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Flagship Ripping people off
turnipz
Member Posts: 531
Well instead of sticking to the original plan of adding ADDITIONAL content with the subscription it turns out FSS has opted to instead force you to sub just to get a proper online experience. They have limited the character slots to a miniscule 3, giving subscribers a larger stash, denying hardcore access, and denying elite mode; which is basically manditory since this game is a step down from hello kitty adventure: retard edition.
All of this simply so they can get their grubby hands on the first month of subscription money without actually offering anything extra out of the box, it probably took them more work to simply deny the feature rather than leaving it alone; it seems everything they've done has been nickle diming us. The games even being rushed to make the "halloween" deadline, so we're getting a half finished game thats been gimped with none of the basic features. If this is their initial gameplan then I really dont see the point to putting faith in this company, sure I loved diablo 2 but it was blizzard that made it a success as has so far been shown.
I dont care about your responses like "its only 10$ even a hobo can afford that", its the princible of the thing; if you want to continue getting ripped off by these companies then by all means support it. I know I wont be simply for their scummy business practice alone, ill put no faith in a company that does nothing for PR except deny to the media that people think they are being ripped off. They spit on me ill spit on them right back.
Comments
English. Do you speak it?
This is all old news and has been the template for a long time. Complaining about the design does nothing, and the fact that the sub is not required is beyond your reasoning of just because we have 3 characters it can't be done? Star Wars Galaxies released with ONE character slot and is still going.
Lots of games keep your characters low, stashes small, and have content upgrades rarely. It isn't the PRINCIPLE of it at all. You just want to moan about something to see your own type.
It's only $10 a month!! It's a good game!! Online games have fees, accept it already.
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Darkfall: December or vaporware!
I see his point though, it's not what the company described and promised, especially not at the time when the preorders were first available.
People that like the game will accept anything to play it. Just as with any MMO.
And, as far as I am concerned, the game is done, and I don't need new content for a while because I haven't even gotten through the stuff they already have available. Stop being so greedy for more more more. Be happy with what you have.
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Darkfall: December or vaporware!
...dont all MMO's have the 30 days free but only if u subscribe for 1 month first?...or is it activated with a credit card
MMO wish list:
-Changeable worlds
-Solid non level based game
-Sharks with lasers attached to their heads
Welcome to May 9, 2007.
http://pc.gamespy.com/pc/hellgate-london/786714p1.html
Ya what a rediculous article, they say they arent locking content right after they said they are..
then comparing it to completely irrelevant and useless things like load bars.. dancing around in circles trying to convince people that they are the ones in the right.
Yea that interview pretty much sums it all up, but in about 3 days some moron will be complaining about the same thing.
I am really ripped about this game
I wanted to play Hellgate - because i need a CASUAL online rpg.
If i pay subscription fees - i feel COMPELED to play - if i pay monthly subscription and i play a game only 2-3 times a month , i cancel the sub. This is why i liked GW , i never felt compeled to play and i still play it , if i feel like it.
But FS/EA went out their way to makeplaying Hellgate online withouth subscription useless even for super casual players ...
I mean forcing non sub players to play it only on easy mode ?
This will automatically bar you from joining any group ... let alone make the game totaly boring...
Oh well
I really do not know what to say. I will wait for release, and than wait for first experiences from non-sub players, and than i will decide if its worth it ...
Im saying that interview was retarded, its all PR bullcrap made up on the spot. You can see several contradictions after just a bit of reading, definately a reason they are partnered with EA.
I wont even try to argue a point in here. Its not an MMO, its a normal multiplayer game, it has nothing with the MMO world to do, it wont need 24/7 supervision and a constant staff, it wont need 24/7 modifications and work. Its a multiplayer game with singleplayer playstyle. Now people have decided that all multiplayer games in the future its ok to have a monthly fee, people have no problem with that if the hype from the marketing department is strong enough. Like DIablo, Starcraft, CS, BF any big multiplayer games, if you add graphics to the server selection screen, you can add a monthly fee.
There is an old saying, there is a sucker born every minute? In the modern version, all those own a computer.
"This is not a game to be tossed aside lightly.
