Command & Conquer - Money Talks: With EA Tobster

[Sonic 297]

This is our first solid news on how the new Command & Conquer will be monetized, in other words what will you, the gamer, will actually pay for. On the Official Command & Conquer Site, EA Tobster, the monetization manager for Command & Conquer, has posted some information about how monetization works in new C&C. He has also mad it very clear that this game is NOT pay to win.

 

 

Money Talks: With EA Tobster

Hello Everyone,

Im EA Tobster, the monetization manager for Command & Conquer. Ive been a lifelong C&C fan, having played every single entry in the series. I started out working for a League of well-known Legends along with MsMoneypenny and now that both of us are here at EA, we hope to leverage our experiences to contribute to the success of Command & Conquer.

Today Id like to talk about how monetization works in Command & Conquer. Right off the bat I want to directly address one of your biggest concerns and say that this game is NOT pay to win. In practice, this means that every item that directly affects your ability to beat another player in a match will be accessible by simply playing the game.

SO HOW DO I MONETIZE?

This seems like a good opportunity to introduce the two types of currency in Command & Conquer:

• Victory Points, or VP, is purchased using real currency (Dollars, Eurosetc.).
• Command Points, or CP, is earned by playing and completing games.

Some items are only purchasable with one type of currency, while others can be bought using either. Items that are only purchasable with CP are the items that have a heavy effect on gameplay, such as Perks (more below). Items that are available for VP typically involve vanity, customization, or convenience.

With that being said, I want to reiterate that theres no requirement to pay for anything in Command & Conquer! Any investment you decide to make in C&C will go toward funding more and better content for the game.

WHAT TO EXPECT IN THE ALPHA

For us, the most exciting part is watching (metaphorically) all of you interact with this system. In the same way that we test gameplay, balance, server capacity, and other aspects of our live service, we will be collecting user data and fan feedback to adapt our store offerings in order to provide the greatest experience possible to you. MsMoneypenny and I will work hand-in-hand with our designers to translate your feedback into cool features that add fun to the game without unbalancing gameplay. Your feedback has never been more important. Now lets dive into what we are currently offering!

Generals

• Generals are obviously a key part of our game and will therefore be prevalent in every aspect of a players interaction. We are currently planning for Generals to be a highlighted portion of our store obtainable through both CP and VP. Instead of providing direct gameplay advantages, Generals offer different/unique ways to play the game based on their personality and faction.

Perks

• Perks are our gameplay affecting items. These are obtainable with Command Points which requires players to actually play the game to earn (who knew)! Since these items affect strength, health, and other attributes, they will be a major area of testing for us to ensure we dont break our own game.

Premium

• This is a timed service we provide for players that want to decrease the time it takes to get to the competitive stages of Command & Conquer and/or want a deeper more customized play experience. Some of the features that you will have access to with Premium Membership include an increase to CP and XP gain, advanced game modes filtering, and additional custom game options. You will be able to purchase Premium in a wide variety of packages, from 1-3 days for an intense weekend of gaming to several months for players that want to play every day.

During our testing period, you can expect pricing to fluctuate and/or for accounts to periodically reset while we try to optimize the final experience. Rest assured that once we go into open beta, we will be diligent in our efforts to track and compensate our players so they are not unfairly cheated by these changes.

Whew, Im running out of gas so that about does it. Today is a very thrilling day for me as we are finally getting to the point where we can share our work with you. Its exciting, frightening, and everything in between.

See you in game!

EA Tobster

This article was originally posted here.

[AZ-Stalker 88]

Nothing I didn't see coming or already "kind of knew". There is no information here that surprises me or anything that I haven't seen implemented before in some other game.

 

Your feedback has never been more important.

[mohilaka 0]

I think Perks could destroy this game balance

[Banshee 28]

I have this same feeling, mohilaka.

Edited August 31, 2013 by Banshee

[Johnnyxp64 20]

been able to select a map and color only by ordering "premium" is at least unacceptable! (at least thats how its now in latest Alpha)

 

maybe they should consider allowing us pressing 5 keys per minute and for more charge us with VP or CP points. same goes for mouse clicks!

 

oh boy.......

 

as about perks and balance, if their match making system algorithm is good, we will not have to worry about it so much!

but if a newbie is matched against a pro with 5000cp point and a lot of perks, well he will loose obviously.

 

games against A.I should provide a good amount of CP points in order for noobs to be able to train and collect a lot of CP before going into battle with other humans that are online. also a max of CP received from games vs A.I should be placed, so that users do not play only vs AI! or at least their CP points ratio should become less after x amound of games vs Ai, to promote PvP matches more and more for gathering extra CP points!

Edited September 1, 2013 by Johnnyxp64