turbine's Ashron's call been going since 1999, SWG will most likely go f2p or close down after TOR, maybe a revamp of the sony station pass.. AOC, might look that way,, some of these companies are making good money with thier products, just may not look like it to us.. I wish they would change the name of Free to Play to Free to Try, allot of people think that the are going to gt a AAA mmo for free from start to finishe and all that goes with it, this is not the case, most f2p games seem to be nothing more than an over blown demo, but the fact is they do bring in new subs and money, thats what they are there to do make profit, they don't make these games because they love us,
I agree that all games are headed F2P at some point and to some extent. I hope that, if they do, they will learn something from LOTRO's way of doing things.
To me, a F2P option is a great way to go and not make the game completely F2P with just a cash shop.
I love the fact I can sub to LOTRO at anytime and leave the shop behind. At the same time, I love the fact, if I can't, I can buy the zones as needed. That is an awesome option for a very casual player with a newborn child!
To me the F2P option is nice if its an option and full sub rights remain and also if the items in the cash shop do not allow the buyer to get better or easier to obtain gear. That is where I draw the line. Again its all about options and consumers prefer that today.
No, if they're gonna go F2P, I'd prefer they look at Anarchy Online rather than DDO or LotRO. Anarchy Online has the perfect "hybrid" setup.
-Letting Derek Smart work on your game is like letting Osama bin Laden work in the White House. Something will burn.- -And on the 8th day, man created God.-
I dont understand this F2P fetish that a lot of people have now a days. $10-$14 a month is really not that big of an issue. I heard of F2P games that cost way more then that in the long run. F2P really isnt F2P.
Dont get me wrong I play Atlantica Online which is F2P, but not because its F2P. I play it because its a great game. I would easily pay $14 a month to play it.
Before DDO went F2P no one really talked about it. Now everyone is on the band wagon.
You don't understand the desire to be able to much more easily play a wider range of games?
By playing in the microtransaction/hybrid payment games you open up the choice available to you on a daily basis, for many players sticking to one game rapidly leads to boredom, the ability to play multuiple titles casually is for many players tyhe preferable option, sure you can argue that you could just swap games that you sub to each month but that's not the degree of flexibility that I am talking about here, I mean being able to play what suited your mood on a daily basis much better.
My feeling is WAR will resist going F2P because of the real difficulties is making the transition, I think this one would shut down rather than go F2P, in spite of EA seemingly embracing the MT model with other titles.
Vanguard wont go F2P anytime soon as the interest in it from SoE is virtually non-existant & it might prove to take away from EverQuest & EverQuest II more than they would like & then they'd have a larger audience in a game they didn't develop clamouring for development & investment this might then look bad from a PR angle if their in-house titles performed worse and possibly hamper EQNext ambitions.
Lineage II might go F2P, not that I'd even give it a second look after trying that bot-filled POS grinder.
AoC seems to be doing fine for now & Funcom appear happy as they are, though they have gone on the record to say they are investigating the idea they have no plans yet.
STO & CO, I can see these 2 easily moving to F2P since they are almost there already.
CoX- I'd personally love to see this title try F2P as I was a fan of the game but got bored too quick to justify a sub, would be a title that I would "dip" into frequently though never stay long in it.
I dont understand this F2P fetish that a lot of people have now a days. $10-$14 a month is really not that big of an issue. I heard of F2P games that cost way more then that in the long run. F2P really isnt F2P
$14 is a big issue if you don't just want one MMO to choose from. But f2p means you can dip in and out of games when you like. That appeals to me.
edit: oh and my money is on vanguard next
Whats the point in playing a MMO one month and another the next ? Since i've been playing MMOs, my goal was to get to the endgame and kill players (some prefer mobs). Why playing the game one day, then switch back to another the next day/weeks/month ?
And... if its because you're playing 2+ MMO, i got the same question, why ? Ok maybe because you like playing a very good old MMo while you enjoy playing with friends on a new one, i can understand...well... i think.
I dont wanna see every new MMO to be F2P, i dont want to see WAR going F2P as i might come back if one day they fix the damn game. Just started playing Fallen Earth and i dont want it to be F2P. F2P games bring lots of shit, a community of kids/adults that just cant undertsand that its a damn game and at the same time, they dont give a fuck about others.
Get a job.... pay for what the others work for. If i want to build a garage next to my house, i gotta pay for it, so i gotta work to pay. You cant pay ? Then dont play ! There's a bunch of trials ! And im sure if you look on the net, you'll find some good solo game that are as good as the old one were before the whole MMO world did KABOUM !
or.... get a job ....
