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Just found out guild wars 2 base game went free to play.

24

Comments

  • Arcane4176Arcane4176 Member UncommonPosts: 61
    edited August 2015
    Isidius said:
    If I cared about punctuation I might try but seeing how I'm on the internet writing in a forum I could care less. This is not a test like in your high school but I know people like you get off correcting others because it gives you attention something you don't get in real life.If you cant understand what I am  writing or cant read it then you need to go back to school. Here have some flowers..

    I'm sorry everyone.
  • Gaia_HunterGaia_Hunter Member UncommonPosts: 3,066
    if all you want to do is play the personal story and explore the world once, the free account is ok.
    You get a ton of AAA content for nothing.

    But if you want to do more than that in the PvE/WvW side of it, forget it. The storage restriction, 2 character slots only, the TP restrictions, the mail restrictions, etc, will be quite an inconvenience.

    The fact that free accounts cannot trade gold for gems (only gems for gold) mean that they can't acquire extra storage and character slots without paying. At that point might as well buy HoT.

    PvP is a bit different. But if you are serious about it eventually you will want HoT as well.


    Currently playing: GW2
    Going cardboard starter kit: Ticket to ride, Pandemic, Carcassonne, Dominion, 7 Wonders

  • TheocritusTheocritus Member LegendaryPosts: 9,754
    So is it actually f2p now or in the future?
  • Gaia_HunterGaia_Hunter Member UncommonPosts: 3,066
    So is it actually f2p now or in the future?
    Now.

    https://welcome.guildwars2.com/en/play-for-free

    2 character slots.
    Chat, storage and mail restriction. 
    Cannot leave starter areas before level 10. Lion's arch level 35, WvW level 60.

    Currently playing: GW2
    Going cardboard starter kit: Ticket to ride, Pandemic, Carcassonne, Dominion, 7 Wonders

  • KanethKaneth Member RarePosts: 2,286
    moonbound said:
    You know people are tiiiicked in the forums, I personally would be upset to, buy to play and sub only game filters out gold spammers and terrible communities in general, not to mention bad pugs.
    I haven't seen anything too bad in the forums. There's basically one merged thread with only like 1000 replies when I am writing this. This is nothing like when they announced the pricing for HoT and said the core game came with it if you didn't have it. A lot of the forum posts that I've seen are people worried about the economy in game. Honestly, with the restrictions in place, F2P accounts shouldn't have a tremendous impact on any of the B2P players, aside from an influx of people to recruit to guilds. With the restrictions in place, the F2P version should act like a permanent trial.

    What is interesting is that theoretically the xpack could become part of B2P with the next expansion release. ANet stated during the original fiasco with the HoT pricing that the previous version of the game will always be part of the most recent expansion price for those who don't have it. ANet could determine that anything not newest expansion related to be part of core, thus making F2P players an expansion behind the B2P players. All things considered, that wouldn't be terrible value for someone who truly didn't want to pay or couldn't.
  • KanethKaneth Member RarePosts: 2,286

    Scot said:
    Thinking back to GW1 was that not B2P and only pay for each new box? I can remember all sorts of bundles, with the new box and original game in it?
    Each box was a stand alone game. You could play nightfall without Prophecies, etc. They had a ton of bundle options over the years though, as I remember seeing a prophecies and nightfall box on shelves. I purchased the ultimate edition which came with all versions.
  • moonboundmoonbound Member UncommonPosts: 396
    Torval said:
    moonbound said:
    You know people are tiiiicked in the forums, I personally would be upset to, buy to play and sub only game filters out gold spammers and terrible communities in general, not to mention bad pugs.
    Subscriptions don't filter out gold spammers and never have. New accounts require SMS authentication. That should put a serious dent in gold spammer account cycling.
    Actually they do, because gold spammers do not want to pay money to farm it and sell it, I know what I am talking about I have played them all.
  • moonboundmoonbound Member UncommonPosts: 396
    Kaneth said:
    moonbound said:
    You know people are tiiiicked in the forums, I personally would be upset to, buy to play and sub only game filters out gold spammers and terrible communities in general, not to mention bad pugs.
    I haven't seen anything too bad in the forums. There's basically one merged thread with only like 1000 replies when I am writing this. This is nothing like when they announced the pricing for HoT and said the core game came with it if you didn't have it. A lot of the forum posts that I've seen are people worried about the economy in game. Honestly, with the restrictions in place, F2P accounts shouldn't have a tremendous impact on any of the B2P players, aside from an influx of people to recruit to guilds. With the restrictions in place, the F2P version should act like a permanent trial.

