Anthem

[Digfox]

With regards to the costs in most games the best looking skins/armour sets are £20+ or very similar prices. Warframe Prime cosmetic packs are £27 and only include a few weapons skins. Guild Wars 2 a lot of the sets are actually 2000 gems (i.e. Crystal Arbiter Appearance Pack). The better Fortnite skins are £20. To be honest the prices, the overly long grind to earn in-game or fake limited availability seems about par for the course.

Yes, with Anthem being a £70-80 game (for the complete version) it does feel like a mickey take. Although if everything is purchasable then it is slightly better than lootboxes although there should none of the premium currency nonsense but everything directly purchasable with local currency prices.

It interesting how sometimes people over complicate some of this stuff without realising how similar it all is. I was watching a Twitch streamer praise Warframe for how everything is earnable in-game. Which of course it isn't...

[Asura]

With regards to the costs in most games the best looking skins/armour sets are £20+ or very similar prices. Warframe Prime cosmetic packs are £27 and only include a few weapons skins. Guild Wars 2 a lot of the sets are actually 2000 gems (i.e. Crystal Arbiter Appearance Pack). The better Fortnite skins are £20. To be honest the prices, the overly long grind to earn in-game or fake limited availability seems about par for the course.

The Appearance Packs aren't 1 skin, though - they contain a whole set of stuff. An actual character skin costs about 700 gems. The packs tend to contain a skin, multiple weapon skins, a glider skin and often other bits too.

Yes, with Anthem being a £70-80 game (for the complete version) it does feel like a mickey take. Although if everything is purchasable then it is slightly better than lootboxes although there should none of the premium currency nonsense but everything directly purchasable with local currency prices.

It won't be £80 forever though. It'll probably be free someday. That's part of what would keep me away.

It interesting how sometimes people over complicate some of this stuff without realising how similar it all is. I was watching a Twitch streamer praise Warframe for how everything is earnable in-game. Which of course it isn't...

Question - can you buy premium currency with "soft" currency in Warframe?

In GW2 you can actually exchange the in-game gold for the premium currency. The rate isn't terribly favourable but it means everything is technically earn-able.

[Digfox]

The Appearance Packs aren't 1 skin, though - they contain a whole set of stuff. An actual character skin costs about 700 gems. The packs tend to contain a skin, multiple weapon skins, a glider skin and often other bits too.

It still one outfit; glider, outfit and weapon skin. Sure there will be cheaper 'bits' but ultimately it still feels a relevant example. Most people would want the whole armour and not just a bit of it. A lot of these games do it.

It won't be £80 forever though. It'll probably be free someday. That's part of what would keep me away.

Maybe, although other similar games tend to have year 2 or 3 packs. Often around the £80 mark (i.e. Taken King, D2 Forsaken) to keep generating revenue.

Question - can you buy premium currency with "soft" currency in Warframe?

No. You can only trade Prime Parts for Platinum (the real money currency). But even with Platinum none of the Prime Access or Vault Packs can be purchased with Platinum. Also none of the Prime Cosmetics (the best looking the game) can be earned.

In GW2 you can actually exchange the in-game gold for the premium currency. The rate isn't terribly favourable but it means everything is technically earn-able.

Sure, but the rate is garbage. C. 100-110+ Gold for 400 Gems although it varies. Like Anthem the grind rates are overly, overly long. The whole point is that you whip out your cards to spend.

It's all so similar...

[MartyG]

I didn't have to pay £50 for Warframe.

[QualityChimp]

https://gamingbolt.com/anthem-demo-impressions-our-5-biggest-concerns-right-now

Anthem Demo Impressions – Our 5 Biggest Concerns Right Now
Anthem’s demo was largely impressive, but it hinted at some things that are a little concerning.

"Anthem’s demo has presented players with a small chunk of the game to explore. So far, its world is a gorgeous playground for showcasing its flashy action, and its overall structure is looking promising for fans of the genre. Still, there are a few glaring issues worth mentioning that could knock its enjoyment down a notch when it launches on February 22.


