The basic idea is as it is stated in the title of the thread, you pay by the day.

Basically, the average sub is $15, so we'd make it $.50 for every day that you log in.

I understand the idea would have problems, but every idea does.

As a whole, what do you think? Would you accept this model?

The problem with "pay by X" schemes is that they encourage developers to install as many extraneous time sinks as possible.

And it's proven extraordinarily difficult to collect money after play.  The online services that used to play by hour invested a lot of money and effort in Collections.

Pay by day would discourage people from logging at all on days they won't have much time. People would end up feeling like "I've only got 1 hour today, best not to play at all". The payment needs to be either shorter so that you pay for the time you actually use, or long enough that you'll just buy access knowing you'll eventually play.

Originally posted by iicogigen

The basic idea is as it is stated in the title of the thread, you pay by the day.

Basically, the average sub is $15, so we'd make it $.50 for every day that you log in.

I understand the idea would have problems, but every idea does.

As a whole, what do you think? Would you accept this model?

I will, but shareholders will not. :)

See, I can play, say, 5-6 days per month. If I'm paying monthly, it's $15 per month in the pockets. If I'm paying "per day", it's $3-$4 per month in the pockets. So nobody will adopt that model. :)

P.S. By the way, World of Tanks does something like that. You can buy Premium for day ($1 or so), for 3 days, for week, for month, for half a year.

I think that games should only charge you for the box and expansions/dlcs. MMOs charge monthly which I think is the wrong way of doing it. A subscription fee of any kind be it daily, monthly, quarterly or annualy is wrong because it ruins the game with excessive time sinks. Online games do not need a subscription fee. And no my sub fee does not go towards the development of new content.

No sub = no unnecessary time sinks. The MMO crap we are fed these day about server costs and developing of new content (ROFL this one always makes me laugh) is just ridiculous.

Originally posted by Icewhite

The problem with "pay by X" schemes is that they encourage developers to install as many extraneous time sinks as possible.

And it's proven extraordinarily difficult to collect money after play.  The online services that used to play by hour invested a lot of money and effort in Collections.

Originally posted by fivoroth

I think that games should only charge you for the box and expansions/dlcs. MMOs charge monthly which I think is the wrong way of doing it. A subscription fee of any kind be it daily, monthly, quarterly or annualy is wrong because it ruins the game with excessive time sinks. Online games do not need a subscription fee. And no my sub fee does not go towards the development of new content.

No sub = no unnecessary time sinks. The MMO crap we are fed these day about server costs and developing of new content (ROFL this one always makes me laugh) is just ridiculous.

Well F2P model also encourage time-sink. It is done for two easons in f2p, first if you make game grindy then you can sell things in item shop that reduce grind or allow to avoid grind at all. Second, longer someone is in game - more he will see adverts to use cash shop, more times he'll see cahs shop, etc

Not to mention freemium games that have both p2p and f2p reasons to introuduce time-sinks.

I found all f2p and freemium games to introduce as much time sinks as p2p. Sometimes even more.

Only model that theoreticaly would not promote time sink, would be b2p, and that's only provided cash shop is not existant in this game or very minimal and does not offer anything that can reduce or ommit grind.

-----------------------------------

As for OP proposal.

I would view something diffrent, like. 

You "charge" your account with $ and then as time pass your $ is decreased.  This can be done by hour or per day. Something like in mobile phones.

One thing. It would have to propably be more expensive for game creators to go for it. More like 1$ / day or 0,75$ / day at least. 

Don't think any AAA game creator would allow to pay per day 0,5 $ / day, cause that is exactly ike 15 $ / month and many people don't play everyday.

Eventually something like payperday or payupfront by month. Like two plans avabile for custormes - both priced bit diffrently.

Originally posted by fivoroth

I think that games should only charge you for the box and expansions/dlcs. MMOs charge monthly which I think is the wrong way of doing it. A subscription fee of any kind be it daily, monthly, quarterly or annualy is wrong because it ruins the game with excessive time sinks. Online games do not need a subscription fee. And no my sub fee does not go towards the development of new content.

No sub = no unnecessary time sinks. The MMO crap we are fed these day about server costs and developing of new content (ROFL this one always makes me laugh) is just ridiculous.

Okay.  Let me throw down a challenge.  Take a game, any game of your choice, that includes a level designer toolkit.  Make one map of content.  It must be interesting; it must give an average player 1 hour of gameplay (not including replay);  it must be original; and it must tell a story.  Post your mod to the community.

I expect the experience of building a mod will give you some perspective on how difficult creating content actually is.  It takes a lot of time, and time costs money.

I'd like to have the 2 options in P2P mmos.

A Well done system "Pay by month or pay by hour" should result this way:

For those who play more then 5,6 hours a day, "pay by month" will be cheaper then pay by hour. For those that play only around 15h a week, "paying by hour" will be cheaper then "pay by month".

I bealive this system could be great and more fair to all players.

It could be introduce a "pay by day" too, but "pay by hour" should be enouph and more fair imo.

Originally posted by iicogigen

The basic idea is as it is stated in the title of the thread, you pay by the day.

