Increased persistence. Ten new rewards, one new pin and ten new unlock items at the top of the unlocks trees, available also on core game maps, take persistence to new levels. Unlock credits earned in the booster pack can also be used in the core game.
Are you shitting me? Expansion unlocks can be carried back into the non-expansion game? O-RLY? Does this completely bone everyone who doesn’t buy the expansion?
How long has this game been out anyway? 4 months? My biggest beef with the expansion packs is that they’re only 3 maps and they don’t integrate into the map rotation with non-expansion maps - which means you’re playing on a 3-map server and have to change servers to see other content. I find that a crock and haven’t bought a one of them for that reason. Now, if what they’re really saying here with “also available in core game maps” means on a server running the expansion and not every single ranked server, expansion or not, then I can see it as a problem solved and not dicking over the people who choose to skip the expansion and just play the original release. As in, expansion maps are in rotation with core maps on this server, and your unlocks work on all of them - but not on servers not running the expansion. If that’s true I’m pleased. If not, I fling poo at you DICE and EA.
Anyway, regardless of that, I think the expansion is a bit soon. The BF community is already fragmented between BF2 and 2142. Now you’re going to split the 2142 population by half again?
Personally, I’m kind of happy to see this. It shows that the developer is actually putting time into making new content for the game, and not simply holding back content to later be released as microtransactions (like every other EA game).
I still haven’t purchased this because of the in-game ads though. So, the game is still dead to me.
Well, actually it is a microtransaction of sorts… $10 for 3 maps if they keep the pricing model of the BF2 expansions. Did you think this was free? I see making a $10 expansion mandatory to maintain even gameplay as a bit of a gouge, don’t you?
I mean, there was discussion about Chromehounds selling weapons and mech parts in microtransactions and it pretty much didn’t really unbalance the game because it was minor stuff. If they start handing out uber weapons but only if you pony up $10 then it’s what we feared all along come to fruit. In other words, classic EA bullshit.
It sounds like you’ve played BF2 late into the lifecycle, so you may be relieved to learn that this happened in BF2 as well (Special Forces giving everyone a third gun unlock in each class which carried over) and you maybe didn’t even notice it.
Also, this is just a booster pack, not an expansion, so it’ll be fully integrated into the game. You just won’t have those maps and won’t play on the servers that choose to put them into rotation. You should pick up every fallen kit you find, though, as it’ll have content you can’t spawn with.
Content is a euphamism for “a gun”! I’m trying to sound developery.
Have you considered using “No More Tears” shampoo from Johnson & Johnson? It’s in the baby aisle.
Frankly, there’s nothing wrong with taking a stand against ingame ads. Other than kvetching on a message board, the next best thing you can do is not buy the game. Since I know flyinj would totally dig BF2142, I have to hand it to him for being so principled.
Also, in a way, it doesn’t really matter if the ads aren’t appearing yet. EA is probably one of the most egregious publishers in terms of trying to make extra money by selling your eyeballs without necessarily passing any of the revenue down to you.
But is that really true, Uncle Larry? There haven’t been any realworld ads yet in BF2142?
If flyinj really wanted to make a stand, he would buy some advertising space in BF2142, complaining about the ads. That way he’d have access to my eyeballs both in the game and in every unrelated BF2142 thread.
It sounds like EA is having trouble selling ads. Does anyone know if they are making a concerted effort to sell them? If they’ve been trying I wonder why they’re not selling.
It’s a simple case of the “haves” and “have-nots.” More or less, a sales tactic; they want you to feel that if you can’t keep up with the people who have the expansion, well, just buy the expansion.
That’s good, because if you could wait, you would have been waiting a very long time. Nearly the same amount of time it took for Battlefield 1942, Vietnam, BF2, and BF2142 to be released, along with all expansions. Nearly the same, except plus a few years.
