WildStar definitely has quality. People who do not like stylized graphics are trying to present the game as a casual game or a copy of WoW. It will have casual elements, though it will also have hardcore elements. I personally wouldn't mind paying a subscription. However, after playing GW2 for a bit, I'd much rather a buy to play with item mall (provided the item mall is done well).
To me, WildStar looks to be the best MMO I've ever seen. It has great elements that'll appeal to a large audience and does them well. I've watched practically every video they've released, even the 90 minute ones MMORPG.com has released with the developers of WildStar. The features of this game are great and I can't wait. They have some great elements of both a themepark MMO as well as a sandbox MMO. Every element of the game has been thought of and pushed to the limit. If you are a Settler, you can build onto towns, build services for others, construct campfires that provide boosts to anyone who uses them, etc. It's neat to see that when your buildings are used, you get experience/rewards. I also can't wait for the adventures on building and maintaining a house. Clearing the monsters off your land, then building a house and decorating it with items you find in the game is great. You get more rest XP for more items you have in your house. Further, you can farm on your land, build crafting benches, build a mine, and even go underground in your mine for special events. All of this are release day features and can be expanded on greatly.
Please do not be free to play. Please be buy to play or pay to play. I'm also fine with an item mall as long as it's just for cosmetics or convenience. GW2 does a great item mall. Just about everything you can buy with money, you can get in the actual game too. You can also spend your gold on gems and there is a supply and demand exchange rate that changes. Very well done and it helps GW2 make extra money.
WildStar is a different game. The developers have said, over and over, that they are not making 'just another themepark MMO'. They are bored of themepark MMOs. Everyone who seems to dislike WildStar says the same thing, "It's another WoW themepark clone." It's not. Take a bit and learn about it and see just how different and unique the game really is. The graphics, again, are fantastic. As a developer myself, I much prefer the illustrated/painted graphics than realism. Realism can be achieved by anyone. It's easy and cheap. Go grab a game engine such as Unity or UDK and you have realism. If you want a game that looks the same as every other game out there, then great. I, however, appreciate the extreme amount of time and effort the WildStar team has put into their graphics and game engine, which they've worked on for the last six years. You have to be different to succeed in this industry and WildStar is different. I hope it'll be at PAX Prime in a few months, as I'd very much like to play it and get beta access.
Originally posted by Mathadar I'm calling it now you will have to be subbed to the game to access all the elder game content.
Acutally this may be the best route. If Warplots and Raiding require a sub I think it would be a win win for both devs and players. Devs can still make money like Anet off box sales and those who only want the solo and small group dungeon play don't have to sub. Versus the hardcore content grinders/devotees in the PvP and Rading scene would pay subs and keep their small part of the community free from the drifters/leechers.
Not a bad idea when you consider everything. Doesn't AoC do that now with their content?
As much as I'm looking forward to the title I'm hoping for B2P because there's 0% chance I'll pay for a sub. I've been playing MMO's since EQ as a kid so this has nothing to do with being a "console player" as another poster suggested. Paying $15, $10, etc. per month does not result in a better community, it does not result in more content (with an expansion pack you "paid for development with subs" and then you went out an paid for the damn expansion cause that makes a whole lot of sense), does not result in higher quality, does not mean devs listen to players any more than in other models, does not mean there's any less grind, etc. Pretty much every argument for the sub model is pure fallacy and has no weight behind it.
As much as I'm looking forward to the title I'm hoping for B2P because there's 0% chance I'll pay for a sub. I've been playing MMO's since EQ as a kid so this has nothing to do with being a "console player" as another poster suggested. Paying $15, $10, etc. per month does not result in a better community, it does not result in more content (with an expansion pack you "paid for development with subs" and then you went out an paid for the damn expansion cause that makes a whole lot of sense), does not result in higher quality, does not mean devs listen to players any more than in other models, does not mean there's any less grind, etc. Pretty much every argument for the sub model is pure fallacy and has no weight behind it.
You, are so wrong. Yes, a P2P game makes a better community, it does result in more content and expansion, and quality. If you don't believe me, then go play some F2P's over there, and come back here and tell me what you think. Oh , but please say your point of view about cash shop(s) too. However, B2P is an option too , as this will "shu shu" kids and the F2P community away, which is fine. If they will make it B2P, I am hoping that the cash shop will be ala GW2, and not ala Aion, Lineage, etc .. etc ......etc.
All in all , Wildstar will be a P2P game, which it should be that way. I will still play it if it's B2P. However, if it's F2P, then ...i'll be waiting for ArcheAge.
