I think what we are seeing in this thread is why games are the way they are....We used to plop down money for the box, then a sub, then any expnasions too.....After a couple of decades though, we just don't do that anymore...There are simply too many other options to blindly drop $50 on a game....This is why f2p came about....it allows many to try it with no obligation, and believe it or not this is what the majority likes.
Game Companies aren't trusted sources anymore. They're looking to score big whether the game is good, bad, finished, unfinished. I miss the days of being able to go in just based on the word of the devs and being pleasantly surprised but we don't live in those times anymore.
I try to never buy at launch anymore either. I wait for the notable streamers to take it for a spin while I watch in HD. The hardcore fans usually do a good job at detailing things as well, and will call BS relatively quick.
"As far as the forum code of conduct, I would think it's a bit outdated and in need of a refre *CLOSED*"
endless research. I also wait a few weeks after launch.I have been lied to far too many times,and expect it to happen again. I haven't played a new mmog in years since most new games are garbage.
I research ahead of time. Saves so much bandwidth time and aggravation.
In recent times, the process has gotten faster: I find I can watch one youtube video and just from that get just about all of my questions answered and all of my checklist items (crafting yuck, open pvp ok, camera is not stupid etc.) checked.
This forum is broken. It is time to move to proboards, because they're broken.
Sadly in these times, I have to research a games monetization model as well as the traditional aspects. It's definitely become a big factor in my decisions.
Sadly in these times, I have to research a games monetization model as well as the traditional aspects. It's definitely become a big factor in my decisions.
Looking forward to Shadows of War come July
I have researched monetisation models since Lotro went F2P, but it is getting harder to do so. With so much being sold before launch it becomes more difficult to gauge what effect any given style of cash shop will have.
Depends on the genre. FPSs are, at their core, the same: aim and shoot. I don't generally research anything other than maybe background lore there and check reviews to make sure gunplay feels good before I jump in.
MMORPGs, or RPGs in general, I do much more mechanical research. There's a lot more depth to RPGs generally, and being ignorant of them can lead to issues with a character build, so I check up enough not to completely gimp my character.
Sadly in these times, I have to research a games monetization model as well as the traditional aspects. It's definitely become a big factor in my decisions.
Looking forward to Shadows of War come July
I have researched monetisation models since Lotro went F2P, but it is getting harder to do so. With so much being sold before launch it becomes more difficult to gauge what effect any given style of cash shop will have.
We also have to contend with bait and switch. A game may launch with an agreeable model, but that's no guarantee that it will remain that way.
Sadly in these times, I have to research a games monetization model as well as the traditional aspects. It's definitely become a big factor in my decisions.
Looking forward to Shadows of War come July
I have researched monetisation models since Lotro went F2P, but it is getting harder to do so. With so much being sold before launch it becomes more difficult to gauge what effect any given style of cash shop will have.
We also have to contend with bait and switch. A game may launch with an agreeable model, but that's no guarantee that it will remain that way.
That is precisely the reason to not be the first to buy, let it out for a week or 2 before buying
Catch me streaming at twitch.tv/cryomatrix You can see my sci-fi/WW2 book recommendations.
Sadly in these times, I have to research a games monetization model as well as the traditional aspects. It's definitely become a big factor in my decisions.
Looking forward to Shadows of War come July
I have researched monetisation models since Lotro went F2P, but it is getting harder to do so. With so much being sold before launch it becomes more difficult to gauge what effect any given style of cash shop will have.
We also have to contend with bait and switch. A game may launch with an agreeable model, but that's no guarantee that it will remain that way.
That is precisely the reason to not be the first to buy, let it out for a week or 2 before buying
Before I will try a new MMO I have to be convinced it's actually presenting me something I haven't played before. Usually when I hear about a new MMO the first question I ask is:
"What makes this game different? Why should I want to play it over existing MMOs?" or something similar.
If I don't get a satisfactory answer, I don't try it. If I do get a satisfactory answer I'll ask more questions about it, check out footage of gameplay and try it if I'm still interested.
I almost never will read reviews though. I've found they're too forgiving of lack of innovation, and too harsh on bugs/performance issues. I'll slog through a few bugs for a game that's innovative.
It's like with dating before I met my current fiancé. The longer I go the more I know what I'm looking for and the better equipped I am to ask the questions that will sort the gems from the crap.
I somewhat research. For some reason, the information I want is usually not easily available and research will not be fruitful in answering them. So I have to ask the community to answer the questions. This is usually telling as you can tell the intelligence level of the target audience of the game. Games for kids get kid answers, usually twisting the question I asked into how they fell about my question, and how I should feel about the game, instead of an actual, factual answer.
