This is really disappointing. The game does give off GOTY vibes until you realize big issues like only having one save file you can fully control, intentially vague dialogue for key quest details, and bad AI. All of which just happens to encourage mistakes that can only be fixed using items which are very limited without microtransactions. Its like an MBA took over in the final phase of development and made it a sleazy moneygrab. The fact that it is a hit means we can expect more developers to adopt this tactic and take it further. Capcom has become EA.

Thankfully I was able to get a refund on Dragons Dogma and used that money to buy Rise of the Ronin. Was not disappointed. They are very similar games but Rise of the Ronin has all the QoL features gamers have come to expect like unlimitted fast travel and saves.

[–] TheDubz87@lemmy.world 14 points 7 months ago (3 children)

While occasionally I wish I could save scum when I make a mistake, I've gotten through rough patches. I will say the performance is lacking sometimes, hopefully that will iron out in time. One save file can be a pain, but you can rebuild your character in any way you'd like throughout the game, and there is NG+. But I have 10 wake stones and 20+ ferry stones. They aren't THAT limited without buying them. This just encourages me to explore more and think about my combat a little more thoroughly. I've run the same roads over 10 times and I'll still find a new path to a seekers medallion or a cave I hadn't gone through on the 11th time. I've only used 1 wakestone and that was because I fell a half a mile and ended up somewhere I hadn't explored yet.

The game is not bad, it's just built different. GOTY? I don't know about that yet. But to be 'disappointed' that a game you didn't like is selling well is nonsense. The micros are irrelevant as far as I can see with the stockpile of those items I have, and while I don't like the idea of them being slid in there, it's not predatory like lootboxes in some games.

[–] StoneyDcrew@lemmy.world 10 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago) (3 children)

I don't like the idea of them being slid in there

Yeah, but you're tolerating it. which is good enough for greedy publishers.

If you want it to stop, don't buy it. It's the only option. Otherwise you allow publishers to make your game experience worse for profit.

The reason people like me are disappointed it is selling well is that these anti-consumer practices are not a deal-breaker for most people thus it allows these practices to persist in the game market. That is hardly "nonsense" as you put it.

I'm sure I'll get a lot of "tolerating" people commenting that these "can be easily ignored", but I doubt I will get a single person that says their experience was enhanced by these microtransactions, which could have simply been a cheat code instead.

[–] echo64@lemmy.world 3 points 7 months ago (1 children)

My experience is not enhanced but also not diminished, so it's fine. The moment I have a worse experience, then I'll complain, but right now, it's complaining about theoreticals.

[–] StoneyDcrew@lemmy.world -2 points 7 months ago

Ah. The "I'll just tolerate this until it gets worse" mindset. Never backfires!

Surely even you can admit that slipping this in on release was a scummy move.

It's "theoretical" only because there is no non-monetised version. They could have created a cheat shop with the items for free. Even if you choose not to use them having that option means it is a better experience, so it would still be a "diminished experience".

If someone can pay extra money to get a different game experience from you then the publishers have denied you the chance at that experience which is "diminished".

This isn't even mentioning the performance issues on lunch that would be tolerated because "surely they'll fix it later!".

Sure you don't care. Many people don't care. And surely someone is going to try and highlight this apathy as a virtue somehow. And so publishers get to continue experimenting with how to milk franchises for every dollar it can instead of making an optimal game experience, overall making the game industry worse.

[–] dogslayeggs@lemmy.world 1 points 7 months ago

It isn't about tolerating it. I haven't even found the microtransactions yet. I'm not tolerating them at all, they just aren't a part of the game that I'm playing.

[–] TheDubz87@lemmy.world 1 points 7 months ago (1 children)

Problem is that these will always be a thing because of whales. Am I supposed to not buy a game because of a micro like this? So basically quit gaming? Because they're everywhere now, and as long as whales exist, micros will exist. You need to pick your battles. I stopped buying multi-player games all together. I'm not limiting myself on single player games because of a minor micro that changes nothing about my single player experience.

Everyone could boycott this game except for the whales, and that handful would still be considered a win for them. Don't be disappointed in a single games sales, be disappointed in the current state of gaming.

[–] StoneyDcrew@lemmy.world 2 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago)

Apathy is worse than the whales.

Let's do some theoretical scenarios for microtransactions:

-apathy with whales: "we need to ensure a good monetisation model to extract value from the whales, even if the normal players are missing out"

-apathy without whales: "let's try adding microtransactions to extract more value per player, it won't hurt our sales!"

-No apathy with whales: "no one is buying our game! And our whales have no one to play with! Are the whales even enough to fund this on its own? We got to undo the microtransactions soon!"

