I guess it is time to post this link to one of PA's best "extra credits" episodes.

SOE is exactly a premier example of a western company converting to F2P soley for the purpose of squeezing every last cent they can out of a market. That might sound like sensible capitalism but keep in mind that brand loyalty and customer satisfaction is a huge factor in a free market. I think they are burning their long term customer loyalty for near term quarterly returns. They are simply not getting it except for maybe the part where they got rid of the "power items" from the market place. but then again they didn't say that they wouldn't come back.

Ultimately I think L2 will end up being a more popular model. Lots of people questioned the marketing blurb "truly free". It become painfully clear what they were comparing themselves too when you consider SOE's definition of f2p.

Originally posted by Loke666

Originally posted by Purutzil

I can only hope they change the model if they do go F2P fully. Right now, the subscription world is vastly better then the EQ2X in terms of value for your buck. I know they want money, but they really force subscribers to play such large amounts of cash extra, comparing alone to their very own game. 

Fat chanse.

I am sured they saw the same hing as you and decided to charge more on all servers instead of just the EQ2X servers.

This used to be a great game but since the day they started the RMT shop in the P2P version (which was before EQ2X and I think it was the first RMT shop in a P2P game) the game started to go downhill fast.

SOE is far from the only greedy MMO company, but they are the worst. And this is comming from someone that played EQ2 5 years until I finally quit for good this spring.

EQ2 was just after EoF released one of the most fun MMOs out there, but it to me it just went downhill after that. :(

Totally.  In addition to being greedy bastards, I heard they helped Osama blow up the twin towers as well :(

This move might actually be what makes me stop playing this game. I didn't like the EQ2X server community at all. Now there is a chance people like that will move over to any server? Great, so now I get to hear endless free players vs. paying players whines and hearing about how WoW is this, that and the other thing in global chat.

I also hope that all armor, weapons, and rare crafting materials are removed from the cash shop. Otherwise the economy will bomb.

Originally posted by bumfman

Ok so would this mean that station pass people will get the expansions for free? Extended unlocks all expansions does it not? I am thinking I am running out of reasons to keep a station pass. lol.

 

no, the gold subscription which you get from having a station pass, only gives you access to content though sentinal's fate. Access to the continent of Velious can only be gotten by ALSO buying that expansion. Further, access to the new beastlord class and the other features of the upcoming expansion can only be had by buying Age of Discovery. To have the most complete access you need to both buy AoD AND get a subscription. So basically, what it has always costed only now your game includes a F2P cash shop and the socially inept antics of a largely F2P playerbase.

Originally posted by MurlockDance

This move might actually be what makes me stop playing this game. I didn't like the EQ2X server community at all. Now there is a chance people like that will move over to any server? Great, so now I get to hear endless free players vs. paying players whines and hearing about how WoW is this, that and the other thing in global chat.

I also hope that all armor, weapons, and rare crafting materials are removed from the cash shop. Otherwise the economy will bomb.

 

"Power items" like the potions, self-rez scrolls, tradeskill items, master craft armor and the weapons have been removed. One of their few good moves. However they may reintroduce them back after getting player feed back. I read that to mean that they intend to bring them back but they want to be able to blame it on popular opinion and all the people who have been "begging" for it. Keep in mind that it will not take long for the f2p population to overwhelm the existing p2p vets. How do you think a lot of those folks will vote?

I also think this is going to be bad for the community. While I like the idea of the community growing again it would be better if it did so gradually and the new folks had time to be assimilated into the existing culture. Oh well.

Originally posted by VikingGamer

Originally posted by bumfman

Ok so would this mean that station pass people will get the expansions for free? Extended unlocks all expansions does it not? I am thinking I am running out of reasons to keep a station pass. lol.

 

no, the gold subscription which you get from having a station pass, only gives you access to content though sentinal's fate. Access to the continent of Velious can only be gotten by ALSO buying that expansion. Further, access to the new beastlord class and the other features of the upcoming expansion can only be had by buying Age of Discovery. To have the most complete access you need to both buy AoD AND get a subscription. So basically, what it has always costed only now your game includes a F2P cash shop and the socially inept antics of a largely F2P playerbase.

