DLC – Page 2 – MMO Fallout

Raiders of the Broken Planet is giving its DLC away for free, but only until Friday. The method to unlock said DLC is rather, shall we say, convoluted and probably somewhat confusing for some of you. So MMO Fallout has put together a comprehensive guide on how to unlock Raiders free campaigns while the promotion is still going.

Step 1: Don’t Click On “Add To Cart”

Clicking on Add to Cart is probably why you are Googling this in the first place. Clicking Add To Cart will add the item to your cart and provide you with a cost to purchase. You’re not here to buy the DLC for $10, you’re here to buy it for $0.

Step 2: Go To The DLC’s Page

Click on the DLC to view its store page. Here you will see the DLC listed with the option to just “Download” it, as shown above.

Step 3: Click Download

Click download. This will activate the DLC to your account. You’re done, that’s all there is to it.

Activision Patents Using Matchmaking To Encourage Microtransactions

Can you imagine playing a game where you’re never quite sure whether or not the game is intentionally pitting you against more skilled enemies to better advertise spending real money on more powerful weaponry? Activision can, they patented it.

Discovered by Rolling Stone, the patent relates to matchmaking systems and driving microtransactions in said games. There is no concrete proof that this system has been used in any existing Activision title. The patent offers way to use matchmaking in order to drive microtransaction purposes, by specifically pairing players who own DLC items with those who do not, with the goal of exposing said items to potential new customers.

One example of this implementation involves matching a low skill player with a high skill player who happens to own a cash shop weapon in order to encourage the lower skill player to buy said item. Say for instance if the system determines that a player is trying to become an expert sniper, as the patent describes. He could be placed in the match with a higher skilled sniper who also owns some sniper DLC weapons and maybe that player will buy some weapons of their own.

“The system may include a microtransaction arrange matches to influence game-related purchases. For instance, the system may match a more expert/marquee player with a junior player to encourage the junior player to make game-related purchases of items possessed/used by the marquee player. A junior player may wish to emulate the marquee player by obtaining weapons or other items used by the marquee player.”

Another implementation would have players with a microtransaction item that is currently on sale be paired with players who do not own such item, in order to promote said sale.

Microtransaction engine 128 may analyze various items used by marquee players and, if at least one of the items is currently being offered for sale (with or without a promotion), match the marquee player with another player (e.g., a junior player) that does not use or own the item. Similarly, microtransaction engine 128 may identify items offered for sale, identify marquee players that use or possess those items, and match the marquee players with other players who do not use or possess those items. In this manner, microtransaction engine 128 may leverage the matchmaking abilities described herein to influence purchase decisions for game-related purchases.

The system isn’t all about making more money, though. Other implementations of the patent involve matchmaking in regards to matching players up with friends/clans, placing emphasis on players who spend a long time in matchmaking, and matching performance based on skill in a more accurate way. In another example, the system can determine a player’s preferred game mode and steer them toward those servers in matchmaking.

Activision has denied in a statement that this patent has been put to use in any of its games, claiming that it “was an exploratory patent filed in 2015 by an R&D team working independently from our game studios.”

You can read the entire patent here,

(Our thoughts: Let’s go on a limb here and take Activision’s statement as fact that this has never been implemented. They’ve painted a target on their backs of a company willing, and now capable, of secretly putting such a system in their games.)

Battlefront II Getting Panned Over Pay To Win Elements

Star Wars: Battlefront II just recently launched its open beta, and it is getting panned by critics and users alike over pay to win elements present in the game.

With the latest title in the Battlefront franchise, EA/Dice decided to go down the route of loot boxes as the main source of secondary income, tying abilities and crafting materials to random chance. Users have been pointing out how powerful the abilities are, such as an ability for Bobba Fett which allows him to take 100% less damage (effectively invulnerable) while flying with his jetpack, and how the expense/rarity of obtaining or crafting said abilities is encouraging players to spend a ton of money on crates in order to not be at a disadvantage. Another example includes up to 40% health increases on bombers.

Have you played the Battlefront II beta? If so, do you agree with the critics below?

So if I spend $200 on crates, open or craft all the best cards I can, then face an equally skilled opponent at the same level as me who didn’t spend money, I will likely win because I have better tools available.
–IGN

To make matters worse, awarded currency comes in at a flat rate for the team regardless of performance, making it even harder to strategically earn to earn everything the game has to offer.
–Kitguru

What’s even worse is that for some reason, the developers have decided that it’s okay for progression to be completely random. Unlike the previous game, regardless of which classes or even mode you’re playing, the loot box system completely dictates the overall progression.
–WCCFTech

Cards are not rewarded based on the class you play, so if you’re unlucky you could end up with a bunch of garbage for a class you never touch. It also has made leveling meaningless—unlike Overwatch, there’s no crate reward for gaining a level, which is utterly bizarre.
–PCWorld

