Honestly, do you really need to spend that much on free 2 play games? Its a question about self control my friend, and you don't have none. Yes they feed into your addiction, but its your choice to fall for it.
Lots of f2p games, are very playable, without any money invested. And the one's that are pay 2 win, do we even call these video games? NO! if you still want to play these games, You lost all reailty of what video games really are.
F2P move is great, It gives us the chance to test the game before spending 50 bucks, on retail. Then 20 bucks a month.
If you spend say 15 a month on a free to play game, thats on par with normal sub, and your contributing to the dev's rather than being a leech. And its only 15 a month. Compared to some of these people spending 100-10k on a video game.
You don't need to pay all this extra money to play premium content in most f2p games. its like extra 20 bucks a month. what are you spending your money on? Pay2Win? Fluff? How can you place blame elsewhere, when the blame lies within.
Nobody forces you to buy fluff, or items that give you advantage, because you can't compete normally.
You want to brag to your friends? Be the best, all it takes, they will evnoy you for that. End Of Story.
Honestly all these people that spend money on games, to get ahead of others, are only cheating themselfs.
You spent 100 more dollers on your vitual heros, then i did. Does that make your heros better then mine, maybe. Does that make you better then me? Hell No! Its ok, we all can't all be good at videos games, some of us need to spend a little cash on games, to make up for their lack of skill.
if people would just stop playing f2p mmorpg's entirely we could chane the industry back o something we liked again.
but people just cant stay away if its "free".
do like me and just dont play f2p games, and if you do dont buy anything. i bought tf2 back in 2007 and still play it. but i never bought anything in their cash shop or any cash shop for that matter.
The master of the free to play game makers do not technically create MMORPGs. The psychology is the same, IMO. Of course you know what have in mind... the great evil empire of...ZYNGA. Give the people nothing and tell them it's free, and wait for the money to roll in.
The truth is that all game makers will do whatever they can to improve their bottom line. They exist to make a profit, not to create an aesthetic masterpiece or a meaningful experience. Hence, the overwhelming temptation to try to suck nickels and dimes by whatever means possible. The original device was the treadmill (aka EQ1), but of course games will evolve, and any method will be tried, there is no game maker moral compass, for heaven's sake.
I suppose in some ideal world the proper economic format would be to give people choices. Either get everything for a flat fee or pay as you go. But cash shop creep is a unversal truth, I am afraid. Sigh.
The only way to win is (ala War Games the movie)...NOT to PLAY. Like alcholics, though, only a few will have the wll power.
At least I can say I am now playing Vanguard...no cash shop..yet. And I played GW1 for a while...if it had a cash shop, I never realized it, so same thing.
Of course it there are plenty of F2P titles that do require you to spend money (sometimes a lot) to achieve something, but the key point here is that, no one forced you to play those in the first place. Unlike P2Ps, you didn't have to buy the Box nor pay any monthly fee. You can join a game or leave it without ever spending a buck, you're not tied by a box price or monthly fee, because it's FREE.
But again, there are many F2P titles that do offers items that, even as a F2P-supporter, completely despise and loathe. But here's the thing, whenever I try a new F2P title, one of the very first thing I look at is the Cash Shop. If I disagree with the content of the Cash Shop, I'll just forget about the game and look elsewere, it's as simple as that. However, if I do agree with the content of the Cash Shop and am enjoying the game, I certainly don't mind spending a few bucks for fluffs and whatnot...because I'm a responsible adult. Seriously, I read some folks here on MMORPG.com posting against F2Ps, saying how they suck out all your money and I'm here wondering "Just how much money did you spend on a F2P to reach that point? 1k? 5k? 10k?" Let's be honest here for a minute, if you have trouble and just keep spending money without really looking at the numbers the game's not the problem, it's you and if it weren't for games you'd probably be burning that cash elsewere on more useless "crap" for lack of a better word. "Don't hate the game, hate the player" as they say.
I've been playing MMORPGs for a very long time (since UO) and also played F2Ps since MapleStory entered Closed Beta (around 2003-2004) in North America. Since 2003-4, I've spent less than $200 on F2Ps. If I had been playing strictly P2Ps since 2003-2004... Hell, let's say only a single P2P title without the expansions from 2003 to 2011, I'd have spent $1,500, and again, that's without any expansions or swapping P2P title every now and then, without even really knowing wether I enjoy the game or not (because the part you get to experience in the trial is always nice and dandy but when you get beyond the trial stage, things tends to change).
