Introducing GTA+ - Reward-based Subscription for GTA Online

[ChiroVette]

12 hours ago, Jenkiiii said:

A very good post in its entirety and well explained, but you omit one important factor, which I'm sure you can explain better than me: we will all have to buy a GTA+ subscription at some point or we will miss out on important content and therefore not be able to play effectively with our friends/others. We can hold out for the time being, but we will eventually have to subscribe. OK, that doesn't make as whales just because we purchase the subscription, due to whales being the people who go beyond that and purchase hundreds or thousands of dollars in shark cards, but Rockstar have had enough of that mentality it seems? Of just an elite few paying for the masses, and now they want us ALL to pay our dues. And that is the frightening part. Once we're all signed up, Rockstar will be able to increase the price whenever they want and churn out whatever content they like. I can't see how this is good for the game at all. Perhaps others can give their viewpoints?

 

 

Thank you for your input and your kind words!

 

Well, the good news is that the parts I underlined above in your post are all speculation. Don't get me wrong, you may very well be 100% correct, and if so, this doesn't bode well for the future of online gaming in general, not just GTA. I think that part that I didn't explain in my wall-o-text post above is that most developers are staying very well clear of pay to win strategies, including Rockstar. If you look at the new GTA+ subscription, for instance, as much of a sh*tty deal as it is for anyone looking to spend their money on a game or its content, just like pretty much ALL microtransaction packages are, it is essentially the opposite of paying to give the player unfair advantages. Like Shark Cards themselves, the things that people purchase in GTAO are really nothing more than shiny, little trinkets of dubious value, when you consider you are being asked to spend real money on them.

 

So long as this paradigm remains true, I wouldn't worry about pay-to-win strategies, or even worse than that, what you prognosticated above, which is pay just to keep up. The second videogames become mandatory financial sinkholes, then we have a much bigger problem than garbage IAP packages. In a previous post, I made another point along these lines, that the whales and the donators are essentially funding the entire online part of the game for people like me who would never give Take2 a penny for their crappy offerings. We really owe the whales and the other purchasers a great debt for buying these garbage-packs because they are 100% funding all the updates and contents to GTAO for us.

 

As bad as this may be, your scenario would be a lot worse, because then the game would truly become one where purchasing these subscriptions would be an absolute necessity or you can't compete with the players who do. So far, that doesn't seem to be a problem in any of the AAA games, at least not that I am aware of.

12 hours ago, GTAJJ said:

 

This. Here's a specific example of the maths behind this scheme I wrote a few days ago.

 

The end goal these days is about the company seeing "how many buyers do we have and to what level." Thus seeing where the biting point is before they see dropoff.

 

Unfortunately, I couldn't unpack all those stats because I am completely unfamiliar with COD. lol I haven't played a game in that franchise in over a decade, and when I did, it was just the SP and it was before microtransactions were a thing.

Edited April 8, 2022 by ChiroVette

[ilRae]

52 minutes ago, SHOKKERZ91 said:

 

I can destroy these rc vehicles without much effort, can´t say the same about godmode vehicles and players. And otr shenanigans only work on toss-for-the-bin type players. Every player with some awarness will quiete easily find you. Be it thermal, tv or strike-team observation. There are options.

I guess you are up against new players with new toys if you are blowing up them quick. An experienced player wouldn't fall to a silly strike team, or get caught in the same spot for thermal. Trolls have options too. Again, not advocating God mode, but there are legit ways to do the exact thing glitchers do.

 

50 minutes ago, Black-Dragon96 said:

I doubt that.

Mostly because I dont see casual gamers playing investor in some rinkidink a$$ online game.

People play games to get away from work and money stuffs, not to make big bucks on a virtual stock market.

Not to mention that all those games would go 18+ if not outright banned in most countries.

Not for kids, and we're not talking silly in-game items. it's the next way to get whales to fund game development, but non-invested players will be beholden to the choices and voting stock of those that are invested. There is no stopping this train. Look up Ryan Watt (Fwiz on Twitter) and listen to some of the interviews he's done. $6 subs will look like child's play soon.

