I don't know why anyone complains about f2p in LOTRO. If you love the game and play regularly then you probably sub to it so it doesn't affect you. Also, if you love the game you're happy about efforts by the devs to bring in more players and boost their revenues so that, in turn, they can invest more in the game.
The point is, f2p isn't there for you, the regular player to never pay subs - that would be a stupid commercial decision. It's there to allow new players to trial the game, but it's more than a trial because it does allow existing players to play the game in the way they want. Take DDO for example, I played for a couple of months as a subscriber, got bored and went back to LOTRO. But I still log in and play a few dungeons now and then, for free. I can only do that because it's f2p and I spent my points on some adventure packs. Personally I love the fact that my time as a subscriber now allows me to play the game for free. Ofc, if I wanted to play it full-time again I would probably subscribe.
Ultimately you have to decide how much time you spend in the game - is it worth £8.99 a month? Or would you spend less than that buying the occasional quest pack, character slot or whatever? Personally I love that we now have the option with LOTRO so if I want to reduce my play time but still play, I can also reduce what it costs me.
Now let's imagine SW:TOR is going to be f2p with the same model as LOTRO. It's a game I'm excited about but also nervous that I won't like it. I am going to have to spend £40 or so to buy it and play for a month even though I may ditch after a couple of weeks if I hate it. Now if it was f2p I could play and get a feel for the game without spending anything, and if I still want to see more perhaps I could spend £10 or £20 on content before I decide if it's for me. Personally I think f2p is a great way to attract players to a game when the market is so saturated.
If you want to whine about f2p check out EQ2 Extended. While Turbine/Codemasters have given away a lot for free so you can actually play the game, SOE have designed a f2p experience to frustrate you to the point of subbing!
Comments
I don't know why anyone complains about f2p in LOTRO. If you love the game and play regularly then you probably sub to it so it doesn't affect you. Also, if you love the game you're happy about efforts by the devs to bring in more players and boost their revenues so that, in turn, they can invest more in the game.
The point is, f2p isn't there for you, the regular player to never pay subs - that would be a stupid commercial decision. It's there to allow new players to trial the game, but it's more than a trial because it does allow existing players to play the game in the way they want. Take DDO for example, I played for a couple of months as a subscriber, got bored and went back to LOTRO. But I still log in and play a few dungeons now and then, for free. I can only do that because it's f2p and I spent my points on some adventure packs. Personally I love the fact that my time as a subscriber now allows me to play the game for free. Ofc, if I wanted to play it full-time again I would probably subscribe.
Ultimately you have to decide how much time you spend in the game - is it worth £8.99 a month? Or would you spend less than that buying the occasional quest pack, character slot or whatever? Personally I love that we now have the option with LOTRO so if I want to reduce my play time but still play, I can also reduce what it costs me.
Now let's imagine SW:TOR is going to be f2p with the same model as LOTRO. It's a game I'm excited about but also nervous that I won't like it. I am going to have to spend £40 or so to buy it and play for a month even though I may ditch after a couple of weeks if I hate it. Now if it was f2p I could play and get a feel for the game without spending anything, and if I still want to see more perhaps I could spend £10 or £20 on content before I decide if it's for me. Personally I think f2p is a great way to attract players to a game when the market is so saturated.
If you want to whine about f2p check out EQ2 Extended. While Turbine/Codemasters have given away a lot for free so you can actually play the game, SOE have designed a f2p experience to frustrate you to the point of subbing!