Howdy, Stranger!
It looks like you're new here. If you want to get involved, click one of these buttons!
Quick Links
An interview about how free it will be
Aganazer
Member Posts: 1,319
One of the highlights:
The worry with a free-to-play title is always how "free" everything is. After all, if all of the significant content is locked, free play is more like an extended trial. For doubters, Fernando had a very simple suggestion.
"What we'd say is try it!" responded Fernando. "Of course, there's a point in time where every player will ask, 'Will I pay for the next level sigil or content or do I quest to get it for free?' As they play they get favor points, which nets them store points. If people want to get all of the content without paying, they can; this isn't about backdooring into getting a subscription."
"We have a running joke in the marketing department betting how long before someone goes from level one to 20 without spending a dime (my money's on 34 days, by the way)," said Mersky. "This is not a scheme to get subscriptions; we think we make some of the best online worlds on the planet and we want people to enjoy them. If you look at the whole entertainment industry, it's going to a more flexible model, whether you're buying just one song off an album or recording something on DVR to watch on your own schedule.
I am still not sure whether or not I'll just sub and play for a month or two or if I'll buy the adventure packs. It really comes down to just how limited the chat options, mail opions, and auction options are for free players.
Comments
The speculation is FREE will consist of MANY monetized roadblocks. For starters, a player will not be able to advance their character unless they obtain a Sigil from the Store which is consumed upon usage; this is said by Turbine. Some speculation is FREE will not allow players to use Vendor NPC's of any kind and would be required to obtain their items specifically from loot or more desireably the Store.
I've gathered from reading a few Adam Mersky interviews and quotes is he's a bit out of touch with reality. His belief is that itemization is a new function that's only recently been adopted as a mainstream process of obtaining various media. A recent claim of his alledges consumers we're unable to purchase a single song off an albulm or get a movie to be watched at their own convienence. The fact is these things have existed since the inception of their products and the method of delivery has allowed for a pricing scheme to be attached to the convienence of acquiring the media; VHS and Beta Max tapes allowed consumers to record and view programs at their own leasure, recorded Singles have been a staple of the music industry since vinyl and even News has existed as transactionable content once it transcended bulletin announcements in the townsquare to being printed on paper. Besides these facts, Mersky insists purchasing singles and recording a program for later viewing is a new process of consumer entertainment that's never before been available in an itemizable market which is laughable.
How can someone be so out of touch if they're dictating such a huge risk!?!
My conclusion, Turbine's management is nothing to have faith in and completely ill placed to run a multimedia content provider.
p.s. I'm absolutely amazed of the claim that recording or selling singles is a new invention established by iTunes when it's ALWAYS been the staple of the music industry which had only begin to suffer when the form of media the content was delivered on was progressing. Bad music and the inconveience of listening to 1 song on a cassette tape was what did the most damage to the profitability of selling singles and digitial distrubution trancends that era.
Multiple sources already said that Sigils can be found as loot items in dungeons.
But there is speculation and there is what they are saying in interviews and on the beta forums. Neither are 100% reliable, but I'll favor the info I'm reading on the "User Made Dev Tracker" and the published interviews. I won't say anything about what I've overheard (overread?) from the beta forums, but there has been nothing leading me to beleive that what is in the interview isn't 100% true.
In theory you'll be able to play without paying a dime. The leveling roadblock of the sigil stones can still be found as loot... it may take you a day or month to be lucky enough to loot it, but the option is there.
However, their "Eboron Unlimited" is woefully mislabled. From what I gather, unless you pay, you'll be unable to experience the cornerstones of the game. The big quests STK, Tangleroot, etc will not be available to you. As anyone who has played the game will say, these are the quests that everyone does. They are what's going to progress your character.
There are house quests of course, but they are limited.. and they will not give near enough to level without repeating them all 5+ times. Again, as someone who has played the game, the house quests were done for favor/boredom.
They have the chance to draw in many new players. People will be willing to try it now that it's "free" to play. However, they have put way too many limitations that I fear many of these potential players and eventual subscribers will be driven away out of frustration.
To their credit, they have made the scale of what you want to buy gradual enough. STK like you mentioned is about $1.50. I've spent more on a 16oz bottle of mountain dew. I also had no problem getting my level 4-8 sigil on the first run of Waterworks. Things like that may just move some of the players to lesser used areas like Searing Heights or the Cerulean Hills.
I think the new pay model will make DDO a perfect second MMOG. Pay just a little bit here and there, but without feeling like you have to play all the time to justify a subscription. I can also see a LOT of people playing the free level 1-5 content a ton of times just to experiment with the awesome character development. You could get months of enjoyment out of this game without feeling like spending much at all.
The problem with this update is that in the past, Turbine has made *many* lofty statements about their product as if they were the first ones who thought of the wheel, electricity and telephones.
They read their own press releases and get giddy over it, forgetting the thousands (tens of thousands) of unhappy customers that they have turned a deaf ear to. They have never once apologized for any of the major shortcomings, delays, or misinformation either. When a company has denial this badly, how can you expect anything they deliver to really shine?
Again I maintain the notion that this was a recent development (say within the past 6 months) as a way to excuse the slow rate of content development. Now that people have free play, they can't bitch and moan about not having anything to do for 8-9 months. The deception about nearly everything they have ever said could never be more apparent than when you listen to their producers talk in the media.