[Gettin up]

This doesn't affect me and I'm not going to buy it. But makes me feel GTA 6 Online will be mostly or entirely behind a paywall like this.

[Jenkiiii]

1 hour ago, ChiroVette said:

So long as this paradigm remains true, I wouldn't worry about pay-to-win strategies, or even worse than that, what you prognosticated above, which is pay just to keep up. The second videogames become mandatory financial sinkholes, then we have a much bigger problem than garbage IAP packages.

Forgive me if I'm wrong on this, but isn't one of this week's promos 3X on stunt races? And isn't the fastest stunt car the Devaste Eight? And can the DV8 be upgraded at Hao's if you don't have GTA+? If you can HSW upgrade the DV8 without GTA+ then my point is invalid, but if it is valid then Rockstar have already become pay to win, not just grind and play to win. And this is only the first month of GTA+.

 

Seriously, I just don't care any more, and competitive racing is in the past for me due to my age, lack of personal intensity and interest, IP address/ping speed discrimination, all the cheating that goes on through curb boosts/brake boosts/mid shifts, etc., and now GTA+.

 

 

[Spider-Vice]

16 minutes ago, Jenkiiii said:

And can the DV8 be upgraded at Hao's if you don't have GTA+?

Yes, starting this week. It was only early access. From yesterday, anyone can upgrade the Deveste Eight with HSW.

[GTAJJ]

8 hours ago, ilRae said:

So far, they haven't been wrong with the monetization of GTAO, no matter what the internet says.

 

What defines "wrong"? Success? How much money they can drain people? I mean I could probably trick a kid into giving me their money on the street for a less value item - does that make me correct?

 

3 hours ago, ilRae said:

I am talking the move to blockchain economies to do anything in games. Invest in and cash out.

 

It will be attempted - but won't work. As it'll be designed for the minority once again to hold up the whole economy and be water tight when interacting with the game. Imagine being able to cash out GTA$ for IRL money with the types of glitches that exist throughout its lifetime. I'll be semi retired from Rooftop Rumble back in 2013 LMAO.

 

9 hours ago, ilRae said:

I lived the corporate world for more than 15 years, my apathy stems from playing inside the game. I'm semi-retired enjoying life now. Your hatred for billion dollar companies isn't going to change by you sitting at a keyboard typing out how much a $6/mo sub sucks.

 

I bought T2 stock years ago (well, my investment manager did). Those billions are flowing right into my veins.

 

I can understand why you have a bias towards monetisation on GTA now. Try to look it from a consumer POV instead of "wood to chop"; people who want to just come home from work or life and just chill and play their favourite games. There are people who save up to get games, or have to wait until they're cheaper. Someone could only afford to put a few dollars away a month and a few months later they'll have enough for the game and still get to have the same experience as someone who paid for it Day 1. Now if you don't have extra money on call constantly to pump into your game, you get left behind.

 

2 hours ago, ChiroVette said:

Unfortunately, I couldn't unpack all those stats because I am completely unfamiliar with COD. lol I haven't played a game in that franchise in over a decade, and when I did, it was just the SP and it was before microtransactions were a thing.

 

That's okay, sorry for not explaining it well. Basically buying a single bundle (1 skin, 1 emote, 1 weapon charm, a title card and 1 emblem) is 2400 CP on average. Roughly over $20. 3 bundles is more than purchasing the game itself or a yearly season pass back in the day. And there were systems that allowed you to earn them on older CODs as they were being introduced and now it's only paid content. No yearly passes - or it'll cost over $6000 per CoD.

[dieseltech20]

You take a D8 with HSW mods on a R* stunt track and you are going to have a bad time. Most everyone that does rage quits pretty quickly, even I did. Not a CP out there that it won’t fly right over top of, lol. 
 

Of course some practice and relearning will eliminate that but it’s quite a shock on your first race. 
 

In general the HSW mods are a giant bag of suck on any car. 

Edited April 8, 2022 by dieseltech20

[ilRae]

57 minutes ago, GTAJJ said:

It will be attempted - but won't work. As it'll be designed for the minority once again to hold up the whole economy and be water tight when interacting with the game. Imagine being able to cash out GTA$ for IRL money with the types of glitches that exist throughout its lifetime. I'll be semi retired from Rooftop Rumble back in 2013 LMAO.

