VG24/7 - Bungie to sell Ammo Packs for cash.

Mitch Connor

https://www.vg247.com/2016/01/25/bungie-sell-destiny-ammo-packs-real-money-microtransactions/

Bungie is to sell Destiny ammo packs for real money, a source familiar with the matter has confirmed to VG247...

If this turns out to be true, fcuk. That will actually be the end of Destiny for me, would be the straw that broke the camels back for me.

Surely it isn't going to happen. I can see it being something they would have looked at (amongst many other things) but I just can't see them doing something so stupid.

With all the issues Destiny has had over the last month (and few days) and rumours such as no big, planned, content this year, and now this..... Bungie need to act fast and significantly to address the concerns of the player base. If this Thursdays Update is another crappy no-info but info coming soon speil, the hardcore community is going to go ape.

Generic Dreadhead

Who in the name of christ is going to pay for Ammo Synths?

Well unless they remove the option to buy them in game from Xur/Banshee/Variks..... :eek:

Mitch Connor

Cormac... wrote: »

Who in the name of christ is going to pay for Ammo Synths?

Well unless they remove the option to buy them in game from Xur/Banshee/Variks..... :eek:

I saw a load of comments the other day about Varicks no longer selling anything, if that is true people are going to tie it to this.

I would also say that if this happened, either the Heavy Ammo would drop less, or people will simply perceive it to drop less - either way, it will create an almighty stink.

If it is true, it is a terrible move from Bungie. Just insanely stupid.

If it is not true, this rumour is the last thing Bungie need given the comments and criticism the game has gotten in the last month and especially since the last weekly update.

gimli2112

Cormac... wrote: »

Who in the name of christ is going to pay for Ammo Synths?

Well unless they remove the option to buy them in game from Xur/Banshee/Variks..... :eek:

Was about to agree with this when I remembered I bought the Sparrow racing book for a tenner.

wes

Wow, this is a really, horrible idea. If this is true, it will kill the game imho. Something like this will inevitably warp the game design, so that there will never be enough ammo etc.

The lack of a content road map is bad enough, but to lump all this micro transaction nonsense on top of that, it really beggars belief as to what Bungie are up to exactly.

Mitch Connor

gimli2112 wrote: »

Was about to agree with this when I remembered I bought the Sparrow racing book for a tenner.

imagine if they created a heavy shotgun....

Mitch Connor

wes wrote: »

Wow, this is a really, horrible idea. If this is true, it will kill the game imho. Something like this will inevitably warp the game design, so that there will never be enough ammo etc.

The lack of a content road map is bad enough, but to lump all this micro transaction nonsense on top of that, it really beggars belief as to what Bungie are up to exactly.

This is it, yes. For them to bring it in, and expect to make money from doing so, they would need to adjust how we currently obtain heavy ammo.

To be honest, I just can't see it coming in. It would be utterly insane for them to do it.

wexdevil

If it turns out they actually do put them on sale then I'm just going to laugh, they can't seriously believe that anyone would pay real money for ammo synths.

Sure I know there are dumb people out there but they couldn't possibly be that dumb right?

PetKing

I firmly believe we should be replacing Bungie with Activision when we have these discussions.

wexdevil

If it turns out they actually do put them on sale then I'm just going to laugh, they can't seriously believe that anyone would pay real money for ammo synths.

Sure I know there are dumb people out there but they couldn't possibly be that dumb right?

wes

Mitch Connor wrote: »

To be honest, I just can't see it coming in. It would be utterly insane for them to do it.

Yeah, I would have taught the same, but after the sub class boosters, I just don't know anymore.

Hail 2 Da Chimp

Mitch Connor wrote: »

I would also say that if this happened, either the Heavy Ammo would drop less, or people will simply perceive it to drop less - either way, it will create an almighty stink.

I actually do think heavy ammo is much harder to come by.

• I don't have fancy boots that let me carry extra rockets.
• Xur is selling packs of 3, when he used to sell packs of 5.
• I'm still burning through heavy ammo I bought from Xur pre-TTK, I haven't been able to afford any more.

