Should Nintendo Be Allowed to Revoke Features? (Poll)

[Selky]

I was kind of thinking this too. I've spent the last 5 years absolutely addicted to an mmo so having monthly patches or so was normal and something we generally looked forward to. You have to trust that the developers are making these changes in order to help improve the game. They typically aren't going to try to change the game in a negative manner.

I think also what people need to realize is the amount of involvement they have for a game you essentially are paying a one time fee for.
The base game of a mmo on top of expansions every few years on top of monthly fees to play...and you're paying those fees for the amount of work and upkeep they put into the game.

Even with NL there was content added later and DLC content released. So you got much more than your one time fee and the same really is for NH. Online is optional but even with the membership it's miles cheaper than any others. They've already shown to be releasing regular updates, have shown to put out fixes for bugs, and etc...clearly this game is going to have support by nintendo for a long while to come for the one time fee you paid for 60 (online optional but still 20 annual is nothing and goes to more than just this game).
Rare drops/spawns are supposed to be rare. There's many methods you can use in this game to make money, if you banked on that one method then that's your choice but it's also understandable why they would patch it.

So the tl:dr from all that is...if they wanna patch a spawn rate of rare bugs/fish then sure have at it.

 

[JKDOS]

It's their game, so they are allowed to update it as they see fit.

 

[artisansystem]

I'm not totally on board with the lower spawn rate-- I think that the rebalance was a little too harsh, in my opinion-- but I think claiming that they're taking away a feature is slightly misrepresenting the situation, as others have said. The spawn rates for bugs were heavily skewed, and that's putting it lightly.

I definitely think that Nintendo sometimes has a control problem-- a 'we made this game, so you have to play it the way we want you to' mentality -- that causes them to intervene even when it's not really necessary, but developers do have the right to rebalance a game, especially one so skewed towards multiplayer as Animal Crossing. It's not really them taking away a feature so much as it is them realizing that something was not working as they meant it to and stepping in to fix it. Implying that developers shouldn't have the right to touch a game once people have begun to play it is a slippery slope in and of itself-- what about patches and bug fixes? Should they have left the dupe glitch in because people were profiting off of it? I'm not saying this is what you're arguing, but there's definitely another side to this issue.

 

[Red Cat]

I don't know if Nintendo legal "owns" the game after you buy it, and it may vary by country, but I'd argue they shouldn't be allowed to tamper with a product you've already bought without your consent. After all, Nintendo can't come to my house and physically modify my game, so why should they be allowed to digitally modify it without consent? If Nintendo had asked for my consent to agree to reduced bug spawns in exchange for adding Leif, Redd, and other content to my game, I would have grudgingly approved, but Nintendo shouldn't have any right to forcibly modify my game without consent. Online games are different in that updating is a requirement for participating in online play using a service, but you should never be forced to update a solo game unless you agree to it.

 

[SheepMareep]

I think also what people need to realize is the amount of involvement they have for a game you essentially are paying a one time fee for.
The base game of a mmo on top of expansions every few years on top of monthly fees to play...and you're paying those fees for the amount of work and upkeep they put into the game.

Even with NL there was content added later and DLC content released. So you got much more than your one time fee and the same really is for NH. Online is optional but even with the membership it's miles cheaper than any others. They've already shown to be releasing regular updates, have shown to put out fixes for bugs, and etc...clearly this game is going to have support by nintendo for a long while to come for the one time fee you paid for 60 (online optional but still 20 annual is nothing and goes to more than just this game).
Rare drops/spawns are supposed to be rare. There's many methods you can use in this game to make money, if you banked on that one method then that's your choice but it's also understandable why they would patch it.

So the tl:dr from all that is...if they wanna patch a spawn rate of rare bugs/fish then sure have at it.

I was thinking about this too!
I truly hope the devs are getting proper compensation for this all. Nintendo is a big company but they also need to fund their many large projects and deal with the current switch shortage losing them income.
For the devs to be so highly dedicated to fixing these bugs/glitches and re balancing the game by paying attention to the content people put online for a game that's only $60??? It's amazing.
I know people who spend THOUSANDS on f2p mmos. The acnh devs are dedicated and really want to give us a proper and FULL experience with acnh. They could of pre made the patches and ignored all the bugs/balancing issues if they wanted.

I remember waiting months to get a coelacanth in NL. It took me a week in NH. Yeah it might suck for people who dont have these rare bugs/fish yet but..... at the end of the day it increases play time and dedication to continuing these daily tasks.
To have all of the months bugs/fish in 2 days throws me off every time I see someone mention it. Like.. I miss struggling to get certain bugs and fish. Having them fall into my hand isnt as rewarding. I'm thankful they got nerfed so early on and that the devs really want to make sure we can play acnh for years to come.

