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Ala Carte Subscriptions?
Vermillion_Raventhal
Member EpicPosts: 4,198
Do you think we'll start to see different subscription pay models outside of the $15 a month we have now?
You know how about 5 dollars a month for one character slot per server and small bank vault. 10 dollars gets you 4 characters and a medium vault. 15 gets you 8 characters per server and full bank slot. 25 dollars a month gets you 2 full accounts. 40 gets you 4 accounts and etc. Say you have 5 dollar account you can pay 2 dollars more a month for a medium bank vault and 4 dollars for large bank vault.
I am just curious that subscription models haven't been played with more.
Comments
Simple.
When it comes to moneyz, there's 2 kinds of MMO players:
Those willing to pay and those not willing to pay.
Those willing to pay usually don't care if they pay 15 or 5 dollars a month.
Those not willing to pay usually won't pay at all, no matter if it's $0.01 or $15.
The only MMO that might introduce a $5 a month subscription is something so niche that it's simply not worth $15 a month when compared to other games.
Pay per hour won't work in the EU/NA markets. It's been tried and failed miserably. Your idea is not bad however, and it already exists. It's called PLEX.
Well said.
I would argue that there is already a lot of variation: sub, sub+expanion fee, sub +/- PLEX, multi-sub.
Personally, my attitude is that the more complexity you add to the model, the harder it is to convince me that you're not trying to sneak in some funky monitization, that all players are going to be equal citizens in the community being built. But not everyone out there is as distrustful of entrepreneurs as I have become over the years.
Some MMOs have multi-tier accounts.
Fallen Earth
DDO (LOTRO, too)
Several others used to have multiple tiers but it seems most have gone to just F2P with sub option or straight F2P.
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
Back in the late '60's (yes, I'm that old) stores started putting a coin lock machine on bathroom doors. If you had to go, you needed a dime to get in.
MMO's should take that idea and run with it to glory, fame, and $$$.
Every time a player wants to enter the Smithy to buy the next level's gear, it should cost them from a pool of game pony-up money that they buy with real cash. Dungeons should cost double.
And they should put in brothels. Pay to get in, then you get a phone call.
Aren't you glad MMOs are headed in this direction? I know you basement dwellers are.
Edit: I guess I should add, in the way of explanation, that Bacardi 151 is among my favorites and an excellent therapeutic formula for the ailment known as MMO withdrawal. Which I've suffered for years.
Once upon a time....
Why don't they install a cash shop "catch up bonus"?
You know, everyone wants to be among the top in levels. At the end of each month, they could calculate based on the difference between the player and the top levelled players, and offer an option to pay per level to "catch up". Talk about fluff, there ain't no better fluff than levels, baby!
Once upon a time....
Funny thing about Eve, while a sub in the UK costs £10 (roughly) if you want to buy a plex it will cost 50% more, at around £15, which doesnt exactly make them very 'enticing', for instance, you can use plex to train up a second toon, but it would be cheaper just to get another account, and Eve is one of those games where you can usually run 2 or 3 clients on even a mid range PC. So plex is only really useful if you want to sell it in game for isk, but even there a plex is only worth between 600-700m isk, and when you can run level 4's at 30-50m isk/hour, unless you were really lazy, its kind of debateable whether it would be worth doing, selling plex for isk that is, and here's the thing, the only plex for sale in game, are those that other players buy to sell for isk. Kind of surprises me how many do, lots of lazy people i guess
either that or their buying machariels and getting hulled on a regular basis
"True friends stab you in the front." | Oscar Wilde
"I need to finish" - Christian Wolff: The Accountant
Just trying to live long enough to play a new, released MMORPG, playing New Worlds atm
Fools find no pleasure in understanding but delight in airing their own opinions. Pvbs 18:2, NIV
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"This is the most intelligent, well qualified and articulate response to a post I have ever seen on these forums. It's a shame most people here won't have the attention span to read past the second line." - Anon
Aside from the universally popular XP boosts in the stores, most sub MMOs have already added paid 'catch up' options. It's not anything new, and some MMOs have had such an option available for a decade now.
