Despite a bit of a rocky start around the game’s seasonal plan, the massive free-to-play online survival title Once Human is enjoying a strong initial player base and heaps of praise from fans. One thing in particular they are happy about is the lack of friendly microtransactions or pay-to-win mechanics.
In contrast to other recent free-to-play titles such as The First Descendant, there is a lot to boot a debate online on the merits of pay-to-win (P2W) mechanics, Once Human players praise the game for not shoving its monetization in your face, as well as featuring little to no pay-to-win elements to give players a willingness to open up. their wallets are an unfair advantage.
Once Human’s player base expressed frustration at seeing so many streamers on YouTube and Twitch decry the pay-to-win nature of a game like The First Descendant while seemingly ignoring games that do things right – like Once Human. Too much focus on the negatives, and not enough on the positives—a classic problem.
I see where they are coming from, but feel the need to point out that negativity, controversy, bad press – whatever you want to call it – sells. It generates clicks. And that’s what’s at stake here. At the same time, some Twitch streamers like Coh Carnage actually took some time out of their busy streaming schedules to demonstrate the virtues of Once Human’s dignified approach to monetization. Twitter (formerly known as X) is also booming, so the praise is there if you look hard enough for it.
I have to agree with the above sentiment from Reddit thread on both sides though. Because you certainly don’t see enough game fans highlighting examples of how to handle monetization and P2W correctly – which for many means having none of it or as humanly possible. And also doesn’t chase the player for their money at every corner. Many of us can get behind such feelings.
But also because during my time with the game, I legitimately encountered no instances of monetization or P2W. I even had to search in the game’s main menu to verify that it even exists in the game (it does). The main currency in play in Once Human, in addition to the multiple in-game currencies, is time, that is, the time it takes to grind all the necessary materials and resources you need to build the base of your dreams and survive in its haunted and often dangerous. world
And while we can have an entirely separate debate about how long it takes to grind in games these days to even make a moderate amount of progress, I’d much rather play a game knowing that everyone is grinding equal amounts to get where they are instead. of paying the developer to “jump the line”, so to speak.
Wondering how to spawn your motorcycle in Once Human? Then be sure to check out How to spawn your motorcycle in Once Human on Pro Game Guides.