This isn't anything like you are thinking, and it's coming.

[needforsuv]

1 hour ago, dieseltech20 said:

You take a D8 with HSW mods on a R* stunt track and you are going to have a bad time. Most everyone that does rage quits pretty quickly, even I did. Not a CP out there that it won’t fly right over top of, lol. 

well, duh

GTO already overflies sh*t

[ChiroVette]

1 hour ago, Jenkiiii said:

Forgive me if I'm wrong on this, but isn't one of this week's promos 3X on stunt races? And isn't the fastest stunt car the Devaste Eight? And can the DV8 be upgraded at Hao's if you don't have GTA+? If you can HSW upgrade the DV8 without GTA+ then my point is invalid, but if it is valid then Rockstar have already become pay to win, not just grind and play to win. And this is only the first month of GTA+.

 

Seriously, I just don't care any more, and competitive racing is in the past for me due to my age, lack of personal intensity and interest, IP address/ping speed discrimination, all the cheating that goes on through curb boosts/brake boosts/mid shifts, etc., and now GTA+.

 

 

 

I upgraded the Deveste Eight I have had in my office garage the first thing after yesterday's weekly update, and I definitely don't have GTA+.

 

As for the 3X Stunt Races bonus, I'm pretty sure all players get that, not just subscribers. Additionally, let's say that they didn't offer that to everyone. Let's say that the 3X rewards this week was a bonus only available to PS+ subscribers. Yeah, not necessarily fun for non-donators like me, but how does that change the competitiveness of the game? Winning and losing the races are still 100% down to my own skill. If you are a PS+ subscriber and you get triple money and RP and I only get the regular rewards, I still either win or lose the race based on my driving skills and how well I upgraded my vehicle, right?

[Jenkiiii]

7 minutes ago, ChiroVette said:

 

I upgraded the Deveste Eight I have had in my office garage the first thing after yesterday's weekly update, and I definitely don't have GTA+.

 

As for the 3X Stunt Races bonus, I'm pretty sure all players get that, not just subscribers. Additionally, let's say that they didn't offer that to everyone. Let's say that the 3X rewards this week was a bonus only available to PS+ subscribers. Yeah, not necessarily fun for non-donators like me, but how does that change the competitiveness of the game? Winning and losing the races are still 100% down to my own skill. If you are a PS+ subscriber and you get triple money and RP and I only get the regular rewards, I still either win or lose the race based on my driving skills and how well I upgraded my vehicle, right?

I didn't realize that you could HSW the Deveste Eight as a non-GTA+ subscriber this week. I haven't played GTA since Monday. I do realize that 3X stunt races are for everyone and are part of the standard Newswire.

 

It's still daunting though and, as a GTA cynic, I see it as an opportunity for Rockstar to hold back and not give HSW upgrades for a month or more to effectively rub it in. I agree with what you say though and I hope you are right, that a pay-to-win model makes no sense over the long term and will only serve to alienate and put people off, which is why we discuss and inform each other on forums like this.

 

I like your differentiation between donator and whale; terrific terminology. I can definitely be a donator when I feel like it. I had no problem buying a 'pack' in Vigor recently to boost along my 'career', which leads me to another train of thought. What do you think about time-based boosts to hasten things along? For example: a Cyclone upgrade to the Cyclone II, which is not available immediately and you have to wait an in-game day (48) minutes for the HSW version to be available, OR you can pay GTA cash to be eligible right now. You will still have to pay for the HSW upgrade, of course, but Rockstar can entice us to spend extra cash to boost activities along. They tried this with Gunrunning and the bunker research and most of us absolutely hated it because it's too close to random loot boxes for items you don't necessarily need or want, but  I would be OK with it going forward if it keeps us non-GTA+ obligated. It would feel more like a voluntary donation to boost things along.

 

 

[ChiroVette]

29 minutes ago, Jenkiiii said:

It's still daunting though and, as a GTA cynic, I see it as an opportunity for Rockstar to hold back and not give HSW upgrades for a month or more to effectively rub it in. I agree with what you say though and I hope you are right, that a pay-to-win model makes no sense over the long term and will only serve to alienate and put people off, which is why we discuss and inform each other on forums like this.

