New subscription price planning - Standard vs Entry. Am I missing something?

First off, let me thank Square again for their humble generosity for all of the loyalty awards that will be given to us for 2.0. That was a really nice gesture on their part. However after going over the new price planning something is bothering me.

In the new price planning it is mentioned that:

Entry - 1 Max Character per World - 8 Max Total Characters
Standard - 8 Max Characters per World - 40 Max Total Characters

*No information given regarding retainer pricing*

Now my problem lye's here. Are they giving Standard subscribers 39 characters for free for that extra 3 dollars, or the ability to HOLD (hence the word "max") 39 extra characters on their account meaning they would have to pay for additional characters. I really don't understand why they would allow this considering you only really need one character for this game since you can do pretty much everything on it with no restrictions. A majority of the players who will create extra characters will be for inventory space and or AH/wards selling.

There would be no purpose for buying extra retainers since you could create a new character (for free?) and have inventory space/retainer space available to you.

I also believe that this will be an open invitation for RMT abuse if it goes down this route. So I would like some clarity as to what this information actually means.

No, I think you have to pay for them, just a difference in number of char. that you can have.

Entry level plan lets you create 8 characters total, and there is a max of one per world. Extra characters do not cost extra.

Standard plan lets you create 40 characters total, and there is a max of 8 per world. Extra characters do not cost extra.

Creating a new account requires you to get either an entry level or standard plan for it; there are no free characters or retainers given this way. You can't even buy extra retainers now, if I remember right. RMT will not have it any easier this way than they do now, because the accounts can only be logged in once at any time, so having one character or 40 characters makes no difference; they are still only able to farm with one at a time.

This is a great idea, as silly and useless as it may be. I don't really see a reason for more than one character. But I guess I can make 39 cute and frilly catgirls/highlander females/lalafemales.

That's coo'.

Hmm yea giving RMT a legacy account would be a complete fail, they need to sort the RMT situation out before 2.0 hits.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Wolfie

Entry level plan lets you create 8 characters total, and there is a max of one per world. Extra characters do not cost extra.

Standard plan lets you create 40 characters total, and there is a max of 8 per world. Extra characters do not cost extra.

Creating a new account requires you to get either an entry level or standard plan for it; there are no free characters or retainers given this way. You can't even buy extra retainers now, if I remember right. RMT will not have it any easier this way than they do now, because the accounts can only be logged in once at any time, so having one character or 40 characters makes no difference; they are still only able to farm with one at a time.

---

It could allow for possible market manipulation as they could still trade between characters (delivery service is coming).

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Zezlar

It could allow for possible market manipulation as they could still trade between characters (delivery service is coming).

---

Market manipulation in what way? Give me a concrete example; they can trade between characters now.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Wolfie

Market manipulation in what way? Give me a concrete example; they can trade between characters now.

---

For example:

Monopolizing materials for crafting (only has the ability to sell his wares in 10 slots). So they distribute the remaining items to their other characters (which also have 10 slots available). RMT can be a lot more aggressive than you or I for example since Gil is Gil, and their ultimate plan is to sell it. Either way they can afford to sell items for dirt cheap which will in turn make players follow this path in order to be competitive. Everything will crash since there will be a number of RMT that can do it for longer than we can.

Of course this is just one scenario, and i'm really hoping i'm just being a worrywart here because I for one like many others really want to enjoy 2.0.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Zezlar

For example:

Monopolizing materials for crafting (only has the ability to sell his wares in 10 slots). So they distribute the remaining items to their other characters (which also have 10 slots available). RMT can be a lot more aggressive than you or I for example since Gil is Gil, and their ultimate plan is to sell it. Either way they can afford to sell items for dirt cheap which will in turn make players follow this path in order to be competitive. Everything will crash since there will be a number of RMT that can do it for longer than we can.

Of course this is just one scenario, and i'm really hoping i'm just being a worrywart here because I for one like many others really want to enjoy 2.0.

---

No matter how they worked it RMTs will always be a challange. I am sure they have taken this into consideration. Just remains to be seen how they will handle it.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Wolfie

Entry level plan lets you create 8 characters total, and there is a max of one per world. Extra characters do not cost extra.

Standard plan lets you create 40 characters total, and there is a max of 8 per world. Extra characters do not cost extra.

