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A proposal to game companies to kick freeloaders to the curb.
WildNature13
Member Posts: 20
These are only my personal ideas on the whole thing but maybe a game company would take heart. Everyone and I'm sure the gaming houses themselves are seeing how low income gamers are pushing for reduced sub fees as well as B2P/F2P games. I have an idea for that.
Go with them--allow B2P/F2P but do not let a single freeloader be able to get max level on your nickel and dime. Nor max gear. Require some sort of payment system to ensure that you can't have a single freeloader riding the coat tails of your game. Reminds me of that saying on The Onion, "Good honorable gamers will continue to pay for the freeloader's gaming."
So I ask the AAA gaming houses to include a lot more in your cash shops, including some sort of buffs and cosmetic items. Also include a "level unlocker" in the cash shop.
Just keep us paying customers in mind and remember that we truly do back you. Even if the low income gamers really are the vocal minority.
Good Day Sir,
Cameron.
Comments
This one will be so fun. The elitism dripping from the op is...............I can't even describe it.
/popcorn
I want a mmorpg where people have gone through misery, have gone through school stuff and actually have had sex even. -sagil
As if there's something wrong with the post I posted...just throwing my ideas out there to the masses.
Dear Cameron,
Considering the F2P model makes much more money than the P2P model (as shown by Turbine and SOE), can you really blame "low income gamers" for the shift to F2P? Do you also not understand that these very "freeloaders" are an important part of the F2P model and that putting barriers such as what you suggested (Level Barriers), you'd be essentially reducing a game's popularity (and possibly killing it in the long term)?
Sincerely,
Reality.
Those freeloaders remain freeloaders until they put a penny down on the game. If they buy something they are a not a freeloader any longer! Such a novel idea!
5 people in the world who are freeloaders or 1 person who's bought something? I'm sure the game company would choose the 1 person who's bought something to remain.
In DDO, there used to be these items called leveling sigils that you needed to buy every four levels in order to continue on. In Turbine games, you could earn the points by playing, but the rate of point gain was so low that minimum wage easily eclipsed it, so you were basically coerced into paying your way through.
Turbine figured out that the system was resulting in people getting to level 4 and then quitting, so they did away with the system. F2P can now level to 20, but if a player doesn't manage their XP bonuses correctly from quests, it's possible for them to never get to 20 without help from a high-level adventure pack or two.
Also, freeloaders do serve a purpose in these games. Considering that many F2P games were once P2P, they are usually lacking a solid playerbase. By enticing everyone to come in, freeloaders can make the game appear popular while the paying customers make the game financially viable. If the game's popular, chances are that more people are going to be convinced to just check it out, which results in more freeloaders (to help the game's population) or even a paying customer now and again.
How does that answer the points I mentionned in my post? Oops, it doesn't.
I just answered them in my previous post. Sorry guy, I'm not very accepting of freeloaders.
Why pay for something when you don't need to? If 'Freeloaders' are having fun without paying whats the big deal?
Nope, its a simpe matter of classifying everyone who doesn't pay in an F2P game as "low income". I make a great living (my wife makes more, though), but I'll gladly play a game for free. Only if it is truly impressive in my eyes, will I pay.
I want a mmorpg where people have gone through misery, have gone through school stuff and actually have had sex even. -sagil
See that's the grey zone "only if it's truly impressive."
Which is why I'll be enjoying my buff scrolls in GW2. "Trying to have your cake and eat it to" I guess is your mentality. :
I read on a certain guild's GW2 forum that their members will be buying the karma buffs the first week and everyday for the first month to ensure they dominate in WvWvW for their zone.
It's the "only if it's truly impressive" ideologies that are probably driving these folks, one of the named Guilds already in GW2.
Freeloaders provide a service to the publisher.
Their activity helps the gameworld look alive.
They hide real paying population numbers so it's impossible to tell if a game is doing badly (a kiss of death once the reputation solidifies).
They provide PVPers something to shoot at.
They make cash shop players over-powered against them. Obviously a plus to the cash shop players.
