A shame the sad state of LOTRO these days. It could have been so much more. Lets hope another company trys their hand at the IP but unfortionately thats not likely to happen in my life time :-/
All I see here is an event which has been planned for a long time. The skirmish system is the perfect way for them to add content similar to that of the DDO premium modules, that people have to pay for. Coincidence? I don't think so....
I think it's just going to cheapen the experience for those already playing the game, but will probably bring in more new players than old so they (the new) won't notice how its been cheapened. It's a win for Turbine.. but not for their loyal players.
I don't suffer from insanity, I enjoy every minute of it.
I agree with reason number 1. The community is a problem with any F2P game. People are stupid, rude and untrustworthy. More so when they have nothing at all invested or at risk.
There are multiple specifics already released about F2P play that can raise concerns. Among them, limitations on traits and bag space which will make F2P players in parties extremely sub-optimal compared to paying players (to the degree that, if I continue playing, I plan to exclude F2Ps from raid content I'm involved in).
These limitations alone will affect them in basic fashions. When traits are used to customize stats and abilities, not having what is now considered a basic load out for different dungeons raises the difficulty level drastically on some already difficult encounters. Similarly, not having enough bag space makes it less likely that party members will feel free to carry secondary gear load outs for different tasks in parties.
well, i recently started to think about this - why turbine dont take existing (and any in future added) areas of Lotro and make a sandbox-like version on top of it? i wouldnt mind if they use as much of existing lotro as possible, if they give us besides current version also second one, where we could just "live in middle-earth".
it would need only some more noncombat skills/features added, some tweeking to crafting and welcome to middle-earth v2
This is their way of making a permanent very restricted trial of the game, while giving over 2500 ways of making someone spend more than the usual $15 for a subscription, not to mention you still pay for expansions.
You might also be able to buy everything that a VIP has (in terms of overcoming the mystical gates of "pay so that I can give you quests" NPC dialogues), but without the subscription, and that will probably add up in a cost comparable to a lifetime subscription cost.
Yup, so just subscribe...that's kinda the point...
Humans are funny creatures...we worry too much about the negative "what ifs" while not even considering the positive "what ifs." Y'all need to try to be a bit more optimistic. The real world is depressing and dreary enough, please stop corrupting my fantasy worlds...
It amazes me that so many people on this site, especially writers, have apparently never actually played a F2P game.
The biggest thing about a cash shop game is that use of the cash shop becomes mandatory at high levels. Not buying more quests, not buying extras, but far more devious reasons.
For instance, nerfing stuff - drop rates, xp rates, making combat harder. Thus requiring you to purchase buffs from the cash shop.
Based on their presentation at the virtual goods summit, this is a big source of their income in DDO. Did they design DDO to require this? Who knows. Will they do the same for the new content in LOTRO? Will they tweak the old content in LOTRO to require it? Who knows. But they very well might, as most other F2P companies do. It's hard to resist.
Similarly, you have an absolutely horrible situation with endgame gear. On the one hand you need to get radiance for your armor. But it's a raid grind to get it. On the other hand, weapons, you have the whole LI system which is chance based.
Rather than address this problems (which people have complained about since Moria), Turbine could just put the solution in the cash shop. Radiance potions. Things that let you re-roll your LIs without grinding (just puling out your credit card).
Again, the latter is very common in F2P games, and where is the big bucks are made. People spend $100s, even $1000s trying to get a perfect endgame weapon.
Will Turbine fall into this trap? Again, it's hard to resist easy money.
Still, they had to do something. The game was clearly dying, and they clearly weren't interested in actually making content for it anymore. Maybe this way they can afford to hire people to actually make content for the game.
And it will definitely improve the community, which was probably the worst I have ever seen in a game. Like rich snobs in some sort of country club. It's funny hearing them complain about F2P players, it's like the above complaining about having to let minorities in.