I'm hoping this is an unfounded rumour, as I really don't think Bungie would stoop that low.

SolvableKnave

PetKing wrote: »

I firmly believe we should be replacing Bungie with Activision when we have these discussions.

Exactly. I mentioned this in the Destiny 2 rumour thread. Bungie may be the ones who design and build the game, but when you are on the leash for a reported $500 Mio from Activision, ALL business decisions/game economy decisions are made by Activision. Bungie would have little say in it in my view.

Now, if they bring in paid ammo packs, they will bring in paid for weapons eventually. The gaming worlds eastern model of MT's are integrating more and more into the western landscape.

Yes, I bought some silver for the original dance emotes. At the time, I had gotten so much playtime out of Destiny that I didn't mind. Didn't mind spending €35 on the first 2 DLC's. Didn't mind spending €40 on TTK. Like most of us here, I've put roughly €150 into the game. For the 609 hours I've put into it, it's cost roughly 24cent an hour. That's a bargain, entertainment wise.

PetKing

SolvableKnave wrote:

Yes, I bought some silver for the original dance emotes. At the time, I had gotten so much playtime out of Destiny that I didn't mind. Didn't mind spending €35 on the first 2 DLC's. Didn't mind spending €40 on TTK. Like most of us here, I've put roughly €150 into the game. For the 609 hours I've put into it, it's cost roughly 24cent an hour. That's a bargain, entertainment wise.

Which site are you looking at for your total hours? So many tracking sites, that I sometimes font know which one to check for which stat.

SolvableKnave

PetKing wrote: »

Which site are you looking at for your total hours? So many tracking sites, that I sometimes font know which one to check for which stat.

Just the Bungie site. Go to your gear page, then stats. Shows hours played at the bottom, for each of your chars.

Generic Dreadhead

http://wastedondestiny.com

Or by character (under stats)

http://destinystatus.com

PetKing

729 hours
*vomits*

Just over 10 cent and hour! (Vanilla was a birthday present)

SolvableKnave

Cormac... wrote: »

http://wastedondestiny.com

Or by character (under stats)

http://destinystatus.com

Ah, Bungies Website only displays actual time played. Destinystatus.com shows total time including orbit and tower.

So that gives me 843 hours. :eek: I've spent a total of 234 hours either in Orbit or in Tower/Reef.

gimli2112

It's shocking to think I've probably spent more time doing nothing in Destiny than actually playing any other game ever.

Mitch Connor

Activision, via GameInformer, saying the VG24/7 article is incorrect.

http://www.gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2016/01/25/no-bungie-and-activision-aren-t-going-to-charge-real-money-for-destiny-ammo.aspx

We reached out to Activision, who was quick to dismiss VG 24/7’s report from a single source as false. “We’re not doing that,” a representative told us via email.

Mitch Connor

Activision, via GameInformer, saying the VG24/7 article is incorrect.

http://www.gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2016/01/25/no-bungie-and-activision-aren-t-going-to-charge-real-money-for-destiny-ammo.aspx

We reached out to Activision, who was quick to dismiss VG 24/7’s report from a single source as false. “We’re not doing that,” a representative told us via email.

Generic Dreadhead

I don't believe for a second that an e-mail as concise as that came from a corporate entity. There is no mention of "Going Forward", "Getting a Helicopter View of the Issue", "Let's blue-sky this one" etc

Kimbot

Ive logged up 410 hours in total on the game and i so far paid 35 for game + expansions and I spent 10er on silver.

so that works out at a whopping 9 cent an hour

SolvableKnave

jonny24ie wrote: »

Ive logged up 410 hours in total on the game and i so far paid 35 for game + expansions and I spent 10er on silver.

so that works out at a whopping 9 cent an hour

And you've had fun.

This is the thing with Destiny, getting over 400 hours worth of entertainment for 35/45 quid. The game has been an absolute bargain for most of us. Whether we've spent 35 or 135 quid for the game and it's DLC/expansions, on a per hour basis, it works out less than 30 cent an hour for the majority of us. You'd be hard pressed to get that sort of value-for-money from other titles.