Are F2P companies going to try to "nickel and dime" you? Oh, definitively. It's a business, they have to keep things running somehow. But if you don't agree with the way one F2P is run, don't play it and look elsewere. You didn't have to spend any money upfront, didn't have to spend anything at all so the feeling of entitlement should not even exist considering that you'd be playing for free. It could be referred to as "Voting with your wallet". No one's holding a gun to your head and forcing you to spend on something you clearly don't like.
And before this turns into a "companies are dumbing down MMOs" ; buy their "shit" and they'll make more "shit". Game Developers aren't dumbing down the genre, they are simply answering demands. Want more WoW? Here's another WoW.
I do not believe anyone who claims they never spent a dime in a f2p game. They are suspect the minute they say that and have probably spent way too much on it.
You can not spend money in a FTP game easily.
Usually it's people who want the "best" things that spend money depending on game type. In Dragon Nest I played the whole thing without spending one dime at all and had fun.
AoC I played on the PvP server and spent nothing.
EQ Extended I haven't spent one dime.
Vindictus I haven't spent any money.
You don't need to spend money in a FTP game to have fun. It makes things a LOT easier but you don't have to spend any if you don't want to.
You don't need to spend money in a FtP game to have fun. Others clearly do.
There is that "extreme minority" he refers to in the article....
If you can play, experience and enjoy the entire game without ever feeling you have to do without, or pace yourself, or wait longer than you'd prefer to to obtain or achieve something, or make progress at a pace that's comfortable for you without having to 'settle' for the progress you make at the truly "free" level ... Then you're doing great.
Many, many, many more people can't... and that's exactly what the developers depend on, and that's exactly why it's stated, time and again, that F2P MMOs make more money than Subscription-based ones do, despite being free.
It's *not* due to people like yourself playing the game without paying anything and enjoying it. You're not the Developer's target market. The purpose someone like yourself serves is to help the game seem more populated, making it more appealing to folks who want to play a popular game.
That's not an insult or derogatory statement, by the way lol. Just an observation.
"If you just step away for a sec you will clearly see all the pot holes in the road, and the cash shop selling asphalt..." - Mimzel on F2P/Cash Shops
No one is forcing you to buy anything in a cash shop. Ever. I have NEVER bought anything from a F2P cash shop. I probably never will. Its usually just worthless crap anyways.
But Id be more apt to buy from a cash shop than paying 15 bucks a month. At least when you're buying some stupid hat you're actually buying something with your money. With sub fees you arent buying anything. At all. Nothing. You're just giving the developer money for nothing. You've already bought the game after all.
Not to mention most P2P games have a cash shop on top of a subscription. Why rag on F2P when its really the cash shops that are the problem in the first place? The article is a little misdirected.
Kyleran: "Now there's the real trick, learning to accept and enjoy a game for what
it offers rather than pass on what might be a great playing experience
because it lacks a few features you prefer."
John Henry Newman: "A man would do nothing if he waited until he could do it so well that no one could find fault."
FreddyNoNose: "A good game needs no defense; a bad game has no defense." "Easily digested content is just as easily forgotten."
LacedOpium: "So the question that begs to be asked is, if you are not interested in
the game mechanics that define the MMORPG genre, then why are you
playing an MMORPG?"
The right side of the F2P vs Freemium vs P2P argument depends on the game and the playstyle of the gamer. I have NEVER spent more money on a F2P or Freemium game (Lotor, CoX, DDO, WoT) as I have on P2P games (Eve Online, Cox early on, Conan early on, and STO). As a casual gamer who knows how to follow a budget, I have avoided spending tons of money in the cash shops. I don't like the idea of spending $200 on a game ($50 box plus $150 for a year of sub), then no longer having access to my characters. Some games I might only play 2 hours in a month. I don't think that's worth $15. If I play a F2P or Freemium game, my account will be there as long as the game lasts for me to revisit as much or as little as I choose. If I find myself really getting into a game and playing a lot, Freemium games offer a $15 monthly sub. It's the best of both worlds. By the way, having a sub does not guarantee there wont be jerks in a game (here's looking at you, WoW). I also don't think it's possible to pay-to-win in a PvE environment, which is what I usually play.
Age old argument and STILL they get it wrong, sigh....tisk tisk, it's called SELF CONTROL. if you want to spend say $2000 on a game then by all means go ahead but DON'T BLAME THE GAME MODEL because you can't control yourself. It's that simple. I've played F2P games and the only one i ever spent any real money on was LOTRO and that was for frivolous items. The items he talks about that give boosts to xp deeds etc i got all those free, not only from the beginners items they give for free on such games and used them at the right times in the game to get what i needed to move on. Finally, i also made about 2k in game points on LOTRO from running a few toons at a time the store points are universal and i could spend them on anything. THUS every theory he's posted on this model in general is WRONG. maybe people like this should actually TRY the games and see what they are like before posting crap.
