Noticed a strong buzz all around promoting pay to win china servers

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DS_Deadman wrote:

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Imaginaerum wrote:

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DS_Deadman wrote:

If you are not "required" to pay and the game can still be won, it is not pay to win.

that's just wrong. if two players start at the same time, and in any way you can advance yourself ahead of the other player by paying real money, it's pay to win

Only if you are competing against another player. If not, then that does not matter. The problem is there is no true definition of "play to win". The way I look at it, if you can beat the game without purchasing anything then it is not pay to win.

You are never NOT competing against another player, even in a single-player old-school console (NES, etc.) game, in which your accomplishments will never see internet fame.

The primary objection to pay2win is a very, very simple one, and it has to do with balance: Are you (the game designer) balancing against a player who is throwing money at the problem, or are you balancing against a player who is throwing skill at the problem?

This has always (ALWAYS!) been the primary objection to pay2win.

As to your specific defense, I do challenge you to identify a game which is widely accepted as being a pay2win game in which you cannot beat the game without purchasing anything.

Because almost all of us can come up with plenty of examples of the opposite: Games where you can replace rewards (for in-game accomplishments) with outright cash purchases.

Basically i don't see how WE could get anything from chinese realms QOL/features for free.

Imagine the reaction if chinese realms players were aware that the same QOL/features were now available for free on West realms ?

Wow. Won't happen. Do not count on anything of this to be free.