Anthem (2019)

Gaming
, ,
#61

Watching the latest gameplay videos, the influences of Warframe and Destiny 2 on Anthem are clear, but it also looks as though Bioware has put its own spin on the sci-fi looter-shooter concept.

I’m excited for the game, but I’m cautious about buying it on launch day. Already I’m put off because of the different editions of the game — I have no idea what I’m really buying. Given recent history, it seems prudent to wait and see how EA is going to further monetise the game before putting up your ante.

3 Likes
#62

I’d suggest you try Origin Premier if you haven’t already. It’ll allow you to “rent” the highest tier of a game. So you can rent Anthem and test it our for 30 days?

I did this with BF5 and it worked pretty well

3 Likes
#63

How much is the origin premier?

#64

R200 a month. and 10 Days to test I think?

3 Likes
#65

That I might do

Because I wont buy it for the full price

1 Like
#66

Yeah I am also going the try route first. I am extremely excited about the game. But these days one never knows.

2 Likes
#67

Pretty detailed info in new IGN post from last night. Lots of info, lore, videos:

The bit on monetization, if you don’t have the time:

Getting back to Anthem’s monetization structure: Yes, there is a premium currency, called Shards, in addition to the free currency called Coin. But any premium currency you end up buying is only used on cosmetics like armor sets, emotes, decals, etc. And most of the cosmetics we saw were purchasable with Coin or Shards, though all of that was still being finalized when we saw it.

BioWare is really adamant that they don’t want to divide the player base by selling story content, so while there are huge post launch plans for Anthem, none of it will be tied behind a paywall. That means story and content expansions to the game, that means new missions and new strongholds, and that means the daily, weekly, or monthly content drops BioWare has planned: If you bought Anthem, you’ll get all that for free.

The one thing that isn’t strictly cosmetic BioWare mentioned might cost real money in the future are new Javelin suits. There weren’t any concrete plans in the works when we spoke with the developer, but in the future, if BioWare does decide to release more javelin suits you may have to buy premium currency to unlock them. But if you decide to buy a new javelin suit – if and when they’re available – they’ll just be another option of playstyle, not a requirement to experience the content.

3 Likes
#68

Agree 100% with @Cronus - Origin Access is a decidedly good way to go if you’re hesitant about buying this outright but don’t want to wait too long for a sale (and as @Sigstart noted, given EAs recent history, it’s probably wise to be prudent.)

For clarity though… there’s now 2 Access tiers: Access Basic and Access Premier.

image
image.png814×483 26.8 KB

For Anthem specifically, there’s also some similarity and one very important difference between the 2 tiers. Both tiers should get you into the VIP Demo on 1 February and both tiers should give you Play Early Access a week before release on 15 February (Basic for 10 hours playtime only, Premier for Full Access). The difference though is that Anthem will not be available in the Basic library at launch on the 22nd, only in Premier. I’d guess that it may well eventually land up in the Access Basic Vault after the hype has died down in a year or so. But if you’re on Access Basic, and have played your 10 hours you won’t be able to access the game anymore.

DnoxhaFU8AA7Uh8
DnoxhaFU8AA7Uh8.jpg1455×818 186 KB

At R950 for the Standard Edition and R1150 for the Legion of Dawn version, R200 for a month of Premier (or even the R1200 for a full years worth of access to Anthem and all the other games in the Vault) is a solid plan.

4 Likes
#69

Playing it for a month to see if it is worth buying sounds good. Should know in a month if it is worth shoveling out the cash.

Thanks for the info!

3 Likes
#70

+1 for Origin Access

1 Like
#71

Very useful breakdown, thanks @GregRedd.

It also beautifully illustrates my point about the confusing array of “editions” of the game.

These practices are designed to tempt people to spend significant chunks of cash on a product they know very little about.

Bioware have shown us the gameplay, and assured that there won’t be lootboxes or pay-to-win microtransactions, but new Javelins might only be available for purchase with Shards.

How much will Shards cost? Can players trade Shards between one another like in Warframe, or will it be more like Silver from Destiny 2? There’s some talk of Shards dropping as an in-game rewards… is that still on the cards?

Basically I’m torn between two questions when it comes to the pre-order: Do I still trust Bioware? (yes); Do I still trust EA? (no, not for a long time and less every year)

Not shown in their table is the VIP demo which launches this weekend (2019-01-25T17:00:00Z → 2019-01-28T02:00:00Z).

According to EA, there will be two pre-launch demos:

The first pre-launch demo runs from January 25 (at 17:00 UTC) through January 27, 2019. This is a VIP demo and is only open to players with Origin Access (Basic or Premier) or EA Access, and players who have pre-ordered Anthem.

The second pre-launch demo runs from February 1 (at 17:00 UTC) through February 3, 2019 and is open to everyone.

(I wonder if they introduced an earlier demo to try and get people to fork out for two months of Origin Access? This is what these publishers have done to me — I’ve turned into a grumpy old cynic. I wonder if I can sub to Origin Access Basic now and then upgrade to Premium before the “Play First Trial”?)

*UPDATE/EDIT: Fact-checked the info about the VIP demo. Seeing mixed reports. Why does EA always make those so IMPOSSIBLE?!

Yep so the articles I saw about the VIP demo were wrong. I’ve updated my post. If you’ve read this far there isn’t really anything more to see here. But since you’re here… From EA’s official Anthem website:

The VIP Demo takes place from January 25 - 27, a few weeks before Anthem launches on February 22, 2019. Pre-order, join Origin Access, or join EA Access to experience the VIP Demo. As part of the VIP Demo, you’ll also get an exclusive in-game item to show you were the first to play.*

4 Likes
#72

To answer my own question… EA is wise to my tactics, but their upgrade system is actually pretty sane. From their Help pages:

Once your payment goes through for the upgrade, we’ll refund you for the remaining time on your paid Basic membership. That refund will go back to your original payment method.

It also sounds like you’ll be able to put through your cancellation immediately, so you don’t accidentally forget and get billed again next month:

When you cancel, you will still have access to all membership features until the start of your Next Billing Date .

3 Likes
#73

See that is what I am considering, I will just sign up for the basic - I dont NEED to play it immediately.

Also it gives them a bit of time to sort out kak.

So I will most likely just do the once off R200 and then stop it

2 Likes
#74

@SIGSTART you ninja edited the bit about a Friends Invite. Do you still want one?

Agree that this whole system is damn confusing all round. Just checked Origin now and it seems as if they have released the Refer A Friend Invite link and hour or two ago. So I should have 3 Friend Pass Invites (2 if Jan still needs one) available for anyone else who would like a look at the Demo this coming weekend.

This is on PC specifically though (I doubt the Invite will work on other platforms?) Presumably we need to be Origin Friends first though, so I can refer you.

#75

Me please!

puppy dog eyes

1 Like
#76

Origin name? There’s 1000s of Wyverns on there!! :slight_smile:

1 Like
#77

I would like to try it out if theres extra invites to spare

1 Like
#78

I might be wrong but i think the Refer a Friend only works for friends who haven’t had Origin Access before

#79

It is you…?
image

#80

I hope so, cos its one thing I havent tried