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Why no box sale?
FredomSekerZ
Member Posts: 1,156
in PlanetSide 2
I can understand not using a sub fee, but i think it would generate alot of good money. The problem with F2P is that there's no guarentee that people will use the CS.
Is there a sub fee option or is the CS mandatory? I don't think, haven't heard anything about it. Torchlight 2 is selling for 20$, which i think is a very good, so maybe they could do the same here, for 30$. I obviously prefer full f2p (duh :P), but i think that this game would do well with box sales to generate money up front. I'd pay for it.
Comments
F2P business model doesn't have a box fee. It's an unnecessary (and almost counterproductive) barrier to entry.
There isn't a "right" or "wrong" way to play, if you want to use a screwdriver to put nails into wood, have at it, simply don't complain when the guy next to you with the hammer is doing it much better and easier. - Allein
"Graphics are often supplied by Engines that (some) MMORPG's are built in" - Spuffyre
I think the type of game this is relies on it being filled with players, if there was a box fee then sales would plummet at a certain point no matter how good the game may be.
By making it free2play with a cash shop they pretty much make sure that the game is always populated. People play some TERRIBLE free games so if this is in any way decent it will keep a nice healthy population which will help it retain players.
First, I think the more important benefit to having a box cost is to deter hackers. This is a good way to help make bans effective. I kind of wish it had an upfront cost for this reason. However, hackig can be combatted without this step, it's just reassuring to know that when someone gets banned they have to buy thegame again as opposed to just making a new account.
However, barrier to entry is a strong argument against the box sale. I think it is a compelling enough reason to avoid on, especially in planetside.
This game's lifespan depends on having a large number of players to keep it fun. If you want people to spend money, they have to have a compelling reason to stay.
Scale is the most important factor to the success of planetside. Without it, the game becomes another shooter in a sea of shooters.
Scale is really what makes Planetside special. Sure there are other things too, like persistence and the large open world, but without the player numbers none of that means anything.
The barrier to entry has to be low. We have to be able to convince our friends to play the game. We need the game to be something that people can just hop into and try out. Many of those people are going to be hooked.
The people that could potentially spend money in this game need a large playerbase to have a good experience. Even if a lot of those people are playing free, they are still contributing by providing the experience needed for those that want to pay.
Also, I think you might be underestimating the appeal of buying boosts in a game like this. If you have ever played a high-Rez game, you can see how that system is a very good business model. It is a very tempting buy, even for those that otherwise wouldn't spend money in a cash shop.
I think they will be able to monetize the game very well with the planned model. It's a proven system that dies generate good revenue.
I believe that the rabid planetside fanbase from the first game will have no problem dropping money on boosts or subs. The trick is to make them appealing without ruining the game for those that don't pay. We will see how it goes, but I'm confident that it will work.
Shadow's Hand Guild
Open recruitment for
The Secret World - Dragons
Planetside 2 - Terran Republic
Tera - Dragonfall Server
http://www.shadowshand.com
In a game like this, more than any other kind, players = content.
The more players they can bring in = more content for everyone and a larger potential playerbase to use the CS. The more barriers to entry removed (sub fee/box fee), the more players than can bring in, and with no sub, the more likely former players will log back on every once in a while to check out new updates.
yea there are problems associated as dub posted above, but the long term benefit outweighs the problems I think.
Beside the things that have been said, there will probably be some kind of premium offer, for let's say the price of buying a game, that will give you some nice things beside, like bonus for 30 days, beside the CS currency that you would get for that money, or a big bonus in CS currency, so in a way, you can buy it like other games and get some nice bonuses, but you can also play without buying it.
Boxes are a barrier to entry. More people = more chances of people purchasing something from the cash shop. A Turbine official once said that if they can't get a player to spend money on their cash shop within the first month of play, then there is a measly 2% chance they will ever cough up money. Free to play games are absolutely required to bring in new players all the time.
They're not going to just give boxes out free (they have to pay for that to happen).