It should be thrown with great force"
I can pretty much guarantee this game will not only be widely available for download for free, but will also have LAN added, any and all content/maps from online converted to offline ( including character slots/difficulty levels, etc. ) within 2 weeks or less after launch. And it won't be Flagship doing it. And considering this is a singleplayer game (whether Flagship wants to be delusional about it or not ), I don't feel bad at all. Singleplayer games are always better with "mods".
Ah you mean since your technically allowed to do anything you want with whats included on the dvd people will hack it to get those features which were held back.
So, let's say I want to add LAN capability to my copy of Hellgate to play with my friends who have their own legal copies of Hellgate. Absolutely nothing Flagship can bitch about, because the game was not made with LAN capability. Therefore, it is a mod. Just like mods were made to allow multiplayer capability in games such as Oblivion and GTA: Vice City. If I want to make a mod which adds more character slots, harder difficulty, etc,. I have that right. I'm not stealing it from them, I'm only changing some code in my singleplayer game. 99% of everything they have to offer online can be modded in to the singleplayer client by simply switching some code. You would never have to even login to their servers to do such a mod on your own. Again, no violation there.
The part about it being freely distributed, though? Well, that again is the difference between singleplayer games and mmorpgs: pirates. These are the ones who will distribute the game, the same as they do every other singleplayer game out there. And although I don't really agree with piracy as such, when companies continue to charge $50-$60 for a singleplayer game with a few hours of entertainment, the demand is there. This is yet one more reason I doubt Hellgate will last very long as far as Flagships multiplayer servers, unless the fees are removed. This game is Diablo with a sci-fi skin, and Diablo was free to play online.
Game looks pretty fun for me. I don't think it will be terribly complex or anything, just that I'll be able to log in, blow stuff up, log off.
I' never pay the monthy fee thing for this though, that is pretty lame. They can keep their hardcore mode and extra locker space or whatever garbage it is they are trying to charge a fee for.
D.
Half-finished game? I was pretty impressed by the amount of bugs I found in beta (a total of two if you count the memory leak), so I dont see how you call the game half finished. And they also didnt change this around last week, this was pretty much known since E3 2006 where they officially announced the subscriber and non-subscriber program.
Oh and, non-subscribers being gimped? They added achievements into the game which they wanted to make subscriber only (kill 30 zombies naked and that stuff), they came back on there decision and made that available for everyone. Stop complaining.
Now, I suppose you're allowed to take whatever stance you want on this, but some are more skewed than others. In reality, it was nice of Flagship Studios to allow any free online play period. They were making a subscription model from the start, and if you didn't want to pay it, you didn't play online. They added the free to play much later in development after people cried when it was announced that it was going to be pay to play. Realistically, Flagship didn't NEED to do anything at that point. I'm sure there was still enough interest in the game to make it feasible in the pay to play model. So, what did they do? They offered a watered down version for no subscription fee. This gets people playing the game and increases the chance they will eventually sub.
I guess what it really comes down to is how much content they release for the game. If they are constantly updating the game, the subscription fee is worthwhile if you are enjoying the game. If they are not coming out with much content, then they are in essence ripping the customer off. (Due to the fact that they have promised a ton of content updates for paying players) I think we really have to wait an see what they actually do with the income provided in the pay to play model. But in the meantime, please remember that neither Flagship Studios nor any other company "owes" you anything. They are all businesses and have the sole goal of making money. Customer service is a business strategy designed to increase the long-term profitability. Don't ever fool yourself into thinking companies care about you instead of your money (at least not in America, I can't speak of the rest of the world without the experience to do so).
That's right...they did update that early last week about the achievements being for everyone now..and other people are saying they're kicking around making the stuff that's subscriber-based made available to the freebies after the subscribers have had a chance to play it to death. It appears tho that whoever posted that newsbit didn't check against updated info and was running with the old info.
Bottom line, I'm picking up my pre-order early on the 31st, and kiss my behind if you think I care about your op/ed.
You really need to substantiate the words "ripping people off". Its a free market. You have your money in your wallet, the producers are lining up their products on the shelf, and offering various options to buy and acquire their services. All terms are clearly laid down on the table. Take it or pass. In a free market every purchase is voluntary.
