I've spent roughly $90 on this game since I started last July. Not bad considering I still play several times a day everyday. Whereas the ten or so ps3 games I bought in that time cost over $600 combined, and I will only play them once.
People who play this game seem to be na?ve as to how free to play games SHOULD work. Micro payments were popularised in China where MMORPG's are big. The Chinese people couldn't afford to pay an upfront cost for games so instead they were given the option to purchase in-game content. The idea is to offer the game for free but to charge only a small amount for extra content. By doing this you can recoup development costs by selling more units for less, instead of the traditional model: charging a one-off payment where you're likely to sell fewer units.
With 'The Simpson?s Tapped Out' EA seems to think it can have it's cake and eat it. Tapped out uses micro-payments to purchase content which do not not have a micro price tag. It's does this by asking users to purchase doughnuts instead of items/content directly. Would you really be willing to buy a building if you knew it was costing you 5 pound or 8 dollars of real world currency?
I've spent over 50 pounds on this game, for that price I could have bought a new PS3 or Xbox 360 game. Next-gen games are bound to have a higher production cost than this game, and yet the EA is charging more for what is essentially a mobile phone game.
Anyway you are willing to justify paying real world money for doughnut?s in the end EA is ripping it's players of by quite some margin. The game would prove to better value for money if EA charged a one-off fee to own the game and all future content.
If they sold this game in a shop with every thing 4 £/$50 I'd be like no. But iv spent 3 times that in little bits here and there lol and that's how they do it lol. To be fair I prolly only spent £/$20 the rest is from gift cards lol
No but if you did some kind of deal like playstation plus it would make them good money discounts on premium items and early access to some stuff or the extensions would be for those that get the service would prob work out pretty well
After all they run a business and need to generate profit, given the huge popularity and identical ion through the mass media of the Simpsons they know exactly to get a pretty decent customer base from pretty much all age groups. What we make out of it is all our choice and mainly depends on what we want or can afford to realize our expectations. Nobody is forcing us to spend a lot of money on it ... but ourselves. Think of it as the weekly run to the supermarket ...
I can easily afford the ~ $12-17.00 per month I have spent on this game.....much less than buying say one xbox game per month, or even one xbox game every other month......
Nah, I actually like playing the game for free and earning my premium items very slowly. Seems like more of a challenge to me. If it cost me $50 originally I wouldn't have bought the game. It's not really a matter of cost to me (I am lucky enough to have a nice paying job), more the enjoyment knowing that EA won't get a dime from me and I'll still have a great time using something they advertised as free.
The issue I have with micro payments, is that, once you stop playing (or even the servers are shut off) what happens to your items? GONE.
Id rather have a receipt showing I own a GAME rather than not having one, and "owning" items within a game.
What happens when the game crashes and you lose your items? It is a long and painful way to get your items within the game back.
I've spent over 50 pounds on this game, for that price I could have bought a new PS3 or Xbox 360 game. Next-gen games are bound to have a higher production cost than this game, and yet the EA is charging more for what is essentially a mobile phone game.
Anyway you are willing to justify paying real world money for doughnuts in the end EA is ripping it's players of by quite some margin. The game would prove to better value for money if EA charged a one-off fee to own the game and all future content.
This is why I don't necessarily agree with all the 'EA needs to make money too' responses to ridiculous prices. Think of how much money they are making for this game, which requires a fraction of the development of a single console game.
With the latter, you also get an actual disc. Years later, you can pick up that game and play it some more, while most of the content on this game will vanish. I still have an N64 that I play - certainly more value in something physical than anything digital, which is why I will never pay for a digital music file. At least, not one that doesn't come in a lossless file type, but really don't see myself even doing that.
I've spent roughly $90 on this game since I started last July. Not bad considering I still play several times a day everyday. Whereas the ten or so ps3 games I bought in that time cost over $600 combined, and I will only play them once.
You bring a valid point with this because it is a question of re-playability. I too have been playing this game from launch and have probably spent more hours playing the Simpsons than I have playing Final Fantasy.
Now as SuperMario said so well, I do get how a Freemium works as I do know how to spell it and I could afford it as well but that's not the point I'm trying to make here.
