Free to play plans?

FFXI is old now and honestly the level and quality of the updates we get no longer mean it's worth the subscription fee, the game has also lost a lot of players.

Does Square have any plans to let FFXI go free to play with a cash shop anytime soon?

If you think it's not worth anymore then you should cancel your subscription.
Make many other people follow your lead and then, just then, SE maybe will think about moving FFXI into FTP.
Until people continue to play regularly why should they bother?

In before someone starts mistakingly ranting about f2p meaning a game has failed.

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Maybe if the game gets more new player friendly they could add a first 20-30 lvls with only the basic game free option. That would be a good business move. I know I am waaaay more apt to try a game out when I can give it a test run. But with as horribly unfriendly as this game is to new and returning players right now they need to just keep charging us as long as we will pay.

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Originally Posted by Elphy

Maybe if the game gets more new player friendly they could add a first 20-30 lvls with only the basic game free option. That would be a good business move. I know I am waaaay more apt to try a game out when I can give it a test run. But with as horribly unfriendly as this game is to new and returning players right now they need to just keep charging us as long as we will pay.

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14 Day Free Trial.

Honestly the free trial is so limited that SE might as well make it not be time limited to be honest, you can't have any of the expansions, which means beating the Shadow Lord somehow at level 30 is the only real thing you can do, and only on a budget of 100k that you can't have gotten from other players or the Auction House.

That said, if I had to give one suggestion to improving the current free trial system, it would be a method to trade a Linkshell to them one way. Easiest way to get free trial players hooked in my opinion.

I highly doubt FFXI is going to a free-to-play/freemium model anytime soon, nor could I really even see having an item similar to EVE Online's PLEX (basically allowing players with lots of in-game resources to pay another player to cover their subscription costs, a variant of RMT). SE's stances on the economic impacts of possible changes and their current profits vs. the investment of a changeover just don't necessarily match up at this time with the idea.

I already have canceled my sub months ago as has everyone I knew, this is why I'm asking.

FFXI is still a great game, it's just not worth the money they are asking anymore. With free to play the population will be boosted again and they can make money from optionals.

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Originally Posted by Castanica

FFXI is old now and honestly the level and quality of the updates we get no longer mean it's worth the subscription fee, the game has also lost a lot of players.

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Ehh... that was more true this time last year than today. Today we (finally) have a new expansion pack to look forward to. Even if the updates nowadays do feel underwhelming, there appears to be a light at the end of the tunnel.

Also, the new update schedule might be contributing to the ennui; monthly updates can't be as big an exciting as the old quarterly updates were, since there are only so many man-hours in a month and generally don't have weeks to hype an upcoming release.

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Does Square have any plans to let FFXI go free to play with a cash shop anytime soon?

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FFXI is still profitable enough to pay for both itself and for fixing XIV. Don't expect them to kill the goose that lays the golden eggs any time soon.

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Originally Posted by Castanica

I already have canceled my sub months ago as has everyone I knew, this is why I'm asking.

FFXI is still a great game, it's just not worth the money they are asking anymore. With free to play the population will be boosted again and they can make money from optionals.

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$12:95 a month is not really alot. SE is not going ftp anytime soon and i dont see how ftp in FFXI would work. i dont wanna be playing for a stack a meat for $1 in AH. or any others gear etc o.o.

some games it work well because it was build for that but just changing it on the fly would mess up lot of things because iam sure 90% of the gear/weapons/events gonna have to keep spamming real money and not gils anymore and it gonna be more then the $12 we paying every month or just be gimp as hell with the free gear.

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Originally Posted by Economizer

14 Day Free Trial.

Honestly the free trial is so limited that SE might as well make it not be time limited to be honest, you can't have any of the expansions, which means beating the Shadow Lord somehow at level 30 is the only real thing you can do, and only on a budget of 100k that you can't have gotten from other players or the Auction House.

That said, if I had to give one suggestion to improving the current free trial system, it would be a method to trade a Linkshell to them one way. Easiest way to get free trial players hooked in my opinion.

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This I could go for. The more opportunity for linkshells to sink their claws into free trial players and coax them into something more, the better.

