There will soon be a kind of "caste system" in these "F2P" style games, where those that pay get to be upperclass and those that don't hang out in the ghetto or whatever.
I'm sure this will make money for lots of games for years to come but I don't see how it's really any good for the playerbase as a whole.
You don't need to group in LotRO to do anything anyway. That's why its hard to find groups, not population. It's a solo/instance heavy game. Absolutely no incentive to group, except the occasional boss mob, then after thats dead the groups disband.
Sounds right up Ihmotepp's street. I await his inevitable post on the subject with baited(sic) breath.
He is off in the P/R forum, their are a few hate threads he wants to participate in, but your right it does sound right up the boys street.
Crafting in Lotro took a big hit when LI's and Radiance were introduced. I think that the item mall is the worst part of this annoucement, the final nail in the in game economy coffin.
There will soon be a kind of "caste system" in these "F2P" style games, where those that pay get to be upperclass and those that don't hang out in the ghetto or whatever.
I'm sure this will make money for lots of games for years to come but I don't see how it's really any good for the playerbase as a whole.
Unfortunitly this is kind of true. We've already seen here and on the DDO o-board someone trying to drum up interest in a Subscribers only server.
The only part I'd even kind of agree on is when filling out a group, getting to the dungeon enterance, and only then having someone say 'I can't go in as I didn't buy this one'. Well then why did you answer the group call for THIS DUNGEON!!!!
What could cut down on that with LotRO is if the expansion area's cost to play or the book quests etc..... The game's layout of area's and quests should allow you to know that the guy questing next to you has already bought it since he's there. With DDO it's a much more muddled play ground.
OMG! GLAD I didn't buy lifetime membership just some weeks ago when it was on sale, what a rip off for people this is..that bought lifetime from theire lifetime sale now recently!!
Did you bother to read the annoucement ? Free to play will be very, very limited in many ways. Personally i would'nt play the free version there is too much limitation.
I will also add, This is a (another) very good reason NOT (and never) to buy a Lifetime membership to any MMO
Nothing is changine for lifetime users. So, not sure what you are talking about. We even GET 500 point FREE a month to use in the shop.
To say nothing is changing may be a bit of an understatement. WHile the much of the game itself remains unchanged the way players approach a F2P game, the addition of gear/pots in item malls and player attitudes towards item malls may alter how a lifetime subscriber feels about a game. I wager those who like LOTRO before will continue to like LOTRO after, but I am wary of lifetime subscriptions for a product that is supposed alter gameplay over time.
This decision creates three groups of subscribers in game. And the war between the subscriber bases will eat this game alive.
Group 1: New "free" members that use the Cash shop as needed or want.
Group 2: The Pay to play option. (VIP)
Group 3: Life time members who are now VIP members without paying the $15.00 a month.
Ok.. I believe as of now, the VAST MAJORITY of people playing LoTRO are in group 2, they pay the monthly fee. Can you explain to me what, by way of extras, will LOTRO offer the VIP members to justify the $15.00 a month? If people sit down and see they can get away with the F2P model which will cost them LESS than $15.00 in cash shop sales, then there is no reason to be a VIP member.
Conversely, if the $15.00 a month gets you a lot of great things, the F2P people are going to think they HAVE TO become VIP just to be able to compete.
Unlike DDO, where it wasn't that much of a mainstream success and became a F2P with Cash Shop, LORTO was/is a mainstream succes and critically acclaimed.
Also, as people have mentioned, this will destroy the one aspect of LOTRO that has pretty much universal agreement, the community.
Paying $15.00 a month was worth the type of relationships and, yes... wait for it.....Maturity you found in LoTRO.
As for the lifetime members, it's a Catch-22. They get the best of all worlds by being a VIP membe without a fee, be able to partake in the Cash Shop with free points, etc. The only bad part is that their community is destroyed. I am willing to bet that Lifetime subscribers stayed in LoTRO through the good and the bad only to see the world they created get destroyed.
WoW, just WoW, DDO poped over a million subs when they went F2P ,Lotro already have a good amount or subs, this will push Lotro to over 2 million + subs without a question
Life time memberships are a ripoff for this reason: you can't tell the company to fuck off.
