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Are In-App Purchases ruining the iOS experience?

S

Strange Famous

macrumors member
Original poster
Oct 30, 2014
49
0
I'll start out by saying that I am an iOS game developer, so I know full well that developers struggle to make money on the app store when everyone wants apps for free.

I liked the idea of releasing a "demo" version with IAP for unlocking the full game, I think that was fair for everyone.

However, the tides have turned and gone are the days of unlocking the full game for a modest fee. We are now in the days of the consumable IAP model, where so many greedy game developers have turned their games into never ending money sinks. They make their games extremely grindy and offer IAP to shorten the grind, and you can easily spend $100 on IAP in a game if you are dumb enough to let them nickel and dime you.

It really makes me sick to see that every game nowadays offers in app purchases, and the vast majority of these games sell "coins, etc." that are consumable. It's to the point where it's nearly impossible to find a good game in certain genres (fishing for example), that doesn't use this model.

I for one think that Apple needs to ban consumable in-app purchases... what do you guys think?
 
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Just a smiling tag; If you are a APP game developper, and you strongly think people are tired of IAP, you could develop you games in the better spirit.
 
My view is that an App is either compelling enough to make me want to pay for it up front, or it isn't. I will avoid in App purchases, and Apps that offer them discourage me from even looking at them.

But, that's just me.

I do appreciate the idea of being able to test out programs which may or may not provide the utility function I'm looking for. But, if it's in any way different from try it for X amount of time, and then pay for it if it works, I'm not interested.

I totally agree that nickel and diming is a terrible approach. I also have concerns about potential accidental charges. As in accidentally causing an App to charge fees to my account.
 
I believe that it's OK that there are IAP options, 'cause the developers should make a living. But, it should be fair and rational, the customer must get a real value for his money. I rarely pay for consumable options in games, 'cause there is no limit to the escalation of the payments needed to "upgrade the playing experience".
 
I agree 100%.
There is literally nothing worse than in app purchases like that. Games where the money spending never stops.
I loved the days when you were able to just spend some money on a certain game and enjoy it to its fullest.
Now, almost every Game will try to sell you stupid coins or crystals or **** like that which nobody wants. I find it extremely annoying and definitely very discouraging.
 
I don't play many games myself. But I am fed up with the process of the kids finding games, and viewing game after game in the app store to check for the typical bag-of-gems crap.
I'm happy to pay outright for a decent game, but finding games that can be bought outright isn't easy. There don't seem to be many of them, and there's no good way to search for them in the App Store.
It's a shame and a pain that the customer experience has come to this.
 
ohbrilliance said:
I don't play many games myself. But I am fed up with the process of the kids finding games, and viewing game after game in the app store to check for the typical bag-of-gems crap.
I'm happy to pay outright for a decent game, but finding games that can be bought outright isn't easy. There don't seem to be many of them, and there's no good way to search for them in the App Store.
It's a shame and a pain that the customer experience has come to this.
Click to expand...

Yes and no place in apple forum to complain!
Mac appstore have a forum but not ipad/iphone appstore app?
The apple ios app store must be the oldest app of all right? Then why no forum thread to talk about it on apple site? Or even in here?

Also been bitching here:
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1769201/
And here:
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1753353/
And many other places... Like no one cares about the quality of games for us and the kids?
I almost weekly email big techsites to do some serious articles about this but never get answer back... Like im crazy (maybe i am:-S) but happy to see its not just me feed up with this
 
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No,

There are some wonderful games for mobile that don't nickel and dime you. The problem is that the average consumer doesn't want to bother paying any money for them.

On the Windows Phone marketplace, Microsoft specifically lets developers put up downloadable trials of their games for people to test and see if they like it. The result is that most paid games end up being rated 1-star because people think that a $4.99 that has hours and hours of amusement should automatically be free because they don't want to cough up the money.

Amazon literally has to give people free money to buy stuff in their store. And sadly, it works. But they have a problem in that there is very little to buy there to begin with, so lots of people are holding onto $40 worth of credit.

People who use Android get the privilege of having Humble Bundles where they can pay less than $6 for lots of good stuff.

In general, companies are starting to fix the biggest issues with the IAP games. More are ditching the health system, and the currencies aren't so hard to obtain like they were a few years ago. Some of them aren't letting you buy more than $50 worth of currency anymore too. There are a few who are hiding the menus deep within the games too and I never come across them.
 
Jessica Lares said:
No,

There are some wonderful games for mobile that don't nickel and dime you. The problem is that the average consumer doesn't want to bother paying any money for them.

On the Windows Phone marketplace, Microsoft specifically lets developers put up downloadable trials of their games for people to test and see if they like it. The result is that most paid games end up being rated 1-star because people think that a $4.99 that has hours and hours of amusement should automatically be free because they don't want to cough up the money.

Amazon literally has to give people free money to buy stuff in their store. And sadly, it works. But they have a problem in that there is very little to buy there to begin with, so lots of people are holding onto $40 worth of credit.

People who use Android get the privilege of having Humble Bundles where they can pay less than $6 for lots of good stuff.

In general, companies are starting to fix the biggest issues with the IAP games. More are ditching the health system, and the currencies aren't so hard to obtain like they were a few years ago. Some of them aren't letting you buy more than $50 worth of currency anymore too. There are a few who are hiding the menus deep within the games too and I never come across them.
Click to expand...

As you said " some" but they are more an exeption than standard.
many many of the apps are still one armed slot maschines for kids.. And i will not support that.
When I install a game i would like to know what completing that game is going to cost me?... Like with any consolegame.
I would run out and buy controller for ipad and gladly spend 100$ on a decent game if they were there!
Xcom for ipad i think is worth more than the price it cost when it came out....I want more of these games.
The Ipad could have a "kids" mode...removing all fremium/"slotmaschines" from app store.
Again the new South Park episode says it so well:)
A decent civilization game i would also pay gladly for...not the fraud that is out now
Space wolf war hammer 40000 also...really want that game but will not install it because i dont know the real price of it... And dont want to waste time on a game to figure out later its going to rip me off.
Bioshock name on ipad is also ruined... Why not put some effort in to it? And make a "real" game.
 
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