 

[Foxxie]

The fact remains that the bug spawn rates were erroneous at launch. It was essentially a glitch, or a bug (no pun intended). If you don't want Nintendo to update your games and patch errors in the game coding, then they wouldn't be fixing the other bugs that you don't like.

You cannot pick and choose which bugs Nintendo fix and which they don't, based on which ones are beneficial to you.

 

[Fridaynightcatlady]

feel like this is a bit of a misleading title, i don't think they revoked features - they fixed spawn rates. revoking features would be like taking away redd's or leif...

I feel the same way. I do agree that lowering interest was uncalled for, but I wouldn't say they removed features out of the game.

 

[Hirisa]

1) Game rebalancing is not the same thing as removing a feature.

2) Like it or not, adhere to it or not, "slow living"/ long-term gameplay is an aim of the series. If most players, even lazy ones like me, can accrue absurd amounts of wealth and completely pay off their homes in less than a month, that's an imbalance, and one that contradicts a tenet of the game's design. That doesn't mean players who really hustle shouldn't be able to achieve that, but that average and very casual players should not be able to achieve those milestones so quickly. Like, when something is too good NOT to do, that's poor game balance.

3) I actually kinda hate Nintendo for the most part, but I see the wisdom of their choice in this case. They need to priortize the long-term health of the game. Again, this is not about power players, but the average and very casual players who comprise the majority.

4) "I bought it therefore I can do whatever I want with it" is simplistic reasoning that has not been operative in game production in a looooong time, if it ever was. Even a grandaddy sandbox series like the Elder Scrolls, whose entire premise is "Live another life in another world," has limitations in place to ensure folks can 1) experience some level of challenge, 2) experiment with multiple play styles to overcome those challenges/experience the game differently, and 3) will play the game for a long time.

 

[Cheallaigh]

Yes. You're paying to play the game, you don't get ownership of it. But I'm also used to playing sub based mmos where the games are constantly altered every expansion and patch.

I was kind of thinking this too. I've spent the last 5 years absolutely addicted to an mmo so having monthly patches or so was normal and something we generally looked forward to. You have to trust that the developers are making these changes in order to help improve the game. They typically aren't going to try to change the game in a negative manner.

Is it FFXIV? I feel like we need some FFXIV threads on this forum...

...and not even just MMO's - games have been patching and adding and tweaking content even in other mainline games - consoles get patches, many modern Steam games are updated all the time. It's just another part of modern gaming, to be honest.

both versions of evercrack... it's a constant nerf/stealth-nerf/oops we broke something...

 

[meggiewes]

If lowering the spawn rate is revoking features, then does that mean that changing villager dialogue during Bunny Day week to lower the chances of them talking about Bunny Day revoking villager dialog options? Both examples are balancing changes that Nintendo must have done during the patch and are both things that I have encountered.

 

[Selky]

I was thinking about this too!
I truly hope the devs are getting proper compensation for this all. Nintendo is a big company but they also need to fund their many large projects and deal with the current switch shortage losing them income.
For the devs to be so highly dedicated to fixing these bugs/glitches and re balancing the game by paying attention to the content people put online for a game that's only $60??? It's amazing.
I know people who spend THOUSANDS on f2p mmos. The acnh devs are dedicated and really want to give us a proper and FULL experience with acnh. They could of pre made the patches and ignored all the bugs/balancing issues if they wanted.

I remember waiting months to get a coelacanth in NL. It took me a week in NH. Yeah it might suck for people who dont have these rare bugs/fish yet but..... at the end of the day it increases play time and dedication to continuing these daily tasks.
To have all of the months bugs/fish in 2 days throws me off every time I see someone mention it. Like.. I miss struggling to get certain bugs and fish. Having them fall into my hand isnt as rewarding. I'm thankful they got nerfed so early on and that the devs really want to make sure we can play acnh for years to come.

Definitely agree. Getting the rare fish felt way too easy. Especially when they've already introduced bait which already gives you an added boost to farm with.
I think people also need to separate Nintendo's intention from the game from the online community. Nintendo isn't keeping tabs on trading communities with prices that have been extremely inflated. It's unfortunate but it's out of their hands.
Animal crossing has always been a game of leisure with progression being gradual. Nintendo has clearly made it a stance to not mind timetraveling to progress faster but using in game functions to make large quantities of bells easily has always been attempted to be fixed over time. Your only feats of strength (accomplishments) in this game are honestly you museum/encyclopedia/gold tools. It's not a feat if you caught every rare for the season in a few days.