 

Two-edged sword, I suppose. In a way, for people like me, it's a high-quality problem. Why? Because as long as Take2 and Rockstar create absurdly anemic and stingy IAP packages that in no way impact the game, particularly for very GTAO-wealthy players like me, I am not even close to being tempted by these lame offerings. They are essentially catering to people who are absurdly impatient to get the shiny trinkets and extra GTA Funny Money without actually having to play/grind in the game to do it. So it's no skin off my apple if they want to charge hyper-inflated monetary fees for miserly content, since I won't be buying it, and it has zero effect on my game or my playing environment if someone spends ten thousand dollars a month and I am playing against him or her. You can spend $100K in real US Dollars to my $0 dollars spent, and unless you can out-drive me, I am beating you in the race. Unless you can best me in PvP, I will win there against you, too, no matter how much real money you spend.

 

That said, you're right, a pay-to-win model would absolutely destroy the integrity of the game. I know, because I have seen it in action in some mobile games like Spider-Man Unlimited, and it really took a lot of the fun out of it.

 

29 minutes ago, Jenkiiii said:

I like your differentiation between donator and whale; terrific terminology. I can definitely be a donator when I feel like it. I had no problem buying a 'pack' in Vigor recently to boost along my 'career', which leads me to another train of thought. What do you think about time-based boosts to hasten things along? For example: a Cyclone upgrade to the Cyclone II, which is not available immediately and you have to wait an in-game day (48) minutes for the HSW version to be available, OR you can pay GTA cash to be eligible right now. You will still have to pay for the HSW upgrade, of course, but Rockstar can entice us to spend extra cash to boost activities along. They tried this with Gunrunning and the bunker research and most of us absolutely hated it because it's too close to random loot boxes for items you don't necessarily need or want, but  I would be OK with it going forward if it keeps us non-GTA+ obligated. It would feel more like a voluntary donation to boost things along.

 

One of the things that used to frustrate and infuriate me in the highly monetized mobile games I have seen is that these companies never seemed to actually offer anything I found attractive, enticing, or useful. To be clear, GTAO is no exception to this seemingly stupid policy. I used to always lament the fact that the IAP packs sold to players of the games I like, contained nothing but trinkets and shiny new widgets, or some in-game currency to buy said trinkets and shiny new widgets. But never any substantive content that experienced players like me would find either tempting or useful.

 

I mean, I play Subway Surfers, a mobile game I love. Kiloo Games has a crapload of IAP packages, but they are NOT abusive about it. They sell their in-game currency, which I have so much of just from playing the game, that I have no need of buying it. BUT they also sell some player skins, like outfits and cosmetically different hoverboards. But none of those are necessary to the game, only to collectors. So, whatever, no need for me to buy anything. The same with GTAO. What are they selling? Shark Cards, and we all know what they are; and now this new GTA+, which is offering nothing more than a small amount of GTA Funny money and a couple of freebie items that I purchased and forgot about months ago. So where is the temptation for me to buy anything, when I have just a drop over $1.2 Billion in my Maze Bank account (legitimately, no glitches), and every business, max properties, everything upgraded including all the cosmetic stuff?

 

So at the end of the day, Rockstar isn't targeting players like me with their little splash ads and subscriptions. They could, if they want to, and that was why I used to be frustrated with the IAP packs of those mobile games, and the offerings in GTAO. Sometimes I wish they would target me. I will NEVER be a whale, but if they offered stuff that interested rich GTAO-Players (rich in the game lol) then I would consider buying stuff. But they won't. Wanna know why? Because they don't care if players like me buy from them or not. Their target demographic is filled with kiddies who have access to or have stolen credit card info from their parents, adult whales who are addicted to buying everything in site from the game, and very impatient players who may be either too lazy to grind or are too ignorant of the mechanics of GTAO to really understand that money is VERY easy to make once you play understand how things work.

 

Like I said, I will never be a whale, but I can think of a few items that Rockstar could offer up that I would at least consider plunking down money for, with the condition that it was fairly priced and not just some flagrant attempt to fleece me and others like me.

