Free games (with micropayments) have had a love-affair with gamers, comparable to an open relationship. Both parties attempt romance with the expectation that there will be no commitment. Inevitably, in any open relationship, things get complicated. The developer arranges for “micropayments” tiny transactions which can be made to augment their game, or strengthen players’ relationship by accumulating new features. Invariably, this approach spoils the lack of commitment, because players usually solidify their loyalty with their money. Many players are averse to this approach, because it ruins the nature of a free game.
Battlefield Heroes then, is the evolution of modern game design sensibilities. It strips out a lengthy single-player segment of the game. This is crucial, considering the single player portion of any linear game is probably the least cost effective. The linear portions of many games often prevent players from enjoying the content created by developers which intended there to be a compelling middle and end to a single player experience. By comparison, a multiplayer game focuses on reusable assets, a finite number of resources which are replayed infinitely. The recyclable nature of multiplayer gaming is the reason why some of the most popular online game have such a long shelf-life. Battlefield Heroes is a solid example of this genre, encapsulating balanced combat and satisfies the idiom: easy to learn, difficult to master.
Ultimately, the crux of any free game (with micropayments) are the transactions (or lack of them). In Battlefield Heroes, the transactions provide cosmetic changes and improvements to back-end game mechanics. Battlefunds, the currency of BF:H allow players to level and gather bonuses faster, rather than earn more powerful weapons or armor. The philosophy, at least in the early stages of the game’s release (seems) to focus on benefits which provide no direct bonus to player versus player combat. This approach provides some satisfaction to objective driven players, who want to power-level their avatar. On the upside this system does not penalize players for refusing to hand over their wallets.
However: do these bonuses provide a meaningful reason for players to spend money? Obviously in any competitive sense, it would be a terrible decision to give players tremendous combat bonuses. But how does buying into the system improve your relationship with the game?
On the one hand, paying for upgrades spoils the value of a free game. On the other, if you love the game, why not pay for more? Many players already shell out monthly for the same game, ad-infinitum in MMO’s. Given that the core mechanics of a solid shooter are already present, Battlefield Heroes is the gaming equivalent of the pay-what-you-like scheme for music.
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One burning question remains: If Battlefield Heroes constitutes a free game, what does that say about EA’s other games? Battlefield Heroes will eventually include advertisements, something which has been present among many of EA’s titles. Amongst other things, players already pay for cosmetic changes, expansions and game play modifications for their favorite titles. EA may have let the genie out of the bottle, if this is what passes for free these days.