Updated on February 15th, at 18:10: The wait timers for repairs are back. In certain test regions, anyway. This isn't a massive surprise given
Real Racing 3 is still in soft launch mode.
EA and Firemonkeys are presumably carrying out a few tests, experimenting with repair wait times, comparing the monetisation among territories, etc.
Original story follows...
Firemonkeys has been listening.
After two days of
concentrated backlash to the freemium model employed in
Real Racing 3, the Australian developer has issued a sneaky patch that fixes some of the most egregious issues.
Previously, you had to wait for your car to be repaired from all the dents and destruction that it suffered on the track. Now, repairs happen instantly.
Also, service wait times have been reduced by two thirds. You'll need to service your car after a few races, as your vehicle's tires, oil, and engine slowly degrade while the car is in use.
In this screen cap from our
Real Racing 3 preview video, which we shot yesterday, you can see that an oil change used to take 15 minutes.
Now, it's done in five.
Firemonkeys made these changes without formally updating the app. This means that the developer has been able to tweak and tune the game without making you re-download the 700MB app.
Real Racing 3 is currently available in 'soft launch' state in countries like Australia and New Zealand. It goes global on iOS and Android on February 28th.
Joined:
Feb 2013
Post count:
3
I was really annoyed when I first installed this (did a couple of mega-long rants online). but I must admit that I've come around a bit.
I'm in the UK, and I used my Australian account to download it so I haven't been able to spend any money on in app purchases (I don't have an Australian credit card).
I'm 70% through the first series, and have 2 other cars that I can use to race in other series. When one of the cars is out of action, I just carry on with one of the others. I've had hours and hours of play out of it so far, completely free (I've got to say the game underneath the IAPs is really good, and the Time Shifted Multiplayer is really novel).
But, I've had to adjust my thinking; instead of a game to plough through as quickly as I can, it's more like a companion throughout the day that you pick up and play for 20 minutes here and there.
The longest waits are when you have to service your car, so if I'm not going to play it any more in that day, I'll service everything on all the cars so that they're all completely fresh for the next time I play.
I still would rather have paid up front and got the whole game (i would have paid a high price tag for this too) but I must admit I'm enjoying the game a lot so far regardless.
When the game is released over here and I'm able to make purchases, I'm going to commit to 1 IAP of £6.99 (that gives me a car, 2 series unlocked and 65 gold) and see how far that gets me into the game.
It's still a shame that EA decided to turn their back on the fans that made the game big enough for them to want to acquire it in the first place though.
Joined:
Feb 2013
Post count:
2
We all know that Electronic fArts are bunch of greedy bastards.This was expected. But i will not give them one penny doing in app purchases. I'll play it as i can without giving them the satisfaction to milk me. Firemonkeys sold their sorry asses to $ and they ruined the game.
Joined:
Aug 2012
Post count:
12
Did you know you can purchase an in-app car? Yes, for only $100. That's right...pay $100 for a virtual car in the game. What greedy bastards.
Joined:
Jan 2013
Post count:
5
great news... :)
Joined:
Feb 2013
Post count:
1
Repair times are back. Either they are doing some testing on the game or they decided to switch it back..
Joined:
Jan 2013
Post count:
7
Bad move for EA / Firemonkeys... This is going to be a huge flop
Joined:
Dec 2010
Post count:
72
Excelcius | 17:36 - 15 February 2013
Wow EA really F***ed up this time no more EA or EA affiliated products for me !
Joined:
Jul 2012
Post count:
195
The repair timers are back. You spoke too soon.
Joined:
Dec 2011
Post count:
20
asmi8803 | 17:22 - 15 February 2013
I echo those sentiments iseptimus. I just want to buy the full game so I can enjoy it rather than have to wait. I'd pay a fiver for this but wont spend a penny on IAP
Joined:
Sep 2012
Post count:
9
Just release a premium version. Sigh....
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