    What is interesting is that theoretically the xpack could become part of B2P with the next expansion release. ANet stated during the original fiasco with the HoT pricing that the previous version of the game will always be part of the most recent expansion price for those who don't have it. ANet could determine that anything not newest expansion related to be part of core, thus making F2P players an expansion behind the B2P players. All things considered, that wouldn't be terrible value for someone who truly didn't want to pay or couldn't.
    Actually there are quite a few, and how is the main merged thread not complaints about it going free? There are plenty of threads on this there. And even some in the gw2 threads here at mmorpg.com.
  • moonboundmoonbound Member UncommonPosts: 396
    Torval said:
    moonbound said:
    Free trials are generally more of a hassle to the company, and do not provide as good results. This is why companies go for the low cost/high return option of F2P.
    Explain, tsw has 3 day trial all the time, final fantasy has a 14 day free trial, wildstar had a 14 day free trial, back in the earlier days of eq2 they had a 14 day trial and so did many others, I do not think you really know it is or not they would not be doing these if it was such a hassle.
    The only one of those games that is very successful out of those is FF14. There was a developer interview a while ago, maybe Hartsman, that explained that the conversion from trials carries a lot of overhead with very light results for the effort required. Allowing players to keep their accounts open and login anytime results in a greater conversion with less overhead.
    Maybe that is more of an opinion or depending on the game, if it was that bad I doubt that many would do it.
  • LoktofeitLoktofeit Member RarePosts: 14,247
    Scot said:
    Thinking back to GW1 was that not B2P and only pay for each new box? I can remember all sorts of bundles, with the new box and original game in it?
    GW1 was exactly as you describe, and it was a very different business model.

    GW2 has always been a F2P business model with a front-loaded box price. People didn't want to hear that, but with the phase out of the box price and only minor changes to compensate, I think people are finally starting to see that this was the plan all along.

    When you've got an IP like GW's, not charging for a client until client sales dry up would have been simply leaving millions of dollars on the table. 

    There isn't a "right" or "wrong" way to play, if you want to use a screwdriver to put nails into wood, have at it, simply don't complain when the guy next to you with the hammer is doing it much better and easier. - Allein
    "Graphics are often supplied by Engines that (some) MMORPG's are built in" - Spuffyre

  • TheocritusTheocritus Member LegendaryPosts: 9,754
    So is it actually f2p now or in the future?
    Now.

    https://welcome.guildwars2.com/en/play-for-free

    2 character slots.
    Chat, storage and mail restriction. 
    Cannot leave starter areas before level 10. Lion's arch level 35, WvW level 60.


    OK great tyvm
  • ScotScot Member LegendaryPosts: 22,986
    Kaneth said:

    Scot said:
    Thinking back to GW1 was that not B2P and only pay for each new box? I can remember all sorts of bundles, with the new box and original game in it?
    Each box was a stand alone game. You could play nightfall without Prophecies, etc. They had a ton of bundle options over the years though, as I remember seeing a prophecies and nightfall box on shelves. I purchased the ultimate edition which came with all versions.

    I don't see how that revenue model fell out of favour, you are paying for a new game essentially. B2P has always been the strongest alternative to P2P in my eyes. For GW2 they could have done the same, it seems the cost of production of new content is so high this is now unfeasible.
  • ScotScot Member LegendaryPosts: 22,986
    edited August 2015
    Torval said:
    Well GW1 had a cash shop after the first year where you could buy skill packs, elite skills, and such. After that they kept adding to it with character slots, mercenary unlocks, cosmetic sets and such. Now it's sort of a hybrid because you can just buy all the games in a single bundle for less than any of the original games.