EA has made a clever, recognizable and fun for the whole family game to play and I'm fully aware that they are here to make money. But I also think they got pretty greedy with the actual bang you get for your buck. The day they decide to pull the plug without warning and call it quits on the Simpsons, the only thing we will be left with is a bad taste in our mouths and nothing in our hands. Final Fantasy will however still be in my closet.
I've been playing almost one month and within 2 weeks of starting I spent US$ 99 for a boat load. Down to 12 now.
I have read the above comments and have mixed feelings: on one hand I could've used that $$ for something else; but as far as sheer enjoyment, it's been a great investment!
Of course, any regrets on buying donuts are gone once the next release comes out!
Most of the games I play on my phone/tablet I would actually by $50 "complete" game. If this game was to come out as a console game after they stopped updating it I would buy it.
What I have always wondered about you guys who buy console games is why don't you buy games you'll like, put a bit of thought into it and buy games you will play more than once.
What I have always wondered about you guys who buy console games is why don't you buy games you'll like, put a bit of thought into it and buy games you will play more than once.
I play mine constantly for a week or too then rarely play them (except Mario and donkey kong games) unless the game is hard then I play it for like 15 minutes, sulk and stop playing it (I should really try playing the Simpsons PS 2 game again)
The price of everything may be more expensive than an Xbox game but show me the consel game you can play 80% of for free. The other thing to remember is many online games for consels require you to buy the game and pay a monthly subscription.
I do think that some of the items from previous events or older premium items should be available discounted. They are no longer flavour of the money some got them for no cash money and I would love that duff indy car.
Replies
Although I don't think the game would fully provide an enjoyable freemium experience if there was a 'buy everything deal', as good as it sounds.
With 'The Simpson?s Tapped Out' EA seems to think it can have it's cake and eat it. Tapped out uses micro-payments to purchase content which do not not have a micro price tag. It's does this by asking users to purchase doughnuts instead of items/content directly. Would you really be willing to buy a building if you knew it was costing you 5 pound or 8 dollars of real world currency?
I've spent over 50 pounds on this game, for that price I could have bought a new PS3 or Xbox 360 game. Next-gen games are bound to have a higher production cost than this game, and yet the EA is charging more for what is essentially a mobile phone game.
Anyway you are willing to justify paying real world money for doughnut?s in the end EA is ripping it's players of by quite some margin. The game would prove to better value for money if EA charged a one-off fee to own the game and all future content.
Id rather have a receipt showing I own a GAME rather than not having one, and "owning" items within a game.
What happens when the game crashes and you lose your items? It is a long and painful way to get your items within the game back.
I also hate pay to win type models
This is why I don't necessarily agree with all the 'EA needs to make money too' responses to ridiculous prices. Think of how much money they are making for this game, which requires a fraction of the development of a single console game.
With the latter, you also get an actual disc. Years later, you can pick up that game and play it some more, while most of the content on this game will vanish. I still have an N64 that I play - certainly more value in something physical than anything digital, which is why I will never pay for a digital music file. At least, not one that doesn't come in a lossless file type, but really don't see myself even doing that.
You bring a valid point with this because it is a question of re-playability. I too have been playing this game from launch and have probably spent more hours playing the Simpsons than I have playing Final Fantasy.
Now as SuperMario said so well, I do get how a Freemium works as I do know how to spell it and I could afford it as well but that's not the point I'm trying to make here.
EA has made a clever, recognizable and fun for the whole family game to play and I'm fully aware that they are here to make money. But I also think they got pretty greedy with the actual bang you get for your buck. The day they decide to pull the plug without warning and call it quits on the Simpsons, the only thing we will be left with is a bad taste in our mouths and nothing in our hands. Final Fantasy will however still be in my closet.
Every thread complaining about the price of donuts should have one reply (the above) and then be locked.
I have read the above comments and have mixed feelings: on one hand I could've used that $$ for something else; but as far as sheer enjoyment, it's been a great investment!
Of course, any regrets on buying donuts are gone once the next release comes out!
I play mine constantly for a week or too then rarely play them (except Mario and donkey kong games) unless the game is hard then I play it for like 15 minutes, sulk and stop playing it (I should really try playing the Simpsons PS 2 game again)
I do think that some of the items from previous events or older premium items should be available discounted. They are no longer flavour of the money some got them for no cash money and I would love that duff indy car.