Why do people like boosters so much?

[Tooterfish]

I'm not asking rhetorically here, I'm genuinely curious as to why Boosters are considered to improve the game-play experience by so many people. I may be going out on a limb here in assuming as such, but I've rarely seen any real complaint toward it.

In my opinion, boosters only inhibit the overall experience. The grind, the well-deserved rank, the all around effort that is associated with leveling and progressing. I recognize the need to include appealing incentives for a premium membership or micro-transaction worth real cash, but how could shortening and ultimately devaluing your in-game status be rewarding to anybody? Psychologically speaking, it is reasonable to assume that a reward will be more meaningful when it is earned through hard work which, I might add, would seem more relatable, and appreciated, if achieved on an equal, un-tamperable scale (if that makes any sense at all). If all it took to become a millionaire was a few minutes of your time, then who would be impressed by a million bucks any more?

I'm probably looking at this all wrong, so I'm all ears here. Fix me please.

[ChipMHazard]

Not everyone has the time to "grind" so they might choose to pay for a boost of some sort or an unlock.

[SergeantNubins]

The booster is actually just making the game work how it was intended. Its sold as an improvement but thats because its easier to say its an upgrade than say the non boosted free version of the game is a downgrade.

They are a harmless way of obtaining funds, if someone refuses to pay for a game then they have to spend longer to get the different toys to play with, it doesnt change their gameplay effectiveness so its perfect for the F2P model.

[AThreatToYou]

I never buy boosters because they aren't worth paying for in the first place.

http://i.imgur.com/7S9Jm.gif

Why? All of the above, plus more. They time-out, are disproportionately expensive, and aren't guaranteed to get you anything...

[Chowley]

I would generally agree with the OP. Never bought a booster for LoL but I felt that it wasnt much of a grind anyway, also if you advance in level a lot faster you will be around players with more experience and knowledge than you and you will be below par (although debatable).

But then you have games such as Tribes Ascend, which are incredibly grindy! You get +50% xp permanently for any purchase as well as possible double xp boosters for whatever amount of €. While I havent purchased anything for the game yet, I actually feel really compelled to do so.

So basically ya, I will see how things work out with PS2 before deciding on the values of boosters, if it is incredibly grindy and restrictive, that will sour the game for me a bit, but I will buy a booster (although if the game is good enough it wouldnt be a huge issue, such as with Tribes).
But in general ya I think theyre crap :p

[Vanath]

Some people don't have as much time to devote to grinding but still want access to the better gear. Others just want to get through the grind as quickly as possible.

[Kyros]

Grinding sucks and it's just a pain in the ass. I don't care about impressing anyone or feeling good about my "accomplishment." I just want the gear so I can mold my character the way I wanted him to be in the first place. THAT is when the real fun begins in my opinion.

If all it took to become a millionaire was a few minutes of your time, then who would be impressed by a million bucks any more? .

Who cares! I'D BE RICH.

[Stew]

they dont have the time to play or they are XP whore lol

but most people have just like 2 days to play and they still want to be able to follow their friends so their 2 days with booster will be like they have play 4 day in a week wich is not thats bad !

[ThermalReaper]

My version is that for the people who just want to pay their way out of the grind. Or ease it.

[Snipefrag]

My view on this is that some people don't have a lot of time to play (like me) because they have demanding jobs, boosters enable them to trade money to have a chance of keeping up with the slackers in the outfit that play games 24/7 :D ! Along the same lines as the offline cert learning stuff.

[Tooterfish]

My view on this is that some people don't have a lot of time to play (like me) because they have demanding jobs, boosters enable them to trade money to have a chance of keeping up with the slackers in the outfit that play games 24/7 :D ! Along the same lines as the offline cert learning stuff.

I agree with this completely, in most games. Thing is, and I think it is really important to point out, I have always been behind my friends on level and certs from PS1, but I never had a problem finding something useful to do in the game.

[Snipefrag]

I agree with this completely, in most games. Thing is, and I think it is really important to point out, I have always been behind my friends on level and certs from PS1, but I never had a problem finding something useful to do in the game.