    Isn't B2P just F2P with a font-loaded box price? I mean I buy Borderlands 2 and I can play it for free after that even online. I bought GW2 and could play it for free after that. I do see the point though because the heavier cash shop started out in GW2.

    The problem is that old terms like F2P - which originally just meant "no sub required to log into the servers and play" hasn't grown with the industry and how complex hybrid monetization has become. Even P2P doesn't really mean what it did in 2002. My point being, like @Loktofeit said, publishers aren't going to leave much money on the table. It would be foolish.


    We reached the monetise everything and anything stage some years ago. Casino style play is the latest area MMO companies have moved into to my knowledge. With diamonds, gems whatever and lock boxes. But we should all know it won't stop there, they will find something else to charge for or get you to want to pay for.

    The issue for me is that there seems no concern for the effect on gameplay now, if it makes money do it, regardless.

  • Gaia_HunterGaia_Hunter Member UncommonPosts: 3,066
    Scot said:

    We reached the monetise everything and anything stage some years ago. Casino style play is the latest area MMO companies have moved into to my knowledge. With diamonds, gems whatever and lock boxes. But we should all know it won't stop there, they will find something else to charge for or get you to want to pay for.

    The issue for me is that there seems no concern for the effect on gameplay now, if it makes money do it, regardless.

    But on the other hand GW2 is a good example where game play is not affected by the gem store.

    Currently playing: GW2
    Going cardboard starter kit: Ticket to ride, Pandemic, Carcassonne, Dominion, 7 Wonders

  • Loke666Loke666 Member EpicPosts: 21,441
    moonbound said:
    Torval said:
    Subscriptions don't filter out gold spammers and never have. New accounts require SMS authentication. That should put a serious dent in gold spammer account cycling.
    Actually they do, because gold spammers do not want to pay money to farm it and sell it, I know what I am talking about I have played them all.
    Yeah, but most of them hijack accounts nowadays and they can spamm from one once it is plundered.

    It is cheaper to steal than to hire someone from China to farm for you. And bots were only worth the effort the first few months, since they restricted the reward for claw to 1 a day I havn't seen any.

    with one whisper every 30 seconds I think gold spamming will go up a little but not much. I still get a gold spam whisper from a random hijacked account once a week or so. What would increase it a lot is if HoT sells really well, the more popular a game is the more spamm
  • Gaia_HunterGaia_Hunter Member UncommonPosts: 3,066

    Torval said:
    Well GW1 had a cash shop after the first year where you could buy skill packs, elite skills, and such. After that they kept adding to it with character slots, mercenary unlocks, cosmetic sets and such. Now it's sort of a hybrid because you can just buy all the games in a single bundle for less than any of the original games.

    Isn't B2P just F2P with a font-loaded box price? I mean I buy Borderlands 2 and I can play it for free after that even online. I bought GW2 and could play it for free after that. I do see the point though because the heavier cash shop started out in GW2.

    The problem is that old terms like F2P - which originally just meant "no sub required to log into the servers and play" hasn't grown with the industry and how complex hybrid monetization has become. Even P2P doesn't really mean what it did in 2002. My point being, like @Loktofeit said, publishers aren't going to leave much money on the table. It would be foolish.
    B2P is just the traditional business and still mainstream model for the videogame industry - create a game and then sell it to people wishing to play it. It is absurd one even has to coin a term like B2P to describe an MMORPG that requires a box/game client purchase without any extra costs to play.

    Like you said, all these concepts - P2P, B2P, F2P, Freemium, etc - are just distorted in the minds of players due to historical reasons.

    What reasonable quality P2P game doesn't offer microtransactions these days? Or cash to in-game currency conversion in some form?

    A game offering a F2P option resonates with the players has the game having financial difficulties, but is that what is really happening with GW2, with, on the surface at least, solid revenues?


