Works for prostitutes and their one of the longest professions in existence!...I swear I can see a moderator warning coming in my mailbox for that comment....
If anything, I feel like theres more investment/attatchment to a f2p game. In F2p you actually buy content and what not. If I actually pay for a game zone I might feel more attatched to playing it than just paying a sub for access.
I think f2p games should start charging for the initial client, then they could call themselves b2p and the Guild Wars fans would go crazy!
Also, I like the idea of AAA games being better and sub based. What games are these we are refering to? WoW...half of EQ2? Rift EQ1, Asherons Call, Ultima Online is that still a AAA game? Oooo SWG(up until it closes) is that AAA?
The idea of AAA MMOs at all is such an odd concept. So many so called AAA games get trashed left and right (including WoW which like it or not is the king of AAA a this time)
I'm a fan of both models, but i'm starting to feel like the f2p model might be more and more the way to go. It's so hard to justify a $15 sub fee anymore just for a game, if I miss a week of playing cause i'm busy i feel like i just wasted money. At least in a f2p game if I buy a quest pack or a mount I know its still gonna be there when i play it again and i'm not paying in between playing.
Some kind of prepaid model like cell phones would be the ultimate. Pay for 100 hours of gametime then use it whenever you want? I'm sold.
So, now people are beginning to see the f2p trend for what it is......A JOKE!
Zynga turned $450 million last year. I bet they're laughing too.
Ken Fisher - Semi retired old fart Network Administrator, now working in Network Security. I don't Forum PVP. If you feel I've attacked you, it was probably by accident. When I don't understand, I ask. Such is not intended as criticism.
1) Because Smedley thinks it's a great idea...and Smed has NEVER been wrong about changing a games format in mid-stream before...
2) "The power of the Marketing Department compels you!"
3) It's FREE, If people don't ever need to provide you with any sort of info to collect payments from them....you don't need to worry about what happens when hackers breach your state of the art 1980's era Security Controls.
4) You can always be assured that your FREE players are getting value for their money.
5) Who doesn't want to spend a thousand hours of thier free time grinding level 1 Giant Rats in order to obtain a " Ragged Purple Eye Patch of Elbow Scratching +1" ?
The threads and articles written by the staff of mmorpg.com are getting ridiculously old. You post about the exact same topics over, and over, and over. It blows my mind that anyone even entertains this nonsense.
I prefer P2P. A great game needs funding in order to pay the devs and advertising to keep all those nice patch updates and expansion packs coming. Hate it or not, WoW, already being the offspring of a great company who has produced really sweet titles, was able to keep us into the game with always something to look forward to. $15 a month is worth it for me and its chump change anyways. I've played a good amount of F2P and they always seem lacking in support, community and development. There are some great ones no doubt, but the subs have a bigger crowd.
I do however wouldn't mind an in-game microtransaction store for COSMETIC items and upgrades and NOT armor and weapons. Because as stated, there ARE a lot of people who want to alter the look of their character to their liking. I think those staores would be well worth it, especially if paired with the game already having a pretty detailed character customization feature like let's say Aion. I for one would be happy with a hybrid.
My MMO went F2P last year with the opening of the Extended server. I repicked up EQ2 and played there for a little bit. I realized though that what I really wanted was the P2P version of the game, since I was playing Extended too often and found the restrictions a bit annoying even for the gold membership.
I am now on the Live servers since February and am so glad I made my choice to stick with P2P. There is a cash shop with some convenience potions, game services, and lots of cosmetic things and mounts. I think I only used 50 SC I got from having bought Velious online, otherwise, I am able to play as I have tradtionally been able to play my MMOs up until now.
This whole F2P thing really is not a great idea unless players are extremely casual or hop from MMO to MMO. I hope that every MMO goes hybrid instead and offers a series of payment plans that suits a customer's schedule and needs. The problem with F2P is that a person risks spending more every month than getting a traditional subscription plan, especially if you buy the latter in blocks of time. Some MMO companies have also been lowering their subscriptions. But on the downside, paying a subscription doesn't make sense if you can't play the game on a fairly consistant basis during the month.
The only other thing I can say is that F2P is only a good idea for old games that have low populations, in order to intice players back in, but this must be done intelligently and with the good of the game in mind rather than the good of the company's wallet! For example, I think DAoC could stand to go F2P BUT with NO pay-to-win i.e. no possibility of getting game-changing gear or anything that messes up the RvR. If it's just cosmetic stuff, horses, game services, and the like, I think that it could bring back a healthy population to that most excellent of games!