Beyond that, I'm not sure S-E is doing enough to publicize the program, even among existing players. Hardly anybody seems to know what that green-and-yellow icon means.

Hell, the lack of linkshells for them means there's hardly anybody around to explain the overly complicated process of becoming a paying player to them to begin with...

Would the anti-RMT measures still be broken if free trial players are able to trade everything but gil?

EDIT: ZOMG, players on an unlimited free trial, with the AH/Bazaar restrictions, would be the perfect pool of players to supply the guild salesrooms with non-restocked items! Now there's a mechanic that's been dead and abandoned since forever...

While I have no problem with a freemium based access for new players. You know stuff like basic areas only, access to the first 6 jobs, lvl 30 cap, and possibly a few trade-able items (like a linkshell, honestly this is a must).

I hope that FFXI never goes FTP with a cash shop. Not because I see it as a fail of a game but because I can't stand that sort of business model and avoid the majority of games that use it. And the ones I do play, I play for a month at most before I decide its not worth it.

One of the things that keep me coming back to FFXI (even after vowing not to many times now lol) is that I don't feel like I'm far behind those with RL money to burn and that I have just as much of a chance to earn what other players have, if I put the time and effort in. Of course a few exceptions to this like the tidal talisman.

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Originally Posted by nyheen

$12:95 a month is not really alot. SE is not going ftp anytime soon and i dont see how ftp in FFXI would work. i dont wanna be playing for a stack a meat for $1 in AH. or any others gear etc o.o.

some games it work well because it was build for that but just changing it on the fly would mess up lot of things because iam sure 90% of the gear/weapons/events gonna have to keep spamming real money and not gils anymore and it gonna be more then the $12 we paying every month or just be gimp as hell with the free gear.

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Well, if you want more gear/weapons/events, it should only be fair you pay more, right?

Truth of the matter is I stopped caring about having the best gear a long time ago because I knew if I obsessed to much over having the best gear, I would likely turn to RMT. I think everyone would. Everyone else obsessed about gear. But many did not turn to RMT and played the honest way. And still others did turn to RMT to improve at least a few times. I know how tempting it can be to turn to RMT.

So, F2P wouldn't change THAT much. People will always buy game cash. You can't stop that. They want to win and will do what they feel necessary to do it. And no, they won't get caught till it's too late. I mean, look at what Lance Armstrong did to a different game? And he fooled everyone for years.

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Originally Posted by Laraul

So, F2P wouldn't change THAT much. People will always buy game cash.

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More players will buy gil if it becomes legit, but many players will not. Many will even be driven away from the game outright.

If nothing else, there is no guarantee of a net increase in either income for S-E or players to interact with.

S-E has both dabbled with running a subscription-based game into the ground (TetraMaster) as well as f2p (Fantasy Earth Zero). They likely have more data to base any decisions on than any of us do.

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Originally Posted by Castanica

With free to play the population will be boosted again and they can make money from optionals.

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Fuck no. Horrible idea, for any game, ever. Whoever thought of these things first deserves to be hung.

That aside, the price they asking is a lot. It's still one of the most expensive pay-to-play games I know, despite being as terrible as it is. They should reduce the fee substantially imo, I know that would bring back some people who don't consider the current fee acceptable, without having to result to such awful ideas like cashing in on optionals.

FFXI doesn't cost a lot to play at all, and I and a lot of other players play the game at least once a day, 4-7 days a week so that to me would be worth the small amount they ask for. The amount I pay for FFXI is 1/4 of the amount I pay for my mobile phone bill every month, so hardly breaking the bank. Also SE needs, or really wants the money (I doubt they really need any money considering how large the FF franchise is) to maintain the servers so there is a very little chance they'll make the game ftp. The only chance is if maybe they get outside funding for the servers, the servers become free to maintain, and on top of either of them SE loses a significant majority of players and they need to reel them back in. So basically no chance!

good thing the massive servers that run ffxi don't require any power, also good thing that MMOs are pretty much free to maintain and update... oh wait

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Originally Posted by Daniel

good thing the massive servers that run ffxi don't require any power, also good thing that MMOs are pretty much free to maintain and update... oh wait

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Not that I agree with the f2p model, but I think the bolded part is what a lot of people take exception to, since we are paying. I know a lot of players that don't feel like they're getting their money's worth.

