Gran Turismo 7's Microtransaction Pricing Revealed

[R3V]

I wonder what the odds are of a youngster whose PS Plus is tied to a parent's CC, going ahead and confirming they want some credits to buy a car & the parents don't find out til' the end of the month.

Very high. Parents have no clue what "gaming" is. 90% they just want to shut their child up or relieve parent guilt.

 

[kjeldsen]

Even if people think that it's a good way to spend their money, it's an absolutely terrible deal to pay nearly 30 dollars Canadian, when that could buy a half decent dinner for two at a restaurant, and also find out that you need to spend more in order to get anywhere close to enough to buy the 20 million credit cars.


Uh huh. That's totally what it is. Us not understanding, and not you brazenly defending Polyphony for doing a very bad thing.


Fun fact, played Black Ops Cold War for most of the game's life, stopped after the Acti-Blizzard lawsuit. Even Cold War/Warzone's Battle Pass and COD points ultimately didn't matter in the grand scheme of things considering it was all cosmetic stuff that you were getting. New weapons were usually very early in the Battle Pass, which most people could knock out in a day of playing multiplayer (or even Zombies!) if they truly wanted it. Certainly not anywhere close to the level of Polyphony pretty clearly creating the in game economy system to revolve around artificial scarcity, and to always have the looming shadow of micro-transactions hanging over the game and the players as a way to 'skip the line' (but only just, you gotta spend the big bucks in order to get anywhere close to the credit cap!)

So yeah, I'm calling a spade a spade, and calling GT7's economy, and Polyphony's insistence on micro-transactions going back to GT6 as predatory. And I'm calling you a defender of Polyphony's actions since you don't seem to understand (or more then likely, don't want to) how bad of a precedent this sets.

Yeah, it's not like you got weapons with addons you didn't have to unlock /s, but hey, that wasn't a problem because you could just grind a game mode even if you didn't like it. So i am calling a spade a spade and you have no idea what you are talking about.

 

[mrPetros]

I had a feeling that they'd take this sort of route after they straight up lied and added in micro-transactions to GT Sport when they initially said that they wouldn't. Should have been other people's wake up call too.

What bothers me more then anything else is the relative editorial silence from this site here on this topic. The review doesn't mention micro-transactions at all, and Jordan himself says that the always online nature of the game (which to be frank, feels like an added layer around said MTX's) was ultimately immaterial to most player's enjoyment of the game even though it basically knocks out a game that ostensibly is based around single player if online connection is not available - such as downtime for updates. The only real chatter from the site itself on MTX's are the article for this thread, even though it's becoming ever clearer that the game's economy was designed around them.

At what point do we get some push back editorially? GTPlanet has at least a line to Kaz and Polyphony, and the longer the game is out and more of the roots on the game's economy is revealed, the more noticeable and disappointing that silence becomes. It'd certainly would be nice for the writing staff, or Jordan himself, to make it clear that the tactics that Polyphony are using are bad, and are an active detriment to the game as a whole.

Hey, I'm probably the last person to have a say on this, since I resurfaced here with the launch of the game, but I know this:
During review period, actually nobody knew, or at least visibly knew how the mtx and prices would play out.
They were announced on launch day afaik

If there is a direct line to kaz (and there should be, as this place has done wonders for polyphony over the years) I think its best to first thoroughly understand the situation with how the game is supposed to play out ($$$) , then make contact.
imo the guys who run gtplanet for all these years shouldn't go asking polyphony stuff, they should go telling them 8)

 

[Scaff]

I wonder what the odds are of a youngster whose PS Plus is tied to a parent's CC, going ahead and confirming they want some credits to buy a car & the parents don't find out til' the end of the month.

Oh, it's going to happen, I'm 100% sure of that.

 

[Silver Arrows]

but hey, that wasn't a problem because you could just grind a game mode even if you didn't like it.

In Cold War I could play both multiplayer and Zombies to grind out weapon camos, attachments, and Battle Pass progress, and generally have a fun time doing it because COD's 6v6 multiplayer is relatively rock solid and fun, and I'm not doing the same thing over and over again for little reward. Hell, even Zombies in Cold War was pretty fun, considering one could very easily just skip the map spanning Easter Egg and use it as a place to grind for the three things mentioned above.

