Support NeoGAF

[QaaQer]

Although old news, I couldn't find a thread about it and I thought some people might want to know.

Awwww, crud. Yes, according to an interview translated by Siliconera, Bravely Default will have microtransactions that allow you to use a special ability a lot more rapidly. The ability is called the Bravely Second and it allows you to stop time and attack enemies without fear of repercussion as long as you have SP. you can accumulate SP by putting the 3DS into sleep mode. For every 8 hours the game is in sleep mode, you will accumulate 1 point, meaning that you can roughly acquire 3 points a day. The microtransaction (which has not been priced yet) will allow you to pay for a day’s worth of SP in the form of a drink item.

There’s a chance that all the players could end up disliking it, so we really put a lot of thought into this one. With that in mind, the reason we decided to go through with the plan is because of our wish to have as many people possible beat the game. Some players might want to continue with the story but might not be able to beat the boss no matter how hard they try, and eventually give up on the game, which is the last thing we’d want.

It’s for this reason that we also included the difficulty and encounter rate adjustments. Ultimately, it will be an item that will allow you to beat bosses, simply by drinking it — although we didn’t make it into some item that’s like a ‘bomb that instantly blows up bosses’ because we still want you to have fun with the game. Just to be clear, the game will allow you to still use the Bravely Second up to two or three times a day, without having to purchase SP Drinks.

We’re actually still in the brainstorming stage for that. If it’s too cheap, then players will get to use it as much as they want, and that would ruin the balance. I think it’d be good to have a price that stays true to the value of a special trump card.

link

It's really nice of them to include that option for people who are bad at the game or are in a hurry like this person: Someone In Japan Spent $40,000 On Bravely Default (iOS version)

 

[GasProblem]

Pay 2 beat game faster. I won't use it and it will not have any effect on me whatsoever, so this is a microtransaction I really don't care about.

Don't know why people would use SP drinks though. You can set the game on easy, you can easily grind with the +100% encounter rate option.

 

[Eusis]

Just don't keep pushing it in my face or screw up the balance otherwise, and I won't care about it that much. I will worry about the sequel, but hopefully there's enough resistance in the industry at large to keep this from reaching dire freemium lows... Not that SE's the best at taking hints.

 

[Silky]

If only this game was actually interesting enough for me to be invested in the game

 

[SovanJedi]

Nyeeeeeehhhhhhhhhhh... It's nice that the developer seems genuinely concerned about not ruining the game by making this system (and by extension the microtransaction) entirely optional instead of the crux of game progression, but it's a slippery road and you can't just take their word for it that the game is perfectly playable without it. I assume the Japanese game isn't ludicrously difficult? Or does it already incorporate this and it works out fine if you just ignore it?

 

[GasProblem]

If only this game was actually interesting enough for me to be invested in the game

I spent 15 hours on the demo alone. This game is as Final Fantasy as you can get.

 

[QaaQer]

Was the Bravely Second mechanic in the original Japanese version? I.e., did you have to wait 8hrs/point?

 

[daveo42]

As long as I can play and beat the game without it, cool. It doesn't sound all that bad to be honest, but I am kind of worried about the rebalancing from the original game. I hope it's not overly easy, even if their main goal is to get as many people to play and beat the game.

 

[synce]

With developers regularly doing shit like this I wonder if today's gamers can even make it past the first level of an SNES game

 

[AtomskEater]

With developers regularly doing shit like this I wonder if today's gamers can even make it past the first level of an SNES game

Why can't Metroid crawl?

 

[Phazon]

Nyeeeeeehhhhhhhhhhh... It's nice that the developer seems genuinely concerned about not ruining the game by making this system (and by extension the microtransaction) entirely optional instead of the crux of game progression, but it's a slippery road and you can't just take their word for it that the game is perfectly playable without it. I assume the Japanese game isn't ludicrously difficult? Or does it already incorporate this and it works out fine if you just ignore it?

It's not. You can choose between easy, normal and hard at any given time. So even if you have troubles on normal on hard, you can always lower the difficulty instead of using a SP. And because you can build a village in sleep mode, you'll have almost always 3 sp drinks from the game. (I've never used one, but I'm playing on easy and normal)

 

[Andrax]

Major turn off, nearly considered not buying it out of principle but listening to the devs it seems all-right.

I was expecting the usual "This boss is SO HARD, grind 10 hours or pay money to advance quickly!" making you feel obliged to pay.

 

[Lord Ghirahim]

Was the Bravely Second mechanic in the original Japanese version? I.e., did you have to wait 8hrs/point?

There is no BS in BDFF.

 

[marrec]

I like how he says he wants to add microtransactions so that people beat the game, instead of to get lots of money.

That's funny.

 

[QaaQer]

As long as I can play and beat the game without it, cool. It doesn't sound all that bad to be honest, but I am kind of worried about the rebalancing from the original game. I hope it's not overly easy, even if their main goal is to get as many people to play and beat the game.