Have to say that I definitely got a chuckle out of it. For some odd reason, I thought of a twisted episode of Leverage with a nerdy looking dude sitting in the bar and telling Nathan his story about a F2P game that shafted him...wondering if there was anything they could do to help.
The rich and powerful, they take what they want. We steal it back for you. Sometimes bad guys make the best good guys. We provide... "leverage".
I miss the MMORPG genre. Will a developer ever make one again?
Ummm, small factual error in the article: the glittery pony in WoW was never any faster. It is the exact same speed as other mounts. The only reason most people got it was because it counts toward the mount collection achievements, and so the packrat instinct took over.
Ummm, small factual error in the article: the glittery pony in WoW was never any faster. It is the exact same speed as other mounts. The only reason most people got it was because it counts toward the mount collection achievements, and so the packrat instinct took over.
It was more than just the collection. It was a cost savings on having to buy mounts...the more alts you had, the more value you got out of the sparkly pony.
I miss the MMORPG genre. Will a developer ever make one again?
Find a game you want to play. GO TO FORUMS or ITEM STORE link. If Forums, look for Item store link. Look at the items. IF there are game breaking items. DONT PLAY! (Like oer power weapons, in a PvP game). You save money!
Another feature for money is equipment enhancement. Most games require "INSURED ENHANCEMENT" on armour {Upgrading past +8 usually}. This can be just for pvp, leaving the PVE world all for you to enjoy for FREE... or, it is both for end game PVP and DUngeons. If it is for dungeons, you get locked out of end raids, that is all... other wise all is free!!! The lore, the PvE, etc... Now, carefull because some games limit the PVE to your cash items, or make it really expensive to PvE, like EXP debt prevention... Resurection scrolls, etc...
You just have to do a little reading to find the right game for you. Also, publishers... Know your publisher. For example, PWE is the worst publisher and forces you to buy or die.
ALL AAA titles are the sucl. DDO, LoTRO, etc.. They were making cash, and knew how to make more cash by going F2P. They are the worst models. I see idiots here saying "Oh, well yuo going to pay no matter what you play, so just join a AAA title/publisher". YEAH NO! I have played and am playing AMAZING fun games for no money. In these AAA they make you buy the PVE content! LOL! I never pay for land. F that.
You think paying is vital to stay alive in the market. It is not. Look at fcebook. FREE guys a millionare. Prove that more, Look at wow. It made more money in 3 years that it paid for its project x10 times over. So much so they buil excessive offices, get aways, events, etc... They could have reinvested money in the game to make it epic, but they didnt. Now their horrible content is the death of them. It is not expensive to run this stuff. Every cash transaction is extra, as most F2P publishers already paid their debts. WoW made so much money that it can afford to give DIablo 3 away for free to its wow players. They boast 5 million players... 5 million x $50 retail box (average price for new games) = TRUCK LOAD OF MONEY that they can burn becuase the price is over stated.
Again, I broke away from the pay, and am enjoying my free to play community! Cya in game!
Perhaps it is possible not to spend a bloody dime on f2p but they sure make it tough as hell not to. I mean I personally would never grind or otherwise curtail my enjoyment just to stick it to them and not spend any money . I would pay to get some things and that sticks in my craw you know. I know I am not paying anything initially so why not spend a bit but I think it is the damn stupid principle of the thing. You keep wanting to not pay anything because it is f2p and end up resenting it when you do. I know silly reasoning makes no sense at all but I play DDO and I took a sub,there was no way I was going to twist myself up over unlocking the packs with points. Then I go buy points to get some tomes....yes even stupider a f2p I pay a sub for then buy points. WTG!
This is so true, and I only wish more people would wake up to it, I have found myself in the same situation and itsa the reason I no longer play world of tanks, the lure is simply to great for those of us with competative natures, being beat is fine being beat by some one you should own on a skill playing field because he paid for some uber gold sword is NOT COOL at all.
Free to play I beleive is a crime and I actually think that it will not be long until some guy with more money than he needs ends up sueing the pants off of a game company for luring their kid into blowing cash that wasnt theirs to blow. there has already been motions in this direction over at apple as I recall some child blew thousands of pounds on items in a game and their parents went mental.
