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Is it unfair for Nintendo to change game mechanics with updates?
- Thread starter Underneath The Stars
- Start date
Being someone who played mmos for a big part of my life, I'm not only used to games being changed and updated, but I look forward to it. I see it as a way for companies to show they are still invested in and care about the game. There will always be some people who will be displeased with seeing changes made in game, and others like myself will welcome it as a way of keeping things fresh and giving us things to look forward to. If they choose to remove or change certain things, I'd like to imagine there's an actual reason for it, not just a random decision made on a whim. All in all, I see these as moving the game in a positive direction.
Dunquixote
I am Furrdinand von Aegir!
I’m okay with changes depending what kind of change we’re talking, but I think if they didn’t want people to be able to order posters that they personally didn’t scan, they should’ve fixed this ASAP. I am mad about the timing; this alone looks scummy to me and as much as I want to finish my collection, I really can’t support a company that not only isn’t shy about wanting to milk its players more but also one that doesn’t openly address and explain their changes (or one that just issues copy and paste apologies like Bandai). I am also sad that I never got to see those hybrid islands.
FireNinja1
inactive: please read "about" tab on profile
If they can do it for Smash, they can do it for Animal Crossing.
daringred_
✧ stupid lesbian ✧
if it was a core mechanic (or a mechanic at all, which none of the changes thus far have actually been), yes, i'd say it's unfair. otherwise, no, and i personally think people are blowing this poster thing vastly out of proportion. based on most of the comments i've seen, you'd think they removed bulk-buying or mats/fruit being stackable instead of what i understand is an old (but low priority, hence its late removal) bug.
mayortiffany
Senior Member
Last year, I took a class on Japanese popular culture. Our professor's field of study is actually in video games - specifically, SEGA. I think that having an understanding of how Nintendo, as a Japanese company, approaches its work could help to understand why it makes the decisions it does.
Our professor mentioned that the mindset of Japanese game developers is very different than what a western audience might expect. There is very much an idea amongst Japanese game developers that they should be able to dictate how the game works and guide players to play the game as they have designed it. From this perspective, they may not consider updates unfair because they are the creators and controllers of the game who are guiding players to act in a certain fashion. It is their game and the players are choosing to play it.
From the mindset of a western audience however, there may be more of an expectation that the developer creates a product that the player decides how to interact with. Players do not expect the game developer to dictate to them what kind of play styles are appropriate; the developers leave the play style of a player to the player themselves. From this perspective, updates could be considered unfair because the player's voice themselves is much more heavily considered. The developer should not be able to negatively affect gameplay, particularly if it goes against player interests - the player chooses to purchase the game and so they should be given more autonomy to play the game in the way that they wish. To an extent, the developer should not be able to interfere with that to try and get players to play in a 'preferred' fashion (though interference for things like hacks and cheating are much more justifiable).
Our professor mentioned that the mindset of Japanese game developers is very different than what a western audience might expect. There is very much an idea amongst Japanese game developers that they should be able to dictate how the game works and guide players to play the game as they have designed it. From this perspective, they may not consider updates unfair because they are the creators and controllers of the game who are guiding players to act in a certain fashion. It is their game and the players are choosing to play it.
From the mindset of a western audience however, there may be more of an expectation that the developer creates a product that the player decides how to interact with. Players do not expect the game developer to dictate to them what kind of play styles are appropriate; the developers leave the play style of a player to the player themselves. From this perspective, updates could be considered unfair because the player's voice themselves is much more heavily considered. The developer should not be able to negatively affect gameplay, particularly if it goes against player interests - the player chooses to purchase the game and so they should be given more autonomy to play the game in the way that they wish. To an extent, the developer should not be able to interfere with that to try and get players to play in a 'preferred' fashion (though interference for things like hacks and cheating are much more justifiable).
it's just kind of a price that comes with constant updates and changes. they have no reason to remove core mechanics, so i'm not worried about that at all. poster reordering seems like a very obvious missed spot from their side, if you couldn't get them from the poster section, so it makes sense to patch that out when theyre releasing more cards. maybe they'll even meet demand this time, lol.
as for bug spawn rates and hybrid islands, i'm not sure what to think, as it's the first time i hear from this... they're not exactly essential to the game, i guess, but still kind of a weird thing to take out. i could be misremembering, but weren't hybrid islands in official ads?
