or you can play for, as he said, maybe an hour or so to get the exact same thing. If you just want to come home and enjoy a massive battle and don’t mind spending 10 bucks, you can. If you’d rather grind out a decent little army for a few hours first, you can do that instead. With Battlefront… Read more »

Somewhere
Somewhere
6 years ago
Reply to  Black Rose


Now I can’t help but imagine a comic about that happening. Like the one about people suing Microsoft for millions over Xbox server downtime, only in reverse.

Eldest Gruff
Eldest Gruff
6 years ago
Reply to  Tim

I just don’t want to pay $60 for my game, then feel like a second-class citizen running around as a generic Stormtrooper while other people pay money to look far more impressive and have access to cooler stuff. It’s perfectly fine if they earned that by the same hard work I put in, but not cool if they just get it handed to them. It’s the exact same reason why I skip Pokémon every generation or so – the only way to compete is to grind a ton by planning out a team, catching dozens of the monsters you want,… Read more »

Purple
Purple
6 years ago
Reply to  Eldest Gruff

It’s amazing how openly big tournaments at pokemon just “accept” hacked pokemon teams as a thing now. Wish they’d just add stuff so you can get your old gen imported teams to be on the same level as new gen pokemon so you don’t have to grind again.

Pulse
Pulse
6 years ago
Reply to  Purple

well Purple, there is Pokebank now. Gen 6 and 7 and the Gen 1 and 2 virtual releases all can use it. 5 bucks a year for 3000 slots of storage.

Pulse
Pulse
6 years ago
Reply to  Tim

they are only OFFERING what people are BEGGING for. that is the problem. “What!? i payed for this game and i have to actually PLAY IT to do anything? BS!” *start social media and forum rampage* that is how i’m seeing this whole thing play out. the WHINERS are the ones making SHORTCUTS WANTED. complain about lootboxs all you want, they are exactly what the gamers asked for this time. hell be happy they didnt do the heros of the storm thing and put the characters IN the lootboxs. was tickled pink when i got D.VA for free from a… Read more »

Pulse
Pulse
6 years ago
Reply to  Pulse

You know, bringing back my WoW reference, what is your thoughts on the instant 90, 100, probably 110 to come thing? you dont even have to have a character to that level either. just $60 to spend. dont think i saw any comics about that on here. sure it helps new players play with friends faster, but also lets lazy people willing to throw their wallets at their troubles alt swap easily.

FITCamaro
FITCamaro
6 years ago

http://www.swtorstrategies.com/2017/11/it-will-take-4528-hours-of-gameplay-or-2100-to-unlock-all-base-game-content.html

Even if this is 1/4 true, that’s more gaming time than I have in an entire year.

Fck EA
Fck EA
6 years ago

IIRC, SWBF2 also has a cap on how much credits can be earned after a certain amount of time. I thought I saw it prevented players from earning more credits for 3 hours or something? Is that correct?

Tue
Tue
6 years ago

On the downside it will be so much faster before the rebels get a look at Darth Vader.

xyzzy
xyzzy
6 years ago

Seems like they did exactly what this guy said they were going to do “”making the outrage outdated.”

https://www.reddit.com/r/StarWarsBattlefront/comments/7cji8a/i_work_in_electronic_media_pr_ill_tell_you_what/?st=J9XT1QJU&sh=0dedac67

Didn’t change much, just made the critiques outdated.

coldwalker
coldwalker
6 years ago

Just boycot the game already. The entire business model behind it was sh*t from inception and should not be supported regardless of any compromise.

Somewhere
Somewhere
6 years ago
Reply to  coldwalker

Did you see the Firefly season 2 that was released after the Internet Petition? No? Exactly.
Sadly, there are too many people who don’t really care.

Diamond655
Diamond655
6 years ago

“. . . and we will be making constant adjustments to ensure that the rebel alliance dies at the hands of an evil dictatorship in a way that is compelling, meaningful and fulfilling.”

Imagine if the Empire was actually like this.

Somewhere
Somewhere
6 years ago

This feels almost like the Red hat Comic only the people going into a frenzy are just upset about an actual issue as opposed to something that didn’t happen.

Benedict Holland
Benedict Holland
6 years ago

They implemented a per day cap without a cap on credits you pay for. This bullshit has to end somewhere and this game might just be it.

Robert Loughrey
Robert Loughrey
6 years ago

IMO, all of these problems can be solved by quitting console gaming. On a PC games are cheaper, you have better controls, and greater control over your hardware experience at a cheaper cost for said hardware. Software-wise, 80 bucks is pretty much unheard of for a PC game. If its a single player game and you’re willing to wait for it it would be easy to get a AAA title for 10 bucks. Even most of the popular multiplayer is cheap or free.

Zemerick
Zemerick
6 years ago

They have disabled the MT currency in BF2. They might actually be caving in. The announcement is still vague enough to leave wiggle room, but to completely turn off the MTs at launch, then try to still do P2W would be really weird. People are asking for a clarification from the devs atm. The main questionable line is: “This means that the option to purchase crystals in the game is now offline, and all progression will be earned through gameplay.” Specifically, will progression be earned through gameplay ONLY while crystals ( the MT currency ) are offline, or is that… Read more »

FckEA
FckEA
6 years ago
Reply to  Zemerick

I dont think this is them caving in as it is so much they got a STERN talking to by daddy Disney. Probably got threatened with the belt, told to fix their sh*t, and go apologize.

https://venturebeat.com/2017/11/16/star-wars-battlefront-ii-microtransactions-go-offline-until-ea-can-make-changes/

John Brownlee
John Brownlee
6 years ago

Someone should probably tell Tim that he’s advertising for this game…