Wish i could get free beer when im going to the bar lol
Because variety is fun and prevents burn out. On some days, the player might like to cut something with a sword while on another day, they might want to pilot a spaceship.
Even filet mignon gets stale if eaten every single night.
As many have stated before, some people do put money in a F2P and some put a great deal more in a F2P than a P2P. If they want to spend on a luxury garage with all the bells and whistles, more power to them. If they don't want to pay for a garage, they can always park out in the open.
I dont understand this F2P fetish that a lot of people have now a days. $10-$14 a month is really not that big of an issue. I heard of F2P games that cost way more then that in the long run. F2P really isnt F2P.
Dont get me wrong I play Atlantica Online which is F2P, but not because its F2P. I play it because its a great game. I would easily pay $14 a month to play it.
Before DDO went F2P no one really talked about it. Now everyone is on the band wagon.
You don't understand the desire to be able to much more easily play a wider range of games?
By playing in the microtransaction/hybrid payment games you open up the choice available to you on a daily basis, for many players sticking to one game rapidly leads to boredom, the ability to play multuiple titles casually is for many players tyhe preferable option, sure you can argue that you could just swap games that you sub to each month but that's not the degree of flexibility that I am talking about here, I mean being able to play what suited your mood on a daily basis much better.
i dont understand that you're able to play a game, have a life (do you) play another game and then maybe another game ? You want to be able to switch game on a dayly basis, do you bring your whole guild with you ?
If you read my last reply to a F2P fan, What the point in playing 2 MMO ? Unless you're already at the endgame, and even if you are, i just dont understand... You switch game, you play with others peoples from another guild on the other game, why dont you just go play a damn solo game ??? Wait, i got friends on both game... they can pay if they play ! Then choose one or pay for both game !
Hate this fucking mentality of peoples that just want everything !!! I want this, i want that, give me this, give me that, i dont wanna pay but the game is so fun, i'll just take millions of trials. Now i can give shit to others players that are on the trials or subs because im gonna change name on the next trial. I dont wanna pay, so i'll play a game that is F2P...
If you got a NORMAL life, how are you able to give enough time to 2 or more MMO ? Your wife work, you play ? You're a kid and daddy pay ? You just dont work, dont get out of your home and look like a vampire because its hot ?
Explain us, those that pay to enjoy playing a game we know why we pay for, how can you play more than one MMO and have a fucking NORMAL life ???
Now, im gonna log on my P2P game that is Fallen earth and enjoy the damn game while i can because i gotta go to bed later, because im working tomorow and thats why i pay a P2P game !
Because variety is fun and prevents burn out. On some days, the player might like to cut something with a sword while on another day, they might want to pilot a spaceship.
Even filet mignon gets stale if eaten every single night.
As many have stated before, some people do put money in a F2P and some put a great deal more in a F2P than a P2P. If they want to spend on a luxury garage with all the bells and whistles, more power to them. If they don't want to pay for a garage, they can always park out in the open.
Just play the damn F2P MMO that are already F2P !!! Stop begging that every damn single fucking MMO become F2P.... dammit...
And what is the part about a burnout ? Seriously ? Who can get a damn burnout from a game ? You must hope you wont be working soon... 30 hours a week : burnout, 40 hours a week : unconscious, 50 hours a week : Dead !
I dont understand this F2P fetish that a lot of people have now a days. $10-$14 a month is really not that big of an issue. I heard of F2P games that cost way more then that in the long run. F2P really isnt F2P.
Dont get me wrong I play Atlantica Online which is F2P, but not because its F2P. I play it because its a great game. I would easily pay $14 a month to play it.
Before DDO went F2P no one really talked about it. Now everyone is on the band wagon.
You don't understand the desire to be able to much more easily play a wider range of games?
By playing in the microtransaction/hybrid payment games you open up the choice available to you on a daily basis, for many players sticking to one game rapidly leads to boredom, the ability to play multuiple titles casually is for many players tyhe preferable option, sure you can argue that you could just swap games that you sub to each month but that's not the degree of flexibility that I am talking about here, I mean being able to play what suited your mood on a daily basis much better.
i dont understand that you're able to play a game, have a life (do you) play another game and then maybe another game ? You want to be able to switch game on a dayly basis, do you bring your whole guild with you ?
If you read my last reply to a F2P fan, What the point in playing 2 MMO ? Unless you're already at the endgame, and even if you are, i just dont understand... You switch game, you play with others peoples from another guild on the other game, why dont you just go play a damn solo game ??? Wait, i got friends on both game... they can pay if they play ! Then choose one or pay for both game !
