I support this move. The pace of new content has dramatically slowed down and by all reports the population was dropping, probably as a result of being one of the last "old guard" of the subscription model. This will, without doubt, ensure I go back to the game and finish leveling and probably even spend a few dollars to support one of the best MMOs out there today. And with any luck, lots of other players will come to that same conclusion about RIFT's quality.
I think the problem is that there are so many F2P options out there that players aren't really expecting to have to sub anymore. It is a mixed bag, but it has worked out quite well for SWToR.
Currently playing: Rift Played: SWToR, Aion,EQ, Dark Age of Camelot World of Warcraft, AoC
Not shocked, they all do anymore. WoW remains supreme...hahahaha
That being said i think you will never see another subscription game out of Blizzard.
If the game is good then a subscription based game will still have a place, as SWTOR proved at launch with 2 million. Due to the game not being good and not having any staying power, it declined super fast.
Although SWTOR may have killed any viable future subscription based games dead, as people may be reluctant to get involved at the start and wait for F2P more so now, but if any company has the chance of doing another viable sub based game again, it will be Blizzard.
Not shocked, they all do anymore. WoW remains supreme...hahahaha
That being said i think you will never see another subscription game out of Blizzard.
If the game is good then a subscription based game will still have a place, as SWTOR proved at launch with 2 million. Due to the game not being good and not having any staying power, it declined super fast.
Although SWTOR may have killed any viable future subscription based games dead, as people may be reluctant to get involved at the start and wait for F2P more so now, but if any company has the chance of doing another viable sub based game again, it will be Blizzard.
I tried this game in beta and it was a really dull WoW knock off at the time, with tiny zones and linear game play. I may try it again as it sounds like they have tried to correct some of the initial problems it had.
Sad to hear this, always had a bit of a soft spot for Rift even though I haven't played it in a while.
With Hartman gone it was only a matter of time, but, honestly, if they think this will fix what's wrong with the game or bring in a long term increase in the playerbase I think they're fooling themselves -- and badly.
Time will tell, I suppose, but if there's ever anything more than the usual initial announcement of how successful the conversion was, followed by the usual deafening silence, I'll be very, very surprised.
do some research, how this is sad news? f2p game model with item mall is making more money than recular sub without any extra.
F2P isnt a solution its a bandaid to fix the main overall issue of all newer games.
Lack of content
waste of time on story and fluff instead of features and creativity
mazes instead of worlds
lack of a good crafting and business aspect
poor fighting mechanics
turning true and epic mmorpgs into console based rpgs
hand holding and easy content instead of making players earn their stuff
loot based system over a good player based economy
removing most all social aspects from a rpg
and so much more......
You cant expect people to pay for wow clones and cookie cutters. Most games today are the exact same thing with new skins. Its seems eye candy and cut scenes are what mmorpgs are about today. Its sickening. Ill pay top dollar for a game that just sucks me into game and keeps me content for a loooong time. But no we get games were you can hit max level in 3 days and forced to grind over and over on dailies, raids, and warzones as content.
Sad to hear this, always had a bit of a soft spot for Rift even though I haven't played it in a while.
With Hartman gone it was only a matter of time, but, honestly, if they think this will fix what's wrong with the game or bring in a long term increase in the playerbase I think they're fooling themselves -- and badly.
Time will tell, I suppose, but if there's ever anything more than the usual initial announcement of how successful the conversion was, followed by the usual deafening silence, I'll be very, very surprised.
do some research, how this is sad news? f2p game model with item mall is making more money than recular sub without any extra.
This is HUGE. It is a great game. Only reason I unsubbed was because I wasn't spending enough time playing it due to real life happening and therefore couldn't justify a sub. I will be back! Can't wait.
I'm very disappointed that Trion went this route. F2P always seems to micro transact the crap out of everything. As far as no tricks or traps of course there wont be any, we have seen them all by now. People have gotten used to what happens to a MMO that goes from subs to F2P. F2P ruined Fallen Earth it made me hate SWTOR and made AoC unbearable as well. Get rdy to start paying for extra toon slots, extra bars for your abilities and you have to pay for macros lol. It may be a bit of an exaggeration but you get the idea. The fact that the game will be flooded with immature children put the last nail in the coffin that's Rift for me. Sorry Trion ill add you to my F2P black list. You have lost another longtime player.
All I can say is I agree with the this, I know a lot of folks who lately come back to eq2 that had been huge rift supports are making claims of how slow the game has become and how the population is in full decline.
This might fix things for them, or not. Who knows.