Has Turbine revoked the life time subscriptions? I hadn't heard anything on that. Who's to say they aren't going to get VIP status for the duration that the game stays alive. People on the F2P still have to buy expansions to play. They still have to pay for VIP status to get what the lifetimers may get.
Again I say it hasn't been released yet. Until it is released people really shouldn't be crying and whining about things that MAY happen.
What they did ahem was a pour attempt at pleasing folks.
The made the lifetime go as VIP, so in other words you get all the previous content you paid for. You never have to stub again and you got 500 TP tubine points to spend. 500 tp is very very little that is iIf you look at the ddo store to compare.
There is a faq section on the lotro forums, and still there have been tons of questions about what if this and what if that.
As a lifer myself I am very skeptical of what might or might not happen. Having already learned not to trust Turbine on what they have said in the past, what they do going forward is stull up in the air despite what they are saying in the forums. Turbine over the past 2 years has often said you getting plan A, then deliver plan B.
Turbine licenses the Lord of the Rings IP, as such there is certainly lore limitations on what they can and can not add to the world. I would expect they won't be able to add any silly things like flying mounts made of stars, everything they add would have to fit into the existing world Tolkien created.
You mean like loremasters, runekeepers, and hobbits in heavy armor beating the crap out of dragons?
Lol.
I never understood the whole 'Turbine did a great job with the IP' mindset. Lotro is certainly a fun game, but it's laughably out of sync with it's source material. The only MMORPG that took more of a dump on it's source IP was SWG.
Y'know, you're right. The game should only have included Bree-Land and the Shire, and the only fighting that would take place is against wild animals and the occasional orc (until the Scourging of the Shire of course). Man, that just sounds like an awesome game. You could roll a Hobbit, and not fight - or you could roll a human, and just sit around in Bree - presumably crafting. No elves, as they really didn't do anything at that time (save Legolas).
Yeah, good luck at publishing that game - I'm sure you'll have people lining up around the block to get their hands on that MMO. When people say 'Turbine did a great job with the IP'
they mean in the context of making a game out of it. This isn't Middle-Earth Simulator 2000, it's an MMO - and if people want to play an MMO, they expect certain things out of it. In that regard Turbine has done a great job of balancing game and lore - when the only time they've stepped outside of the lore was for gameplay reasons.
Oh and btw...the only dragon that has ever been in this game was an undead one. Also, I can do you one better than SWG - it's called Episode I, Episode II, and Episode III. Pretty sad when the creator of said IP takes a bigger dump on it than anybody else.
Don't worry Billy, I'm not playing your 'serious' game, nor do I want. You yourself have called it a Themepark of LotR, and you call that 'serious', seriously? You can keep it. I'm perfectly happy as a premium user of DDO Unlimited, and there are no sparkly Star Dragon Mounts here, thank you.
If there really isn't much PVP in this game, then it may work out in the end. I don't think the game would die just because it's going free to play with an obnoxious item mall. The thing that would kill it is if the imbalance of items sold in the mall reaches the point where people will be able to buy their way to being over-powerful. Eventually, this has led groups of spenders to be the top of the crop while the others just languish. I will not even play anything with an item mall that would sell say, super armor or weapons and powers. I have played EQ2 for a long time, thank god the item mall doesnt sell anything that pushes characters way ahead of anyone else's... except for one server that is off by itself. Butr again I simply won't even attempt free to play anything and be outspent.
I'm so hoping FFXIV comes quickly. It seems like it will be a great second game as I get bored with EQ2 occasionally. And SE I'm sure will find success with this new online venture and not implement an item mall... tacky.
First we don't know how things will be. They say: ya lifetimers and subs get 500 TP free each month.. Seems OK?
But we still need to know prices, some DDO fanboy mentioned before "there is most things prices below 700". Most?