Being from Massachusettes, the land of the politicians, I can see why they are able to say nothing at all--and make it sound so appealing. They have had lots of help from their public figures. Meanwhile, us "regular" citizens who can see right through their bullshit, are left shaking are heads. We wonder, doesn't Turbine realize they are wearing no clothes?
I called for the end of Kate Paiz's leadership years ago on the forums. It turned into a huge fight between the fans and the flamers and the end result was a lot of nasty rep points on the forums. Now, I frequently see calls for Kate Paiz's termination, in fact an entire thread dedicated to it. Turbine talks out of both sides of their mouth, and always tries to control the 'spin'. Thread after thread with real concrete "feedback" was deleted and labeled inflammatory, yet no one could be more qualified to speak about their shortcomings than those with a real honest criticism. Not constructive? I'm sorry are we supposed to always wipe the touchies of those who gave us poor service? Turbine's idea of constructive criticism:
Oh high and beloved Turbine, if thou be willing to hear it -- I offer thy greatness some wisdom with which to add to thy great and supple bosom. I humbly request that you increase our portion ever so slightly for we are famished but you are fair. We knowest that thine portions are given to us according to our lot in life, and we are but lowly and pitiful in your sight. Please we beg thee, allow us just one more chance to be in thy presence. We shall forever and always worship thee.
Expectations about the future? none whatsoever. They've blown it every chance they get. If LOTRO wasn't keeping DDO alive, there would be no sustaining it by itself.
Not sure why you chose this thread to share your opinion about the company and the people in it. If you've got a problem with a company then you don't do business with them. That's how capitalism works.
Personally, I've been playing their games since AC and never had a problem. They are better than most companies. They have made great improvements to DDO over the last few years so I don't know what you're bitching about.
You aren't entitled to updates. If you're not happy with the pace of the updates then cry some more.
Perhaps you would be so kind as to point out what part of the agreement says that subscription fees are purely for access to the servers? As you stated already, I am free to make a choice with my money. In the case of DDO that choice has been made for over a year now. Turbine stopped earning the right to my funds a long time ago. As the old adage goes, a happy customer will tell 1 or 2 friends about their experience.. an unhappy one will never stop telling people about poor service
Back to your point though, show me one major MMO that's *ever* made the statement (whether expressly or implied) that your fee affords no updates whatsoever, or that they are not obligated to further develop their product. I must ask the simple question back to you... what is an ongoing monthly fee even for? If they are not required to provide updates then wouldn't a flat fee be more consistent?
No sense in perpetuating the tired old fanboy argument that access is a privilege, and not a right. I say its kind of the opposite -- with all the competition among MMO's... would any of them dare make a bold statement such as the one you made? Doubtful.
That should show you where you stand.
I know exactly where I stand. Have you even seen the test server? Its jam packed full of major updates. The game has been receiving updates regularly since release. Most MMOG's only get a few updates a year and DDO is no exception. Its not like DDO has millions of subs and huge revenues. What are you expecting? Do you want them to invest more into DDO than its making? Are you asking Turbine to run DDO as a non-profit project?
Turbine is not legally obligated to provide game updates. You're not legally obligated to continue your sub. I'm sorry DDO didn't live up to your expectations, but there are dozens of other MMOG's for you to choose from.
I am still wondering what this has to do with DDO being free... Your comments seem more appopriate for their own thread or the ratings comments.
I know exactly where I stand. Have you even seen the test server? Its jam packed full of major updates. The game has been receiving updates regularly since release. Most MMOG's only get a few updates a year and DDO is no exception. Its not like DDO has millions of subs and huge revenues. What are you expecting? Do you want them to invest more into DDO than its making? Are you asking Turbine to run DDO as a non-profit project?
Turbine is not legally obligated to provide game updates. You're not legally obligated to continue your sub. I'm sorry DDO didn't live up to your expectations, but there are dozens of other MMOG's for you to choose from.
I am still wondering what this has to do with DDO being free... Your comments seem more appopriate for their own thread or the ratings comments.
Actually the game started off having regular updates and then faded to the current no update since last year with this years first of maybe two updates coming soon. DDO got about half of its updates and new content the first year and in the two years since has fallen off a bit each year.
Plus they started lying to us about things like release dates, the reason the weekly development activities thread was killed, and so forth. Prospective players should be very careful in deciding whether to play DDO, as Turbine isn't the most honest developer around, and if their revenue projections are not met, the wallets of existing players will be in danger. The fact Turbine now says it will be possible to level up to 20 without using the DDO store does not mean it will actually be true when the game goes live. Their track record for truthfulness suggests that people should wait and see how it goes live.
You are feeding the trolls old chap (I made the same mistake), just leave them to stew in their own spite.
Troll = someone with a different opinion?
I may not agree with what YOU say, but I will defend your right to say it. We deserve the same courtesy.
You are feeding the trolls old chap (I made the same mistake), just leave them to stew in their own spite.
So long as we are not stewing in the Turbine Kool-aide we shall be fine. The people that still play are the ones who determined that being Krapped on in the mouth was fine with them. I'm an ex-player, but hate Turbine and don't want people to start playing under the false assumption that Turbine will actually do what they say they will do ...