You know what is a problem, and what isn't fun? Grinding for credits at Fisherman's Ranch, dealing with bad off-road physics and dumb AI who you hope don't ruin your Clean Race bonus. Eventually realizing you need to grind for hours and hours in order to get anything close to what you want car wise, and having micro-transactions shoved into your face because they are integrated into the game wholesale.

Do you think that is fun? Moreover, do you think that is a good thing for the series to go down? Yes or no. That's all I am asking you to answer.

During review period, actually nobody knew, or at least visibly knew how the mtx and prices would play out.
They were announced on launch day afaik

Look, that's fine, but it would certainly help if Jordan at least put a note in the site's review that the game is online only, and will be functionally useless if the server's go offline for any reason. And for a single player focused game, that's utterly blinkered.

What isn't fine for me is the relative silence editorially from the site on this topic, especially considering their standing both with Kaz/Polyphony, and with the general community, and the fact that we have had a moderator and staff writer more or less come out in opposition to this subject. We know that the game is seemingly designed around them, so why not call out Polyphony for it as a site, and as an editor?

If there is a direct line to kaz (and there should be, as this place has done wonders for polyphony over the years)

Evidently not enough to leave the site on read when given a wing of the forum to have the community ask questions for Kaz to answer.

 

[FPV MIC]

Look, that's fine, but it would certainly help if Jordan at least put a note in the site's review that the game is online only, and will be functionally useless if the server's go offline for any reason. And for a single player focused game, that's utterly blinkered.

Will it be functionally useless though? The Lobbies, Sport Mode, etc don't work but the single player part might if it works the same as GT Sport. With GT Sport you can continue to play while the servers are down and then once they come back online you get automatically reconnected and your save continues.

It's a bit of an inconvenience if they're down for an extended period but it just means not shutting your PlayStation and game down until that time. And there's always a slight chance it won't reconnect, but it only ever happened to me once out of the many server maintenances I played through with Sport.

 

[AutumnalGlow]

Will it be functionally useless though? The Lobbies, Sport Mode, etc don't work but the single player part might if it works the same as GT Sport. With GT Sport you can continue to play while the servers are down and then once they come back online you get automatically reconnected and your save continues.

It's a bit of an inconvenience if they're down for an extended period but it just means not shutting your PlayStation and game down until that time. And there's always a slight chance it won't reconnect, but it only ever happened to me once out of the many server maintenances I played through with Sport.

No, you cannot continue playing in GT7. If the servers or your internet goes down, that's it. You're done playing.

 

[NikNakTobasco]

Will it be functionally useless though? The Lobbies, Sport Mode, etc don't work but the single player part might if it works the same as GT Sport. With GT Sport you can continue to play while the servers are down and then once they come back online you get automatically reconnected and your save continues.

It's a bit of an inconvenience if they're down for an extended period but it just means not shutting your PlayStation and game down until that time. And there's always a slight chance it won't reconnect, but it only ever happened to me once out of the many server maintenances I played through with Sport.

The servers were down yesterday and the only thing you could do was music rally.

 

[FPV MIC]

No, you cannot continue playing in GT7. If the servers or your internet goes down, that's it. You're done playing.

Just tested it and World Circuits is the only bit still open and working with no internet connection. It's pretty slim pickings from there too. Only single races with very limited car options on circuits that have been previously unlocked. It's much worse than GT Sport was

The servers were down yesterday and the only thing you could do was music rally.

Not even World Circuits? They're open for me if I pull my connection

 

[AutumnalGlow]

Just tested it and World Circuits is the only bit still open and working with no internet connection. It's pretty slim pickings from there too. Only single races with very limited car options on circuits that have been previously unlocked. It's much worse than GT Sport was

Yes, there's some arcade races available. I haven't tested it but I'm fairly certain they do not affect your save or progress, same as music rally.

 

[FPV MIC]

Yes, there's some arcade races available. I haven't tested it but I'm fairly certain they do not affect your save or progress, same as music rally.

Yeah, that sounds right 👍

Sucks really

 

[mrPetros]

Will it be functionally useless though? The Lobbies, Sport Mode, etc don't work but the single player part might if it works the same as GT Sport. With GT Sport you can continue to play while the servers are down and then once they come back online you get automatically reconnected and your save continues.

