Dead Space 3 uses micro-transactions to top up your in-game currency – you’ll know this. Basically if you don’t have enough resources in your inventory to spec out your next weapon, you can use real cash to buy your way through the obstruction. Will this affect the game’s ‘regular’ gameplay routes, or will this (possible) circumvention spoil the flow?
In an interview with CVG, Dead Space 3 producer John Calhoun seems to think that because it’s optional, nobody really needs to be too concerned. But he also says that this method of progressing in a game is well known to smartphone gamers (indeed, he’s absolutely right) and wants to try to echo some of that with Dead Space 3.
The issue, as previously highlighted, is that smartphone games tend to cost a quid or so, if they’re not free. Dead Space costs £50.
“Not much has been spoken about that,” he says, referring to the micro-transactions applicable when on the in-game workbench, “but I can tell you the details now. The way the micro-transactions work, is that there’s only three things that you can buy, and they’re basically tiers of different resources. Resources are extremely valuable in Dead Space – we got rid of credits entirely. Everything that you can find in the game can be constructed from resources, which includes Tungsten, Semi-Conductors, Somatic Gel.”
“Combining these in different ways will create either a weapon part, an ammo pack or an upgrade to Isaac’s suit. There’s a lot of players out there, especially players coming from mobile games, who are accustomed to micro-transactions. They’re like ‘I need this now, I want this now’. They need instant gratification. So we included that option in order to attract those players, so that if they’re 5000 Tungsten short of this upgrade, they can have it.”
Thankfully, Dead Space 3 is also hoping to appeal to regular console gamers not used to this way of thinking. Calhoun concedes that most of the dev team are “hardcore Dead Space players, who are reluctant to spend money outside the purchase of the game,” so everything can still be achieved with whatever resources are available in-game.
Calhoun is keen to address the inevitable accusations that this model is simply “pay to win,” gouging customers and devaluing the accomplishment of beating the game. He says “We would never make a game you have to pay to win. There are genres of games where that is the answer, and you know what? The world has spoken, they suck.” But he also acknowledges the desire to make games that people “keep on their shelves.”
Wether or not microtransactions will make Dead Space 3 more attractive to the legions of gamers more used to the smartphone model remains to be seen. It’s difficult to imagine that, in the comparison between an AppStore game and a PlayStation 3 or Xbox 360 game, it’s the microtransactions which are putting off mobile phone fans. Surely it’s much more logical to think that the price of entry being between ten and sixty times greater than that of paid smartphone games is a bigger discouragement.
TSBonyman
I wish we could fast forward to that inevitable moment when the mobile/casual bubble bursts.
Starman
It will be a great moment for gaming.
The Von Braun
But E.A this IS’NT a smart phone game, it’s the 3rd in a series of games that started out on the home platforms, you remember, back when Dead Space was delivering the good shit we expected from Res.Evil 5, you know, fear, tension, jumpy bits, fantastic use of audio etc?.
What’s that? by turning the 2nd game into a ‘room clearing’ exercise and putting the claret n gore levels upto the point where it looked like i was wading through the aftermath of an accident in a jam (or preserve for your USA minds) factory, you saw huge sales, so you thought dumbing it down even further would of course mean even bigger sales bwah ha ha etc.
No, just no, i’ve nothing again’st paid for DLC in terms of weapon packs/armour etc, to a degree, but what your trying here just stinks.Why not just pimp the whole damn thing out and be done with it, as your lungs are reaching bursting point as your oxygen slips away, why not have the game pause and a fecking big BUY NOW!!! ad.pop up, bigger Oxygen tank £5, lung transplant £15, get game to play the next 4 levels for you, awarding achivements/trophies every 5 secs £20.All the armour/weapons/cutscenes/trailers/spin off games Retro Mega-deluxe pack £30.
If you did’nt need micro-transactions in the 1st 2 games you sure as hell don’t need them now.
It’s like a stranger trying to sell my dogs a flute!.