Hate this fucking mentality of peoples that just want everything !!! I want this, i want that, give me this, give me that, i dont wanna pay but the game is so fun, i'll just take millions of trials. Now i can give shit to others players that are on the trials or subs because im gonna change name on the next trial. I dont wanna pay, so i'll play a game that is F2P...
If you got a NORMAL life, how are you able to give enough time to 2 or more MMO ? Your wife work, you play ? You're a kid and daddy pay ? You just dont work, dont get out of your home and look like a vampire because its hot ?
Explain us, those that pay to enjoy playing a game we know why we pay for, how can you play more than one MMO and have a fucking NORMAL life ???
Now, im gonna log on my P2P game that is Fallen earth and enjoy the damn game while i can because i gotta go to bed later, because im working tomorow and thats why i pay a P2P game !
Goodness me, what an angry little pent up ball of self-righteousness.
You hate that I want to have the choice?
Your whole argument stands upon the basis that I should just like things how you like them or I'm not normal?
To be honest your reply comes off as nothing more than pure unadulterated hate for anything non-subscription, you are entitled to your opinions, but you are not entitled to make character judgements to try & justify your opinions.
I am a formerly hardcore raider that dedicated 4hours a day plus to a game, a guild & a subscription, now I want to play casually & enjoy multiple games rather than be dedicated to just one, I did that for 10 years & now my gaming tastes are different, and I want to be able to choose on a whim what I want to play, I am not alone & I occupy a sizeable demographic and games companies are listening to it & creating products to cater to that, which does not mean games that suit your demographic will not get made.
I do not ask that ALL games change to F2p at all, I just would like to see more games that are open to hybridisation INCLUDING subscription options, rather than games be one or the other I'd rather they had the option to play & pay with more flexibility (I've pumped money into games for years funding their development if I liked them, either by way of sub or MT).
I have found that playing 1 sub game as my "Main game" & having several MT based games to play sporadically also stops me getting bored & burned out & quitting MMO's altogether, and I have a very normal life outside of gaming, which is my chosen hobby.
I dont understand this F2P fetish that a lot of people have now a days. $10-$14 a month is really not that big of an issue. I heard of F2P games that cost way more then that in the long run. F2P really isnt F2P.
Dont get me wrong I play Atlantica Online which is F2P, but not because its F2P. I play it because its a great game. I would easily pay $14 a month to play it.
Before DDO went F2P no one really talked about it. Now everyone is on the band wagon.
You don't understand the desire to be able to much more easily play a wider range of games?
By playing in the microtransaction/hybrid payment games you open up the choice available to you on a daily basis, for many players sticking to one game rapidly leads to boredom, the ability to play multuiple titles casually is for many players tyhe preferable option, sure you can argue that you could just swap games that you sub to each month but that's not the degree of flexibility that I am talking about here, I mean being able to play what suited your mood on a daily basis much better.
i dont understand that you're able to play a game, have a life (do you) play another game and then maybe another game ? You want to be able to switch game on a dayly basis, do you bring your whole guild with you ?
If you read my last reply to a F2P fan, What the point in playing 2 MMO ? Unless you're already at the endgame, and even if you are, i just dont understand... You switch game, you play with others peoples from another guild on the other game, why dont you just go play a damn solo game ??? Wait, i got friends on both game... they can pay if they play ! Then choose one or pay for both game !
Hate this fucking mentality of peoples that just want everything !!! I want this, i want that, give me this, give me that, i dont wanna pay but the game is so fun, i'll just take millions of trials. Now i can give shit to others players that are on the trials or subs because im gonna change name on the next trial. I dont wanna pay, so i'll play a game that is F2P...
If you got a NORMAL life, how are you able to give enough time to 2 or more MMO ? Your wife work, you play ? You're a kid and daddy pay ? You just dont work, dont get out of your home and look like a vampire because its hot ?
Explain us, those that pay to enjoy playing a game we know why we pay for, how can you play more than one MMO and have a fucking NORMAL life ???
Now, im gonna log on my P2P game that is Fallen earth and enjoy the damn game while i can because i gotta go to bed later, because im working tomorow and thats why i pay a P2P game !
Goodness me, what an angry little pent up ball of self-righteousness.
You hate that I want to have the choice?
Your whole argument stands upon the basis that I should just like things how you like them or I'm not normal?