It's a bit of an inconvenience if they're down for an extended period but it just means not shutting your PlayStation and game down until that time. And there's always a slight chance it won't reconnect, but it only ever happened to me once out of the many server maintenances I played through with Sport.

this is what happens:

 

[FPV MIC]

this is what happens:

You're late, we've just been through all that

 

[Pizzicato1985]

and will be functionally useless if the server's go offline for any reason. And for a single player focused game, that's utterly blinkered.

Not only functionally useless in times of internet outage or server outage, but the game has a shelf-life now. There will be no ability in 10/15/20 years to go back and replay the game. Don't know about others on here but I still have both a PS2 and a PS3 and I have them specifically for GT4/GT5/GT6 as pretty much every other game on those consoles that I might want to play has either been remastered or brought to a digital platform of some sort. There is some content on GT5/GT6 that can no longer be played, but I can still start a new career mode and buy all the cars originally included in the games, which is fantastic to go back to now and again. Glad I didn't buy a physical copy of this game as it's essentially just e-waste once the servers are shut down. These always online games are bs as you essentially never own the game, you're just renting time on the server until the dev/publisher decides your time is up.

 

[Dak0ta]

It's ok though, because you will never do a race that will pay 300k. 24 hour hour race on the Nordschleife and a few other high paying tracks with opponents set to Gr.1 and Professional is about the only way you'll get there. No pre-made races pay that much and custom races are abysmally low (for reference, you could simply do two 1 hour races on those same tracks to earn even more).

it was a random example

 

[AutumnalGlow]

it was a random example

I know, and I'm pointing out that while 300k shouldn't be unreasonable, this game is so stingy that you won't earn that much from a race

 

[Silver Arrows]

There will be no ability in 10/15/20 years to go back and replay the game.

There's a reason why people are saying (quite rightly) that what Polyphony does with regards to GT Sport and it hitting end of life support will probably give insight as to what they intend to do when GT7 hits the same point. And considering how much more is riding on GT7...

 

[Touring Mars]

I'm very much enjoying GT7 and I am also enjoying the pace of the game so far. I also don't think that I will need to make any purchases over and above what I've already paid for in order to continue enjoying the game.

However, the price and nature of some of the microtransaction elements in the game are bothering me.

Presently, the Cr. reward/driving time ratio in the game makes it a very challenging prospect to own more than a small selection of the top cars in the game for me. I looked at the gaming stats of several PSN friends and figured out their 'Prize Money/Time Spent Driving' ratios, and came up with a range from around 2500 Cr./minute to 7500 Cr./minute.

I'm at the lower end of this scale, not least because I prefer a challenge and don't always win races. I also like custom races, and taking part in other parts of the game where the prize money is especially poor. I'd like to think that it is against the ethos of what PD intended the game to be about that players must focus on certain events simply to maximise their earnings, but unfortunately the prize money and availability/cost of key cars is incompatible with this ethos.

At my current rate of earning, I'd need to play for 20 hours (that's likely to be around 1-2 weeks of playing) just to earn enough to buy a car at 3,000,000 Cr. At the same rate of earning, it would take longer for me to be able to buy the Jaguar XJ13 than I spent completing Final Fantasy VII...

... OK, so here's where "microtransactions' can help, right? Well, no. To purchase the credits required for a 3,000,000 Cr. car, the most cost effective way is to buy two 2,000,000 Cr. lots from PSN, at an eye-watering cost of £32. For the Jaguar XJ13, it would be a ridiculous £96. Those are more like transactions than microtransactions if you ask me. So, £96, 80 hours of regular game play, or grinding the same few events for 7-10 hours (or ca. 2-5 days' worth of playing for me) or no car... that's a tough choice indeed.

Does it make car acquisition/ownership/collection in the game more realistic? Undoubtedly. But, I do fear that this branch of 'realism' is one that the Gran Turismo series could do without. It is disappointing enough not being able to afford these cars in real life, but channelling that disappointment into the GT series is only likely to frustrate people over time.

 

[R3V]

So apparently the car invitations are random. I have to splurge 2 million credits for the Carrera GT today or I miss out on it forever? Or until RNGezus deems me worthy again? This is literally the worst practice I've seen in a game.

 

[Veinz]

As a parent, err what? Lol

Very high. Parents have no clue what "gaming" is. 90% they just want to shut their child up or relieve parent guilt.

