First I want to give credits to KiraTV and Games Lighthouse for providing very insightful videos regarding this topic, I linked both in the post.
This post is going to be about the perception of BDO in the overall MMORPG Community, the monetization of the game, the missing information surrounding the game.
I’ve done lost thinking of the past few weeks about this topic and how it’s a much broader concept in just a basic pay to win or not pay-to-win. The intentions with this post is not to convince anyone in any way specifically about how to spend that time or money, you play whatever you want to play, you play what you enjoy and you spend your hard-earned money however you see fit.
This posts only purpose is to clear up the confusion or misinformation I see that you are in all the YouTube videos or comment sections of MMORPG discussion boards that either usually outdated misinformed or just give me a dishonest viewpoint point of a much more complex topic.
Now I do frequently visit the MMORPG subreddit, pretty much every single day it’s a good source for news and stuff I got and I do see a lot of people describing practically identically what black desert online is as a game. They’re looking for sandbox, action combat something where I can play the game not combat focused. Regardless, BDO is not very often suggested.
On some places where people are talking about the game, they hate it so much that even mentioning it will result in you being downvoted or talk down to about the game from a very narrow viewpoint. They’ll usually say things like “the game is pay2win trash” and the positives comments are downvoted. However I think the game is worth trying, if sandbox and action combat is what you’re into. BDO is one of the most complex MMOs out there, there is no clear pattern to go and do and mostly you decide on your own what to do. It’s not like other mmo’s, the learning curve is a lot higher and you have to really give it a shot. Getting to level 56 is not enough, which is the time most new people quit the game, which is also discussed in this video:
I believe the pay2win concept is entirely misrepresented and the fact of the definition is muddy compared to how easy is slap it on a game is a label really just complicated this issue.
If you’re in the camp that says paying real life money to get in any kind of advantage in a video game is pay to win that means literally every single MMORPG that has any kind of vertical power curve is then pay to win by definition because via third-party means or not, anybody can buy an account which is in turn paying to win.
Now of course we can use that definition. We can be disingenuous like these people have been. We’re going to use what people mostly refer to the game is being paid to win, which is the developers directly selling power to the players which in the case of Black Desert online is entirely true. Yes I am admitting to the very core concept if you want to just look at things in a very narrow black and white situation, then the game is pay to win.
The issue that in MMORPGS of Arena base comebat with a very linear gear or talent curve then this would be a much bigger issue than it is in his game he also is worth noting that actually pay to win to the to the degree that would ever matter in a fight with cost literally thousands of dollars and I am by no means saying that this does not happen because it most certainly does.
I am however saying that the paint the entire game based on probably a fraction of a fraction of a percent is very disingenuous. This is of course if your end goal is winning and I hate to use that to him because there is no such thing as winning in MMORPGs and specifically in this one. It’s a Sandbox game you play the game how you want, how the f*** are you winning.
The thing I think that confuses the communities the way that they are using the words of the concept of pay to win. The way myself a veteran player would describe pay2win in BDO is selling Pearl items in the marketplace for silver that you bought for real-world currency, and then you purchase gear upgrades.
But most people don’t refer to BDO I was being paid to when do to this they referred to as being paid to him because the company pushes microtransactions on to the player in the form of making certain gameplay elements TDS or inefficient and then offering the cash up solution to that artificial problem. This is why I see the common complaint of pay-to-win.
This is an entire different definition to the concept. If we go for actual p2w as I said before then yes this is buying items for real world currency in selling them in game. That also by definition WoW is paid to it because you can buy wow token for gold and by the very best gear or pay a guild to win Arena or Mythic raids Etc. Does that mean WoW is pay-to-win? By most people’s definition they’re going to say of course no but I think that’s really unfair. I think if you going to label something for being paid in one way wise and you have to label everything in the in the same way.
I tried to be fair, when I label something and I tried to be more fair if I’m going to then bash the practice of the concept and then use it as something to actively dissuade people from trying something that they may find fun.
