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How long do you think the subscription model will last?

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  • Kuro1nKuro1n Member UncommonPosts: 775
    Originally posted by Renton81
    Originally posted by Kuro1n
    Forever, there will always be different methods for getting the cash in. I prefer a sub based game most of the time, it's cheap and I get the moneys worth in the most cases (as long as I don't play a shitgame).

    Well, there are free to play games that are good too. The thing with monthly sub games like WoW is, sometimes I may take a break playing due to me having a lot of work to do. Then one night when I have free time I decide to play. Then I'm obligated to pay and play for the whole month, just because I felt like playing that one evening.

    That's happened to me before too. I'd hesitate thinking, then just sub for the month just because I wanted to play with my mates. Then any other spare time that I have, I feel the urge to use up that time I paid for.

     

    I honestly like 1 time payment games.

    Depends on how you see it and where you live (salaries etc) I suppose. 15USD is just a beer or two if I would go out here and I deem that I have fun for those 15USD if I pay for a months sub with that even if I just play a day or two. I rather log into a game with even playing field than a game where I can buy myself benefits or such. Also having a sub means I feel I have more of a choice being able to protest once the developers does something I dislike by just unsubbing like what happened in EVE.

  • QuirhidQuirhid Member UncommonPosts: 6,230
    Originally posted by Tjed
    Originally posted by Quirhid
    As long as the suckers are willing to pay...

    If I got to the point that $15 a month is no longer disposable income, I must have really been a sucker in the business aspect of my life. 

    I'll be a $15 a month sucker for a quality product any day.  That's less than 2 beers at the pub with tip.

    Yeah. You're the kind of sucker who thinks he gets quality by paying a subscription fee. Look around and try the games that don't require subscription fee. They are just as good only cheaper. And the devs don't have an excuse to stretch their content.

    I skate to where the puck is going to be, not where it has been -Wayne Gretzky

  • MoutonDocileMoutonDocile Member Posts: 17
    P2P games doesn't mean quality. That is one big misconception. P2P games have been every bit as good or bad than B2P/F2P games.
  • apocolusterapocoluster Member UncommonPosts: 1,326
      I think Subs will be around a while.  Not saying the other pay models are bad..they arent IMO but I dont think the sub only games will disappear either.

    No matter how cynical you become, its never enough to keep up - Lily Tomlin

  • dave6660dave6660 Member UncommonPosts: 2,699

    My guess is 4,194 days, 5 hours, 29 minutes and 3 seconds.

    What is the prize for the winner?

    “There are certain queer times and occasions in this strange mixed affair we call life when a man takes this whole universe for a vast practical joke, though the wit thereof he but dimly discerns, and more than suspects that the joke is at nobody's expense but his own.”
    -- Herman Melville

  • MalcanisMalcanis Member UncommonPosts: 3,297
    Originally posted by Cecropia
    Originally posted by nariusseldon
    The sub model already is death for me.

    "Death" for you? Geez that sounds pretty dramatic, buddy. Personally, I cannot seem to get that worked up over video games let alone payment plans.

    Anywho, even with all of the craziness in the industry right now, I don't see the sub model going anywhere anytime soon. WOW and EVE are living proof of that. There is no shortage of gamers that are willing to pay a sub for a good MMO, however there is a serious shortage of good MMOs that are worth paying for.

    Exactly. Look at the huge number of people who were more than willing to sub up to TOR. Then look at how many wanted to renew that subscription. There's still a big subscription market out there waiting for a developer who can find the courage to produce a game that's not a "slash-and-burn", level-cap-in-2-weeks gutless wow-clone.

    Give me liberty or give me lasers

  • fat_taddlerfat_taddler Member Posts: 286

    I hope that the subscription model will ultimately draw a line in the sand between gamers and true MMO players.   The flood of non-MMO players that bum rushed the genre shortly after WoW launched ruined the community feel that most MMO's had back in the day.

     

    If we can keep the instant gratification crowd and the kiddies in the B2P / F2P games, that will hopefully improve the quality of the communities in sub based games down the road. 

  • PsiKahnPsiKahn Member Posts: 126
    Throw my hat in with those who have indicated that the sub model still works for a game that appropriately delivers on value for its subscribers.  What you may see is some of the big studios moving away from the sub model as they realize that the maintenance, upkeep and content required to make a game work on subs does not yield sufficient returns.  I think it also forces developers to make targeted design decisions about their games that make it difficult to appeal to the widest possible swach of gamers, with WoW being the exception rather than the rule.  Conversely, subscription MMOs are a territory where independent developers can make some headway. With plenty of design space and vastly reduced server costs as compared to years past, the model is still viable for more specialized games that don't lean on massive subscription numbers but rather a smaller roster and dedicated, invested gamers.
  • TjedTjed Member Posts: 162
    Originally posted by Quirhid
    Originally posted by Tjed
    Originally posted by Quirhid
    As long as the suckers are willing to pay...