Basically, the average sub is $15, so we'd make it $.50 for every day that you log in.

I understand the idea would have problems, but every idea does.

As a whole, what do you think? Would you accept this model?

I remember the early AoL days, where they had a per-minute connect charge, plus a per-minute premium charge for their online games (like Neverwinter Nights).  While I stayed totally away from AoL, I did have friends that played NWN on AoL.  I did see their $300-400 a month phone bills.  And that was with a good portion of their time spend in playing MUDs (free-to-play).  I really think those days are best forgotten.  Such a subscription model is definitely going backwards.

So, I definitely would not accept this, and don't think that many other people would.

Originally posted by Jabas

I'd like to have the 2 options in P2P mmos.

A Well done system "Pay by month or pay by hour" should result this way:

For those who play more then 5,6 hours a day, "pay by month" will be cheaper then pay by hour. For those that play only around 15h a week, "paying by hour" will be cheaper then "pay by month".

I bealive this system could be great and more fair to all players.

 

It could be introduce a "pay by day" too, but "pay by hour" should be enouph and more fair imo.

+ 1

This is good idea.

Originally posted by Grahor

 

See, I can play, say, 5-6 days per month. If I'm paying monthly, it's $15 per month in the pockets. If I'm paying "per day", it's $3-$4 per month in the pockets. So nobody will adopt that model. :)

That's why it would have to be more like $1/day.

Originally posted by Quizzical

Originally posted by Grahor

 

See, I can play, say, 5-6 days per month. If I'm paying monthly, it's $15 per month in the pockets. If I'm paying "per day", it's $3-$4 per month in the pockets. So nobody will adopt that model. :)

That's why it would have to be more like $1/day.

yup. 'by hour' would be more expensive by a lot. because very few players average 12 hours/day so the companies would lose money unless the prices are in such a way that the majority of playerbase pays still around same ammount.

No, I'm quite happy paying Monthly.

I don't see the point in this model.

I'd offer different plans. Monthly, hourly and so on. This way...

• You can play more than 1 MMO without feeling like you're throwing money out the window.
• You can play a day or two per week if you don't have a lot of free time without feeling like you're throwing money out the window.

Originally posted by Icewhite

The problem with "pay by X" schemes is that they encourage developers to install as many extraneous time sinks as possible.

And it's proven extraordinarily difficult to collect money after play.  The online services that used to play by hour invested a lot of money and effort in Collections.

It's not really that hard.  You must have a credit card logged and once you pass an hour, they charge your card for another.  If the charge declines, you get cut off at a minute or two past the hour.

Originally posted by Cephus404

It's not really that hard.  You must have a credit card logged and once you pass an hour, they charge your card for another.  If the charge declines, you get cut off at a minute or two past the hour.

Sure, but a card on file is pay-in-advance, pretty nearly.  The most you can get away with defaulting is one chargeback's worth--and the risk of doing so is all to your own credit rating.

Nobody collects post-play any more, because of the nightmare services like GEnie and AOL had with collection agents.  Seems little Johnny would log on and wrack up some enormous charges, which Mom wouldn't see until billed--a month later.  After the collection agency calls and threatened lawsuits--just was not worth it for anybody.

Originally posted by Icewhite

Originally posted by Cephus404

It's not really that hard.  You must have a credit card logged and once you pass an hour, they charge your card for another.  If the charge declines, you get cut off at a minute or two past the hour.

Sure, but a card on file is pay-in-advance, pretty nearly.  The most you can get away with defaulting is one chargeback's worth--and the risk of doing so is all to your own credit rating.

Nobody collects post-play any more, because of the nightmare services like GEnie and AOL had with collection agents.  Seems little Johnny would log on and wrack up some enormous charges, which Mom wouldn't see until billed--a month later.  After the collection agency calls and threatened lawsuits--just was not worth it for anybody.

That's exactly why they don't do it that way anymore, which is a good thing.

Originally posted by iicogigen

The basic idea is as it is stated in the title of the thread, you pay by the day.

Basically, the average sub is $15, so we'd make it $.50 for every day that you log in.

I understand the idea would have problems, but every idea does.

As a whole, what do you think? Would you accept this model?

The 50 cents per day idea is stupid.  See, everyone who pays $15.00 a month would switch to this as they are likely going to have some days off and it save them a few cents.

The 50 cents per day idea is stupid.  A company doesn't do business like some idiot on the forum who thinks they make a game THEN decide the money flow.  The plan for money is up front.  If a company is betting on a $15.00 a month money flow this would undercut them.

The 50 cents per day idea is stupid.  A company wants to have some ability to forecast money flow.  A constant is better than random budget.  They have to pay expenses and if the money dips they have to make cuts which could mean workforce.  Now you have an unstable company which makes is difficult to retain your best employess who have a ton of work options and makes it difficult to hire the best.

The 50 cents per day idea is stupid.  It's also lazy to just take 15.00/30 to come up with 50 cents per day.  It's not interesting choicewise.  If you have choices {A B} where A is a winner and B is a loser, you have a non-choice situation.  At least create a number that people go, wow, this is tough/interesting choice. 

I suspect this is someone who wants f2p.