EPTA short history of Activision Blizzard or how... - Page 37
| Forum Index > SC2 General |
|
LarJarsE
United States1378 Posts
| ||
|
Vise
Netherlands53 Posts
| ||
|
Copes
Canada80 Posts
Only time will tell I guess, but so far, it's not looking good. If Blizz every goes the route of Infinity Ward, and loses it's key people, I'll be off the Blizz train for good, and won't be buying Activision's games either. Until then, I feel Blizzard has enough autonomy to continue to make excellent games. Some of the selling out we've seen recently worries me, but only time will tell if they'll reach a point that I can no longer handle. Luckily, they've yet to force something on me that I don't want. I'm a supporter of more expansions, because I feel it'll make for a much longer and more thorough story. Aside from that, the fees that have been added to WoW are optional, and I'm fine with that. I suppose only time will tell if it becomes too much to handle. | ||
|
Vise
Netherlands53 Posts
What? didn't you notice already all the extra fees, the 3 expansions and all the other bullshit like battlenet 2.0 did? | ||
|
Keren
United States67 Posts
As for some of the complaints about monetization of certain things, I question, what would you prefer? Personally I am excited that the game is going to have 3 parts (mind you, only one more than War3 or original StarCraft) because rather than indicate that the game is going to be more costly, it instead tells me there will be more to it. And as for the potential money in buying maps or replays or whatever else - these are good things if you like progaming. The more money being brought into the game through whatever microtransactions go on just mean there is more money to be thrown around to competitive players and also gives mapmakers and the like a way to make some money for all their efforts. | ||
|
TaKemE
Denmark1045 Posts
On June 30 2010 02:51 Vise wrote: "I worry about how this may effect Blizzard as a company." What? didn't you notice already all the extra fees, the 3 expansions and all the other bullshit like battlenet 2.0 did? There aint 3 expansions but 2... Why do people still complain about that... alot other games got just as many expansions and most like when a new expansion comes. | ||
|
Angryhorse
Sweden387 Posts
 | ||
|
Copes
Canada80 Posts
On June 30 2010 02:51 Vise wrote: "I worry about how this may effect Blizzard as a company." What? didn't you notice already all the extra fees, the 3 expansions and all the other bullshit like battlenet 2.0 did? Reread my post. I say I'm a fan of the extra expansions, and I don't mind the extra fees in WoW because they're option. In regards to SC2, buying maps is pretty iffy, but I'll have to wait and see how that system works before I can judge it. | ||
|
mikado
Australia407 Posts
On July 02 2010 20:55 Copes wrote: In regards to SC2, buying maps is pretty iffy, but I'll have to wait and see how that system works before I can judge it. Now that's an over-used and a meaningless sentence to utter: "I'll have to wait and see before I judge" . I suppose it makes people feel less judgmental and therefore more intellectual? Because of the science objectivity thing? This isn't rocket science, so objectivity of mind doesn't matter, because the thought process needed to resolve the question "eeee is this good for me?" isn't really a whole lot in this instance. That again may depend on the relative brain size, but I diverge. How do you think it can be good (let alone better) when you'll be paying for something that is currently free and currently adequate? In what universe, with what economic/thermodynamic laws could that even begin to be categorized in 'good'? If you're one of the rare breed that wants to reward good work, no matter the expectations of the creator of which; and you happen to find yourself nerdgasming because the map is so good, you can always donate. Most of the map creators accept donations anyway. Now the danger with this is that once the system is here, it will never go away. You'll be bound to buy the maps no matter what, be paying for the thing that used to be free, no matter what nominal a price. If you refuse to pay, you'll be stuck on custom maps that are subpar in every way to the what-used-to-be the free ones. And the argument that it'll stimulate the imagination and the creation of map makers amongst us is bogus. Looking at the AppStore of Apple for the iPhone as an example model; the big profit makers are the big groups of programmers, not the individual app designers (some get lucky of course, but that is due to iphone's extensive customer exposure, there's millions and millions of iphone users, unlike starcraft) . But, in return, every useful portion of all the apps are for sale, if not the whole of the apps. The only person out of pocket is yourself. And i think there'd be just as many apps out (of the same standards) even if there were no financial incentive. The big winner will be Blizzard, both with the commission and their published maps (which i somehow think would outnumber anyone or any group of map makers), there's more money in it for them afterall, and that's what they're in the 'game' for. Not to make the fans happy. What's more annoying is that they're flaunting it in our faces by making blatant statements like "we spend more money on our lawyers then game developers, we cut the budget like this and that, we feel like the gamers should pay more for the gaming experience". And even more annoying is a gamer agreeing with the above sentiments. Grr  So stop trying to sophisticate every issue you can wrap your mind around to, apply that energy to your studies or something else productive lol. And sorry for the aggression but i needed my daily dose of argumentative behavior. /rant | ||
