jerekhal t1_j98pj24 wrote on February 20, 2023 at 2:42 AM

Reply to comment by FrugalityPays in Diablo IV’s open beta starts next month by Sorin61

Honestly it wouldn't matter to me if it was just cosmetics. Part of the enjoyment of a game like Diablo is looking like a badass while you're going through the game destroying hordes of creatures. A battlepass that's cosmetic only just incentivizes lazy and unappealing cosmetic designs in the base game.

I'd rather that aspect of the game not be piecemealed out and used as incentive to pay for a battlepass or stay engaged. Just sell a complete game. Start working on DLC that will incentivize future purchases or an expansion of the game. Leave it at that.

Fairly confident their player base would be infinitely happier with that methodology. At a bare minimum I would.

Helivon t1_j99akl8 wrote on February 20, 2023 at 5:59 AM

I'm personally comllety OK with certain cosmetics being purchasable only. Almost any game these days that actually survives has continued income. Only making money off an initial purchase guarantees a shortened life cycle, especially for a game like diablo that really needs continued development. Cosmetics are the only way to do that without completely fucking over game play (see immortal)

BUT, when I look at overwatch 2, I feel so snubbed from being able to earn loot boxes that I lost all interest in playing. I hate unlocking loot that everyone else gets at the same intervals.

jerekhal t1_j99d5mv wrote on February 20, 2023 at 6:29 AM

More power to you I simply don't share that sentiment.

Diablo would have a perfectly fine lifespan without live-service bullshit imo. It doesn't need a constant and regular update cycle if they just produced bulky and well developed content drops and sold them as DLCs as that would tide people over for a good bit with each. Besides, games don't need to have perpetual development for years on end, the quality inevitably drops pretty significantly as time goes on. But again that's only my opinion.

More importantly you highlighted something that I think a lot of my distaste comes from. Modern live-service design is contemptuous of the user's time and effort, is designed to be psychologically addictive, and gives the absolute bare minimum possible to keep people begrudgingly coming back. That's not something I think is healthy for the game or a net positive regardless of slow content drips that come with.