Okay, so feel free to delete this if I'm massively over-stepping the line, but I just saw a video by Jim Sterling. He's certainly a loud character, and his style doesn't easily endear, but this video tells of the Loot Boxes and Microtransactions that run through the greater part of Competitive and Online gaming, and the Psychological damage that these gameplay mechanics can cause.
Now, I'm not suggesting that DBOBE and FDev are slavering over parting kiddies from their pocket money, or anything so extreme or ridiculous, but the existence of the Real-world Cosmetics shop does give me pause, even if coloured skins for your Shiny new 'Conda makes precisely zero difference in-game, apart from a sense of satisfaction.
Perhaps I'm over-thinking this, considering that E
was crowdfunded from the get-go, and competitors charge much more, and are significantly less generous. And of course, one could make the argument that we're all adults here, and precious few, if any, commanders are going to drain their wallets getting Every last item in the shop, merely out of a sense of completeness.
Not to mention that the shop does its part to continue to fund further development of the game, alongside purchase of the Base Client, or the Horizons and future Season upgrades.
And I was lucky enough to be able to take advantage of the Lifetime pass when it was offered for £30. Plus, the overwhelming amount of goodwill, good humour, and a distinct lack of other predatory and/or destructive "Triple-A" practices, or "Crunch period" horror stories, from FDev in general.
I don't know where I'm going with this. Like I said, I probably have Massively over-stepped the mark, over-thought this whole issue, and the Skin store is most likely nothing that a Commander should really be worrying about.
But, I just, I'd love to be reassured that the Good folks of Frontier Developments aren't dead-set on turning players into payers.
Now, I'm not suggesting that DBOBE and FDev are slavering over parting kiddies from their pocket money, or anything so extreme or ridiculous, but the existence of the Real-world Cosmetics shop does give me pause, even if coloured skins for your Shiny new 'Conda makes precisely zero difference in-game, apart from a sense of satisfaction.
Perhaps I'm over-thinking this, considering that E
was crowdfunded from the get-go, and competitors charge much more, and are significantly less generous. And of course, one could make the argument that we're all adults here, and precious few, if any, commanders are going to drain their wallets getting Every last item in the shop, merely out of a sense of completeness.Not to mention that the shop does its part to continue to fund further development of the game, alongside purchase of the Base Client, or the Horizons and future Season upgrades.
And I was lucky enough to be able to take advantage of the Lifetime pass when it was offered for £30. Plus, the overwhelming amount of goodwill, good humour, and a distinct lack of other predatory and/or destructive "Triple-A" practices, or "Crunch period" horror stories, from FDev in general.
I don't know where I'm going with this. Like I said, I probably have Massively over-stepped the mark, over-thought this whole issue, and the Skin store is most likely nothing that a Commander should really be worrying about.
But, I just, I'd love to be reassured that the Good folks of Frontier Developments aren't dead-set on turning players into payers.
