EDIT: After reading my posts again, I sound really angry in a lot of them. I am not really angry. I'm just trying to present my ideas concisely.
Things I don't like about the Gun Mettle update:
tld;dr: Valve should be paying mappers, not just promising them a nebulous cut of proceeds. Valve should not be able to take community content and use it in one of their products without paying the author first. The community floating the cost, while not even getting the same benefits as all other community maps (assets, permanent rotation), is disgusting. And further, arguments that you can recoup your cost of entry are null, as doing so plays right back into Valve's money funnel. We shouldn't have to resort to Valve's Money Funnel. Ever.
Well, can't wait to get a map in the next campaign! Woo! Go Workshop! Yeah! This is what we all wanted, right guys?
This entire thing is a way to shaft players and content creators. I'm not really into this.
Thoughts?
Things I don't like about the Gun Mettle update:
- We don't have full access to the Japan/Borneo/Snowplow assets for some reason. This seems to be because
- Valve didn't actually buy the maps the same way they have before, which is really disappointing. Artists should be paid up front for their work, and royalties should come after. Royalties only should not be an option. I really dislike this method of distributing maps as it sets a really nasty precedent that I'm already seeing people submit to. I thought Valve requesting all the custom assets would mean we're getting them, but apparently they did that for no reason?
- Valve relies on the community to pay for the purchase of the maps by buying a $6 collection of pixels. What if everyone decided to boycott the skins? Stupider things have happened around Valve games.
- People are saying you can get the $6 back by selling your skins, which is fucking stupid. In fact, Steam wallets are stupid. Valve basically has a bank you can't withdraw money from, and every time you buy or sell something in their system, they make money from it.
- So, sure, you can get your $6 back. But what does Valve get? They get the percentage cut from the Gun Mettle pass, then all the cuts on community market sales. And then you still can't do anything with the money you get for selling skins except spend it on more Steam stuff, which gives Valve money again.
- The Steam Wallet is really the worst thing in existence because it's essentially just a funnel you put money into and eventually all the money goes to Valve.
- What happens in 4 weeks when the skins are fifty cents? What happens next campaign when people don't like the maps? Or the skins are just worth nothing immediately? We just give Valve $6 for stupid shit again I guess. I don't know.
tld;dr: Valve should be paying mappers, not just promising them a nebulous cut of proceeds. Valve should not be able to take community content and use it in one of their products without paying the author first. The community floating the cost, while not even getting the same benefits as all other community maps (assets, permanent rotation), is disgusting. And further, arguments that you can recoup your cost of entry are null, as doing so plays right back into Valve's money funnel. We shouldn't have to resort to Valve's Money Funnel. Ever.
Well, can't wait to get a map in the next campaign! Woo! Go Workshop! Yeah! This is what we all wanted, right guys?
This entire thing is a way to shaft players and content creators. I'm not really into this.
Thoughts?
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