Creating a new account requires you to get either an entry level or standard plan for it; there are no free characters or retainers given this way. You can't even buy extra retainers now, if I remember right. RMT will not have it any easier this way than they do now, because the accounts can only be logged in once at any time, so having one character or 40 characters makes no difference; they are still only able to farm with one at a time.

---

Pretty sure you are going to have to pay for each additional characters.

I'm pretty sure they're aiming for WoW's fee standards.

You pay a flat rate per month and get to make as many characters as that rate entails. No where did it say, "additional fee per character".

You guys should be happy.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Jinko

Hmm yea giving RMT a legacy account would be a complete fail, they need to sort the RMT situation out before 2.0 hits.

---

RMT can still be banned after legacy is rolled out. At that point they lose their legacy status and have to fork over more money for multiple characters, but us legit players get to keep the benefit. I like it!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Zezlar

For example:

Monopolizing materials for crafting (only has the ability to sell his wares in 10 slots). So they distribute the remaining items to their other characters (which also have 10 slots available). RMT can be a lot more aggressive than you or I for example since Gil is Gil, and their ultimate plan is to sell it. Either way they can afford to sell items for dirt cheap which will in turn make players follow this path in order to be competitive. Everything will crash since there will be a number of RMT that can do it for longer than we can.

Of course this is just one scenario, and i'm really hoping i'm just being a worrywart here because I for one like many others really want to enjoy 2.0.

---

That is, of course, assuming that we'll be keeping the same market ward model we have now with a limit of 10 slots per retainer. Other MMOs have unlimited AH slots and 50 character limits on the AH, and people are still able to make money. Unlike RMTs who, while they may be more organized in one particular area, players are fluid and will generally re-orient themselves to farm things that become profitable (happened in FFXI too; people switched from farming leeches for blood, to bone chips, silk, etc.).

In no free market has any item "crashed" (with a caveat, see below) the market in such a way that players can't make money or players lose their money, and they are unable to play the game. Every single item in an MMO will stabilize at a price, because it's governed by how common it is (the amount of players farming it). That's all fine and dandy, because as a player you have the option to either make this money in another way or farm the item yourself.

The one thing that RMT can do to damage a game for players is if they can monopolize a given resource. Things like a rare, tradable, and desirable NM drop. When this happens, then yes, you can officially say that RMT has ruined this for players; most MMO's, and FFXIV included, have avoided this by making non-instanced content drops untradeable, by making their drops relatively average in quality, and by moving the highly desirable items in instanced areas. Additionally, letting RMT have multiple characters per account will not aid them at all in monopolizing a resource, because they can still only use one character at a time.

I'm not trying to defend RMT here or to s**t on your topic, but allowing players to create multiple characters without extra payment is something that is so huge for the community, because it lets players spend time with friends on different worlds and try new things. While it does give some minor convenience to RMT (in the form of extra storage, although I don't even know why they would need that), it's not enough of a justification in my opinion to inconvenience legitimate players in such a huge way (with only one allowed character) while only slightly inconveniencing RMT.

I think retainers are gonna be given a high inventory treshold compared to what we have now. We'll most likely be bumped back to maybe 50 on hand if the mannequin system allows us to have gear that doesn't take inv space it'll be viable. Then retainers may be bumped to 300 storage. So even if you could have 8 free characters that would only be 400 slots compared to paying whatever it is for 300 storage on a retainer.

The other thought is if they do give us x characters I think each player will only be able to focus on one craft past 50 so if a person actually wants to craft everything they'll have to lv 8 characters with separate crafts, then if they want all the abilities they'll have to lv them all to 50 lol. It kinda makes sense since 8 is the limit and we have 8 crafts atm, so perhaps they want to push on the idea that one character can only focus on one craft but to keep the idea that we can indeed do everything make it where we can make 8 characters and have each one focused on a different craft.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Wolfie

I'm not trying to defend RMT here or to s**t on your topic

---

Oh by no means. I actually learned a few things from the post. Though for all things considered it would still be cool to get some clarification from a rep.

As for inventory and retainers, I would expect an entire rethinking of your storage space.

That 2.0 User Interface screenshot showed what appeared to be inventory "bags" in the bottom right hand corner, much like WoW. Get more bags, get more storage space.