    Currently playing: GW2
    Going cardboard starter kit: Ticket to ride, Pandemic, Carcassonne, Dominion, 7 Wonders

  • Loke666Loke666 Member EpicPosts: 21,441
    B2P is just the traditional business and still mainstream model for the videogame industry - create a game and then sell it to people wishing to play it. It is absurd one even has to coin a term like B2P to describe an MMORPG that requires a box/game client purchase without any extra costs to play.

    Like you said, all these concepts - P2P, B2P, F2P, Freemium, etc - are just distorted in the minds of players due to historical reasons.

    What reasonable quality P2P game doesn't offer microtransactions these days? Or cash to in-game currency conversion in some form?

    A game offering a F2P option resonates with the players has the game having financial difficulties, but is that what is really happening with GW2, with, on the surface at least, solid revenues?
    I think ANET see this just like an unlimited free trial. If you enjoy the gameplay you will either buy HoT or at least some more character and bag slots. Charging for the base game isn't really worth it once HoT comes out.

    WoW had a unlimited free trial for years now, you only get 20 levels there though, this have more potential.
  • LoktofeitLoktofeit Member RarePosts: 14,247
    Gaia_Hunter said: 

    A game offering a F2P option resonates with the players has the game having financial difficulties, but is that what is really happening with GW2, with, on the surface at least, solid revenues?


    It's been a standard part of the life cycle of an NA/EU MMO for at least a half of a decade. The game was designed from the start to be F2P, which is why nothing had to be changed to switch to it. 

    There isn't a "right" or "wrong" way to play, if you want to use a screwdriver to put nails into wood, have at it, simply don't complain when the guy next to you with the hammer is doing it much better and easier. - Allein
    "Graphics are often supplied by Engines that (some) MMORPG's are built in" - Spuffyre

  • gracefieldgracefield Member UncommonPosts: 279

    Arcane4176 said:

    Realizer said:
    If I cared about punctuation I might try but seeing how I'm on the internet writing in a forum I could care less. This is not a test like in your high school but I know people like you get off correcting others because it gives you attention something you don't get in real life.If you cant understand what I am  writing or cant read it then you need to go back to school. Here have some flowers..
    How can you expect others to to treat your post as an intelligent point, when you can't be bothered to learn to express said point clearly, or properly? For one the game is still B2P as you really can't progress into end game without buying HoT. How this fact is lost on your part, I'm not sure. It's no more f2p than it used to be really, more of a free trial, but better. People were buying the core game on Amazon for $5 anyway.

    PS: When you say you could care less, it should be couldn't care less, which means you can't possibly care any less on the care meter.

    Care meter (0------------------50------------------100 )

    Zero means you couldn't care any less than zero. 50 means you could care less, (but you care just a little bit more than zero), 100 means you care all the way; easy concept really. The only person needing to go back to school here though, is you.
    Your right i am going to go back to school so you guys will understand what I write thanks for the heads up. Have a great day!


    "When you say you could care less, it should be couldn't care less..."

    The whole USA needs to learn this one lesson of grammar.

    In all my years on here, I've never seen one US poster use this form of words correctly.


  • Gaia_HunterGaia_Hunter Member UncommonPosts: 3,066
    Loke666 said:
    I think ANET see this just like an unlimited free trial. If you enjoy the gameplay you will either buy HoT or at least some more character and bag slots. Charging for the base game isn't really worth it once HoT comes out.

    WoW had a unlimited free trial for years now, you only get 20 levels there though, this have more potential.
    Yeah, I agree.
    And the beauty of it is that unless you really can only spend $10-20, spending $50 for HoT just gives you a ton more bang per buck that a char slot and a couple bags.

    Currently playing: GW2
    Going cardboard starter kit: Ticket to ride, Pandemic, Carcassonne, Dominion, 7 Wonders

  • moonboundmoonbound Member UncommonPosts: 396

    Torval said:
    Well GW1 had a cash shop after the first year where you could buy skill packs, elite skills, and such. After that they kept adding to it with character slots, mercenary unlocks, cosmetic sets and such. Now it's sort of a hybrid because you can just buy all the games in a single bundle for less than any of the original games.