Digital distribution is far more convenient and will reach a wider audience of gamers.
On TB's stream of the game with Higby, he said the cash shop will sell things like you'd see in other F2P games - boosters that increase the rate you gain cert points. You won't be able to buy resources directly.
They're not banking on box sales. They're going to go for a far more effective monetization - cash shops. This means that the game will have to be decent enough to live on its own legs for people to invest. Fine with me.
You guys are right about the number of players. This a full, very lasrge scale pvp game. There're going to need a large population of people. Otherwise, actual pvp almost never happens.
Thanks for the responses. However, like i said, f2p wih cs doesn't guarentee a profit. I hope they can get good money from it and keep runing.
I am one gamer who will be buying a monthly subscriptions worth of gaming coin every month and I am sure they will turn a profit but this is where my worry is:
With 0 barrier to entry and 0 mandatory subscription fee, the ass hat'dness will go through the roof. I dread to think the spam levelling services of the gold sites. Also the kids who will run around just griefing their own side on purpose.
In a game that is purely about tactics on 3 sides how hard is it to have multiple accounts to sabotage or to fumble as much as possible the enemy. I cannot wait to play this game but it is with a baited mind.
I mean heck if my side is getting pounded and its constant grunt work I used to struggle and push till I found an opening. Whats to stop me from relogging to the winning side.
You are worrying to much.
First of all, no sub fee in the history of gaming as ever been able to prevent "ass hattedness"
People like that go largely unchecked in every game, even with box fees or subscriptions or xbox live or f2p or whatever.
Having a sub doesn't stop team killing magically. They will be there regardless. Planetside 1 had an awesome griefing system in game to deal with tkers. It worked well. I expect to see some implementation of that system.
Powerleveling/gold spam: this gamefeatures offline leveling. While you do level faster while playing, I highly doubt there would be much market for power leveling when you consider the offline leveling and the minor power increase from leveling. Currency selling will probably be impossible as the game has no economy. This wasn't an issue in planetside 1 and I don't see how it could possibly be an issue in planetside 2.
Griefers will exist, but they will be dealt with quickly. If you played planetside you would know about the grief system. It was based on damage dealt to the same faction. If you did enough of it your weapons were locked (couldn't fire) and your movement speed was cut to like 20% or something. If you managed to continue after that you were auto banned.
Also, if you are rolling with your outfit and a griefer show up, you can stomp the crap out of him. Seriously, blast him and move on. SOE also had the means for dealing with entire outfits griefing if necessary.
As far as switching sides goes, it can be an issue, but its not really major. Keep in mind that this happened even WITH a sub fee in Planetside 1.
The majority of people don't do it. If you really can't handle losing, you are going to have to play 3 accounts and switch between them all the time. It's stupid in my opinion.
Again, organized outfit play helps here. Not only does playing with an outfit increase your chances for success greatly, but it makes faction hopping dumb unless your whole outfit is doing it.
I would greatly prefer to stick with my squad, even while "losing," over lone wolfing it with those dirty Vanu. If you play with the right team, you will do well at this game. If you can't take a base, attack somewhere else. Don't immediately give up and run to the enemy.
If you are "losing" in planetside you are doing it wrong. Doesn't matter what faction you are on.
Shadow's Hand Guild
Open recruitment for
The Secret World - Dragons
Planetside 2 - Terran Republic
Tera - Dragonfall Server
http://www.shadowshand.com
All valid points. I just want this to go smoothly.
I was a dirty vanu Im now going Terran my tastes for oily chain guns has grown since my purple soldier was born. I always looted the heavy chain guns
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I wouldn't worry about goldseller spam, theres no business for them due to the way the game works.
You level even while your offline and you can buy "gold" from SOE. Goldsellers would never be able to outprice the people who actually run the game, because SOE does not have to employ slaves to farm it and they can magic it out of nothing.
Just look at some less popular FPS games, most of them are dead after certain time. Being free can keep the player-levels healthy for longer time. It's a trade-off, but unless you are hyper-popular it's worth it.