Which aren't? Raid instance entrance ticket? 500 is enough for one raid per month, good for casual, if ya hardcore raider... then pay, pay, pay, each week tens of bucks, etc. We still don't know but I guess that will be such kind of ticketbooths at doors of every interesting place as Wallet-Brothers know how to sell tickets to cinemas, sportarenas, theme parks, etc. I don't wonder when we see some kind of WB lifetime entertainment thinggie for $1000 or more.
Second and most annoying for me is eqalizing brains & bucks. If one must learn tactics and develope his skills to get one beautiful reward after months of hard work and battles, and then ya see one brainless a.hole with fat wallet parading around with the Same Item - what use of it. Say they rise radiance need to 150 for new raid. ya have choises to start grind and collect shards taking at least few weeks or months to gather, or pay those $50 and voilaa! So called hardcore fanboys don't stop - they shorten their account in banks in 1st day and start. When ya poor buy reach at last ya needed 150 radiance ya just hear that there is new raid instance with 180 radiance req, and in old one there stayed no ppl.
So or so I never like games with "buy win". Imagine now in soccer world championship in RSA when when games are still running, and then we can read tomorrow at CNN that winner is bahrein team whose count payed for gold medal $200 Mio :P
But in move by Turbine isn't something surprising. There is NO such LOTRO we start to play in Beta @ 2007 and loved it, both lore and gameplay, possibility to walk around in places we read in Tolkien's books and saw in LOTR movies. All start to fade slowly when Moria came (I don't know for sure, but I heard that many of original Tolkien-fan-based dev team left or was fired by Turbine and they bought some truckloads of cheap, but smart hindu programmists. Fast to copy-paste old code but totally dumb in areas of Tolkien's nordic mythos and lore). But by all signs all after Moria have maybe 5% tied with LOTR, other is poor crap. Nerfing for solo dumbusers former hard epic quests, introducing stupid skirmishes... enough for me at least.
My only hope is that they fail totally and fast with they stupid F2P model. And that LOTR IP would be gathered by some (better indie) company with nuts'n'guts - and we see REAL oldtimer-style Middle-Earth again
I have read many times in the posts that people who have played the game got bored with it and didn't think it was worth 15 a month, but now that it's going F2P they will be back. That doesn't make any sense to me at all. They aren't adding and new content at all, they are simply changing it so people can get a limited amount of play for free. If you have access to everything the game has to offer for 15 (10 if you pay for 3 months or more) now and your bored, how is it possibly going to keep your interest with 1/3 the content for free?
I think it's a bad move. Community will not be the same and my hats off to those who are banding together to try and save it, but you wont change anything. F2P is what it is which is why I don't play any of them. The community is the main reason I stayed with lotro, but that will be changing.
I wish the game the best of luck and hope they don't kill the community or game, but the decision to go to a F2P model and they way they went about it just shows they aren't all that concerned about the community. Just remember that in a P2P game they "should" be spending time on bug fixes and more content, in a F2P game they concentrait on Item shop stuff and less on the rest until they feel they are making enough to add more content. If they find not enough are spending money on things they will adjust the way the game plays and force people to pay.
It's about the bottom line and nothing but the bottom line.
I'm not an IT Specialist, Game Developer, or Clairvoyant in real life, but like others on here, I play one on the internet.
Just remember that in a P2P game they "should" be spending time on bug fixes and more content, in a F2P game they concentrait on Item shop stuff and less on the rest until they feel they are making enough to add more content. If they find not enough are spending money on things they will adjust the way the game plays and force people to pay.
It's about the bottom line and nothing but the bottom line.
I think this is short-sighted. The real question is not F2P versus P2P...but is a transaction based model versus a subscription based model.
The transaction based market (and number of customers) far outweighs the subscription model...WoW in Asia is a transaction based (as are most Asian games), Free Rhelms, Wizard 101, Farmville, etc. are all transaction based. Yes, farmville...people are behaving and 'playing' this game like hard-core MMO players. WoW has been beat by Farmville, FR, etc. All of these are MMOs as they are Massive Multiplayer and Online.