And I wouldn't be surprised if you started storing your things in a game "bank" rather than directly with your retainer. If they do keep retainers, it'd make more sense to have them be your intermediary, much like the Moogle was in a Mog House. You didn't store your stuff inside the moogle. He "took" your things home and placed them in "storage".

Helpful links: Letter from the Producer XXVII- http://forum.square-enix.com/ffxiv/threads/43218
Campaigns: http://lodestone.finalfantasyxiv.com.../campaign.html

- The service and character fees are being consolidated into one. Yoshi-P's post notes it there. You will pay $9.99 for 8 char per world.

There is a note in red on the Campaign page:
Note: Pricing for other features, including longer billing cycles and Retainer Characters, have not yet been decided.

I remember reading at some point when they were talking about making the market wards more aesthetically pleasing, that there was going to be a dramatic change in how our retainers worked. I also remember something about the fact that retainers would be accessible by characters on the same account, on the same world.

I would imagine that what will likely happen is that you get one (maybe two) retainers per world, and then if you want more you'd probably have to purchase them.

Its 1 fee, for x amount of characters, it makes sense to everyone this way. So no you wont be paying $3 per char because you don't pay for a char no more, you pay for an account. Though I think the difference in dolla isnt much.

Retainers will be a tricky one, because if they add AH, why would you want a retainer other than storage? Or additional places to sell, but if everything ends up on AH, why would anyone buy from MW thus making Retainers completely useless (other than storage) and thus be tough to "sell". So who knows.

That said, shouldnt be worried about money, sooner or later this game will go back a F2P model, maybe a year after 2.0 XD

Im already paying $9.99

What would my dicount be?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Thanos

Im already paying $9.99

What would my dicount be?

---

You wouldn't be forced to "upgrade" into either the $12.99 subscription or the $14.99 subscription. The current per month rate of $9.99 is not the 2.0 rate per month so you get a "discount" off of the 2.0 rate by keeping your current rate.

We will be "saving" $5.00 per month, which is amazingly generous!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Rokien

Pretty sure you are going to have to pay for each additional characters.

---

It says rather plainly that the 14.99 plan is for 8 character/server. That 3 dollars is the paying extra.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Kiote

It says rather plainly that the 14.99 plan is for 8 character/server. That 3 dollars is the paying extra.

---

This is SE we are talking about though :P

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Rokien

This is SE we are talking about though :P

---

Right, because SE hasn't been up front with us at all, ever, since Yoshi P came on board.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Rokien

This is SE we are talking about though :P

---

And this is YOU we are talking to


seriously, this isnt hard to understand, why would they even think of mentioning 8 characters per server if thats not what it meant

i see this as 2 sided subscription

1 for those who want 1 character
1 for those who want multiples

its not hard to understand

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by TheVedis

And this is YOU we are talking to


seriously, this isnt hard to understand, why would they even think of mentioning 8 characters per server if thats not what it meant

i see this as 2 sided subscription

1 for those who want 1 character
1 for those who want multiples

its not hard to understand

---

This is FFXIV forums we're talking about. Reading comprehension is not its strong point.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Sabaku_Usagi

You wouldn't be forced to "upgrade" into either the $12.99 subscription or the $14.99 subscription. The current per month rate of $9.99 is not the 2.0 rate per month so you get a "discount" off of the 2.0 rate by keeping your current rate.

We will be "saving" $5.00 per month, which is amazingly generous!

---

ah i see i see. thanks

RMT is not an excuse to punish your legitimate players in any situation, ever.

Anyone making the argument against allowing multiple characters sans a per-character fee is frankly, incorrect. Plenty of players enjoy making multiple characters, while FFXIV is as FFXI was, and is set up in such a way that for the average player, one character is perfectly sufficient.

Many players like making alts, for a number of reasons, RP, trying something new, etc.

Very few modern games require a fee for additional characters, giving players the option between entry & full is perfectly fine. Those worried about RMT paying a legacy price really shouldn't be. Once they are banned, they won't be able to get that price again, after all.

P.S. If anything, the legitimate reason for allowing the two levels of subscription is data storage. An entry level account limits the player to significantly less storage. For many players 1 character is enough, and they can save themselves 3 bucks. For everyone else, they no longer have to feel as if though they are "wasting" money paying for a la carte pay per character deal. They just have the "standard" subscription.