Sid Meier warns the games industry about monetisation

In view of Hellmar and CCP’s pursuit of the $ this is somewhat interesting.

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“I think we need to be sure that our games continue to be high quality and fun to play - there are so many forms of entertainment out there now. We’re in a good position… but we need to be sure we realise how critical gameplay is - and how that is the engine that really keeps players happy, engaged and having fun.”

Yes, I hope that game developers, in their frantic pursue of whealth, do not forget why people play games: FUN

@Chan_aar Thank you for posting that article.

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This the guy you’re talking about?

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Do you strawman much or just on Mondays?

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Someone doesn’t know to take advantage of Steam sales and it shows LOL.

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back in my day games had expansions. C&C: Covert Ops, RA: Aftermath, RA2: Yuri’s Revenge, Civ2 Test of Time, Civ2 Scenarios, Civ3: Play the World, Civ3 Conquests, etc. they were simply replaced by dlc. smaller chunks, but only slightly more expensive

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“Please don’t go. The drones need you. They look up to you.”

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Heh, too true. Unfortunately we are already a generation deep into buying DLC’s. Widely accepted now

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i think its more a case of pointing out that the guy complaining about excessive monitsation is infact, excessively monitising his ■■■■ :stuck_out_tongue:

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He’s not complaining. It’s an article where he states his views. Discussing monetization doesn’t mean being for or against and in his case stopping all profits from coming in.
He cautions against excess and drifts towards more revenues vs engaging gameplay. Just because his games are monetized doesn’t mean he can’t state his views as a well-known developer in the gaming industry.

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Eve → online ← is a server hosted game and server hosting costs money. It’s not a game that sells once and then you play free forever. That’s why online games typically has a sub so they get monthly income to pay server hosting costs, pay the developers, water and lights etc etc etc… They do have a part that is free to play but that is more for prospective new players to try out the game and is usually limited in some fashion because the main aim is to get you to pay a sub. They also add a cash shop with items not tied to player power but are rather cosmetic, because why the hell not. It’s free money,

Server hosted games without subs rely heavily on add revenue and their cash shop and tend to be more blatantly “pay to win” because they constantly have to add new items to the cash shop too have you keep buying so they get monthly income to pay server hosting costs, pay the developers, water and lights etc etc etc… Those items also tend to be tied to player power because if they are just cosmetic fewer people would buy them. As for add revenue well that is more a Facebook/YouTube type thing where you are bombarded with adds and that really sucks.

Most of Sid’s games are buy, install and play free forever not hosting required. Those companies has to rely on making new games, newer versions of existing games and expansions for existing games. Civilization → 2 → 3 → 4 → and so on so they get monthly income to pay server hosting costs, pay the developers, water and lights etc etc etc…

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That’s a great article!

Thanks for sharing it, and also for the walk down memory lane.

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I got all that civ crap for 12 dollars when it was on humble bundle.

Sometimes it pays to wait a few years before buying the base game so you don’t get nailed with all that annoying DLC.

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Exactly. Peeps don’t really know how to shop and it shows LOL.

If its a single player game, I’ma wait till its on sale with all the DLC for like 10 bucks.

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civ was a trash game

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Well, that’s just, like, your opinion, man…

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I value Hillmar’s wisdom on the monetisation of a MMO more than I do Sid Meier’s.

You know the former being experienced in said subject and the latter not.

I did like Civ 2 and 4, the rest of Cid’s titles not so much. I wonder if he ever played Eve?

Boi owned, htfu.

Although as stated I doubt Cid has anything to do with modern monetisation including his own large microtransactioned libary so begs the question why people are touring him as an expert in it.

You were definitely the smart one. I purchased games around two weeks after it came out, long enough to read the reviews in PC Gamer and other gaming magazines and online services. I spent a hell of a lot more than $12 on the Sid Meier collection, as well as EA Games, Blizzard and Activision.

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What a lively debate.

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