My biggest fear came true

[DaHedgehog27]

Disgusting monetisation. Some of you might disagree but this was my first taste of the Gran blue universe and when I bought it I knew that the monetisation was a potential red flag with paid character dlc etc..
I'm more from an era of dlcs being Blood and wine level of paid (witcher 3) and I try my hardest to stay away from games that offer the bare minimum for the maximum price (poe cosmetics come to mind)
When you add materials etc.. you go down the same route as a ubi game.. They literally artificially increased the grind to promote selling an xp increasing pack etc.. (assassins creed Odyssey etc...)

It's sad because I've enjoyed the game play and more of it would be great.. Game has so many options for non invasive micro-transactions but I gotta step out early before I end up spending money along a journey i'll regret.

Sorry just my little rant / tedtalk on it..

[Om3ga-Z3ro]

Originally posted by DaHedgehog27:

Originally posted by Om3ga-Z3ro:

That... sounds very backwards.
A free character vs. an item you can get just by playing the game.

Ok but are all characters going to be free?

Yes, yes they are. They literally stated that in the livestream today.

[vatto.dev]

I think that's only their first move. I fully expect an easier way to get terminus weapons. I'm not sure if they are going to just blow it up and release a curio farming stage DLC. Probably. I mean, it's nothing new, Musou games have been doing it for decades.

[Xaelon]

Considering there are various ways to just grant yourself items on PC, I really don't think they'll find much of a market for this.

[10個、光]

Originally posted by DaHedgehog27:

Ok but are all characters going to be free?

https://relink.granbluefantasy.jp/en/updates

"The new characters are unlockable at no additional cost by fulfilling certain in-game requirements. Alternatively, they can be unlocked automatically via purchase."

For Seofon, Tweyen and Sandalphon.

All other paid contents are the ones you could get just by playing the game, with the exception of the Emote Expansion Set. (And all of them are completely optional time-saving packs.)

Originally posted by DaHedgehog27:

What happens when the next character pack is £30? and the new material packs add terminus weapons? wheres the start and finish to it?

For now, they already planned to monetize new characters, but it is completely OPTIONAL as you could "unlock at no additional cost by fulfilling certain in-game requirements. Alternatively, they can be unlocked automatically via purchase."
And if they do add Terminus Weapons to a pack, then again, it's still an optional time-saving purchase as you could already get Terminus Weapons by just playing the game.

I would understand your concerns if they make purchasing new characters/gameplay mechanics mandatory, but for the time being, it's clearly not the case.

[vatto.dev]

Originally posted by (^=>ᆺ<) hanamaru:

Originally posted by DaHedgehog27:

Ok but are all characters going to be free?

https://relink.granbluefantasy.jp/en/updates

"The new characters are unlockable at no additional cost by fulfilling certain in-game requirements. Alternatively, they can be unlocked automatically via purchase."

For Seofon, Tweyen and Sandalphon.

All other paid contents are the ones you could get just by playing the game, with the exception of the Emote Expansion Set. (And all of them are completely optional time-saving packs.)

Originally posted by DaHedgehog27:

What happens when the next character pack is £30? and the new material packs add terminus weapons? wheres the start and finish to it?

For now, they already planned to monetize new characters, but it is completely OPTIONAL as you could "unlock at no additional cost by fulfilling certain in-game requirements. Alternatively, they can be unlocked automatically via purchase."
And if they do add Terminus Weapons to a pack, then again, it's still an optional time-saving purchase as you could already get Terminus Weapons by just playing the game.

I would understand your concerns if they make purchasing new characters/gameplay mechanics mandatory, but for the time being, it's clearly not the case.

Don't you feel that they are making the grinding to get a new fun mechanic (like a new character or weapon) way more tedious than it would be acceptable because they are already planning on offering you to pay to skip the tedious part? Some people will accept the extra boring time spent, some people will pay and some people will say "stupid game with gacha mechanics".

[unc00l]

Seeing as how Granblue Fantasy (what relink is based off of) is a gacha game, the fact that they're not locking new characters behind a paywall in Relink is already a huge plus. You might not be familiar with gacha games, but a lot of them are incredibly egregious when it comes to the amount of money required to pity a hero, usually $400 USD to sometimes $800 USD for ONE character. It's a terrible business model that preys on FOMO, just be glad GBF Relink is not walking that same path.

Selling emotes/skins/colors is fine as long as it's not terribly expensive and selling some materials behind a pack isn't terrible either. None of the materials sold in the packs are locked behind a paywall as you can farm all of them in some way, shape, or form (although War Elemental is a bit rare and RNG reliant). If they were to sell Supplemental Damage V+ with a good secondary trait, then I'd start complaining, but as it is, this is fine imo.

[ZexxCrine]

Originally posted by DaHedgehog27:

Originally posted by ZexxCrine:

You realize that the Witcher 3 era was just as bad as this currently and that giving an example that deviates from the norm doesn’t define the era right? Witcher 3 dlc is definitely post Skyrim horse armor which opened the floodgates of trash.

Furthermore it’s what 3 bucks? I’m not saying it’s ok and I would rather it not exist, but I’ve seen much much worse. It’s also exceedingly not pay to win. You can earn everything Including war elemental in a day of playing if you really really wanted to. It’s actually just trash no one should buy. Even more we have no idea what lucilius drops or if the upcoming patch makes changes to curios etc.

Meanwhile we are getting 3 characters and a boss for completely free which is the inverse of your issue. Maximum effort for zero profit.

If trash getting listed for 3 bucks somehow ruins everything when you are minimum receiving 20 bucks worth of content completely free idk what to tell you. Do I wish they didn’t exist? Yeah. Don’t buy them and they will realize there is no money in it.