If they like the game, the talk it up to friends, family, and coworkers.
They don't eat much in terms of resources. The most expensive is customer service, and reps might be given general instructions to not spend much time on them.
Possibly the most damage that they do to a game is by playing the auction house for profits by buying and reselling cash shop items. Personally I'd resolve this by having cash shop items sellable by the original purchaser only (bind on trade), that way they can't resell.
The problem is that they're not freeloaders if the F2P model wants them there, which it does. Why? Because the purpose of letting these players in without barrier of entry is to populate the game world, which in turns encourages players who'd spend money to spend money (because who'd spend money in a dead game). If the game forced players to pay to unlock higher levels, then you'd have much more empty areas which would make partying or running various activities far less common and interesting, so much less likely to encourage players to keep playing/paying.
These players are not freeloaders, they're one of the main foundation of the F2P model.
Hmm, that makes no sense in context of the discussion. Teenagers. As for GW2, that game is B2P; thus, no one is a freeloader.
I want a mmorpg where people have gone through misery, have gone through school stuff and actually have had sex even. -sagil
So "Cameron" here paid his way in some game to the top with costly gear and whatever and got his butt handed to him by someone that hadn't paid anything. Anyone else getting that feeling here?
Oderint, dum metuant.
A dead game isn't measured in the thousands or at the end of the day. It's zone to zone. Very hard to articulate where in the world the freeloaders would be. Although, to bite their ankles I'd say they'd be chatting around the "newbie zone." ;-)
I'm actually pre-referencing the karma scrolls we'll all be buying in GW2 but have your jab...it was worth it.
Which I covered in the next sentence after you stopped reading.
It won't be long before they understand that those minor buffs, however, won't prevent them from having their collective arses handed to them by players that know what they're doing, out strategize them, etc. I'm looking forwards to people who um... how to put this politely... make the poor business decision to pay for gems to trade for gold to buy seige engine blueprints, so I can destroy those siege gears before they even get to use them. It'll be even sweeter when I do it with the siege gear I make from the free BP drops off the dolyaks. Ah, good times are a-comin'.
Oderint, dum metuant.
I know but people are really getting angry over the buff scrolls and stuff that you can buy in the GW2 cash shop. It gets maddening.
Them der buffs...they allow access to the gear easier and 10-20% faster. 10-20% of anything is a nice chunk of time cut off. So they can practice with said gear, get out of that "learning curve" with said gear (since all your abilities are tied to the weapon you are using) and just own face that much harder and faster.
Now imagine GW2 Guilds that are pushing for the purchase of said karma scrolls. That's very lucrative both for the gaming house as well as the people wanting to dominate pvp.
Now I'm beggining to understand. You don't like people complaining about the cashshop items in and upcoming B2P game, so the outlet for your frustration is to call everyone who doesn't buy one a "low income freeloader".
That about right?
I'm really getting good use of my /popcorn here.
I want a mmorpg where people have gone through misery, have gone through school stuff and actually have had sex even. -sagil
Flame On ! wooosh
My view on the matter subscription games will always be bettter quality products in the long run no ftp game will ever last 10 years your view is terrible and no game company in their right mind will ever kick potential paying players to the curb discourage maybe but kick never
subscription and cash shop can coexist as long as they dont get greedy keep it to cosmetic items or at the least very lite expediter type items
Karma scrolls? People think they'll be worth buying? Karma is already in abundance in GW2... I have plenty on my mesmer, more than I've been able to find level specific gear to spend it on. The boosts only last an hour and only give you 50% (I think...) more karma for whatever you do in that hour that give karma. What... a couple dynamic events maybe?
Well... it'll support ANet, so I fully support people buying them. But if you hear someone giggling at you there's a good chance it'll be me.
Oderint, dum metuant.
Thanks buddy.
I'm thoroughly enjoying this as well. The status quo is here and the times haven't changed yet. Just trying to ebb the flow. ;-)
This isn't the first time you've tried this. Locking.
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