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PAY2WIN: COD microtransactions keep getting worse - IW gives stat boosts to guns

The one part of the Infinite Warfare MP beta that got some attention (but not enough) is the supply drop and crafting system that allows you to add extra features to weapons, which will also give you an advantage over other players.

FYfOeUS.jpg


This is the crafting screen - in the screenshot's example you can use it to add a killstreak and reduce the recoil of an NV4 (assault rifle). Of course, that's the Legendary tier so you need to first craft all the lesser rarities. Unlike Advanced Warfare's variants, there are no stat reductions in another stat so the example Legendary NV4 is just flat out better than a normal NV4 and gives you an advantage over those that don't have a "variant" of their favorite gun.

The problem here is that you need to collect a currency called "Salvage" to craft. From my beta playtime I got around 7-10 salvage per game. To craft the best (Epic) version of a gun, you need 5840 salvage (200, then 540, then 1600, then 3500). Assuming you get 10 salvage every game (and that's probably not happening), you need to play 584 games. A COD match takes anywhere between 7-15 minutes to complete - assuming 10 minutes per game, that's 97 hours to complete one gun.

Because that takes some dedication, there is an alternative! You can give Activision a thousand dollars and hope that the Supply Drop RNG loot boxes give you the goods! Supply drops were already horrible in Black Ops 3, because all new guns were put into them, but now they are giving you better versions of guns that are already there. This game also has map pack DLC, so they are getting greedier than ever.


tl;dr version - COD IW has gun stat boosts, getting them takes an eternity unless you pay Activision money and get lucky. Remember to buy the season pass!
 

GHG

Gold Member
With the alternatives on the market now people really don't need to buy this game anymore.

But they still will :(
 
You get a free supply drop every 4-5 games. So it definitely could be worse.

I personally like the epic versions that change the abilities of the guns (turning dual pistols into dual shotguns for example), but yeah, the salvage drop rate is pretty garbage.
 

Servbot #42

Unconfirmed Member
The salvage currency is just like free to play mobile bullshit except that it is on a 60 dollar game, pretty gross. I almost bought the legacy edition for MW, i think i dodged a bullet.
 
With the alternatives on the market now people really don't need to buy this game anymore.

But they still will :(

The game is going to sell well by regular videogame standards, but I can all but guarantee it's going to tank by Call of Duty standards. The regular non-MWR bundle edition will sell like garbage, and MWR playercounts will likely surpass those of IW. It's gonna be a wake-up call.
 

Skel1ingt0n

I can't *believe* these lazy developers keep making file sizes so damn large. Btw, how does technology work?
This is the first year, ever, since before Modern Warfare that I won't buy CoD on Day One.

Not only does it feel like more of the same. Not only was the beta pretty meh. Not only is there shit like this. But it's also right after Battlefield 1 AND Titanfall 2.

I'll wait. I'll snag it cheap down the road.
 

Blobbers

Member
RNGeezus loot boxes are terrible.
I still don't understand why so many people defended the practice in those Overwatch threads from way back.
 

Hikami

Member
I really hated this stuff in Black Ops 3. Seeing it in the beta for this game was enough for me to delete the game and not care about it anymore.
 

BigEmil

Junior Member
And you know alot of people will buy this. Micro-transactions makes lots of money all the time it works.
 

The Beard

Member
The "Salvage" points won't be as rare as you're making them out to be. I guarantee they didn't create an upgrade system where it takes 100 hours to max out one weapon.
 
You get a free supply drop every 4-5 games. So it definitely could be worse.

I personally like the epic versions that change the abilities of the guns (turning dual pistols into dual shotguns for example), but yeah, the salvage drop rate is pretty garbage.

The free supply you mention is the Common Supply Drop, which is so bad they're not even giving you the option to buy it with money. They gave a ton of keys at the end of the beta and I spent it all on the Common ones, and got pretty much nothing at all.

You need to save up for the Rare Supply Drop, which is triple the price, and many more games. The Rare is also the one you can buy with real money, if they're doing it like they did in BO3.
 
And this is why I got Titanfall 2 instead. Everyone else should do the same, especially since it has free DLC and no microtransactions at the moment.
 
The free supply you mention is the Common Supply Drop, which is so bad they're not even giving you the option to buy it with money. They gave a ton of keys at the end of the beta and I spent it all on the Common ones, and got pretty much nothing at all.

You need to save up for the Rare Supply Drop, which is triple the price, and many more games. The Rare is also the one you can buy with real money, if they're doing it like they did in BO3.

That's fair, I remember the common box drop rate being a lot better in Black Ops 3 than it was in the beta.