Put simply, this is an exploitative and greedy system I’m surprised has made it this far. Question is, will EA let it go the whole way, or will it use a saving throw and alter the system for full release?
–Eurogamer

What can I do to side-step this bad luck? Well, EA could ask me to spend real money of course. Buying as many loot crates as I need to get the abilities I want, either using crafting parts or waiting until the RNG falls on my side. People who would buy the most loot crates on day one will have a significant advantage over those players that don’t, which is depressing because the underlying game seems supremely amazing.
–Windows Central

And if these loot boxes are purchasable from the get-go, yes, I can imagine that players who buy say, 50 boxes on launch day will be at an advantage over someone who is going to grind out 50 boxes over the course of the next month, even if the “opportunity” is there for them to get the same amount of crates when one pays and one doesn’t.
–Forbes

There is something about the timing of Battlefront 2’s release that coincides with the ongoing debate in the gaming community regarding loot boxes. But of the games listed as “offenders” so far, Battlefront 2 is the game critics are singling out as having a particularly hostile loot system.
–US Gamer

While Star Wars Battlefront 2 has yet to be released, unless the ability to purchase loot crates with cash is removed from the game, it’s difficult to see how EA could change the current system without it being pay-to-win.
–Game Revolution

[NM] Warner Bros. Makes Forthog Free, Issues Refunds, Still Donating

Warner Bros. put out an announcement today in regards to the upcoming Forthog Orc-Slayer DLC for Shadow of War, and has decided not to sell the item as paid content.

Earlier this month, Warner Bros. announced that it would be releasing a piece of DLC content in memoriam of a deceased employee who had worked on the game. The download would introduce Forthog Orc-Slayer, an NPC who would show up to help the player when he is most needed, was a tribute to Michael Forgey who passed during development. According to Monolith’s announcement, all proceeds from the DLC sales would go to Forgey’s family.

But criticism quickly sprang up after people noticed that the donations came with an apparent caveat, as according to the official trailer, only purchases in the states would be donated and even then, select states would not be included. Monolith has apologized for the confusion and announced that the DLC will be free and instead Warner Bros. will make a donation to the family. Everyone who preordered the DLC will get a refund.

We now recognize that tying our donation to sales of the DLC was not the best way to achieve our goal of offering financial support to the family and creating a lasting memorial to Michael Forgey. We sincerely apologize to the fans and to the Forgey family for the confusion we created.

Our thoughts: I’ll go back to what I said in the original controversy, that the disclaimer that only certain areas would be eligible was to protect Warner Bros from state/foreign laws regarding gifts/donations, and that the company would figure out a way to “Pachinko” the money to the right places by funneling the money down the right channels. It’s not a donation if you don’t call it one!

(In all likelihood, we will never be told exactly how Warner Bros is going to make not donating and not profiting work, but if MMO Fallout had to throw in its two cents, I recommend looking at how Pachinko parlors in Japan. You can bypass just about any payout law by adding more steps and calling it something different.)

(Source: Warner Bros)

PSA: Alan Wake Is Disappearing, Get It Now 90% Off

Alan Wake is being put to bed permanently, so if you want to get your hands on the 2012 title, now may be your last chance. Originally released in 2012, Alan Wake’s developer/publisher Remedy Entertainment has hit a snag; their license on some of the music in the game is expiring. As a result, the game is being removed from sale on May 15. To send the game off in style, Remedy Entertainment has announced a 90% sale that will begin March 13 and run for 48 hours.

You’ll be able to pick up Alan Wake as well as its DLC and American Nightmare for 90% off, but if you’re going to grab yourself a copy then do so fast. The title becomes unavailable on the 15th.

(Source: Steam)

[NM] Payday 2 Announces Ethan & Hila Content Pack

Overkill Software announced this week that they will be consolidating Payday 2’s DLC into one Ultimate Edition package, consolidating dozens of heists, characters, weapons, and more into one purchase. As part of the update, Overkill also announced the release of an Ethan and Hila character pack, incorporating two popular Youtubers from the channel H3H3 Productions. H3H3 currently boasts over 3.8 million subscribers and creates content mostly around Youtube drama.

According to the official website, all sales from the character pack will go to Ethan and Hila.

The only DLC that will be available separately is the Ethan and Hila Character Pack. The subsequent revenue from the Ethan and Hila Character Pack is going straight to Ethan and Hila. We are doing this because we appreciate them and wanted to find a way to help them out financially so they can continue to do what they do best.

While Hollywood partnerships are somewhat common in the video game industry, this type of deal is surprisingly rare. Overkill Software previously struck a deal to include content from Scarface, John Wick, and Goat Simulator, to name three properties. The announcement also comes alongside the news that support for Payday 2 has been extended through October 2018.

H3H3 Productions has been embroiled in a lawsuit by Youtuber Matt Hoss for copyright infringement over their use of his footage in reaction videos.

(Source: Payday 2)

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