Some examples:
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
Istaria has something like this.
f2p - only play as a human, no plot
9.99 - limited number of items on consignment, no plot
14.99 - full allotment of consignment items, can own a plot.
I do think that more of these things will catch on as companies explore more payment options.
Fallen Earth
DDO (LOTRO, too)
Several others used to have multiple tiers but it seems most have gone to just F2P with sub option or straight F2P.
Seems like it amounts to nearly the same thing, except with F2P the developer has an audience that is already in the game instead of trying to get them to join the game.
I can not remember winning or losing a single debate on the internet.
Correct. One thing that I thought would catch on with developers was Fallen Earth's Commander level package, as it is designed for guild/group/community leaders, but I haven't seen any other devs adopt something like that.
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
You're so wrong, make WoW 5$ a month starting Jan 1st 2014, I guarantee all these over hyped MMO's will die off and close down within July 2014. TESO won't even see the light of day, lol. There are TONS of people who want to play a P2P MMO but don't want to pay 15$ a month but have no problem with 5$ a month. Most gamers are cheap but are aware that for a great game to succeed it needs cash flow and a 5$ a month MMO with no cash shop is the solution. People keep thinking that F2P cash shops MMO are the way to go, the only reason why we keep seeing these lame excuses of a MMO is because you always got that one or two retards that buy 30-45K a year off a cash shop. Remove those retards from the planet and we wouldn't be having such crappy releases let alone cash shops with game play enhancements. "Hey look at me I got to level 100 inside of a week thanks to the cash shop!!" Nobody cares. Another thing to keep in mind, all these RMT's, you know those that sale in game cash for real life money. You get way more for your money buying cash off a RMT then you would off a cash shop. So in the end F2P MMO's are screwed and nothing is legit, economy wise, you're just part of one big scam. We can say the same for P2P, but at least on a P2P they got the ban hammer that drops a few times a year. FF14 is probably the best example of hammering down the ban hammer, a few times already in it's 3 month release.
To end, indie Devs will be the future of MMO gaming. Imagine seeing their faces when they got 1 million subs at 5$ a month, 5 million a month , 60 million a year , you can be sure as hell that their games will rock!
There are a couple of things to dispute here, but I'll go with the idea that for your plan to work, people who currently exist, and who will very likely continue to exist would need to suddenly cease to exist.
I can not remember winning or losing a single debate on the internet.
Both of you have very interesting posts. Would either of you happen to have a link or two to support some of the arguments you've presented? It would be good to see what helped form these views you've put forth here, especially since the second post presents them to state that the first post is wrong.
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
If sub games are going to start adding cash shops I think they'll have to start adjusting what they charge for a sub. Why should anyone pay a box price and a sub if they don't get everything. That was the whole point.
If a game wants to lower the sub or drop the box price and only charge xx amount/month I personally would be more open to accepting a cash shop/ ala carte type of game. Otherwise what does it offer that a f2p doesn't already ?
You're right, there are tons of people who want to play a GOOD P2P MMO. However, to me WoW isn't even worth the time it takes to log in any longer. I honestly doubt that most people who are quitting WoW are doing so because of the sub. They are quitting because the game is old (almost 10 years) and they are bored with it.
I hate cash shops and a la carte subs to me just rings of yet another nickle and dime approach to sucking money from people. I want to be able to log into a game and have access to all content for one price.
I'm not sure how you concluded that all of that equates to Indie Devs being the future. Getting 1 million subs for a month, much less a whole year is a lot harder than you think.
I would be much more interested in 5$ sub's and the 15$ price point holds me back from a lot of games. I would still be toying around on anarachy online and daoc if they had 5$ sub. I just can't justify playing them for 15$ a pop.
15$ isn't even really that bad its just that I rarely see these games develop into something I enjoy beyond its initial release. Its hard to justify an investment per month when developers going in a different direction than you would like, develop temporary content, or use that money to develop a paid for expansion.
In my opinion blizzard has the worst pay model. Its like paying for a gym membership for a year then they open a new wing and are like " oh yes you have a membership but you must pay 50$ to get access to the new wing"...
I'd take $5 a month for scaled back access that doesn't effect gameplay vs. cash shops any day.