My favourite game of the last gen was The Last of US. How much was that? 50 quid? 60 quid? I played it once. Finished the story, never once looked at the Story+ mode or the MP side. I was happy with my 60 quid spend.

Now, whatever and however we feel about the way Destiny's economy is heading, lack of meaningful content updates (Crimson Days :rolleyes:). Whether or not they implement paid for Ammo Packs / Armour Packs / Weapon Packs / Silver / Glimmer / Marks. If you never turn the game on again, you've had an absolute bargain entertainment wise up to this point.

Kimbot

SolvableKnave wrote: »

And you've had fun.

This is the thing with Destiny, getting over 400 hours worth of entertainment for 35/45 quid. The game has been an absolute bargain for most of us. Whether we've spent 35 or 135 quid for the game and it's DLC/expansions, on a per hour basis, it works out less than 30 cent an hour for the majority of us. You'd be hard pressed to get that sort of value-for-money from other titles.

My favourite game of the last gen was The Last of US. How much was that? 50 quid? 60 quid? I played it once. Finished the story, never once looked at the Story+ mode or the MP side. I was happy with my 60 quid spend.

Now, whatever and however we feel about the way Destiny's economy is heading, lack of meaningful content updates (Crimson Days :rolleyes:). Whether or not they implement paid for Ammo Packs / Armour Packs / Weapon Packs / Silver / Glimmer / Marks. If you never turn the game on again, you've had an absolute bargain entertainment wise up to this point.

Ive had so much fun that its been well worth it and theres plenty more in it for me aswell

Generic Dreadhead

Depending on how you slice it I've spent ~€200

Base game €65
Expansion Pass €35 (tDB and HoW)
tTK (€40)
tTK Collectors Edition Add-On €20
Silver €40 (€20x2)

Would rather have not bought 2 of those things (2nd batch of silver and the tTK CE stuff), but I was either impulsive or drunk or both

I've racked up 1,400 hours.

So thats about 14 cents an hour. Not bad going tbh

quad_red

SolvableKnave wrote: »

Now, whatever and however we feel about the way Destiny's economy is heading, lack of meaningful content updates (Crimson Days :rolleyes:). Whether or not they implement paid for Ammo Packs / Armour Packs / Weapon Packs / Silver / Glimmer / Marks. If you never turn the game on again, you've had an absolute bargain entertainment wise up to this point.

Don't you think that the promise of a continually evolving, expanding and *fair* universe was part of the reason people put so much time in though? I'm not a no-lifer but I've still put a ludicrous amount of time into this thing. I guess with the (sad) expectation that this grind was all 'progressing' my characters in the universe as it continually expanded. A universe you trusted Bungie with.

But things have changed. The promised content has dropped off a cliff. And the community's idea for the world of destiny is being completely lost.

Make no mistake - if I thought microtransctions and play to win mechanics were going to be introduced I would *never* have purchased Destiny in the first place.

SolvableKnave

quad_red wrote: »

Don't you think that the promise of a continually evolving, expanding and *fair* universe was part of the reason people put so much time in though? I'm not a no-lifer but I've still put a ludicrous amount of time into this thing. I guess with the (sad) expectation that this grind was all 'progressing' my characters in the universe as it continually expanded. A universe you trusted Bungie with.

100%. The whole thing of 2 DLC, then a TTK size expansion yearly plan was something the playerbase could look to. "Ah, we have a lull? No worries, there'll be a DLC coming in the next month or so." But, another aspect that has kept a lot of players is how the game handles and the community that the game has created.

quad_red wrote: »

But things have changed. The promised content has dropped off a cliff. And the community's idea for the world of destiny is being completely lost.

Things will always change. The issue with Destiny's change in approach is partly to do with Activision holding the purse strings. Bungie have also stated that the game engine, which they built from the ground up if I'm not mistaken, is pretty prohibitive when it comes to adding new assets. So, you have a game engine issue prohibiting the initial yearly content plan, one of the two had to give, and unfortunately, the most cost effective way of less DLC content was chosen.

quad_red wrote: »

Make no mistake - if I thought microtransctions and play to win mechanics were going to be introduced I would *never* have purchased Destiny in the first place.