IF you do not like HGL move on, why do you care what they charge? Britney Spears charges $1000 for a front row seat in her concert, so what? Do I care, no way on earth I will go to her concerts, not even if they offer free tickets and reimburse my commuting costs.
If you like HGL, you have to weight what they advertise, what the reviewers said and what you feel in the beta, against the prices listed. If you like the offer buy it, if not, buy something else. Free choice for all. Do not blame if you cannot afford it, do not grumble if you do not want to pay for it. HGL is not yours, if you want a piece of it, pay the owner. I want a Mercedes too, but not when it cost a quarter million a piece. So should I start shouting, Mercedes is ripping people off?
Personally, I have reservations about HGL, but I do not feel in anyway justified in calling them rip off. They have a open beta going on, they have a demo for you to try out. They have all terms and prices fully announced. As a producer they have given you enough information to make an intelligent judgment. Buy it or move on.
You know
When I see posts like the ones above , I know what kind of people will be the subscription payers.
Luckily on the end market DOES judge the games just like this.
90% of people that planned to buy the box are put off by subscription fee. After all if you want to pay sub
you can play a MMO ... not a lame online co op with minimum content
EA greed will reduce Hellgate to rubble , helped with bunch of agresive fanboys that payed to much money for something of no worth - scaring the remaining non-fanboy players.
We seen this scenario before , and it will happen again
And yes..thats all that Hellgate will ever be
And you got this info from where?
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JonMichael
Currently: AION, an MMO Beta under NDA
Played: WAR, LOTRO, Hellgate: London, CoX, GW, SotNW, DAOC, EQ2, SWG, WoW, AO, Horizons, Second Life, There, TSO
Beta'd: There, Second Life, EQ2, DAOC:LotM, LOTRO, Tabula Rasa, Gods and Heroes, Hellgate: London, Requiem:Bloodymare, AoC, WAR, DDO, Fallen Earth
90%?
Wow.. where'd you read that?
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JonMichael
Currently: AION, an MMO Beta under NDA
Played: WAR, LOTRO, Hellgate: London, CoX, GW, SotNW, DAOC, EQ2, SWG, WoW, AO, Horizons, Second Life, There, TSO
Beta'd: There, Second Life, EQ2, DAOC:LotM, LOTRO, Tabula Rasa, Gods and Heroes, Hellgate: London, Requiem:Bloodymare, AoC, WAR, DDO, Fallen Earth
Ok... I enjoyed the game alot. Ok maybe not as much content as a high running mmo... Wow eq2 etc. But it's only 10$ per 30 days.... honestly if you REALLY wanna play a game and you can't afford 10$ a month to pay for their 40% of dev team devoted to updates and new content then maybe you should hold off on buying games all together for a while. Shoot i spend more than 10$ a week on parking alone going.
If it turns you off don't pay it. Play it for free. I'll be paying i'll be enjoying the game like i did the beta. It's not that much money and i don't mind supporting the company who's working on new content.
I know people will reply to this saying "They can use the money from you buying the game to make new content" well if thats the case every single game in creation would be releasing live content updates for free.
Xbox 360 releases content updates for some games like lost planet map updates and such and you have to pay 800 gamer points which is about i dunno 8-10 bucks... the money isn't really that big of a deal. If it is... well then play one game and stay away from new ones.
You can't even come close to put SWG and Hellgate next to eachother, SWG is a open world not a instanced game with only a station as a meet up point.
Not to talk about Housing , advanced armor / weapon crafting, oh yea spaceships , the list is long.
But yea basicly 10$ wouldn't hurt me at all , but then again im not going to play hellgate my self.
List of SOE lies
90%?
Wow.. where'd you read that?
Exactly my thoughts. 90% so exact? Did you conduct a massive survey that represents the actual gaming and potential gaming population? A poll here is not representative of the entire gaming population.
If a game is fun, $10 a month is a very reasonable charge. What else can you do with $10? A few take away dishes? As a gamer, try to support those that does an honest trade. Without a sizable subscription base, MMO as an industry will vanish.
I have doubts about HGL I have cancelled my preorders, but, for reasons other than the $10. I am not saying HGL is worth $10. I have to play the game before I can decide for MYSELF. I have doubts about their engine searching my PC. Sorry, until I feel comfortable about this, I am not installing the beta client.