Howdy, Stranger!
It looks like you're new here. If you want to get involved, click one of these buttons!
Quick Links
Buy-To-Play, a Fatal Flaw?
Fadedbomb
Member Posts: 2,081
So once again I was roaming the forums today, and found an interesting idea pop into my head brought up in a different game forum thread. Oddly enough, GW2's B2P model popped in my head as a prime example of a Fatal Flaw that B2P has.
The General Idea:
Players cannot vote with their wallets in order to show developers that they're going down the wrong path with a new system, change, addition, etc etc to the game.
A Possible Solution?
The only thing that could REALLY be effective, in my opinion, would be if the developers of GW2 put a game-wide poll up after each major patch (similar to what Everquest's team is doing now, where you can vote in-game on polls) to get an idea of the overall player's opinion rather than hunting through threads filled with trolls on a forum.
What do you think? Is the inability for a player to REALLY make a voice with their wallet a highly fatal flaw of the B2P model, or do you think there are other ways (other than forums, since they almost never work in a positive manner) to counter this effect on development?
/tiphat
The Theory of Conservative Conservation of Ignorant Stupidity:
Having a different opinion must mean you're a troll.
Comments
it's called forums.. nuff said
No™
You can still vote with your wallet for in game items you can pay for and expansions, definitely cheaper than voting via sub fee, and the development team is pretty good about interacting with their community and have been doing so in GW since its release. I don't really see this being a Fatal flaw and doubt they would change the development for the worst after release.
the profits of B2P will blow every other model out of the water. people are tired of subs, and of F2P garbage. just the fact that GW2 is B2P will earn them hundreds of thousands, if not millions, more players. not to mention it's coming out on the consoles.
B2P with cosmetics microtransactions and B2P expansions is what most players want, and depending on how quickly they can crank out new content, a model that will make ANet very rich.
not only is it not a FATAL flaw, B2P is not a flaw in any way whatsoever. it's what most players want: tons of bang for the buck, without recurring fees. GW2 will make monthly fee models completely dead, if they arent dying already.
I disagree but I understand your concern, however B2P puts more pressure on the developer. If people don't like what they are doing then they won't buy the product, purchase expansions or purchase items out of the cash shop. The B2P model gives the consumer greater power in my opinion. ArenaNet needs retention just like any other game to be successful. I am sure ArenaNet's long term goal is to be a successful developer. That only happens through retention. We can use GW2 as an example, look at the difference between GW1 and GW2. It appears to be a huge improvement. Look at the excitement about GW2. They are driven to do something different to set them apart from the others. I think the B2P model has worked out pretty darn good for us consumers.
Fatal flaw? No. In fact the way I see it is that through B2P, the developers have free reign to do what's best for the game instead of catering to the whims of some folks who refuse to learn to play. Just look at the raging at guildwars2guru over the traits. You want those folks to have something to sway developers into a particular direction that may not be good for the game? Or do you want the developers, who have experience and knowledge under their belts, to direct the game? I'm certain they enjoy feedback, but there is a such thing as crappy feedback as well.
"For the Angel of Death spread his wings on the blast,
And breathed in the face of the foe as he passed:
And the eyes of the sleepers waxed deadly and chill,
And their hearts but once heaved, and for ever grew still!"
~Lord George Gordon Byron
No, it's not a fatal flaw. Take a look at the subscription games that have had a patch/expansion that caused fans to walk away. They voted with their wallets, and nothing was done. In the case of SWG's NGE (the most prominant case of this) almost the entire population voted with thier wallets, and it didn't change anything.
If I understand your point, then I think that in any other model, by the time someone cancels, (votes with their wallet) It's already too late.
Exactly and so many sub-based games have been changed/ruined by the devs catering to the masses, in order to improve their sub revenue. The B2P model allows the devs to make the game they want to make, without feeling obligated to listen to the incessant whining of the community.
The burden is on them more than ever to keep us happy and buying expansions. Their buisness model is based on it.
My theme song.
Subs have the same 'flaw'.
So what you're saying is the loss of freedom of choice (i.e. you have to pay a sub) is a bad thing. o.O
Video games use to be buy once and play. Is GW2 not a video game? Why should a game's formula change if players can't handle the difficulty thrown at them?
I'm sorry but when games start catering to people who cry on the forums the game itself will become too easy and fail.