 

 

Edited April 8, 2022 by ChiroVette

[arisfelbonilla]

does gta plus have a future???
later they sign up if they have good rewards

[Black-Dragon96]

5 hours ago, ilRae said:

I guess you are up against new players with new toys if you are blowing up them quick. An experienced player wouldn't fall to a silly strike team, or get caught in the same spot for thermal. Trolls have options too. Again, not advocating God mode, but there are legit ways to do the exact thing glitchers do.

They litterally take just a few stickybombs to blow up lol.

Argueing that they are the same thing as godmode or that you can achieve the exact same thing as godmode legitimatly is beyond stupid.

 

5 hours ago, ilRae said:

Not for kids, and we're not talking silly in-game items. it's the next way to get whales to fund game development, but non-invested players will be beholden to the choices and voting stock of those that are invested. There is no stopping this train. Look up Ryan Watt (Fwiz on Twitter) and listen to some of the interviews he's done. $6 subs will look like child's play soon.

Again, it wont happen because it would be outright illegal in most countries.

And I looked up this Ryan Watt guy. The whole thing seems like a pyramidscheme to me. Its gonna fail as soon as they try to implement it into regular games. Simply because people want to play videogames for fun not to invest into an artificial stockmarket thats being held together by cheap glue and tissuepaper.

[ilRae]

50 minutes ago, Black-Dragon96 said:

They litterally take just a few stickybombs to blow up lol.

Argueing that they are the same thing as godmode or that you can achieve the exact same thing as godmode legitimatly is beyond stupid.

 

Again, it wont happen because it would be outright illegal in most countries.

And I looked up this Ryan Watt guy. The whole thing seems like a pyramidscheme to me. Its gonna fail as soon as they try to implement it into regular games. Simply because people want to play videogames for fun not to invest into an artificial stockmarket thats being held together by cheap glue and tissuepaper.

Good luck landing a sticky on mine. You'll be run over before you hit the button. Telling ya, the RC triple can be worse than God mode since they are off radar the whole time. I know, I troll with it 24/7.

You keep thinking that about the blockchain in games, you can tell me how wrong you were a few years from now. ✌

[Black-Dragon96]

36 minutes ago, ilRae said:

Good luck landing a sticky on mine. You'll be run over before you hit the button. Telling ya, the RC triple can be worse than God mode since they are off radar the whole time. I know, I troll with it 24/7.

Well good luck driving up that wall then.

I should know, I have to deal with godmode jerks and worse on PC 24/7. RC vehicles are a piece of cake against that.

38 minutes ago, ilRae said:

You keep thinking that about the blockchain in games, you can tell me how wrong you were a few years from now. ✌

Gonna be a cold day in hell, lol.

[ChiroVette]

Ya know, @Black-Dragon96 and @ilRae, maybe you guys should settle this in a lobby, assuming you're playing on the same platform? Don't get me wrong, it's an interesting tangent. Since I generally don't play in public lobbies, I really need to learn all the nuances of dealing with griefers, since I am not one.

[SHOKKERZ91]

10 hours ago, ilRae said:

I guess you are up against new players with new toys if you are blowing up them quick. An experienced player wouldn't fall to a silly strike team, or get caught in the same spot for thermal. Trolls have options too. Again, not advocating God mode, but there are legit ways to do the exact thing glitchers do.

 

Nah, the type of players i go up against are the ones places like this one or reddit loves to bitch about. And i never died to any rc vehicle since they released, not even once. That crap needs to learn flying first to get me. And yes, i blow them up quick. cannons, barrage missiles or the good ol rocket reload spam get the job done.

 

Spoiler

Here, have a drowning oppressor for no reason. https://i.imgur.com/wCwTmuo.gifv

 

Edited April 8, 2022 by SHOKKERZ91

[GTAJJ]

In the future on GTA VI, this could effectively be classed as even more pay to win. Going on the basis you would have stuff locked behind ranks; with GTA+, you could rank up faster if those subscriber benefits give you more RP per mission, thus unlocking possible better stuff first.

