I'd say it's what TotalBiscuit says (First topic he discusses) When will you call a game P2W? Discuss.
When the best gear is only available on the Marketplace. Or there is gear on the MP which will always scale to the highest gear possible. And there are no other options to get the best gear.
The game appeals to the players´ greed, anxiety and desire to be playing the greatest, biggest, top instances... to PROFIT There are a lot of levels, DCUO is not the worst one... but replays are the perfect example of P2W. Take PVP-ARENAS. If someone replays till get the best gear, you have 2 options: dont play it or be beaten to oblivion Take any last Episode. If you dont replay, probably you cant be near top CR... so you cant get invites from LFG. (your only hope is your league). There are paths in this game to avoid P2W in PVE. Not so much in PVP.
A Play-To-Win game is basically a game which... • ...is structured so that progression is more difficult unless you spend real world money. This causes some members/leaguess to apply pressure to other members if they don't keep up. •... drops items which are more favorable than ones normally achieved through in-game cash/marks. • ...has cosmetic items which are much harder to come by unless you spend money to increase your chances. • ...gives you the decision to spend a great deal of time to achieve a goal or spend a little real world money for the same result in a fraction of the time. That lamp is all she got on two raid runs using replay badges. DCUO P2W -You're Soaking In It.
The more you pay, the more you have an advantage over the player progress wise, it could include imbalanced powersets being brought to be abuse, action replays that betters your chance of getting better drops than someone who will run an instance once while being loot lock etc.
You guys all do realize you are just paying for pretty pixels? Not that there's anything wrong with that but you are all paying for pretty pixels
Wow, the definition of Pay 2 Win gets broader every year... It's basically the ability to purchase a competitive advantage or equal value with real money that would otherwise be only available through playing the game. Replay badges skirts P2W because the player(s) still have to play the game. They only get things sooner, but the same goals are still obtainable for players. A Paywall is when a crucial item is only available with a "real world" purchase.
"quality is remembered long after price is forgotten"~aldo gucci. with regards to our little corner of the gaming universe i don't mind throwing some money at the game but i do want to see something good as the result. now how much money is too much? all i need is one more phoenix mat and i'm good...
Technically, you're paying for a hobby and an experience. People often like to separate virtual hobbies like video games, and treat them like they're somehow a lower form of entertainment than "real life" activities, but in truth, they are not. Paying for "pixels", is just as valid of a hobby as paying for lift tickets and ski rentals at a ski resort, paying park fees to go camping or hiking, or paying a cover charge and buying drinks at a club.
As to the original topic question, there are those who believe that pay to win is purely buying something to gain an advantage when you can't earn that something within the game itself, and there are those who more broadly apply it to anything you can buy with real money that will help you compete, regardless of whether it can be attained within the game itself. Neither is right, and neither is wrong. "pay to win" is not an industry defined term, its a term fabricated by players themselves, and to think that one group of players is right, while another group of players is wrong, when neither group has a higher authoritative ground to speak from, is fallacious. Its an entirely subjective term.
Pay Wall. You need to pay to play this level. Pay to Win. You need to pay for upgrades to FINISH this level.