My MMO went F2P last year with the opening of the Extended server. I repicked up EQ2 and played there for a little bit. I realized though that what I really wanted was the P2P version of the game, since I was playing Extended too often and found the restrictions a bit annoying even for the gold membership.
I am now on the Live servers since February and am so glad I made my choice to stick with P2P. There is a cash shop with some convenience potions, game services, and lots of cosmetic things and mounts. I think I only used 50 SC I got from having bought Velious online, otherwise, I am able to play as I have tradtionally been able to play my MMOs up until now.
This whole F2P thing really is not a great idea unless players are extremely casual or hop from MMO to MMO. I hope that every MMO goes hybrid instead and offers a series of payment plans that suits a customer's schedule and needs. The problem with F2P is that a person risks spending more every month than getting a traditional subscription plan, especially if you buy the latter in blocks of time. Some MMO companies have also been lowering their subscriptions. But on the downside, paying a subscription doesn't make sense if you can't play the game on a fairly consistant basis during the month.
The only other thing I can say is that F2P is only a good idea for old games that have low populations, in order to intice players back in, but this must be done intelligently and with the good of the game in mind rather than the good of the company's wallet! For example, I think DAoC could stand to go F2P BUT with NO pay-to-win i.e. no possibility of getting game-changing gear or anything that messes up the RvR. If it's just cosmetic stuff, horses, game services, and the like, I think that it could bring back a healthy population to that most excellent of games!
Agreed. I found some games irritating offering weapons and armor that boosted states to the equivalent of an armor that was like 20 levels higher but available for purchase online without having to actually work for stuff like that in game. This guy is the same level as me yet he has armor and a big fat sword that kills enemies in one blow while taking almost no damage.
Problem nowadays is that even the "Premium" companies that have games P2P are falling onto the temptation of having a cash shop.
Take a good look at Ncsoft and the way Aion in being currently being handled.
Since it's debut Aion has been a premium subscription Game, 2 years into the game they have been slowly introducing a cash shop. If up untill now they were just giving players cosmetic items in exchange for a few extra bucks, now they started to sell items that actually influence the way you're luck goes in game. So if you are having problems socketing you're gear in game...just go to the cash shop on for a "few " extra bucks you can get insta sucess socketing aids.
F2p is a huge magnet for companys to increase they're profit margin quicly. In the case of Aion rummors have it that after the 2.5 expansion sucess rates for socketing have been lowered. This brings out the issue of F2P games being built of creating player needs for an associated item shop. But when a P2P game actually starts to do the same ....
Another previous problem had arrised in the past but had slipped unoticed. Server merges happened because servers were supposedly imbalanced. Well the outcome was that if in the begining 2 or 3 servers were imbalanced, at the end all were, causing mass exodus from the servers. After a free transfer periode with counted server slots, given to the players in wich the servers became even worse than they were at the begining... Payed transfers apeared.
In true honnesty I think that there is room for the 2 kinds to exist, but given that they both state from begining how they are meant to be played. A player that signs up for P2P should never be subjected to the rules being changed in the midle of the game. Same goes for the F2P player...when he starts he knows what he is geting himself into.
In the end, not only will the company loose the trust of they're playerbase for changing the rules mid game but also the game will die out because the target audience it once atracted and started playing it...will no longer be there.
I also have 5 reasons why MMO's should be Free too Play
1. It will increase the revenue - Good for the company and the online gold sellers bad for playerbase
2. it would increase the players in game - Young kids (age 7/8) and substancial increase in gold farmer/bots
3. it will revive the player base (Would kill playerbase of any subscription game)
4. it will attract more players after seeing numerous gamers inside the game (Quite the contrary the change in the demographics of the playerbase will most probably turn people away from the game; Expected increase in Goldsellers and gold farmers; Increase in game scammers)
5. lastly, players and company will both benefit from the (Subscription model players won't beneffit anything from this, quite the contrary as shown above)
So in the end, the quality of the game dramaticly decreases. Unless there is a huge GM team behind the scenes keeping everything running smoothly with massive bans every night the game will become ruined. Ofc it is needless to say that by going F2p the company expects to increase revenew ...hence hiring more GM's is not an option to keep game runing as it would decrease revenew....
So yeah...F2p are good for those with botomless pockets and/or those that don't like to play the same game for long.
In the end the argument that f2p is beneficial to games because it increases game population is just another pile of crap to justify the fact that the game is to bad to lure in a good player base. If a game is good enough it will be subscription ... if it is crappy and subscription model is not sustainable ... it will become F2p as a way for it to at least pay the money invested in it's initial development...