 

This also means your efforts are worth less because you don't pay money to Rockstar on a monthly basis. Does this mean a GTA+ player can come like 3rd in a race and end up with more GTA$ and RP than a non-GTA+ player in 1st?

Edited April 10, 2022 by GTAJJ

[Commander S]

2 hours ago, GTAJJ said:

In the future on GTA VI, this could effectively be classed as even more pay to win. Going on the basis you would have stuff locked behind ranks; with GTA+, you could rank up faster if those subscriber benefits give you more RP per mission, thus unlocking possible better stuff first.

 

This also means your efforts are worth less because you don't pay money to Rockstar on a monthly basis. Does this mean a GTA+ player can come like 3rd in a race and end up with more GTA$ and RP than a non-GTA+ player in 1st?

 

 

This is what I mean when I describe GTA+ in GTA VI's Online being effectively 'premium event weeks' - if you pay money, you unlock stuff faster, get drip-feed stuff sooner, and get better payouts from jobs and activities than non-paying players get from the regular event weeks. Heck, I'm not even describing the future, there - that's literally how GTA+ works right now!

 

It reminds me of what happened with net neutrality getting dropped, and broadband companies being able to make things 'pay to play' - it meant they could create premium plans with better service, effectively serving as a 'fast lane', reserved for people who pay more. And while they were at it, maybe make the free service slower and worse, so that people would be frustrated into paying for the better premium service.

 

So, in the case of GTA+, watch as all the worthwhile discounts and bonus money modes get locked behind a paywall, and so non-paying players get crap like '10% off Sandking variants' while GTA+ gets you '30% off all open-wheel cars'. And since that's just discounts, it's all "oPtIoNaL!", because you can still buy the open-wheel cars (you just can't get the better-value discounts that GTA+ subscribers do).

 

It's a bit like what happened with Ubisoft putting premium "time-savers" into their games - so either you play something like Assassin's Creed and can technically play without paying an extra penny, but there's a lot of grinding to level up and unlock new stuff, or you buy a "time-saver" which gives you 20% more money and XP, and you have a much smoother, more enjoyable progression experience.

[RyuNova]

20 hours ago, Commander S said:

This is what I mean when I describe GTA+ in GTA VI's Online being effectively 'premium event weeks' - if you pay money, you unlock stuff faster, get drip-feed stuff sooner, and get better payouts from jobs and activities than non-paying players get from the regular event weeks. Heck, I'm not even describing the future, there - that's literally how GTA+ works right now!

 

Said this before, it's only going to get worse.

 

Let me reword what I said previously lest this post be sent to Room 101; certain users in the GTA community have been "talking down on" other users and their concerns about GTA+, concerns that have been and will continue to be proven correct.

Edited April 11, 2022 by RyuNova

[Spider-Vice]

Yeah, instigating when the topic has been civil thus far by calling out specific groups of people for no reason whatsoever, when people have been discussing things calmly and normally will send your post to your alleged "Room 101". It's completely unnecessary and non-contributory, no one else is having an issue but you out of the blue.

 

For transparency's sake:

 

Thanks, can continue now.

[RyuNova]

3 hours ago, Spider-Vice said:

Yeah, instigating when the topic has been civil thus far by calling out specific groups of people for no reason whatsoever, when people have been discussing things calmly and normally will send your post to your alleged "Room 101". It's completely unnecessary and non-contributory, no one else is having an issue but you out of the blue.

 

Ah yes, cant say I am surprised. Nothing I said was "instigating", the issue you have is that what I said annoys you because you know it's true. The only reason you posted a bullsh*t explanation and a screenshot of my post is because you knew you were in the wrong and are trying to get ahead of it. I was not talking to any Mod in particular, I was replying to a user. Mods should be above petty things like this, how can you be trusted to fairly manage the boards/site if what a random user says gets under your skin enough to silence them?

 

I called out Youtubers multiple times in this topic and others over GTA+ and nothing was said, the issue is not me vaguely talking about a group of people, the issue is that you don't like was I said.

 

Oh, and miss me with the "Why are you continuing this" crap you are thinking about, you decided to continue this when you back peddled and tried to justify your abuse of power, and yet I am the villain? You could have left it and no-one would have been the wiser, but you know you overstepped the mark and are trying to justify it.

