Originally Posted by Chaff
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We do agree it's a game. It's an escape from the real world - but only to a certain degree. Maybe we all play games to escape from reality. We never escape. We can only hide from it. The P2W debate is moot - unless you wish to keep your head in the gaming sand.
Long ago I too acknowledged it is borderline P2W. Griefers grief. Criers cry.
I understand what they're doing. When I want to escape or temporarily ignore the reality of the World, I play games - not just this one.
They may very well come up with better ways to help keep the playing field level. However, they won't rock-the-boat in that pursuit at the risk of losing paying customers .... be it Subs, or people that only spend their $$$$ in the CA$H Shop.
Before your ideals get the better of you, remember Sony is in the business of making money.
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And you are in the business of not understanding a thing.
Money isnt the problem here, not at all. Evening out the playing fields for the resource system isnt going to drive paying players away. In the long run, it allows a meaningful metagame to exist based on the overhauled resource system, and THAT will keep players playing and paying.
Also, you dont understand how Free to Play works as a business model.
You sell stuff. On the one hand, direct items that you jsut cant get without paying. If its stuff that doesnt affect gameplay (cosmetics), then everything is fine. They do that, and theres plenty of cash coming in that way.
You also sell time. Means boosts to get more XP, or allowing you to aquire some extra in game currency (borderline Pay 2 Win there).
Certs are PS2s in game currency. However, you cant trade them, cant loose them, you can only spend them for yourself on stuff you cant loose, thus its only time you buy with XP boosts (not P2W at all)
Resources are another in game currency. However, you can loose them. The stuff you buy with them can be destroyed or used up, means there is a constant input and output of resources for every individual player. Depending on how they play, they may exeed the input they get.
And THERES the problem: If you pay, you can boost your input by up to 100%, means your output is also boosted by 100%. You can get double the amount of Tanks, Aircraft, Maxes, C4, mines, Whatever than a Free player in the same time.
Okay, in PS2, with the pre GU11 resource system, that was no problem. Even as a free player, the resource input was usually much higher than your output.
With the current resource prices, the problem increased, but its still not that big of a deal. You hit the limit sooner, but you can still pull a few vehicles in fast sucession, even as a free player.
BUT: The resource system is getting a major overhaul in the future. There is NO way to give it a lasting, proper overhaul as long as there is a difference in up to 100% in input for players. The existance of the boosts FORCE the overhauled resource system to still depend on the basic rules of in game currency (input that can be affected by in game means and by boosts - a storage to save that input - Output). And if the overhauled resource system has to play by the rules to be able to recive boosts, then it will just be as pointless as before.