True, it doesn't affect you as much as it would in say.. WoW, falling behind in BR isn't as detrimental to your play. But its still going to limit what you can do, limit how quickly you can customize and style your character to how you want which cant be discounted.

[Reefpirate]

Who cares! I'D BE RICH.

That's not how economics works...

[Kyros]

That's not how economics works...
It is if I'm the only one who gets to do it.

But anyway in regards to boosters, they wont help you catch up to your friends if your friends also buy boosters. Personally I'd prefer they not be in the game at all but I'll still use them if they are.

[Baneblade]

In many F2P games... Perfect World International for example, the default grind is so ridiculous that you need boosters just to get a somewhat normal xp/hr. And even then you still take months or even years to get anywhere meaningful.

Games like those make you feel like boosters are necessary, even if the really aren't.

Boosters also help casuals keep up, in their heads at least, since the 'hardcore' tend to pop boosters like they are candy.

Bottom line, it is a psychological need to be accomplished and boosters make it happen faster... same reason people use steroids and 'natural male enhancement'.

[Otleaz]

Bottom line, it is a psychological need to be accomplished and boosters make it happen faster... same reason people use steroids and 'natural male enhancement'.

In my case, it will be a psychological need to send in twice as many magriders and scythes as the non-boosters so my side will have an easier time capturing a base.

Man, I sure am glad they aren't planning on making this game pay2win!

[TAA]

I have never purchased a booster before, but now I am so busy with RL that money is not so much the limiting factor anymore but rather time. If boosters work on a measure of hours played as opposed to real-time hours then I may be tempted to get them.

[Trafalgar]

In many F2P games... Perfect World International for example, the default grind is so ridiculous that you need boosters just to get a somewhat normal xp/hr. And even then you still take months or even years to get anywhere meaningful.

Games like those make you feel like boosters are necessary, even if the really aren't.

Personally, games like those just make me uninterested. Why buy boosters when I could play something that isn't grindy?

[ChipMHazard]

Man, I sure am glad they aren't planning on making this game pay2win!

Yes it is a good thing that they are indeed not planning on doing that.

[Geist]

Honestly, the best part of Planetside is the fact that no matter what BR you are, you can still play with your friends and kill anyone. It will honestly be one of the easiest grinds because there is no grind, what your doing at BR1 will be exactly what your doing at BR20, only with more options available.

[Wayside]

I'm not asking rhetorically here, I'm genuinely curious as to why Boosters are considered to improve the game-play experience by so many people. I may be going out on a limb here in assuming as such, but I've rarely seen any real complaint toward it.

In my opinion, boosters only inhibit the overall experience. The grind, the well-deserved rank, the all around effort that is associated with leveling and progressing. I recognize the need to include appealing incentives for a premium membership or micro-transaction worth real cash, but how could shortening and ultimately devaluing your in-game status be rewarding to anybody? Psychologically speaking, it is reasonable to assume that a reward will be more meaningful when it is earned through hard work which, I might add, would seem more relatable, and appreciated, if achieved on an equal, un-tamperable scale (if that makes any sense at all). If all it took to become a millionaire was a few minutes of your time, then who would be impressed by a million bucks any more?

I'm probably looking at this all wrong, so I'm all ears here. Fix me please.

I somehow doubt you struggle to comprehend the appeal of instant or accelerated gratification as much as you seem to imply in your post. Even if your own principles or ideals are at odds with it, its not a complicated concept from an academic standpoint. As such, I don't think theres a legitimate conversation to be had on that front.

You did however touch on an interesting concept towards the end of your post:
If all it took to become a millionaire was a few minutes of your time, then who would be impressed by a million bucks any more? The implication of this analogy is that you assume people are trying to impress you with the manor or speed with which they acquire items in a video game. Now, there are people out there who are convinced that the world as a whole cares how long it took them to acquire [iron sight attachment #1255] in Planetside 2. But, drawing from personal experience only mind you, I expect those people are in the minority. Even among fellow gamers.