Minimum of 20 bucks content? Wasn't this stuff datamined and was already in the game it was just waiting to be released? So we effectively didn't get all content they held some back? Skyrim horse armor back fired and the likelyhood is that any futures elder scrolls games will now come with paid mods / subscriptions mods.. I very much doubt we will ever get an elder scrolls on the level of the originals ever again..

The game was £50 I'm pretty sure everyone has paid for this 'free content' it'll be the content in the future.. I doubt the next set will be free.

thats a wild and baseless accusation. what do you think this is? streetfighter x tekken? another game with terrible dlc practices that predates witcher 3 by 3 years? this game has no anti-cheat at all. if this content was already in the game, we would have seen people playing it and probably doing so online.

[Photon Shield]

Originally posted by DaHedgehog27:

When you add materials etc.. you go down the same route as a ubi game.. They literally artificially increased the grind to promote selling an xp increasing pack etc.. (assassins creed Odyssey etc...)

Sorry, I really tried my best to understand as to why some progression material on might be a "one's biggest fear", but I can't.

Is it because of this?

Originally posted by DaHedgehog27:

This is pay 2 progress nonsense and it's only the start.. "Im ok with it, it's only a catch up, it's only £3.00" 2 years time "I'm ok with this sigil being £10 it's only a catchup" then one day it's buy this preorder + advanced addition for newgame plus (recent yakuza game literally just did this)

But then...

Originally posted by DaHedgehog27:

Maybe it's weird but i'd rather them have charged for the characters then adding materials / sigils to the shop..

What the *paradise lost*? I'm understanding even less... Well, maybe I lack the sense partly because I'm used to play (and pay) a gacha-schemed games (which undoubtly WAAAY more predatory), but still...

[10個、光]

Originally posted by vatto.dev:

Don't you feel that they are making the grinding to get a new fun mechanic (like a new character or weapon) way more tedious than it would be acceptable because they are already planning on offering you to pay to skip the tedious part? Some people will accept the extra boring time spent, some people will pay and some people will say "stupid game with gacha mechanics".

If you feel the end-game grind to get new characters, weapons and upgrading them being way more tedious than "acceptable", then I don't have any argument as that's how you feel. Personally I don't share the same sentiment, but I can understand why people would be turned off by the grind.

And like you said: "Some people will accept the extra boring time spent, some people will pay and some people will say "stupid game with gacha mechanics"" which means you agree that perspectives on the matter is entirely subjective.

My point is still the same: The game at the end revolves around said grind and it becomes 99% of the gameplay loop, so simply play the game and you'll get there eventually, but if you want to spend money to speed up the process because you find the grind boring and tedious, then by all means go for it. It doesn't change the fact that those paid DLCs are still just optional time-saving bundles with no noticeable gameplay changes whatsoever.

[Edin Kaso | Piano Composer]

Originally posted by DaHedgehog27:

Originally posted by Mori-Sama:

Just want to point out that 3 new characters are free content.

Maybe it's weird but i'd rather them have charged for the characters then adding materials / sigils to the shop.. specially when dealing with sigils is so clunky atm and drop rate, methods to obtain some items are really bad (head unit)

It's just not a direction I want to invest in.. Adding emotes / skins / Vyrn skins etc... would of been great and completely noninvasive.

Mmmm although I'm lukewarm about where this monetization could be headed, I disagree with you on the latter part. A lot of people will still complain why cosmetics or emotes aren't part of the game and needing to be bought seperately. Even though, they have to fund costs for these updates somehow...

I guess the current scheme of monetization isn't too bad considering the fact you can only buy those upgrade packs 1x per account. It kind of balances things out, so people can't absolutely abuse it and make grinding meaningless. They just need to increase those rare sigil drop rates, so people aren't dependent on buying it with real money, and I think it would be fine. What I'm more worried about is what future monetization could look like, and if it'll be balanced or slowly become more predatory.

[goodbye_bonito]

I gave you clown so you don't feel like you made this post for no reason. You are welcome

[LuckyToShoot]

Just don't buy it then, I didnt buy it and I already running around with like 4 war elementals.

[Solovart]

Originally posted by DaHedgehog27:

Originally posted by Mori-Sama:

Just want to point out that 3 new characters are free content.

Maybe it's weird but i'd rather them have charged for the characters then adding materials / sigils to the shop.. specially when dealing with sigils is so clunky atm and drop rate, methods to obtain some items are really bad (head unit)

It's just not a direction I want to invest in.. Adding emotes / skins / Vyrn skins etc... would of been great and completely noninvasive.

I'd rather be charged for unnecessary item (but I never buy anyway being an active player and has loads of the materials) instead of being charged for new game changing content such as character rather, this is not gacha and being charged for character is much more disgusting than materials that you never need. They are adding buyable emotes btw. The item package is for new player who wants to speed thru into end game. I already have 4 War Elementals and enough Damascus Ingot/Azurite for 2 characters. 180 hrs in the game. With that said, I dunno wtf you're smoking, and gave you clown sticker, you're welcome.

[yaemikosimp]

your comment is ruined peoples party

[みさかりん]

Originally posted by DaHedgehog27:

Originally posted by Mori-Sama:

Just want to point out that 3 new characters are free content.

Maybe it's weird but i'd rather them have charged for the characters then adding materials / sigils to the shop.. specially when dealing with sigils is so clunky atm and drop rate, methods to obtain some items are really bad (head unit)

It's just not a direction I want to invest in.. Adding emotes / skins / Vyrn skins etc... would of been great and completely noninvasive.

There's really something wrong with your thought process. You rather have them charge you for characters? What the heck is the difference with what you said and what they did? Drop rate of head unit is bad? It's bad because you're farming the wrong mission.

How you present your reason is really blowing my mind to comical levels. Imagine over reacting with sigils that you can purchase ONCE only and can be FARMED INGAME.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3172285041