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Vanguard F2P vs. Guild Wars 2
delete5230
Member EpicPosts: 7,081
Is it just me or do you think the timing is bad for Vanguard to go F2P ?....Both Vanguard and Guild Wars 2 have no set release date, but popular speculation for both are Summer 2012. Is this a good idea for Vanguard ?
I'm no fan of F2P at all. However I am a fan of Vanguard. SOE is trying to flood the population of it's game all at once, BUT competing with GW2 release ?.....My opinion, not a good idea !
This is not an argument of Pro's and Con's of each. In fact I'll even keep my opinions out of it. But I will say this, GW2 will take a front seat, and I hope SOE is not so arrogant as to think Vanguard F2P will steal the masses. Guild Wars 2 may even fail, but thats not the argument either. It's about timing. What do you think ?
Actually, I will give my opinion. If both are released at the same time, Vanguard will be left with the Free-bee's and the players that absolutely can not afford any video game.
Comments
Two completely different games: I have no doubt that GW2 will see more players than VG but then GW2 is catering to a completely different audience- e-sport and three-faction-esque (via WvWvW) PvP and small-scale dungeon (single group) grinding with more action oriented combat. VG is a classic grinder game with far more depth and variety than a simple combat MMO.
Ok I could understand this.
I really like Vanguard also. I would like to see the game survive and even excel, but it would be a bad move to release F2P at the same time as GW2,.............Liking GW2 or not it's still a bad move.
As a fan and current sub of VG myself I understand and appreciate your concerns but I'm not convinced this will matter. This argument could have been made at any time - go f2p last year and compete against the release of TOR, wait awhile for the GW2 dust to settle and compete against TESO next year... ultimately I don't think that really mattered to SOE. It's just "time" to do something with VG or pull the plug on it altogether regardless of whatever else is releasing at that time.
I also see them as completely different games (never played GW1 though so I have no opinion or knowledge on GW2 other than lurking this site). I think how SOE implements Freemium will have a greater impact on success than GW2's release, and how (or if) they advertise it. What classes are available? All? What if SOE decides to not let "freebies" play as a Disciple? SOE isn't exactly known for heavily promoting VG - will that change? Do free players get two bag slots and they're constantly pestered to buy more with Station Cash? (Considering how much trash is required for crafting and how many items can be generated from diplomacy I am very curious about that question in particular).
Since GW2 is "b2p" I guess there's nothing preventing players from doing both, but I think the true current AAA titles have a lot more to worry about from GW2 (esp TOR) than VG does.
tl;dr - It's not bad timing, because it needs to be done regardless of external factors.
my way of thinking is that gw2 is totally different game altogether.also one is b2p one is f2p so no loss either way for both communities to try each other out.gw2 is a good game ,but comparing it to VG just does not work..to me VG is in a class of its own..its like eq2 ,just a lot harder and looks a lot better,and a shitload of content to last for years.the only reason i say its like eq2 is i suppose the classes and variety of races are quite similar.
personally i prefer VG even though i have bought gw2 ..buti suppose you can put that down to the fact i played it for 2 yrs..i really hope it does well as f2p.they have a great community atm even though it is small.one thing is for sure i dont think we will see 10 yr olds playing vanguard.
Perfect timing for me, will be playing it alongside GW2, PS2, and Archeage. Vanguard and Eve are the only 2 mmos that I actually come back to after letting my sub lapse. It earned that right by having depth and caters to my exploration side.
BOOYAKA!
I don't think the release timing of VG ftp is really the concern of SOE.At this point they're just looking to get more revenue and increase subs a little.They can't really be worried about another games release,it's all about the benjamins at this point.
If they can generate 50k-100k new account's (both ftp and sub ) from this I think they'll be very happy.I believe the amount of new account's they generate will surpass 100k btw,imo.
There are some huge differences between the games. Vanguard has more to fear from Tera and SWTOR going F2P which is very likely.
For me, Vanguard HAS to go F2P for me to give it a chance. I've casually looked for it on shelves at stores in my area and none of them are carrying it for me to purchase the game. Furthermore, since SOE has converted EQ2, DCUO, and EQ to F2P, I figured it was only a matter of time until they made VG F2P.
Also, if VG has a similar F2P model as EQ2, DCUO, and EQ; then I'll probably sign up for All Access since my $20 will pretty much be converted completely into SC. (500SC for Gold in EQ2 + 500SC for Legendary in DCUO + 500SC for Gold in EQ + 500SC for Gold in VG = 2000SC total)
I don't think it'll really matter. People will play what they want, if people like vanguard more then they'll buy vanguard. Same with GW2. Personally i have not looked into Vanguard, maybe I should. But this last BWE for GW2 hooked me.
They need to bring back the Vanguard FFA PVP server. That made the game worth playing even when falling through the world was just as dangerous as other players
Are you a Pavlovian Fish Biscuit Addict? Get Help Now!