Kids, Teens, Adults, were all in the same boat, in a financially screwed economey a subscription game is crazy as this might sound is a much safer bet, and well worth the money as opposed to free to play which as the OP Author rightly puts, is NOT free to play.
This article is AWESOMENESS!!!!!! I love it i looooove it!!!!
Im quiting Dragon Nest for the same reason, is just like this so far the worst free to play cough cough pay to win i have found, so beautiful so charming (hey wake up) dont let it fool you. Not only that they keep implementing items with free stats (cash shop) but sometimes when you charge money , theres a little problem with the transaction and you have to wait more than a month to get credited, just because is free to play the customer service sucks.
You forgot that point CUSTOMER SERVICEon free to play sucks just because they do not treat you as a Customer is like they had no respect for us, maybe they do see us like a addicted sick person? who knows, thats why im done with free to play games, waiting for Guild Wars 2.
On free to play games theres no respect from the company and theres no respect between players, but is the company itself who starts the disrespect athmosphere. With lies, when you feel cheated, when they mislead with their false information etc.
Other MMORPG.com article to stir up this tired argument that we will never agree on ... is MMORPG that desperate for article ideas that alls they can do is stir up arguments with flame bait?
So in other words, you are a big time "F2P" fan, lol.
Personally, I think it's nice to have something to read that balances out all of the "F2P" propaganda articles that have been rather common on this site. Both camps should have some sort of representation.
What giant number of "pro" articles? There's one column, where the subject is f2p by default, and it gets trashed by all the haters on this board pretty much every time. Saying both camps should have representation on this page is like saying Fox News should show things from the Republicans' view once in a while.
And while I usually like Coyote's articles (one of the very few ones left on this site) this one is the same hollow argument the f2p-haters have been making since the whole thing started. In fact it's actually worse, since he's not complaining about grindy and poor gameplay (which a lot have without a doubt), but implying that people have no choice but paying and can't keep track if they pay more than 15 bucks a month. Sorry, but if they are indeed that dense you should probably keep them from any form of money transaction as they clearly aren't suited to run any form of economy. While I know his articles are meant to overstate things he sadly picked the most ridiculous of the arguments against f2p to make his point, which ultimately makes this article fail in my eyes. Besides several p2p games I've also played a number of f2p games and when they start feeling too grindy or boring I simply switch to the next, as they are *gasp* free to get. Now how is that more expensive than switching p2p games every x months?
I went head first in to the F2P gaming market with the lust of fullfilling all my gaming needs for years to come while spending as little as possible. That dream was shattered quickly.
F2P is expensive and shallow compared to AAA sub titles. So I thought to myself, well I can taper down my expectations of the F2P offerings and just embrace them for what they were! I have not played a F2P in over a year. I just gave up trying to find any substance to the game without spending more than I would with a subscription.
This article sums up my exact experience after years of trying to adopt the new gaming model that is "sweeping the world".
Summary: F2P is not a new gaming model. It is a new marketing model.
How is it evil to bank on others' stupidity? If you can't control yourself enough to find a good F2P game to play and either play for free, or treat it more like a B2P game (where you may buy an expansion or just spend $30-$60 dollars a year on goodies), then I feel sorry for your lack of self control. How is a company evil if they charge you for something you don't really need and you go and buy it? I guess that means that EVERY company that sells things people don't NEED (anything other than food, clothing, and shelter) is evil or at least using evil tactics.
I pity you for not being able to control yourself and manage your spending habits better, but that is YOUR fault. Not the companies who are trying to sell a product. On top of all that, if you want to play a sub based game so you can have all your "cool" gear, there are plenty of games out there that still at least use that as an option.
You want me to pay to play a game I already paid for???
How smart is it to expect companies to be able to forever host games while offering them completely free?
No one is asking them to, all we want them to do is stop selling items that give players an unfair advantage over the rest of their gamimg world, so no selling gold tipped shells, or armour of the gods, or sword of the amazing "i paid for it" Doom!, work out some other way of doing it.
Sell costetics, sell xp boosts, sell name changes, sell server changes, sell costume dye's , sell pets , there is a million different things they can monetize that will not make the game pay to win.
Spiral Knights, each day you earn 100 Energy free, this is then consumed as you play through the games levels, this is good, you earn 100 a day but if you want to keep playing you need to buy some more, the bad side its got is that some items cant be crafted without paying, and a few other little things that you cant do unless you pay which is bad.
They have the right idea with the energy but blew it with the items.
Comments
Honestly, do you really need to spend that much on free 2 play games? Its a question about self control my friend, and you don't have none. Yes they feed into your addiction, but its your choice to fall for it.