Personally, I believe that FFXIV is siphoning off a lot of FFXI revenue, which I feel is a sleazy way to treat your customers.

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Originally Posted by Ziyyigo-Tipyigo

FFXI is still profitable enough to pay for both itself and for fixing XIV. Don't expect them to kill the goose that lays the golden eggs any time soon.

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Realy FFXI is the major factor keeping SE afloat. Yes, they are expanding their market off of gaming only, but FFXIV would have been another "Spirits Within."

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Originally Posted by Economizer

Honestly the free trial is so limited that SE might as well make it not be time limited to be honest, you can't have any of the expansions, which means beating the Shadow Lord somehow at level 30 is the only real thing you can do, and only on a budget of 100k that you can't have gotten from other players or the Auction House.

That said, if I had to give one suggestion to improving the current free trial system, it would be a method to trade a Linkshell to them one way. Easiest way to get free trial players hooked in my opinion.

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I got suckered in by the trial, and dragged a pal and the boyfriend along with me. It needs to be altered so that trial users can form parties. We spent hours running around trying to find randoms to party us up.

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Originally Posted by Ziyyigo-Tipyigo

More players will buy gil if it becomes legit, but many players will not. Many will even be driven away from the game outright.

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I'd ragequit.

ok think of it like this. netflix (ffxi fee) vs video stores (ftp).

video stores got no monthly fee. i can walk in and talk to my friends etc but if i wanna do stuff or buy anything (rent movie) it cost like $3+. new events out? $2, stack of sushi 1$ buy merit WS $2 new bst pet $1-2. iam sure mostly or all the stuff will turn into pay and it will cost lot, but hey if i wanna be gimp, talk to friends at the video store but dont buy anything while iam there sure. but if everyone did that there video stores wont make money and will do less and less update or die off.

netflix got a monthly fee like $8 to hang out with people but i get to spam lots and lots of movies all day on the website . sometime i watch up to 50 movies in 3 weeks or less. that would of cost like $150 if they was about $3 each. great updates (exp packs SoA etc) happening.

iam not saying ftp games are bad but most of them seems rushed and cheap since they not making lot of money. i seen over 1000 of ftp and it feel like all of them is the same way to me.
i honestly think if FFxi was a Ftp it would of never came out with all the good exp packs and update since they wont have the money to make it that good. it would be rushed like all the other ftp games.

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Originally Posted by Economizer

Honestly the free trial is so limited that SE might as well make it not be time limited to be honest, you can't have any of the expansions, which means beating the Shadow Lord somehow at level 30 is the only real thing you can do, and only on a budget of 100k that you can't have gotten from other players or the Auction House.

That said, if I had to give one suggestion to improving the current free trial system, it would be a method to trade a Linkshell to them one way. Easiest way to get free trial players hooked in my opinion.

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I can't stop thinking about this and how good an idea this is because, if nothing else, this would revitalize old and abandoned content.

First off, as I mentioned before, are the guild salesrooms. Paying subscribers only sell to them when they can't find room to list a particular item on the Auction House, but they are the best option for these free trial players to unload unwanted gear and make gil. This would breathe new life into the salesrooms and allow them to return to their original intent: functioning as price controls for the Auction House. This will help keep the price of low-level gear low enough for actual new (and paying) players, rather than being priced for players who already have a level 99 job to fund things with.

Further, because their only way to obtain gear is from monsters, NPCs and treasure boxes, they'll be more inclined to strive for the hard-to-obtain gear of events like Garrison and Cloudy and Sky Orb battles than are paying players, who will just rocket on past those levels to 50+ regardless. The minority of paying players who are interested in that old content will be much more likely to find help from these free players, while the free players get a form of "free endgame" that (for better or for worse) gives them a taste of what to expect when they do subscribe.

More generally, without access to /shout and /yell, they're forced to use the more passive party-building tools of /seacom and /invite. The more time these players are forced to use these tools as free players, the more likely they are to continue using these tools after they become paying players.