Looting and Loadouts
Whereas games like Borderlands or Destiny allow for on-the-fly weapon replacements when new loot is acquired, Anthem is taking some unusual steps towards altering this genre norm. For instance, items found in the wild have their names and stats hidden, revealing only their rarity until players reach the end of the current expedition.


This design choice means that it isn’t possible to swap in stronger weapons as they’re collected. Loadouts in general are cemented once players venture into an expedition, and they can’t be edited in any capacity until exiting or finishing the task. This could work well to keep moment-to-moment gameplay moving along, since no one likes waiting around for teammates to manage their inventories mid-mission. But it also creates the potential for trial-and-error when tackling missions, meaning some players may find themselves having to leave a mission to adjust their loadouts after finding that their current one just wasn’t adequate.


These design choices could end up being non-issues if the game doesn’t punish players with extremely rigid loadout requirements for specific missions, but it still may create extra busywork. Depending on how long load times are in the final build of the game, this could either be a minor inconvenience, or tedious and detrimental to the pacing.


Puzzles Are a Puzzling Design Choice
The demo’s first main expedition includes a segment with a small, relatively simple puzzle that asks players to choose a correct sequence of three symbols spread across a large room. While the puzzle itself can be solved using a minor amount of exploration to discover faintly glowing clues near each symbol, it creates a problematic scenario for most teams that aren’t pre-formed with communicating members.


When placing a group of 2-4 (potential) strangers in a puzzle room together, the game is expecting them to work together to overcome the challenge. This can be difficult when some players don’t grasp the concept and consistently impede other players’ progress by unknowingly altering the symbols that have already been properly set.


It’s yet to be seen how many of these types of puzzles exist throughout Anthem’s campaign, but having an abundance of them outside of a raid-style setting would not only potentially cause frustration for parties made via matchmaking, but may hurt the game’s pacing. A tacked-on puzzle feels out of place in a game otherwise filled to the brim with breathtaking, fast-paced flight, and intense, chaotic firefights.


A Jarring and Lifeless Hub
A dull maze of bricks and clutter make Fort Tarsis a bland and uninspired central hub in Anthem. Most of the game’s story is presented to players here, and while the acting and storyline are thus far engaging and believable, exploring is otherwise too mundane and slow to be enjoyable.


The primary reason for this is the fact that the game awkwardly and unnecessarily switches the perspective from third-person to first-person upon arrival to the hub, awkwardly replacing the javelins’ nimble traversal with clumsy, lethargic movement. It’s a design choice that’s not just utterly pointless and jarring, but also effectively destroys the game’s sense of pace. There are vendors, a few collectibles, and a smattering of NPCs to talk to, but none of it feels worth the sluggish trek to get to them in a place as mundane as Fort Tarsis.


The EA and BioWare Effect
Despite Anthem shaping up to be a promising experience, there’s no denying that EA’s reputation casts an ominous shadow. While the publisher has confirmed that the game will not feature loot boxes or pay-to-win microtransactions, they’ve packed the game with an abundance of cosmetic purchases. This could potentially lead to them locking the coolest armor behind a paywall, while implementing drastically lower drop-rates or higher prices for the in-game sets.


Additionally, while EA has confirmed that all “story content” will be free, there’s no confirmation that this encompasses things such as raids or other additional missions that could be pivotal to improving your character. So, it’s always possible that the promise of “free DLC” could be misleading consumers to believe they’ll never have to pay for content to keep up to date with their friends. It’s not uncommon or unreasonable to pay for expansions, of course, but EA’s wording is cryptic for now.


Meanwhile, BioWare seems to be providing Anthem with a solid structure and story so far, but their recent misstep with Mass Effect Andromeda, coupled with Dragon Age: Inquisition’s divisive design, has left a sour taste in some gamers’ mouths. There’s reason to believe the once-great developer has lost their way, but only time will tell.


Combining EA’s history of over-monetization and these recent BioWare slip-ups, Anthem may very well scare off some gamers from the get-go. If it lands well, however, there’s still some widespread trepidation about the game’s long-term viability in the hands of two companies whose reputations have declined.