All of those players are comfortable with a model that has BOTH better profitability and greater popularity. Any smart company will adapt its business models to attract these potential customers. We may not like it but the subscription based model is 'old school' . I am happy companis still allow it as an option.
Just remember that in a P2P game they "should" be spending time on bug fixes and more content, in a F2P game they concentrait on Item shop stuff and less on the rest until they feel they are making enough to add more content. If they find not enough are spending money on things they will adjust the way the game plays and force people to pay.
It's about the bottom line and nothing but the bottom line.
I think this is short-sighted. The real question is not F2P versus P2P...but is a transaction based model versus a subscription based model.
The transaction based market (and number of customers) far outweighs the subscription model...WoW in Asia is a transaction based (as are most Asian games), Free Rhelms, Wizard 101, Farmville, etc. are all transaction based. Yes, farmville...people are behaving and 'playing' this game like hard-core MMO players. WoW has been beat by Farmville, FR, etc. All of these are MMOs as they are Massive Multiplayer and Online.
All of those players are comfortable with a model that has BOTH better profitability and greater popularity. Any smart company will adapt its business models to attract these potential customers. We may not like it but the subscription based model is 'old school' . I am happy companis still allow it as an option.
First of all quantity doesn't equal quality. Yeah there are a lot of transaction based games but we have yet to see a triple A one.
Second, farmville is mmo? Cmon. Where's the multiplayer on that game. Where's the massive. Is just you and your farm. The only "multiplayer" part is that place in the bottom where the photos of your friends are.
It amazes me that so many people on this site, especially writers, have apparently never actually played a F2P game.
The biggest thing about a cash shop game is that use of the cash shop becomes mandatory at high levels. Not buying more quests, not buying extras, but far more devious reasons.
For instance, nerfing stuff - drop rates, xp rates, making combat harder. Thus requiring you to purchase buffs from the cash shop.
Based on their presentation at the virtual goods summit, this is a big source of their income in DDO. Did they design DDO to require this? Who knows. Will they do the same for the new content in LOTRO? Will they tweak the old content in LOTRO to require it? Who knows. But they very well might, as most other F2P companies do. It's hard to resist.
Similarly, you have an absolutely horrible situation with endgame gear. On the one hand you need to get radiance for your armor. But it's a raid grind to get it. On the other hand, weapons, you have the whole LI system which is chance based.
Rather than address this problems (which people have complained about since Moria), Turbine could just put the solution in the cash shop. Radiance potions. Things that let you re-roll your LIs without grinding (just puling out your credit card).
Again, the latter is very common in F2P games, and where is the big bucks are made. People spend $100s, even $1000s trying to get a perfect endgame weapon.
Will Turbine fall into this trap? Again, it's hard to resist easy money.
Still, they had to do something. The game was clearly dying, and they clearly weren't interested in actually making content for it anymore. Maybe this way they can afford to hire people to actually make content for the game.
And it will definitely improve the community, which was probably the worst I have ever seen in a game. Like rich snobs in some sort of country club. It's funny hearing them complain about F2P players, it's like the above complaining about having to let minorities in.
Your scenario is based on games that have no monthly fees . LoTRO is a lil different because it's a hybrid with P2P + F2P folks. Turbine's goal is to get it all: monthly fees and cash shop purchases. Preferably, subbed folks using the cash shop too:)
It amazes me that so many people on this site, especially writers, have apparently never actually played a F2P game.
The biggest thing about a cash shop game is that use of the cash shop becomes mandatory at high levels. Not buying more quests, not buying extras, but far more devious reasons.
For instance, nerfing stuff - drop rates, xp rates, making combat harder. Thus requiring you to purchase buffs from the cash shop.
Based on their presentation at the virtual goods summit, this is a big source of their income in DDO. Did they design DDO to require this? Who knows. Will they do the same for the new content in LOTRO? Will they tweak the old content in LOTRO to require it? Who knows. But they very well might, as most other F2P companies do. It's hard to resist.