KeRaSh
Why does everyone have to exaggerate infinitely when it comes to this topic? I agree with your first two paragraphs but you lost me half way through the third…
The Von Braun
The 3rd? easy, with each new Dead Space game, E.A seem to be moving away from everything tht made the 1st game great.
Where’s the feeling of dread, of fearing to go further when all i’ll need to do is enter my card or voucher details, yes i know it’s optional, but things like this is big franchises are now becoming the norm.It’s only going to get worse, not better, hence the exaggeration.I never thought i’d see something like Dead Space go in the direction it has as the 1st game really delivered, in spades.
E.A clearly are not targetting myself here and by saying ‘well, it’s what smnart phone gamers are used to’ does not make it right.If that’s what smart phone gamers are used to, fine, keep it on the smart phones.
Is it really going over the top when Activision sells map packs from previous games to be playable on the latest COD/MW think KZ3 did the same, selling KZ2 map packs that could be played on KZ3.
Things like this used to be FREE on PC, now look at it.
The focus no longer seems to be delivering the best gaming exp.more gaining more and more money from the game once consumer has bought it.
KeRaSh
Even without the in game purchases you are clearly not happy about the direction they are taking the franchise. Exaggerating as much as you did just makes it impossible to discuss the topic in any serious manner. At least that’s how I feel when I read comments like that.
kjkg
OK I can understand why it’s a bad route for things to be going down, but as far as I can see (and nobody has prved otherwise) the game is still 100% completable without extra purchases. So what’s the problem?
If you don’t want to buy, then don’t. This isn’t a feature being TAKEN AWAY, but a feature ADDED. Not a very nice feature, no, but still one that will have zero baring on my experience, no doubt.
Youles
“the game is still 100% completable without extra purchases”
Not only that, but all items are still available.
Thank God, someone who isn’t an idiot! ;)
kjkg
Why thank you my rational thinking friend ;)
KeRaSh
Hey, I’d also like a member card!
Youles
I believe we only need 3 board members to start with! ;)
hazelam
the “it’s only optional” argument is valid in one way, but then what about when the cost of items in the in game currency is set to ridiculous levels to make the pay option more attractive.
a lot of games that do this has such ridiculous prices that the amount of times you have to replay the game to get the resources to buy the items means you’re fed up with playing long before you can afford the best items.
they might not do it, but really, this is ea, the company that started putting online passes in single player games.
they’re going to do it.
of course it won’t affect me because i won’t be buying it, it has multiplayer so it’ll have an online pass which means preowned only.
that’s another point against the “it doesn’t matter” argument.
combine multiplayer with the ability to buy real weapons you would never be able to acquire with your current skill or experience level.
you create an artificial imbalance based on who has the most money.
KeRaSh
It’s coop only so there is no competitive advantage. If you don’t like a stranger using guns that are too strong then just play with someone else, or ideally with someone you know from your friend list. It’s not that hard. :)
Starman
It would be nice to think that EA haven’t made them reduce the amount of in-game resources to encourage people to pay instead. But knowing EA’s record, I highly doubt it.
xdarkmagician
I’m willing to bet, that since you need to sign into orgin to buy these materials, that you will only be able to IAP with new copies of the game. I no longer buy EA games, I strictly rent them, but if EA was genuine about not letting IAPs run the game they could start by making sure everybody with the game can buy them, not just new copy customers.
Like many others here, EA of the last few years have disgusted me completely. They said the online pass was for server costs, they said the servers would get better with the fee. They lied. So now when they say these IAPs won’t effect the game, I just don’t believe them. Maybe they won’t affect DS3, but sooner or later they will affect story progression in future games. Just like the online passes, these IAPs aren’t going away. They’re only going to increase, become more complex and eventually they will be required to get the most out of your game.
jbni
Imagine if micro-transactions made their way into Dark Souls 2.
Seller: “Why hello, we meet again…would you like to buy some extreme dragon-scale armour that allows you not to die every 10 minutes? It’s yours for £1.50 of your magical coins.”
From Software could make a fortune from desperate gamers.