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If you do the math...
Kopogero
Member UncommonPosts: 1,685
...and play any subscription model MMORPG it will cost you minimum $144 + around $30 for buying the game (at least).
Would I pay on average $200 a year for a really GREAT, all around AAA MMORPG? Probably...but since World of Warcraft (almost 9 years ago) I have not seen such MMORPG come out on the market so this is highly unlikely.
I made this topic because of the recent MMORPG's that are going to be released this and next year like FFXIV, where there is high probability they will go with this model.
At the end if you're a true MMORPG player no price would stand in your way to have a blast with a game. I have previously had a blast with other subscribtion based MMORPG's like Ultima Online and SWG.
This year my plans so far are:
#1 Go back to WOW when 5.4 releases (I really like the new PvP changes and how they're making me depend less on a set of players within my team. It might also prevent players from abusing the ladder and ranking as we've seen it so far) WOW is the only MMORPG in my opinon worthy for subscribtion if they fix the PvP. I cannot think of another MMORPG with great, fun PvP and PvE together.
#2 Wait couple of months after release and decide on any new, upcoming MMORPG's.
I have not been playing a MMORPG since mid December last year and I've been waiting and waiting for the genre to get better. So what are your plans?
Comments
Playing: FFXIV, DnL, and World of Warships
Waiting on: Ashes of Creation
Personally I dont care what it would cost me to play per month, I have zero problem paying for doing the things I enjoy and lets face it, 15usd per month for a hobby is dirt cheap especially if you look at the hours spent per month.
To me world of warcraft is and Always has been mediocre at best, but Id be lieing if I said I didnt get my share of entertainment out of it, that said.. WoW probebly will never get more time or money(sub-fees) out of me then games such as FFXI, EQ,AO, L2 or daoc.
I do pop back into WoW from time to time and ussually stay for 1-2 months, but I have yet to leave 1 mmo to return to WoW because I stopped enjoying them, only thing that pulled me out of the games I end up quiting and ussually find far more entertaining.. is the player base size, thats it. While I enjoy game X immensely, when there are just too few players around it does make an impact on overall enjoyment. But the "larger playerbase size apeal" that brought me back to WoW is starting to wair off, I honoustly am at the point I rather not play then WoW.
Who knows, I might end up going back to it eventually for a short while and Ill regret doing so shortly after.. I have.. every single time.
nethervoid - Est. '97
[UO|EQ|SB|SWG|PS|HZ|EVE|NWN|WoW|VG|DF|AQW|DN|SWTOR|Dofus|SotA|BDO|AO|NW|LA] - Currently Playing EQ1
20k+ subs YouTube Gaming channel
I pay $160 every 2 years for a Vendetta Online sub; breaks down to $6.67 per month. I may add a second sub for my family when they come of age (each sub comes with 6 character slots). Free download.
"The simple is the seal of the true and beauty is the splendor of truth" -Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar
Authored 139 missions in Vendetta Online and 6 tracks in Distance
Actually in World of Tanks and War Thunder you can play completely free, it is a slog but you can and to help things out you could get premium tanks or aircraft to help things along if you so choose and still end up cheaper overall.
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?"
I always found MMO's rather cheap, especially compared to some of my other activities. Some sports I played in took $300 just to be on the team + various equipment you need to buy + auxiliary stuff. Modeling I did took ~$30 per model if I am lucky + materials, and those don't last that long. If I wanted to cut costs, MMO's were usually not on the radar at all. I never understood why people were so cheap on video games? They're an exquisite piece of entertainment.
Sometimes.
I've been bouncing about, currently I dropped $30 on EVE Online and I have 100 days to play... I have a love-hate relationship with that game, but it's more stable than most.
Favorite MMO: Vanilla WoW
Currently playing: GW2, EVE
Excited for: Wildstar, maybe?
Same, $15 a month is nothing for not having the game ask you for money every minute and knowing the people you play with are on equal footing as everyone else.
Thanks. I played another wwii airgame in beta but quit the beta over a year ago due to poor controls. I hear this game addresses those issues.
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?"
Yes, math is fun...and if you are like Nariusseldon here, it goes like:
$0 + $0 X $0 = The most fun Evar!!!
And I agree with him, yet I would also pay for a game I like. To each their own.
If the game can entertain me for as long as I want to play it, I'll subscribe to whichever business model they use.
Meanwhile, in 2011, ExxonMobil made $40 billion selling oil, and Ford made $20 billion selling cars. How will game companies ever compete?
It's apples and oranges. There is a market for mobile games, and a market for MMORPGs, and if you can make good money on a game, you don't scrap it in favor of something else.
-----
In other news, $200 for something that keeps you entertained for a year is quite a bargain, at least in relatively wealthy parts of the world.
And to add to Quizzical's comments:
If you do the math people are paying more out of pocket for f2p than they are for subscription games, otherwise it would not be the prevailing model chosen by game companies.
People spend more on f2p than p2p. Period.
I don't think that's true. I think f2p are generating more money OVERALL but I dont think they are getting more money per person than a sub game.
To put it in perspective, a sub game of $15 (roughly the standard) per month equals to $180 a year. I don't know how many f2p games even have $180 worth of things to purchase.
Oh noes!! Now you've done it. Now you've done it!!! You know who'll chime in now, dontcha??? ...Him...