 

The only change for existing players is that they will have more people to group with (in theory)  everything else is exactly the same as it was before.

My advice to people who have never played it before:  Pay the $5 for the silver membership and dont listen to anyone else's views on their f2p model.  You might be surprised to find that its nowhere near as restrictive as some would have you believe.

It *is* designed to get you hooked on the game so you sub, it is *not* designed to nickel and dime you to death (although if you want to play endgame content without a sub it may do that)

Originally posted by VikingGamer

Keep in mind that it will not take long for the f2p population to overwhelm the existing p2p vets. How do you think a lot of those folks will vote?

 

 

They will vote against it most likely.  Hardcore raiders are the types that want to pay for power, and eq2, while it has good raid content, is not centered around hardcore raiders.  no one really used the potions and stuff on eq2x.

Originally posted by VikingGamer

 To have the most complete access you need to both buy AoD AND get a subscription. So basically, what it has always costed only now your game includes a F2P cash shop and the socially inept antics of a largely F2P playerbase.

 

It does NOT include a f2p cash shop (you fail at reading comprehension i suppose) and the eq2x and lotro player bases are really not that much different.

Its not like its going after the Perfect World or Runes of Magic demographic.

Jeezus, they're talking about "special offers" and "rebates"... Omg... they really lost it. Do they really think that a few bucks here or there is a major factor in whether I choose to spend my very valuable time on a game or not?

Wtf is this? Wal-mart?

Cripes. That's what you get when you have bean counters completely taking over a gaming company... Those people would really do better selling cheap chinese shirts or something rather than trying to make it in entertainment... and as a professional I would know. What they're doing is going against EVERYTHING in enterainment business.

Originally posted by teakbois

Originally posted by VikingGamer

 To have the most complete access you need to both buy AoD AND get a subscription. So basically, what it has always costed only now your game includes a F2P cash shop and the socially inept antics of a largely F2P playerbase.

 

It does NOT include a f2p cash shop (you fail at reading comprehension i suppose) and the eq2x and lotro player bases are really not that much different.

 

Its not like its going after the Perfect World or Runes of Magic demographic.

 

It has had a cash shop that was and is largely based on other free to play games. This cash shop will also be the main source of revenue generation from the incoming free to play population. EQ2 has been a subscription game that also has a f2p style cash shop.

Please enlighten as to where my reading comprehension failed?

Originally posted by VikingGamer

"Power items" like the potions, self-rez scrolls, tradeskill items, master craft armor and the weapons have been removed. One of their few good moves. However they may reintroduce them back after getting player feed back. I read that to mean that they intend to bring them back but they want to be able to blame it on popular opinion and all the people who have been "begging" for it. Keep in mind that it will not take long for the f2p population to overwhelm the existing p2p vets. How do you think a lot of those folks will vote?

I also think this is going to be bad for the community. While I like the idea of the community growing again it would be better if it did so gradually and the new folks had time to be assimilated into the existing culture. Oh well.

I meant that they would be permanently removed, but it has been a long day at work and commuting back home, so I left out "permanently". I think like you do, that those things will be added back. That is what makes me think that this game is going downhill, well that and the community might start sucking.

To be honest, I don't know how a lot of those folks would vote. Do people on Extended buy power items? I was there for several months at the start, so around that time people were not buying much of anything. They were trying to play as much as it was possible for free.

The thing that irritates me about this is that it isn't so much flexible options as it is allowing people onto formerly only pay-to-play servers that don't want to pay subs. I remember P2P players saying they didn't want F2P on their servers... period and that is why the Extended server was made. If I want to play my fae Conjuror, I still have to pay something. If I stop paying my sub, my fae Conjuror will be off limits, right? I still have to fork out money at some point, whether it is the rather steep "price of entry" to unlock the class and race pack, but then to have all of the bags, bank space, money, gear, spell levels, etc., I have to pay even more. It doesn't make sense for a player like me to ever get rid of the sub, so there is no additional level of flexibilty of payment options at all...

