Micro-transactions.
Once implemented, expect the very best looking gear to come from micro-transactions which will pay for further development.
You can’t have the best vanity items already available in the game for free.
Rare wants the items you can pay for to have "emotional value, not mechanical value."
@Admiral-Tweedle I know the reason is more that the reason Rare developed SoT was to have fun with friends not with the main purpose of getting money (I'm looking at you, EA and Activision!). I know because that's what the devs said they wanted out of this game. I like to think not every game company just creates game to get money
@Admiral-Tweedle Also, if that is how it works than why aren't they putting any price wall on new major updates?
@drewbob7 said in The reason player and ship cosmetics are so generic looking...:
I like to think not every game company just creates game to get money
Then your a fool.
Money is required to continue paying for the future development of any given title. These people may not be money hungry power brokers without passion for their projects. In fact, quite the reverse.
But, there is no way to reasonably maintain a successful game development company without cash flow. So, emotive or otherwise, money is always the bottom line.
It may not be the end purpose, but it is the tool, means, and only motivation that major development companies have to continue to produce content.
Hell, even Rare in it's way has only recently performed the most recent "cash grab" tactic around.
They've produced a game, sold it at AAA price, then offered the same game to game pass for $10 a month (perhaps pennies received by them directly since they are only part of the service provided), then provided access to players through family accounts across multiple platforms, all gaining a larger audience than initial sales provided, and continue to discuss micro transactions in a quotable effort to (sic) "continue development, since developers need to get paid".
All while releasing a game with content plans that are apparently little more than unfinished initial content, delayed in release, and openly planning to continue to support the game as a "service" and not a singular launch.
So yea, I mean no hostility despite any perceived tone, but I wholly disagree with the quoted.
@gunnerdk "I like to think" is generally more of an expression, not too literal.
Anyone who says this is a cash grab only have themselves to blame. Free trial? 1 dollar gamepass? Access to tons of info via the internet? SoT couldn't be more transparent or accessible.
@GunnerDK I think you misunderstood me. I meant that not every game company makes games with the sole purpose of making money. You know EA with their pay win to mircotransactions right at launch? I'm talking about that. You need money to fund the game. That is obvious. If you make a fun game and ask for a fee so you can improve the game, that's understandable. If you make a game with not much content from the the last Sequel (Ahem CoD) and ask money for it that is annoying.
Not going to happen. The practise is called pay-to-win and within a cosmetic immersion driven game, to some players, it would be regarded as pay-to-awe instead. A skinner box as imbalanced as this would be, dev team has no room to experiment it here unless they want to experience what happened to EA with Battlefront 2.
@admiral-tweedle OP does not reflect that.
It could very well be they were absolutely unprepared - like the rest of the gamestate, rather than some greed driven model backed by no-evidence.
If you are ok with them charging for cosmetics, then you are ok with them charging for pirate legend, since thats just cosmetic like everything else, and you are ok with them selling gold directly, since thats only used for cosmetics. Right?
So how about 100k gold for 10 dollars, and 100 dollars for pirate legend? Why not? Gotta fund those servers right? Who cares if it destroys the entire progression system, because we want more money.
@admiral-tweedle They have already mentioned that the real-money items are going to be in a category of their own, as in, youll only be able to buy things that you cant get otherwise, so there will be no ship skins, or weapon skins, or clothing.
flags, pets, ship names, cannon cosmetics, etc, those might be in the cash shop.
@lowbei said in The reason player and ship cosmetics are so generic looking...:
If you are ok with them charging for cosmetics, then you are ok with them charging for pirate legend, since thats just cosmetic like everything else, and you are ok with them selling gold directly, since thats only used for cosmetics. Right?
So how about 100k gold for 10 dollars, and 100 dollars for pirate legend? Why not? Gotta fund those servers right? Who cares if it destroys the entire progression system, because we want more money.
It doesn't destroy anything. You keep repeating this. See below.
@sir-rhavi said in The reason player and ship cosmetics are so generic looking...:
@admiral-tweedle They have already mentioned that the real-money items are going to be in a category of their own, as in, youll only be able to buy things that you cant get otherwise, so there will be no ship skins, or weapon skins, or clothing.
flags, pets, ship names, cannon cosmetics, etc, those might be in the cash shop.
@sir-rhavi said: "...so there will be no ship skins, or weapon skins, or clothing."
I'd like to read more on that. Where's the link?
@admiral-tweedle said in The reason player and ship cosmetics are so generic looking...:
Micro-transactions.
Once implemented, expect the very best looking gear to come from micro-transactions which will pay for further development.
You can’t have the best vanity items already available in the game for free.
Sea of Thieves Will Add Microtransactions Around 3 Months After Release - IGN
![Sea of Thieves Will Add Microtransactions Around 3 Months After Release - IGN]()
Rare wants the items you can pay for to have "emotional value, not mechanical value."