|
Teddyman
Finland362 Posts
On July 02 2010 21:56 mikado wrote: And i think there'd be just as many apps out (of the same standards) even if there were no financial incentive. And by the same logic, if nobody was allowed to charge money for music or movies, there would be just as many movies and albums of the same standards out for free. | ||
|
ataryens
Iran213 Posts
On July 02 2010 22:02 Teddyman wrote: And by the same logic, if nobody was allowed to charge money for music or movies, there would be just as many movies and albums of the same standards out for free. Eh.. I dont think so... making apps for iphones or anything for that matter (making a mod for diablo II) allows programmers to show their abilities to companies and find a job. If you wanna go by the same logic, it would go as people who create/write a short movie/song and put it on youtube or get public exposure in other way to get picked up by agents for hollywood. | ||
|
mikado
Australia407 Posts
| ||
|
sikyon
Canada1045 Posts
On July 02 2010 21:56 mikado wrote: Now that's an over-used and a meaningless sentence to utter: "I'll have to wait and see before I judge" . I suppose it makes people feel less judgmental and therefore more intellectual? Because of the science objectivity thing? This isn't rocket science, so objectivity of mind doesn't matter, because the thought process needed to resolve the question "eeee is this good for me?" isn't really a whole lot in this instance. That again may depend on the relative brain size, but I diverge. How do you think it can be good (let alone better) when you'll be paying for something that is currently free and currently adequate? In what universe, with what economic/thermodynamic laws could that even begin to be categorized in 'good'? If you're one of the rare breed that wants to reward good work, no matter the expectations of the creator of which; and you happen to find yourself nerdgasming because the map is so good, you can always donate. Most of the map creators accept donations anyway. Now the danger with this is that once the system is here, it will never go away. You'll be bound to buy the maps no matter what, be paying for the thing that used to be free, no matter what nominal a price. If you refuse to pay, you'll be stuck on custom maps that are subpar in every way to the what-used-to-be the free ones. And the argument that it'll stimulate the imagination and the creation of map makers amongst us is bogus. Looking at the AppStore of Apple for the iPhone as an example model; the big profit makers are the big groups of programmers, not the individual app designers (some get lucky of course, but that is due to iphone's extensive customer exposure, there's millions and millions of iphone users, unlike starcraft) . But, in return, every useful portion of all the apps are for sale, if not the whole of the apps. The only person out of pocket is yourself. And i think there'd be just as many apps out (of the same standards) even if there were no financial incentive. The big winner will be Blizzard, both with the commission and their published maps (which i somehow think would outnumber anyone or any group of map makers), there's more money in it for them afterall, and that's what they're in the 'game' for. Not to make the fans happy. What's more annoying is that they're flaunting it in our faces by making blatant statements like "we spend more money on our lawyers then game developers, we cut the budget like this and that, we feel like the gamers should pay more for the gaming experience". And even more annoying is a gamer agreeing with the above sentiments. Grr So stop trying to sophisticate every issue you can wrap your mind around to, apply that energy to your studies or something else productive lol. And sorry for the aggression but i needed my daily dose of argumentative behavior. /rant All I hear here is "I want everything for free" and "people want to give me free things." Personally, I try to take everything I get for free as a bonus with a heathly dose of appreciation. | ||
|
mikado
Australia407 Posts