Who cares if you piss off your lifetime subs? What are they going to do, cancel? That's great, it saves you money! You don't have to waste bandwidth on them, and you already got their money.
OMG! GLAD I didn't buy lifetime membership just some weeks ago when it was on sale, what a rip off for people this is..that bought lifetime from theire lifetime sale now recently!!
in no way shape or form are they being ripped off.
the only place where they migth feel jipped is if they fundementally will never support a f2p model. Even if there is a perfectly reasonable old fashioned pay to play model as well.
they essentially don't ahve to pay a monthly sub at any time in the many years they play and get free turbine points each month.
so in the long run they will save more money than someone like me who has a subscription.
The biggest thing I absolutely HATE about F2P games, is shopping in an item mall. I don't want to do it, period.
So someone gives me points, to do something I hate. How am I coming out ahead here?
I'm not a mall rat in rl, and I don't like shopping in games either.
I will also add, This is a (another) very good reason NOT (and never) to buy a Lifetime membership to any MMO
Nothing is changine for lifetime users. So, not sure what you are talking about. We even GET 500 point FREE a month to use in the shop.
What you get, is fake money in an item shop to buy items that you should have been getting as part of the game already. You payed for the subscription fee, the sub fee pays for all the in game content. Now they're holding some of it back and making you pay again.
Garvon, that isn't quite true.
if you have seen the DDO options then this will be exactly the same. Nothing is held back. Literally nothing. The monthly subscribers and lifetime members get the exact same content period. The only thing that changes for a subscriber is that if they want they can get some additional things in the item shop for their 500 points per month. Otherwise, you can play the game in the exact same fashion as you did before and other than the possibility of getting some undesirable people in the game just because it's free, you won't notice a difference.
At all.
edit: the thing is, like it or not (and no reason you have to like it) LOTRO is NOT going free to play. This is where people need to actually look at what's happening. What IS happening is that LOTRO is adding an additional free to play model.
So other than the option to spend additonal points you get monthly for athelas pots or whatnot, you will still get the same content as you did before.
The additional stuff you would get in the store is actually additional because if there wasn't a store then you would still just go about gettnig athelas pots the exact same way as before.
I will also add, This is a (another) very good reason NOT (and never) to buy a Lifetime membership to any MMO
Respectfully disagree! I paid $200 for the LoTRO Lifetime deal and have played for 3 whole years on that $200 and had a ton of fun. I paid almost $200 for a year of WoW back in 2006 and had only one year of mediocre fun.
That $200 Lifetime deal gave me 3 years of excellent entertainment. It was money SO well spent.
Same doom and gloom posters that came out during DDO's announcement of going F2P. How is DDO doing now? Must be doing pretty damn good if they are taking their flagship game and going F2P with it.
In America I have bad teeth. If I lived in England my teeth would be perfect.
I will also add, This is a (another) very good reason NOT (and never) to buy a Lifetime membership to any MMO
Nothing is changine for lifetime users. So, not sure what you are talking about. We even GET 500 point FREE a month to use in the shop.
What you get, is fake money in an item shop to buy items that you should have been getting as part of the game already. You payed for the subscription fee, the sub fee pays for all the in game content. Now they're holding some of it back and making you pay again.
Garvon, that isn't quite true.
if you have seen the DDO options then this will be exactly the same. Nothing is held back. Literally nothing. The monthly subscribers and lifetime members get the exact same content period. The only thing that changes for a subscriber is that if they want they can get some additional things in the item shop for their 500 points per month. Otherwise, you can play the game in the exact same fashion as you did before and other than the possibility of getting some undesirable people in the game just because it's free, you won't notice a difference.
At all.
edit: the thing is, like it or not (and no reason you have to like it) LOTRO is NOT going free to play. This is where people need to actually look at what's happening. What IS happening is that LOTRO is adding an additional free to play model.
So other than the option to spend additonal points you get monthly for athelas pots or whatnot, you will still get the same content as you did before.
The additional stuff you would get in the store is actually additional because if there wasn't a store then you would still just go about gettnig athelas pots the exact same way as before.
You can buy XP potions. That's not the same game.
