PS2 will never be Pay to Win, but...

Noctis · 2012-08-01, 06:04 PM

Hello Smurfs, Elmos and Purple Dinosaurs,

everything is subject to changes

Before I get to the point I'll tell you something about another game, EVE Online.

EVE Online it's a Pay to Play game which has a monthly fee. in EVE Online players can buy for real money a certain item, which used in game grants 30 days of game (PLEX). This item can also be sold in game to other players for Virtual Cash, techinally allowing everybody to play free.
But this is not the point.
This process leads rich people to buy large batch of PLEXes and sell them in-game to earn alot of Virtual Cash which is used to obtain stuff in the game markets.
Some players can afford the best items at anytime, with no limits and without suffering losses by rebuying everything back.

Back to PS2, I am not doing propaganda for another game.

In Planetside 2 you will be able to acquire Resources with Station Cash.

I don't want to say anything else, unless people don't grab my idea.

Hoping in a serious talk,
Iek.

Crator · 2012-08-01, 06:10 PM

Originally Posted by Noctis

In Planetside 2 you will be able to acquire Resources with Station Cash..

Pretty sure that isn't true. Were did you hear that?

Gugabalog · 2012-08-01, 06:16 PM

I know it was mentioned in a stream. Im not sure which resources that wall be.

Ruffdog · 2012-08-01, 06:21 PM

You can use Auraxium to get the three resources. You can not use money to get resources. If it was like you said, it would in a stroke cause an outcome they are trying to prevent.

Crator · 2012-08-01, 06:22 PM

^^^ Truth. Auraxium = In-game money obtained only in-game.

GLaDOS · 2012-08-01, 06:50 PM

Actually, as sad as I am about it, I'm pretty sure there will be resource collecting boosts available for Station Cash. It was shown (although breifly, when one player looked in the shop for a moment or two) in one of the E3 videos. Sorry that I'm too lazy to find it, but I have no idea where in them it is.

Littleman · 2012-08-01, 06:59 PM

Buying resources wouldn't exactly be buying power, it would be trading time spent acquiring them for money spent acquiring them.

There will be limits, as more than likely there will be a cap on the the amount of resources one may have at any given time, but ultimately, it comes down to $ for resources, or time for resources.

Not seeing the problem here. Freebies still get to play for free, they just won't go as far as fast as those whom do pay. What? You really think the game will survive on selling camos? Would you prefer they were temporary camos? I assure you, that will be far more detrimental to sales. Resources are acquired and then spent, creating SOE a consistent product they can sell over and over to the same people if they so chose to do so.

Smart players will know to STFU about this, because those impatient people paying for resources are also paying the bills to keep the devs at work and the servers running, but those same people aren't exactly getting a super powerful tank in the process, they can just afford MORE tanks without needing to balance their virtual income.

Get it right. Time IS money. Everything in life has these two costs associated with them.

Cosmetics are harmless, but people will whine because they want them but won't pay for them.

Then there's the touchier issue, "power" which some people confuse with "time." Paying for resources is paying to remove the period of time required to acquire them. No one's getting a rocket-firing gatling gun for their purchase.

Fenrod · 2012-08-01, 07:05 PM

Wait, you will be able to exchange Station Cash with resources ?

Oh dear.

Mauser101 · 2012-08-01, 07:33 PM

Originally Posted by Fenrod

Wait, you will be able to exchange Station Cash with resources ?

Oh dear.

Only thing I've seen it's resource and xp boosters, as in increasing the rate at which you earth them. Have not seen anywhere that you can outright purchase resources.

Crator · 2012-08-01, 08:15 PM

Originally Posted by Littleman

Buying resources wouldn't exactly be buying power, it would be trading time spent acquiring them for money spent acquiring them.

Ok, but that pretty much goes against the "No buying of power" thing that the DEVs have stated many times won't happen...

Originally Posted by Littleman

What? You really think the game will survive on selling camos? Would you prefer they were temporary camos? I assure you, that will be far more detrimental to sales. Resources are acquired and then spent, creating SOE a consistent product they can sell over and over to the same people if they so chose to do so.

Cosmetics are harmless, but people will whine because they want them but won't pay for them.

Then there's the touchier issue, "power" which some people confuse with "time." Paying for resources is paying to remove the period of time required to acquire them. No one's getting a rocket-firing gatling gun for their purchase.

They will sell XP boosters and Side-Grades. So, they aren't just selling camos.

camycamera · 2012-08-01, 08:25 PM

no way that they would allow people to do that. one of planetside 2's aims is to keep the game as balanced as possible. allowing people to buy resources with money would be the most stupidest idea possible, but of course, everyone needs money. however, i doubt that SOE would dare to do such a thing.

if, for example, lots of rich people in the vanu were going to buy resources, they could just end up buying an entire army of tanks via the resources that they bought using station cash, and end up dominating the battlefield. that isn't balanced, and SOE wouldn't allow something like that to happen... would they?

Noctis · 2012-08-01, 08:28 PM

I've heard more then once that was mentitioned something about direct buy of resoueces, but it was during a commentary, don't remember which. Of course it might not happen, it will probably not happen.
I think Hamma could tell us something or make such questions :o

--EDIT

Paying for resources is ACTUALLY being able to field MBTs and Air Cav all the day each time the vehicle delay ends, with no limits.

NumbaOneStunna · 2012-08-01, 08:39 PM

Originally Posted by camycamera

no way that they would allow people to do that. one of planetside 2's aims is to keep the game as balanced as possible. allowing people to buy resources with money would be the most stupidest idea possible, but of course, everyone needs money. however, i doubt that SOE would dare to do such a thing.

if, for example, lots of rich people in the vanu were going to buy resources, they could just end up buying an entire army of tanks via the resources that they bought using station cash, and end up dominating the battlefield. that isn't balanced, and SOE wouldn't allow something like that to happen... would they?

All vehicles have respawn timers.

Another words you cannot just buy all the tanks you want even if you had infinite resources.

Crator · 2012-08-01, 08:41 PM

The issue here really is we don't yet know what all they are going to sell in the shop. The theme that the DEVs have kept with, and what this community is most concerned about, is not selling power. If they do end up selling power then they will definitely hear it from this community. And, I also don't think any other F2P SOE game sells power like this.

EDIT: Also, E.V.E. Online is an exclusive club that members have to pay dues for, monthly. That allows for more free reign in the territory of what they can sell. PS2 is F2P so the general public is allowed. They want people to buy into the game to keep them....

I didn't know the details of the PLEX system as described here so it's interesting to see. EVE is such a grind just to get anything exciting (massive PvP centric) going that I kind of understand why the players buy in to it....

NumbaOneStunna · 2012-08-01, 08:42 PM

Originally Posted by Noctis

Paying for resources is ACTUALLY being able to field MBTs and Air Cav all the day each time the vehicle delay ends, with no limits.

Nothing wrong with that, if a person wants to fly planes all the time then so be it. You can also do the same without paying money, just leave your character logged in all the time so he acquires resources even when you are not playing.

EDIT: Also, Pay for Resources to buy vehicles is not even close to pay to win.