To be honest your reply comes off as nothing more than pure unadulterated hate for anything non-subscription, you are entitled to your opinions, but you are not entitled to make character judgements to try & justify your opinions.
I am a formerly hardcore raider that dedicated 4hours a day plus to a game, a guild & a subscription, now I want to play casually & enjoy multiple games rather than be dedicated to just one, I did that for 10 years & now my gaming tastes are different, and I want to be able to choose on a whim what I want to play, I am not alone & I occupy a sizeable demographic and games companies are listening to it & creating products to cater to that, which does not mean games that suit your demographic will not get made.
I do not ask that ALL games change to F2p at all, I just would like to see more games that are open to hybridisation INCLUDING subscription options, rather than games be one or the other I'd rather they had the option to play & pay with more flexibility (I've pumped money into games for years funding their development if I liked them, either by way of sub or MT).
I have found that playing 1 sub game as my "Main game" & having several MT based games to play sporadically also stops me getting bored & burned out & quitting MMO's altogether, and I have a very normal life outside of gaming, which is my chosen hobby.
I get so tired of the articles on this site completely oblivious to the fact that the Turbine model and the normal f2p model are worlds apart. Until you make that distinction, articles like this will remain rinky dink because you are ignoring such an important fact.
I don't think that Lineage 2 will go f2p anytime soon. It's usually not a good idea to have two different payment models and Lineage 2 is still very popular in Korea. Even Lineage 1, which is even less popular in the west than L2, is still using a p2p model.
I would rather see more options to the subscription model. Some people don't get much time throughout a month so it's not really worth it for them to subscribe monthly.
Maybe like a weekends only for 15 weekends, or a certain week of the month per quarter. Something along these lines. This way it will help the youngsters keep up with their homework throughout the week (even adults could benefit from this so they don't lose track of time), and will be much more likely for their parents to allow them to play.
If I ever had a child I probably would never let them play any type of MMO be it F2P or Subscription based. It's just too much of a temptation to waste time, and money. But with something like this it might change the viewpoint of those parents.
Instead of selling 60 day time cards sell a weekends only subscription type time card. Something like this, but I'm sure you guys will despise it and throw out all these rebuttals. I don't know the upkeep costs of an MMO so I don't have anything to work with to better base my suggestions off of so I just came up with those, but I hope you get the point.
I am going to go way out left field with my pick: World War II Online
Why?
The 'Free Rifles' idea has been floated many times - sort of like the Planetside Reserve.
And I think they could 'sell' access (in a restricted way) to other equipment.
Does that make it Play to Win? Well, not if is done properly. I can think of some ways to do this.
Anyway, the thing about "F2P" is it is not a magic cure all. For some games it probably wouldn't work at all. EvE for example: although I have never played it I understand that the skills tree works on time? So a F2P model would kill it (player creates account then logs out until skill set is advanced...).
PotBS is going F2P and attempting to emulate the Turbine Model (If SOE don't completely destroy the idea with their input!)- I will guess that in the long run this will fail. Sure - for the first month or two of F2P the population will boom - FLS will probably have to put on more servers. But ultimately the game is just not that good - certainly not compared to the other F2Ps out there.
Turbine have succeeded IMHO because they clearly have people on their team who understand MMO gamers (they get the psychology). Companies like FLS (PotBS) and Cryptic (CO & STO) make fun games... but not MMOs. Really, they just 'don't get it'.
A better model for games like PotBS, CO and STO would be to convert them to Single Player games (*See note)- maybe with some multiplayer option. After all, most of the fun in those games was in the plots and story lines while ranking. End Game was lacking by comparison. If this could be done they could sell them for $50? a box and then pretty much walk away from it. No whiney MMO community demanding updates that are beyond them to deliver anyway.
*And before anyone jumps on me that this 'conversion' would basically require a complete re-write since a Client is very different to a stand alone game engine - yes I do know that - but you have your art done and your story elements done.
All games will eventually be free to play and have micro-transactions....it is coming and there is little we the consumers can do about it. What I do not understand is how a game like Guild Wars can operate and continue to add new content constantly in between expansions. If they can do it, why can't other companies?
I wonder how Guild Wars does this, to.
And I wonder if there will be a spate of B2P games if GW2 does well. That would be nice for gamers who like to have three or four options to choose from without paying $15 x 4 every month.
I am convinced there is only one way to eliminate these grave evils, namely through the establishment of a socialist economy, accompanied by an educational system which would be oriented toward social goals.
