Well, if I really wanted to get back at a business in this age, I would form a facebook group of (hopefully) likeminded people and once enough members are ready and in position, everyone would file dozens trivial bug reports and put in endless customer support tickets both in game and on any forums if possible.
Then the group can wage a public service campaign via the facebook page on any backlash from the customer support storm.
Then in phase 2 once enough popularity to the cause is garnered and press related to the backlash comes out , you reach out to anyone, non gamers , people who never played and have them all engage in signing petitions and mass mailings to the government in charge, any press you can and anyone else who will listen.Then more complaints and bombardment of websites assosiated with the company along with any possible in game complaining yet available.
Basically try put the full weight of public opinion and the whole internet against the company in question.
You would need a lot of initial support for your cause to have any impact of course, but if the cause is popular enough, the negative press could be devastating to a media company and the cost of dealing with the PR fiasco and the strained customer support trying to figure out which tickets are actually valid could in fact crush a company.
But, that is just if I was mad. I'm not suggesting anyone do such a thing.
( Note to self-Don't say anything bad about Drizzt.)
Well I have contacted Massively and MMORPG.com suggesting they write an article investigating the legal implications of TSW's B2P change or otherwise recommend me a lawyer specializing in this area that I could talk to. I hope this way we can get something started moving forward and clarify exactly what legal recourse existing subscribers have. I only ask that players get the option of having their extant subscription time refunded, since the subscription service has so wholly changed from what they originally intended to pay for (i.e. it has lost a lot of its value, which is paying for access to the game).
Ripped off lifetimer here. It´s an insult that the buyers of the 29$ game now get all of the content I payed 250 $ for.
The DLCs will be 5 Dollars and yes I´ll get monthly points but with the reduced prices, I as an early supporter got ******* by FC.
Thanks for nothing. Never will buy another MMO on launch. NEVER AGAIN.
The person who spends $29 today gets the same thing as the person who spent $29 before the game went B2P so you're not getting ripped off of anything there specifically.
It's more the lack of a sub fee that's the issue yes. If it helps at all (and it probably won't I know) that person who buys the game as B2P and never spends another dime on it won't have any access to the issue content (DLC) going forward at all whereas you can effectively get it for 'free' with your stipend and possibly a bunch of other stuff on the store with left-over points as well. You will always have more, over time, than anyone who didn't get a lifetime subscription and you won't have to pay Funcom another cent in order to get it.
Granted I wouldn't say no to getting more stuff, but I hardly think lifetime members are getting that horrible of a deal either. Also there's never anything terribly wrong with buying a MMO out of the gate, but it's generally not a good idea to buy a lifetime unless you've played it some and are ok with the posibility of it going F2P. Otherwise I'd say 6 months in is generally the best time to look into seriously investing in a MMO. That's usually a nice spot where you can tell the direction the game's going to be going in the long-term.
Originally posted by nycplayboy78 Good LAWD...This is turning out into a hot mess.....Got to love FunCom o.O
To be fair, I don't think the whole lifetime membership being merged into some form of F2P/B2P buisness plan is a Funcom exclusive issue. Especially since I'm sure a decent number of people buy those sorts of things specifically to save on monthly subscription fees over time as opposed to getting access to content over time.
They are among the current tiers. But compared to what lifers would get before the transition I'm not sure that is right. But, buying a lifetime is a risk after all.
damn... i wish i bought a lifetime now. i tend to use cash shop a lot, especialky on vanity items, clothes and similar, the lifetime deal now would be perfect for me, in the end i'd save money with the monthly points.
Originally posted by elvenwolf damn... i wish i bought a lifetime now. i tend to use cash shop a lot, especialky on vanity items, clothes and similar, the lifetime deal now would be perfect for me, in the end i'd save money with the monthly points.
Originally posted by elvenwolf damn... i wish i bought a lifetime now. i tend to use cash shop a lot, especialky on vanity items, clothes and similar, the lifetime deal now would be perfect for me, in the end i'd save money with the monthly points.
You probably can. Right?
Sure can. You can still buy the Grandmaster Pack -- available to upgrade anytime.
As a lifer, I think legal action is a bit much. I just have an issue with my points expiring. I play many games very casually and I frequently jump in and out of games for up to a year at a time while I wait on content. Having my points expire is just plain greedy and not even Perfect World, is that greedy and that says a lot.
"Sean (Murray) saying MP will be in the game is not remotely close to evidence that at the point of purchase people thought there was MP in the game." - SEANMCAD
Originally posted by elvenwolf damn... i wish i bought a lifetime now. i tend to use cash shop a lot, especialky on vanity items, clothes and similar, the lifetime deal now would be perfect for me, in the end i'd save money with the monthly points.