Originally posted by VikingGamer

"Power items" like the potions, self-rez scrolls, tradeskill items, master craft armor and the weapons have been removed. One of their few good moves.

agree - even LOTRO still offers rez items in their shop

Originally posted by MurlockDance

 I remember P2P players saying they didn't want F2P on their servers... period and that is why the Extended server was made.

valid point

the freeport players had a more flexible cash shop and soe will be merging that server with the Bazaar later

the new f2p players will never see the cash shop that Freeport used to have

"By utilizing a subscription model, players are forced into paying for the game/expansion and hoping that it will be good, meeting their expectations."

Hey SOE, there's a way a developer can pull off such a revenue model with great success. It's called making a good game.

To those saying the "only difference" will be that there are more people to group with, I say, "lol." We paying customers wanted nothing to do with the free players. Now every server is just going to be an annoying troll factory of low level stupidly named players (who, as I said before, don't take the game or their characters seriously) complaining and inciting arguments in every chat channel they can.

Originally posted by goozmania

To those saying the "only difference" will be that there are more people to group with, I say, "lol." We paying customers wanted nothing to do with the free players. Now every server is just going to be an annoying troll factory of low level stupidly named players (who, as I said before, don't take the game or their characters seriously) complaining and inciting arguments in every chat channel they can.

Ignorant elitest nonsense.

 

I have been with CoH through it's move to F2P, keeping my sub, and if anything the Freebs/ Premiums I have encountered are better mannered and more open and friendly then the vets.



In fact, your very post here underlines my point... it is hostile and rude, pretty much qualifying for product from the 'troll factory' and certainly exists to incite argument.



If this is a measure of your community, I have no idea what freebs could do to make it any worse.

The game servers won't even be able to handle any influx of Free players.

I see servers, like Antonia Bayle, going to be a crashing lagfest.

Just have a look at DCUO. It's a total shambles for over 10 days now! The EU PC server has been totally unplayable ever since it went F2P ! And every hotfix they put out so far has made matters worse! Since last hotfix NOTHING works anymore ingame. LOL!

You can bet the same is going to happen when this game goes fully F2P!

This game is dying. They even charge FULL price for the upcoming expansion, that's even remotely not an expansion, with NO content added!

SOE has lost it completely! They are losing SWG! Vanguard on the brinck of death (especially now the remaining players have come to realise NOTHING is coming at all! All lies!), EverQuest 2 losing players faster than ever (especially since the last dissaster Game Update)

The only game they have left that is still doing decently, is EverQuest 1. But it's just becoming a very old game nearing the end of it's life as well.

Sorry to say (and I hate to say it), but I see another large round of lay offs and studio closures @ SOE coming up next year!

Planet Side 2, EQ:Next ...... I really wonder they will even make it to launch. :-/

Originally posted by VikingGamer

It has had a cash shop that was and is largely based on other free to play games. This cash shop will also be the main source of revenue generation from the incoming free to play population. EQ2 has been a subscription game that also has a f2p style cash shop.

Please enlighten as to where my reading comprehension failed?

 

a 'f2p style cash shop' is a pay to win cash shop.  Eq2's cash shop is fluff.

It is absolutely NOTHING like what you would see from perfect world and FoM style games.  Those games require you to use the cash shop in excessive quantities for you to be able to attempt higher level content.

And the main source of revenue form the incoming f2p population will be when they convert to subs.

Oh interesting, here is an mmo that I've never tried going F2P. Of course I said this for Lotro too and I didn't enjoy that as much. Will have to try this for sure, hope its good. :D

Originally posted by Xondar123

"By utilizing a subscription model, players are forced into paying for the game/expansion and hoping that it will be good, meeting their expectations."

 

Hey SOE, there's a way a developer can pull off such a revenue model with great success. It's called making a good game.

 

there hasnt been a single game post WoW that has pulled off a revenue model with great success.  Outside of the orinigal batch of UO/EQ/DAoC/AC Id say only WoW, FFXI and EvE have had great success.  EQ2, Lotro, Rift have all had moderate success.  Games like AION and L2 have good success in a different market, but are flops in the US/EN market.