    If I got to the point that $15 a month is no longer disposable income, I must have really been a sucker in the business aspect of my life. 

    I'll be a $15 a month sucker for a quality product any day.  That's less than 2 beers at the pub with tip.

    Yeah. You're the kind of sucker who thinks he gets quality by paying a subscription fee. Look around and try the games that don't require subscription fee. They are just as good only cheaper. And the devs don't have an excuse to stretch their content.

    Did I say I was currently paying a sub fee? 

    I would love to pay one for a quality game, but right now I'm not.  I'm playing GW2 and laughing at their attempts to push me into the cash shop.  I'm sure there are people that use the cash shop and end up paying more than $15 a month without even knowing it.  You want to call someone a sucker?  There ya go. 

    Oh, but those are the whales who support my lazy ass so that I can play everything for free right?  That's really the goal here now isn't it?  It's sad. 

    Since you missed the entire point of what I said before, I'll spell it out for you real simple like,

    Fifteen dollars a month is nothing.  I don't feel it, I don't notice it's gone from my checking account, it's completely out of my budget, it's pocket change. 

    I don't mind paying it because it is not a large sum of money.  Understand?

    "Sucker"

    Get over yourself.

  • IchmenIchmen Member UncommonPosts: 1,228

    sub will remain until people stop paying for them. or there is another type of sub model created. 

    as for mmos that come out sub and go free. its got nothing to do with the game being a sub but the fact the price did not equal what you got from the game.  or it just out right sucked completely

     

    like paying 50bucks a week to play vanilla WoW where you are level capped at 10 and can only play for 5minutes per day.  sub is not worth it

  • FromHellFromHell Member Posts: 1,311
    Originally posted by VassagoMael
    Forever.

    Forever. 

    All good MMOs have at least a membership OPTION with premium benefits.

    Huh, and guess what - I´m paying it because I´m neither broke nor unemployed

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  • killion81killion81 Member UncommonPosts: 995
    Why does the "I refuse to spend anything on my online video gaming" crowd believe that developers are targeting games at them?  The more logical will point to the "whales" as the development target, the free players being 'content'.  If that is the case, it seems like the developers would be better off simply creating more/better content and charging a sub, right?  
  • Four0SixFour0Six Member UncommonPosts: 1,175

    The sub model will last. As long as quality games are released.

    The recent dropping of subs, has not been because of subs, but becasue the games sucked, or at best were WoW-clones. SImply, why sub to a new WoW when I am invested in WoW.

    Personally I think the sub model, with TOTAL access is the best.

    As a Capitalist Libertarian, I want full access to all of the games I play, not it bits or pieces either, or with a limited time(s). As long as a developer provides me with a product I enjoy I will gladdly pay and play.

    Take GW2 for example, I wasted my money there, in my heart of hearts I told myself "its B2P, so get it and you play whenever.". But, I don't, I think it sucks, and since they already got my cash what do they care? If there was a sub system, they would have a reason to keep up a quality product.

    Sorry if I rambled , I currently have a fevor.

  • BullseyeArc1BullseyeArc1 Member UncommonPosts: 410
    FTP gets people in the door, if you want to play 100% of the game you still need to sub up.    This FTP model is as I see it one way to get the people that like to spend $ on getting ahead that cant or dont want to grind for stuff into the game.    I personally like and dont like cash shopping it runes the game play of others but then again if you have little time to play its great.
  • madazzmadazz Member RarePosts: 2,100
    I honestly think MMOs will turn into F2P with a sub option for most. Its the cash shop that I am not happy about. That is the only part I question. Will they always be around, and if so, will they offer P2W options like the majority, or will it be just fluff?
  • grimgryphongrimgryphon Member CommonPosts: 682
    If I enjoy a game, I'll participate in whatever payment model they choose; p2p, f2p, b2p, cash shop or no. Like many other types of entertainment, you want to play, you got to pay.

    Optional PvP = No PvP
  • madazzmadazz Member RarePosts: 2,100
    Originally posted by grimgryphon
    If I enjoy a game, I'll participate in whatever payment model they choose; p2p, f2p, b2p, cash shop or no. Like many other types of entertainment, you want to play, you got to pay.

    I think some people feel the payment method can get in the way of fun. Such as always having to make a microtransaction to do something silly. While I agree with what you said, I would add that I would only play it if those methods were used within reason.