I suspect its far more likely that people beat their chest and tute their horn over what they DO with [iron sight attachment #1255], not how long it took them to acquire it. Again, totally my opinion, but it holds true for the vast majority of hardcore gamers I've played with. I suspect its even less likely that casual gamers would walk around bragging about how much time they sunk into a game. Seems a bit contradictory to the concept of casual gaming.

You're far more likely to hear someone shout
"DID YOU SEE THAT?!! I TOTALLY PWNT THAT NOOB!"
than you are to hear a cry of
"DID YOU SEE THAT?!! I TOTALLY ACQUIRED [iron sight attachment #1255] AND ITS ASSOCIATED CERTIFICATIONS 43% SLOWER/FASTER THAN THESE OTHER PLAYERS OVER HERE! I ROCK!"
I'm sure that second statement gets used occasionally, but again I suspect it sees far less use than the first. How long it takes to get something in a game just isn't as interesting or fulfilling in the long run as what you can DO with it.

Anyway, back to the implication that players care or are trying to impress you or anyone else with how long they were able to put off the acquisition of an item; The idea that people in general are salivating over the prospect of making rewards arrive as slowly as possible so that they can gloat or brag about how little they've accomplished over a span of time and how cool that makes them:

I think you'll find that most gamers don't really care if you look down your nose at them for opting to spend more time using an item than they spent grinding for it. And I think you'll find most people would take that million dollars and not give a damn what you thought of how much or how little work was involved in claiming it. :P

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

TL;DR - Yes, people generally appreciate an achievement more when it takes a bit more time to accomplish. But the types of achievements that leave a true and lasting sense of accomplishment in a game have more to do with feats of personal skill or cunning. A sense of superiority that comes from defeating your opponents because you were better. You tried harder. You trained longer.

At the end of the day, no one is singing songs about the guy who chose to crawl down the path to [iron sight attachment #1255]. They're singing about the guy who no-scoped that dude mid-sprint, took [iron sight attachment #1255], and used it to kill 15 other dudes before he finally got taken out by 3 tanks.

Seriously it took 3 tanks to take him down. What a baller.

My 2c.

[kejel]

I like boosters because its a good way imo to support a game. yes i believe they need money to succeed otherwise how else would higby get his pizza.

Also would you rather you get x amount of xp as a free player and x extra for a booster or you get x for being a paying customer and x less if you dont pay? really its exactly the same just the first option doesn't upset so many people.

Ofc we could say well no-one pays but then we also get no cool games:(

[gufftroad]

because getting things faster is nice and it is usually cheaper to buy a boost or two then to buy an item and if you use the boost right you can get the item and possibly another if you work your ass off i personally love boosts in Tribes the boost is such a huge quality of life upgrade they are worth every penny

[Arcticus]

.... Psychologically speaking, it is reasonable to assume that a reward will be more meaningful when it is earned through hard work which, I might add, would seem more relatable, and appreciated, if achieved on an equal, un-tamperable scale (if that makes any sense at all)...

Some of us believe that our RL jobs are harder work than our playtime. I believe that boosters, if done correctly, fall perfectly well withinin the f2p revenue model. It'll work well because I'm assuming these conditions:

1) If, as stated somewhere else, the unboostered player who is actively in game is earning around 1 point every ten minutes or so, then the un-boostered leveling won't be such a grind as to push away from the game those who can't /won't pay. In other words, they are experiencing progression.

2) The boosters are just faster leveling, not just a bunch of instant levels/unlocks.

3) SOE has stated multiple times that lower level players can still kill higher level players (ca 20% power difference).

4) This is an FPS, so the "grind" activity is the joyful activity for which we all are logging into this game...which is killing other players. We actually like doing this, so it's not a monotonous grind. There's no PvE questing here. No interacting with NPCs. You interact with your enemy by pairing their internal organs with inorganic matter (or energy in the case of Vanus).

The magic for SOE will be if they hit that sweet spot wherein those who come into the game not planning to pay for boosters, after unlocking most of the lower cost certs, feel that the remaing high level unlocks are still fairly achievable for free, but decide that, for themselves, it's now time for some accelerated boostering.

