Free to Play

[Delsus]

Microtransactions would kill FFXIV, This is what happened to EVE in june after it suddenly started microtransactions, when it is a mmo with over 300k subs and is still doing well.

Microtransactions usually for games that cant keep subscribers or a last ditch attempt to make money.

There is no point in FFXIV starting with microtransactions because the amount of money SE has lost on it they wouldnt get much money back, the need to try to secure the game in the long term to make some money out of it, FFXI for example only started to make money after its 5th year

[Mushy]

I would only be okay with this if they were perhaps small story arch campaigns sold, like they had in recent years on FFXI. Also always charge full price for the game. When new expansions come out bundle it with original game but retain the $49 pricetag. Would that be enough to recoup costs? probably not. Expect to pay I just hope its no more than 10 a month. I think some subscriber games would be much more successful if they cost less per month

[Renshi]

Well, like I wrote in a thread:

the Dev. team has given all its efforts for about a year to complete the game, which was completely incomplete, and Yoshi-P is going to boost up the speed of recovery of the game, at cost of time, effort and money from SE.
Now the CEO decided for this game to go free-to-play. Enter Yoshi-P's shoes now. How do you feel?

[Esk]

Oh Plz no. F2P games are what they are.
Every aspect of them is set up different, and at the end of it all the better content cost as much if not more then AAA games anyway.
The community generally has far more trolls an beggers from the few i have tried as well.
A Cosmetic shop for fluff items (chocobo armour lol) are a maybe for those with extra cash as long as the items can be sold on in game for game money.

Anyway SE already started down a lowish core price + stuff modle which would be used as a 1/2 way between the 2 styles.
Say for example:

Core game £5
Character (+2 retainers) £1
- Extra Character slot £1
- Extra retainers (account based) #3/4 £0.75
- Extra retainers (account based) #5+ £3
Chocobo breeding stable (up to 4 stalls) £1.50
(i'm talking like FFVII style but with tones and colours and a lot more complicated lol)
- Extra stalls (per 3) £3
Housing £1.50
Player/LS Boats lol £2.50

So it only cost £6 a month for the minimum making it easy for the kids and even with a few perks its easy to keep it under £10 a month, and maybe cap it at £20 to try stop those internet addicts lol.

edit:
An the EvE comparison, I don't think any other community has the Devs by the B**** like EvE dose.
God only knows why CCP would even think that sort of thing let along write it down lol.d
Just gutted i was on a break when all that happened.

[Benji]

No thanks, I'd rather pay a monthly fee for a quality MMO. $15 a month isn't much money.

[Cairdeas]

The biggest downside to F2P is the update speed a game gets afterwards.

[Dubont]

f2p with an item mall would help the community? lol have you actually played most f2p games? At least this game's elitists actually deserve to be snobby, but games like TF2...with item malls...build elitists just because they have mommy's credit card. As far as clothing, no thanks. An item mall period would seriously ruin this game and cause the majority of players that it has now to quit all together.

Short answer: no. Don't even think about it. It will ruin the game.

[Raim]

Sounds like everyone here just has bad experiences with overpowered cash shop items.

To be honest, FFXIV having a F2P model that was based around a cosmetic cash shop would make far more than subscription. Think about all the Manthra and female Hyur that play this and would pay non-stop to get new dresses and hats. You KNOW hats sell well.

[Abriael]

Microtransactions would kill FFXIV, This is what happened to EVE in june after it suddenly started microtransactions, when it is a mmo with over 300k subs and is still doing well.

honestly that was completely ridiculous. EVE's MT's are a small bunch of completely cosmetic items with no impact whatsoever in the game (other than creating some additional revenue for the developer, which for the record tends to be a good thing).

All the raging over a leaked document of dubious credibility was silly as hell (especially considering that most of the ones that raged already "pay to win" by using multiple accounts and multiboxing, which is an huge in game advantage in EVE), but it's just another spawn of the eve forums, which are the worst den of trolls in the universe. Thought the FFXIV forums were bad? you never saw the EVE ones.

As for the matter at hand, if FFXIV ever went F2P with cash shop. I'd simply quit. It's an horrible model for a major MMORPG, and gives no guarantee over content implementation (other than content going in the cash shop itself).

i'd be more likely to accept te game staying P2P and getting some very minor, cosmetic MTs like EVE or WoW.

[Abriael]

Sounds like everyone here just has bad experiences with overpowered cash shop items.

To be honest, FFXIV having a F2P model that was based around a cosmetic cash shop would make far more than subscription. Think about all the Manthra and female Hyur that play this and would pay non-stop to get new dresses and hats. You KNOW hats sell well.

A completely F2P game with cosmetic-only MTs isn't going to work. The revenue flow is too low (and that's why there's none around). The biggest sellers on F2P games are normally consumables that DO give an advantage in game.

Cosmetic-only MT's are better as a complementary side-thing for P2P games.