• European Commission suggest free-to-play be used to describe only games "free in their entirety"
    15 replies, posted
[url]http://www.pcgamesn.com/european-commission-suggest-free-play-be-used-describe-only-games-free-their-entirety[/url]
This I can agree by on the thread title alone. TF2, while it is now a free game to play, is not free in it's entirety. It should be "Mostly-free-to-play"
Doesn't really mean much apart from a change in nomenclature and more protection for children. Instead of F2p we might see something like core game without cost or something.
[quote]“The use of the word ‘free’ (or similar unequivocal terms) as such, and without any appropriate qualifications, should only be allowed for games which are indeed free in their entirety, or in other words which contain no possibility of making in-app purchases, not even on an optional basis,” they wrote.[/quote] I think they are thinking of 'Freeware' which is already defined as free without optional purchase. [quote= Freeware]Freeware (portmanteau of "free" and "software") is software that is available for use at no monetary cost or for an optional fee,[1] but usually (although not necessarily) closed source with one or more restricted usage rights.[/quote] [url]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freeware[/url]
I think games with microtransactions for cosmetic upgrades should still qualify as free to play, but especially in phones, what qualifies as free is ridiculous. The amount of times I've downloaded some "free" game on my phone, only to play through the tutorial and be halted by "Buy now to unlock the rest of the game"
[QUOTE=Kickin Balls;44077272]This I can agree by on the thread title alone. TF2, while it is now a free game to play, is not free in it's entirety. It should be "Mostly-free-to-play"[/QUOTE] You can obtain every item for free via trading or just finding them, there is nothing you can only get by buying it with real money. The entire game is free, the store is just there for people who don't want to find or trade for items.
Wasn't Team Fortress 2 more or less the same item unlock wise before the switch to F2P, though?
[QUOTE=Mastahamma;44077467]Wasn't Team Fortress 2 more or less the same item unlock wise before the switch to F2P, though?[/QUOTE] Pretty much most of the TF2 F2P set-up was added to the game prior to launching as free 2 play. The Mann Co store was added about 9 months before which allowed for in game purchases of items with all items being drop-able except for unusuals and tool items (keys, description and name tags)
[QUOTE=Kickin Balls;44077272]This I can agree by on the thread title alone. TF2, while it is now a free game to play, is not free in it's entirety. It should be "Mostly-free-to-play"[/QUOTE] They might get away with it. Anything you pay can be seen as premium content. The cosmetics are largely pointless, and the stock weapons are the most useful in the game.
[QUOTE=nightlord;44077433]You can obtain every item for free via trading or just finding them, there is nothing you can only get by buying it with real money. The entire game is free, the store is just there for people who don't want to find or trade for items.[/QUOTE] I do believe certain features are locked until you get a premium account by purchasing something from the ingame store. Nothing gamers would describe as core gameplay, but if you just look at them as software features...
[QUOTE=Marik Bentusi;44077547]I do believe certain features are locked until you get a premium account by purchasing something from the ingame store. Nothing gamers would describe as core gameplay, but if you just look at them as software features...[/QUOTE] Without premium, it effectively limits trading to only receiving gifts so it can limit a channel for which a player can obtain items. I think this was in place to prevent people from spamming accounts to get item drops on idle servers. Without trading, the player can only obtain free items through achievements and random drops.
Just call them free-to-pay, it's just as accurate.
If that means making it impossible for EA to make any more pseudo-F2P games, I'm down.
So Rift, Everquest 1, Everquest 2, DC Universe Online, APB Reloaded, Loadout, Team Fortress 2, Planetside 2, and other games out there that have an optional subscription model for better benefits or a real-money transaction market such as microtransactions will not considered f2p games.
[QUOTE=darkedone02;44081596]So Rift, Everquest 1, Everquest 2, DC Universe Online, APB Reloaded, Loadout, Team Fortress 2, Planetside 2, and other games out there that have an optional subscription model for better benefits or a real-money transaction market such as microtransactions will not considered f2p games.[/QUOTE] Well they won't be able to use the free monicker.
[QUOTE=nightlord;44077433]You can obtain every item for free via trading or just finding them, there is nothing you can only get by buying it with real money. The entire game is free, the store is just there for people who don't want to find or trade for items.[/QUOTE] that's not the point of what the EC are doing the problem is that kids are playing games that are listed as 'free', but are finding things that you can pay money into to get. they want it to be 'free to play but with payment aspects' or something you could probably say that the dungeon master EA game has nothing that you can't access without money, but it just takes fucking forever
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