Originally posted by Aldous.Huxley ...And yes, if you interrupt a movie, it does break immersion...
I'm sorry I had to single out this bit because I just found it funny and a little ridiculous. I figured the fact that you are sitting on a couch and staring at a glowy screen should be immersion breaking enough. I can understand emphasizing "immersion" (an already subjectively defined term) in media that is a little more interactive like video games but having your movie experience interrupted by your fear of advertising is a stretch IMO. Don't let those bathroom breaks ruin the immersion, just hold it if you know whats good for ya
In regards to the age old F2P vs subscription fee, which both obviously have inherent advantages/disadvantages assuming they are both done reasonably, I would like to continue to remind people some of the disadvantages of sub and advantages of F2P, disadvantages aside:
With subscription models I actually did feel a little more obligated to play monthly, its harder to let go and pick up, F2P gives you a little more leeway to do that
I want to feel sub games don't have to try as hard in their content with the money paid for up front. Let's not forget the sub model is as open for abuse but instead of taking money directly for things, they can screw with the development side of things via carrots on a stick
F2P allows you to have more control of how you support the game, advertising aside and assuming most of what a game is supported by is by cash shops. Despite some spending more on F2P than sub, that isn't the case for everyone and that was their own decision ultimately.
Games with subs, first of all come with a box/retail price and then a free month. I don't always feel a month is enough time for everyone (i.e. casual gamers) to determine whether or not the game is actually worth a sub yet alone the retail price. F2P requires no upfront costs to make that determination and can be made on your own time.
I think all models have problems. F2P games often make it so it's extremely difficult to get away with not buying things and they are often subpar games in comparison to P2P games. Subscription models prevent a certain amount of the population from playing. Some Freemium games still require you to buy the game upfront, which may prevent some people from trying it out in the first place. But overall, I think no-buy Freemium model is ultimately the way to go as long as the title is AAA quality. The games that have switched to this model after struggling as a pure P2P game have so far proven it helps bolster the player base and increase revenue via cash shops, but at the same time doesn't force paying subscribers into situations where they feel like they have to buy cash shop items in order to get more out of the game since they're are often subscription bonuses. Of course the question becomes, will the AAA quality still be there if the games launch as a Freemium plan rather than convert from P2P to Freemium.
That being said, however, I think that cash shop items are almost universally over priced and rarely worth what you pay. This is even more true when you get into the gambling aspect of the cash shops. I think people would be more inclined to buy from the cash shop if prices were a fraction of what they are and possible help discourage gold farmers because people can more easily and readily get what they are after. (I firmly believe that it is the fault of developers that allows gold farmers to continue the practice, but that's a different discussion.)
A major drawback for guilds is the F2P model not requiring any commitment. You can drop in and out of the game at no cost which makes it more difficult to find people committed to playing long-term. With P2P you have a better chance of someone sticking it out since they have paid to be there.
___________________________ Have flask; will travel.
Comments
I'm sorry I had to single out this bit because I just found it funny and a little ridiculous. I figured the fact that you are sitting on a couch and staring at a glowy screen should be immersion breaking enough. I can understand emphasizing "immersion" (an already subjectively defined term) in media that is a little more interactive like video games but having your movie experience interrupted by your fear of advertising is a stretch IMO. Don't let those bathroom breaks ruin the immersion, just hold it if you know whats good for ya
In regards to the age old F2P vs subscription fee, which both obviously have inherent advantages/disadvantages assuming they are both done reasonably, I would like to continue to remind people some of the disadvantages of sub and advantages of F2P, disadvantages aside:
I think all models have problems. F2P games often make it so it's extremely difficult to get away with not buying things and they are often subpar games in comparison to P2P games. Subscription models prevent a certain amount of the population from playing. Some Freemium games still require you to buy the game upfront, which may prevent some people from trying it out in the first place. But overall, I think no-buy Freemium model is ultimately the way to go as long as the title is AAA quality. The games that have switched to this model after struggling as a pure P2P game have so far proven it helps bolster the player base and increase revenue via cash shops, but at the same time doesn't force paying subscribers into situations where they feel like they have to buy cash shop items in order to get more out of the game since they're are often subscription bonuses. Of course the question becomes, will the AAA quality still be there if the games launch as a Freemium plan rather than convert from P2P to Freemium.
That being said, however, I think that cash shop items are almost universally over priced and rarely worth what you pay. This is even more true when you get into the gambling aspect of the cash shops. I think people would be more inclined to buy from the cash shop if prices were a fraction of what they are and possible help discourage gold farmers because people can more easily and readily get what they are after. (I firmly believe that it is the fault of developers that allows gold farmers to continue the practice, but that's a different discussion.)
___________________________
Have flask; will travel.