as nice as the updates are, in the end i would still prefer it highly if i could be sold exactly the game i'm buying, no more no less, and not one subject to change at the whims of devs. i know that's me being an old man who hates developing technology, but ugh. i do not like this sort of thing at all, and as much as ac in particular lends itself well to it, its also a game that could have been released and left well enough alone.
as for bug spawn rates and hybrid islands, i'm not sure what to think, as it's the first time i hear from this... they're not exactly essential to the game, i guess, but still kind of a weird thing to take out. i could be misremembering, but weren't hybrid islands in official ads?
as nice as the updates are, in the end i would still prefer it highly if i could be sold exactly the game i'm buying, no more no less, and not one subject to change at the whims of devs. i know that's me being an old man who hates developing technology, but ugh. i do not like this sort of thing at all, and as much as ac in particular lends itself well to it, its also a game that could have been released and left well enough alone.
I think it's unfair when the game starts to feel like a different game than it started as. We didn't buy a beta version of the game, or at least that's now how it was marketed to us. I'm never a huge fan of big changes to the game, especially if it's not impacting anyone negatively.I understand huge glitches like duping, because it gives users an unfair advantage.The posters seems silly to me. People had to actively trade most likely with Nintendo online so if they had them they in a sense earned them. I get that Nintendo is perfectly in their right to make changes as they see fit, but it leaves a bad taste in some consumers mouths.
mirukushake
Senior Member
Remember back in the 90s when you bought a game with huge glitches and weird gameplay imbalances and you just had to deal with it because there was no way to patch games? Pepperidge Farm remembers. Yes, there are some downsides to games as a service, but the ability to patch out porblems, balance and change gameplay for a better experience, and add new ones is great. I think Nintendo is perfectly within their rights to change (small) game mechanics, and I think it makes the game a better experience for them to do so. All I would like is a little more transparency.
@mayortiffany This is a great point, and this mindset also shows up in the way the western and Japanese fandom react to changes. The hacked star trees is a great example: a lot of English-speaking fans were pissed about them getting patched out, "if I wanna hack my game how does it hurt anybody!?", etc. However, the majority of Japanese comments I saw they were basically "well they weren't supposed to be in the game anyway so why are y'all so mad??" I think opinions about duping are also similar as well.
@mayortiffany This is a great point, and this mindset also shows up in the way the western and Japanese fandom react to changes. The hacked star trees is a great example: a lot of English-speaking fans were pissed about them getting patched out, "if I wanna hack my game how does it hurt anybody!?", etc. However, the majority of Japanese comments I saw they were basically "well they weren't supposed to be in the game anyway so why are y'all so mad??" I think opinions about duping are also similar as well.
The game I purchased shouldn't have the game mechanics changed, unless it's to improve gameplay, fix a glitch, or add content.
I've said this before but this isn't Pocket Camp, and Nintendo have no right to change the gameplay in an insideous way, or whenever they see fit.
It's a sneaky tactic and shouldn't be done in a paid for game!
And just add halloween and all the other so called updates into the game and release the FULL game so we can repurchase that.
Maybe in a few years, with this drip fed content, we might be almost on a par with NL!
Though a few plastic pumpkins are not enough to decorate an island, we need the NL items and furniture back!
I've said this before but this isn't Pocket Camp, and Nintendo have no right to change the gameplay in an insideous way, or whenever they see fit.
It's a sneaky tactic and shouldn't be done in a paid for game!
And just add halloween and all the other so called updates into the game and release the FULL game so we can repurchase that.
Maybe in a few years, with this drip fed content, we might be almost on a par with NL!
Though a few plastic pumpkins are not enough to decorate an island, we need the NL items and furniture back!
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I think that they can patch the game if it adds to the experience of the player. Obviously they have the right to literally do whatever they want to the game... but taking away fun aspects that aren't even glitches is just ridiculous. Removal of hybrid islands for no apparent reason, and removal of poster cataloging due to pure potential greed of amiibo re-releases are just absurd imo
So they took out the rare flower islands for good? i saw some people say they were meant to be seasonal or something so i had hope. I know this is their game and all but it is annoying when they change things like this with no word and i am glad i am not the only one who is seeing it this way. Some people kept looking for those islands not knowing they were gone.
