Showing posts with label free to play. Show all posts
Showing posts with label free to play. Show all posts

Wednesday, November 21, 2018

SMITE | A God Among Free-To-Play

Smite, for me has been an interesting off and on journey. From the beta on the PS4 to today on the same console I've dipped in, and out of the experience. Sometimes actually playing, and other times just logging in daily (in proper OCD fashion) to reap the daily login rewards. To date I have accrued over 40 gods and goddess as well as over 110 god/goddess skins. None of which I paid real money for. I even cashed in some gems at one point to participate in a season, and capitalize on the exclusive skin that was to be had there. The game is very generous to freeloaders like myself, and for that fact alone I find it highly attractive. Despite being one of the more lucrative free-to-play experiences though the game does have it's fair share of downsides as well. In fact the one key reason I kept turning from gameplay was, because of the cheaters and hackers playing it. That, and the times Hi-Rez both offered player reporting options, and took them away before reissuing said feature at a later date. The cheating, and hacks in the PS4 port of Smite are, and have been fairly serious. I'm not talking about DDOS'ing, or lagswitching, but actual hacks. The kind you'd see from PC gamers. Not a day ago I actually encountered one such hacker who changed the game's features and functions in such a way as to wholly change the game's updated format. Not only that, but they gifted the entire team within the lobby free skins. It was major.

Friday, April 13, 2018

Tera ~ My Evolving Thoughts On The Game

Despite running into different server issues, having my internet/cable connection compromised while playing, and finding bugs in the gameplay I still commit a decent amount of daily time progressing in Tera on the PS4. It's an MMORPG that has it's fair share of flaws, but that really shines where it shines. As I've said so often before the experience takes the usually complex MMORPG UI (user interface), and streamlines it in such a way as to make playing it less of a tedious task, and more of a casual in and out experience. Currently the only real problems I see with the game are the frequent server issues such as access to servers not working, and players automatically being thrust into a server upon login without initial choice. There's that, and a dire need for some sort of aided direction when it comes to questing as often times NPCs do not appear as they should or are so obscured from view it's like hunting for a needle in a haystack. I suggested some sort of guiding light like Monster Hunter World's scout flies. I think that would be the perfect solution. Maybe even a way to toggle on or off ground arrows when you find yourself lost.

Thursday, April 5, 2018

My Thoughts on TERA

TERA is the latest free-to-play MMORPG to hit the Playstation 4. It's not the first of it's kind, and it will certainly not be the last. That being said there are some things TERA gets right, and some things the game fails at. What TERA gets right above all else is the streamlined gameplay, the user friendly controls, and the polished visual designed. It's mostly eye candy with fluid action packed functionality that you don't often see in such a game. The online portion of the game is mostly lag free to boot even with populated servers, and the experience as a result is vastly more enjoyable. That being said gameplay in TERA is a dumbed down series of sequential side quests, boss fights, cutscenes, and bland NPC conversations that are meant to breathe life in what ultimately amounts to a very tedious task oriented gaming experience.

The developer boasted it as being"Action Packed", but the action within the game is not all that exciting, if I were to be honest. The fights against mob minions are only made challenging due to their mob-like habits, and even the boss fights feel less than engaging outside of the fact that they do have legitimate attack patterns. Bosses, for the most part, are the usual sponges with layered health bars that only require your character to be leveled up enough to handle the fight. When it comes to the gear and weapons with which you dispatch these supposedly formidable foes this too feels less than awe inspiring. Sure there's rarity in the items you can earn and buy, but nothing seems outstanding or brag worthy. As such I don't see a lot of potential in the trading/selling economy that the servers host as a player to player market feature.

Monday, February 26, 2018

Brad's Tips For Keeping Free To Play Games Free And Fun

We've all been there. We've played a free-to-play game to a point that we feel forced to pay up to make anymore progress. We hit a paywall, and simply can't get any further without paying real money for fake money, or in-game items that will aid us in our online journey of enjoying a game we would like to enjoy, but cannot enjoy otherwise. That seems to be the go to formula for a lot of studios. Indie or Triple A. Thankfully all is not lost, and we too can manipulate the marketplace to our advantage. We can turn the tables, and make studios give us freely that which we would usually have to pay for. You simply have to show disgust in the games bad business practices, raise a social stink on social media about it, and stop playing for a while. Once your disdain gets the studio's attention their embedded reward algorithm will reward you handsomely for your return to the game. Sure, this reward is short lived, but rinse & repeat the previously mentioned disgust to not playing cycle and you'll continue reaping the rewards while making progress that costs you nothing. A lot of developers create their games to reward strategically in a desperate attempt to maximize player payouts. By understanding that this is how things work you can take advantage of the advantageous practices of those who would take advantage of you. It's that simple. So, the next time you feel the urge to pad the pockets of free-to-play exploiters stop playing awhile, make a fuss (albeit intelligently), and wait patiently as you are rewarded for your patience. Patience is a virtue. Even as a gamer.

