Controversy! How do you feel about free-to-play games?

[Birdjaguar]

As a rule, I avoid free-to-play games. The only one I can think of that I play is Crusader Kings II, and I bought it years before it was free. There are a number of things that are common in them that I dislike:

• They often have "pay to win" schemes, particularly if they are multiplayer.
• They are often very repetitive if you don't fork over money
• The mechanics are often very light. Civ, on the other hand, is anything but that.
• There are often gambling elements (e.g. lootboxes). I personally don't believe these should be legal, and support the steps Belgium has taken to outlaw them

So what would I find acceptable as free-to-play games?

• Actual free games, e.g. Freeciv or Battle of Wesnoth. Obviously, not a great business model for a company, but I have no objections to them.
• The only paid content being cosmetic items, and those having stated prices (not gambling/lootboxes). AFAIK, games like League of Legends follow this model.
• The base game being free (and substantial), with paid DLC packs. This is more feasible for an established game like Crusader Kings II. But it has to make it not look like the core is intentionally sparse, e.g. The Sims 4, or Railway Empire (which aren't free, but are commonly criticized as being shells designed to sell DLC).

As a hypothetical example, if Microsoft had made Age of Empires II free - but only with random maps - and then charged for the various scenarios (Genghis Khan, Joan of Arc, etc.) and the eventual Conquerors expansion, that would have been fair. I suppose this could also be looked at as having a "super demo" with extras available for those who are willing to pay for it.

Generally, however, so many free games having one or more of the flaws in the first list, that I ignore them all as a rule of thumb to save me the trouble of separating the wheat from the chaff. I'd rather pay upfront and have an more reliably enjoyable experience.

So if you like ARPGs try Path of Exile.

• No pay to win; in fact it is very hard to beat all content
• Not repetitive. (New, free content every 3 months)
• Very complex mechanics that get improved and changed frequently
• Loot boxes exist, but only for cosmetics
• Solo and group play
• Inspired by Diablo 2
• Helpful online community

Where it falls short, is that to play effectively over time, you need more than the 4 free stash tabs. You can buy enough for about $25.

 

[Grisu]

I'm doing some research on Second Life. It's quite a twisted take on your standard MMORPG. A lot of very psychologically interesting people go there.

haven't heard that name in ages. Is it still running?

But other than that I don't play FTP games because they always have a "gotcha" where you have to spend more money to play. Somehow. Someway...

It's probably no coincidence that gacha looks almost the same as "gotcha"

I don't necessarily agree on the "have to spend to play" part, though. There certainly is a strong push to try you to spend money in most games, but you can have moderate success in most of these games while remaining FTP; unless we're talking about getting to the absolute top which usually requries ridiculous amounts of cash. I do spend time with some FTP games on my mobile if I like the IP and the pay they are set up; mostly Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes at the moment. I did get suckered into spending a few bucks early on, but thankfully learned my lesson and have been playing FTP ever since.

Apart from that I play the next best thing to free games: Old games that are nearly free by now (gog be thanked).

 

[Zardnaar]

I don't mind them as long as they're not loot boxy or to Grundy.

Crusader Kings II being free is good although I bought it years ago.

LoL at people who think Dune2 was the first rts game.

I own Dune 2 and the 1st one. It's called Herzog Zwei.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herzog_Zwei

 

[civvver]

Dota 2 is awesome but I don't have time to play it anymore.

I've spent way more money than I care to mention on a mobile game (though it's also on PC) called Idle Heroes. The system they've setup is just so dang enticing to make you buy stuff. It's not pay to win, but more like pay to win now vs waiting 6 months or more in free to play mode to collect enough items to win. They have sales on booster packs and stuff where you're like only $4.99? That's less than my lunch, sure I'll take it, and then a couple weeks later you look at your credit care bill and realize you forked over $40.

 

[Lemon Merchant]

haven't heard that name in ages. Is it still running?

It is still running, and according to everything I could find out about it, it's healthier than ever with an average of 45,000 users online at any given moment. As I mentioned, it's a fascinating glimpse into the psyche of the lonely, deviant, and just plain odd people. There are some normal people there too, and I have met them and become friends with them. Those are the people that I'm excluding from my informal study. I'm considering writing a paper on it, but I'm going to check with my lawyer about the legal ramifications of doing so.

At the very least, it's an interesting way to spend an hour or two every so often.

 

[Socrates99]

Love/hate. Its mostly when a game is well designed only to see balance wrecked by PtW BS. Especially when that BS is so costly only some goon willing to dump hundreds into a mobile game so his/her anonymous avatar gets noteriety/prestige.

Check out the Rise of Mythos CCG for a good example.

 

[Synobun]

Love/hate. Its mostly when a game is well designed only to see balance wrecked by PtW BS. Especially when that BS is so costly only some goon willing to dump hundreds into a mobile game so his/her anonymous avatar gets noteriety/prestige.

Check out the Rise of Mythos CCG for a good example.

I've noticed this with idle games lately. Digital currency has absurdly inflated RL costs. 100 coins for $15! And those 100 coins unlock a single permanent boost. Really?

It's insane to open a mobile game's store and see a package for $150.

 

[Socrates99]

Link to video.

The most depressing thing about WoW is that its sapped resources from early Blizzard staples that were total game changers. I could still pick up Warcraft 2 and love every minute of gameplay.

 

[Socrates99]

I've noticed this with idle games lately. Digital currency has absurdly inflated RL costs. 100 coins for $15! And those 100 coins unlock a single permanent boost. Really?

It's insane to open a mobile game's store and see a package for $150.

Yeah, I'll toss a few bucks here and there at a mobile game to pay the devs for my pleasure but I'm absolutely not dumping more into one than I'd spend on a AAA title or even a subscription service game.

 

[civvver]

I can't stand when decent mobile games are free but bury you in ads, when I would gladly pay $1-5 to go ad free but they don't offer that option. Like I had this bowling game I used to play a lot, until I beat all the levels anyway. Probably 10-15 hours on it spread out over a couple months, mostly during bathroom breaks lol. I would've paid $5 for it in a heartbeat but no, instead I had to sit through a 20 second ad after every 3-4 frames.

 

[Lohrenswald]

I like not paying for stuff but almost all games (especially on telephones) that are free are bad so :/