(Aside: does /autogroup work for free players?)

The only real shortcoming is their inability to be brought into linkshells; it seems the best you can do with a trial player is to /befriend them. But I think it's long past time to overhaul FFXI's linkshell system regardless. Rather than relying on "inventory -1," FFXI linkshells should more resemble how linkshells were managed in FFXIV 1.x. This could be kludged easily enough by tightly integrating the concept of a "linkshell" in FFXI with the Group Friend List functionality of PlayOnline (which currently isn't even accessible from within FFXI). This would allow for linkshell holders to manage the group without certain players having to be online to do so, and would likely also allow for integration with XIV's social lists in the future.

And, of course, it would allow the inclusion of free players into the wider FFXI community without having to circumvent the anti-RMT measure of not allowing them to trade with other players.

(And it may even encourage S-E to do something meaningful with the Linkshell Community website for the first time since before the Gates of Paradise were sealed... >.> )

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Originally Posted by Laraul

Truth of the matter is I stopped caring about having the best gear a long time ago because I knew if I obsessed to much over having the best gear, I would likely turn to RMT. I think everyone would. Everyone else obsessed about gear. But many did not turn to RMT and played the honest way. And still others did turn to RMT to improve at least a few times. I know how tempting it can be to turn to RMT.

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The reality is that to be the best you'd have to invest thousands of dollars into RMT, which is just plain crazy. Realistically I think the people who actually RMT are extremely casual people who just want to get by and make the most what little time they have online without having to worry about gil.

Free to play doesn't necessarily mean pay to win. In The Secret World, everything in the shop is either purely cosmetic, a temporary bonus to exp or movement speed, or new content unlocks.

I know a LOT of people that invested tons of gil in their mog house; who wore gear not for effect but for its look; and perhaps more than anything else, who groaned about running all over the world to do Rise of the Zilart missions.

I think that, if Square Enix were to offer a free to play option in which all the shop's items were either cosmetic, convenient, or content, but would NOT alter chances for success in battle (and maybe crafting) content, then I think it would be very successful.

You can already get cosmetic swag and furnishings as bonuses for buying things like soundtrack CD pre-orders.

I would think that they'd find more excuses to sell such things already if it were a viable income option for FFXI.

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Originally Posted by Ziyyigo-Tipyigo

You can already get cosmetic swag and furnishings as bonuses for buying things like soundtrack CD pre-orders.

I would think that they'd find more excuses to sell such things already if it were a viable income option for FFXI.

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This is true, but I think the reason it hasn't been viable is because they were poorly advertised. If these things were offered directly through the game, then more people would be aware of them and, therefore, more likely to buy them.

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Originally Posted by Tsukino_Kaji

FFXI is still profitable enough to pay for both itself and for fixing XIV. Don't expect them to kill the goose that lays the golden eggs any time soon.

Realy FFXI is the major factor keeping SE afloat. Yes, they are expanding their market off of gaming only, but FFXIV would have been another "Spirits Within."

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Those are the facts, and anyone who objects to that statement and continues to argue that this game should be free-to-play has less business sense than a 4-year-old at a lemonade stand. Don't give out free lemonade (FFXI) and make people pay for ice (bonus content). They'll take all the lemonade they want, with little to no ice at all. SE wouldn't just be shooting themselves in the foot; they'd be stabbing themselves in the financial heart. FFXI makes a few million dollars for them every month; think about how many packaged games would have to sell to meet that number. Think of how much DLC/extra content they would have to sell PER MONTH to meet that number. Then please, shut up. <<<Directed at the people who say this game should be free to play.

FFXI ftp is the worst idea anyone can come up with for this games advancement. I wouldnt pay a dime more than my subscription fee and cost of expansion to play a game this old and im quite sure many others would follow the train of leaving if we had to pay for every damn thing at a cost of no subscription. Screw that. If you dont like paying a measly 12 bucks a month then leave, instead of making boneheaded suggestions that are retarded in relation to today's XI.

