Easy way to decide if lifetime $199 price is a good value

Samuraisword · April 2007

If you preorder it's $10 a month.

$199 divided by 10 equals 20 months, 1 year 8 months.

Have you ever played a MMOG more than 1 year and 8 months? If the answer is no, then it is unlikely you will play LOTRO for that amount of time also, and you should not choose the lifetime fee.

If you have played a MMOG more than 1 year and 8 months, how does that MMOG compare to LOTRO? If it was not a fantasy MMOG then you should not choose the lifetime fee. If it was a hardcore game then you should not choose the lifetime fee. Basically if it was anything other than WoW, you should not choose the lifetime fee.

So you are a WoW player past or present who played WoW for at least 1 year and 8 months and the lifetime fee seems to be a good value. But what of the opportunity cost? Are you willing to commit to a single game for the next 1 year and 8 months? What about some of the promising MMOGs being released in latter Q2 07 and beyond? Can you afford to pay multiple subscription fees or will you feel trapped into playing LOTRO even if you don't like it, because you have locked yourself into a long term commitment.

I submit the lifetime fee is not a good value because it restricts flexibility. Most of you are unwilling to pay multiple subscriptions at the same time, since obviously you only have a certain amount of time to devote to gaming, and it makes sense to play the game that is the most appealing.

virtuella · April 2007

I bought a lifetime account and for me it's a good value because i always grew tired of a game and leave,but i always return later on.

Besides the normal monthly 15$ my creditcard company also charge 5$ pr transaction so it's 20$ pr month for me .

i will never have to pay that monthly fee so those saved money also comes into the calculation.

So for me that evens out within the first year and then it's a free ride after that.

JWPike · April 2007

You need to change credit cards then as you are getting ripped off. I guess the question boils to how long you think you are going to play the game. if you think you will be loyal for about 2 years or more then I would say the $199 is worth it but if you think that in a year you will get bored and come back to it off and on it may not be such a good value as I am sure in a few years there will be something new and hot on the market.

virtuella · April 2007

Originally posted by JWPike

You need to change credit cards then as you are getting ripped off. I guess the question boils to how long you think you are going to play the game. if you think you will be loyal for about 2 years or more then I would say the $199 is worth it but if you think that in a year you will get bored and come back to it off and on it may not be such a good value as I am sure in a few years there will be something new and hot on the market.

The extra 5$ my Visacard charges is because i pay in another currency than my country have.

I think Mastercard does the same but not sure.

Knightblast · April 2007

Originally posted by Samuraisword

If you preorder it's $10 a month.
$199 divided by 10 equals 20 months, 1 year 8 months.
Have you ever played a MMOG more than 1 year and 8 months? If the answer is no, then it is unlikely you will play LOTRO for that amount of time also, and you should not choose the lifetime fee.
If you have played a MMOG more than 1 year and 8 months, how does that MMOG compare to LOTRO? If it was not a fantasy MMOG then you should not choose the lifetime fee. If it was a hardcore game then you should not choose the lifetime fee. Basically if it was anything other than WoW, you should not choose the lifetime fee.
So you are a WoW player past or present who played WoW for at least 1 year and 8 months and the lifetime fee seems to be a good value. But what of the opportunity cost? Are you willing to commit to a single game for the next 1 year and 8 months? What about some of the promising MMOGs being released in latter Q2 07 and beyond? Can you afford to pay multiple subscription fees or will you feel trapped into playing LOTRO even if you don't like it, because you have locked yourself into a long term commitment.
I submit the lifetime fee is not a good value because it restricts flexibility. Most of you are unwilling to pay multiple subscriptions at the same time, since obviously you only have a certain amount of time to devote to gaming, and it makes sense to play the game that is the most appealing.

More or less that's right, but I think you would be surprised at how many people keep active multiple game accounts. I think if you plan to play the game for that period of time, on and off, the lifetime is a good way of doing that without futzing around with cancelling and reactivating for expansions and the like. Plus, once the money is spent, it's gone. It's not a "monthly expense". Sure, you can look at it that way and amortize it monthly in your brain, but cash-flow wise, it isn't a monthly expense, it's a one-time lump-sum deal, and that frees up monthly cash flow.

DeaconX · April 2007

Another thing to take into consideration which I haven't seen mentioned in any of the threads about this debate is the price of Expansion Packs. I don't know how often they would come, but lifetime purchase will probably have nothing to do with the full price of the new expansions.

Odysses · April 2007

A better way to look at it is over the long haul. Asheron's call is going on 8.5 years in retail @ 12.95 a month. So if the players there would have had an option like this at the start they would have saved a lot of money. LoTRO should be able to have as long a life as Asheron's Call.

Ruthgar · April 2007

It is a lifetime subscription, not a lifetime of free expansions.

The $199 eliminates the monthly sub.

If I had the spare money, I would get it. I do want to try WAR and AOC, but having an MMO to go to

that was paid already would be a good fallback plan.

I think the $9.99 price is great and I am happy with paying that amount until I tire of LOTRO.