Tuesday, August 29, 2017

Paragon ~ Drongo

Today Epic Games released their new Paragon character, "Drongo". Drongo is being hailed as a scavenger, and looks like someone from a post-apocalyptic wasteland. His name sounds sort of Australian, and the inclusion of an ability damage boomerang pretty much confirms this origin. His skills are very military in nature outside of the inclusion of the boomerang. He has an AOE gas grenade that's good for clearing out minions, and banking gold. He also has a radioactive bullet buff that goes along with his primary weapon which is a revolver that does not require reload. His ultimate is a cluster rocket that when launched causes Drongo to back flip out of the way. A sort of scatter blast without the blast. In the way of stats he is heavy on the basic damage, but low on durability, and the other stats. Though his mobility is fairly good as well.

Tuesday, June 27, 2017

America's Army: Proving Grounds ~ My Thoughts

What I'm about to share will no doubt stir up some raw emotions, and feelings. I'll probably catch flak for it, and possibly lose some of you, because of it. Regardless of that I'm going to push forward as I feel what I have to say is important. I will leave the comment section open to anyone who wishes to debate me in my beliefs, and will engage in civil conversation if the person/s in question asks me to do so. Let us begin ...

First, and foremost war is not glorious. It is not an event where you are guaranteed to go into the conflict as a nobody, and come out alive on the other end as a recognized hero/heroine with tons of bragging rights. You might get your badges of honor, and be remembered by those whose lives you've impacted, but beyond that you'll suffer the scars of PTSD, possible war injury, and a lack of proper care when back in the states. In saying this I'm not implying that we shouldn't stand up for those we care about, or not fight in a war when our country's future is at stake, but sometimes the motives behind war, and the recruitment of armies isn't as black & white as it seems. Sometimes people need to take a step back, and weigh the possible consequences of signing up for such a cause. It goes without saying that the reasoning behind the engagement should also be questioned. At the end of the day the army, navy, and air force is a country's defense against those who would cause said country, and it's civilian population harm. It should be viewed as such, and used as such. While it may be a necessity to have, and recruit an army that army should never, in a civil regard, be used to conquer other nations, especially when unprovoked or without proper motive. Nor should it be turned against those it's sworn to protect.

Friday, June 9, 2017

Battleborn (Trial) ~ Impressions

After playing the trial it became clear to me that Gearbox's aim in regards to "Battleborn" was to hook a new audience for lobby population sake, and to revive the game's popularity through a lucrative/beneficial free-to-play system. While the term "Trial" doesn't accurately describe this free-to-play version of Battleborn it does hint at the fact that you will not be getting the complete experience unless you fork over some cash for season pass content. In fact you'll only gain access to a third of what the full game contained should you choose to download the trial. New to the trial version of Battleborn is currency based micro-transactions that come in the guise of two forms of coin credits. One type of credit (blue) being easier to obtain through the game's new quests offerings, and the other (gold) not so easy to obtain. Both credits can be earned in-game, or bought through the PSN store via DLC. Earned, or bought credits can buy and unlock the usual content regardless of how you obtained them. This includes characters, cosmetics, and gear that will boost performance stats in one of the three main multiplayer matchmaking modes.

 Speaking of said modes you will not gain access to the story or the operations modes which are, in my opinion what makes the experience worthwhile due to the objective based co-op content contained within each. Instead you'll gain access solely to the game's competitive multiplayer modes including a Versus mode which houses a rotation of game types and maps as well as an Incursion mode which is a more direct multiplayer mode of play. There's also an AI bot battle in which 5 online gamers will face off against 5 AI bots. All game/mode types are a 5v5 team based battle with different goals governing each. Along with the multiplayer comes the promised unlimited leveling, and loot system that will have you grinding for hours upon end to unlock everything in the game while climbing the ranks of the global leaderboard. If you are looking to train on your own there is also a training mode just for that.

Wednesday, January 11, 2017

Let it Die ~ Tips & Tricks

Those of you who know me know I've fallen head over heels in love with SUDA51's 'Let it Die'. It far surpassed my expectations. I was not exaggerating when I said on Twitter that it would have been my top pick for 2016 game of the year had I even bothered to do a proper end of the year list. It is truly that good. As of now I'm fairly deep into the game. I'm on the 12th floor of the Tower of Barbs. I have gained a ton of weapon blueprints, and have some significantly leveled up gear that I can purchase whenever. I also have a well established waiting room defense with 7/8 placed characters. Some of which are ranked at the 2 star level. My clan has also went flawless, and won 3 consecutive clan clashes which landed us some sweet rewards. Why I'm telling you this is, because I've established an approach to the game that will get you in a favorable position for easy progression. I've devised a plan to get newcomers into the game efficiently, and to help them prioritize what is important when it comes to gameplay focus. Without beating around the bush too much longer though I will go ahead, and disclose the details for you ...

Wednesday, June 12, 2013

Tekken Revolution (PS3): "First Impressions"

When I first watched the trailer of this latest installment of the Tekken series I was truly mesmerized. The game looked gorgeous, and the fact that it was going to be a Free-to-Play exclusive for the PS3 made it seem even more special. The fact of the matter is that not everything we see in the world of gaming is as it seems though, and Tekken Revoulution unfortunately serves as a reminder of this. When you hear the term Free-to-Play in association with a game release it usually means that there are strings attached. Just how many strings, and the extent of those strings all depend on the developer releasing the game to the public. Some Free-to-Play games can be quite enjoyable, offering enough to the gamer to be fine without any additional DLC purchases. In the case of Tekken Revolution however this is not the situation.