Similarly, you have an absolutely horrible situation with endgame gear. On the one hand you need to get radiance for your armor. But it's a raid grind to get it. On the other hand, weapons, you have the whole LI system which is chance based.
Rather than address this problems (which people have complained about since Moria), Turbine could just put the solution in the cash shop. Radiance potions. Things that let you re-roll your LIs without grinding (just puling out your credit card).
Again, the latter is very common in F2P games, and where is the big bucks are made. People spend $100s, even $1000s trying to get a perfect endgame weapon.
Will Turbine fall into this trap? Again, it's hard to resist easy money.
Still, they had to do something. The game was clearly dying, and they clearly weren't interested in actually making content for it anymore. Maybe this way they can afford to hire people to actually make content for the game.
And it will definitely improve the community, which was probably the worst I have ever seen in a game. Like rich snobs in some sort of country club. It's funny hearing them complain about F2P players, it's like the above complaining about having to let minorities in.
Your scenario is based on games that have no monthly fees . LoTRO is a lil different because it's a hybrid with P2P + F2P folks. Turbine's goal is to get it all: monthly fees and cash shop purchases. Preferably, subbed folks using the cash shop too:)
Your exacly right. Paying a sub after F2P is no more than having a standing order for 500 tokens a month. Some believe they can save them up for future xpacs. Yeah, maybe they can but im betting there will be all kinds of anti-grind and improved drop items, among others, that will see the use of these "free" tokens.
Edit for spelling.
WOW isnt great because it has 12 million players. WOW has 12 million players because its great.
It amazes me that so many people on this site, especially writers, have apparently never actually played a F2P game.
The biggest thing about a cash shop game is that use of the cash shop becomes mandatory at high levels. Not buying more quests, not buying extras, but far more devious reasons.
For instance, nerfing stuff - drop rates, xp rates, making combat harder. Thus requiring you to purchase buffs from the cash shop.
Based on their presentation at the virtual goods summit, this is a big source of their income in DDO. Did they design DDO to require this? Who knows. Will they do the same for the new content in LOTRO? Will they tweak the old content in LOTRO to require it? Who knows. But they very well might, as most other F2P companies do. It's hard to resist.
Similarly, you have an absolutely horrible situation with endgame gear. On the one hand you need to get radiance for your armor. But it's a raid grind to get it. On the other hand, weapons, you have the whole LI system which is chance based.
Rather than address this problems (which people have complained about since Moria), Turbine could just put the solution in the cash shop. Radiance potions. Things that let you re-roll your LIs without grinding (just puling out your credit card).
Again, the latter is very common in F2P games, and where is the big bucks are made. People spend $100s, even $1000s trying to get a perfect endgame weapon.
Will Turbine fall into this trap? Again, it's hard to resist easy money.
Still, they had to do something. The game was clearly dying, and they clearly weren't interested in actually making content for it anymore. Maybe this way they can afford to hire people to actually make content for the game.
And it will definitely improve the community, which was probably the worst I have ever seen in a game. Like rich snobs in some sort of country club. It's funny hearing them complain about F2P players, it's like the above complaining about having to let minorities in.
Your scenario is based on games that have no monthly fees . LoTRO is a lil different because it's a hybrid with P2P + F2P folks. Turbine's goal is to get it all: monthly fees and cash shop purchases. Preferably, subbed folks using the cash shop too:)
Your exacly right. Paying a sub after F2P is no more than having a standing order for 500 tokens a month. Some believe they can save them up for future xpacs. Yeah, maybe they can but im betting there will be all kinds of anti-grind and improved drop items, among others, that will see the use of these "free" tokens.
Edit for spelling.
Yes if you think the 500 free tolkens for the lifetimers like me is going to be enough to do anything with lol. What this is, is a free never ending trial. All the while pushing you to sub, or to spend stuff in the store to unlock. Then on top of that a new way to milk the lifetime members out of cash they were not spending.