JWPike · April 2007

Yes but how many you think honestly have played that game every month for 8.5 years? Most have proabably played till got bored dropped it awhile, come back , something new came out and driopped it, then was dissapointed or for some other reason caem back, it is one of those things it depends on the individual. If playing online games is all you do it might be great but for a casual gamer who has a life and other things it may be so so.

beauxaj · April 2007

Another thing that is good about lifetime membership is that once you pay it, you're done. If Lotr is around for 10 years, more than likely it will be up to $20/mo subscription, something you dont have to worry about. What i find interesting is most people just mention the 200 or 9.99 price, when you compare it to someone who doesn't pre-order and has to pay 15 per month, 200 sounds like a great deal. I wonder if when it goes live how many people will complain about it being 15 instead of 10 monthly?

JelloB2000 · April 2007

Originally posted by virtuella
Originally posted by JWPike You need to change credit cards then as you are getting ripped off. I guess the question boils to how long you think you are going to play the game. if you think you will be loyal for about 2 years or more then I would say the $199 is worth it but if you think that in a year you will get bored and come back to it off and on it may not be such a good value as I am sure in a few years there will be something new and hot on the market.

The extra 5$ my Visacard charges is because i pay in another currency than my country have.
I think Mastercard does the same but not sure.

Are you sure thats not your bank adding charges?
(I have payed in foreign currency lots of times with my VISA & never had any extra charges).

JWPike · April 2007

I agree. I have never heard of a bank charging you to use the card ( toher than interest) but if they have to convert from other currency and things then yes there probably is a charge. That is normal

Jadar · April 2007

Here is an even easier way, If you like the game and have the cash, go for the the Lifetime sub. There really is no downside If you like the game.

ganjnehri · April 2007

after my experinces on beta i would chose monthly fee cuz the game will be kinda boring after reaching lvl cap, not much fun in pvmp.. play a few months then stop playing and wait for expansion (hopefully mordor expansion pack :P) and come back play some more will be a good choice imo

virtuella · April 2007

Originally posted by JelloB2000

Originally posted by virtuella

Originally posted by JWPike
You need to change credit cards then as you are getting ripped off. I guess the question boils to how long you think you are going to play the game. if you think you will be loyal for about 2 years or more then I would say the $199 is worth it but if you think that in a year you will get bored and come back to it off and on it may not be such a good value as I am sure in a few years there will be something new and hot on the market.

The extra 5$ my Visacard charges is because i pay in another currency than my country have.

I think Mastercard does the same but not sure.

Are you sure thats not your bank adding charges?

(I have payed in foreign currency lots of times with my VISA & never had any extra charges).

Ahh yeah it's the bank,but it's still extra 5$ each month

I'm still sure my lifetimeaccount is a good deal.

CaleSentari · April 2007

Originally posted by Samuraisword

If you preorder it's $10 a month.
$199 divided by 10 equals 20 months, 1 year 8 months.
Have you ever played a MMOG more than 1 year and 8 months? If the answer is no, then it is unlikely you will play LOTRO for that amount of time also, and you should not choose the lifetime fee.
If you have played a MMOG more than 1 year and 8 months, how does that MMOG compare to LOTRO? If it was not a fantasy MMOG then you should not choose the lifetime fee. If it was a hardcore game then you should not choose the lifetime fee. Basically if it was anything other than WoW, you should not choose the lifetime fee.
So you are a WoW player past or present who played WoW for at least 1 year and 8 months and the lifetime fee seems to be a good value. But what of the opportunity cost? Are you willing to commit to a single game for the next 1 year and 8 months? What about some of the promising MMOGs being released in latter Q2 07 and beyond? Can you afford to pay multiple subscription fees or will you feel trapped into playing LOTRO even if you don't like it, because you have locked yourself into a long term commitment.
I submit the lifetime fee is not a good value because it restricts flexibility. Most of you are unwilling to pay multiple subscriptions at the same time, since obviously you only have a certain amount of time to devote to gaming, and it makes sense to play the game that is the most appealing.

Restricts flexibility? Actually it does not. If you pre-order and pay you only get the discount until you cancel. If you get the lifetime sub you can leave whenever you want, come back, etc etc. It's a different type of flexibility but it is there, you just have to not ignore it.

To sum up your post: Basically your very, very against the lifetime subscription offering, and you give out a bunch of random half-way related reasons why people shouldn't do it based on your own personal reasoning and opinions. Top notch, thanks so much for sharing your feelings.

Or...next time you can just not buy it.

Umbrood · April 2007

I am going to get the lifetime sub DUE to its flexibility, one pay, never bother with it again, great value if I end up playing longer, convenience in all cases.

I doubt I will play for 18 months in a row from launch, but regardless I will return from time to time, as I have done with pretty much all my MMO's.

It may or may not be the most economic choice, but it sure is the most convenient, and as money is not all that much of an issue, least not these sums, a one time fee and then play whnever i fell like it for as long as the game lives is a great value to me.

Of course if you are someone who turns each cent around then a more careful evaluation migth be prudent.

If all games had this model I would at all times have something like 10 MMO's to pick from at a moments notice.

I still do of course but I do not like the hassle of resubing and cancelling time and again.