Lots of f2p games, are very playable, without any money invested. And the one's that are pay 2 win, do we even call these video games? NO! if you still want to play these games, You lost all reailty of what video games really are.
F2P move is great, It gives us the chance to test the game before spending 50 bucks, on retail. Then 20 bucks a month.
If you spend say 15 a month on a free to play game, thats on par with normal sub, and your contributing to the dev's rather than being a leech. And its only 15 a month. Compared to some of these people spending 100-10k on a video game.
You don't need to pay all this extra money to play premium content in most f2p games. its like extra 20 bucks a month. what are you spending your money on? Pay2Win? Fluff? How can you place blame elsewhere, when the blame lies within.
Nobody forces you to buy fluff, or items that give you advantage, because you can't compete normally.
You want to brag to your friends? Be the best, all it takes, they will evnoy you for that. End Of Story.
Honestly all these people that spend money on games, to get ahead of others, are only cheating themselfs.
You spent 100 more dollers on your vitual heros, then i did. Does that make your heros better then mine, maybe. Does that make you better then me? Hell No! Its ok, we all can't all be good at videos games, some of us need to spend a little cash on games, to make up for their lack of skill.
Key Word
Self Control.
if people would just stop playing f2p mmorpg's entirely we could chane the industry back o something we liked again.
but people just cant stay away if its "free".
do like me and just dont play f2p games, and if you do dont buy anything. i bought tf2 back in 2007 and still play it. but i never bought anything in their cash shop or any cash shop for that matter.
The master of the free to play game makers do not technically create MMORPGs. The psychology is the same, IMO. Of course you know what have in mind... the great evil empire of...ZYNGA. Give the people nothing and tell them it's free, and wait for the money to roll in.
The truth is that all game makers will do whatever they can to improve their bottom line. They exist to make a profit, not to create an aesthetic masterpiece or a meaningful experience. Hence, the overwhelming temptation to try to suck nickels and dimes by whatever means possible. The original device was the treadmill (aka EQ1), but of course games will evolve, and any method will be tried, there is no game maker moral compass, for heaven's sake.
I suppose in some ideal world the proper economic format would be to give people choices. Either get everything for a flat fee or pay as you go. But cash shop creep is a unversal truth, I am afraid. Sigh.
The only way to win is (ala War Games the movie)...NOT to PLAY. Like alcholics, though, only a few will have the wll power.
At least I can say I am now playing Vanguard...no cash shop..yet. And I played GW1 for a while...if it had a cash shop, I never realized it, so same thing.
Good luck and good night.
---------------------------
Rose-lipped maidens,
Light-foot lads...
I have to disagree with the article.
Of course it there are plenty of F2P titles that do require you to spend money (sometimes a lot) to achieve something, but the key point here is that, no one forced you to play those in the first place. Unlike P2Ps, you didn't have to buy the Box nor pay any monthly fee. You can join a game or leave it without ever spending a buck, you're not tied by a box price or monthly fee, because it's FREE.
But again, there are many F2P titles that do offers items that, even as a F2P-supporter, completely despise and loathe. But here's the thing, whenever I try a new F2P title, one of the very first thing I look at is the Cash Shop. If I disagree with the content of the Cash Shop, I'll just forget about the game and look elsewere, it's as simple as that. However, if I do agree with the content of the Cash Shop and am enjoying the game, I certainly don't mind spending a few bucks for fluffs and whatnot...because I'm a responsible adult. Seriously, I read some folks here on MMORPG.com posting against F2Ps, saying how they suck out all your money and I'm here wondering "Just how much money did you spend on a F2P to reach that point? 1k? 5k? 10k?" Let's be honest here for a minute, if you have trouble and just keep spending money without really looking at the numbers the game's not the problem, it's you and if it weren't for games you'd probably be burning that cash elsewere on more useless "crap" for lack of a better word. "Don't hate the game, hate the player" as they say.
I've been playing MMORPGs for a very long time (since UO) and also played F2Ps since MapleStory entered Closed Beta (around 2003-2004) in North America. Since 2003-4, I've spent less than $200 on F2Ps. If I had been playing strictly P2Ps since 2003-2004... Hell, let's say only a single P2P title without the expansions from 2003 to 2011, I'd have spent $1,500, and again, that's without any expansions or swapping P2P title every now and then, without even really knowing wether I enjoy the game or not (because the part you get to experience in the trial is always nice and dandy but when you get beyond the trial stage, things tends to change).