Longevity and the Lack of PvP
While Anthem smells like a hit so far, BioWare and EA have yet to disclose how much content can be expected on day one. We could end up with another situation like Destiny’s initial release, which left players with considerably less PvE content than originally anticipated. Player retention is exceptionally important in any online, ongoing game, and many gamers will often jump ship if there’s not enough content to keep them engaged until the next content update.


Destiny has included multiple PvP modes since its release, offering a reason for continued investment to those who have exhausted their cooperative content. Meanwhile, Anthem’s primary competition this year, The Division 2, is adding traditional PvP alongside its pre-existing Dark Zone content. But EA has confirmed they have no plans to expand Anthem into the competitive arena at launch or in the near future afterwards.


Furthermore, developing engaging gameplay takes time, so it’s unlikely we’ll see any significant new content for at least a bit. If Anthem isn’t packing enough endgame content to sustain players through the lull, they’re likely to miss having a long-term option for competitive play to fill that time gap. This could be detrimental to the game’s player retention with The Division 2 offering a lot of bang for its buck come March."

[Lebowski]

I'm not arsed about £20 premium skins as this is in place of a season pass id much rather have a skin store that you can buy the odd skin from (or not) over a yearly content pass that splits the community. As for the complete version you only need to buy the base £45 version of the game to get the full game the more expensive version comes with a load of exclusive skins a soundtrack and not much else.

saying this the price of the skins is not going unnoticed it's the top thread on the anthem Reddit and as always it will draw the dev's attention if they think overpricing is going to cause a **** storm.

Fortnite seems to have set the industry model for how much a skin costs. I personally think epic are doing themselves out of sales, if their skin store items where in the £3.99 bracket i think a lot more parents would be happy to put the odd £10 voucher on their kids accounts and they would increase revenue from each skin. I cant be alone in thinking that at present a £20 voucher to get one Fortnite skin is not something that most parents can afford on a regular basis. talking with other parents who also have children playing Fortnite, vbucks are not a regular purchase and have pretty much been reserved for birthdays and Christmas presents.

[MENTION=938]Tobal[/MENTION] there is some storm game-play here, as you can see the storm is airborne a hell of a lot more than the other classes and its up time is significantly longer.

[Digfox]

I didn't have to pay £50 for Warframe.

Yes, with Anthem being a £70-80 game (for the complete version) it does feel like a mickey take.

Indeed. Although some people will have spent a lot more than £50 on Warframe...

All these things are case by case. Some games are much more egregious than others. I'm not trying to pick on certain examples. It's just that often the similarities in the business model or strategies being used are sometimes lost in these debates.

I suppose another way to put this is that Anthem isn't doing anything most other major Triple AAA games aren't doing. The Division 2 or Destiny will be similar. And I'm certainly not defending it, more an observation.

[Neon Ignition]

Gonna throw this out there. If Anthem launches and keeps stuff like $20 skins in there then it'll die a quick death and there'll be a lot of annoyed early adopters.

Other games might be getting away with similar offerings but this is a new ip, launching as a full priced game but most importantly from a publisher that has had its ass handed to itself more than once now for poor moneytisation practices.

The arc will be really simple, the game will launch > Get middling to reasonable reviews that say that infamous kiss of death sentence 'but it could be really great in a years time' > articles and forums will focus more on raising hell over the skin pricing etc > game will be in the bargain buckets by Easter

[Digfox]

Personally Anthem still intrigues me (I haven't played it) and I got Mass Effect vibes from it even though it's a different style of game. Last night I watched some The Division 2 Dark Zone gameplay and it really bored me. It looked like more of the same and therefore where as I always expected to be more up for that game - given the proximity of release dates, I suddenly find myself more intrigued by this because it's new.

That said I'm going to try and be strong and watch both releases play out before committing to anything.

[Lebowski]

things we are ignoring here or have misunderstood

• The full game is £40 in most places this offers the full anthem experience.
• The £70 versions only difference is cosmetic items that have no effect on gameplay.
• Their is no season pass for this.
• The skin store is there as a funding source for future DLC's and Dev support.

