# A mysterious thought about microtransactions...



## Lanstar (Oct 25, 2017)

So, the Mobile game is here... And it has these so called "microtransactions." A loaded term, no?

Now, just imagine this: They could potentially just make an AC game that has all the pacing and features of City Folk, and with no restrictions whatsoever to its gameplay. Only that they could give it out for free, and then add a Microtransaction system to add even more content to the gameplay, and speed up to the process.

Now a theory about this: If they did so, it could gain an even greater monetary return from the mobile playerbase than the fixed 50 dollar game - despite that the game mechanics themselves are completely identical. But it would be scalded for having these annoying microtransactions added on.

Now, imagine if they only removed the microtransactions completely from pocket camp, and kept the pacing entirely the same, as if the leaf tickets were still around for everything and solely earned ingame. It could be a 10 dollar fixed download instead.

My theory is that people would judge the game in a very, very different light. They'd earn less money, but we'd applaud the fact that it wasn't a microtransaction game. Most people who know about the Animal Crossing way would take the grinding for granted as well, and wouldn't think about it as a weakness...

I found my ideas mind blowing! xD


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## QueenOpossum (Oct 25, 2017)

Super Mario run didn't do well and that was a fixed price download on a household name.

Fire emblem heroes did amazing despite micro transactions and being relatively unknown.

Fixed price mobile games just don't do that well. For some reason, when it's on a phone people don't want to pay upfront.


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## Lanstar (Oct 25, 2017)

enleft said:


> Super Mario run didn't do well and that was a fixed price download on a household name.
> 
> Fire emblem heroes did amazing despite micro transactions and being relatively unknown.
> 
> Fixed price mobile games just don't do that well. For some reason, when it's on a phone people don't want to pay upfront.



Well, that was one of my theories, right?


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## Trundle (Oct 25, 2017)

Think about how many people are going to buy a $10 game vs downloading a free game though. The purpose of free games is to give the consumer a mindset of "Well, I don't need to spend anything if I don't want to, so it's a win win for me." Once they enjoy the game enough or are sucked in, that's when they start spending money on MTX. It can be over a long period of time. I never spent that much money on League of Legends, but over 3-4 years of active playing and spending $25 here and there, I definitely spend well over $200 on that game.

Now consider a $10 game. There is a fixed price of $10, and only people who already know and enjoy Animal Crossing will purchase it, vs a huge growing fanbase for Nintendo with a free game. A free game is more beneficial for them in every sense.


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## Lanstar (Oct 25, 2017)

I feel like no one is reading my post in full.


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## QueenOpossum (Oct 25, 2017)

Lanstar said:


> I feel like no one is reading my post in full.



No, I just disagree with your post. Super Mario run was one time purchase, it didn't do well. Hardly anyone is talking about it, because no one playing because 10 is too much. Whereas fire emblem is popular because it's very generous with premium currency, even tho it has micro transactions. So they have goodwill from their generosity, popularity from how fun it is, and mad cash from the micro transactions.


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## Lanstar (Oct 26, 2017)

enleft said:


> No, I just disagree with your post. Super Mario run was one time purchase, it didn't do well. Hardly anyone is talking about it, because no one playing because 10 is too much. Whereas fire emblem is popular because it's very generous with premium currency, even tho it has micro transactions. So they have goodwill from their generosity, popularity from how fun it is, and mad cash from the micro transactions.



You're still completely missing my entire point, so I'll tell you what it is:

It's about Microtransactions in terms of Animal Crossing - *not other games*. The nature of Animal Crossing itself is that it is a game of waiting and patience day by day in the first place. Because of this, the Microtransactions placed upon it enact a psychological effect when added on, as well as when they are removed. 

As an example: AC City Folk. No microtransactions, and the progression is still slow and day by day anyways. But when Microtransactions are added as an option to speed it up - even without changing gameplay - the whole sense of gameplay to players changes quite a lot!

Then, as an example of Pocket Camp: Microtransactions, and the pace depends on how much you pay. But if microtransactions are removed - and all progression stays completely the same - players would instead view the slow-paced gameplay much like any older Animal Crossing game.

I.E. Just having Microtransactions alone completely alters our entire perception of Animal Crossing itself.


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## blue2kid3 (Oct 26, 2017)

Lanstar said:


> You're still completely missing my entire point, so I'll tell you what it is:
> 
> It's about Microtransactions in terms of Animal Crossing - *not other games*. The nature of Animal Crossing itself is that it is a game of waiting and patience day by day in the first place. Because of this, the Microtransactions placed upon it enact a psychological effect when added on, as well as when they are removed.
> 
> ...



I disagree think of other animal crossing games and how people would change global time to speed it up this works in short term but next thing you know 5 weeks go by and you have seen all holiday events now you *Probably* can't change the global clock so option pay money or grind for tickets the idea is the same just now you pay for being impatient but don't mess up aspects of your town.


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## Lanstar (Oct 26, 2017)

blue2kid3 said:


> I disagree think of other animal crossing games and how people would change global time to speed it up this works in short term but next thing you know 5 weeks go by and you have seen all holiday events now you *Probably* can't change the global clock so option pay money or grind for tickets the idea is the same just now you pay for being impatient but don't mess up aspects of your town.



Except not everyone who plays the games actually time travels - and even when you do, it does not exactly progress everything about how your town goes about.

Once Time travel and hacking is excluded in the game play, it probably is the same... Although hacking may come up in Pocket town, too, even if it is a forbidden thing to do.


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## UglyMonsterFace (Oct 26, 2017)

Yeah, the whole point of AC is taking it slow and having patience, so I get your point about microtransactions altering the way A.C. is played. But the people who are willing to pay to speed things up are probably also the people willing to hack in A.C. to speed things up. There has always been ways to speed progress up so I don't think it would change things too much. But I see what you mean


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## Bulbamander (Oct 26, 2017)

Crucially, Nintendo wanted to present Animal Crossing to an audience that would not play AC otherwise, the wider, non-gaming, non-console owning public. Mr. Average Joe would not pay real money for a game very similar to other free games already on the free app  market. Microtransactions work, it's where the real money is for phone game developers. Unlike a console game, a phone game with a steady regular revenue can develop more, update more, renovate more. Players get more for free in return for playing and paying for a game this way. For example, we get more updates, features, content than we ever would with a console hand-held game. 

Carrot and stick incentive - short term gratification and reward - Animal Crossing was made for microtransactions. 

What's great about the Leaf Tickets is they can be earned. This is an entirely free-to-play game. Microtransactions are optional. I know from my previous experience playing enjoyable games on my phone I do spend money on microtransactions. If a game is worth money, I spend it. But that's just me.


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