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Originally Posted by Winrie

FFXI ftp is the worst idea anyone can come up with for this games advancement. I wouldnt pay a dime more than my subscription fee and cost of expansion to play a game this old and im quite sure many others would follow the train of leaving if we had to pay for every damn thing at a cost of no subscription. Screw that. If you dont like paying a measly 12 bucks a month then leave, instead of making boneheaded suggestions that are retarded in relation to today's XI.

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I agree with this in its entirety. I would absolutely leave if they decided to go FTP with a cash shop. Subscription games usually have more quality than FTP and I'm not into spending 100 or more a month to keep up with the "Hardcore" crowd.

The game makes money. If you're too cheap to pay a subscription, like the rest of us that still think it's worth playing, then I'm glad that SE filters you out of the game I play. Sorry supporting a company that makes things I like costs money. I can either pay for it, or watch what I like go away and get left with garbage like EA.

Funny thing about FFXIV, it might actually be worth play some day. I've never played a ftp game for more than a month. Why? You run out of things to do.

Pay for nice things, or don't have them.

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Originally Posted by Castanica

FFXI is old now and honestly the level and quality of the updates we get no longer mean it's worth the subscription fee, the game has also lost a lot of players.

Does Square have any plans to let FFXI go free to play with a cash shop anytime soon?

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No and I would never play it again if they did.

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Why? You run out of things to do.

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Either that, or you end up paying more than a subscription would have cost to do the same amount of stuff. Free to play is a bad deal for anyone who might play a game more than a week or a month- which is about how long most free players last before they either stop because of what they would have to pay for or they just lose interest.

I have seen some F2P games that have higher quality updates then what we been getting on FFXI. I think its just they have what few people they have working on the game doing the expansion, and the rest of them are working on the FFXIV reboot.

I would just unsub if you have little interest in playing, we all got to quit sometime.

Is this game worth the 12.95, of course not. Look at what we got before compared to now. what we use to get in one update before is equivalent to a year or two of updates we get now. Anyone that thinks that 12.95 is still good value is just plain wrong. No one in their right mind would think so. But people will continue to play and considering Square Enix is one of if not the greediest game companies out there, I don't see it. SE is the one that charges $15-$20 for iOS and Android games when everything else is $5.

For those that say that the manpower is not there, well not our problem, if that is the case, drop the price accordingly. The expansion is being paid for by our monthly sub fees, it shouldn't be, that money is supposed to be for connection and regularly updates. The expansion should be paid for by the price of the actually expansion. Which of course they have overpriced.

The amount of tears this thread has generated at the very idea of F2P gaming is hilarious. My favorites so far are the posts outlining what will happen in painstaking detail if this hypothetical situation occurs. Next time I need the future divined for me I'm asking you dudes.

Not free to play indefinitely, but having like the first 40 levels free, regardless of how much time you spend getting there, would prbably be good.

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Originally Posted by Laraul

Well, if you want more gear/weapons/events, it should only be fair you pay more, right?

Truth of the matter is I stopped caring about having the best gear a long time ago because I knew if I obsessed to much over having the best gear, I would likely turn to RMT. I think everyone would. Everyone else obsessed about gear. But many did not turn to RMT and played the honest way. And still others did turn to RMT to improve at least a few times. I know how tempting it can be to turn to RMT.

So, F2P wouldn't change THAT much. People will always buy game cash. You can't stop that. They want to win and will do what they feel necessary to do it. And no, they won't get caught till it's too late. I mean, look at what Lance Armstrong did to a different game? And he fooled everyone for years.

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and look where that got him, he's pretty much shunned from the cycling community now, he's no longer a hero to people and he lost all of his awards.... cheating ingame by going to rmt si just the same so don't user that sort of logic...

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Originally Posted by Arcon

Fuck no. Horrible idea, for any game, ever. Whoever thought of these things first deserves to be hung.

That aside, the price they asking is a lot. It's still one of the most expensive pay-to-play games I know, despite being as terrible as it is. They should reduce the fee substantially imo, I know that would bring back some people who don't consider the current fee acceptable, without having to result to such awful ideas like cashing in on optionals.

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most mmo's cost around 15 dollars ffxi still hasn't changed ther subscription fee i think and it's been 12 for a long time...

I'm confused here. FFXI sucks, so it should be free?

Square-Enix is still a business, not a public service.