Are F2P companies going to try to "nickel and dime" you? Oh, definitively. It's a business, they have to keep things running somehow. But if you don't agree with the way one F2P is run, don't play it and look elsewere. You didn't have to spend any money upfront, didn't have to spend anything at all so the feeling of entitlement should not even exist considering that you'd be playing for free. It could be referred to as "Voting with your wallet". No one's holding a gun to your head and forcing you to spend on something you clearly don't like.
And before this turns into a "companies are dumbing down MMOs" ; buy their "shit" and they'll make more "shit". Game Developers aren't dumbing down the genre, they are simply answering demands. Want more WoW? Here's another WoW.
You don't need to spend money in a FtP game to have fun. Others clearly do.
There is that "extreme minority" he refers to in the article....
If you can play, experience and enjoy the entire game without ever feeling you have to do without, or pace yourself, or wait longer than you'd prefer to to obtain or achieve something, or make progress at a pace that's comfortable for you without having to 'settle' for the progress you make at the truly "free" level ... Then you're doing great.
Many, many, many more people can't... and that's exactly what the developers depend on, and that's exactly why it's stated, time and again, that F2P MMOs make more money than Subscription-based ones do, despite being free.
It's *not* due to people like yourself playing the game without paying anything and enjoying it. You're not the Developer's target market. The purpose someone like yourself serves is to help the game seem more populated, making it more appealing to folks who want to play a popular game.
That's not an insult or derogatory statement, by the way lol. Just an observation.
and the cash shop selling asphalt..." - Mimzel on F2P/Cash Shops
-double post-
and the cash shop selling asphalt..." - Mimzel on F2P/Cash Shops
No one is forcing you to buy anything in a cash shop. Ever. I have NEVER bought anything from a F2P cash shop. I probably never will. Its usually just worthless crap anyways.
But Id be more apt to buy from a cash shop than paying 15 bucks a month. At least when you're buying some stupid hat you're actually buying something with your money. With sub fees you arent buying anything. At all. Nothing. You're just giving the developer money for nothing. You've already bought the game after all.
Not to mention most P2P games have a cash shop on top of a subscription. Why rag on F2P when its really the cash shops that are the problem in the first place? The article is a little misdirected.
Remember the days of pay by the hour for AOL NWN and TSN TSOY? That could really be expensive!
Epic Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vAigCvelkhQ&list=PLo9FRw1AkDuQLEz7Gvvaz3ideB2NpFtT1
https://archive.org/details/softwarelibrary_msdos?&sort=-downloads&page=1
Kyleran: "Now there's the real trick, learning to accept and enjoy a game for what it offers rather than pass on what might be a great playing experience because it lacks a few features you prefer."
John Henry Newman: "A man would do nothing if he waited until he could do it so well that no one could find fault."
FreddyNoNose: "A good game needs no defense; a bad game has no defense." "Easily digested content is just as easily forgotten."
LacedOpium: "So the question that begs to be asked is, if you are not interested in the game mechanics that define the MMORPG genre, then why are you playing an MMORPG?"
Its pretty easy not to spend money in F2P titles you just need to pick 7 choose the right ones.
Some are happy to such the money out of your wallet at a massive rate of knotts though.
The right side of the F2P vs Freemium vs P2P argument depends on the game and the playstyle of the gamer. I have NEVER spent more money on a F2P or Freemium game (Lotor, CoX, DDO, WoT) as I have on P2P games (Eve Online, Cox early on, Conan early on, and STO). As a casual gamer who knows how to follow a budget, I have avoided spending tons of money in the cash shops. I don't like the idea of spending $200 on a game ($50 box plus $150 for a year of sub), then no longer having access to my characters. Some games I might only play 2 hours in a month. I don't think that's worth $15. If I play a F2P or Freemium game, my account will be there as long as the game lasts for me to revisit as much or as little as I choose. If I find myself really getting into a game and playing a lot, Freemium games offer a $15 monthly sub. It's the best of both worlds. By the way, having a sub does not guarantee there wont be jerks in a game (here's looking at you, WoW). I also don't think it's possible to pay-to-win in a PvE environment, which is what I usually play.
Age old argument and STILL they get it wrong, sigh....tisk tisk, it's called SELF CONTROL. if you want to spend say $2000 on a game then by all means go ahead but DON'T BLAME THE GAME MODEL because you can't control yourself. It's that simple. I've played F2P games and the only one i ever spent any real money on was LOTRO and that was for frivolous items. The items he talks about that give boosts to xp deeds etc i got all those free, not only from the beginners items they give for free on such games and used them at the right times in the game to get what i needed to move on. Finally, i also made about 2k in game points on LOTRO from running a few toons at a time the store points are universal and i could spend them on anything. THUS every theory he's posted on this model in general is WRONG. maybe people like this should actually TRY the games and see what they are like before posting crap.