I probably would have said the same thing. MT's for cosmetic stuff? Have at it. MT's for boosts/armour/weapons? No thanks. MT's are one thing the Eastern game market can keep, thank you very much.

quad_red

SolvableKnave wrote: »

Bungie have also stated that the game engine, which they built from the ground up if I'm not mistaken, is pretty prohibitive when it comes to adding new assets. So, you have a game engine issue prohibiting the initial yearly content plan, one of the two had to give, and unfortunately, the most cost effective way of less DLC content was chosen.

Oh good God - I just looked that up. How could they have thought that this mess was going to work? How can such a big budget game from such an established studio have such an utterly banjaxed workflow? http://kotaku.com/the-messy-true-story-behind-the-making-of-destiny-1737556731

It’s not uncommon for a game’s scope to reduce during development, but Bungie had a unique problem. People who worked on this project say that one of Bungie’s fundamental issues over the past few years has been the game’s engine, which the studio built from scratch alongside Destiny. Four sources pointed to Destiny’s technology—the tools they use to design levels, render graphics, and create content—as an inhibiting factor in the game’s development.

“Let’s say a designer wants to go in and move a resource node two inches,” said one person familiar with the engine. “They go into the editor. First they have to load their map overnight. It takes eight hours to input their map overnight. They get [into the office] in the morning. If their importer didn’t fail, they open the map. It takes about 20 minutes to open. They go in and they move that node two feet. And then they’d do a 15-20 minute compile. Just to do a half-second change.”

SolvableKnave

quad_red wrote: »

Oh good God - I just looked that up. How could they have thought that this mess was going to work? How can such a big budget game from such an established studio have such an utterly banjaxed workflow? http://kotaku.com/the-messy-true-story-behind-the-making-of-destiny-1737556731

Yup. They really shot themselves in the foot with the engine.

MerryDespot

PetKing wrote: »

I firmly believe we should be replacing Bungie with Activision when we have these discussions.

Give us our money Bungie.
Where's the money Bungie!
You told us there'd be f***ing money Bungie, pay us!
You know the vig is just getting bigger every day you don't pay us our money Bungie, don't make us have to hurt you. Look what we did to that last guy!
PAY US THE MONEY BUNGIE!!!


And this is why I'm now officially done with Destiny. Activision, not Bungie, is the problem here, but they've jammed the developers into an impossible position.

Generic Dreadhead

MerryDespot wrote: »

Give us our money Bungie.
Where's the money Bungie!
You told us there'd be f***ing money Bungie, pay us!
You know the vig is just getting bigger every day you don't pay us our money Bungie, don't make us have to hurt you. Look what we did to that last guy!
PAY US THE MONEY BUNGIE!!!

I'm confused by this analogy

MerryDespot

Cormac... wrote: »

I'm confused by this analogy

How so Cormac?

Bungie went with Activision, who clearly only want money. Money money money. Screw development time - ship it and pay us, hence why I was sort of comparing them to a heavy handed loan shark.

I think that's a pretty good analogy given how Bungie have basically been turned upside down and shook for spare change by their publishers.

Why is there even a shred of credibility to the idea that paying for synths might happen? Because Bungie are seriously under the cosh from Activision to JUST MAKE MONEY (!!!) and that is probably the root cause of a lot of what's wrong right now. Don't believe that? Well I guess the now former CEO might disagree - do you really think that firing him was an independent decision or not linked to the knock on effect on activision's revenue stream of having Destiny 2 delayed to 2017? Remember, Activision account to their shareholders too and any delay in one of their banner products hurts them in share price, and their execs in their bonuses - so they sure as hell had to be seen to do something to be able to say "we've fixed this problem"

So ... I stand by the analogy Cormac.

Generic Dreadhead

I thought "us" was the players. and Money was "content".... idk

thegame983

While it is easy to blame the loan shark, the loanie is just as to blame for getting into bed with them in the first place.

dudeeile

Jaysus, I hope it also works the other way, cash for synths.