-No apathy no whales: "why did we even add microtransactions! Every business knows that only quality games and good marketing can help sales!"

A little hyberbolic but surely you see my point.

[–] HauntedCupcake@lemmy.world 4 points 7 months ago

But to be 'disappointed' that a game you didn't like is selling well is nonsense.

I'm not disappointed because it's just not my cup of tea, that would be nonsense. I actually want to play the game, but won't because of the state it's in.

It's disappointing that it sold so well because it shows that people don't care about shitty business practices.

[–] SirDankbud@lemmy.ca -1 points 7 months ago (1 children)

I appreciate the reasoned response. Maybe by the end of the game the pay items don't feel limited, but they did in the first 20 hours I played before returning it.

If I was disappointed solely at the sales compared to my dislike then you're right to think its nonsense. What I'm disappointed in is a business I have loyally and regularly purchased from for over 30 years compromising their product and making it worse to try and fleece more money. I also worry deeply that the game selling well despite the flak means every major developer will find their own way to follow suit and refine the tactic until it becomes the norm.

[–] fushuan@lemm.ee 4 points 7 months ago

The game is designed so they feel like a limited resource, so that you don't rely on them. The game is so much more enjoyable when both wakestones and ferrystones are a limited resource, you learn of carts, having to get away from the cart when fighting goblins in the way, fighting accordingly and avoiding npc deaths... Of course they felt limited in the first 20 hours, they are supposed to be a precious resource.

Revivas and teleports on key moments feel way better than having them around, honestly.

I don't really get how you are disappointed in Capcom about the mtx, when is not something new at all about their products to offer mtx revivals and such. You can be against it of course but to be disappointed because it's something new? It's not.

[–] Goronmon@lemmy.world 12 points 7 months ago (1 children)

All of which just happens to encourage mistakes that can only be fixed using items which are very limited without microtransactions.

This isn't true.

[+] SirDankbud@lemmy.ca -7 points 7 months ago (1 children)

It absolutely is. Wakestones are limited without microtransactions and there are plenty of poorly explained quests where one could easily kill something they shouldn't. It happened to me. I even saved right before to try and be safe only for the game to autosave over the second the npc attacked me. The only save you have full control over is your second save tied to the inns, which are expensive and inferior to camping due to the buffs camping provides.

[–] Goronmon@lemmy.world 5 points 7 months ago (2 children)

Wakestones are limited without microtransactions

But not that limited, you can find the shards and even wakestones from playing the game. Even the MTX alone you can only buy 5 max, which isn't enough to ever make a difference in the game.

[–] sunbunman@lemm.ee 7 points 7 months ago (1 children)

...people use wakestones? I've been saving aggressively and loading the last save ...

[–] JackDark@lemmy.world 2 points 7 months ago

One neat thing about wakestones is that you can use them to revive NPCs that have been killed. This is cool, but also means that I have honestly used Wake stones just as much to revive NPCs as I have on myself. The main city in the first area actually has a massive morgue that presumably fills up with the bodies of dead NPCs so you can find them easier.

[–] Daveyborn@lemmy.world 6 points 7 months ago

You can get multiple full wakestones from a single drake fight

[–] dogslayeggs@lemmy.world 10 points 7 months ago (2 children)

Funny, I've been playing the game since the day it hit retail and haven't even found the ability to use microtransactions, let alone ran into any game breaking problem that needed me to buy something. Sure, I'm not very far in the game, but it sounds like you didn't get very far in the game either and somehow found all these problems I haven't found.

[–] JackDark@lemmy.world 3 points 7 months ago

I'm at level 25, and I also have yet to find out how to actually use microtransactions. I assume if I go looking for them through the PSN interface I could find them, but I haven't seen anything in-game so far.

[–] SirDankbud@lemmy.ca -2 points 7 months ago

Sure if 20 hours in isn't far. I was at Battahl when I returned the game

[–] Bassman27@lemmy.world 2 points 7 months ago (1 children)

This is a lot of complaints for someone who’s played less than 2 hours of a 100+ hour rpg…

[–] SirDankbud@lemmy.ca -2 points 7 months ago (1 children)

Didn't know you can get Battahl in 2 hours. You may be a speedrunner, but don't assume others are too.

[–] Bassman27@lemmy.world -3 points 7 months ago (1 children)

lmao what??

[–] SirDankbud@lemmy.ca -4 points 7 months ago (1 children)

I was pointing out the idiocy of your petty assumption by stating I was at Battahl. Pretty sure its impossible to get there in only two hours.

[–] Bassman27@lemmy.world -2 points 7 months ago

“PeTtY aSsUmPtIoN” LMAO chill pal most people don’t use disks to play games in 2024. It’s perfectly reasonable to assume people use steam