You probably can. Right?
Sure can. You can still buy the Grandmaster Pack -- available to upgrade anytime.
Thanks for the info, i'll go lifetime asap then, at this point is a money saver for me.
Ok so what i got from this is that People who are blasting TSW that are non players are saying "Lifers are stupid because they bought a LTF for the game" And 90% of lifers are says "doesnt really matter to us, nothing is really changing" while the 10% are screaming "WE GOT SCREWED RABBLE RABBLE RABBLE"
Sorry but i was a subscriber so im a middle ground here.
Because i can. I'm Hopeful For Every Game, Until the Fan Boys Attack My Games. Then the Knives Come Out. Logic every gamers worst enemy.
lifer get free points. and a discounted shop stuff. and you can still sub if you want plus have to buy stuff from cash shop
the free points arent free unless the content is like 1 dollar.
sounds to me like they giving just enough points to maybe get a content update,the exp booster useable 1 time for an hour every 16 hours lmao thats just silly.
lifer get free points. and a discounted shop stuff. and you can still sub if you want plus have to buy stuff from cash shop
the free points arent free unless the content is like 1 dollar.
sounds to me like they giving just enough points to maybe get a content update,the exp booster useable 1 time for an hour every 16 hours lmao thats just silly.
either way seen it coming.
its definately a shame.
so many good things ruined by the dollar
This is what happens when people pray at the subscription altar like it's the only way to do things, definately sucks for those that got conned into buying lifetime subs.
Brenics ~ Just to point out I do believe Chris Roberts is going down as the man who cheated backers and took down crowdfunding for gaming.
Im starting to think all of his Posts are about that and hes employed by another company or someone Funcom Fired in the past
anyhow i took this right from thesecretworld.com
New Content for the Future
Periodically we will release packs of DLC (Downloadable Content). These updates, called Issues in The Secret World, contain new content, such as more Auxiliary Weapons, new missions and story arcs. These packs are fully optional and can be purchased normally or for the Bonus Points that are included in the optional Membership, as well as with the Grandmaster Lifetime service.
The first DLC will start selling in January 2013, and is the main storyline of issue #5. This will sell for $5, however this content is already fully unlocked for anyone who has a full game account registered before the end of December 2012.
Regular patches with free content and updates and enhancements to the core game will still continue.
Because i can. I'm Hopeful For Every Game, Until the Fan Boys Attack My Games. Then the Knives Come Out. Logic every gamers worst enemy.
What do you mean real rewards, Your still paying for Squat additionally. DLC is NOT the monthly updates people keep thinking they are READ THE QOUTE I PUT UP. Your getting MORE points now than you were before. So once every several months you can spend them on DLC, as i sai CAN not FORCED TO. You are losing nothing. your Gains - Loss will even out, in fact you will still end up paying less for the game than anyone else.
Actually if it sticks around long enough. THEY will be paying YOU to play the game.
Because i can. I'm Hopeful For Every Game, Until the Fan Boys Attack My Games. Then the Knives Come Out. Logic every gamers worst enemy.
So Funcom is laughing all the way to the bank with lifetimers' money. We haven't even seen a return on our investment (12+ months sub time) and TSW has already gone F2P. Instead, we are being given a sop for wanting to support Funcom and trusting their "we won't go F2P anytime, cash shop is cosmetics-only" promise - for a $15 month's sub, players now get $10 in Funcom fake monies that expire after 6 months and 20% discount on all per-character (not even account!) clothing/pets (non-DLC items) bought from the cash shop. It would be cheaper to buy the $5-10 monthly DLC from the store than sub in this game.
Of course we can't vote with our wallets, Funcom already has our money. Rather than listening to our complaints, Funcom would be more apt to ban us for being disruptive in chat / forums since they've already milked us cash-wise and we're now just a drain on server resources.
So how can lifetimers protest? We have to do it through word of mouth. It's our duty to warn players from this game. We must warn our friends, our family, warn people in the forums we frequent. Let our cautionary tale make it known that only fools part money with Funcom.
I tried tell tell people after I first beta tested it, game is not sub base worthy in my opinion. I knew it wouldn't be long before going this route.
Should of been smart like the rest of us who avoided this title. From the beta testing that was made available to players, I could already tell there wasn't enough content or enough things in this game to keep players hooked for the long haul. Sure it had a great story plot and a new twist on things. The modern combat was pretty sweet but its mechanics seemed glitchy.