[vVRedOctoberVv]

I hate grinding. In any game. I don't feel "accomplished" that it took me six weeks to do something. I feel annoyed. My sense of accomplishment comes from playing the game, not wasting time so I can get a slightly bigger pew-pew stick.

[Policenaut]

I think boosters really depend on the game. For example, if you don't have the VIP booster for Tribes: Ascend, the amount of time it takes you to unlock a weapon is absurd. Hell, it's absurd even with the VIP booster, taking up to a week of playing 4-6 hours a day to unlock one of the better weapons. But seeing as how weapons are unlocked with resources and not experience, I don't think it will be too much of an issue.

[Figment]

Not everyone has the time to "grind" so they might choose to pay for a boost of some sort or an unlock.

Indeed.

Btw, if I gave you your arm back, what would you do with it?

[DarkChiron]

I would be interested in boosters because I would like to have as much customization options available as soon as possible. It's not to show off or to try to catch up. I would like to play the game in the manner I want to, not spend all my time working to get to that point.

[Envenom]

I'm not asking rhetorically here, I'm genuinely curious as to why Boosters are considered to improve the game-play experience by so many people. I may be going out on a limb here in assuming as such, but I've rarely seen any real complaint toward it.

In my opinion, boosters only inhibit the overall experience. The grind, the well-deserved rank, the all around effort that is associated with leveling and progressing. I recognize the need to include appealing incentives for a premium membership or micro-transaction worth real cash, but how could shortening and ultimately devaluing your in-game status be rewarding to anybody? Psychologically speaking, it is reasonable to assume that a reward will be more meaningful when it is earned through hard work which, I might add, would seem more relatable, and appreciated, if achieved on an equal, un-tamperable scale (if that makes any sense at all). If all it took to become a millionaire was a few minutes of your time, then who would be impressed by a million bucks any more?

I'm probably looking at this all wrong, so I'm all ears here. Fix me please.

Because I have a life outside of the game and can't dedicate ridiculous hours of grinding like others to experience all the content.

Power to your if you have this kind of time. Unfortunately I do not. Why should I be inhibited from experiencing the full game? I will gladly pay for convenience.

[MegaBusta]

On one hand I like boosters because I don't have time to play constantly.

On the other hand I hate boosters because I don't have time to play constantly so I feel like I'm wasting money not playing.

[maradine]

I'll be lucky if I can scavenge an hour a night to play. I appreciate that Sony will allow me to plop some ducats down on the bar to stretch that into an effective horribly game breaking 90 minutes.

Snark aside, I could see myself being pissy if I had 18 hours a day to play, a big epeen, and no money - and some guy with both is getting an effective 27 hours a day. Hell, that sucks even without the 'peen in play.

Without a firm understanding of how Sony's structuring it, this is all speculation.

[UnDeAdKiTtY]

Is there anyone here with the more positive mindset that I like this game and I want to see it stay around and I also get rewarded for "donating" to something I enjoy.

God everyone is so cheap and rude about it.

Edit: For those talking about the psychological model you guys are getting it wrong. The mental incentives of the brain don't work like "I wish I was bigger".

Its the simple concept of "Pay to Play" I have to pay to get into something I am not sure about and have to pay to not loose what I have been working on, This is a negative incentive. If you don't blank I will take away blank, the mind rationalizes why would I want to get involved in something like that thus scaring customers away.

"Free to Play" I can try it with minimal overhead but my time and computer power. "Hey this is fun! but I wish I could progress faster". Game makers say, "hey I see you want to move along faster If you buy something from us you will be rewarded more and better!" wow thats a nice offer". Basically If I give blank I get blank and if I can't get it now I can get blank later.

[wOOtbEEr]

Boosters come down to one simple equation that is true for the vast majority of people in the world. Time = Money. If you have more time than money then I hope you enjoy the extra game time you get. I'll see you online 1 or 2 days a week and I'll have my booster.

The other reason everyone should be happy about the boosters in the game is this. I can only pay SOE for the gold spinning rims on my prowler once (hint hint) . But I will be buying that booster week after week along with everyone else with a day job and kids. So if you have the time to play multiple days a week, do your part by keeping the pops up and helping the game stay awesome. The rest of us will be doing our part by making sure the awesome people that made it get paid.