I KNEW IT... That "free" promotion on Raptr was no "coincidence" ... That was planned from the start.. And the vocal ones will say "it will fail" etc.. But on June 12th, the queues will be unbearable and the servers will once again be filled to the brim.. Doesn't exactly mean "income" but I hope the cash shop isn't going to be draconian in nature much like SWTOR was when it began with having to buy "Hotbars"..
First I seen this coming back in Jan when I left Rift. There gear grind to get raiding burned a lot of people out and the top guilds were having major issues getting people that wanted to raid. They did not do anything than copy and paste WoW into their own world. Not many people seen a reason to play Rift over WoW other than it was not WoW.
Second until the 3rd Generation of AAA MMOs release (Not ESO or WildStart) will we see P2P come back. What is the point of paying $15 a month for a second rate MMO? If you are bored with WoW you go to another MMO and pay for it if its worth it for you. If not you dont pay and you play for free as much as you can.
Third people who think P2P is done for are just people that look at the world with tinted glasses. They dont pay attension to the market and WHY things happen. People will be paying for a good MMO like WoW when a game that is worth it comes out. Until then the hybrid models will do.
Comments
I think the problem is that there are so many F2P options out there that players aren't really expecting to have to sub anymore. It is a mixed bag, but it has worked out quite well for SWToR.
Currently playing:
Rift
Played:
SWToR, Aion,EQ, Dark Age of Camelot
World of Warcraft, AoC
I played WoW for 5 years, I completely agree.
Currently playing:
Rift
Played:
SWToR, Aion,EQ, Dark Age of Camelot
World of Warcraft, AoC
I concur, played since Vanilla beta.
DAoC - Excalibur & Camlann
If the game is good then a subscription based game will still have a place, as SWTOR proved at launch with 2 million. Due to the game not being good and not having any staying power, it declined super fast.
Although SWTOR may have killed any viable future subscription based games dead, as people may be reluctant to get involved at the start and wait for F2P more so now, but if any company has the chance of doing another viable sub based game again, it will be Blizzard.
Star Trek Online - Best Free MMORPG of 2012
I agree with all.
Too little too late.
do some research, how this is sad news? f2p game model with item mall is making more money than recular sub without any extra.
WoW lost 1.4 mill subs in a 3 month period. At this rate F2P isn't to far away.
F2P isnt a solution its a bandaid to fix the main overall issue of all newer games.
Lack of content
waste of time on story and fluff instead of features and creativity
mazes instead of worlds
lack of a good crafting and business aspect
poor fighting mechanics
turning true and epic mmorpgs into console based rpgs
hand holding and easy content instead of making players earn their stuff
loot based system over a good player based economy
removing most all social aspects from a rpg
and so much more......
You cant expect people to pay for wow clones and cookie cutters. Most games today are the exact same thing with new skins. Its seems eye candy and cut scenes are what mmorpgs are about today. Its sickening. Ill pay top dollar for a game that just sucks me into game and keeps me content for a loooong time. But no we get games were you can hit max level in 3 days and forced to grind over and over on dailies, raids, and warzones as content.
Ahhh and you are investor or player?
this is not a blow against p2p this is a blow against the copy past themeparks of an era past.
Good game, but it was the last of a generation.
All I can say is I agree with the this, I know a lot of folks who lately come back to eq2 that had been huge rift supports are making claims of how slow the game has become and how the population is in full decline.
This might fix things for them, or not. Who knows.
Wildstar is P2P. probably they will offer a option of box only.
I KNEW IT... That "free" promotion on Raptr was no "coincidence" ... That was planned from the start.. And the vocal ones will say "it will fail" etc.. But on June 12th, the queues will be unbearable and the servers will once again be filled to the brim.. Doesn't exactly mean "income" but I hope the cash shop isn't going to be draconian in nature much like SWTOR was when it began with having to buy "Hotbars"..
"Negaholics are people who become addicted to negativity and self-doubt, they find fault in most things and never seem to be satisfied."
^MMORPG.com
First I seen this coming back in Jan when I left Rift. There gear grind to get raiding burned a lot of people out and the top guilds were having major issues getting people that wanted to raid. They did not do anything than copy and paste WoW into their own world. Not many people seen a reason to play Rift over WoW other than it was not WoW.
Second until the 3rd Generation of AAA MMOs release (Not ESO or WildStart) will we see P2P come back. What is the point of paying $15 a month for a second rate MMO? If you are bored with WoW you go to another MMO and pay for it if its worth it for you. If not you dont pay and you play for free as much as you can.
Third people who think P2P is done for are just people that look at the world with tinted glasses. They dont pay attension to the market and WHY things happen. People will be paying for a good MMO like WoW when a game that is worth it comes out. Until then the hybrid models will do.