And I can grind destiny points to give myself rest xp bonuses in lotro. Now I can pay for convenience. Still the same game.
DDO went f2p because nobody wanted to pay a monthly fee for an average game. The same thing is happening with Lotro. Nobody wants to pay a monthly fee for an average mmo. I hope it works for them. I just might have to give it a whirl when they switch over.
The following is from the Warner Brothers announcment for this.
"Having successfully taken two titles free-to-play in the past we are very pleased to be doing the same with The Lord of the Rings Online in Europe,” said David Solari, Vice President and General Manager of Codemasters Online. “It’s a fantastic, award-winning game with a wonderfully realized world and this step will only broaden its appeal and increase its player base.”
This statement make LOTRO the third Turbine title to go free to play. I know they took Dungeons & Dragons Online free to play but what is the second title they have already taken free to play?
Edit: Wait, that's Codemasters talking not Warner Brothers. Never mind...
"I used to think the worst thing in life was to be all alone. It's not. The worst thing in life is to end up with people who make you feel all alone." Robin Williams
The following is from the Warner Brothers announcment for this.
"Having successfully taken two titles free-to-play in the past we are very pleased to be doing the same with The Lord of the Rings Online in Europe,” said David Solari, Vice President and General Manager of Codemasters Online. “It’s a fantastic, award-winning game with a wonderfully realized world and this step will only broaden its appeal and increase its player base.”
This statement make LOTRO the third Turbine title to go free to play. I know they took Dungeons & Dragons Online free to play but what is the second title they have already taken free to play?
No, that statement implies that LOTRO is the third game that CODEMASTERS has helped convert to f2p.
The following is from the Warner Brothers announcment for this.
"Having successfully taken two titles free-to-play in the past we are very pleased to be doing the same with The Lord of the Rings Online in Europe,” said David Solari, Vice President and General Manager of Codemasters Online. “It’s a fantastic, award-winning game with a wonderfully realized world and this step will only broaden its appeal and increase its player base.”
This statement make LOTRO the third Turbine title to go free to play. I know they took Dungeons & Dragons Online free to play but what is the second title they have already taken free to play?
No, that statement implies that LOTRO is the third game that CODEMASTERS has helped convert to f2p.
And to my knowledge DDO is not one that Codemasters has taken free to play.
"I used to think the worst thing in life was to be all alone. It's not. The worst thing in life is to end up with people who make you feel all alone." Robin Williams
Bend over paid subscribers of LOTRO. You just got the NGE up the butt.
You leveled your toon, and now there's an item shop with xp potions. Woohooo! time to quit and get some butt creme, and rant about how you were screwed hard with no lube.
Anyone ever again going to trust this company and buy a lifetime "subscription"?
You got a life time subscription. To an Item Shop game! Hahahahahahahahahahahaha the jokes on you!
Sir (Madam?),
As a holder of LOTRO life subscription I fully agree with your assessment (bad pun intended) and I will take that creme now!
Life sub for an item shop game, yes it is laughable.
Coincidentlly would anyone like to buy my life sub to LOTRO? I'll throw in a Brooklyn Bridge into the deal!
I just got an e-mail about this. Lifetime members are going to have 'VIP' status and enjoy all content free of charge. They will also recieve Turbine Points, whatever that is...
The following is from the Warner Brothers announcment for this.
"Having successfully taken two titles free-to-play in the past we are very pleased to be doing the same with The Lord of the Rings Online in Europe,” said David Solari, Vice President and General Manager of Codemasters Online. “It’s a fantastic, award-winning game with a wonderfully realized world and this step will only broaden its appeal and increase its player base.”
This statement make LOTRO the third Turbine title to go free to play. I know they took Dungeons & Dragons Online free to play but what is the second title they have already taken free to play?
No, that statement implies that LOTRO is the third game that CODEMASTERS has helped convert to f2p.
And to my knowledge DDO is not one that Codemasters has taken free to play.
I dunno then. They're the European distributor for both LOTRO and DDO. They used to do Archlord as well. And I think they have a hand in RF Online, which I believe is a f2p game.
probably most important: there wont be any enhanced xps potions, and only VIP members can use destiny points, and get rested xps.
