I've had it with 'free' apps

[sleepngbear]

I hate to be that guy who doesn't post for months and then comes in here just to complain, but I really need to vent. I am so sick of these supposed 'free' games and apps that offer no paid option. They all turn into a nonstop pay-to-play if you want to get anywhere in them.

My latest (and biggest) beef is with Megapolis. I installed this sim after seeing so many raving reviews and to try something a little different, but quickly regretted it. The whole app is nothing more than an intricate series of teases that get you part way to accomplishing things with one type of internal fake money, only to require another type of fake money to complete that you can either acquire painfully slowly or buy with real money -- lots of real money. I put a few real $$$ into it just to get somewhere, only to find that you either have to wait forever for resources needed to advance or buy them with a lot more real $$$. I finally got totally fed up and deleted the app after giving it a good fair shot for about four weeks.

There are more and more of these in the app store, free to install but with loaded with in-app purchases to get anything more than a tease. Some games are a little more reasonable than others in that they just make you wait a few hours to accumulate coins or whatever in order to advance; others -- like Megapolis, and I'm sure hundreds of others -- make it impossible to do much of anything without either paying a LOT or watching hours of ads... or both. Not to mention how frequently they all like to crash, so it's not like we're getting any more quality for all that money. If anything they're worse, and the reviews confirm that it's not just me.

I've left plenty of negative reviews in the app store, and I've even contacted many of the devs directly. But it seems like it's a trend that's just getting worse, certainly not going away. I have no problem paying devs for their work -- ONCE. I'd even toss them a bit more for updates if their apps are worth it. But they don't even offer that option, which frosts my cookies even more. I am not a bottomless pit of cash. So I've decided to start speaking with my credit card; and though it means not enjoying my iPad as much as I could, I'm not going to support these overly greedy devs any longer. Give me a reduced-feature or ad-supported free demo, and a paid version that I will gladly support if I find it good enough to pay for. Otherwise you're not getting my business.

Again, sorry for the lengthy rant, but I needed to unload. And I'm a little curious to see how others feel about it.

Don't miss the next episode where I b*tch and moan about Geico commercials (in Off-topic, of course!).

 

[Ledsteplin]

I agree to an extent. I think Family Sharing has played a role in this. The devs were asked to make the apps free for Family Sharing in many cases. So they did, but then added the in app purchases that can not be shared with Family Sharing. It's how it is now. And I don't mind devs making money. They deserve it. But a few do go too far. I paid for the "Pro" version of an app. They later added new features in an in app purchase. Pro users had to pay too. That seemed a bit shifty to me. But again, it's how things are now. I avoid games that require continuous payment for stuff. There's plenty that don't. Come back and vent more often!

 

[Honey Beagle]

I had a few of these applications. Once I found out there was a cost when using these I deleted them. No biggie.

 

[Damien_Eternal]

I stay away from those freemium games and apps. The only one I play is dream girlfriend and that is just because it's a good time burner and it doesn't require money to really get anywhere.

 

[Honey Beagle]

I purchased Scrabble HD for 9.99. After that no other monies are needed.

 

[anony_mouse]

This turned out to be the best way to make money out of apps. Blame your fellow human beings.

 

[MooMooPrincess]

This turned out to be the best way to make money out of apps. Blame your fellow human beings.

Indeed, mmos are shutting down due to how much more money can be made with mobile gaming.

 

[rdmartin1]

The App Store tells you which apps have in app purchases so you shouldn't be surprised. Some of the developers who make these apps do it as their sole source of income. Others are companies supporting hundreds of employees. They deserve to get paid for their work. Anything worth having is worth paying for.

 

[Rob Phillips]

Overly greedy devs? It's more about building a sustainable business than it is about greed IMO.
Freemium is the future of gaming, whether we like it or not.

 

[Quis89]

I stay away from those freemium games and apps. The only one I play is dream girlfriend and that is just because it's a good time burner and it doesn't require money to really get anywhere.

I see what you did there.

 

[sleepngbear]

I had a few of these applications. Once I found out there was a cost when using these I deleted them. No biggie.

The problem there is, so many if them don't have a 'regular' paid equivalent, and if they do, finding them is like the old needle-in-a-haystack.

And yeah, the ones you pay for and have in-app purchases for more features are kinda pushing it a bit too far.

I'd like to see a breakdown of how like apps sell where there are similar free (ad-supported), free with in-app purchases pay-off versions. If there is such a thing.

 

[robertk328]

Overly greedy devs? It's more about building a sustainable business than it is about greed IMO.
Freemium is the future of gaming, whether we like it or not.

Try before you buy, since there are no samples/demo versions really.

 

[Rob Phillips]

Try before you buy, since there are no samples/demo versions really.

That's what I have you for.

 

[robertk328]

That's what I have you for.

For beta anyway!

 

[sleepngbear]

Try before you buy, since there are no samples/demo versions really.

But somewhere along the line they lost track of the concept of 'buy', which I always assumed to mean pay once for a product. Otherwise it's a rental. Or, try before you are endlessly extorted.

Imagine if the creators of the classic board games worked the same way. Pass 'Go' and collect $200. Oh yeah, and pay us $5 real ones if you want to roll those dice again.

 

[Ledsteplin]

My beef is when I pay $3.99 for an app. Then there's an update with new features. But the features are an in app purchase everyone has to pay. And along with that are ads. Paid no longer means "no ads".

 

[robertk328]

But somewhere along the line they lost track of the concept of 'buy', which I always assumed to mean pay once for a product. Otherwise it's a rental. Or, try before you are endlessly extorted.

Luckily I'm not a fan of those games! Or at least the ones that tend to do that. I play a lot of Madden but haven't spent $0.01. You CAN, but don't have to.

 

[AgeT]

The problem is that users dont want to pay upfront for something they don't know. Developers put alot of time and effort into games, it is their (our) right to earn some money from it. It turned out that freemium pay-to-win is the most lucratvie solution. A dev has to morally support his choice though, i could never make such a game... but others do and they earn more than me

 

[anony_mouse]

The problem is that there are so many free games that there's little reason to pay for one. It's also very inconvenient to buy a game - you have to enter your credit card details into the app store, buy the game and then remove your credit card details again every time.

 

[Just_Me_D]

The problem is that there are so many free games that there's little reason to pay for one.

There is always a reason to pay for something you're interested in. Furthermore, many of us are willing to pay for an app just to be rid of ads.

It's also very inconvenient to buy a game - you have to enter your credit card details into the app stored, buy the game and then remove your credit card details again every time.

Huh? That has not been my experience. In fact, my information is store on Apple's server(s) so when setting up an iPhone, all I have to do is sign in to the iTunes & App Store. I also have it set up to where all I need to do to make a purchase is have the TouchID feature read my fingerprint.