I will play no more MMORPGs until somethign good comes out!
doubt GW2 will release til Fall (Sept/Oct)
Vanguard is a gear based progression mmo with raiding
-- GW2 is not
EQ2 fan sites
Station Cash is a shared balance across all games
All Access gives only 500 SC per/mo per acct (not per game)
http://www.everquest.com/news/article?month=032012&id=524220
Q: I have SOE All Access, so I already get 500 SC from my EQ2 account. Will I get an additional 500 SC from my EQ1 account?
A: You'll get the 500SC monthly grant for each paid recurring subscription you have. It's not based on how many games you play.
For example, if you have a paid recurring All Access subscription, and you play EQ and EQII, you'll get 500SC per month. If you have a paid recurring EQ Gold membership and a separate paid recurring EQII Gold membership, you'll get two 500SC bonuses each month.
EQ2 fan sites
I'm looking at survivability of Vanguard. I would like it to survive.
Guild Wars 2, GOOD OR BAD is in the spotlight right now....popular opinion is that both will be released around the same time.
I'm just saying that for maximum effectiveness for a population boost of Vanguard, it would be better off to hold back release date.
If your looking at Vanguard F2P as an mmo to play totally free then you should not even be counted. Sorry if I sound cold but totally free players will not contribute anything to the survivability and COMMUNITY of Vanguard anyway.
Me.....Well, I don't buy into the " they are different mmo's "......Most everyone is looking at GW2 right now !
Doesn't particularly matter if it's in the spotlight or not nor does it matter if you accept it or not- it's still an entirely different breed of MMO.
If all MMO players all thought that all MMOs are alike and only played what was "in the spotlight" then no one would ever have quit playing WoW.
Frankly I think GW2 will release AFTER summer so there shouldnt be any coincidence with the Vanguard release. GW2 needs 2 more BW, which assuming they stick to the one month = BW timeframe, means we're looking at a min Sept release. But, something tells me we will see Vanguard release FTP next month. Just my 2cents.
GW2 and GW are more free than SOE's "free to play"
I'll talk about GW, and not the coming sequel
Am I limited in bag slots in GW? Nope
Am I limited in classes in GW? Nope
Am I limited in anything (except for buying expansions) in GW? Nope
Then take SOE's sh!y "free" to play, using EQ2 as an example
Am I limited in bag space? Very much so and the biggest barrier as a free to player
Am I limited in races? Can't play barely any of them
Am I limited in classes? Yup, only the boring (to me) ones are free
Is anything free? Well yeah, you can get a high level.
GW2 may be buy to play, but it will be soooo much cheaper and WAY more free than anything SOE does.
LOTRO suffers the same problem I might add, but at least you can grind and get everything for free. SOE just nickles and dimes you.
I HATE (yes hate) being nickle and dimed...by games or anything.
They are very different games. I plan to play both.
Wa min God! Se æx on min heafod is!
Well If we know anything about SOE, they'll make thier "free" to play set up so impossibly sucky that you'll be forced to sub and buy items from the cash shop...Vanguard would be one of the greatest games ever if SOE wouldn't ruin it with greed.
SOE regards "free play" as a game trial with no time or level limits, with a cash shop to cover their costs (plus a profit). The only really reliable revenue model is a monthly subscription; obviously they want all their players to subscribe. So they make that the most attractive option by limiting the freebies, and they make no bones about their objectives. Like it or not, that's what their subscription model is.
Lately Ive been having a hankering for the old-school grindy feel, so Im gonna go with VG. An additional plus is I finally have a PC thatll play it on decent settings. If I start to get tired of the vast open world, with hundreds of hours of entertainment and multiple ways to progress, and just want some good old action, Ill play smite when it comes out or CS:GO. Ive always respected GW for its PVP and its sales model, but just couldnt get into it myself. I realize thats totally irrelevant to anyone elses decision, but it is what it is.
Also I dont get the deal with the nickel and dime stuff. I understand SOE's model is very ruthless, but what do you expect for a "free game"? Nothing on their end is free, they pay for servers and developers. I figure, if a game is good enough for my serious attention, its worth a $15/month fee. My only qualms with VG have been bugs and a low player base. Hopefully f2p will attract enough attention from the zombie masses that I will finally have people to play with, as well as inspire SOE to bring some developers to fix bugs and add content; which would bemore than enough for me to want to resub. Dont screw with the cash shops, pay for a sub if the game is good.
That's my view as well. I even maintain a subscription for a game (City of Heroes) that I don't play much, just to maintain VIP status. After all, $15 a month is all of $0.50 a day (you're lucky if you can buy a can of soda for that!). I don't really trust SOE enough to pay other than month-to-month (already burned once), but the All-Access Pass is a great deal. I haven't touched VG is over a month, but I can jump in whenever I care to.