Character Slot Fee even for your first (only) character?

[Deminia]

If you think about it, it gives the player better options.

Your line of thought: "why not charge 12.99 flat out? Because in order to play you need a character"

this is why:
If you ever created more than 1 character you would always pay 12.99 +3.00 a month.

Under the pricing of 9.99 for a sub fee +3.00 for a character fee you are allowed to choose what character you want to main w/o having to pay for the one you aren't currently playing.

You are given the option to choose what character slots you want active instead of always having one autoactive tied to the sub fee.

so i can have this:
Characters:

Hank (not active)
Betty (not active)
Sam (active) +3.00
James (not active)
Jill (active) +3.00
Linda (not active)
Casey (not active)

Sub fee: 9.99

total cost month: 15.99

instead of
Hank (ALWAYS active because tied to subfee)
Betty (not active)
Sam (active) +3.00
James (not active)
Jill (active) +3.00
Linda (not active)
Casey (not active)

Sub fee: 12.99

total: 18.99

While agree with your logic here, I still don't see why they could not simply make the base price include 1 active character slot (which you could select from any of your character slots). If you have paid for a gaming subscription, then 1 active character should be included and not be considered another fee.

I don't see any reason - other than to mislead - to have a separate "service fee" when you can't use the service without yet another fee, only that is nearly half again the price of the service.

Note: And for the folks mentioning $12.99 - the fees have been reduced for the next several months (which you can see if you check the fees article posted on the main Lodestone page). The new fee is $6.99 "service" plus $3 per character slot, at least for those paying in US currency.

[ispano]

The only way this scheme offers more options is if the 1st slot were tightly coupled to the sub. They could charge a flat rate for service + 1 active character slot. There is no need for the tight coupling. A company does not regain the faith of its customers by attempting to fool them with unnecessarily complex pricing schemes.

And yet, it's not. 9.99 Subscription, $3 per character (and $1 per extra retainer if they keep that)

I fail to see how it's complex. Regardless of whether the character is the first or fifth, it still costs $3 for that character slot.

[ChiefCurrahee]

@ChiefCurrahee: It doesn't work like that, there is no "first" character tied to the account. It doesn't matter which character is active, one active character always means 12.95 and each additional 1, no matter what position they take on the list.

However as far as I see this the base account and characters are activated independently, so if you deactivate your characters you might easily forget about the base account. Byebye money when next month roles around.

I think you need to go back and re-read what I posted.

I said it's NOT 12.99 fixed for sub fee (includes first character) because it allows you the option to choose which characters you want active WITH OUT always having 1 static character tied to the sub fee.

[Deminia]

The only way this scheme offers more options is if the 1st slot were tightly coupled to the sub. They could charge a flat rate for service + 1 active character slot. There is no need for the tight coupling. A company does not regain the faith of its customers by attempting to fool them with unnecessarily complex pricing schemes.

Exactly. Especially considering this is a company trying to save face after a disastrous launch.

[ispano]

I still cannot see "unnecessarily complex" in this. Most any service that has a secondary part to it, that is price/per is typically done this way. You have to pay this, but you must add one soandso to use said service. For FFXIV, the base account is $9.99 and each character is $3. How is this complex? It tells you the prices right up front, and it's clear.

[Ilisidi]

I think you need to go back and re-read what I posted.

I said it's NOT 12.99 fixed for sub fee (includes first character) because it allows you the option to choose which characters you want active WITH OUT always having 1 static character tied to the sub fee.

But that's not how it worked on FFXI, why should it work like that on FFXIV? You could have Sam and only Sam active and needed only to pay 12.95. Hank wouldn't be involved anywhere. And next month you could pay your 12.95 for Jill and only Jill, not Sam or Hank involved.

The fee included one character which never needed to be the first character or a static character.

[ChiefCurrahee]

While agree with your logic here, I still don't see why they could not simply make the base price include 1 active character slot (which you could select from any of your character slots). If you have paid for a gaming subscription, then 1 active character should be included and not be considered another fee.

That is exactly what they are doing:

they say it costs 12.99 (or what ever the reduced price is to play) per month total.

This is the break down:

you have 9.99 for your service fee
and you pay 3.00 for each character you have active fee.

It always gonna be 12.99.

however they aren't forcing you into having 1 static character always tied to you service fee regardless of wanting or not wanting to play that character. You get to choose which one and when.

[ChiefCurrahee]

But that's not how it worked on FFXI, why should it work like that on FFXIV? You could have Sam and only Sam active and needed only to pay 12.95. Hank wouldn't be involved anywhere. And next month you could pay your 12.95 for Jill and only Jill, not Sam or Hank involved.

The fee included one character which never needed to be the first character or a static character.

MMM... I'm pretty sure FFXI when you paid your sub fee it included your first character slot so If I made "Hank" as my first character I always had to pay for "Hank" no matter what.

Each extra character cost 1.00 but I always had to pay for "Hank" even if i never played him.

[Deminia]

I still cannot see "unnecessarily complex" in this. Most any service that has a secondary part to it, that is price/per is typically done this way. You have to pay this, but you must add one soandso to use said service. For FFXIV, the base account is $9.99 and each character is $3. How is this complex? It tells you the prices right up front, and it's clear.

My issue here is that there should not be a secondary part in the first place - not for a person only playing 1 character at a time. The base fee for a game subscription should include the ability to play the game already in the base fee.

In other games I have played there was a one time fee for the software, followed by a monthly fee for service (which included at least one character in that fee). If I wanted additional features, characters, bonuses, or expansions, then there was an extra fee for those optional things. This was also true in FFXI.

[TheVedis]

My issue here is that there should not be a secondary part in the first place - not for a person only playing 1 character at a time. The base fee for a game subscription should include the ability to play the game already in the base fee.

In other games I have played there was a one time fee for the software, followed by a monthly fee for service (which included at least one character in that fee). If I wanted additional features, characters, bonuses, or expansions, then there was an extra fee for those optional things. This was also true in FFXI.

the thing is its not being advertised as an "extra fee"

its being advertised as 9.99
amd whem you sign up its 6.99+ 3.00 per character


so they are advertising it correctly, but in the system it has you sign it up as an extra, but the price doesnt change

you arent paying extra, tthe cost is just split is all it is