#I really hope endfield is a self-contained premium game

[coldgoldlazarus]

I think I kinda alluded to this in a previous post, but I was thinking about it again in clearer terms. Even setting aside all the like, microtransactions and gacha and lootboxes and monetization of other game elements that previously would have been just, free, or restricted to in-game currency at worst, (and how that monetization changes the way those in-game-currencies are balanced, so you have to do insane, tedious amounts of grinding to avoid using real money) another problem I have with modern games is like, the burnout and bloat cycle created by the games-as-service model.

There are constant updates, bi-weekly or even weekly. The studio churns out new events, new content, and you've gotta keep up. Features get added on over time, usually improvements, but it builds up nonetheless, turning a once-simple UI into a cluttered and overwhelming mess of options and gamemodes and features and ways to upgrade. And those can have their own time limits, possibly two different types of events running at the same time, and you've got to choose what to prioritize or try to split your attention, after all, you've gotta keep up! Some games like Arknights are merciful, and add older event content back in on a more permanent basis, though usually still missing some elements from it's original run to keep that limited time special, and well, limited. The devs are still working on this, too, for years, not allowed to move on to a new creative endeavor, because the game is designed not to finish, just keep going until it stops making money and the servers are closed. And the players too, dedicate so much time. Gotta keep up!!!

And then.

And then, if you ever take a break? Ever fall off that wagon, by conscious choice to put yourself first, or by life getting in the way despite your wishes, or just by being too burnt out?

If you ever do have the chance and the willpower later to try to get back to it, catch up with that thing you loved, you find it didn't ever wait for you. The wagon's kept on rolling, piled higher and higher with stacks of new features and new content and may not even be recognizable depending on the gap. It could be a deeper experience now, but it could also just be overwhelming and unwelcoming. And there's so much you missed in the interim time, too. And now you're running after the wagon, playing catch-up, and unless you can somehow dedicate yourself to it twice as hard as you had before, (doubtful, given how much it had already demanded before, and how much more it does now) you're never ever really going to be able to properly climb back on that wagon, riding the crest like you had before, because you missed too much and are completely lost now. Always running after the wagon, grabbing in futility at the rope flapping in the breeze before your outstretched hands, not able to gain the same satisfaction.

Back when you were riding the wagon you still had to work to keep your place on it, but at least the work paid off meaningfully. Now, though? At some point, you have to recognize that you're just never going to be able to experience it the same way you had before, and stop running, just watch that overstuffed wagon roll away into the desert without you. Maybe see if a new wagon nearby is just taking off that you can hop aboard while the journey's still young, or just give up on the business entirely. Maybe check ahead and see if the original wagon's going to be hitting any particular landmarks you want to see, and arranging to briefly meet it there again, but otherwise just letting it go on without you.

This is why I've all but completely stopped playing Arknights.

This is why games-as-service needs to die.