Pure and simple a money making opertunity for wb/turbine. Just a way to increase market share and proffits.
Meanwhile we still wind up with the radaince/li's at the end game.
Nothing has chaned other than the amount of cash being raked in.
Comments
A shame the sad state of LOTRO these days. It could have been so much more. Lets hope another company trys their hand at the IP but unfortionately thats not likely to happen in my life time :-/
"I play Tera for the gameplay"
All I see here is an event which has been planned for a long time. The skirmish system is the perfect way for them to add content similar to that of the DDO premium modules, that people have to pay for. Coincidence? I don't think so....
I think it's just going to cheapen the experience for those already playing the game, but will probably bring in more new players than old so they (the new) won't notice how its been cheapened. It's a win for Turbine.. but not for their loyal players.
This article wasn't very well constructed.
There are multiple specifics already released about F2P play that can raise concerns. Among them, limitations on traits and bag space which will make F2P players in parties extremely sub-optimal compared to paying players (to the degree that, if I continue playing, I plan to exclude F2Ps from raid content I'm involved in).
These limitations alone will affect them in basic fashions. When traits are used to customize stats and abilities, not having what is now considered a basic load out for different dungeons raises the difficulty level drastically on some already difficult encounters. Similarly, not having enough bag space makes it less likely that party members will feel free to carry secondary gear load outs for different tasks in parties.
well, i recently started to think about this - why turbine dont take existing (and any in future added) areas of Lotro and make a sandbox-like version on top of it? i wouldnt mind if they use as much of existing lotro as possible, if they give us besides current version also second one, where we could just "live in middle-earth".
it would need only some more noncombat skills/features added, some tweeking to crafting and welcome to middle-earth v2
Yup, so just subscribe...that's kinda the point...
Humans are funny creatures...we worry too much about the negative "what ifs" while not even considering the positive "what ifs." Y'all need to try to be a bit more optimistic. The real world is depressing and dreary enough, please stop corrupting my fantasy worlds...
It amazes me that so many people on this site, especially writers, have apparently never actually played a F2P game.
The biggest thing about a cash shop game is that use of the cash shop becomes mandatory at high levels. Not buying more quests, not buying extras, but far more devious reasons.
For instance, nerfing stuff - drop rates, xp rates, making combat harder. Thus requiring you to purchase buffs from the cash shop.
Based on their presentation at the virtual goods summit, this is a big source of their income in DDO. Did they design DDO to require this? Who knows. Will they do the same for the new content in LOTRO? Will they tweak the old content in LOTRO to require it? Who knows. But they very well might, as most other F2P companies do. It's hard to resist.
Similarly, you have an absolutely horrible situation with endgame gear. On the one hand you need to get radiance for your armor. But it's a raid grind to get it. On the other hand, weapons, you have the whole LI system which is chance based.
Rather than address this problems (which people have complained about since Moria), Turbine could just put the solution in the cash shop. Radiance potions. Things that let you re-roll your LIs without grinding (just puling out your credit card).
Again, the latter is very common in F2P games, and where is the big bucks are made. People spend $100s, even $1000s trying to get a perfect endgame weapon.
Will Turbine fall into this trap? Again, it's hard to resist easy money.
Still, they had to do something. The game was clearly dying, and they clearly weren't interested in actually making content for it anymore. Maybe this way they can afford to hire people to actually make content for the game.
And it will definitely improve the community, which was probably the worst I have ever seen in a game. Like rich snobs in some sort of country club. It's funny hearing them complain about F2P players, it's like the above complaining about having to let minorities in.
R.I.P. City of Heroes and my 17 characters there
That would be 500 TP a month.
Y'know, you're right. The game should only have included Bree-Land and the Shire, and the only fighting that would take place is against wild animals and the occasional orc (until the Scourging of the Shire of course). Man, that just sounds like an awesome game. You could roll a Hobbit, and not fight - or you could roll a human, and just sit around in Bree - presumably crafting. No elves, as they really didn't do anything at that time (save Legolas).