Have to say that I definitely got a chuckle out of it. For some odd reason, I thought of a twisted episode of Leverage with a nerdy looking dude sitting in the bar and telling Nathan his story about a F2P game that shafted him...wondering if there was anything they could do to help.
The rich and powerful, they take what they want. We steal it back for you. Sometimes bad guys make the best good guys. We provide... "leverage".
I miss the MMORPG genre. Will a developer ever make one again?
Explorer: 87%, Killer: 67%, Achiever: 27%, Socializer: 20%
Ummm, small factual error in the article: the glittery pony in WoW was never any faster. It is the exact same speed as other mounts. The only reason most people got it was because it counts toward the mount collection achievements, and so the packrat instinct took over.
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Bright indications singe cool undisciplined hours.
It was more than just the collection. It was a cost savings on having to buy mounts...the more alts you had, the more value you got out of the sparkly pony.
I miss the MMORPG genre. Will a developer ever make one again?
Explorer: 87%, Killer: 67%, Achiever: 27%, Socializer: 20%
(mod edited)
Find a game you want to play. GO TO FORUMS or ITEM STORE link. If Forums, look for Item store link. Look at the items. IF there are game breaking items. DONT PLAY! (Like oer power weapons, in a PvP game). You save money!
Another feature for money is equipment enhancement. Most games require "INSURED ENHANCEMENT" on armour {Upgrading past +8 usually}. This can be just for pvp, leaving the PVE world all for you to enjoy for FREE... or, it is both for end game PVP and DUngeons. If it is for dungeons, you get locked out of end raids, that is all... other wise all is free!!! The lore, the PvE, etc... Now, carefull because some games limit the PVE to your cash items, or make it really expensive to PvE, like EXP debt prevention... Resurection scrolls, etc...
You just have to do a little reading to find the right game for you. Also, publishers... Know your publisher. For example, PWE is the worst publisher and forces you to buy or die.
ALL AAA titles are the sucl. DDO, LoTRO, etc.. They were making cash, and knew how to make more cash by going F2P. They are the worst models. I see idiots here saying "Oh, well yuo going to pay no matter what you play, so just join a AAA title/publisher". YEAH NO! I have played and am playing AMAZING fun games for no money. In these AAA they make you buy the PVE content! LOL! I never pay for land. F that.
You think paying is vital to stay alive in the market. It is not. Look at fcebook. FREE guys a millionare. Prove that more, Look at wow. It made more money in 3 years that it paid for its project x10 times over. So much so they buil excessive offices, get aways, events, etc... They could have reinvested money in the game to make it epic, but they didnt. Now their horrible content is the death of them. It is not expensive to run this stuff. Every cash transaction is extra, as most F2P publishers already paid their debts. WoW made so much money that it can afford to give DIablo 3 away for free to its wow players. They boast 5 million players... 5 million x $50 retail box (average price for new games) = TRUCK LOAD OF MONEY that they can burn becuase the price is over stated.
Again, I broke away from the pay, and am enjoying my free to play community! Cya in game!
Perhaps it is possible not to spend a bloody dime on f2p but they sure make it tough as hell not to. I mean I personally would never grind or otherwise curtail my enjoyment just to stick it to them and not spend any money . I would pay to get some things and that sticks in my craw you know. I know I am not paying anything initially so why not spend a bit but I think it is the damn stupid principle of the thing. You keep wanting to not pay anything because it is f2p and end up resenting it when you do. I know silly reasoning makes no sense at all but I play DDO and I took a sub,there was no way I was going to twist myself up over unlocking the packs with points. Then I go buy points to get some tomes....yes even stupider a f2p I pay a sub for then buy points. WTG!
This is so true, and I only wish more people would wake up to it, I have found myself in the same situation and itsa the reason I no longer play world of tanks, the lure is simply to great for those of us with competative natures, being beat is fine being beat by some one you should own on a skill playing field because he paid for some uber gold sword is NOT COOL at all.
Free to play I beleive is a crime and I actually think that it will not be long until some guy with more money than he needs ends up sueing the pants off of a game company for luring their kid into blowing cash that wasnt theirs to blow. there has already been motions in this direction over at apple as I recall some child blew thousands of pounds on items in a game and their parents went mental.