Reporter: What's behind Blizzard success, and how do you make your gamers happy? Blizzard Boss: Making gamers happy is not my concern, making money.. yes!
Originally posted by Mathadar I'm calling it now you will have to be subbed to the game to access all the elder game content.
Acutally this may be the best route. If Warplots and Raiding require a sub I think it would be a win win for both devs and players. Devs can still make money like Anet off box sales and those who only want the solo and small group dungeon play don't have to sub. Versus the hardcore content grinders/devotees in the PvP and Rading scene would pay subs and keep their small part of the community free from the drifters/leechers.
Not a bad idea when you consider everything. Doesn't AoC do that now with their content?
I actually never considered this, I quite like that idea-- but at the same time it would still likely require a cash shop for the F2P players. I'm a big fan of being able to still log into a game I spent time on even though my sub is up; much akin to being able to log in to Rift with characters below level 20, but being able to do that at level cap would be amazing. Even if it's restricted I don't think you should be barred by a subscription fee to at least log in and hang out around town to chat with friends.
As much as I'm looking forward to the title I'm hoping for B2P because there's 0% chance I'll pay for a sub. I've been playing MMO's since EQ as a kid so this has nothing to do with being a "console player" as another poster suggested. Paying $15, $10, etc. per month does not result in a better community, it does not result in more content (with an expansion pack you "paid for development with subs" and then you went out an paid for the damn expansion cause that makes a whole lot of sense), does not result in higher quality, does not mean devs listen to players any more than in other models, does not mean there's any less grind, etc. Pretty much every argument for the sub model is pure fallacy and has no weight behind it.
You, are so wrong. Yes, a P2P game makes a better community, it does result in more content and expansion, and quality. If you don't believe me, then go play some F2P's over there, and come back here and tell me what you think. Oh , but please say your point of view about cash shop(s) too. However, B2P is an option too , as this will "shu shu" kids and the F2P community away, which is fine. If they will make it B2P, I am hoping that the cash shop will be ala GW2, and not ala Aion, Lineage, etc .. etc ......etc.
All in all , Wildstar will be a P2P game, which it should be that way. I will still play it if it's B2P. However, if it's F2P, then ...i'll be waiting for ArcheAge.
Actuallty, you are wrong. p2p automatically doesn't make a community better, the game mechanics help shape the game community. All a p2p does it reduce the amount of bots, but people l ike to cheat so they ended up helping create more bots.
As much as I'm looking forward to the title I'm hoping for B2P because there's 0% chance I'll pay for a sub. I've been playing MMO's since EQ as a kid so this has nothing to do with being a "console player" as another poster suggested. Paying $15, $10, etc. per month does not result in a better community, it does not result in more content (with an expansion pack you "paid for development with subs" and then you went out an paid for the damn expansion cause that makes a whole lot of sense), does not result in higher quality, does not mean devs listen to players any more than in other models, does not mean there's any less grind, etc. Pretty much every argument for the sub model is pure fallacy and has no weight behind it.
You, are so wrong. Yes, a P2P game makes a better community, it does result in more content and expansion, and quality. If you don't believe me, then go play some F2P's over there, and come back here and tell me what you think. Oh , but please say your point of view about cash shop(s) too. However, B2P is an option too , as this will "shu shu" kids and the F2P community away, which is fine. If they will make it B2P, I am hoping that the cash shop will be ala GW2, and not ala Aion, Lineage, etc .. etc ......etc.
All in all , Wildstar will be a P2P game, which it should be that way. I will still play it if it's B2P. However, if it's F2P, then ...i'll be waiting for ArcheAge.
Let me name some horrible communities for you Rift, WoW, Darkfall, do I even need to keep going because every single game on the planet is full of douches? I've played a ton of F2P games and the communities are all exactly the same as any P2P or B2P game - a bunch of normal people and a bunch of asshats. If you think the cost of a $15 sub that usually doesn't even require a credit card at this point (get a time card at the store) actually keeps the riff raff out of any community you're sorely mistaken. Your argument holds no weight.
As far as cash shops go I've got no problem with the majority of them. The landscape in cash shops, especialyl in the West, is nothing like when F2P first appeared. I rarely if ever see what I consider P2W. Mostly a ton of cosmetics, bank/inventory space, mounts, etc. Whoop-dee-doo!
Any word on if this is going to be Subscription? B2P? Did not see a single thing about it on the official site or here about it.
