[Dargone]

Longtime OOTP player here, since version 1, and I even remember the "old boards." Not around these boards too much anymore; however, if you check the most recent posts of mine, then you can see that I stop by every time a new version comes out to give mad kudos to Markus and Co.

Unfortunately, this mode scares and irritates me. EA makes a fortune off of their "card" modes and the greed this type of mode represents sickens me. The game industry has suffered from micro-trnsactions and cash-grab schemes for years now. One has to simply look at the state of Madden and Fifa to see the effect this mode has had on those franchises. As soon as I read about this mode I knew that points would be purchaseable with real money. The developers insist that the relegation/promotion setup will take care of creating a level playing field to prevent the whales from dominating. I sincerely hope that this is the case.

This mode, to me, represents everything that's wrong with modern gaming and I want nothing to do with it. I'm in the camp that thinks this type of mode, and loot boxes in general, is digital gambling and preys on people with addictive personality types. There is a reason when card packs are opened that you are treated to slot-machine type effects.There are others who feel this way as well and I believe Belgium has outlawed this type of mode in games classifying it as gambling? I believe EA is fighting this? (I remember watching some Youtube video about this; however, I could easily be mistaken).

Even more of a concern to me than the pay to win aspect is the future of the rest of the game. I am very concerned that much like Madden, Fifa, and MLB: The Show, the focus of this game will now be completely Perfect Team mode. This mode has the potential to generate a ton of revenue and become the primary focus of OOTP Developments, which is exactly what has occuredd with the aforementioned sports games. I sincerely hope this is not the case and that the rest of the game continues to receive the love and attention it has for nearly twenty years.

Having said that, I'll be pre-ordering OOTP 20 as soon as possible because Markus and Co. have earned my business by producing a fantastic game year after year. If this continues, then I'll buy the next twenty versions as well. Hopefully my fears will be proven wrong and the rest of the game will continue to evolve every year.

After a cursory look at the forums it definitely appears I'm in the minority and the mode has a lot of fans. That is obviously perfectly fine and if this mode is your thing, then I wish you many hours of happy gaming. I will never be convinced that the ability to purchase points/card packs is good for gaming. However, I do realize that there are many that have no problem with this and who am I to tell anyone how to spend their money. To be fair, I once plunked a lot (well over four figures) of money on Diamond Dynasty mode. This was years ago and I realized that it became very addictive and I have since come to abhor micro-transactions in gaming in general.

Finally, I almost didn't bother to post; however, hopefully my posting history proves that I'm not simply a troll trying to create a toxic thread. OOTP developments has always appreciated constructive criticism and respectful debate. I've tried to be both diplomatic and respectful here. I simply wanted to state an opinion that one longtime customer has concerns with this mode and in particular the future of this franchise. There may be others who feel this same way. It can be scary to post an unpopular opinion as we all know.

Thanks for reading and any constructive and respectful comments are much appreciated. For those enjoying this mode, I hope you keep having fun and this will tide you over until spring training. I'll see everyone when OOTP 20 launches.