It definitely was not worth a lifetime sub, if the people who bought the lifetime were shortsighted to the point to not see past this then that's their fault and of course you get what you pay for. Knowing Funcom's history and how they tried to scam people with their prior AoC promo's helped sway me from buying this product.
Most of the MMO's these days go F2P after a year, that's the pattern, there's no point to pay for a sub, it's just a money grab; where most of these game can survive easily enough with a cosmetic cash-shop.
In addition to this cash-shop I also wish the items you bought were account bound to be used on all characters, all companies seem to make this mistake and I think its done intentional to get people to spend more money. Well unfortunate for the companies I have that much self control to not pay for something twice... If the rest of the population had the same self control we could sway the companies to change this small problem and in the end they could make the money they deserve. But their greediness makes it a big turn off for me.
I'm glad I waited for GW2 and bought it. I've invested 500 hours in it so far and still enjoy it as its a game I can stop and pick up at any time, good job A.net on a good business model! Oh and their cash-shop items are account bound Also an A+ move!
Comments
I skipped that one.
How can lifetimers get back at Funcom?
Well, if I really wanted to get back at a business in this age, I would form a facebook group of (hopefully) likeminded people and once enough members are ready and in position, everyone would file dozens trivial bug reports and put in endless customer support tickets both in game and on any forums if possible.
Then the group can wage a public service campaign via the facebook page on any backlash from the customer support storm.
Then in phase 2 once enough popularity to the cause is garnered and press related to the backlash comes out , you reach out to anyone, non gamers , people who never played and have them all engage in signing petitions and mass mailings to the government in charge, any press you can and anyone else who will listen.Then more complaints and bombardment of websites assosiated with the company along with any possible in game complaining yet available.
Basically try put the full weight of public opinion and the whole internet against the company in question.
You would need a lot of initial support for your cause to have any impact of course, but if the cause is popular enough, the negative press could be devastating to a media company and the cost of dealing with the PR fiasco and the strained customer support trying to figure out which tickets are actually valid could in fact crush a company.
But, that is just if I was mad. I'm not suggesting anyone do such a thing.
( Note to self-Don't say anything bad about Drizzt.)
An acerbic sense of humor is NOT allowed here.
Well I have contacted Massively and MMORPG.com suggesting they write an article investigating the legal implications of TSW's B2P change or otherwise recommend me a lawyer specializing in this area that I could talk to. I hope this way we can get something started moving forward and clarify exactly what legal recourse existing subscribers have. I only ask that players get the option of having their extant subscription time refunded, since the subscription service has so wholly changed from what they originally intended to pay for (i.e. it has lost a lot of its value, which is paying for access to the game).
The person who spends $29 today gets the same thing as the person who spent $29 before the game went B2P so you're not getting ripped off of anything there specifically.
It's more the lack of a sub fee that's the issue yes. If it helps at all (and it probably won't I know) that person who buys the game as B2P and never spends another dime on it won't have any access to the issue content (DLC) going forward at all whereas you can effectively get it for 'free' with your stipend and possibly a bunch of other stuff on the store with left-over points as well. You will always have more, over time, than anyone who didn't get a lifetime subscription and you won't have to pay Funcom another cent in order to get it.
Granted I wouldn't say no to getting more stuff, but I hardly think lifetime members are getting that horrible of a deal either. Also there's never anything terribly wrong with buying a MMO out of the gate, but it's generally not a good idea to buy a lifetime unless you've played it some and are ok with the posibility of it going F2P. Otherwise I'd say 6 months in is generally the best time to look into seriously investing in a MMO. That's usually a nice spot where you can tell the direction the game's going to be going in the long-term.
You need to realize that devs don`t go f2p to createa free gaming environment,they do it as an alternative method to get more money.
So if you realize the game is still pay to play ,just in a different manner,you won`t be bummed out.
Never forget 3 mile Island and never trust a government official or company spokesman.
To be fair, I don't think the whole lifetime membership being merged into some form of F2P/B2P buisness plan is a Funcom exclusive issue. Especially since I'm sure a decent number of people buy those sorts of things specifically to save on monthly subscription fees over time as opposed to getting access to content over time.
Plain silliness -- lifers are making out best of all. Go read the FAQ. Carefully, this time:
http://forums.thesecretworld.com/showthread.php?t=62789
They are among the current tiers. But compared to what lifers would get before the transition I'm not sure that is right. But, buying a lifetime is a risk after all.
http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5120/7210363296_8357bee9de.jpg
You probably can. Right?
Sure can. You can still buy the Grandmaster Pack -- available to upgrade anytime.