Comments
The only fair sub model is to pay by the hour.
Chi puo dir com'egli arde é in picciol fuoco.
He who can describe the flame does not burn.
Petrarch
Works for prostitutes and their one of the longest professions in existence!...I swear I can see a moderator warning coming in my mailbox for that comment....
If anything, I feel like theres more investment/attatchment to a f2p game. In F2p you actually buy content and what not. If I actually pay for a game zone I might feel more attatched to playing it than just paying a sub for access.
I think f2p games should start charging for the initial client, then they could call themselves b2p and the Guild Wars fans would go crazy!
Also, I like the idea of AAA games being better and sub based. What games are these we are refering to? WoW...half of EQ2? Rift EQ1, Asherons Call, Ultima Online is that still a AAA game? Oooo SWG(up until it closes) is that AAA?
The idea of AAA MMOs at all is such an odd concept. So many so called AAA games get trashed left and right (including WoW which like it or not is the king of AAA a this time)
I'm a fan of both models, but i'm starting to feel like the f2p model might be more and more the way to go. It's so hard to justify a $15 sub fee anymore just for a game, if I miss a week of playing cause i'm busy i feel like i just wasted money. At least in a f2p game if I buy a quest pack or a mount I know its still gonna be there when i play it again and i'm not paying in between playing.
Some kind of prepaid model like cell phones would be the ultimate. Pay for 100 hours of gametime then use it whenever you want? I'm sold.
/Facepalm
Buying the client does not make a game B2P. They would have to redesign every point of the game to make it fit the B2P payment model.
I'm glad OP is joking. I am tired of hearing about F2P, to be honest.
F2P have a right to life, but so do P2P. Consumers should have a choice of what kinds of game they want to play.
Keep F2P out of my face, please. I know where to look if I want to find it.
Great article though.
Total MMOs played: 274|Enjoyed: 9. >:|
So, now people are beginning to see the f2p trend for what it is......A JOKE!
Let's party like it is 1863!
Zynga turned $450 million last year. I bet they're laughing too.
Nicely done Bill.....
I'd like to add my 5 to yours..
1) Because Smedley thinks it's a great idea...and Smed has NEVER been wrong about changing a games format in mid-stream before...
2) "The power of the Marketing Department compels you!"
3) It's FREE, If people don't ever need to provide you with any sort of info to collect payments from them....you don't need to worry about what happens when hackers breach your state of the art 1980's era Security Controls.
4) You can always be assured that your FREE players are getting value for their money.
5) Who doesn't want to spend a thousand hours of thier free time grinding level 1 Giant Rats in order to obtain a " Ragged Purple Eye Patch of Elbow Scratching +1" ?
That's a dumb list....
I will go subscription all the time in favor of a stupid f2p game where "who's daddy is the richest" wins
The threads and articles written by the staff of mmorpg.com are getting ridiculously old. You post about the exact same topics over, and over, and over. It blows my mind that anyone even entertains this nonsense.
And their profits THIS year are down 95%.
Of course, 30% of that drop is because they have to pay Facebook now, leaving a real drop of roughly 65%.
But really, Zynga isn't one game first of all, and they are games built around the idea of making real money off of it.
Is that even a game?
Once upon a time....
I prefer P2P. A great game needs funding in order to pay the devs and advertising to keep all those nice patch updates and expansion packs coming. Hate it or not, WoW, already being the offspring of a great company who has produced really sweet titles, was able to keep us into the game with always something to look forward to. $15 a month is worth it for me and its chump change anyways. I've played a good amount of F2P and they always seem lacking in support, community and development. There are some great ones no doubt, but the subs have a bigger crowd.
I do however wouldn't mind an in-game microtransaction store for COSMETIC items and upgrades and NOT armor and weapons. Because as stated, there ARE a lot of people who want to alter the look of their character to their liking. I think those staores would be well worth it, especially if paired with the game already having a pretty detailed character customization feature like let's say Aion. I for one would be happy with a hybrid.
Getting too old for this $&17!
Heh heh, funny stuff!
My MMO went F2P last year with the opening of the Extended server. I repicked up EQ2 and played there for a little bit. I realized though that what I really wanted was the P2P version of the game, since I was playing Extended too often and found the restrictions a bit annoying even for the gold membership.
I am now on the Live servers since February and am so glad I made my choice to stick with P2P. There is a cash shop with some convenience potions, game services, and lots of cosmetic things and mounts. I think I only used 50 SC I got from having bought Velious online, otherwise, I am able to play as I have tradtionally been able to play my MMOs up until now.