Personally, I'm surprised that Lineage II hasn't become F2P or atleast B2P already, with all the private servers out there, it would really really, help NCsoft to make it B2P at the very least. A good example of B2P gaming, Guild Wars, I personally bought it with every exapnsion and addon as soon as they came out, hell I'm problaby going to preorder the second as soon as it becomes avaliable. I know this post is about F2P games, which I jump around all the time, But still it wouldn't kill people to just buy the game itself and maybe any expansions that come with it then enjoy the game itself.
Also, Making Champions Online F2P, I can already smell the crap piling up from that idea, sure they'd add cosmetic items or stuff that resets skill points or power points already, but let's be honest, with how bad of a company Cryptic is, (in my opinion anyways.) I can already tell they're going to add some BS Experience items or stuff that'll give unfair advantages to other players. Now don't get me wrong, I was subbed to CO for maybe 3-4 months before I unsubbed it due to how dull and boring the game got in that time, I mean yeah the control scheme is real easy and the customization is fun, but gameplay in general wasn't all that great. Personally I'd prefer to see CoH go F2P, but with their recent release of the Rogue heroes or whatever, that won't be happening anytime soon.
From my recent experience at trying F2P it seems to me more expensive then paying the $15 a month. The prices of things are way expensive in my opinion so I guess i will just pay the $15. Maybe I am justing missing something. I would like to try STO so maybe i'll buy it finally.
I find it funny that prior to the whole F2P craze, P2P did just fine and no one ever second-guessed it. People bought the boxes, paid the subs, and played.... this lasted just fine for about a decade. And, in a number of cases, it's still working just fine.
Yet, you have people who like to think in absolutes out there now arguing that "P2P doesn't work anymore and F2P is the only viable way to go". Of course P2P still works. It still *is* working. The trick is to create a game that enough people find *worth the subscription fee* to pay for. Several developers over the past 5 or 6 years have failed to pull that off.
Their failure - at least in part, in my own opinion - is that instead of trying to forge their own identity and providing a unique experience (like the old school MMOs were), they were trying to ride WoW's coat-tails by trying to capture Blizzard's lightning. One after another, they failed, and players became more and more disenchanted, and more and more cynical.
And of course there's that word "free". People are drawn in by the word. All their "standards" and "demands" and "expectations" fly out the window the moment they realize there isn't a price attached to something. *Especially* if it's a AAA title making the switch. Look at DDO for example... That game was failing, absolutely, as a P2P MMO. It simply wasn't retaining enough subs to remain healthy. Turbine made the switch to their Hybrid model and, holy crap, you'd think the heavens parted and released a gift to the F2P crowd. People were so enamoured by the fact that a "AAA Quality" MMO had gone F2P that they completely overlooked the fact that it was a steadily sinking ship as P2P.
I've said it before and I'll say it again... when a MMO that was on its way down the tubes as P2P becomes the Darling of the F2P market... that's painting a pretty sad picture of F2P overall. And yet, some F2P advocates, such as Richard Aioshi here on MMORPG.com, can't understand why many people will only play P2P titles and won't touch F2P games, citing inferior quality as a common reason.
"If you just step away for a sec you will clearly see all the pot holes in the road, and the cash shop selling asphalt..." - Mimzel on F2P/Cash Shops
I think you're right, WAR seems like the best of those to go F2P. I say that because the population has dropped so far lately that they've been closing down servers left and right. Its sad really the game had so much potential but I think it was one of the biggest modern failures. I remember the lead developer talking about how the game was going to be a hobby that you'd want to buy t-shirts for and such. It sounded like he wanted to make the next WoW. Honestly that game fell appart from day one and with its almost zelot like belife in PVP forever it drove away a lot of the hardcore PVEers. I think that since EA shut down APB they may consider killing WAR, personally I think both of those games should have been F2P, especially APB.
Comments
turbine's Ashron's call been going since 1999, SWG will most likely go f2p or close down after TOR, maybe a revamp of the sony station pass.. AOC, might look that way,, some of these companies are making good money with thier products, just may not look like it to us.. I wish they would change the name of Free to Play to Free to Try, allot of people think that the are going to gt a AAA mmo for free from start to finishe and all that goes with it, this is not the case, most f2p games seem to be nothing more than an over blown demo, but the fact is they do bring in new subs and money, thats what they are there to do make profit, they don't make these games because they love us,
Would most love to see CoH/CoV go free to play.
But from that list alone Vanguard would be the one I'd play some again if it were free.
For Warhammer it is probably not going to save it, but War definitely needs to do something because it is definitely a dying game.
