Thoughts on a shared subscription?

[Sfchakan]

Looking at what happens when you throw more randoms at a single server, I don't know that this is a good thing at this point to thrust thousands of new players used to p2win style MMOs into the FFXI environment. Just a recipe for more gilbuyers filling RMT and merc pockets, making more servers be garbage like Asura.

[Alhanelem]

Most XIV players will not like XI and will never like it, it is so alien and punishing an experience from XIV.
Most XI players do not like XIV and will never like it, it is so alien an experience from XI (almost all XI players have played XIV, we do not like it).

This is an assumption, not a fact, amd I've personally encountered many people curious about the game but they are deterred when I tell them "It still has a subscription."

Almost everyone that makes this argument saying "it's good business to charge less because more people will buy your product" have no idea what they are talking about most of the time

Except that's not the argument I was making. You are speaking of unilatirally changing the price of something for everyone, which works under certain circumstances up to a point until you hit the sweet spot, which is what the final price of a product usually is.

We're talking about a promotional price here- A price that requires conditions to be met, in this case, subscribing to two games. Not everyone is paying this promotional price and this is what makes it effective. You gain the customers that demand a lower price while still having the customers who were fine to begin with. If there's a shared subscription discount, now you have (for example) 1000 people paying you $20 a month instead of $12.95. Yes, you aren't getting $25.90, but you wouldn't have been getting that anyway because they would not have done both subs otherwise.

This is what you seem to be missing. Further, this particularly benefits former players of FFXI who are now playing FFXIV. They might want to play FFXI again but don't really want to pay for subs. I personally do this grudgingly, because I have the money to spare, but I still feel like I shouldn't have to.

I agree that FFXI is a niche experience, but it has its share of former players who would consider playing again if the value proposition was better, along with people playing FFXIV who are curious about what old MMOs were like.

Looking at what happens when you throw more randoms at a single server, I don't know that this is a good thing at this point to thrust thousands of new players used to p2win style MMOs into the FFXI environment. Just a recipe for more gilbuyers filling RMT and merc pockets, making more servers be garbage like Asura.

Well, they shouldn't be thrown at a single server. Which would be a bad idea even if Asura wasn't the way it is already.

Also, FFXIV is not a pay to win MMO.

[Pixela]

If they don't want to pay the full sub for 11, stay on 14. The only reason most 11 players want more players is to make the game more profitable, if you don't want to pay the full sub they're just in the way of our queue to enter content. Sorry but it's true.

There is no greater benefit to Square Enix in someone playing 11 and 14 as opposed to me paying for 6 subs on 11, as such why should they be rewarded above me and people like me.

Not only would this give them barely any benefit (in-fact quite the opposite imo) it would cause a huge amount of bad feeling in people who pay multiple subs.

Not that I'm worried about them doing it, nobody does this unless there is an ulterior motive.

[Pixela]

Also as you are well aware, the sub price has never increased with inflation. So in real terms it already is half what it used to be.

[Alhanelem]

he only reason most 11 players want more players is to make the game more profitable, if you don't want to pay the full sub they're just in the way of our queue to enter content. Sorry but it's true.

More subscribers makes the game more profitable even if they don't pay the full price. Or maybe you have no idea just how big their margins really are.

Also as you are well aware, the sub price has never increased with inflation. So in real terms it already is half what it used to be.

Although this is true, that fact just makes the game more accessible, and another nudge in the form of an offer like this may make all the difference for some people. Like I said above, the margins are really high on sub fees. Many MMO-like games like Guild Wars operated for years without sub fees in spite of having similar sorts of server and other back end costs. If they were able to do that without sub fees, an MMO like this one that is presently quiite light in actual development has huge margins on the sub fees. They can afford cutting people a break if it means more subs.

I'm subscribed to both. The only reason I don't feel like I need a break is I have a permanent sub discount on FFXIV for paying for the bad version while they worked on A Realm Reborn. So in short, I enjoy the discount that I think other people should have.

[Pixela]

FF14 has a cash shop, to offset a few people having a lower sub.

FF14 could literally give the game away with no sub and still make money from that cash shop from the free players.

FF11 only has the sub.

It's annoying to me that you accept the game has not gone up with inflation and want it to be EVEN Cheaper again, why not just ask them to pay you to play it?

[Tharly]

We are paying the same price as when the game received large updates and content. Since it is no longer doing so, the value of a subscription has decreased for long time players much more than any possible inflation has increased the value of a subcription. Many games get reduced subcription costs in the twilight of their existance.

[Pixela]

We are paying the same price as when the game received large updates and content. Since it is no longer doing so, the value of a subscription has decreased for long time players much more than any possible inflation has increased the value of a subcription. Many games get reduced subcription costs in the twilight of their existance.

Go read what inflation is and how it works.

[Alhanelem]

FF14 has a cash shop, to offset a few people having a lower sub.

FF14 could literally give the game away with no sub and still make money from that cash shop from the free players.

FF11 only has the sub.

It's annoying to me that you accept the game has not gone up with inflation and want it to be EVEN Cheaper again, why not just ask them to pay you to play it?

The cash shop is not there because of the legacy players. Lol.

I mean, they are still raking in money hand over fist. If there was no inflation they'd HAVE to drop the price to get people to play a 20 year old game. Inflation is the only reason we're willing to accept that cuirrent price.

The point of a dual sub is to attract more actual players who currently play their other MMO (or vice versa, even) EVEN with inflation, they are still making more money than if those players stayed with one sub only.

I mean lets be real here, you're siding with the big coroporation over the players. That doesn't even really seem like you. Man if anyone needed any proof that I'm not a white knight, this is the thread.

[Pixela]

It's amazing to me that so many adults in the west do not understand how inflation works, it's so rampant that I think it's intentional in our education system. This way, when your boss gives you a raise in-line with inflation you think they love you and are giving you more money. In reality you're getting nothing more, but the number increased.

The cash shop is not there because of the legacy players. Lol.

The point is, the cash shop allows them to make money from people paying less and in-fact they could happily have people playing for free and still make money from them. This is why WOW and 14 added cash shops, to literally offset losses from inflation.

FF11 only has the sub, and so is hit massively by inflation. Inflation will eventually kill FF11 even if player numbers stay as high as they are today, in 10 years that $12 will be worth $3 in real terms.