 

[R3V]

As a parent, err what? Lol

I'm 31 with no kids. A lot of coworkers, family and friends who have kids tell me how annoyed they are by their kids frequently asking to use their cards for "gaming things". They don't know what the money is for. They just want to shut their kids up. When I look at what they pay for, it's all MT nonsense.

The others just let their kids use their cards for whatever because they'd otherwise feel guilty for saying no. "Parent guilt".

 

[o000o]

It's clear that every single thing economy-wise is detrimental to the non-MTX buying player. I never thought a Gran Turismo game would become this.

My honeymoon period has ended and reality kicked in.

Why you thought that it'd never become this? This is just the similar shilling of PD being the underdog developer back then to not have that thought. GT was not a failure (even the past GT was quite overrated) so they won't be the underdog developer for any longer smh. Everything is ****** in the world and it's just inherently like that the more power or influence you got, the blame only goes for them too no matter what.

I hope PD have something up their sleeve in regards to correcting the low race pay-outs, crazy grind, and the stupid locked behind a once per day daily workout ticket that then gives you a one in five chance of ''winning'' otherwise unobtainable parts to salvage what is otherwise a pretty decent game.

No it's not and can't be enough. Them correcting won't compensate for what they've done, not a bit. They've gained the profit (or the time spent from getting workout tickets) from the MTX so no correcting it won't have them be free from the deserved retribution from us. What happened had happened with people paying the MTX for them, so no correcting those can't have them be forgiven. It'd be actually impossible except when time machine is invented to go back in time to not implement any ****** shady methods in the game (impossible too).

 

[FPV MIC]

No it's not and can't be enough. Them correcting won't compensate for what they've done, not a bit. They've gained the profit (or the time spent from getting workout tickets) from the MTX so no correcting it won't have them be free from the deserved retribution from us. What happened had happened with people paying the MTX for them, so no correcting those can't have them be forgiven. It'd be actually impossible except when time machine is invented to go back in time to not implement any ****** shady methods in the game (impossible too).

What's this rant for? I stated what I would hope to have fixed, that's all!

What compensation should I be owed when I haven't and never will use micro-transactions?

And what's this ''deserved retribution from us'' business?

Please leave me out of whatever this ''us'' is as you have no right to include me or anyone else.

 

[Scaff]

Why you thought that it'd never become this? This is just the similar shilling of PD being the underdog developer back then to not have that thought. GT was not a failure (even the past GT was quite overrated) so they won't be the underdog developer for any longer smh. Everything is ****** in the world and it's just inherently like that the more power or influence you got, the blame only goes for them too no matter what.

No it's not and can't be enough. Them correcting won't compensate for what they've done, not a bit. They've gained the profit (or the time spent from getting workout tickets) from the MTX so no correcting it won't have them be free from the deserved retribution from us. What happened had happened with people paying the MTX for them, so no correcting those can't have them be forgiven. It'd be actually impossible except when time machine is invented to go back in time to not implement any ****** shady methods in the game (impossible too).

Can I suggest that you take a step back, as you now posting in an aggressive manner in response to people who actually agree with you!

I understand it's a passionate subject for you, but your current posting style is getting to a point that you are pushing far too close to what is unacceptable.

 

[RacingManiac]

I am curious outside of just trying to push mtx is there any actual gameplay mechanic justifiable reason to lower the payout of an event from before. Having event pay less out of the box, giving out crappy gacha tickets, high prices for desirable cars and limited time only "invitations" for cars are there since day one and already say, facilitate, the existence of mtx. Now they are nerfing the existing ways to make credit....

Seems pretty blatant more than all the other already mtx focused features...

 

[NJ72]

Just remember folks, you have the option to easily remove their presence from all the areas like Brand Central and GT Auto via the options menu like GT Sport so theres really no cause of concern for this

Opened this thread today for a laugh and this is the first comment. That has not aged well and it was only posted on the 3rd of March 😂😂

 

[HarVee]

One week in and they're already reducing race payouts. Not a good sign by any means.

 

[SlimCharles]

The servers were down yesterday and the only thing you could do was music rally.

Then why people are complaining?

 

[SPURS3420]

"The Real Money Spending Simulator"

 

[AutumnalGlow]

Then why people are complaining?