F2p they will be forced to go f2p due to peer pressures. Many layoffs will ensue and a smaller group of people will actualky play and enjoy this game. It's unfortunate but that is what's trending. It's to bad too this game was the one game I was really looking forward to. I have made it irrelevant though by selling all of my pc gaming equipment. So it can release buy to play at this point and it still wont matter.
Now if they go ahead with the ps4 version I hooe its a buy to play or at least sub.
Originally posted by JasonJ Any word on if this is going to be Subscription? B2P? Did not see a single thing about it on the official site or here about it.
F2p they will be forced to go f2p due to peer pressures. Many layoffs will ensue and a smaller group of people will actualky play and enjoy this game. It's unfortunate but that is what's trending. It's to bad too this game was the one game I was really looking forward to. I have made it irrelevant though by selling all of my pc gaming equipment. So it can release buy to play at this point and it still wont matter. Now if they go ahead with the ps4 version I hooe its a buy to play or at least sub.
Oh nice we have a fortune teller here. someone pay him
Originally posted by KingofHartz Originally posted by JasonJ Any word on if this is going to be Subscription? B2P? Did not see a single thing about it on the official site or here about it.
F2p they will be forced to go f2p due to peer pressures. Many layoffs will ensue and a smaller group of people will actualky play and enjoy this game. It's unfortunate but that is what's trending. It's to bad too this game was the one game I was really looking forward to. I have made it irrelevant though by selling all of my pc gaming equipment. So it can release buy to play at this point and it still wont matter. Now if they go ahead with the ps4 version I hooe its a buy to play or at least sub.
Oh nice we have a fortune teller here. someone pay him
This is not a knock on the game per se as i sort of lie kthe game myself,but the graphics are so low end,the design tells me proabably F2p or b2p,most likely b2p.
The tough decision for the board is to decide if they go sub fee ,they can always go back and go f2p but you can't do that right away w/o pissing off all those who subbed.Also you run the risk of going sub based and nobody plays,then you struggle to get players back.
it seems that past experience has shown if players run away on launch,they usually don't come back.The difference being FFXIV that is a totally different scenario,i don't ever expect to see anotehr developer change 360 and put that much more money into a game after a failure.
Never forget 3 mile Island and never trust a government official or company spokesman.
This is not a knock on the game per se as i sort of lie kthe game myself,but the graphics are so low end,the design tells me proabably F2p or b2p,most likely b2p.The tough decision for the board is to decide if they go sub fee ,they can always go back and go f2p but you can't do that right away w/o pissing off all those who subbed.Also you run the risk of going sub based and nobody plays,then you struggle to get players back.it seems that past experience has shown if players run away on launch,they usually don't come back.The difference being FFXIV that is a totally different scenario,i don't ever expect to see anotehr developer change 360 and put that much more money into a game after a failure.
They should go sub based for 6 months then tranfer to pay to win after everyone gets hooked on the game. Uncertainty does wonders for consumer confidence, especially when catering to a bunch of half wit zombies.
Hope it's B2P. Also, why does almost every company insist on 15 bucks a month if it's P2P?
Looks purty good atm, though, regardless of sub model.
"As you read these words, a release is seven days or less away or has just happened within the last seven days those are now the only two states youll find the world of Tyria."...Guild Wars 2
The free to play VS subscription base controversy has been on going ever since free to play models were invented.
Buy to Play is kind of unique for mmo's. Before mmo's you bought a game and played it till it got boring and bought another game or the next version. It's an up front and honest way to make a buck. But in an mmo the cost of maintaining an online world is expensive. The only incentive to keep the game fun and addictive is to sell the game. Once the game sales drop off the incentive is gone. As long as you can keep selling expansions you can keep the game going. It's probably the best entertainment value you can get in an mmo, but probably not as profitable, or more gaming company's would be doing it.
The competition for players in mmo's is high, being successful has a lot of challenges. And by success I mean profit. There are many reasons to put your time and money into a project, but none bigger then turning a profit.
Obviously free to play is more profitable then subscription. Just look at the hundreds of games in the mmorpg game list, there's only about 10 subscription based games left.
Free to play is just a sales gimmick, one way or another you have to get people to pay, and I have seen game company's come up with a lot of different ways to do it. Some good and some bad. Free to play just seems like a dishonest approach to me, making people feel like there getting something for free when in reality they are just fodder for the paying costumers who end up paying extra. I think there will always be more people in the world that can be taken in by sale gimmicks. There for I don't see free to play going away anytime soon.