Millysaurusrexjr
Got 2 Be Real
Well it's their game so I think they are within their right to change what they want. I don't like the decision, but oh well.
I feel pretty bad though for people who paid TBT/NMT/IGB/etc to catalogue ALL the posters.. Boy are they gonna be upset
I feel pretty bad though for people who paid TBT/NMT/IGB/etc to catalogue ALL the posters.. Boy are they gonna be upset
niko@kamogawa
I am hungry for storage space!
For me, it's fair. It's their game after all. They did fix some critical issues that would ruin someone's playing experience. One example is the inability to remove a gift wrapped item in your inventory.
The solution to this is very simple. Other gaming companies maintain constant "communication" with their players and fans. They can do it in a form of developer's note and open forum. In that way, players will understand why they needed to make the necessary changes. At the same time, players can voice out any feedback. (This includes their grievances.)
And also, this will give players an idea of which direction Nintendo is going. It can also add a bit of hype if they communicate their future plans for the game. It's definitely a win-win situation.
The solution to this is very simple. Other gaming companies maintain constant "communication" with their players and fans. They can do it in a form of developer's note and open forum. In that way, players will understand why they needed to make the necessary changes. At the same time, players can voice out any feedback. (This includes their grievances.)
And also, this will give players an idea of which direction Nintendo is going. It can also add a bit of hype if they communicate their future plans for the game. It's definitely a win-win situation.
peachycrossing9
Taking a break :3
I can understand why people are upset, but at the same time it is their game so they technically have full control over what they can do with it.
I just kinda wish they given us a little warning about what they were going to be removing beforehand so I had time to buy all the posters I had.
I just kinda wish they given us a little warning about what they were going to be removing beforehand so I had time to buy all the posters I had.
DJStarstryker
Senior Member
The only things that has been worse are the cataloged posters, taking away some of the good NMT islands, and changing some of the bug spawn rates (they may have for fish too, I'm only aware of bug changes). So at least it's not TERRIBLE. The cataloged posters are by far the worst offender though. I'm glad I hadn't gotten around to trying to collect them.
I don't know if it's unfair, per se, but I do think that it can be mean to the users. They expect one thing and then something changes. You expect changes for how things work in fighting games, shooters, and other online games. But most other video games don't get changes like this unless something was just broken and needed to be fixed.
I don't know if it's unfair, per se, but I do think that it can be mean to the users. They expect one thing and then something changes. You expect changes for how things work in fighting games, shooters, and other online games. But most other video games don't get changes like this unless something was just broken and needed to be fixed.
i think i’m more confused than i am upset; with stuff like hybrid island + being able to catalog posters, i genuinely don’t understand why these features were removed. with the posters, imo, it’s an obvious cash grab with the recent announcement of amiibo cards being put back on shelves (next month, i think) and so i guess they might be trying to encourage the purchase of those? which is,, a lil sleazy but it’s not the first time nintendo has done something like this (see: furniture variants being island-locked).
these changes are definitely silly, especially with the game being almost 7 months old but if nintendo insists on doing this, the least they could do is provide an explanation + give players a heads up before the update drops. it’s not very fair of them to just remove stuff without any notice, leaving players to have to find out on their own ;/
these changes are definitely silly, especially with the game being almost 7 months old but if nintendo insists on doing this, the least they could do is provide an explanation + give players a heads up before the update drops. it’s not very fair of them to just remove stuff without any notice, leaving players to have to find out on their own ;/
Maybe they should ask the customers first.
I didn't buy a game that says "subject to change on the whim of the developer".
Or they could make certain things optional, not force things that make you feel hobbled in a game you're playing to escape how hobbled you may already be, in real life.
I've played games where every few months the devs make big changes and majorly nerf the characters I have put hundreds of hours into leveling. The changes they are making in animal crossing are barely even noticeable to me in comparison 
I do believe the changes Nintendo makes are technically fair. It's their game, their vision. If they see it going a route they did not intend or dislike they should be allowed to make changes. Their communication on the changes could use improvement, I do agree with that!
I do believe the changes Nintendo makes are technically fair. It's their game, their vision. If they see it going a route they did not intend or dislike they should be allowed to make changes. Their communication on the changes could use improvement, I do agree with that!
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