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Clicker Heroes 2 is abandoning free-to-play

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Re: Clicker Heroes 2 is abandoning free-to-play

#91

Post by spondyl »

mirashii wrote: post #54
0xcde4c3db wrote: post #4

> Also, we like games with mods and we want mods. Real-money shops make little sense with mods, when you can just download a mod to quadruple the number of rubies you get. Also, it is simply too easy to cheat. I think this touches on an important aspect of microtransactions that to my knowledge remains largely unexamined (but maybe I'm just not reading the right critics). Specifically, games are traditionally built a…

I think Valve's model of pure cosmetics with an active workshop and ability to implement custom games shows you can still have microtransactions without turning away the notion of a player community. It just seems to me that the common monetization schemes implemented in other games is a bit of a blatant money grab made by forcing people to artificially grind.

On one hand I agree but on the other, Team Fortress 2, where the model originated has stagnated with only a handful of team members shipping actual content updates to the game with the majority of it just seemingly being community items made canon.

There is still a community but it doesn't feel like the same game since microtransactions were added. It's still a fascinating example of a player run economy though with (virtual) "Mac OSX Earbuds" being used as a primary currency at one point

Re: Clicker Heroes 2 is abandoning free-to-play

#92

Post by arkades »

chii wrote: post #90
noncoml wrote: post #88

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> They're a great demonstration of how the illusion of progressing at something is all you need to keep people interested, even when the only thing they're progressing towards is... the opportunity for more progression First time I heard about clicker heroes game was 2 hours ago, reading your reply. Guess why it took me 2 house to reply? That’s right, I’ve been clicking and clicking. It’s crazy how something so point…

> pay $30 up front to play it i'd rather pay upfront than be nickeled and dimed afterwards. Esp. if the production quality of the game is up to scratch (e.g., no unrecoverable bugs, good looking graphics/sound, and intuitive UI etc).

But there's no gameplay!

Sorry, I mean to say: there's no inherent evolution of plot or mechanics. It's a game that's literally defined by "numbers increasing on the side of the screen, and microtransactions to make those numbers go up quicker." What would that look like without the microtransactions?

     while True:

          i++

          print i
Done.

Re: Clicker Heroes 2 is abandoning free-to-play

#93

Post by JoshTriplett »

rangibaby wrote: post #74
Deimorz wrote: post #61

I'm really surprised to see this from a company that makes, of all possible genres, clicker games . Clicker games usually have almost no actual gameplay, and pretty much only interest people because they exploit many of the same type of psychological tricks that free-to-play games use to keep players hooked. They're a great demonstration of how the illusion of progressing at something is all you need to keep people i…

> They're a great demonstration of how the illusion of progressing at something is all you need to keep people interested, even when the only thing they're progressing towards is... the opportunity for more progression. If anyone wants to try this type of "game" give cookie clicker a try.

> If anyone wants to try this type of "game" give cookie clicker a try.

Cookie Clicker is fun and entertaining, but I'd recommend playing it (and all other "incremental"/"clicker" games) with the JavaScript console open. Enjoy the story, flavor, and twists, without the wasted time and idleness.

Also try Spaceplan.

Re: Clicker Heroes 2 is abandoning free-to-play

#94

Post by vidarh »

Nullabillity wrote: post #43
csours wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Clash Royale brands their philosophy as pay-to-advance. You can upgrade faster with real money, but that doesn't mean you will win matches. At some point at the top I assume everyone is spending a lot of money, and is matched up with similar level cards. As a player it doesn't really bug me.

That sounds fine at first, but tends to mean that real progression is heavily slowed down in order to encourage people to buy cheats.

But the "progression" doesn't really buy you anything other than "cooler" cards. You'll still win and lose at similar proportions, because you get matched against more skilled players or players with even better cards.

It means that yes, if getting to the top matters to you, you'll likely spend a lot of money, but spending money on it doesn't really alter whether or not the matches themselves are fun.

Re: Clicker Heroes 2 is abandoning free-to-play

#95

Post by dkns »

Pxtl wrote: post #2

I love this essay. Thinking about people who've damaged their lives on addictive gaming.... those people behind the four-figure numbers on the spreadsheet of Whales. That's sad as hell. But... it's a clicker game. A hilarious-looking clicker game... but a clicker game. Would anybody spend $30 on a clicker game?

