Actually, for those who paid, there is no energy bar. You also get a couple other treats from it. All in all, I am not that frustrated. The F2P change didn't really affect those who paid.
I don't get it,the energy bars are in multiplayer matches or in single player for these who installed the freemium version?
How does gameloft know you have a paid version? Is it automatic somehow or does it require signing into their whole website or system or whatever? Cuz if it does I'll figure out how to do that but I'd sure rather not have to.
They just know based on when you first got on the game. If it was before it went free, you get the veteran benefits.
Agreed. I re-installed the app a couple hours ago and played a couple story missions. No timers for me too. I think this is the HUGE benefit we got from MC5 having online requirement when it released. Who wouldve thought i'd really appreciate online-requirement. LOL
I honestly can't blame Gameloft. At the end of the day, they're a corporation whose sole purpose is to a make profit. I'm assuming they weighed their options between premium and F2P models and ultimately chose F2P. From what I understand, the profit made from premium games doesn't compare to profits from made from F2P.
You can't blame them for wanting to make a profit- but you can accuse them of being unethical in their method. They sold a premium app to people who wanted a premium app. Then they switched the product on them and it is no longer the product they paid for. Surely gameloft should have released the game as freemium from the outset. If that was the original business model they intended. Then you know what you are getting and you can choose accordingly. I would say though: beware of any premium games that require permanent online connection as that could well be a sign the dev intends later to change it to freemium, no?
In your logic they changed to f2p because MC5 was not succesful enough (which i doubt but that's another story)but why not make it f2p with a premium unlock then?Or at least a way to get rid of the timers commpletely?Currency could stay in the game but it's more like paying for cheats then.Or extra weapons etc.This model seems to work for other devs well and is fair for players=Win/win But Gameloft has choosen to implement the most greedy f2p mechanics.Not the first time so i'm not really surprised.This game is for the stock holders now but not for the players. I'm glad they are bringing some games with a high production value to iOS but all of their ideas are stolen elsewhere anyway and besides amazing graphics most of them are a bit hollow (but solid) behind the shiny hull.But this seem good enough to glare many people.Like you said:they are a company.Yes,but only a company.Without heart and soul for what they are doing.They are just making products.Hard to imagine any gamer on the executive floor. And regarding what a nice move from Gameloft i was to deliver the veteran status for existing players:yes,i admit that it was nice but nobody should be that naiv to think they did it because they like you.If they wouldn't have done it,this (and the gameloft) forum would've blown up in a shitstorm easy to see from Mars.It was simple maths and good promo as a side product.Everybody seems to love them now.At least this week. Just my point of view,feel free to have a different one
Your post started out pretty good and I though you were on the right track, until you went off. Gameloft was courteous this time around, because they gave out veteran packs to people who bought the game before it went freemium, so they are getting exactly the same as what they paid for in the first place. I do, however, despise Gameloft for just changing the payment model and selling the game again to a different audience. That's got to be the most extreme case of milking a game I've ever seen.
Right now we don't live in a world where Gameloft's business model puts the gamer first. They put cash first. That's how its been and it works for them. I'm sure they've heard the complaints, but nothing has really changed. I get your point with Gameloft using unethical methods. It's crazy how they treat customers who pay for their games, this game in particular. But again, they're driven by profit so it's expected.
I'm sorry, I don't agree. I mean, most companies are driven by profit, that's what keeps them ticking, right? Building a solid reputation and earning the trust of the costumer are essential to reach long term success, and shenanigans like this probably won't help any company. I'd be furious if a game I paid for became freemium, and would ask for a refund(which probably I wouldn't get). But still, I would surely never purchase anything of such a company again. Of course, if this works out for them, who am I to criticize? It seems anything goes, anyway.