No, if they're gonna go F2P, I'd prefer they look at Anarchy Online rather than DDO or LotRO. Anarchy Online has the perfect "hybrid" setup.
-Letting Derek Smart work on your game is like letting Osama bin Laden work in the White House. Something will burn.-
-And on the 8th day, man created God.-
That would be the best thing that could happen to STO, that way it can die,
i don't think WAR would make a good F2P because it's PvP oriented. how could they keep it from becoming a pay to win?
You don't understand the desire to be able to much more easily play a wider range of games?
By playing in the microtransaction/hybrid payment games you open up the choice available to you on a daily basis, for many players sticking to one game rapidly leads to boredom, the ability to play multuiple titles casually is for many players tyhe preferable option, sure you can argue that you could just swap games that you sub to each month but that's not the degree of flexibility that I am talking about here, I mean being able to play what suited your mood on a daily basis much better.
My feeling is WAR will resist going F2P because of the real difficulties is making the transition, I think this one would shut down rather than go F2P, in spite of EA seemingly embracing the MT model with other titles.
Vanguard wont go F2P anytime soon as the interest in it from SoE is virtually non-existant & it might prove to take away from EverQuest & EverQuest II more than they would like & then they'd have a larger audience in a game they didn't develop clamouring for development & investment this might then look bad from a PR angle if their in-house titles performed worse and possibly hamper EQNext ambitions.
Lineage II might go F2P, not that I'd even give it a second look after trying that bot-filled POS grinder.
AoC seems to be doing fine for now & Funcom appear happy as they are, though they have gone on the record to say they are investigating the idea they have no plans yet.
STO & CO, I can see these 2 easily moving to F2P since they are almost there already.
CoX- I'd personally love to see this title try F2P as I was a fan of the game but got bored too quick to justify a sub, would be a title that I would "dip" into frequently though never stay long in it.
Whats the point in playing a MMO one month and another the next ? Since i've been playing MMOs, my goal was to get to the endgame and kill players (some prefer mobs). Why playing the game one day, then switch back to another the next day/weeks/month ?
And... if its because you're playing 2+ MMO, i got the same question, why ? Ok maybe because you like playing a very good old MMo while you enjoy playing with friends on a new one, i can understand...well... i think.
I dont wanna see every new MMO to be F2P, i dont want to see WAR going F2P as i might come back if one day they fix the damn game. Just started playing Fallen Earth and i dont want it to be F2P. F2P games bring lots of shit, a community of kids/adults that just cant undertsand that its a damn game and at the same time, they dont give a fuck about others.
Get a job.... pay for what the others work for. If i want to build a garage next to my house, i gotta pay for it, so i gotta work to pay. You cant pay ? Then dont play ! There's a bunch of trials ! And im sure if you look on the net, you'll find some good solo game that are as good as the old one were before the whole MMO world did KABOUM !
or.... get a job ....
Wish i could get free beer when im going to the bar lol
Because variety is fun and prevents burn out. On some days, the player might like to cut something with a sword while on another day, they might want to pilot a spaceship.
Even filet mignon gets stale if eaten every single night.
As many have stated before, some people do put money in a F2P and some put a great deal more in a F2P than a P2P. If they want to spend on a luxury garage with all the bells and whistles, more power to them. If they don't want to pay for a garage, they can always park out in the open.
i dont understand that you're able to play a game, have a life (do you) play another game and then maybe another game ? You want to be able to switch game on a dayly basis, do you bring your whole guild with you ?
If you read my last reply to a F2P fan, What the point in playing 2 MMO ? Unless you're already at the endgame, and even if you are, i just dont understand... You switch game, you play with others peoples from another guild on the other game, why dont you just go play a damn solo game ??? Wait, i got friends on both game... they can pay if they play ! Then choose one or pay for both game !
Hate this fucking mentality of peoples that just want everything !!! I want this, i want that, give me this, give me that, i dont wanna pay but the game is so fun, i'll just take millions of trials. Now i can give shit to others players that are on the trials or subs because im gonna change name on the next trial. I dont wanna pay, so i'll play a game that is F2P...
If you got a NORMAL life, how are you able to give enough time to 2 or more MMO ? Your wife work, you play ? You're a kid and daddy pay ? You just dont work, dont get out of your home and look like a vampire because its hot ?
Explain us, those that pay to enjoy playing a game we know why we pay for, how can you play more than one MMO and have a fucking NORMAL life ???