This whole F2P thing really is not a great idea unless players are extremely casual or hop from MMO to MMO. I hope that every MMO goes hybrid instead and offers a series of payment plans that suits a customer's schedule and needs. The problem with F2P is that a person risks spending more every month than getting a traditional subscription plan, especially if you buy the latter in blocks of time. Some MMO companies have also been lowering their subscriptions. But on the downside, paying a subscription doesn't make sense if you can't play the game on a fairly consistant basis during the month.
The only other thing I can say is that F2P is only a good idea for old games that have low populations, in order to intice players back in, but this must be done intelligently and with the good of the game in mind rather than the good of the company's wallet! For example, I think DAoC could stand to go F2P BUT with NO pay-to-win i.e. no possibility of getting game-changing gear or anything that messes up the RvR. If it's just cosmetic stuff, horses, game services, and the like, I think that it could bring back a healthy population to that most excellent of games!
Playing MUDs and MMOs since 1994.
Agreed. I found some games irritating offering weapons and armor that boosted states to the equivalent of an armor that was like 20 levels higher but available for purchase online without having to actually work for stuff like that in game. This guy is the same level as me yet he has armor and a big fat sword that kills enemies in one blow while taking almost no damage.
I'm totally all for the cosmetics.
Getting too old for this $&17!
Problem nowadays is that even the "Premium" companies that have games P2P are falling onto the temptation of having a cash shop.
Take a good look at Ncsoft and the way Aion in being currently being handled.
Since it's debut Aion has been a premium subscription Game, 2 years into the game they have been slowly introducing a cash shop. If up untill now they were just giving players cosmetic items in exchange for a few extra bucks, now they started to sell items that actually influence the way you're luck goes in game. So if you are having problems socketing you're gear in game...just go to the cash shop on for a "few " extra bucks you can get insta sucess socketing aids.
F2p is a huge magnet for companys to increase they're profit margin quicly. In the case of Aion rummors have it that after the 2.5 expansion sucess rates for socketing have been lowered. This brings out the issue of F2P games being built of creating player needs for an associated item shop. But when a P2P game actually starts to do the same ....
Another previous problem had arrised in the past but had slipped unoticed. Server merges happened because servers were supposedly imbalanced. Well the outcome was that if in the begining 2 or 3 servers were imbalanced, at the end all were, causing mass exodus from the servers. After a free transfer periode with counted server slots, given to the players in wich the servers became even worse than they were at the begining... Payed transfers apeared.
In true honnesty I think that there is room for the 2 kinds to exist, but given that they both state from begining how they are meant to be played. A player that signs up for P2P should never be subjected to the rules being changed in the midle of the game. Same goes for the F2P player...when he starts he knows what he is geting himself into.
In the end, not only will the company loose the trust of they're playerbase for changing the rules mid game but also the game will die out because the target audience it once atracted and started playing it...will no longer be there.
I also have 5 reasons why MMO's should be Free too Play
1. It will increase the revenue
2. it would increase the players in game
3. it will revive the player base
4. it will attract more players after seeing numerous gamers inside the game
5. lastly, players and company will both benefit from the game
ew
I also have 5 reasons why MMO's should be Free too Play
1. It will increase the revenue - Good for the company and the online gold sellers bad for playerbase
2. it would increase the players in game - Young kids (age 7/8) and substancial increase in gold farmer/bots
3. it will revive the player base (Would kill playerbase of any subscription game)
4. it will attract more players after seeing numerous gamers inside the game (Quite the contrary the change in the demographics of the playerbase will most probably turn people away from the game; Expected increase in Goldsellers and gold farmers; Increase in game scammers)
5. lastly, players and company will both benefit from the (Subscription model players won't beneffit anything from this, quite the contrary as shown above)
So in the end, the quality of the game dramaticly decreases. Unless there is a huge GM team behind the scenes keeping everything running smoothly with massive bans every night the game will become ruined. Ofc it is needless to say that by going F2p the company expects to increase revenew ...hence hiring more GM's is not an option to keep game runing as it would decrease revenew....
So yeah...F2p are good for those with botomless pockets and/or those that don't like to play the same game for long.
In the end the argument that f2p is beneficial to games because it increases game population is just another pile of crap to justify the fact that the game is to bad to lure in a good player base. If a game is good enough it will be subscription ... if it is crappy and subscription model is not sustainable ... it will become F2p as a way for it to at least pay the money invested in it's initial development...