Free to Play

[Synoke]

Honestly, here is the deal for this game in my honest opinion. I understand all the crap that this game has gone through and I know for the fact that when PS3 release hits a good amount will join in on the game. My suggestion for this game would be to go free to play altogether. I understand that this game has great potential and the dev team is making the game better slowly, but surely better. I do have to say I think free to play would help A LOT when it comes to the community with this game. We could use an in-game store etc. OR they could go the route of APB & Champions Online etc. We all know a lot of people would buy clothing etc, like they could still make it "pay 2 play" but have an in-game store, etc. The game would go free, free download, free full game + in-game store with potions, exp Boost potions/scrolls, fancy clothing, character resets etc. Then we have the pay to play players who can get rested xp, bonus xp, etc. It would work out and they could give pay to players extra free stuff as a bonus for playing like in-game store cash etc. Something like Lotro and what not. They could do so much better with this with how the game started! I think this would give the dev team a better chance of more content after the PS3 version is released also.

[Karbine]

Free to play models are for games that can't hold subscribers on a subscriber model, and grant the most power and items to people willing to spend the most in a company supported RMT.

If XIV went microtransaction I wouldn't think twice about quitting.

[MattyWS]

Exactly that. There is no way that FFXIV would go free-to-play, the system is a good, working system but not for quality games where everyone has equal opportunity. If FFXI suddenly got an ingame store where people could buy endgame gear, I wouldn't have spent the 6 years of my FFXI time working towards that kind of goal.

[camjay]

To the OP: Hell no! That would kill the game. People would slowly quit and eventually it'd end up like Warhammer Online is now.

[Tezz_Xivectro]

Free to play models are for games that can't hold subscribers on a subscriber model, and grant the most power and items to people willing to spend the most in a company supported RMT.

If XIV went microtransaction I wouldn't think twice about quitting.

Unfortunately, this is the stigma that most people will see as well (with good reason). It never has to end up being this way & F2P doesn't always mean the game can't sustain subscribers.


F2P/CS actually isn't a bad thing as long as the cash shop doesn't dictate the game world. As long as there is never a need to spend more than around $13.00 in a single month.

SE said they don't want people spending to much money, put a spending limit on the cash shop per month then.

I don't want to SE go this route personally. They tend to get things wrong, especially when it's something they aren't even used to doing. They would probably overcharge on everything & make drop rates 0.000001%.

Cash shop should be about convenience & novelty items. If there is a mount in the shop that goes 200% faster then there better be one in-game that goes the same speed or faster.

Lastly, i just can't see SE's servers being able to handle the traffic of a F2P.

[Nipa]

It is possible to have a successful game based on a pseudo-F2P model. League of Legends being the prime example.

It's a bit harder to have a MMO working successfully on that model, even though Turbine managed to save two of its game with it. And I most certainly wouldn't trust SE for being able to do something decent with a F2P model on FF14.

[Karbine]

Unfortunately, this is the stigma that most people will see as well. It never has to end up being this way & F2P doesn't always mean the game can't sustain subscribers.


F2P/CS actually isn't a bad thing as long as the cash shop doesn't dictate the game world. As long as there is never a need to spend more than around $13.00 in a single month.

SE said they don't want people spending to much money, put a spending limit on the cash shop per month then.

I don't want to SE go this route personally. They tend to get things wrong, especially when it's something they aren't even used to doing. They would probably overcharge on everything & make drop rates 0.000001%.

Cash shop should be about convenience & novelty items. If there is a mount in the shop that goes 200% faster then there better be one in-game that goes the same speed or faster.

Lastly, i just can't see SE's servers being able to handle the traffic of a F2P.

Its not entirely that the system is bad for some games. But I think where you take the typical MMO built around subscription model, and it goes f2p, it ends up terrible, not to mention stigma that you said associated with it.

That and I firmly do believe the more you spend, the bigger your advantage. Thats how it always seems to turn out.

[Tezz_Xivectro]

Its not entirely that the system is bad for some games. But I think where you take the typical MMO built around subscription model, and it goes f2p, it ends up terrible, not to mention stigma that you said associated with it.

That and I firmly do believe the more you spend, the bigger your advantage. Thats how it always seems to turn out.

I think so to. IF it wasn't 100% cosmetic, then people would be spending all the time on stuff like +EXP% potions & such (unless they capped the spending, but i don't know any Cash Shop that's ever done that).

I've rarely seen any MMO do cash shop right. I would however pay for more Anima (is that sad?) lol.(wouldn't pay more than $1.00 to top it off though)

[nORbDragon]

crap
i'm not rich enough for "free to play"...

[KitCat]

Free to play models are for games that can't hold subscribers on a subscriber model, and grant the most power and items to people willing to spend the most in a company supported RMT.

If XIV went microtransaction I wouldn't think twice about quitting.

Agreed.

If it goes free to play with micro-transaction store I'll delete my account and never look back.

In fact I'd probably never pay for another SE game again, just out of spite because I'd be so irritated. Cosmetic items or not. If it's in the game, and it looks good I want it, and want to be able to get it without shelling out wads of dough.