What if someone came along and created an absolutely awesome "sandbox" MMORPG that had great game play, decent graphics, huge seamless world, great character customization and character development, with more than just combat to participate in - would you pay upwards of $20 to $25 dollars a month to play it?  All expansions would be free.

$20 a month for a game that handed out expansions for free, had great gameplay and tons of busy work (social features, housing, etc aside from the actual kill and loot/craft part of the game)?

Sure, I would pay that much a month. Thats only what, $5 a week? Thats like a large cup of coffee anyway, so I wouldnt really mind it.

Voted $20/month.

I'd have no problem paying it if it was done by a big company with funds to incorporate a SWG:PNGE type crafting/resource system, a non-instanced but land regulated housing system, the ability to control regions by players, no auction hall (bring back npc merchants), and PvP with a purpose (taking and holding those regions with structures such as guard towers and the like that are crafted by the players. Mobs only drop components.

no $0/Month?

Apart from a bunch of adjectives, great superb huge flawless boundless ... what else do I know about your "sand" and your "box"?

Nothing, and I am asked to offer my own purchase price?  I would like to be paid a million dollars an hour to beta test such a superb product, b/c such a superb flawless unprecedent heroic product comes from the sky, and money also rains from the sky.  Why don't they drop some money onto me?

Originally posted by decoy26517

no $0/Month?

Agreed

Price is truely meaningless when you enjoy something.

You can always make more money, but time is finite. Tick Tock boys and girls, it slips away while we type.

We are typing here b/c there is nothing better to do right now.  If I got something more interesting, I will shut down my browser or browse something else.  So it is not a waste for me now.

But you are right, basically.  If its worth the money, I will pay.  Trouble is, the OP does not show me the game, he just use a bunch of adjectives, so my reply would only be a bunch of adjectives.

YEAH!!!! I will pay a lot, from $0 to $ infinite.

I would pay upwards of $25 a month for a very good game, but only if the game released free expansions and didn't charge for them. and game that charges for an expansion is a ripoff in my mind though.

Edit: thinking about it a bit, I would actually pay $50 a month for an awesome game. I already buy 2-3 single player games a month, and those last me a few days, so if it was a game with a near unlimited amount of playtime, I could just buy one less game a month, and be set with it.

Originally posted by blakavar

Price is truely meaningless when you enjoy something.

You can always make more money, but time is finite. Tick Tock boys and girls, it slips away while we type.

Alright Plato.

Price is meaningful if you live in the 21st century.

Originally posted by korpsce24

I would pay upwards of $25 a month for a very good game, but only if the game released free expansions and didn't charge for them. and gae that charges for an expansion is a ripoff in my mind though.

It really depends on what kind of expansions.  The huge expansion from WoW is definitely worth the money, as it contains as much new stuffs as the original game.

Originally posted by lisubab

Originally posted by korpsce24

I would pay upwards of $25 a month for a very good game, but only if the game released free expansions and didn't charge for them. and gae that charges for an expansion is a ripoff in my mind though.

 

It really depends on what kind of expansions.  The huge expansion from WoW is definitely worth the money, as it contains as much new stuffs as the original game.

I've never played WoW, so can't comment on that, but IMO, if a game is charging you a monthly fee, it shouldn't charge you for additional content on top of that.

I took the question to mean, were it the perfect game for me, how much would I be willing to pay, within reason. Infinite is a great concept, save that you've not actually got infinite amounts of money. So how much of my very limited disposable income would I put towards a game that was IT? $25/month tops. But it'd have to be amazing.

Don't get me wrong I am enjoying posting on the forums now, so I am doing it. I just honestly can't put a price(to OP) on those moments I've enjoyed so much in a MMO. 

Originally posted by blakavar

Don't get me wrong I am enjoying posting on the forums now, so I am doing it. I just honestly can't put a price(to OP) on those moments I've enjoyed so much in a MMO. 

yea just mocking you, heh.

I voted 15 dollars a month, merely because I haven't seen any game that's really worth more than that.

I'd pay upto $25 for a good sandbox game with free expansion that sounds like a good deal because I won't have to spend $35-50 extra each year for a normal expansion.

Originally posted by korpsce24

Originally posted by lisubab

Originally posted by korpsce24

I would pay upwards of $25 a month for a very good game, but only if the game released free expansions and didn't charge for them. and gae that charges for an expansion is a ripoff in my mind though.

 

It really depends on what kind of expansions.  The huge expansion from WoW is definitely worth the money, as it contains as much new stuffs as the original game.

 

I've never played WoW, so can't comment on that, but IMO, if a game is charging you a monthly fee, it shouldn't charge you for additional content on top of that.