These carebears need challenges, not a macro button to push.
-I am here to perform logic
I love this. Finally we'll get to play Arena Net's game, rather than ScrubNub_001's game.
when was the lst time u see a game with massive exoduse gain those players back? never. So ur theory about vote with wallet doesnt exist.
Op, get a clue and come again. Thanks
Haha, like you have a voice when you pay, pfffft. "Voice in the nothingness"
I'm not sure knowing how many players are on the servers helps you decide if you want to continue playing or had an effect on your decision to continue or not.
If you are enjoying a game surely you can decide if you want to continue playing, and i'm sure if the game is giving you good entertainment value you are going to continue playing for your own gratification and not your wallet. If this game supplies me entertainment and continues to do so then I shall remain playing until it either doesnt or shuts down, regardless of how many are on the server.
There are many MMO's out there that have a very low userbase and the players that stick with them games do so because it entertains them.
I cant see a flaw in the buy to play model in that respect. When you look at GW2 you are getting 3 games for the price of 1.
WvWvW casual PvP for those who like PvP but also like PvE and dont like to take PvP to a competetive level, PvE for those who have no interest in PvP and those who enjoys both aspects of PvP and PvE, and competitive PvP for those who enjoys the more serious side of PvP competitions (esport). I'm sure Anet will continue supporting tournaments on a regular basis like they did with Guildwars, whether they continue with prize money I'm not sure.
I have more fears of to many players because the more people it attracts the more undesirable players it attracts, like there was in WoW. The bigger user base doesnt mean a great game as the great game becomes not so great if your entertainment is spoilt by those who dont play with ettiquette.
Subsciption fees have proven to do nothing to stop developers from going the wrong direction with their game.
Polls, in general, are not a good idea. Most of the 'stuff' that had dumbed down games has been due to the cry of the so-called majority.
If every visionary simply gave people what they asked for, Henry Ford would have given the people faster horses.
Voting with your wallet, to the game producer is more like: hearing the hysterical mass QQ on forums when they are losing tons of subs.
People tend to repeat arguments and solutions without understanding them and that can turn an average game design into a poor one
I thought there would be no official forums for GW2?
For every minute you are angry , you lose 60 seconds of happiness."-Emerson
This model can only be beneficial to the players. You pay for the box, like a single player game. And like a single player game, they have to make it entertaining enough to make you buy more contentexpansionsequel.
If they don't , they fail to make more money.
The game can then focus on retaining you by making the game fun, since they don't give a crap about how much you play: as long as you purchas more contentservices they are fine. But I am fairly certain that their business model is not just to retain people but to expand the number of people who buy boxes. And to do that it has to be good. A bad game doesn't inrease the number of players over time, they shrink.
Sub games have to keep you in hamster wheel forever grinding forward so you keep shelling out content from month to month. Can it be fun - yes? But fun has to be coupled with keeping you coming back every single month (and if you keep coming back even if it aint so fun, they don't care - you are paying!)
yet they manage regular contact with their fanbase, and discussion. they're all members of several gw2 fan forums.
B2P
Meaning that for most of the content, including extra content (incuding downloadable packs and boxed expansions) you need to pay.
If the expansions are no good, noboddy will buy them, this is exactly the opposite of your so called Flaw
Best MMO experiences : EQ(PvE), DAoC(PvP), WoW(total package) LOTRO (worldfeel) GW2 (Artstyle and animations and worlddesign) SWTOR (Story immersion) TSW (story) ESO (character advancement)
Probably theyre closed to beta testers only. I think it was the best move not having an official forum right now.
Just look at how GW2guru is. That people make me unhyped with this game
No subs don't have the same flaw, just about every game that is P2P has an exit poll or form to fill out that allows you to voice why you are cancelling (closing your wallet). WHen there's nothing to cancel, or no funds that dry up, how would they even know if people are leaving the game rather than just taking a break?
The only way they would know is if the servers were barren, which wouldn't be all that noticable until it was noticable. Which by that time for any MMO it's too late to stop the bleeding, MMO's really only get one shot, I don't see why B2P eliminates that custom.
Note I don't think that would happen, I'm just saying, sub based games do not have this same flaw.
For every minute you are angry , you lose 60 seconds of happiness."-Emerson