Sure free to play is fun for awhile and that's what a lot of low budget mmo's are going for. Make a game, get 10% of the people to buy stuff then move on to the next game. Yet another way to turn a profit. It's dishonest and people feel screwed over.
It's impossible to make a balanced free to play mmo. The paying customers will always have the advantage over the free players. If they don't then why would you pay, and if no one is paying then why make the game, it's just common sense.
But playing an unbalanced game is still fun for some people, they don't mind people that pay have the advantage because there basically paying for them to be able to play for free, it's just not my cup of tea. Just don't come complaining about it in the forums when you find out it's not balanced.
I myself like the straight forward approach of subscription based. I pay $15 to get access to everything in the game for a month. I'm not paying to use just one thing in the game with the delusion that I own it. I'm just paying to play the game for a month. If the content is addictive, and I have fun, I feel I have got my money's worth. And I can quit at any time with no remorse. The fact is though, it's more profitable to sell stuff separately.
TO GAME COMPANY'S: STOP TRYING TO SELL ME STUFF THAT ISN'T REAL!
Just make something that's addictive low cost entertainment. Just be honest and up front, we know your not working for free.
Games where you buy stuff with real money make me feel to invested, I feel like I bought something that isn't real and when it becomes useless or I don't use it any more I feel like I have thrown my money away.
One of the biggest challenges in making a good old fashion, long lasting, addictive mmo these days is staying on top of the hackers that ruin the game for the honest players. You can be sure that there are people in the Wildstar beta working on a gold farming app they can sell to gold farmers. It's impossible to make a hack free game, especially a client-server based game. It take's a big budget to stay on top of it, especially in a free to play game because people using the apps can make as many accounts as they want at no cost to them. This extra cost is put on the paying customers as well.
Back in 2000 I was addicted to Everquest for 5 years. Before Everquest I used to go to the bar with the guys after work everyday and drop $10 to $20 in a few hour. Paying $15 a month for entertainment was a huge savings to me.
People that can afford a gaming computer and high speed internet, that say they can't afford $15 a month for hundreds of hours of entertainment are lying.
In the end you ether get what you pay for or you get ripped off.
Comments
WildStar definitely has quality. People who do not like stylized graphics are trying to present the game as a casual game or a copy of WoW. It will have casual elements, though it will also have hardcore elements. I personally wouldn't mind paying a subscription. However, after playing GW2 for a bit, I'd much rather a buy to play with item mall (provided the item mall is done well).
To me, WildStar looks to be the best MMO I've ever seen. It has great elements that'll appeal to a large audience and does them well. I've watched practically every video they've released, even the 90 minute ones MMORPG.com has released with the developers of WildStar. The features of this game are great and I can't wait. They have some great elements of both a themepark MMO as well as a sandbox MMO. Every element of the game has been thought of and pushed to the limit. If you are a Settler, you can build onto towns, build services for others, construct campfires that provide boosts to anyone who uses them, etc. It's neat to see that when your buildings are used, you get experience/rewards. I also can't wait for the adventures on building and maintaining a house. Clearing the monsters off your land, then building a house and decorating it with items you find in the game is great. You get more rest XP for more items you have in your house. Further, you can farm on your land, build crafting benches, build a mine, and even go underground in your mine for special events. All of this are release day features and can be expanded on greatly.
Please do not be free to play. Please be buy to play or pay to play. I'm also fine with an item mall as long as it's just for cosmetics or convenience. GW2 does a great item mall. Just about everything you can buy with money, you can get in the actual game too. You can also spend your gold on gems and there is a supply and demand exchange rate that changes. Very well done and it helps GW2 make extra money.
WildStar is a different game. The developers have said, over and over, that they are not making 'just another themepark MMO'. They are bored of themepark MMOs. Everyone who seems to dislike WildStar says the same thing, "It's another WoW themepark clone." It's not. Take a bit and learn about it and see just how different and unique the game really is. The graphics, again, are fantastic. As a developer myself, I much prefer the illustrated/painted graphics than realism. Realism can be achieved by anyone. It's easy and cheap. Go grab a game engine such as Unity or UDK and you have realism. If you want a game that looks the same as every other game out there, then great. I, however, appreciate the extreme amount of time and effort the WildStar team has put into their graphics and game engine, which they've worked on for the last six years. You have to be different to succeed in this industry and WildStar is different. I hope it'll be at PAX Prime in a few months, as I'd very much like to play it and get beta access.