For $15/month sub, what do I get back?  Constant minor content updates, regular patches and incremental dungeon releases.  If the month services are worth the $15 to me, that is good enough reason to shore up the money.

For $50 every 2 years, we have some big expansion, the next one virtually rewrites the entire WoW world.  If you think you like that more than $50 one off, that is the deal.

If Blizz is required to stop charging for expansion, then they might slow down development of new content, or charge more for monthly, which amounts to the same thing.  What really stops them from overcharging is good competition.  If we have no major contender in the market, Blizz has more room to levy charges here or there.

Now if a major game pops up and offers free expansion frequent and bug free, and great playing values, Blizz will never be able to charge for expansion to a wider audience.  But where is this competing developer?  Nowhere.

I'd pay thirty bucks for that without hesitation an I would pay for expansions as well.

Originally posted by Yavin_Prime

I'd pay upto $25 for a good sandbox game with free expansion that sounds like a good deal because I won't have to spend $35-50 extra each year for a normal expansion.

What you are saying is, you want to prepay extra $10 a month hoping eventually some free expansion will drop from the sky, like good faith, and hopefully, you will like it.

No thanks, I would rather shore up $50 extra one off, if and when I see a really good expansion.  By the way of arithematics, unless the developer throws out very valuable expansion every 5 months, your payment scheme is going to cost a lot more than $15 a month and $50 per expansion.  And you are deprived of the choice of not buying the expansion every 5 months.

Lose lose option.

Originally posted by Qraye

I'd pay thirty bucks for that without hesitation an I would pay for expansions as well.

What is that?  Just four letters t-h-a-t?

It would depend on the number of accounts you could have. A good sandbox usually requires more than one account to really enjoy. This causes a problem when you talk about paying more per month. If premium game/price meant you could have more than one account I wouldn't mind paying more, but the company/game would have to find a way to resolve the # of accounts/pay per month issue to make it work. I wouldn't play a sandbox that charged a premium and made you pay it for each account no matter how good it was. Well, I probably wouldn't  : )

Originally posted by whpsh

I took the question to mean, were it the perfect game for me, how much would I be willing to pay, within reason. Infinite is a great concept, save that you've not actually got infinite amounts of money. So how much of my very limited disposable income would I put towards a game that was IT? $25/month tops. But it'd have to be amazing.

It all depends on what online game it is.  If it is a game that comes with physical exercise tools and online competition, so I can sweat and bodybuild while killing a dragon, why not $100 a month.  It is still cheaper than hitting a gym and forcing myself to do those stupid machine routines.

In my dreams, LoL.

15 bucks, sorry devs, I just think that no game deserves more than that, it is standard fee and if someone takes it up and community accepts it then everyone else will raise fees no matter of quality. Standard fee is standard fee, I think games should attract their game player bas by offering something unique and new, not by playing with fees. And Blizz showed that even with standard fee it can make ton of money.

Originally posted by qazyman

It would depend on the number of accounts you could have. A good sandbox usually requires more than one account to really enjoy. This causes a problem when you talk about paying more per month. If premium game/price meant you could have more than one account I wouldn't mind paying more, but the company/game would have to find a way to resolve the # of accounts/pay per month issue to make it work. I wouldn't play a sandbox that charged a premium and made you pay it for each account no matter how good it was. Well, I probably wouldn't  : )

Interesting observation.

Just curious why sandboxes benefit more from multiple accounts?  You have in mind 2boxing?  or ...  ?

Originally posted by DaX.9

15 bucks, sorry devs, I just think that no game deserves more than that, it is standard fee and if someone takes it up and community accepts it then everyone else will raise fees no matter of quality. Standard fee is standard fee, I think games should attract their game player bas by offering something unique and new, not by playing with fees. And Blizz showed that even with standard fee it can make ton of money.

That does not make sense.

Industry standard charges only applies to industry standard products.

Darkfall trying to charge industry standard, and they have a hard time filling a server or 2.

I pay whatever worth the charges.  I won't play Darkfall even if its free.  I am very willing to pay a bit more for a game that keeps me very happy.  Of course, I have to see the product to decide if the extra $5 or whatever is worth it.

AND no.  One company charging $20 does not mean everyone follow suit.  Fact is, the opposite is likely to happen if we have competition.  Lets take a scenario.  Assuming that SW:ToR is good and Bioware charges $5 a month, I am very inclined to think the lesser games will all charge $5 or fold up.  On the other hand, Darkfall raising monthly to $35 a month only means they will fold up tomorrow.

Competition from other suppliers drives price down, demand drives price up.