If I enjoy the game, it matters not if it's free-, buy-, or pay-to-play. I've had the most fun in subscription games, but my mind is open , and I'll play any game for a while if I'm having fun. Once the fun stops, I stop.
That said, my sub to Rift just ended, but I'll keep playing for free on Friday nights while I imbibe some toxins. My gaming community, Unrepentant, has a decent presence there, so it gives me folks to talk to while playing and drinking. I'm looking forward to another ESO beta, should I get so lucky.
The big advantage F2P has is that you choose how much you spend on what, and that it stays even if you do not keep spending. With subs you have to pay for stuff you might not want. And if you stop..all gone. Of course you can renew your sub, but with F2P, you can spent 300 in the first year (way more then sub *gasp*), an then play 5 years without ever even visiting the shop. Also don't forget that most sub games do no longer offer *everything* for the sub.
Box + expansions (usually) + sub + shop. You might need less from the shop, but stuff like costumes aren't covered by subs.
The only advantage of subs is that you know exaxctly how much you will spent ..until you start shopping that is.
I don't mind spending money on stuff i like, but if i can get the same for less money, why would i spent more? So far no sub MMO i tried (in beta for example, or after switching to F2P) convinced me it's actually better then it's F2P alternatives.
I'll wait to the day's end when the moon is high
And then I'll rise with the tide with a lust for life, I'll
Amass an army, and we'll harness a horde
And then we'll limp across the land until we stand at the shore
The trick in most of the games is that they catch the unwary with Cash Shops that nickel and dime a player to WAY more than a simple subs cost.
Sure, you may not NEED to use a cash shop for casual play. But if it is a competitive game, PvP/RvR/WvW, there will be a tendency for players to seek an advantage, an advantage which primarily exists in the cash shops. And while some may not spend anything, others open their wallets to the tunes of way more than the standard sub.
More Bag Space? Hotbars? Item Enchantment bonuses? And in some cases end game or even BiS gear? All too many Cash Shopped games now provide some or all of these.
If you considered WoW great, then I'm pretty sure your point is entirely moot.
Also, sub model encourages the devs to let you play, whereas FTP encourages devs to create a bunch of annoying things, and then charge you to make them go away.
I'm actually pretty lucky. When I got bored last September, I started to play WoW for the first time. I absolutely love it for what it is, but understand perhaps 80% of the population has already played this game to death. I'm no where near there and the new-ness still hasn't worn off yet.
I also play and beta test ever new MMO that comes out to see what its like and if its an updated version of what I look for in an MMO. Nothing has impressed me yet.
Like someone else said I am waiting for ArcheAge. Wild Star I will play, but nothing I have seen about it so far excites me. The combat looks boring and I dont think I will like the progression/exploration. But I am always open to being wrong and will find out when I play it day 1.
I've beta'd both ESO and FF ARR (multiple times). They are good well produced games, but neither really excited me to commit full time.
GW2 is interesting. It doesnt have enough content for me to stick with it today. I play it in spurts of 15 to 30 minute play sessions then I miss the progression. What they have in store looks very interesting, especially the idea of being able to use any weapon with each class having different skills for them. That adds some uniqueness that could pull me in. To be fair, I love the world, the style, and the combat. But the story and characters are too light and one dimensional for me. I want a darker deeper story. We'll see where they end up.
And we wont mention the 800 lb gorilla in the room that will be revealed Aug 2. That could change everything and cant wait either way.
All in all its a good time to be playing MMORPGs.
Maybe you will change your mind in a few years from now when you look back and realize that all of the mmos transitioned to this model.
My YouTube MMO PvP Channel
Bit of a sweeping statement,
At best the majority will be F2P but NEVER the 100% because monthly subs have their market as well as the F2P model
Someone was stating earlier in this post about the motnhly subs then cost of expansions etc, as with F2P this is the same, some games give you free expansions, some dont.
Both models have their +s & -s
I myself am beta testing as much as possible and to be honest the only one (and its not a mmorpg) is World of Warplanes, FF14 tried and think there are many things wrong with that game, that unless your fanboy you will play for 1-2motnhs max (and i aint buying a game for £50 for 2months gameplay)
Personally all i ask is that the game offers a free trial, if its F2P then great, what i will tend to do is try the game, if it has a monthly sub option for premium account I ususally pay for this for the month or 2, this gives me the full experience of the game with 0 limits usually (think LOTRO/Age of Conan), then if i think its worth it or depending on what level the subs will either be cancelled or continued until i have had enough.
For me the perfect option is the 'premium accounts subscription' but allow free to play option. - either that or EVERY mmo does what eve does and allows you to buy your subscription with in game money and not spend a penny on expansions and game time - (great for a subscription based game)
This post is all my opinion, but I welcome debate on anything i have put, however, personal slander / name calling belongs in game
where of course you're welcome to call me names im often found lounging about in EvE online.
Use this code for 21days trial in eve online https://secure.eveonline.com/trial/?invc=d385aff2-794a-44a4-96f1-3967ccf6d720&action=buddy
you said it right there.
WoW was the last mmo that came out worthy of a sub and 9 years later it still is. That shows how the other subscription companies took the wrong path all these years. Not by adding a subscription to a mediocre game, but by adding mediocre games to the subscription model.