Your explanation is that it has been free so far because they were being nice to you as a company? And you were grateful for that. That is an unhealthy and unrealistic view of things if you ask me The availability of custom maps/map kits are all factored into the cost of the product you're buying, in economic terms, that happens to be Starcraft in this case. So you've paid for it all along, the price was just factored in to the final sale price up until now. What they're proposing now is an extra cost for the same service. The product value is less for you as a gamer then what it was before per dollar, how can that ever be good for you? So it's not 'i want everything for free', it's 'i want same or more product value for my money'. That's what competitiveness in market is all about, that's what drives capitalism. | ||
|
yema1
Iceland101 Posts
Activison was once good but now it is more like a junkey trying to make quick cash. | ||
|
Antedelerium
United States224 Posts
| ||
|
Teddyman
Finland362 Posts
On July 02 2010 22:40 mikado wrote: You've paid for it all along, it wasn't free anyway. Your explanation is that it has been free so far because they were being nice to you as a company? And you were grateful for that. That is an unhealthy and unrealistic view of things if you ask me The availability of custom maps/map kits are all factored into the cost of the product you're buying, in economic terms, that happens to be Starcraft in this case. So you've paid for it all along, the price was just factored in to the final sale price up until now. What they're proposing now is an extra cost for the same service. The product value is less for you as a gamer then what it was before per dollar, how can that ever be good for you? So it's not 'i want everything for free', it's 'i want same or more product value for my money'. That's what competitiveness in market is all about, that's what drives capitalism. Nobody is removing the ability to make free maps, I don't see what you're on about. | ||
|
Zerksys
United States569 Posts
On June 01 2010 03:10 UnderWorld_Dream wrote: They don't do anything? Sc2 is some kind of cheap game made for profits?? Well, you are truly mistaken. Altho I believe there is some flaws atm with bnet2.0. This game is gonna be huge and I have 100% faith Blizzard wont let us down since they never did in the past. I'm playing beta since the launch and im really hooked to it, It's an awesome game and I really don't give a ** if they are making plenty of money out of it. You know what will happen? People will hack the game and play an illegal version of it claiming: 'Im not paying a cent to those greedy bastards'. They will turn around and call their friends: 'man sc2 is so fun, you should dl the torrent!' This is what i call greed. how pathetic. The fact is though that this was how starcraft was sold to me and many others alike on this forum. Many of us didn't go to the store and think hmm wow starcraft that sounds interesting. I'll put down 20 bucks for that game. No what we did was we went over to a friend's house, and they said, "I've got this great game for you to check out. It's called starcraft and I can give it to you for free." Then what happened was that you took the game home and tried it out for yourself. Eventually this lead to a sale. Moments like this are not going to be possible for starcraft any more without the possibility of LAN play. With this new Bnet always connected policy blizzard games are going to turn out exactly like Activision. SHORT LIVED. If you follow activision's releases you'll know that they are a company that values quantity over quality. They've put out what is it 25 guitar hero games and not one of them can I name. Whereas blizzard doesn't do that. They have only a handful of titles released, but they are TRULY GOOD TITLES. I'll take my one game every 10 years if this game is one that I can play for years to come and Activision doesn't understand that this was one of the philosphies of blizzard that made it so popular. No I suspect activision only merged with blizzard to gain its good name in order to further its role in dominating the video game development scene. | ||
|
mikado
Australia407 Posts
On July 02 2010 23:09 Teddyman wrote: Nobody is removing the ability to make free maps, I don't see what you're on about. That's probably because you didn't read my quoted post, you know, the big wall of text. | ||
|
barbsq
United States5348 Posts
this makes me want to be a business exec and reform businesses to promote more customer rewarding strategies, and therefore longer term customer following. Srsly, i honestly think that companies that foster pure customer dedication could easily reduce such issues as piracy and probably help businesses stay afloat for much longer and reap greater rewards decades down the line. Case in point, im only buying sc2 for two reasons, 1) its blizzard, and ive been a rabid fanboy of them since warcraft 2, and 2) i actually have a decent paying job and will be able to afford this disgusting money-grubbing strategy. Its the same thing with another of my fav companies bioware. If its anything other than those two, theres a damn good chance im gonna pirate that shit just to rub it into the faces of these bloated, egotistical game companies. I know its not fair to the devs, but i honestly dont know how else to vent my frustration (tho the devs probably dont even see much of the profits anyways). | ||
| ||