It seems that since game devs now develop games to be watched instead of played, and dumb down systems to never before seen levels because their core watching audience are little children, labels mean nothing, genre means nothing, and definitions have been broadened so widely as to be absolutely useless.
I used to just dive in. Once upon a time I used to buy PC Game magazine that had a CD full of game demo's you could try out.
Now I don't pre-order, I don't early access and I don't buy on the day of release. Now I wait a few weeks and read reviews made by people I trust to be impartial, mostly on YouTube.
Truth be told I no longer buy many games. They're mostly shit now, full of "features" that we used to call cheats. Why is it that nearly every game I see these days has built in wall hacks? I blame the console peasants.
Researching the hell out of something before I buy it is half the fun. It's not just games, I do the same with HW components and just about anything else I buy.
Most of the useless junk I never use is stuff I bought without knowing anything about it just because it seemed very cool at first glance... live and learn.
"Social media gives legions of idiots the right to speak when they once only spoke at a bar after a glass of wine, without harming the community ... but now they have the same right to speak as a Nobel Prize winner. It's the invasion of the idiots”
― Umberto Eco
“Microtransactions? In a single player role-playing game? Are you nuts?” ― CD PROJEKT RED
I always research any game that I may want to play. I check their website, watch video and read reviews. I talk to my friends about their thoughts or impressions. Usually within 24-48 hours I know if it is a game I will buy/play.
If it's free, blindly dive in. It has 15-30 minutes to sink or swim. If it's paid I would advise watching a no commentary youtube video (I usually scroll half way through and watch 5 minutes) and that's usually enough for me to make a decision one way or another reguardless of what the reviews say. Either way the amount of disappointment seems to have grown over recent years.
Comments
Game Companies aren't trusted sources anymore. They're looking to score big whether the game is good, bad, finished, unfinished. I miss the days of being able to go in just based on the word of the devs and being pleasantly surprised but we don't live in those times anymore.
I try to never buy at launch anymore either. I wait for the notable streamers to take it for a spin while I watch in HD. The hardcore fans usually do a good job at detailing things as well, and will call BS relatively quick.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
In recent times, the process has gotten faster: I find I can watch one youtube video and just from that get just about all of my questions answered and all of my checklist items (crafting yuck, open pvp ok, camera is not stupid etc.) checked.
Looking forward to Shadows of War come July
"Be water my friend" - Bruce Lee
I have researched monetisation models since Lotro went F2P, but it is getting harder to do so. With so much being sold before launch it becomes more difficult to gauge what effect any given style of cash shop will have.
MMORPGs, or RPGs in general, I do much more mechanical research. There's a lot more depth to RPGs generally, and being ignorant of them can lead to issues with a character build, so I check up enough not to completely gimp my character.
"Be water my friend" - Bruce Lee
You can see my sci-fi/WW2 book recommendations.
"Be water my friend" - Bruce Lee
Logic, my dear, merely enables one to be wrong with great authority.
"What makes this game different? Why should I want to play it over existing MMOs?" or something similar.
If I don't get a satisfactory answer, I don't try it. If I do get a satisfactory answer I'll ask more questions about it, check out footage of gameplay and try it if I'm still interested.
I almost never will read reviews though. I've found they're too forgiving of lack of innovation, and too harsh on bugs/performance issues. I'll slog through a few bugs for a game that's innovative.
It's like with dating before I met my current fiancé. The longer I go the more I know what I'm looking for and the better equipped I am to ask the questions that will sort the gems from the crap.
It seems that since game devs now develop games to be watched instead of played, and dumb down systems to never before seen levels because their core watching audience are little children, labels mean nothing, genre means nothing, and definitions have been broadened so widely as to be absolutely useless.
Now I don't pre-order, I don't early access and I don't buy on the day of release. Now I wait a few weeks and read reviews made by people I trust to be impartial, mostly on YouTube.
Truth be told I no longer buy many games. They're mostly shit now, full of "features" that we used to call cheats. Why is it that nearly every game I see these days has built in wall hacks? I blame the console peasants.
Most of the useless junk I never use is stuff I bought without knowing anything about it just because it seemed very cool at first glance... live and learn.
“Microtransactions? In a single player role-playing game? Are you nuts?”
― CD PROJEKT RED
This isn't a signature, you just think it is.
I would get concerned about clogging up the OS registry if I did that, so am very picky.
You can see my sci-fi/WW2 book recommendations.
Most games are being hyped 2 years before release though so you know what you are getting long before the download starts.