Kids, Teens, Adults, were all in the same boat, in a financially screwed economey a subscription game is crazy as this might sound is a much safer bet, and well worth the money as opposed to free to play which as the OP Author rightly puts, is NOT free to play.
So I stopped reading here since this is what I was saying.
"TO MICHAEL!"
This article is AWESOMENESS!!!!!! I love it i looooove it!!!!
Im quiting Dragon Nest for the same reason, is just like this so far the worst free to play cough cough pay to win i have found, so beautiful so charming (hey wake up) dont let it fool you. Not only that they keep implementing items with free stats (cash shop) but sometimes when you charge money , theres a little problem with the transaction and you have to wait more than a month to get credited, just because is free to play the customer service sucks.
You forgot that point CUSTOMER SERVICE on free to play sucks just because they do not treat you as a Customer is like they had no respect for us, maybe they do see us like a addicted sick person? who knows, thats why im done with free to play games, waiting for Guild Wars 2.
On free to play games theres no respect from the company and theres no respect between players, but is the company itself who starts the disrespect athmosphere. With lies, when you feel cheated, when they mislead with their false information etc.
<a href="http://s526.photobucket.com/albums/cc344/zori4/Guild Wars 2 Beta/?action=view&current=zoyita.png" target="_blank"><img src="http://i526.photobucket.com/albums/cc344/zori4/Guild Wars 2 Beta/zoyita.png" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
What giant number of "pro" articles? There's one column, where the subject is f2p by default, and it gets trashed by all the haters on this board pretty much every time. Saying both camps should have representation on this page is like saying Fox News should show things from the Republicans' view once in a while.
And while I usually like Coyote's articles (one of the very few ones left on this site) this one is the same hollow argument the f2p-haters have been making since the whole thing started. In fact it's actually worse, since he's not complaining about grindy and poor gameplay (which a lot have without a doubt), but implying that people have no choice but paying and can't keep track if they pay more than 15 bucks a month. Sorry, but if they are indeed that dense you should probably keep them from any form of money transaction as they clearly aren't suited to run any form of economy. While I know his articles are meant to overstate things he sadly picked the most ridiculous of the arguments against f2p to make his point, which ultimately makes this article fail in my eyes. Besides several p2p games I've also played a number of f2p games and when they start feeling too grindy or boring I simply switch to the next, as they are *gasp* free to get. Now how is that more expensive than switching p2p games every x months?
My Signature
I went head first in to the F2P gaming market with the lust of fullfilling all my gaming needs for years to come while spending as little as possible. That dream was shattered quickly.
F2P is expensive and shallow compared to AAA sub titles. So I thought to myself, well I can taper down my expectations of the F2P offerings and just embrace them for what they were! I have not played a F2P in over a year. I just gave up trying to find any substance to the game without spending more than I would with a subscription.
This article sums up my exact experience after years of trying to adopt the new gaming model that is "sweeping the world".
Summary: F2P is not a new gaming model. It is a new marketing model.
How is it evil to bank on others' stupidity? If you can't control yourself enough to find a good F2P game to play and either play for free, or treat it more like a B2P game (where you may buy an expansion or just spend $30-$60 dollars a year on goodies), then I feel sorry for your lack of self control. How is a company evil if they charge you for something you don't really need and you go and buy it? I guess that means that EVERY company that sells things people don't NEED (anything other than food, clothing, and shelter) is evil or at least using evil tactics.
I pity you for not being able to control yourself and manage your spending habits better, but that is YOUR fault. Not the companies who are trying to sell a product. On top of all that, if you want to play a sub based game so you can have all your "cool" gear, there are plenty of games out there that still at least use that as an option.
You want me to pay to play a game I already paid for???
Be afraid.....The dragons are HERE!
How smart is it to expect companies to be able to forever host games while offering them completely free?
No one is asking them to, all we want them to do is stop selling items that give players an unfair advantage over the rest of their gamimg world, so no selling gold tipped shells, or armour of the gods, or sword of the amazing "i paid for it" Doom!, work out some other way of doing it.
Sell costetics, sell xp boosts, sell name changes, sell server changes, sell costume dye's , sell pets , there is a million different things they can monetize that will not make the game pay to win.
A good and Bad example all in one..
Spiral Knights, each day you earn 100 Energy free, this is then consumed as you play through the games levels, this is good, you earn 100 a day but if you want to keep playing you need to buy some more, the bad side its got is that some items cant be crafted without paying, and a few other little things that you cant do unless you pay which is bad.
They have the right idea with the energy but blew it with the items.