I’m not going to find everything from that you find fun I’m also going to see things in a different way than you see things. To be honest I find it extremely unfair to condemn a game for doing something and then not even mention another game for doing the exact same thing. In fact this is happening in most MMOs now so I just don’t understand this and I’m old enough now to know that the industries in the spot where we have to take what we can get.
Right now Black Desert despite the floors is on the rise and it’s a very popular game. The issue is there is a lot of people that perpetuate this narrative and used concept incorrectly to then actively dissuade people from trying out the game. I mean by no means saying that the same people who have read this will change their opinion because let’s be honest that’s not going to happen.
I will however go on record as stating that as of the current time of writing Black Desert online is in the best position it’s ever been in in terms of what you can get as a free-to-play play. So long as he going to the game with an understanding of what is and what it means to have a hobby as an adult in 2019 so what do I mean by this game is it aggressively monetize freemium game.
Now let’s get down to why mean exactly by this on why I say that people confusing these two concepts pay to win is when we just went over and said that the game is by definition pay to win, but so probably 90% of other MMORPGs and never get mentioned even if not by the company’s and by the community do third-party selling.
The people usually talk about video on the talk about pay to win like I said it’s because the money required to do things in the game and not the buying of power that video game to sell a lot of microtransactions things like that pets inventory slots costumes weight pretty much every aspect of the game has some kind of cash up equivalent item that can boost your efficiency or make that pause the game easier
I think he’s confused released to a lot of mistakes I see and what people say a lot of people just mistake this and they say that the game is pay to win because you have to spend money on it to play. that’s literally the case for every single game ever I’d love for somebody to show me an entirely free to play a game with 100% uptime dedicated server is frequent large content patches that allow you to buy ones for $10 and never spend another Penny yet have an equal experience to everyone else who then support to continue development and running of the game. how do you think these companies are going to make money?
Now again I’m not saying that I agree with that business practices I really don’t I ask you to test how the design systems to then have the cash up solution the way that they slip in one or more ways for the top 0.01% of the play bass so then while 30 grand over a couple of weeks and become the best kid player in the game. But the actual effect effect that has on me as a player on most to players is actually zero.
Please do not come to me with the argument that I always see which is yeah that’s fine though because any competent dev ban real money traders. Real-money-trade has existed since MMORPGs began on his never been stopped. The amount of people bond pales in comparison to the amount of people the benefit directly from this and like on all that is a fact if you want we can have a discussion about the merits of game devs getting your money safely by selling pay to win versus the merits of the guy who can steal your money if you like but please don’t tell me RMT isn’t a big deal, it is.
I don’t think that these business practices are good but it’s what we have in all of the industry right now. Games as a service, a hundred pound Founder’s Pack, selling some Tokens for Gold pay to play but with cash, loot boxes guys. This is the industry now and to single Black Desert online now is absolutely insane.
I think that this is way more of a complex situation then just this is pay to win trash. Out of the four most popular MMOs we have Final Fantasy XIV a box price game that sells you new expansion $40 every couple of years and then charges 13$ a month to access the game. We have Guild Wars 2 which in my opinion is the most fair one where you have a massively diminished experience in the game until you pay the expansions and you can trade real world currency for in-game currency then you have while which is the same situation is Final Fantasy XIV with then the microtransaction shop for the Cosmetics mounts and pets and you can trade cash for gold. And you have Elder Scrolls Online which has an aggressive microtransaction cash-shop with loot, cosmetics, premium sub, box price and more.
None of these are pay-to-win apparently but Black Desert is. Please be fair with your assessment of them all because he doesn’t make sense to be so selective with your criticism again. I’m going to try to say in this I’m by no means saying it like that it has a fair system and one I wouldn’t change tomorrow if I could. But if it’s what people claim it is, then there were all the games all that much better for being honest with ourselves. No companies going to run the game for free, and the fact that people complain that you can buy some things in a video game that then cost money to host and develop is mind-blowing. Now that always that they could make the game less aggressively monetized so just having a subscription-only service but with no Pearl shop.
Would that make people happy? I believe so but people would still complain complain about subscription because when people look at games nowadays they just want the game to cost nothing and be the best thing since sliced bread. I think is a community we have to care about expectations and understand that things cost money and to vote with your wallet. One of the most valid things anyone could ever say to me and one that I would literally pad you on the back for saying would be the following: I will not support us with aggressive microtransactions or I will not support games the director sell currency for real-world money.