The shop wont hold any great gear or any 'I win' items, it will mostly be cosmetics, quests, dungeons etc that U can unlock with these points. current lifetime members will only get more content, not less.
The restrictions on F2P are so huge, u can't even have more than 2 gold and 3 bags...
Like I read in the Globallff channel in Lotro this afternoon: 'The worst part about all of this is not getting new content until Autumn!'.
zevenenveertigmiljoendriehonderdeenentachtigduizendvierenveertig,twee + drie = zevenenveertigmiljoendriehonderdeenentachtigduizendzevenenveertig,twee
Comments
There will soon be a kind of "caste system" in these "F2P" style games, where those that pay get to be upperclass and those that don't hang out in the ghetto or whatever.
I'm sure this will make money for lots of games for years to come but I don't see how it's really any good for the playerbase as a whole.
He is off in the P/R forum, their are a few hate threads he wants to participate in, but your right it does sound right up the boys street.
Furious Fighters
http://www.biblebelievers.org.au/13trindx.htm
Crafting in Lotro took a big hit when LI's and Radiance were introduced. I think that the item mall is the worst part of this annoucement, the final nail in the in game economy coffin.
"Onward to adventure".
Unfortunitly this is kind of true. We've already seen here and on the DDO o-board someone trying to drum up interest in a Subscribers only server.
The only part I'd even kind of agree on is when filling out a group, getting to the dungeon enterance, and only then having someone say 'I can't go in as I didn't buy this one'. Well then why did you answer the group call for THIS DUNGEON!!!!
What could cut down on that with LotRO is if the expansion area's cost to play or the book quests etc..... The game's layout of area's and quests should allow you to know that the guy questing next to you has already bought it since he's there. With DDO it's a much more muddled play ground.
SWG (pre-cu) - AoC (pre-f2p) - PotBS (pre-boarder) - DDO - LotRO (pre-f2p) - STO (pre-f2p) - GnH (beta tester) - SWTOR - Neverwinter
Did you bother to read the annoucement ? Free to play will be very, very limited in many ways. Personally i would'nt play the free version there is too much limitation.
To say nothing is changing may be a bit of an understatement. WHile the much of the game itself remains unchanged the way players approach a F2P game, the addition of gear/pots in item malls and player attitudes towards item malls may alter how a lifetime subscriber feels about a game. I wager those who like LOTRO before will continue to like LOTRO after, but I am wary of lifetime subscriptions for a product that is supposed alter gameplay over time.
Torrential: DAOC (Pendragon)
Awned: World of Warcraft (Lothar)
Torren: Warhammer Online (Praag)
Life time memberships are a ripoff for this reason: you can't tell the company to fuck off.
Well shave my back and call me an elf! -- Oghren
This decision creates three groups of subscribers in game. And the war between the subscriber bases will eat this game alive.
Group 1: New "free" members that use the Cash shop as needed or want.
Group 2: The Pay to play option. (VIP)
Group 3: Life time members who are now VIP members without paying the $15.00 a month.
Ok.. I believe as of now, the VAST MAJORITY of people playing LoTRO are in group 2, they pay the monthly fee. Can you explain to me what, by way of extras, will LOTRO offer the VIP members to justify the $15.00 a month? If people sit down and see they can get away with the F2P model which will cost them LESS than $15.00 in cash shop sales, then there is no reason to be a VIP member.
Conversely, if the $15.00 a month gets you a lot of great things, the F2P people are going to think they HAVE TO become VIP just to be able to compete.
Unlike DDO, where it wasn't that much of a mainstream success and became a F2P with Cash Shop, LORTO was/is a mainstream succes and critically acclaimed.
Also, as people have mentioned, this will destroy the one aspect of LOTRO that has pretty much universal agreement, the community.
Paying $15.00 a month was worth the type of relationships and, yes... wait for it.....Maturity you found in LoTRO.
As for the lifetime members, it's a Catch-22. They get the best of all worlds by being a VIP membe without a fee, be able to partake in the Cash Shop with free points, etc. The only bad part is that their community is destroyed. I am willing to bet that Lifetime subscribers stayed in LoTRO through the good and the bad only to see the world they created get destroyed.