    Isn't B2P just F2P with a font-loaded box price? I mean I buy Borderlands 2 and I can play it for free after that even online. I bought GW2 and could play it for free after that. I do see the point though because the heavier cash shop started out in GW2.

    The problem is that old terms like F2P - which originally just meant "no sub required to log into the servers and play" hasn't grown with the industry and how complex hybrid monetization has become. Even P2P doesn't really mean what it did in 2002. My point being, like @Loktofeit said, publishers aren't going to leave much money on the table. It would be foolish.
    B2P is just the traditional business and still mainstream model for the videogame industry - create a game and then sell it to people wishing to play it. It is absurd one even has to coin a term like B2P to describe an MMORPG that requires a box/game client purchase without any extra costs to play.

    Like you said, all these concepts - P2P, B2P, F2P, Freemium, etc - are just distorted in the minds of players due to historical reasons.

    What reasonable quality P2P game doesn't offer microtransactions these days? Or cash to in-game currency conversion in some form?

    A game offering a F2P option resonates with the players has the game having financial difficulties, but is that what is really happening with GW2, with, on the surface at least, solid revenues?


    No it is not subscribtion based is traditional, buy to play will always be around as long as single player games are buy to play.

    And no  these concepts are an excuse to rip people off it is not some excuse to hang on to the past because people are tired of trash mmos milking every penny but nice try.
  • moonboundmoonbound Member UncommonPosts: 396

    Arcane4176 said:

    Realizer said:
    If I cared about punctuation I might try but seeing how I'm on the internet writing in a forum I could care less. This is not a test like in your high school but I know people like you get off correcting others because it gives you attention something you don't get in real life.If you cant understand what I am  writing or cant read it then you need to go back to school. Here have some flowers..
    How can you expect others to to treat your post as an intelligent point, when you can't be bothered to learn to express said point clearly, or properly? For one the game is still B2P as you really can't progress into end game without buying HoT. How this fact is lost on your part, I'm not sure. It's no more f2p than it used to be really, more of a free trial, but better. People were buying the core game on Amazon for $5 anyway.

    PS: When you say you could care less, it should be couldn't care less, which means you can't possibly care any less on the care meter.

    Care meter (0------------------50------------------100 )

    Zero means you couldn't care any less than zero. 50 means you could care less, (but you care just a little bit more than zero), 100 means you care all the way; easy concept really. The only person needing to go back to school here though, is you.
    Your right i am going to go back to school so you guys will understand what I write thanks for the heads up. Have a great day!


    "When you say you could care less, it should be couldn't care less..."

    The whole USA needs to learn this one lesson of grammar.

    In all my years on here, I've never seen one US poster use this form of words correctly.


    I agree when I was a kid I use to say I could care less and always asked why do people say it this why and people said doesnt matter it means you care less...
  • TheocritusTheocritus Member LegendaryPosts: 9,754
    Downloaded yesterday....You get the annoying icon at the bottom right hand corner that constantly pops up asking to upgrade to the expansion....You have hardly any inventory space and apparently cant join a guild....Also limited in chat to say and whispers.....The site also loads on some other garbage even if you tell it not to.....So far not very impressed but the game does have alot of players.
  • Loke666Loke666 Member EpicPosts: 21,441
    Downloaded yesterday....You get the annoying icon at the bottom right hand corner that constantly pops up asking to upgrade to the expansion....You have hardly any inventory space and apparently cant join a guild....Also limited in chat to say and whispers.....The site also loads on some other garbage even if you tell it not to.....So far not very impressed but the game does have alot of players.
    Sorry, but you kinda gets what you pay for. 

    However while you get 2 bag slots less getting larger bags helps a lot. Take up tailor, leather worker or armor crafter. You can craft a 8 slots bags from the start and then it is quick to get enough to make 12 slots.

    Or you can buy them at the AH.

    The chat restrictions is a must though, limit goldspammers.
  • ElRenmazuoElRenmazuo Member RarePosts: 5,361
    So if I bought the base game before it was free, will I still have those restrictions?
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