If we want games as a service that are supported and continue to evolve and add more content post launch we need some way to fund this, a premium skin store that has no effect on game play is the way forward for me, no loot boxes with random items, No split community season passes just a unified game world that is open to everyone who bought the base game.

[Digfox]

things we are ignoring here or have misunderstood

• The full game is £40 in most places this offers the full anthem experience.
• The £70 versions only difference is cosmetic items that have no effect on gameplay.
• Their is no season pass for this.
• The skin store is there as a funding source for future DLC's and Dev support.

It's all designed to increase EA's revenue. Again Anthem isn't doing anything different here. There is an £80 version on PSN/Live, just as there is a £92 version of TD2 on Live/PSN. Whether it's cosmetics or not is semantics (although Anthem lists a legendary weapon). There are items in there that you can't earn otherwise. Multi-tiered versions of games has been around for years now.

I don't what the long-term plans are, but are we sure there's no going to be a Year 2 content pack to buy?

I'll refer to the full version being £80 but then I agree with Jim Sterlings. Games aren't $60 anymore...

If we want games as a service that are supported and continue to evolve and add more content post launch we need some way to fund this, a premium skin store that has no effect on game play is the way forward for me, no loot boxes with random items, No split community season passes just a unified game world that is open to everyone who bought the base game.

Tbh I think there's a lot of Bioware fans that don't want another Live Service and would prefer a 30-50 hour game. But yes purchasable cosmetic could be good. However if they were purchasable direct for a local currency price, and weren't so overpriced then less people would complain. And to be honest those feel fair complaints.

[Asura]

Couple of things to bear in mind though, [MENTION=960]Lebowski[/MENTION]

cosmetic items that have no effect on gameplay.

Publishers put things in games with the intent that people will buy them. Whilst it's true it has "no effect on gameplay", we all remember when games put these things in primarily as quest rewards or achievement unlocks, or just free options.

• The skin store is there as a funding source for future DLC's and Dev support.

True; that being said, we'll have to see how EA support it. It could end up being another Rainbow Six Siege or DC Universe Online, i.e. EA might really put in the time to reward the fans... Or they could cut the losses and run at the first sign of trouble. I guess we have no way to know right now.

If we want games as a service that are supported and continue to evolve and add more content post launch we need some way to fund this, a premium skin store that has no effect on game play is the way forward for me, no loot boxes with random items, No split community season passes just a unified game world that is open to everyone who bought the base game.

I guess the last thing to add is to remember that many people do not want this. They don't want it to be the norm. They want their games to be games, not services. I personally like games which work like this (I've put a fair bit of cash into a few of these games and I love them) but it's clear that some people don't like them and aren't interested in seeing gaming go further down that route. That's one of the reasons this is having a slightly rocky reception.

[Lebowski]

whether we like it or not its not a single player game its a MMO style shooter that EA want to add to and keep relevant for years to come pretty much like Destiny, and it needs a way to fund this.

in contrast Anthems approach to DLC seems massively fair and balanced when you put it next to say Activisions latest version of Black ops

• £60 base game
• £80 Premium edition that doesn't include the season pass
• £40 map and zombies season pass, offering new content not in the base game day one.
• A micro transaction store that sells things like red dots for £4
• £10 bi-monthly fortnite style tiered challenge pass for skin unlocks.

[Cassius_Smoke]

OK, I've watched a few gameplay videos on this to see if I'm missing something. But alas, it's just a generic looter-shooter with bland enemies with health bars you have to gradually scratch away at with a ratta-tat gun.
DLC is only cosmetic and you can earn them in game with enough 'pride and acomplishment' but this is EA so I'm sure they do a monthly loot box event or some other underhand tactic to have intercourse with your wallet.
I don't know why people are:
A. Thinking this game looks good.
And
B. Giving any level of trust in EA.

[Digfox]

• £80 Premium edition that doesn't include the season pass

The £85 Deluxe version of COD:BLOPS 4 does include the season pass.

Personally I'd wait until Anthem has been out for a while before making those sorts of statements. We can't really compare yet until we've seen the full scale of EA's business model. Although I think BLOPS 4 is one of the most offensive cocktails of egregious MTX going.