WoW, just WoW, DDO poped over a million subs when they went F2P ,Lotro already have a good amount or subs, this will push Lotro to over 2 million + subs without a question
Who cares if you piss off your lifetime subs? What are they going to do, cancel? That's great, it saves you money! You don't have to waste bandwidth on them, and you already got their money.
The biggest thing I absolutely HATE about F2P games, is shopping in an item mall. I don't want to do it, period.
So someone gives me points, to do something I hate. How am I coming out ahead here?
I'm not a mall rat in rl, and I don't like shopping in games either.
You can buy XP potions. That's not the same game.
Respectfully disagree! I paid $200 for the LoTRO Lifetime deal and have played for 3 whole years on that $200 and had a ton of fun. I paid almost $200 for a year of WoW back in 2006 and had only one year of mediocre fun.
That $200 Lifetime deal gave me 3 years of excellent entertainment. It was money SO well spent.
Lori
Same doom and gloom posters that came out during DDO's announcement of going F2P. How is DDO doing now? Must be doing pretty damn good if they are taking their flagship game and going F2P with it.
In America I have bad teeth. If I lived in England my teeth would be perfect.
And I can grind destiny points to give myself rest xp bonuses in lotro. Now I can pay for convenience. Still the same game.
DDO went f2p because nobody wanted to pay a monthly fee for an average game. The same thing is happening with Lotro. Nobody wants to pay a monthly fee for an average mmo. I hope it works for them. I just might have to give it a whirl when they switch over.
The following is from the Warner Brothers announcment for this.
"Having successfully taken two titles free-to-play in the past we are very pleased to be doing the same with The Lord of the Rings Online in Europe,” said David Solari, Vice President and General Manager of Codemasters Online. “It’s a fantastic, award-winning game with a wonderfully realized world and this step will only broaden its appeal and increase its player base.”
This statement make LOTRO the third Turbine title to go free to play. I know they took Dungeons & Dragons Online free to play but what is the second title they have already taken free to play?
Edit: Wait, that's Codemasters talking not Warner Brothers. Never mind...
No, that statement implies that LOTRO is the third game that CODEMASTERS has helped convert to f2p.
And to my knowledge DDO is not one that Codemasters has taken free to play.
Sir (Madam?),
As a holder of LOTRO life subscription I fully agree with your assessment (bad pun intended) and I will take that creme now!
Life sub for an item shop game, yes it is laughable.
Coincidentlly would anyone like to buy my life sub to LOTRO? I'll throw in a Brooklyn Bridge into the deal!
It really cracks me up.
I just got an e-mail about this. Lifetime members are going to have 'VIP' status and enjoy all content free of charge. They will also recieve Turbine Points, whatever that is...
I dunno then. They're the European distributor for both LOTRO and DDO. They used to do Archlord as well. And I think they have a hand in RF Online, which I believe is a f2p game.
And your point was?
With Destiny points you can buy an XP add and don't you still get a + to XP if you've been offline for awhile (the 2 color XP bar thing)?
I'm not seeing how that's any different.
SWG (pre-cu) - AoC (pre-f2p) - PotBS (pre-boarder) - DDO - LotRO (pre-f2p) - STO (pre-f2p) - GnH (beta tester) - SWTOR - Neverwinter
Meh, i got my $250 worth in my lifetime sub. Was easily the best decision as far as MMO's go in my life.
MMO wish list:
-Changeable worlds
-Solid non level based game
-Sharks with lasers attached to their heads
This isnt half as bad as people make it,
probably most important: there wont be any enhanced xps potions, and only VIP members can use destiny points, and get rested xps.
The shop wont hold any great gear or any 'I win' items, it will mostly be cosmetics, quests, dungeons etc that U can unlock with these points. current lifetime members will only get more content, not less.
The restrictions on F2P are so huge, u can't even have more than 2 gold and 3 bags...
Like I read in the Globallff channel in Lotro this afternoon: 'The worst part about all of this is not getting new content until Autumn!'.
zevenenveertigmiljoendriehonderdeenentachtigduizendvierenveertig,twee + drie = zevenenveertigmiljoendriehonderdeenentachtigduizendzevenenveertig,twee