When you think of it Diablo 3 is also a clicker game and it costs 35€ + 15€ if you want newest hero.

Re: Clicker Heroes 2 is abandoning free-to-play

#96

Post by chii »

arkades wrote: post #92
chii wrote: post #90

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> pay $30 up front to play it i'd rather pay upfront than be nickeled and dimed afterwards. Esp. if the production quality of the game is up to scratch (e.g., no unrecoverable bugs, good looking graphics/sound, and intuitive UI etc).

But there's no gameplay! Sorry, I mean to say: there's no inherent evolution of plot or mechanics. It's a game that's literally defined by "numbers increasing on the side of the screen, and microtransactions to make those numbers go up quicker." What would that look like without the microtransactions? while True: i++ print i Done.

how does tetris work then? You press button in response to what's on the screen. The clicker does have _some_ choices you have to make - it's just an easy choice most of the time.

Re: Clicker Heroes 2 is abandoning free-to-play

#97

Post by codingdave »

Pxtl wrote: post #2

I love this essay. Thinking about people who've damaged their lives on addictive gaming.... those people behind the four-figure numbers on the spreadsheet of Whales. That's sad as hell. But... it's a clicker game. A hilarious-looking clicker game... but a clicker game. Would anybody spend $30 on a clicker game?

That question was asked on reddit. Most commenters seemed to think it was too high. The devs said they spent $2 million to make a clicker game, and therefore needed to price it high to recoup their costs.

Personally, I feel they should have managed their costs to a more reasonable price point, but I didn't feel like engaging in debate on reddit over the point.

Re: Clicker Heroes 2 is abandoning free-to-play

#99

Post by Kurtz79 »

beaconstudios wrote: post #87
skocznymroczny wrote: post #68

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think that there is a big gap between predatory mobile style F2P and other F2P games. I like the F2P games. In the past, you had to spend money to have something to play and the game would last you for a short while. Nowadays, if you are into competitive gameplay, you can just install League of Legends, DOTA2, TF2, Paladins, Starcraft 2 and lots of MMOs and play for years without paying anything. In most of these g…

I think one of the main reasons F2Ps have become so prominent is that players want something for nothing - sure, you get all these games for free (but then, most players could easily afford $40 for a game they'll spend hours on) but then your weighted cost of development will get offloaded onto either some rich person with too much time on their hands (ethically fine) or someone with chronic gaming addiction or depre…

"I'd much rather live in a world where people were just more happy to pay for things they consume"

As an "old" and grumpy gamer, I agree, but I think we are past that point. Nowadays I think new gamers are losing track of the fact that they are supposed to play to have fun, and see getting rewards as the only end-goal.

Recently Hearthstone (collectible card game) announced a free roguelike single-player mode, and the only thing many people in the community can think of is that the only reward for completing it is a minor cosmetic item, and that is not sufficient, that they should be better compensated for the time "invested" in it.

Mind, it is an attitude that is a consequence of the culture of microtransations and lootboxes that also Blizzard helped to establish, so it's hard to take the company's side.

Re: Clicker Heroes 2 is abandoning free-to-play

#100

Post by gfosco »

Deimorz wrote: post #61

I'm really surprised to see this from a company that makes, of all possible genres, clicker games . Clicker games usually have almost no actual gameplay, and pretty much only interest people because they exploit many of the same type of psychological tricks that free-to-play games use to keep players hooked. They're a great demonstration of how the illusion of progressing at something is all you need to keep people i…

This is a really interesting attempt, and it might work because of how well-known the game is already.

I got this game (on iOS) about 2 years ago, and enjoyed the progression, and found myself continuing to work on it in 30 second chunks a few times a day. Weeks, months, now years later, I still keep the game on my first home screen and at least once a day continue the progress.

I decided to grab some rubies, mostly to support the developers, spent maybe $25 over 2 years, and felt like I got the best of the deal. Balance is tough, it's been a long time since I've had any desire to buy more rubies. I pre-ordered after reading this article, happy to support their hard work.

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