Yeah, good luck at publishing that game - I'm sure you'll have people lining up around the block to get their hands on that MMO. When people say 'Turbine did a great job with the IP'
they mean in the context of making a game out of it. This isn't Middle-Earth Simulator 2000, it's an MMO - and if people want to play an MMO, they expect certain things out of it. In that regard Turbine has done a great job of balancing game and lore - when the only time they've stepped outside of the lore was for gameplay reasons.
Oh and btw...the only dragon that has ever been in this game was an undead one. Also, I can do you one better than SWG - it's called Episode I, Episode II, and Episode III. Pretty sad when the creator of said IP takes a bigger dump on it than anybody else.
TANSTAAFL. - Heinlein
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/There_ain't_no_such_thing_as_a_free_lunch
True then. True now.
Don't worry about the community that leaves, because you will have a new community: players who cannot afford P2P games.
Don't worry Billy, I'm not playing your 'serious' game, nor do I want. You yourself have called it a Themepark of LotR, and you call that 'serious', seriously? You can keep it. I'm perfectly happy as a premium user of DDO Unlimited, and there are no sparkly Star Dragon Mounts here, thank you.
https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/Bleakmage
I don't remember giant flying airship hotels in any D&D rulebooks....
If there really isn't much PVP in this game, then it may work out in the end. I don't think the game would die just because it's going free to play with an obnoxious item mall. The thing that would kill it is if the imbalance of items sold in the mall reaches the point where people will be able to buy their way to being over-powerful. Eventually, this has led groups of spenders to be the top of the crop while the others just languish. I will not even play anything with an item mall that would sell say, super armor or weapons and powers. I have played EQ2 for a long time, thank god the item mall doesnt sell anything that pushes characters way ahead of anyone else's... except for one server that is off by itself. Butr again I simply won't even attempt free to play anything and be outspent.
I'm so hoping FFXIV comes quickly. It seems like it will be a great second game as I get bored with EQ2 occasionally. And SE I'm sure will find success with this new online venture and not implement an item mall... tacky.
First we don't know how things will be. They say: ya lifetimers and subs get 500 TP free each month.. Seems OK?
But we still need to know prices, some DDO fanboy mentioned before "there is most things prices below 700". Most?
Which aren't? Raid instance entrance ticket? 500 is enough for one raid per month, good for casual, if ya hardcore raider... then pay, pay, pay, each week tens of bucks, etc. We still don't know but I guess that will be such kind of ticketbooths at doors of every interesting place as Wallet-Brothers know how to sell tickets to cinemas, sportarenas, theme parks, etc. I don't wonder when we see some kind of WB lifetime entertainment thinggie for $1000 or more.
Second and most annoying for me is eqalizing brains & bucks. If one must learn tactics and develope his skills to get one beautiful reward after months of hard work and battles, and then ya see one brainless a.hole with fat wallet parading around with the Same Item - what use of it. Say they rise radiance need to 150 for new raid. ya have choises to start grind and collect shards taking at least few weeks or months to gather, or pay those $50 and voilaa! So called hardcore fanboys don't stop - they shorten their account in banks in 1st day and start. When ya poor buy reach at last ya needed 150 radiance ya just hear that there is new raid instance with 180 radiance req, and in old one there stayed no ppl.
So or so I never like games with "buy win". Imagine now in soccer world championship in RSA when when games are still running, and then we can read tomorrow at CNN that winner is bahrein team whose count payed for gold medal $200 Mio :P
But in move by Turbine isn't something surprising. There is NO such LOTRO we start to play in Beta @ 2007 and loved it, both lore and gameplay, possibility to walk around in places we read in Tolkien's books and saw in LOTR movies. All start to fade slowly when Moria came (I don't know for sure, but I heard that many of original Tolkien-fan-based dev team left or was fired by Turbine and they bought some truckloads of cheap, but smart hindu programmists. Fast to copy-paste old code but totally dumb in areas of Tolkien's nordic mythos and lore). But by all signs all after Moria have maybe 5% tied with LOTR, other is poor crap. Nerfing for solo dumbusers former hard epic quests, introducing stupid skirmishes... enough for me at least.