Now, im gonna log on my P2P game that is Fallen earth and enjoy the damn game while i can because i gotta go to bed later, because im working tomorow and thats why i pay a P2P game !
Just play the damn F2P MMO that are already F2P !!! Stop begging that every damn single fucking MMO become F2P.... dammit...
And what is the part about a burnout ? Seriously ? Who can get a damn burnout from a game ? You must hope you wont be working soon... 30 hours a week : burnout, 40 hours a week : unconscious, 50 hours a week : Dead !
cant believe it.... just cant...
Goodness me, what an angry little pent up ball of self-righteousness.
You hate that I want to have the choice?
Your whole argument stands upon the basis that I should just like things how you like them or I'm not normal?
To be honest your reply comes off as nothing more than pure unadulterated hate for anything non-subscription, you are entitled to your opinions, but you are not entitled to make character judgements to try & justify your opinions.
I am a formerly hardcore raider that dedicated 4hours a day plus to a game, a guild & a subscription, now I want to play casually & enjoy multiple games rather than be dedicated to just one, I did that for 10 years & now my gaming tastes are different, and I want to be able to choose on a whim what I want to play, I am not alone & I occupy a sizeable demographic and games companies are listening to it & creating products to cater to that, which does not mean games that suit your demographic will not get made.
I do not ask that ALL games change to F2p at all, I just would like to see more games that are open to hybridisation INCLUDING subscription options, rather than games be one or the other I'd rather they had the option to play & pay with more flexibility (I've pumped money into games for years funding their development if I liked them, either by way of sub or MT).
I have found that playing 1 sub game as my "Main game" & having several MT based games to play sporadically also stops me getting bored & burned out & quitting MMO's altogether, and I have a very normal life outside of gaming, which is my chosen hobby.
WoW?! Nah-never happen
I love you Skuz.
Uptight subbers have their ways, we have ours.
DAOC might be nice F2P. Was a nice game for it's time.
I get so tired of the articles on this site completely oblivious to the fact that the Turbine model and the normal f2p model are worlds apart. Until you make that distinction, articles like this will remain rinky dink because you are ignoring such an important fact.
I don't think that Lineage 2 will go f2p anytime soon. It's usually not a good idea to have two different payment models and Lineage 2 is still very popular in Korea. Even Lineage 1, which is even less popular in the west than L2, is still using a p2p model.
Vanguard should be free to play,especially since they dont do anything with it.
I would rather see more options to the subscription model. Some people don't get much time throughout a month so it's not really worth it for them to subscribe monthly.
Maybe like a weekends only for 15 weekends, or a certain week of the month per quarter. Something along these lines. This way it will help the youngsters keep up with their homework throughout the week (even adults could benefit from this so they don't lose track of time), and will be much more likely for their parents to allow them to play.
If I ever had a child I probably would never let them play any type of MMO be it F2P or Subscription based. It's just too much of a temptation to waste time, and money. But with something like this it might change the viewpoint of those parents.
Instead of selling 60 day time cards sell a weekends only subscription type time card. Something like this, but I'm sure you guys will despise it and throw out all these rebuttals. I don't know the upkeep costs of an MMO so I don't have anything to work with to better base my suggestions off of so I just came up with those, but I hope you get the point.
I am going to go way out left field with my pick: World War II Online
Why?
The 'Free Rifles' idea has been floated many times - sort of like the Planetside Reserve.
And I think they could 'sell' access (in a restricted way) to other equipment.
Does that make it Play to Win? Well, not if is done properly. I can think of some ways to do this.
Anyway, the thing about "F2P" is it is not a magic cure all. For some games it probably wouldn't work at all. EvE for example: although I have never played it I understand that the skills tree works on time? So a F2P model would kill it (player creates account then logs out until skill set is advanced...).
PotBS is going F2P and attempting to emulate the Turbine Model (If SOE don't completely destroy the idea with their input!)- I will guess that in the long run this will fail. Sure - for the first month or two of F2P the population will boom - FLS will probably have to put on more servers. But ultimately the game is just not that good - certainly not compared to the other F2Ps out there.
Turbine have succeeded IMHO because they clearly have people on their team who understand MMO gamers (they get the psychology). Companies like FLS (PotBS) and Cryptic (CO & STO) make fun games... but not MMOs. Really, they just 'don't get it'.
A better model for games like PotBS, CO and STO would be to convert them to Single Player games (*See note)- maybe with some multiplayer option. After all, most of the fun in those games was in the plots and story lines while ranking. End Game was lacking by comparison. If this could be done they could sell them for $50? a box and then pretty much walk away from it. No whiney MMO community demanding updates that are beyond them to deliver anyway.