  • daltaniousdaltanious Member UncommonPosts: 2,381
    Hope sub model will exist for ever for good games. For trash I do not care anyway.
  • ScotScot Member LegendaryPosts: 22,741
    Most western releases that use a F2P system are going hybrid and include a sub. Maybe the sub only model will return as players get fed up of Play to Win. P2W is not where we are at now, it is creeping in, just like F2P started creeping in a few years ago.
  • sfc1971sfc1971 Member UncommonPosts: 421

    MMO's cost money to run. GW2 has lowered the cost of running a MMO by lowering the service. Note that it has no RP servers and little to no GM presence in the game. That has a simple reason, GM's expect to be payed and there is only so much money to be made from a single game sale. 

    Meanwhile people focus on WoW as "the" subscription game sticking to the old model but COUNTLESS smaller titles still work with a subscription model JUST as they did ten years ago. Eve is the biggest amongst them but there are far more, just check the game listing right on this site.

    GW2 is B2P with cash shop AND gold selling. And it is no secret that the cash shop is a major source of their revenue. Gamers who only bought the game are filler, the company is loosing money on them every second they play without buying something.

    That isn't sustainable, it would be like running an "all you can eat" restaurant that really had no limits. Of course you COULD do that... IF you could run organize it that a bathroom visit costs enough to cover the costs of all the food consumed. That is what GW2 hopes is the case, play for free but you will be so tempted to buy gold that you end up paying for the game after all...

    ONLY this time with no monhtly limit. In a pure subscription game, I know in advance what each month is going to cost me. In GW2? Not so much. Oh, YOU can say "zero" but in the case you are not the type of customer Areanet/NCsoft wants. 

    To me subscription should mean I simply get the full game with no further attempt to milk me for more coin. In SWTOR you know get hussled for every cash every step you take and gosh, it is NOT fun. 

    The only people I see in favor of cash shop games are those who have no trouble spending more money on the game then a subscription would cost or those who fundementally think all games should be free to them and someone else should pick up the tab. Few regular subscription players evenbother responding anymore because they know they will be torn to shreds by the PayToWin crowd and the "everything must be free" mob.

    Personally I am just waiting until a company does something really simple. Release a basic working game where combat is FUN and there is other stuff to do and where PvP and balance are ignored for the sake of having a fun moderately challenging game with a heavy focus on social and soloist are just told to fuck off.

    Oh wait, they already exist. Back to the niche and ignored game corner for me.

  • NorseGodNorseGod Member EpicPosts: 2,654
    Originally posted by fat_taddler

    I hope that the subscription model will ultimately draw a line in the sand between gamers and true MMO players.   The flood of non-MMO players that bum rushed the genre shortly after WoW launched ruined the community feel that most MMO's had back in the day.

     

    If we can keep the instant gratification crowd and the kiddies in the B2P / F2P games, that will hopefully improve the quality of the communities in sub based games down the road. 

    This is what I'm counting on.

    Further, the FSA soldiers expect everything in life for free (aka someone else pays for it). They think businesses are for charity and that they are entitled to everything.

    Can't wait for the producers to all move away and it all goes BOOM.

    To talk about games without the censorship, check out https://www.reddit.com/r/MMORPG/
  • KyleranKyleran Member LegendaryPosts: 43,373
    I think we're moving into an era of choice, and MMOs with purely a sub only model will continue to shrink going forward.

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  • 3-4thElf3-4thElf Member Posts: 489

    If a game comes along that needs a sub, and is a good game, then people will pay it.

    If games keep coming out offering basically the shame shrill... Then who'd pay for it? I think LotRO is a great game, I didn't want to pay a sub for it. I've put about 60 bucks in to the game over time and feel like I've gotten my dollar's worth from it. 

    The Secret World was one of the more fun games to beta for me lately. (FFXIV, TERA, SWTOR, and other clone junk are my comparisons.) I didn't think it was worth a sub mostly because the content was light, and the action was slow. I'd play it, but I didn't want to sub because I didn't think they'd throw enough content at me monthly to deserve it.

    For a subscrption fee now I want daily events, a unique world, monthly content updates, no cash shop, and a feeling that the game has a long term plan.

    NOTHING IS OFFERING GAMERS THIS.

    So nothing deserves a sub.

    a yo ho ho

  • SlyGamer79SlyGamer79 Member Posts: 278

    I think all these companies need to take a page from Arenanet & Guild Wars 2 and just sell the game with no monthly fee and let the offer of a game with all its content and just buying the game self itself of course this doesn't always keep things going however i think it appeals to more people not to pay a monthly sub and just buy the damn game lol. 

    I tried SWTOR f2p version and by god they butchered the games features you can't have more then one crew skill in f2p for example and you can't do much with that alone. however i guess thats the point to force you into paying for each thing seperately or pay a sub which to me is shifty business but i'm more into the idea of MMO's nowadays with the buy to play idea like Guild Wars games. 

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