LoL i cant believe you guys complaining about the price. it not even that much. lot of others great MMO got monthly fees like WoW and they doing fine. are you guys seriously trying to turn it into a free to play MMO? if this was free it would not be wasting time putting out them exp packs like SoA and any of the old ones. if they did it would be rushed with little to nothing on it.

honestly to me most of them Ftp games are kinda rush, cheesy and almost all made the same. some look nice but i guess that just me. or maybe i played just the sucky one?o.o

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Originally Posted by Zarchery

I'm confused here. FFXI sucks, so it should be free?

Square-Enix is still a business, not a public service.

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You do know that many mmos have actually made more money switching to FTP than they did with subs right?

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Originally Posted by nyheen

LoL i cant believe you guys complaining about the price. it not even that much. lot of others great MMO got monthly fees like WoW and they doing fine. are you guys seriously trying to turn it into a free to play MMO? if this was free it would not be wasting time putting out them exp packs like SoA and any of the old ones. if they did it would be rushed with little to nothing on it.

honestly to me most of them Ftp games are kinda rush, cheesy and almost all made the same. some look nice but i guess that just me. or maybe i played just the sucky one?o.o

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wow is not a good example as they have a free to play option up to lvl 30.

I as well think FINAL FANTASY XI to be (too) high on the price. It will obviously be even more so when playing with more than one account at the same time. Of course, that is up to the player to choose to do, but the game itself can in my opinion be blamed quite a bit for that just as well (inventory/storage\crafting woes to name a few, not to mention how much it can be of help with the events like Abyssea).

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Originally Posted by Jaall

FFXI doesn't cost a lot to play at all, and I and a lot of other players play the game at least once a day, 4-7 days a week so that to me would be worth the small amount they ask for. The amount I pay for FFXI is 1/4 of the amount I pay for my mobile phone bill every month, so hardly breaking the bank

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To me, FFXI costs about 16 times as much as my phone bill does (actually 32 times since I have two accounts (both with 4 characters)). ^^;


Would I want it to be free-to-play?

Very likely not, because it would require some silly changes. There are games that have 'premium' areas, abilities, spells, housing and such, but it's possible to play for absolutely free, and do a lot from which one big thing is to keep in touch with friends.

So as many have more or less already said, I'd say the current 14-day trial should be improved upon. Could probably drop the time restriction, and definitely make them able to party together, and talk to people. It's difficult to help, when they can't even ask for it.

As it is now, the trial probably does discourage more people than encourage.

I think enough has been said about that. I don't think there is any reason not to be able to let there be 'free areas'. Don't think there's need to restrict level even (especially if you have already attained it before). Free/Premium choice, I would welcome. Yes.


The very least I think they should do, is reduce the monthly fee. I'd say at least half of the current fee would perhaps be enough, but I guess one can only dream about that. Perhaps they'll make another 'pay for XIV and XI at the same time, and get a wee bit of a discount, yo!'


Blubb.

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Originally Posted by Umichi

most mmo's cost around 15 dollars ffxi still hasn't changed ther subscription fee i think and it's been 12 for a long time...

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It's 13, and that's "around 15" as well. Also, I don't know about the US situation, but that's not true in Germany and Europe, and from what I could find on Google after a 1min search it's not very true in the US either. WoW is the only one I could find that costs 15/month, and all of them, including WoW, have plans that can get you a cheaper total than FFXI (such as buying several months in advance). And that's still not counting additional characters, which many other games offer for free.

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Originally Posted by Zarchery

I'm confused here. FFXI sucks, so it should be free?

Square-Enix is still a business, not a public service.

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It sucks, so it should be cheaper. Charging 50 bucks for a bag of poo is not good business. Profit = monthly fee * subscribers. If the monthly fee is lowered, the number of subscribers will be higher. Too low, and the number of subscribers won't change much, so you're cutting profits again. It's all about finding the sweet spot.

Free to play is a horrible idea though, for this game more so than for most others.

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Originally Posted by xbobx

You do know that many mmos have actually made more money switching to FTP than they did with subs right?

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Which? Do you have actual numbers or just heard someone say something at some point?