Call of Duty: Warzone currently has an incredibly frustrating feature with the XP Bonus Tokens that results in that bonus timer to continue to run, regardless of whether players are in a scenario where XP can actually be earned. The word choice feature, versus bug, is deliberate, as the disclaimer is right there to read upon activating the token:

With Warzone, Infinity Ward managed to establish a fairly nice balance that’s hard to achieve in the free-to-play market. If players want the full Call of Duty: Modern Warfare experience, they will need to pay for the game. If they only want the battle royale multiplayer, they can enjoy Warzone for free. To maximize their effectiveness, players should really consider the Battle Pass, which enables various useful unlocks as the players obtain more in-game experience. This is where the rub occurs. For less than $20, most players can get the full season battle pass, which hasn’t drawn any sort of widespread criticism. There is a fairly generous amount of XP boosts that come in various modes; XP Bonus, Weapon XP bonus, 15-minute boost, 60-minute boost, etc.

“Double XP and Weapon XP tokens countdown in real-time and not in game-time.”

The problem is, these XP boosts cannot be activated while in a round. They also start running as soon as the player clicks on the token, and don’t stop until the time runs out. Configuring your loadouts? The time keeps ticking. Did your buddy lose their internet connection? The timer will keep running. Playing with a poor connection, or during a congested or slow time, taking 10 minutes for a solid matchmaking experience? Great! The timer keeps running! The key to maximizing the XP gain is to click the token seconds before initiating matchmaking. Any other way and users have no way to even earn XP, and yet, the time keeps running. Not the party leader? Don’t worry, if your party leader started matchmaking and you haven’t selected the token, you can wait until the round is over and then start the token fresh!

 

Many of the most popular games in recent years have been free to play, ranging from multiplatform hits like Roblox, mobile mega-hits like Farmville, or notably, first-person shooters such as Fortnite, Apex Legends, and Call of Duty: Warzone. With many of the free-to-play games, users can experience pieces of the games for free, but to truly play the game as intended, there is a need to engage in microtransactions. Whether an innocuous XP boost or being able to upgrade a particular aspect of gameplay without waiting for some predefined and arduous time gate, game developers create a way for users to ensure they like the game and then pay for pieces of it as they go. This can be mutually beneficial as players can walk away from a game having invested nothing or only a few dollars.

This model can also result in severe pushback from players and critics alike. Consider Star Wars: Battlefront II, where users not only had to pay for the game but EA allowed users to pay for items that gave them a distinct advantage over non paying players. More recently, in late 2019, a Runescape player spent more than $62,000 in micro-transactions, highlighting an extreme example of how things can go wrong. Clearly, balance is important.

Microtransactions are not the worst thing in the world. If done in a player-friendly way, they often encourage frequent spending and a willingness to support the developer. I know I would actively purchase XP tokens to help achieve unlocks faster in Warzone. There is no way I’m going to deliberately buy them while the timer keeps running while I’m in the menu. C’mon Infinity Ward, help me, pay you.

Source: Activision