[ChipMHazard]

Indeed.

Btw, if I gave you your arm back, what would you do with it?

I’d terrorize Auraxis! I’d torture the New Conglomerate! I’d demolish the… er… What I meant to write was, I’d use it to pet Vanus.

[Flaropri]

I'm not asking rhetorically here, I'm genuinely curious as to why Boosters are considered to improve the game-play experience by so many people. I may be going out on a limb here in assuming as such, but I've rarely seen any real complaint toward it.

They don't directly. Though I can understand unlock-mania where people want to unlock as much as they can in as short a time as possible.

Indirectly they are a respectable source of revenue, as such, I'm all for them, even if I don't plan to use them (I intend to contribute in far more meaningless ways such as skins and hood ornaments).

[Sirisian]

I hate grinding. In any game. I don't feel "accomplished" that it took me six weeks to do something. I feel annoyed. My sense of accomplishment comes from playing the game, not wasting time so I can get a slightly bigger pew-pew stick.
This exactly. I feel nothing from the normal upgrade model in games. I don't gain enjoyment from playing MMORPG games for that very reason and literally can't enjoy them outside of exploring. I just gave my character the best gear (when you could do that) in D2 and beat the game once and stopped playing.

If I could just unlock everything day 1 and just play I probably would. :) That and time constraints and other hobbies.

[SixShooter]

2003 and 2004 I was laid off for large parts of the year and had all the time in the world to dedicate to PS1. Now I work 45 hours a week and also have 3 kids so a booster is definitly going to be a plus for me since my playtime is going to be limited.

[Karrade]

OP - People find different things fun and/or rewarding. On top of that, people play games for different reasons.

See the bartle test for a very basic breakdown.

[Blue]

I am consumed with work and RL bullsh*t all week and even on the weekends, but honestly I love the grind. It DOES make me feel more accomplished. I played planetside very sporadically at times, and was never a xpwhore. I finally got to BR25 a couple weeks ago, and it was the best feeling in the world.

I understand why they are being implemented, and quite frankly I don't have a problem with it. Skill is skill. Isn't it more gratifying to kill someone of higher rank than you 5 times in a row, than to use your "side-grades" to frag some noob?

That's my 2cents ;]

[kaffis]

People who have more time than money will play without boosters.

People who have more money than time will play with them.

Both of them will, through their chosen mode of play, achieve their goals in game with regards to setting themselves up with certifications and customizing their gameplay to suit them and enjoy themselves more.

I call that a win.

[Policenaut]

People who have more time than money will play without boosters.

People who have more money than time will play with them.

Both of them will, through their chosen mode of play, achieve their goals in game with regards to setting themselves up with certifications and customizing their gameplay to suit them and enjoy themselves more.

I call that a win.

But I have money AND time

[Dougnifico]

I would like to point out a major downside to boosters... Unfair advantage for lottery winners...

[StumpyTheOzzie]

In my new job I farm out all the "Grindy" parts to contractors or underlings. I only do the fun and/or hard stuff.

I like that I can do this in-game. Skip the boring details to get to the cool things. And it only costs money, which I have plenty of. With a wife and a kid I'm not interested in the grind.

[Pepsi]

But I have money AND timeI think that's worth mentioning too. We all are looking at the gamer who has a job/family who can't play that much and boosters positively affect them, but all of the best players are going to be using boosters as well. I wonder if it will have the effect of separating the gap between the elite and the masses more than a normal paid game.

[noxious]

Boosters won't be the huge, balancing breaking factor some of you guys are expecting. The skill system is very much like EVE Online, where you can max out a specific role in a relatively short amount of time. In EVE, a new player can generally pick a role and fill it as well as the oldest characters in the game after a few months. What the old characters have over the new players is flexibility; they have the skills to perform many roles very well.