Edited April 11, 2022 by RyuNova

[Kirsty]

35 minutes ago, RyuNova said:

 

Ah yes, cant say I am surprised. Nothing I said was "instigating", the issue you have is that what I said annoys you because you know it's true. The only reason you posted a bullsh*t explanation and a screenshot of my post is because you knew you were in the wrong and are trying to get ahead of it. I was not talking to any Mod in particular, I was replying to a user. Mods should be above petty things like this, how can you be trusted to fairly manage the boards/site if what a random user says gets under your skin enough to silence them?

 

I called out Youtubers multiple times in this topic and others over GTA+ and nothing was said, the issue is not me vaguely talking about a group of people, the issue is that you don't like was I said.

 

Oh, and miss me with the "Why are you continuing this" crap you are thinking about, you decided to continue this when you back peddled and tried to justify your abuse of power, and yet I am the villain? You could have left it and no-one would have been the wiser, but you know you overstepped the mark and are trying to justify it.

 

Lets drop this please. It's completely off-topic and not related whatsoever to GTA+. If you have an issue to raise about a staff member then you're welcome to make a topic in Forum Support.

 

Cheers.

[ChiroVette]

On this topic, to sort of reiterate some of the points I made, I am actually fine with the way they are monetizing the game. Clearly GTA+ Is going to funnel a lot more money into the coffers of Take2. While I don’t own stock in that company, so I have no dog in this race from a financial standpoint, the more windfall profits that they can make from all of this, the more resources and investment money they will allocate toward bigger and better updates. 
 

I also want to be clear, that I am no fanboy of either this or shark cards, and I’ve never made a single purchase from the “store“ nor do I have any intention of doing so. I think these packs are garbage, as are shark cards. They offer absurdly little value for the actual cash you’re paying; however, that is not the utility of a microtransactions-based ecosystem, at least not for players like me, and I suspect most people on this forum. 

 

Regardless of the fact that GTA online is not technically a freemium game, the in-game economy certainly is certainly administered like one. So, let the sheep keep lining up to willingly be sheared. Let the whales continue plunking God only knows how much money every month into this game for their little E widgets and GTA funny money. So long as this game does not devolve into a pay to play scenario, with ridiculously oppressive pay walls, then I’m fine if they keep doing stuff like that. Because it makes my game a lot better in the long run, with all of the content they keep coming out with.

[GTAJJ]

In ten months of paying GTA+, you could have bought GTA VI.

 

February 2023, Let's compare the total value of the items one receives through GTA+ and compare it to a GTA game as a whole.

 

What will be more worth it?

 

We already know the answer lol. This is the problem with player spending.

[GTA_fear]

10 hours ago, ChiroVette said:

On this topic, to sort of reiterate some of the points I made, I am actually fine with the way they are monetizing the game. Clearly GTA+ Is going to funnel a lot more money into the coffers of Take2. While I don’t own stock in that company, so I have no dog in this race from a financial standpoint, the more windfall profits that they can make from all of this, the more resources and investment money they will allocate toward bigger and better updates. 
 

I also want to be clear, that I am no fanboy of either this or shark cards, and I’ve never made a single purchase from the “store“ nor do I have any intention of doing so. I think these packs are garbage, as are shark cards. They offer absurdly little value for the actual cash you’re paying; however, that is not the utility of a microtransactions-based ecosystem, at least not for players like me, and I suspect most people on this forum. 

 

Regardless of the fact that GTA online is not technically a freemium game, the in-game economy certainly is certainly administered like one. So, let the sheep keep lining up to willingly be sheared. Let the whales continue plunking God only knows how much money every month into this game for their little E widgets and GTA funny money. So long as this game does not devolve into a pay to play scenario, with ridiculously oppressive pay walls, then I’m fine if they keep doing stuff like that. Because it makes my game a lot better in the long run, with all of the content they keep coming out with.

In one of your earlier posts you mentioned something similar to this and said that this whole situation does not affect you or the way you play the game. But the thing is that it does.

 

I'll refer you to this topic, although I assume that you have already seen it. If you have, then this post can at least serve as a reminder to you and everybody else reading.

