[Feature request] Don't make Ingress pay to win
4 years ago, I created the top post of all time in /r/IngressPrimeFeedback with this exact title: https://www.reddit.com/r/IngressPrimeFeedback/comments/9ugojr/feature_request_dont_make_ingress_paytowin/
There was a one-time purchase bundle for sale that included 50 R8, 100 X7, 5 Aegis shields, 5 Lawsons and some other stuff. Many people agreed that it was too much pay-to-win:
With the Vesak event, a bundle was added to the store, which can be purchased an unlimited amount of time for 3000 CMU, which includes 1 JARVIS and 1 ADA:
I was expecting this to be a one-time purchase bundle, which would have been fine in my opinion. I understand Niantic needs to make money. But by making this bundle purchasable an unlimited amount of times, I believe the line of pay-to-win has been crossed once again. I've seen screenshots of someone spending ~$50 just so they could buy this bundle 30 times. I would like to call on Niantic to make this bundle and similar future bundles a one-time purchase only. I don't mind Niantic making money, I'm a CORE subscriber since it launched, and I buy all 2500 CMU cosmetic badges, but this crosses the line for me.
Comments
Totally agree! VR gear bundles that are single-time purchases are a win-win. Agents have a chance to get some VR gear, even if they're casual or usually inactive AND Niantic gets some money. I see unlimited purchase bundles as a win-lose. Niantic can get some pretty decent money, but communities and regions can be thrown out of balance. I'm still not sure if I'm going to buy more than one of these bundles. I would love to buy 5 or 10 or 20 so I can stock up, but I don't want to send Niantic the message that I'm okay with this.
I really hope this is a bug where the bundles were never intended to be bought more than once, but #calvinball.
bundle of viruses for 3k is still expensive. I think it's okay. Not a huge gamechanger for most of active agents as we have multiple drops of them every week. I don't think it will be used a lot. Especially that we already have BB that can be used for multiple flips.
I don't see this as much different than the VRBB being available for unlimited purchases. It does the same job, costs one less inventory spot, and has the added convenience of not having to return to the portal after an hour to flip it back to your faction.
@NianticBrian Please tell us this is a mistake. This invalidates all the work we've done to force the opposition to run out of ADA to flip our anchors while they run up a gigantic carbon footprint trying to pay2win driving around for hours a day.
one time buy is ok but unlimited? 😳
A one time buy isn't functionally much different from pass codes, and only one of each is unlikely to give any real advantage to anyone. Unlimited buys absolutely crosses the line into just spend more money and you can do a tonne of damage no one on the other team can do anything about.
Not that some areas don't need to be nuked, but Letting it be through an option of just dump money into a cash shop is a bad choice and shows really bad decision making by Niantic.
Like, Ingress is already kind of pay to win just due to fuel and car costs in the first place, but it doesn't need to be more so.
3$ for 2 flips? Prefer do $5 for 4 flips and a bucketload of AP in return via a VRBB
Niantic you stated you would not do this.
Please single time purchase only.
Yeah.... $1/virus (or cheaper if you use higher tier CMU packs) unlimited purchase was really REALLY short sighted. Not a fan at all.
I think the last time around it was a one time purchase. My guess is this is an error, as the bundle was not available in the shop at the start of the event.
I was super surprised when this didn't have a limit. I have far too many of them, so I'm not buying any, but it's very much a "Pay for Power" example of what not to do.
seriously. an Anomaly coming up in a week, with virus being one the most crucial/powerful items for that type of gameplay and now anyone who has no issue with spending money can have as many as they want. awesome.
Where did you find pay to win? Ukraine, and Russia before the ban of the whole country. Anyone who wants can buy resonators and other things with delivery by helicopter to anywhere in the world. And this is not even hidden. Honest agents, including myself, tried to fight this. Another thing is that those who use it cannot be banned, I speak frankly, in no way at all. How many complaints did we have about such players? Dozens and the result is the same as, if we wrote letters to a biker club.
We go further. Why pay to win when someone can use modified clients that in some unknown way allow the cheater to protect the portal that the player attacks for 10 minutes? Yes, we have such super people whose scanner is always online and any portal is destroyed and then captured in 2 seconds.
We go even further. There are people who have 5 or more bags, and in each bag there are 9 quantum capsules filled with all sorts of weapons and other items. Why should they pay?
Agree with thoughts expressed above. Yet... *embarrassed* I am going to purchase a few packs. Haven't been able to catch up with teammates for gear - scheduling is an ongoing thing for me - going to treat myself to a few Jarvis as I am really short of those at the moment.
Maybe a limit of 10? then it could be an anticipated pack? for the events it's deem sensible for.
The weather here is right miserable and real life is also too busy .... Maybe later I can get out of the house for some ingress.
They should have a limit to buy, 5 or 10, but flipcards have always been limited in usability imo
At the best rate (200k CMU pack) agents are paying $1.20 per portal (assuming they convert the other one via K-cap) which is about on par with 100 L6 XMPS ($4.56), granted it does have the ability to take down heavily shielded portals.
You also miss out on destruction and build AP.
The point of flip is to get rid of annoying links AND if you like the mods your opponent put there. 0AP is an ok, they charged to keep it, I'm not interested in wasting any more material than absolutely necessary.
Well, I know of people who will create tons of virus of their choosing using drift and the kinetic capsules. It is what it is.
This is 100% pay2win and it's super disappointing that Niantic keeps doing it!
A local player here never learned how to attack portals and nothing but blow money on viruses and RBB to **** fields. That's so pathetic and Niantic is enabling it!
Lame!
Niantic's greed is getting ridiculous. CORE wasn't enough so now this?!