*And before anyone jumps on me that this 'conversion' would basically require a complete re-write since a Client is very different to a stand alone game engine - yes I do know that - but you have your art done and your story elements done.
Nothing says irony like spelling ideot wrong.
Since im a lifer for CO i would be extremly pissed if it went F2P, just my 2 cents.
I wonder how Guild Wars does this, to.
And I wonder if there will be a spate of B2P games if GW2 does well. That would be nice for gamers who like to have three or four options to choose from without paying $15 x 4 every month.
I am convinced there is only one way to eliminate these grave evils, namely through the establishment of a socialist economy, accompanied by an educational system which would be oriented toward social goals.
~Albert Einstein
Personally, I'm surprised that Lineage II hasn't become F2P or atleast B2P already, with all the private servers out there, it would really really, help NCsoft to make it B2P at the very least. A good example of B2P gaming, Guild Wars, I personally bought it with every exapnsion and addon as soon as they came out, hell I'm problaby going to preorder the second as soon as it becomes avaliable. I know this post is about F2P games, which I jump around all the time, But still it wouldn't kill people to just buy the game itself and maybe any expansions that come with it then enjoy the game itself.
Also, Making Champions Online F2P, I can already smell the crap piling up from that idea, sure they'd add cosmetic items or stuff that resets skill points or power points already, but let's be honest, with how bad of a company Cryptic is, (in my opinion anyways.) I can already tell they're going to add some BS Experience items or stuff that'll give unfair advantages to other players. Now don't get me wrong, I was subbed to CO for maybe 3-4 months before I unsubbed it due to how dull and boring the game got in that time, I mean yeah the control scheme is real easy and the customization is fun, but gameplay in general wasn't all that great. Personally I'd prefer to see CoH go F2P, but with their recent release of the Rogue heroes or whatever, that won't be happening anytime soon.
From my recent experience at trying F2P it seems to me more expensive then paying the $15 a month. The prices of things are way expensive in my opinion so I guess i will just pay the $15. Maybe I am justing missing something. I would like to try STO so maybe i'll buy it finally.
I find it funny that prior to the whole F2P craze, P2P did just fine and no one ever second-guessed it. People bought the boxes, paid the subs, and played.... this lasted just fine for about a decade. And, in a number of cases, it's still working just fine.
Yet, you have people who like to think in absolutes out there now arguing that "P2P doesn't work anymore and F2P is the only viable way to go". Of course P2P still works. It still *is* working. The trick is to create a game that enough people find *worth the subscription fee* to pay for. Several developers over the past 5 or 6 years have failed to pull that off.
Their failure - at least in part, in my own opinion - is that instead of trying to forge their own identity and providing a unique experience (like the old school MMOs were), they were trying to ride WoW's coat-tails by trying to capture Blizzard's lightning. One after another, they failed, and players became more and more disenchanted, and more and more cynical.
And of course there's that word "free". People are drawn in by the word. All their "standards" and "demands" and "expectations" fly out the window the moment they realize there isn't a price attached to something. *Especially* if it's a AAA title making the switch. Look at DDO for example... That game was failing, absolutely, as a P2P MMO. It simply wasn't retaining enough subs to remain healthy. Turbine made the switch to their Hybrid model and, holy crap, you'd think the heavens parted and released a gift to the F2P crowd. People were so enamoured by the fact that a "AAA Quality" MMO had gone F2P that they completely overlooked the fact that it was a steadily sinking ship as P2P.
I've said it before and I'll say it again... when a MMO that was on its way down the tubes as P2P becomes the Darling of the F2P market... that's painting a pretty sad picture of F2P overall. And yet, some F2P advocates, such as Richard Aioshi here on MMORPG.com, can't understand why many people will only play P2P titles and won't touch F2P games, citing inferior quality as a common reason.
and the cash shop selling asphalt..." - Mimzel on F2P/Cash Shops
I think you're right, WAR seems like the best of those to go F2P. I say that because the population has dropped so far lately that they've been closing down servers left and right. Its sad really the game had so much potential but I think it was one of the biggest modern failures. I remember the lead developer talking about how the game was going to be a hobby that you'd want to buy t-shirts for and such. It sounded like he wanted to make the next WoW. Honestly that game fell appart from day one and with its almost zelot like belife in PVP forever it drove away a lot of the hardcore PVEers. I think that since EA shut down APB they may consider killing WAR, personally I think both of those games should have been F2P, especially APB.