From what we've seen of PlanetSide 2's certification system, this is how things will work here as well. Old/boosted characters will be more flexible than young/non-boosted characters, but the cert-ceiling will ensure that people on either side of the fence can fill some role perfectly, even if the latter group can't fill many roles perfectly.

[Otleaz]

Boosters won't be the huge, balancing breaking factor some of you guys are expecting. The skill system is very much like EVE Online, where you can max out a specific role in a relatively short amount of time. In EVE, a new player can generally pick a role and fill it as well as the oldest characters in the game after a few months. What the old characters have over the new players is flexibility; they have the skills to perform many roles very well.

From what we've seen of PlanetSide 2's certification system, this is how things will work here as well. Old/boosted characters will be more flexible than young/non-boosted characters, but the cert-ceiling will ensure that people on either side of the fence can fill some role perfectly, even if the latter group can't fill many roles perfectly.

What about resource boosters? If the booster is for 200%, they are bringing in two times as many vehicles to the fight.

[OutlawDr]

Boosters are a necessary evil of f2p games. Nobody actually LIKES boosters, but they do like how it allows them to get stuff faster....since the game is designed to make you want to buy boosters in order to avoid some of the grind.

[OutlawDr]

Holy shit, really?

Ya rly. I decided to sage up the place since we are on page 4 on something that seems very obvious. BTW I like how the rest of your post is basically what I said but more long winded.

[Pepsi]

What about resource boosters? If the booster is for 200%, they are bringing in two times as many vehicles to the fight.Boosters only affect one person at a time, and you can only pilot one vehicle, so I'm not quite sure who "they" are. If you do well enough in your vehicle and earn enough resources to offset the cost of your vehicle, then any extra resources gained from the boosts is just excess. You can't use any of those excess resources until you die, and even then only you can use that vehicle.

That is, if the resource gains are that fast. I could be completely wrong. :)

[Sirisian]

Wait can someone cite where the resource booster talk is coming from? I'm confused. I usually think I've read everything, and I can't recall them ever discussing resource boosters. I mean we've talked about why it shouldn't be in the game in a few threads, so I want to make sure it isn't one person spreading a rumor.

// edit oh they are in an E3 video in the item shop apparently. hmm

[OutlawDr]

Then don't post something after you post something completely different. I read it and we are on the same page in similar ways, but what you said that I quoted, you boasted some crazy ass money making scheme. It's not about that.

Edit: Especially the part where you say " nobody really LIKES boosters " because I do. I need them. I work too fucking much.
Crazy ass money making scheme? Its a business nothing more. F2P games are designed to temp you into buying boosters via some sort of grind. Sorry, but thats pretty undeniable. Compare that to a game where you don't need boosters at all...like say counterstrike or starcraft 2. It would be better if there was no need for boosters and I just got all the game content as is...but then they wouldn't make any money. Again, pretty damn obvious.. I didn't really think it needed to be said.

[CutterJohn]

In my opinion, boosters only inhibit the overall experience. The grind, the well-deserved rank, the all around effort that is associated with leveling and progressing.

Are you kidding? You really don't want to know what I'd be willing to pay SOE for a character with max rank/certs, so I could skip all that nonsense. A lot.


I hate grinds, and I loathe them in FPSs. Well deserved rank? You could literally roll your face across the keyboard and eventually reach max rank. It is meaningless.


I want access to everything so that I can get better with that stuff. I shouldn't have to wait for my character to cross some arbitrary threshold of points.

[OutlawDr]

So the people who could effectively grind for 15 hours a day as opposed to me who can only grind 8 hours a day has no bearing? Really? It's that damn obvious?


Ok I need to stop you there. Take a big breath, and stop with the knee jerk comments

Yes its sad and unfair how f2p games give guys who have 15 hours a day to grind an advantage, but thats the point. Busy, employed people don't have that kind of time, I don't have that time...and it makes boosters very appealing. Yes thats the business model f2p rely on...but Im fine with it..it is a necessary evil to keep the devs in business. Again, boosters wouldn't be necessary if the game wasn't designed around this grind, and gave you all the game content up front ...this would include visual customizations. I will buy boosters, but i don't exactly LIKE boosters. Who LIKES spending money?