Of course some will loose on this model and some will gain from it, but like me I do not think everyone that are potentially going to end up paying more arent willing to do just that for the flexibility it provides.

Redline65 · April 2007

Originally posted by Samuraisword

I submit the lifetime fee is not a good value because it restricts flexibility. Most of you are unwilling to pay multiple subscriptions at the same time, since obviously you only have a certain amount of time to devote to gaming, and it makes sense to play the game that is the most appealing.

I submit to you, Samuraisword, that I will be MORE likely to try other MMOs if I pay the lifetime fee for LOTRO. The $200 will be long gone and forgotten about, so one monthy fee for a second MMO would not bother me as much as paying two monthly fees.

Samuraisword · April 2007

Many gamers don't have the luxury of paying for multiple subscriptions at once.

The gimmick of the lifetime fee is to collect the money up front, knowing that many will quit before they reach one year eight months time. You are better off paying $10 a month, which gives you the flexibility of leaving anytime without feeling ripped off.

Mars505 · April 2007

Originally posted by Samuraisword

Many gamers don't have the luxury of paying for multiple subscriptions at once.
The gimmick of the lifetime fee is to collect the money up front, knowing that many will quit before they reach one year eight months time. You are better off paying $10 a month, which gives you the flexibility of leaving anytime without feeling ripped off.

I think both plans are great. If you got the moey , might as well get the $199 cause the game is going to grow 10 times in size over the next 2 years. But if you are poor folk like myself then you do the 10 dollars a month and pay when you can

Astares · April 2007

People seem to forget that the lifetime fee has value, it is tied to the account. If you don't like LOTRO anymore but haven't gotten your monies worth from the lifetime subscription you can easily sell the account on (assuming the game does okay) and recoup all or some of the outlay.

Just as long as you create a seperate Turbine account for just the lifetime account (don't want any of your AC or DDO stuff going with it) of LOTRO you can then onsell if when your done with it. Assuming there will be somewhat of a market (we are just talking the value of the lifetime subscription no value for the characters etc) then the lifetime subscription deal is no risk and may even make people a profit. Compared to the $10 per month subscription which reverts to normal rates should you cancel or mispayment.

Cerion · April 2007

Originally posted by Astares

People seem to forget that the lifetime fee has value, it is tied to the account. If you don't like LOTRO anymore but haven't gotten your monies worth from the lifetime subscription you can easily sell the account on (assuming the game does okay) and recoup all or some of the outlay.
Just as long as you create a seperate Turbine account for just the lifetime account (don't want any of your AC or DDO stuff going with it) of LOTRO you can then onsell if when your done with it. Assuming there will be somewhat of a market (we are just talking the value of the lifetime subscription no value for the characters etc) then the lifetime subscription deal is no risk and may even make people a profit. Compared to the $10 per month subscription which reverts to normal rates should you cancel or mispayment.

Lifetime accounts are non-transferable. And I'd bet Turbine has several ways to figure out how those accounts are transfering and will cancel them.

Astares · April 2007

Originally posted by Cerion

Originally posted by Astares

People seem to forget that the lifetime fee has value, it is tied to the account. If you don't like LOTRO anymore but haven't gotten your monies worth from the lifetime subscription you can easily sell the account on (assuming the game does okay) and recoup all or some of the outlay.
Just as long as you create a seperate Turbine account for just the lifetime account (don't want any of your AC or DDO stuff going with it) of LOTRO you can then onsell if when your done with it. Assuming there will be somewhat of a market (we are just talking the value of the lifetime subscription no value for the characters etc) then the lifetime subscription deal is no risk and may even make people a profit. Compared to the $10 per month subscription which reverts to normal rates should you cancel or mispayment.

Lifetime accounts are non-transferable. And I'd bet Turbine has several ways to figure out how those accounts are transfering and will cancel them.

Turbine would have next to no way of knowing if an account had been sold on, there is no ongoing contact between Turbine and the account holder (it is all paid up). Unless the new account holder purchases an expansion key online or something, then a red flag may go up but even then people using other people's cards is done all the time in non-fraudlent ways. About the only true way Turbine can tell an account has been transferred is if the account details aren't properly changed at handover and they call support for something and are asked to verify something and are caught out.

The best Turbine can do is put it in the T&C that it isn't allowed, which is more for their protection then trying to make a few more bucks cause then no one can come crying to them about being ripped off on sold accounts, saving them alot of headaches down the track. Anyway Turbine don't really care if they are on sold as they already have their cash, $199 up front is more then enough for one subscription, they know that a swarm of MMOs are coming out this year and better to get cash in the bag then risk losing it in the long run.

RedwoodSap · April 2007

I won't pay the lifetime fee, it's not worth it. I doubt I will play LOTRO for more than 1 year. There are a lot of good games slated for release in the next year that I want to try and I don't want to pay for something I won't be using.

Brabus · April 2007

IMO, one of the main reasons why the offer a lifetime sub is that they know that the ingame content gets bland really quickly, I cannot recommend the lifetime sub by any means. From the state of the game now, you will have maxxed & seen everything in 2-3 months at latest.

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Easy way to decide if lifetime $199 price is a good value

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Easy way to decide if lifetime $199 price is a good value

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