Forza 5 - Less a Driving Game more an Economics Lesson
The fact that Forza 5 is more prone to micro-transactions than its forebears is raising hackles
"Good Will" from customer to provider is worth its weight in gold and that gold is hard to come by but very easy to lose. Turn 10, developer of Forza Motorsports for Microsoft is coming to realise this.
So, have the number "Free-to-Play" titles that are littering the Internet lead respectable game makers such as Turn 10 to lose the good will it's taken so long to build up in a fit of short-termism? Are the micro-transactions now being used in Forza there for good. Greenwalt responds and introduces the idea of an economy based not on the fact that everybody bought the same game but on the fact that the product they purchased as an entertainment while sitting on the couch will only enable them to enjoy that product if they are 'good enough'.
"Currently, we have some players earning lots of credits and some players earning not nearly as much. This is a skill- and strategy-based economy with rarity provided by in-game price, not locking mechanisms. Players can receive +65% payout for playing against the hardest skill level Drivatars, up to +50% bonus credit payouts for turning off the assists, and up to +35% payouts for sticking with a favorite manufacturer. That's +150% bonus based on skill and strategy," he told Shacknews.
He continued, "When you couple that with Drivatar rewards, [user-generated content] payouts, and Forza Rewards (our franchise-based loyalty rewards) there are plenty of ways to earn credits in Forza 5. However, the fact remains: racing, skill, and strategy are the engine of the economy.`"
So, yes, the game has stopped being a game that you buy to enjoy cars and driving, it is now a game that you buy in order better understand the workings of made-up economies.
As ever though, there is wiggle room in case the punters who aren't 'good enough' to earn credits and so have to pay more actual money rebel, "Of course, we continue to monitor the economy via customer feedback as well as in-game telemetry and we have the ability to make adjustments should it be warranted."
What do you reckon? Forza? A driving game? Tell us in the Comments or over on Facebook.
So, have the number "Free-to-Play" titles that are littering the Internet lead respectable game makers such as Turn 10 to lose the good will it's taken so long to build up in a fit of short-termism? Are the micro-transactions now being used in Forza there for good. Greenwalt responds and introduces the idea of an economy based not on the fact that everybody bought the same game but on the fact that the product they purchased as an entertainment while sitting on the couch will only enable them to enjoy that product if they are 'good enough'.
"Currently, we have some players earning lots of credits and some players earning not nearly as much. This is a skill- and strategy-based economy with rarity provided by in-game price, not locking mechanisms. Players can receive +65% payout for playing against the hardest skill level Drivatars, up to +50% bonus credit payouts for turning off the assists, and up to +35% payouts for sticking with a favorite manufacturer. That's +150% bonus based on skill and strategy," he told Shacknews.
He continued, "When you couple that with Drivatar rewards, [user-generated content] payouts, and Forza Rewards (our franchise-based loyalty rewards) there are plenty of ways to earn credits in Forza 5. However, the fact remains: racing, skill, and strategy are the engine of the economy.`"
So, yes, the game has stopped being a game that you buy to enjoy cars and driving, it is now a game that you buy in order better understand the workings of made-up economies.
As ever though, there is wiggle room in case the punters who aren't 'good enough' to earn credits and so have to pay more actual money rebel, "Of course, we continue to monitor the economy via customer feedback as well as in-game telemetry and we have the ability to make adjustments should it be warranted."
What do you reckon? Forza? A driving game? Tell us in the Comments or over on Facebook.
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