Seems to be a common sentiment. I guess I'll be playing a lot fewer rpg-style games in the future. :-/

Their goal is to maximize revenue. If it was just about getting everyone to the finish, there is no need to charge real world money for virtual items.

 

[Starwolf_UK]

Was the Bravely Second mechanic in the original Japanese version? I.e., did you have to wait 8hrs/point?

Nope. It has been introduced in the "for the sequel" edition which is what the western version is based off (has a few hundred improvements including faster battles).

 

[Qurupeke]

Is the game good? Yes? Then I don't care for microtransaction.

 

[Mael]

Namco do it in all their games I saw on ps3 since forever...
Then again I haven't played any Tales game in forever anyway

 

[xelios]

With that in mind, the reason we decided to go through with the plan is because of our wish to have as many people possible beat the game. Some players might want to continue with the story but might not be able to beat the boss no matter how hard they try, and eventually give up on the game, which is the last thing we’d want.

Yeah, sure, that is why. Not to make money.

There are ways to let as many people as possible beat the game (since the beginning of time) without pay2win drinks. Nice spin though, I must admit.

 

[AtomskEater]

Major turn off, nearly considered not buying it out of principle but listening to the devs it seems all-right.

I was expecting the usual "This boss is SO HARD, grind 10 hours or pay money to advance quickly!" making you feel obliged to pay.

They've made it so that you can alter things like encounter rates and difficulty at any time, so there should never be a point where you're stuck in excessive grinding sessions. You also gain SP when the 3DS is in sleep mode, so if you don't buy the items you still have access to the special attack, you can just use it less frequently. The microtransaction seems like something for people with more money than sense, given all that.

 

[QaaQer]

They've made it so that you can alter things like encounter rates and difficulty at any time, so there should never be a point where you're stuck in excessive grinding sessions. You also gain SP when the 3DS is in sleep mode, so if you don't buy the items you still have access to the special attack, you can just use it less frequently. The microtransaction seems like something for people with more money than sense, given all that.

It will be interesting to see how they have tweaked things in order to get people to buy the microtransactions. I'm looking forward to seeing some of the breakdowns.

 

[Aeneas]

Well at least it seems I will be able to enjoy the game without feeling tempted to use micro transactions, from what I read.

Its still a ridiculous argument, if you are afraid people will give up due to difficulty, add a very easy mode? or if you fail twice in a boss lower the difficulty? Charging for it is complete bullshit and disrespectful to consumers who paid full price. This is not a F2P iOS game.

 

[marrec]

Yeah, sure, that is why. Not to make money.

There are ways to let as many people as possible beat the game (since the beginning of time) without pay2win drinks. Nice spin though, I must admit.

No, I swear, it's just so people will beat the game!

This isn't insidious at all.

Oh, and on that same token, the inclusion of Microtransactions won't change the game either. Promise.

 

[Ogawa-san]

First cheats (big head, godmode, etc) being sold as DLC, now they're paving the way to replace easier modes.

 

[Smiles and Cries]

Square Enix iOS or show them your money

 

[Seanspeed]

Doesn't sound too bad.

For the skeptics, we'll be able to find out quite quickly if they've made changes to the game in order to encourage microtransactions, since the game has been released in Japan already and there will be a version to compare to.

It does sound a bit greedy in a single-player game, though.

 

[Bomber Bob]

Western release is going to be the updated "For The Sequel" version right?

 

[Froli]

I like how he says he wants to add microtransactions so that people beat the game, instead of to get lots of money.

That's funny.

As usual they are treating gamers like idiots lol. They need to stop spouting bullshit.

Ugh...and I like this game.

 

[Qurupeke]

Western release is going to be the updated "For The Sequel" version right?

Yes.

 

[AkelisRain]

This microtransaction stuff is getting out of hand.

 

[AtomskEater]

We’re actually still in the brainstorming stage for that. If it’s too cheap, then players will get to use it as much as they want, and that would ruin the balance. I think it’d be good to have a price that stays true to the value of a special trump card.

Okay, so this is funny, too. "We can't make it too cheap, because then it would ruin the spirit of adventure and something something *mumble*"

 

[Mael]

Well at least it seems I will be able to enjoy the game without feeling tempted to use micro transactions, from what I read.

Its still a ridiculous argument, if you are afraid people will give up due to difficulty, add a very easy mode? or if you fail twice in a boss lower the difficulty? Charging for it is complete bullshit and disrespectful to consumers who paid full price. This is not a F2P iOS game.

1) You're not Aeana but good try
2) there's an easy mode in the game that you can change whenever you want
3) you can alter the encounter rate however you want whenever you want to.

So yeah they're literally giving people another way to make it easier by putting another optional stuffs to make the game easier and making people pay for it (or not if they're not that impatient.)

 

[wrowa]

From what I've heard, the Bravely Second system is included in the European version, but the microtransctions aren't.