Acutally this may be the best route. If Warplots and Raiding require a sub I think it would be a win win for both devs and players. Devs can still make money like Anet off box sales and those who only want the solo and small group dungeon play don't have to sub. Versus the hardcore content grinders/devotees in the PvP and Rading scene would pay subs and keep their small part of the community free from the drifters/leechers.
Not a bad idea when you consider everything. Doesn't AoC do that now with their content?
As much as I'm looking forward to the title I'm hoping for B2P because there's 0% chance I'll pay for a sub. I've been playing MMO's since EQ as a kid so this has nothing to do with being a "console player" as another poster suggested. Paying $15, $10, etc. per month does not result in a better community, it does not result in more content (with an expansion pack you "paid for development with subs" and then you went out an paid for the damn expansion cause that makes a whole lot of sense), does not result in higher quality, does not mean devs listen to players any more than in other models, does not mean there's any less grind, etc. Pretty much every argument for the sub model is pure fallacy and has no weight behind it.
Steam: Neph
You, are so wrong. Yes, a P2P game makes a better community, it does result in more content and expansion, and quality. If you don't believe me, then go play some F2P's over there, and come back here and tell me what you think. Oh , but please say your point of view about cash shop(s) too. However, B2P is an option too , as this will "shu shu" kids and the F2P community away, which is fine. If they will make it B2P, I am hoping that the cash shop will be ala GW2, and not ala Aion, Lineage, etc .. etc ......etc.
All in all , Wildstar will be a P2P game, which it should be that way. I will still play it if it's B2P. However, if it's F2P, then ...i'll be waiting for ArcheAge.
Reporter: What's behind Blizzard success, and how do you make your gamers happy?
Blizzard Boss: Making gamers happy is not my concern, making money.. yes!
I actually never considered this, I quite like that idea-- but at the same time it would still likely require a cash shop for the F2P players. I'm a big fan of being able to still log into a game I spent time on even though my sub is up; much akin to being able to log in to Rift with characters below level 20, but being able to do that at level cap would be amazing. Even if it's restricted I don't think you should be barred by a subscription fee to at least log in and hang out around town to chat with friends.
Actuallty, you are wrong. p2p automatically doesn't make a community better, the game mechanics help shape the game community. All a p2p does it reduce the amount of bots, but people l ike to cheat so they ended up helping create more bots.
Let me name some horrible communities for you Rift, WoW, Darkfall, do I even need to keep going because every single game on the planet is full of douches? I've played a ton of F2P games and the communities are all exactly the same as any P2P or B2P game - a bunch of normal people and a bunch of asshats. If you think the cost of a $15 sub that usually doesn't even require a credit card at this point (get a time card at the store) actually keeps the riff raff out of any community you're sorely mistaken. Your argument holds no weight.
As far as cash shops go I've got no problem with the majority of them. The landscape in cash shops, especialyl in the West, is nothing like when F2P first appeared. I rarely if ever see what I consider P2W. Mostly a ton of cosmetics, bank/inventory space, mounts, etc. Whoop-dee-doo!
Steam: Neph
F2p they will be forced to go f2p due to peer pressures. Many layoffs will ensue and a smaller group of people will actualky play and enjoy this game. It's unfortunate but that is what's trending. It's to bad too this game was the one game I was really looking forward to. I have made it irrelevant though by selling all of my pc gaming equipment. So it can release buy to play at this point and it still wont matter.Now if they go ahead with the ps4 version I hooe its a buy to play or at least sub.
I bet anything that Wildstar will be Box + P2P + expansions and I am so happy it will not be B2P or F2P.
I already preordered the box: http://www.jrc.cz/hra_pc_wild_star
Oh nice
we have a fortune teller here. someone pay him
F2p they will be forced to go f2p due to peer pressures. Many layoffs will ensue and a smaller group of people will actualky play and enjoy this game. It's unfortunate but that is what's trending. It's to bad too this game was the one game I was really looking forward to. I have made it irrelevant though by selling all of my pc gaming equipment. So it can release buy to play at this point and it still wont matter. Now if they go ahead with the ps4 version I hooe its a buy to play or at least sub.Oh nice
we have a fortune teller here. someone pay him
?This is not a knock on the game per se as i sort of lie kthe game myself,but the graphics are so low end,the design tells me proabably F2p or b2p,most likely b2p.