 

[Mephala]

Personally the interest rate thing doesn't bother me, I rarely have enough in my bank anyway to build much noticeable interest, lol. I spend too much on bridges and inclines.

As for changing spawn rates, that was a needed fix imo. Being able to catch tarantulas so easily, peacock butterflies everywhere, etc. just ruined the fun. I WANT rare bugs and fish to be rare so I actually feel excited to find one. And I want money-making to be slow so the game is playable for longer. Being rich super quick and immediately paying off all mortgages is so boring.

Turnips aren't the only viable way to make money. You can still grind red snappers, beetles in the summer, and all the other old tricks that were commonly used in past titles. Heck, the fact that C.J and Flick come along makes it even easier to make money in NH using fishing and bug catching compared to past games!

So yeah, basically I don't mind the changes they've made.

 

[JKDOS]

I don't know if Nintendo legal "owns" the game after you buy it, and it may vary by country, but I'd argue they shouldn't be allowed to tamper with a product you've already bought without your consent.

TBF, you were not obligated to update the game. You could have kept the game in its v1.0.0 state you paid for.

 

[Hirisa]

Personally the interest rate thing doesn't bother me, I rarely have enough in my bank anyway to build much noticeable interest, lol. I spend too much on bridges and inclines.

As for changing spawn rates, that was a needed fix imo. Being able to catch tarantulas so easily, peacock butterflies everywhere, etc. just ruined the fun. I WANT rare bugs and fish to be rare so I actually feel excited to find one. And I want money-making to be slow so the game is playable for longer. Being rich super quick and immediately paying off all mortgages is so boring.

Turnips aren't the only viable way to make money. You can still grind red snappers, beetles in the summer, and all the other old tricks that were commonly used in past titles. Heck, the fact that C.J and Flick come along makes it even easier to make money in NH using fishing and bug catching compared to past games!

So yeah, basically I don't mind the changes they've made.

Yes, exactly! It is easier to make money in New Horizons than it ever was in the other AC games, from the way they have incentivized core money making/gameplay elements like fishing, bug-hunting and crafting. For folks like me who aren't interested in regularly playing the stalk market, these new incentives are great and they contribute to the long-term appeal of the game.

 

[mystery]

Absolutely, they made the game It’s there creation so they dictate what goes into the update. Sure it’s not what a fair amount of people wanted but that’s a different matter. If you don’t like the update you have the option of not updating and waiting to see what the patch notes bring, not to say you wouldn’t miss out on updates but it’s an option.

edit: the thing about games is they are essentially software you rent from the developer you don’t actually own anything more than a license as long as they don’t change the core of the game so much as it’s false advertising there isn’t allot you can do.

 

[windwake-me-up-inside]

TBF, you were not obligated to update the game. You could have kept the game in its v1.0.0 state you paid for.

Yeah, it prompts you to install updates. It never forces them afaik? So you could literally not patch and still have those "features" in place.

also a glitch isn't a feature unless you are bethesda and even then, lol.

 

[Que]

In games, patches are a thing. Especially in online multiplayer games, patches tend to be a weekly or at most a monthly thing - and when it's required. Patches are there to fix, change or balance the game, and of course they'll patch out things that were unintended to happen. They balanced the spawn rates, they fixed the dupe glitch, they changed the bank interest, and none of it was to harm anyone - just to make the game the experience they intended for the game.

It's a LOT easier to make money in ACNH than any other game, along with the fact TT has barely any consequences and villagers are a lot easier to find.

If you had enough money to get 99k out of a month of bank interest, then that 99k would make no difference to you unless you TT which also isn't intended for you to do. If you didn't, then the bank interest would've been significantly less regardless, and it's easily achievable with an inventory of fish to get the same amount. Only way to have truly been able to exploit the old interest rate was to TT until you were rolling in dough - which was unintentional. So yeah, patched out;

 

[MegaExploit]

I would have to disagree to some extent. Fixing bug or fish spawns that allow players to farm the expensive bugs and fish should be fixed because that's not how they intended for things like that to happen, they should rather limit the spawns or change how much they sell for. I also wouldn't call fish and bugs spawns a "feature" either. But I do agree if they start removing actual features of the game then I agree they shouldn't, but they haven't done that yet and I can't imagine them doing it in the first place.

 

[JKDOS]

also a glitch isn't a feature unless you are bethesda and even then, lol.

Todd Howard wants to know your location

 

[matt2019]

Yeah I agree they shouldn’t take things away, especially since we paid for the game and it’s not a free mobile app. But I’m also glad that they have the capability to give us new features