Thanks for the info, i'll go lifetime asap then, at this point is a money saver for me.
http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5120/7210363296_8357bee9de.jpg
Ok so what i got from this is that People who are blasting TSW that are non players are saying "Lifers are stupid because they bought a LTF for the game" And 90% of lifers are says "doesnt really matter to us, nothing is really changing" while the 10% are screaming "WE GOT SCREWED RABBLE RABBLE RABBLE"
Sorry but i was a subscriber so im a middle ground here.
Because i can.
I'm Hopeful For Every Game, Until the Fan Boys Attack My Games. Then the Knives Come Out.
Logic every gamers worst enemy.
so lets see
you pay 200+ for lifetimes
it goes b2p for 30 bucks
lifer get free points. and a discounted shop stuff. and you can still sub if you want plus have to buy stuff from cash shop
the free points arent free unless the content is like 1 dollar.
sounds to me like they giving just enough points to maybe get a content update,the exp booster useable 1 time for an hour every 16 hours lmao thats just silly.
either way seen it coming.
its definately a shame.
so many good things ruined by the dollar
This is what happens when people pray at the subscription altar like it's the only way to do things, definately sucks for those that got conned into buying lifetime subs.
Brenics ~ Just to point out I do believe Chris Roberts is going down as the man who cheated backers and took down crowdfunding for gaming.
Im starting to think all of his Posts are about that and hes employed by another company or someone Funcom Fired in the past
anyhow i took this right from thesecretworld.com
New Content for the Future
Periodically we will release packs of DLC (Downloadable Content). These updates, called Issues in The Secret World, contain new content, such as more Auxiliary Weapons, new missions and story arcs. These packs are fully optional and can be purchased normally or for the Bonus Points that are included in the optional Membership, as well as with the Grandmaster Lifetime service.
The first DLC will start selling in January 2013, and is the main storyline of issue #5. This will sell for $5, however this content is already fully unlocked for anyone who has a full game account registered before the end of December 2012.
Regular patches with free content and updates and enhancements to the core game will still continue.
Because i can.
I'm Hopeful For Every Game, Until the Fan Boys Attack My Games. Then the Knives Come Out.
Logic every gamers worst enemy.
You did not invest into TSW, you spent money on it.
2nd thread already? Seriously..?
It is between you and FC only, no point posting your unhappiness with compensation related to shift of business model.
How about we petition FC to get REAL rewards as lifetimers????
I'm not on a rant against the game, it's still the best thing I've played in years but the downgrade in value of my lifetime pack is
**NOT ACCEPTABLE**
Secrets of Dragon?s Spine Trailer.. !
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fwT9cFVQCMw
Best MMOs ever played: Ultima, EvE, SW Galaxies, Age of Conan, The Secret World
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T2X_SbZCHpc&t=21s
.
.
The Return of ELITE !
What do you mean real rewards, Your still paying for Squat additionally. DLC is NOT the monthly updates people keep thinking they are READ THE QOUTE I PUT UP. Your getting MORE points now than you were before. So once every several months you can spend them on DLC, as i sai CAN not FORCED TO. You are losing nothing. your Gains - Loss will even out, in fact you will still end up paying less for the game than anyone else.
Actually if it sticks around long enough. THEY will be paying YOU to play the game.
Because i can.
I'm Hopeful For Every Game, Until the Fan Boys Attack My Games. Then the Knives Come Out.
Logic every gamers worst enemy.
Should of been smart like the rest of us who avoided this title. From the beta testing that was made available to players, I could already tell there wasn't enough content or enough things in this game to keep players hooked for the long haul. Sure it had a great story plot and a new twist on things. The modern combat was pretty sweet but its mechanics seemed glitchy.
It definitely was not worth a lifetime sub, if the people who bought the lifetime were shortsighted to the point to not see past this then that's their fault and of course you get what you pay for. Knowing Funcom's history and how they tried to scam people with their prior AoC promo's helped sway me from buying this product.
Most of the MMO's these days go F2P after a year, that's the pattern, there's no point to pay for a sub, it's just a money grab; where most of these game can survive easily enough with a cosmetic cash-shop.
In addition to this cash-shop I also wish the items you bought were account bound to be used on all characters, all companies seem to make this mistake and I think its done intentional to get people to spend more money. Well unfortunate for the companies I have that much self control to not pay for something twice... If the rest of the population had the same self control we could sway the companies to change this small problem and in the end they could make the money they deserve. But their greediness makes it a big turn off for me.
I'm glad I waited for GW2 and bought it. I've invested 500 hours in it so far and still enjoy it as its a game I can stop and pick up at any time, good job A.net on a good business model! Oh and their cash-shop items are account bound
Also an A+ move!