My only hope is that they fail totally and fast with they stupid F2P model. And that LOTR IP would be gathered by some (better indie) company with nuts'n'guts - and we see REAL oldtimer-style Middle-Earth again
I have read many times in the posts that people who have played the game got bored with it and didn't think it was worth 15 a month, but now that it's going F2P they will be back. That doesn't make any sense to me at all. They aren't adding and new content at all, they are simply changing it so people can get a limited amount of play for free. If you have access to everything the game has to offer for 15 (10 if you pay for 3 months or more) now and your bored, how is it possibly going to keep your interest with 1/3 the content for free?
I think it's a bad move. Community will not be the same and my hats off to those who are banding together to try and save it, but you wont change anything. F2P is what it is which is why I don't play any of them. The community is the main reason I stayed with lotro, but that will be changing.
I wish the game the best of luck and hope they don't kill the community or game, but the decision to go to a F2P model and they way they went about it just shows they aren't all that concerned about the community. Just remember that in a P2P game they "should" be spending time on bug fixes and more content, in a F2P game they concentrait on Item shop stuff and less on the rest until they feel they are making enough to add more content. If they find not enough are spending money on things they will adjust the way the game plays and force people to pay.
It's about the bottom line and nothing but the bottom line.
I'm not an IT Specialist, Game Developer, or Clairvoyant in real life, but like others on here, I play one on the internet.
Starjammer?
I think this is short-sighted. The real question is not F2P versus P2P...but is a transaction based model versus a subscription based model.
The transaction based market (and number of customers) far outweighs the subscription model...WoW in Asia is a transaction based (as are most Asian games), Free Rhelms, Wizard 101, Farmville, etc. are all transaction based. Yes, farmville...people are behaving and 'playing' this game like hard-core MMO players. WoW has been beat by Farmville, FR, etc. All of these are MMOs as they are Massive Multiplayer and Online.
All of those players are comfortable with a model that has BOTH better profitability and greater popularity. Any smart company will adapt its business models to attract these potential customers. We may not like it but the subscription based model is 'old school' . I am happy companis still allow it as an option.
First of all quantity doesn't equal quality. Yeah there are a lot of transaction based games but we have yet to see a triple A one.
Second, farmville is mmo? Cmon. Where's the multiplayer on that game. Where's the massive. Is just you and your farm. The only "multiplayer" part is that place in the bottom where the photos of your friends are.
Your scenario is based on games that have no monthly fees . LoTRO is a lil different because it's a hybrid with P2P + F2P folks. Turbine's goal is to get it all: monthly fees and cash shop purchases. Preferably, subbed folks using the cash shop too:)
Your exacly right. Paying a sub after F2P is no more than having a standing order for 500 tokens a month. Some believe they can save them up for future xpacs. Yeah, maybe they can but im betting there will be all kinds of anti-grind and improved drop items, among others, that will see the use of these "free" tokens.
Edit for spelling.
WOW isnt great because it has 12 million players. WOW has 12 million players because its great.
Reason 6: They already have far too many problems with goldsellers and this will make it far worse.
Yes if you think the 500 free tolkens for the lifetimers like me is going to be enough to do anything with lol. What this is, is a free never ending trial. All the while pushing you to sub, or to spend stuff in the store to unlock. Then on top of that a new way to milk the lifetime members out of cash they were not spending.
Pure and simple a money making opertunity for wb/turbine. Just a way to increase market share and proffits.
Meanwhile we still wind up with the radaince/li's at the end game.
Nothing has chaned other than the amount of cash being raked in.