The tough decision for the board is to decide if they go sub fee ,they can always go back and go f2p but you can't do that right away w/o pissing off all those who subbed.Also you run the risk of going sub based and nobody plays,then you struggle to get players back.
it seems that past experience has shown if players run away on launch,they usually don't come back.The difference being FFXIV that is a totally different scenario,i don't ever expect to see anotehr developer change 360 and put that much more money into a game after a failure.
Never forget 3 mile Island and never trust a government official or company spokesman.
They should go sub based for 6 months then tranfer to pay to win after everyone gets hooked on the game. Uncertainty does wonders for consumer confidence, especially when catering to a bunch of half wit zombies.
Well I guess you could say you never get what you want. :-) welcome to the world of pc gaming in 2013 a bunch of turds in the toilet.If its sub based it will go under.
No mmo with subs will survive nowadays, thanx to gw2
Step in the arena and break the wall down
"Negaholics are people who become addicted to negativity and self-doubt, they find fault in most things and never seem to be satisfied."
^MMORPG.com
Hope it's B2P. Also, why does almost every company insist on 15 bucks a month if it's P2P?
Looks purty good atm, though, regardless of sub model.
"As you read these words, a release is seven days or less away or has just happened within the last seven days those are now the only two states youll find the world of Tyria."...Guild Wars 2
The free to play VS subscription base controversy has been on going ever since free to play models were invented.
Buy to Play is kind of unique for mmo's. Before mmo's you bought a game and played it till it got boring and bought another game or the next version. It's an up front and honest way to make a buck. But in an mmo the cost of maintaining an online world is expensive. The only incentive to keep the game fun and addictive is to sell the game. Once the game sales drop off the incentive is gone. As long as you can keep selling expansions you can keep the game going. It's probably the best entertainment value you can get in an mmo, but probably not as profitable, or more gaming company's would be doing it.
The competition for players in mmo's is high, being successful has a lot of challenges. And by success I mean profit. There are many reasons to put your time and money into a project, but none bigger then turning a profit.
Obviously free to play is more profitable then subscription. Just look at the hundreds of games in the mmorpg game list, there's only about 10 subscription based games left.
Free to play is just a sales gimmick, one way or another you have to get people to pay, and I have seen game company's come up with a lot of different ways to do it. Some good and some bad. Free to play just seems like a dishonest approach to me, making people feel like there getting something for free when in reality they are just fodder for the paying costumers who end up paying extra. I think there will always be more people in the world that can be taken in by sale gimmicks. There for I don't see free to play going away anytime soon.
Sure free to play is fun for awhile and that's what a lot of low budget mmo's are going for. Make a game, get 10% of the people to buy stuff then move on to the next game. Yet another way to turn a profit. It's dishonest and people feel screwed over.
It's impossible to make a balanced free to play mmo. The paying customers will always have the advantage over the free players. If they don't then why would you pay, and if no one is paying then why make the game, it's just common sense.
But playing an unbalanced game is still fun for some people, they don't mind people that pay have the advantage because there basically paying for them to be able to play for free, it's just not my cup of tea. Just don't come complaining about it in the forums when you find out it's not balanced.
I myself like the straight forward approach of subscription based. I pay $15 to get access to everything in the game for a month. I'm not paying to use just one thing in the game with the delusion that I own it. I'm just paying to play the game for a month. If the content is addictive, and I have fun, I feel I have got my money's worth. And I can quit at any time with no remorse. The fact is though, it's more profitable to sell stuff separately.
TO GAME COMPANY'S: STOP TRYING TO SELL ME STUFF THAT ISN'T REAL!
Just make something that's addictive low cost entertainment. Just be honest and up front, we know your not working for free.
Games where you buy stuff with real money make me feel to invested, I feel like I bought something that isn't real and when it becomes useless or I don't use it any more I feel like I have thrown my money away.
One of the biggest challenges in making a good old fashion, long lasting, addictive mmo these days is staying on top of the hackers that ruin the game for the honest players. You can be sure that there are people in the Wildstar beta working on a gold farming app they can sell to gold farmers. It's impossible to make a hack free game, especially a client-server based game. It take's a big budget to stay on top of it, especially in a free to play game because people using the apps can make as many accounts as they want at no cost to them. This extra cost is put on the paying customers as well.
Back in 2000 I was addicted to Everquest for 5 years. Before Everquest I used to go to the bar with the guys after work everyday and drop $10 to $20 in a few hour. Paying $15 a month for entertainment was a huge savings to me.
People that can afford a gaming computer and high speed internet, that say they can't afford $15 a month for hundreds of hours of entertainment are lying.
In the end you ether get what you pay for or you get ripped off.