Valve creates micro-transaction steam support

    It all starts with the polypack update: http://www.teamfortress.com/post.php?id=4410&p=1

    Details on the FAQ here: http://www.teamfortress.com/mannconomy/FAQ/

    Not only will players be able to purchase in-game items with real money, but modders will be able to profit from their items being sold in the game. I see great potential on this, and Valve never stops to amuse me.

    I can just see this expanded into other valve games soon, as well as being offered as part of the steamworksplatform.

    So what do you guys think?

    I think it's pretty awesome if they keep it as is promised (you can still get everything the old-fashioned way). I see this has the potential to become a tool for indie developers who use steamworks to have yet another option for funding their games – if and when it gets offered like that.

    I really appreciate the improvements Valve is putting on steam. Mac support, steamplay, the add-on feature on L4D2 and now this.

    Oh and before we get to that argument (that we will) I believe microtransactions are a valid way to fund a game if done well. What Turbine did with Dungeons and Dragon Online is a great example.

    As for Valve charging for the items? Again, you can still get the items via other means, it's just another option.

    They do alter the gameplay, but honestly the bonuses they give are not that great and you can still get them without paying via trading/crafting/random drops.

    Quote from Steppenwolf

    Do people who pay for that stuff get gameplay advantages? If so that would be a reason for me to stop playing a game. If its just cosmetical stuff then fine.

    No, they just get normally unlockable stuff without having to work for them. It shouldn't bother you any more than people who grinded out achievements on achievement maps/servers, or idled, instead of playing normally to unlock stuff.

    I had a negative bias to microtransactions after my first encounter with them playing Gunbound, where bought items were vastly more powerful than anything accessable normally, and didn't even last forever but had a time limit of one week, one month, or two, depending on how much you spent when you bought it. But just because that system was bullshit doesn't mean they all are. Valve's gives you the unlockable item, no strings attached, forever from a one time purchase. That's fine with me. Especially since I can't imagine these things are too expensive anyway, at most a couple bucks.

    Same with Dungeons and Dragon online. once you purchase something it's yours forever (aside from potions and magic wands) but everything was very cheap and it allowed for a lot of people to access the game before investing any money in it.

    As far as what Valve is doing, I see it as just another way to get your stuff. As far as they don't make pay-exclusive stuff it's ok by me.

    Love it or hate it F2P is coming to western markets in a big way. There are many kinks to work out but it's going to happen...and maybe be awesome or maybe suck for a while until people get it right. I'm glad Valve is getting into it because I'd like to see a 1000 modders come up with new ideas of how to implement F2P / microtransaction systems and then have the best ones get traction and the rest die off. We all talk about wanting innovation, creativity, originality...why not explore F2P business models with the same mindset. Maybe something really good will come out of a new model based on Steam. Or shit maybe nothing will come of it.

    I never thought I'd see the day when Blizzard might be falling behind. I was so sure that the new modding stuff for sc2 would kick ass when it became possible for modders to earn real money for their stuff.

    Now its just a matter of time before Steam gets a bigger piece of the indie pie

    Oh, I didn't realize it was out yet. Looking at the store myself, it seems the $5 to 50 cents thing applies to stuff that isn't a hat, and that effect listed is a set bonus, not from the hat itself.

    Still, jesus, $17.50 for a hat. And you know people would pay that much.

    For a hat.

    Also holy crap shame on Valve for having $ = € in their own goddamn store. After looking at it personally my opinion of this whole thing went way down.

    edit -- I wrote a big post due to misinterpreting the store UI. Deleted most of it, as it was misleading

    Also, to the people sneering at the prices: Only a fraction of people will pay those prices, but that's all Valve needs. In "freemium" games where micro-transactions are supported, it's usually the case that only a few percent of players will shell out for items -- but a few percent of hundreds of thousands of active players is a large number! There are some simple tricks you can employ to drive revenue, too. If an item costs 10p, it is perceived as cheap and not very valuable. If you charge £3 for it, then the item's perceived worth is increased. Furthermore, only a subset of customers will even get over the barrier to purchasing -- once they're past that barrier they're going to spend a bit. Personally, after wasting 15 minutes setting up an account, I'd be just as willing to pay £1 for an item as I would be to pay £0.10. Moreover, fewer people may pay the £3 price point, but you may well make a lot more money out of it (as you only need 1 purchase at £3 instead of 30 x £0.10). Throw in 'rare' items with high prices and they're going to make a killing. Valve will monitor and analyse all item prices and sales over time and tweak things to arrive at optimum prices for maximum revenue -- they're not stupid. Lots of companies do this.

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