 

[turnbuckle]

uhhhhhh fuck. Gonna skip this game on principal. the reasoning for charging is a damned lie. these things are killing this hobby for me.

 

[Usobuko]

They didn't lock out any content for DLC, no?

Pay to beat game faster is okay in my books as long as the main game itself doesn't deliberately makes everything a hassle to go through.

 

[BudokaiMR2]

Bah that sounds stupid and the excuses are bullshit. You want more people to be able to finish the game? Uhh....difficulty settings? Please stop sugar coating your bullshit. No one believes it.

.....wait someone spent 40k on the browser game?
....that's a hell of a whale.

I am guessing she is probably rich but I hope it is mostly credit and she ends up in debt for the rest of her life. She deserves it.

 

[Yagharek]

I really hate this kind of dlc, however by my understanding/reading of the (excellent) OP ...
if you get the DLC it lets you play in auto-dumb-dumb-my-first-RPG mode?

As in, you dont need it. The game isnt built around it. The game design isnt affected/infected by it?

 

[GhostTrick]

Lot of overreactions here. And I think people claiming they won't buy it because of "principles" didn't had any attention to buy it at first.

That's something, totally optionnal, but also totally useless. The game doesn't bother you with it, it doesn't even talk you about it. You can also bypass this by letting your console on sleep mode.
But guess what ? Even the Bravely Second system is pointless. That's just a trump card for despair fights. You won't need need as long as you play well. That's just something added in the last minute.

 

[Mistouze]

This is what Play Coins are for, but you can't scam people into buying them.

 

[web01]

The way they try to spin these micro transaction "features" as a good thing is disgusting.

 

[GhostTrick]

Bah that sounds stupid and the excuses are bullshit. You want more people to be able to finish the game? Uhh....difficulty settings? Please stop sugar coating your bullshit. No one believes it.

.....wait someone spent 40k on the browser game?
....that's a hell of a whale.

I am guessing she is probably rich but I hope it is mostly credit and she ends up in debt for the rest of her life. She deserves it.

News at 11, the game allows for lower difficulty but also higher difficulty settings. The game makes everything for newcomer but also hardcore gamer to be at home, by raising difficulty or encounter rate.

 

[Starwolf_UK]

They didn't lock out any content for DLC, no?

From what I understand there are a lot of weapons DLC which people do pay a lot for at auction (as in DLC codes you got for social network stuff) but its not actual content per-se (I don't think the weapons are the best ones either and I doubt there is a mode to show off your bling making the buyers a bit foolish).

 

[BudokaiMR2]

News at 11, the game allows for lower difficulty but also higher difficulty settings. The game makes everything for newcomer but also hardcore gamer to be at home, by raising difficulty or encounter rate.

Yes, I know about those features thank you very much.

My point is that those features make his PR spin complete bullshit.

 

[mocolostrocolos]

Bravely Default |OT| The actual Final Fantasy sequel

BTW, I've spent 8 hours por so sin the demo...

Auto+4x Battle Speed+Encounter Rate +100%+Easy=Sweet Grinding

 

[Ratrat]

Lot of overreactions here. And I think people claiming they won't buy it because of "principles" didn't had any attention to buy it at first.

It's kind of worrying trend that some consider a slippery slope. MGS is my favorite series but I'm pretty pissed off regarding GZ and won't buy it...or will buy used.

 

[Qurupeke]

The feature will be optional. What's bad about it? Just don't buy anything if you don't want to support it.

 

[Goldmund]

While players being unable to continue with the story because they lack the tenacity, dexterity or sagacity to beat a boss might be the last thing they'd want, financially exploiting these players' shortcomings seems to be rather high on that list.

 

[Glass Rebel]

Translation: "Sorry guys, Matsuda made us put this shit in and we're trying to make the best out of it."

 

[vareon]

I really hate this kind of dlc, however by my understanding/reading of the (excellent) OP ...
if you get the DLC it lets you play in auto-dumb-dumb-my-first-RPG mode?

As in, you dont need it. The game isnt built around it. The game design isnt affected/infected by it?

If you set the difficulty right, you still get the exact same game Japan get a year ago, the one without microtransactions. If you think that's too difficult, then there's a shitload of options to pass through, including paying. That's how I read it.

I'd be less trustful if this is a new game, but this is an enhanced version of an already existing game. I say give it a try.

 

[GhostTrick]

It's kind of worrying trend that some consider a slippery slope. MGS is my favorite series but I'm pretty pissed off regarding GZ and won't buy it...or will buy used if I can help it.

Of course, that trend is worrying and I fear that it might affect Bravely Default 2 heavily. But you can't also put everyone in the same basket. For Bravely Default, the fact that's it's totally optionnal, invisible and useless, you can't make a case on it and claiming it should be punished for this. The best way is to buy the game and ignore the SP drinks. And trust me, that's really easy to do that.