Scared about ARR

[Twiddle]

snip

The RMT in GW2 are the dev's... I bought the game played it to cap of 80 (took a month), and i quit after i found out that I'll need to pork out more for my endgame armor then a (@15$ a year sub is 180$, i needed to spend 496$, so 496/180 = close to 3 years) 3 year subscription to a p2p game... while yes you "CAN" play to obtain it you are so penalized for not spending real $$$ that it would feel like going down a hill in a bike with out a seat OR brakes.

[Abriael]

Just read that Tera is going free to play in the US and EU, and people are commenting that they give ARR from 4 to 8 months after release to follow the same route as all the other MMO's the last years...

I fear for the mindset of the population, not about the quality of the game, that may force it's demise...

Then go hide under your bed.

We'll have fun playing the game

I think what Wicka is saying is that the f2p model *can* be done right, not that it ever has.

Only, it cannot, unless you find a MMORPG that's made by a software house and a publisher that are into charity.

They need to make a profit and to fund further development, so they HAVE to use sizable development resources to push their cash shop and pay-to content. Those resources are inevitably taken away from developing the core game, withn an equally inevitable reduction in quality.

That's why free to play games will never have the same quality of experience offered by Pay to Play ones.

As for every product, you get what you pay for.

[Radacci]

so many fail comments here
you seem to think f2p=bad support, development and everything, which isn't the case. there's lots of people paying 100s of dollars/month in f2p games, so SE would still make lots of money in f2p.
and also...seriously, everyone that likes p2p, you can spend money in f2p anyways, to generate money for SE, so they can continue developing -.- Just cause you dont subscribe, doesn't mean you can't contribute. you can contribute as much as you want, you can buy stuff for multiple subscriptions if it makes you feel better. you could buy stuff for 10dollars/month to cover you *subscription*
So if everyone that p2p now buy stuff in f2p for 10 dollar/month, SE would make the same money as before, and then they would get much more for everyone that buys more
How does that make f2p bad? how does that equal worse development/support?
This entire thing is the same stupid shit as people whining about WoW this and that.

[Abriael]

so many fail comments here

Yep. You just wrote one.

You seem to think f2p=bad support, development and everything, which isn't the case. there's lots of people paying 100s of dollars/month in f2p games

And guess what? Considerable development resources need to go on the cash shop to ensure that those people pay and continue paying those 100s of dollars a month.

Guess where those resources are taken away from?

The core game.

When developers have to run a game like a supermarket (which is exactly what Free to Play games are) in which everything needs to push the perspective customer to purchase more, don't expect it to work like a luxury restaurant. It won't.

[Radacci]

Yep. You just wrote one.



And guess what? Considerable development resources need to go on the cash shop to ensure that those people pay and continue paying those 100s of dollars a month.

Guess where those resources are taken away from?

The core game.

When developers have to run a game like a supermarket (which is exactly what Free to Play games are) in which everything needs to push the perspective customer to purchase more, don't expect it to work like a luxury restaurant. It won't.

Considerable resources sounds like an exaggeration.
It's only with crappy companies that rather pump out new cash shop items, than make any new content; who don't really care about development. that's what gives f2p a bad name.
i doubt it would be the case with ARR.

[Twiddle]

snip

You seem to know what's good'n bad, so how about you line me a f2p MMO were you get 100% of the game free after purchase of the copy, were you are NOT eye gouged at every turn unless you bleed the life out for your CC... feel free to look around.. f2p is something used to pay of investors as quickly as possible.

Youshi clearly stated that ARR does not have investors as SE is flipping the cost, meaning that SE will not be looking for a quick grab like nearly all MMO's on the market.

[Radacci]

You seem to know what's good'n bad, so how about you line me a f2p MMO were you get 100% of the game free after purchase of the copy, were you are NOT eye gouged at every turn unless you bleed the life out for your CC... feel free to look around.. f2p is something used to pay of investors as quickly as possible.

Youshi clearly stated that ARR does not have investors as SE is flipping the cost, meaning that SE will not be looking for a quick grab like nearly all MMO's on the market.

hm although Aion started off as p2p, it's now f2p, and you dont *need* any of the cash shop items, so you'll do totally fine without spending any money. And you don't even need to buy a copy. so it's 100% free.
Rose online is kinda p2w, but since economy is totally absurd there, you can sell easy to get materials, and get loads of money, to buy good gear, that people made with craft boost cash items etc.
the only f2p game i know where you almost NEED to use cash shop, is Granado Espada, since you need cash items for quests, skills, equips, UPCs etc.

[Pwnagraphic]

You seem to know what's good'n bad, so how about you line me a f2p MMO were you get 100% of the game free after purchase of the copy, were you are NOT eye gouged at every turn unless you bleed the life out for your CC... feel free to look around.. f2p is something used to pay of investors as quickly as possible.

Youshi clearly stated that ARR does not have investors as SE is flipping the cost, meaning that SE will not be looking for a quick grab like nearly all MMO's on the market.

Any F2P I have played has some sort of content that is for "premium" members or some sort of microtransaction. Up until now, I didn't even know you had to invest any money into GW2, lol.

Anyway.. I think it's a little too soon to get worried about it. Look at FFXI.. It still isn't F2P! SE has the PS3 version to also look forward to.

[Hanemakikaze]

This is a sad thread to read, it's like there's only a handful of people who actually understand how free to play works or that each and every one uses different methods. Some good, some bad, it's as simple as that. That aside, what's it matter what other games are free to play?

This game has a niche community and it will always be small compared to others, difference is with the square logo slapped on they can sucker people to keep paying subs because they are "loyal" to final fantasy.

That, and the fact that both final fantasy mmos probably have one the most mild mannered communities(and super whiney) is what kept it afloat, not because they were some kind of great and amazing games(average if you ask me). Hell, I played XI for like 5-6 years and I still ask myself, "how in the hell did they manage that?".

It's very silly to be scared for a game that managed to get through 1.0 without losing everyone, if anything they are unstoppable at this point. As long as they don't build up too much hype there won't be too much room for disappointment, I mean we've already seen the pinnacle of failure on month 1-3 of FFXIV's release, and it only got better afterwards.

Long story short, they will never have a need to be F2P simply because they are square.

[Abriael]

Considerable resources sounds like an exaggeration.

Only to those that know absolutely nothing about game development.

Not only it requires considerable development resources, but it requires shifting the *entire* game towards a different development philosophy. IE: Running it like a supermarket designed to compel customers to buy more, which *never* goes hand in hand with quality.