That’s you taking a moral stance on what you think companies should ethically do and if we were like you may be day, one DLC use, season passes, loot Boxes, pay-to-win 2 microtransactions won’t have died two-stage unfortunately the horse left the stable about three years before you even noticed and shutting the door now there’s absolutely f****** nothing. We let this happen to our industry and we are now paying the price.
So there’s a lot of things that you could say that I would totally agree are totally valid criticisms of the systems that they use and things that have no place in this game this genre on hell even this industry.
However to say this game specifically is pay to win all levels on there is no reason to play the game is it best missing forms and it was just a straight apply the issue I take most Widow with this is a whole concept is that I have played the game for many years and I don’t get any points in Kik that I lost the game by not spending more money.
I think I’m just really confused at the prospective off you’re not competing in the top 1% of a game that for y’all not winning that you cannot have fun. I’ll be willing to bet that more people play Black Desert online casually in for the extensive exploration and life-skilling than playing PVP in the very top tier.
The developers are making effort creating catch-up mechanics more prevalent, they’ve added the option by the Central Market to entirely forgo the absolute on RNG-Fest is the enhancement system to progress. Making it easier to get into in large-scale with a PVP gear cap, stepping stone processes that then allow you to try it out faster and casually. If someone who primarily plays the game 2 life skills, to figure out new ways to make the most money possible I know that there’s a ton of players you play the game identically to what I do.
To someone spending $30,000 on over the course of a couple weeks having the best gear in the game make him when I may lose no not even remotely is this a common occurrence. I’d say probably not I’d like to have a look, and I saw in a threat about Black Desert online in the MMORPG somebody the other day and this is among other comments over the past few weeks what prompted to make create this.
One of the most upvoted comment on a reddit post says “it’s shallow combat with bright colors and flashy moves. Don’t be fooled by anyone who pulled that life savings into the game that will justify anything”
I’m not trying to argue on the semantics of what constitutes good combat. But I am however here to talk about the overall description we should be having on monetization in this game and what actually is pay to win what makes this game will pay to win another is on something about this comment being the general outside consensus about anyone who plays his game just doesn’t sit right with me.
As someone who puts 0 timing to do actual combat. I’m still a lot of fun just doing casual content after having spent roughly $500 on the game a few thousand hours over the years. I think this is just flat-out asinine thinking. It’s not conducive to any kind of discussion that could be hard on this subject. To be honest I don’t even think this is all I care and I don’t know how this could be a popular opinion. I think a lot of the veteran Community will agree that it is pay to win. I think we mostly all agree that you do have to spend some money to have a better experience. The problem is where is this not the case in this genre where is that not the case in this industry.
okay so most of the player base thinks the game cost $10, which I agree it cost $10 to access the game and try out and the actual cost to play the game is full pets(5) for $9 each and then the base game after. After that you should have a complete enough experience that you’ll easily get your $46 worth of value from the game and can easily make it to end game with only spending that.
There’s nothing after that that you hardly need unless you dive into specific areas of the game and with that being said, you can only focus on a few at a time. So if you’re splitting the cost of this game over many months, which you should because that’s the way the game is meant to be played then is no worse than buying a new Triple-AAA game for 60 or $70 every few months. I quickly got more value for my money from this game than most recent purchases.
I think the concept of never having to spend money on a hobby is entitled, I just can’t really get my head around it nowadays. As I said previously I played in the most back when you my new tree had a box and a sub-price. or you just didn’t get to play at all.
Now you can pay $10 or get the game totally free for hundreds of hours of content with the diminished experience and if you enjoy it why shouldn’t you continue to support the development and running of the service thought you are actually enjoying that would be akin to say in Starbucks is pay to win because while they let you inside and give you a cup of water for free they didn’t expect you to pay for the services that they sell so that you can enjoy what everybody else is enjoying.
I hope this article made sense and I hope we can have a civil discussion about the concept of p2w.