Lol, the game was $60. If you think a game that costs $60 should include no good content, you must be smoking something strong (and possibly hallucinogenic).
As for why the game has microtransactions at all, Neate puts it down to the increased costs of running a game that will continuously add content beyond launch:
Joe Neate said: "It's always an interesting topic, but ultimately I have to look at the reality of running a game-as-service as a business. My goal and everyone else's goal here is to have as many people as possible working on this, and just keep giving people reasons to return, reasons to have fun. We have to run that like a business, you need revenue coming in."
@admiral-tweedle said in The reason player and ship cosmetics are so generic looking...:
@sir-rhavi said: "...so there will be no ship skins, or weapon skins, or clothing."
I'd like to read more on that. Where's the link?
dont remember if it was one of the podcasts or... either way, not home right now, cant provide link, but it was in the same one where they first mentioned micro-transactions.
regardless, it was pushed back, along with ship captancy, to an unknown date.
@admiral-tweedle said in The reason player and ship cosmetics are so generic looking...:
As for why the game has microtransactions at all, Neate puts it down to the increased costs of running a game that will continuously add content beyond launch:
Joe Neate said: "It's always an interesting topic, but ultimately I have to look at the reality of running a game-as-service as a business. My goal and everyone else's goal here is to have as many people as possible working on this, and just keep giving people reasons to return, reasons to have fun. We have to run that like a business, you need revenue coming in."
If people like your game, they will buy it, if they don't then rely on those that do to keep it afloat with fancy trinkets. Seems legit. MT's are a burden on everygame and while this game offers as they say "Free DLC" they will fleece people with nickles and dimes for fancy coats and shiny baubles. Kids with credit cards on their accounts are a dangerous thing and one MS plans to take full control of.
@gloog said in The reason player and ship cosmetics are so generic looking...:
@gunnerdk "I like to think" is generally more of an expression, not too literal.
Anyone who says this is a cash grab only have themselves to blame. Free trial? 1 dollar gamepass? Access to tons of info via the internet? SoT couldn't be more transparent or accessible.
Actually, they could dispense with the doublespeak and lawyerese and stop promising things that never materialize.
They need some serious work on their transparency.
@admiral-tweedle you realize how old this article is right? You should probably find one more updated and relevant.
@sir-rhavi Why do you keep saying "regardless" or "old news"? I didn't say it's happening right now. lol
@freecellqt Are you talking about when it's happening, why it's happening, or the fact I mentioned what the difference between items bought and items ingame? Because the only thing I was doing was comparing the quality of the items with those in the game.
@admiral-tweedle said in The reason player and ship cosmetics are so generic looking...:
@kashaarafall Talking about the items themselves, not why the have micro-transactions.
The idea of the MT's is to continue to support the game, which is respectable. However, MT's kill people's interest for a game, cosmetic or not and with the game already having limited cosmetics, locking some of those options behind an optional paywall is no way to win the favor of players over.
@admiral-tweedle a post from february prior to launch, that was based off of old information that Rare had given out. Common sense that the post is outdated and needs to be revamped and analyzed with rares current plan and road map. Possibly with an interview or questions.
I'm not saying its completely off base, but old postings are old postings.
@admiral-tweedle said in The reason player and ship cosmetics are so generic looking...:
@sir-rhavi Why do you keep saying "regardless" or "old news"? I didn't say it's happening right now. lol
Because we dont even know a time frame for the microtransaction update, we arnt even sure it is still on the table. So complaining about it now, before we have any info on it, is kinda pointless.
Microtransactions that aren't forced and provide no game advantage over other players are an excellent idea for covering ongoing expenses.
The Premium items and their more individual/premium looks are to lure people who are willing and able to spend extra money on top of the base game to do so. Hence stopping the need for any kind of subscription system for those of us who can't take on the ongoing cost. I'm all for it.
The real special items will, to my mind, be the limited event items that only people who are involved will have. Things like the Day 1 Eyepatch. These are the true premium style items as far as I'm concerned.
As I always say, just my opinion.
I'd say that the likely reason for so few cosmetics is because they appear to like to have a full themed set across outfits/items/weapon/ships before releasing them. With another ship confirmed and perhaps more weapons/items in development this also adds the complication that for each ship/item/weapon added in future they will have to go back to the old sets and add the cosmetics of each to keep that standard going.
@arch-fable
Cosmetics cannot be classed as pay to win.
How can a fancy new hat help you to win battles? Or the new pair of gloves that make you a better sailor?
The devs stated the MT will be purely cosmetic, so you do not need to purchase any 'paid' items at all & those that do is purely for aesthetics.
@admiral-tweedle Useless post. Inform youself d****t ! The micro transaction gear will be available to all players through the game, micro transactions are just for people who want them quickly.
@Lo1-R3x This goes against pretty much everything i've been reading so far about microtransactions in SoT.
Where did you read that?