 

 

[RyuNova]

15 hours ago, ChiroVette said:

So, let the sheep keep lining up to willingly be sheared. Let the whales continue plunking God only knows how much money every month into this game for their little E widgets and GTA funny money. So long as this game does not devolve into a pay to play scenario, with ridiculously oppressive pay walls, then I’m fine if they keep doing stuff like that. Because it makes my game a lot better in the long run, with all of the content they keep coming out with.

 

That's all fine and well but the "sheep being sheered" and the "whales plunking" never affected the plebs because everyone got the same content at the same time. GTA+ creates a class system in the game where no matter how hard you try you cannot break the ceiling until R* decides you can. In the past, hard work and dedication allowed you to rise to the same position as anyone else. No matter how hard you play you cannot unlock the stuff hidden behind GTA+ until R* decides you can.

[Jason]

46 minutes ago, RyuNova said:

 

That's all fine and well but the "sheep being sheered" and the "whales plunking" never affected the plebs because everyone got the same content at the same time. GTA+ creates a class system in the game where no matter how hard you try you cannot break the ceiling until R* decides you can. In the past, hard work and dedication allowed you to rise to the same position as anyone else. No matter how hard you play you cannot unlock the stuff hidden behind GTA+ until R* decides you can.

 

Genuine hypothetical question for GTAO2, would you rather GTAO2 had:

 

1) Shark cards.

Pros: everything in the game is earnable through playing.

Cons: They greatly impact the type of content R* develop due to being the core progression path as every update has to be built around cash. They make the game pay to win.

 

2) Premium cosmetic shop

Pros: They have zero impact on the content R* makes outside of a heavier emphasis on new cosmetics, allowing them to be more creative with their updates. Game is not pay to win.

Cons: Can't earn everything in-game. Long term risk of some very silly cosmetics coming out as tends to happen with cosmetic shop supported games.

 

Now I understand the anxiety around either one of those AND GTA+ on top, but for the sake of the discussion, unless R* decide to step up GTAO to the next and final level of pay to win (because lets be clear, GTAO is absolutely pay to win as it is now) and they start putting new vehicles and weapons behind GTA+ I personally don't have a problem with putting cosmetics being pay walls, if it allows them to be more creative with new content. This doesn't apply to GTAO and GTA+ today, because shark cards are poison, but in a hypothetical GTAO2 I'd be absolutely fine with them locking cosmetic stuff behind a paywall if it meant no shark cards.

 

Also, I know in the someone will be thinking "neither! cus back in my day..." and all that, but that's not how it works nowadays sadly. Online games will be monetised, even the ones that make a billion from box sales, but monetisation can be done well and fairly.

[Mexicola9302]

9 minutes ago, Jason said:

 

Genuine hypothetical question for GTAO2, would you rather GTAO2 had:

 

1) Shark cards.

Pros: everything in the game is earnable through playing.

Cons: They greatly impact the type of content R* develop due to being the core progression path as every update has to be built around cash. They make the game pay to win.

 

2) Premium cosmetic shop

Pros: They have zero impact on the content R* makes outside of a heavier emphasis on new cosmetics, allowing them to be more creative with their updates. Game is not pay to win.

Cons: Can't earn everything in-game. Long term risk of some very silly cosmetics coming out as tends to happen with cosmetic shop supported games.

 

Now I understand the anxiety around either one of those AND GTA+ on top, but for the sake of the discussion, unless R* decide to step up GTAO to the next and final level of pay to win (because lets be clear, GTAO is absolutely pay to win as it is now) and they start putting new vehicles and weapons behind GTA+ I personally don't have a problem with putting cosmetics being pay walls, if it allows them to be more creative with new content. This doesn't apply to GTAO and GTA+ today, because shark cards are poison, but in a hypothetical GTAO2 I'd be absolutely fine with them locking cosmetic stuff behind a paywall if it meant no shark cards.

 

Also, I know in the someone will be thinking "neither! cus back in my day..." and all that, but that's not how it works nowadays sadly. Online games will be monetised, even the ones that make a billion from box sales, but monetisation can be done well and fairly.

Number 2 sounds better than number 1.