And this is why I got Titanfall 2 instead. Everyone else should do the same, especially since it has free DLC and no microtransactions at the moment.

Aside from the Mountain Dew/Doritos/Buffalo Wild Wings stuff...

No game is safe.
 

oti

Banned
People will use real money to boost their stats. Can you really blame Activision?

I don't expect companies to not use any means available to maximize profit, that would be a foolish thing to do. What I'm wondering is if at some point this will stop. Be it by people wising up (lol) or the government stepping in (LOOOL).
 
The "Salvage" points won't be as rare as you're making them out to be. I guarantee they didn't create an upgrade system where it takes 100 hours to max out one weapon.

Salvage is also one of the possible drops from a Supply Drop. I believe it's also guaranteed from the Rare one which you can buy with real money! If you're not spending your money on the drops, the majority will come from playing the game though.

We also don't know yet if you can buy salvage with money, the only thing definitely known is that supply drops can be bought, as you can in Black Ops 3.
 
Yes! TitanFall 2 is not only better, but it has free DLC and CURRENTLY no microtransactions! It deserves to succeed.

Deosn't matter. It's gonna sell worse than B1 and this. I love the game but I worry what the community is gonna be like in 3 months. This is why people play COD regardless of quality. They can rest assured a community will be there.
 

Jawmuncher

Member
RNGeezus loot boxes are terrible.
I still don't understand why so many people defended the practice in those Overwatch threads from way back.

Because they got suckered in themselves and don't want to admit they wasted money.

Not all loot boxes are comparable. Overwatch is nothing but cosmetic items. Unless having a cool skin or spray is a competitive advantage. Loot boxes can be a good way for a company to get money, and keep the player base consolidated. However in the case of IW it can possibly be used to do dumb stuff such as this.

Anyone who says they like or don't mind loot boxes is ok with cosmetic only items and such. I don't think anyone defends getting items that change the games main competitve mode.
 

Wedzi

Banned
I told myself I was done with CoD when Black Ops 3 started putting actual weapons in loot crates. Nevermind that you have to own the season pass to even get a chance at some of these items. I'm fine with cosmetics but once you start putting gameplay altering items behind a paywall for a full priced game I'm out.

giphy.gif
 

RoKKeR

Member
Man, pretty terrible.

There have been some egregious examples of microtransactions this year in terms of them being over priced, but this takes it to a whole new level.
 
You forgot to mention that the salvage drop rate was increased in the beta over what will be in the Base game. So yes it'll be worse than what it is now somehow.
 

kuYuri

Member
For the record, the variants in Advanced Warfare did have some drawbacks, but it rarely made a big difference. Some of the variants were even pure bonuses compared to base version. If you got the Obsidian Steed variant of the BAL-27, you pretty much win Advanced Warfare, as it was pretty much the most powerful weapon in any CoD ever.

With that said, RNG loot boxes need to go away in this series and in any game that I'm paying an upfront cost for, especially when you can get duplicates which is the biggest bullshit. I'm getting tired of this trend, even in a game like Overwatch where it's all cosmetic. We can thank the whales that are gamers and Youtubers who do this.
 

lmbotiva

Junior Member
honestly, this is no troll post, if you want to play a good COD just wait until the MW remaster is sold separately or just buy titanfall 2 and play the mode without titans, it's amazing, plus all MP maps will be free
 
Better yet, just don't buy this bad game. Don't reward Activision for this shit just because they remastered the only good CoD game in 9 years.

When you look at the shooter landscape, can you really blame people for spending extra on a game they know they'll instantly love? Every single shooter this year has been very divisive with people. I think there's more people who haven't found the one they love then the ones that have.
 

diablos991

Can’t stump the diablos
This is pretty disgusting.
Can't believe that 97 hour grind to max a weapon without paying.

The game is obviously balanced to encourage the microtransactions.
 

KJRS_1993

Member
I'll be giving Call of Duty a miss this year and this is definitely a contributing factor. Micro-transactions don't instinctively offend me out of principle, but when they're just spins on a loot roulette wheel in a game I'm not sure I'm particularly sold on, it makes the decision to pass a lot easier.

Edit: what I will say is that I bought Titanfall 2. I'm one of those people who absolutely hated the alpha (seriously disappointed), but they've made some really positive changes and the game is now a whole lot of fun. I would recommend anyone looking for their shooter kicks to check that out instead.
 
We have reached that dark microtransaction dystopia that we were told would never happen.

Next: "Oh come on, it's not really that bad! It's only a *minor* boost, streamers have shown you don't even need it, just git gooder scrub!"
 
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