50 cents a day for ONE MMO. What about if i want to play 10? Just keeping track of which one i have a sub is a pain.
Personally, there are enough fun F2P that i don't see a reason ever to pay for a sub, and i probably won't.
No one in their right mind is going to play 10 MMOs at a time. An adult with a job and a life is going to be capable of playing 2 or 3 MMOs realistically. When you want to try a new one you simply stop the sub on one of them. Easy breezy beautiful cover girl.
"Mr. Rothstein, your people never will understand... the way it works out here. You're all just our guests. But you act like you're at home. Let me tell you something, partner. You ain't home. But that's where we're gonna send you if it harelips the governor." - Pat Webb
Originally posted by Fearum Your talking about quanity over quality. Hyundai vs Mercedes. Just because you have a billion cheap ass cars does not take away the value of a good car with more features.
Having driven both, I'll take the Hyundai.
if you really have driven both, then you'd drive anything instead of a hyundai... though mercedes tend to be a bit boring to drive generally, their the sort of car your grandad might drive, a vauxhall astra on the other hand.. 1.8i convertible.. now isnt that worth paying that bit more for
I do not mean to be condescending, but I know this will come accross that way. If you find a game you like that costs $15 a month and you cannot afford that pricetag, then you should not be gaming. You should be out looking for a job. For the price of a movie you can spend hours every month playing a game. In fact, for a lot of us, it works out to a few cents per hour per month. If you cannot afford that, or are too young to be able to afford it, then you need to be either out job hunting and put your hobby on the backburner until you can, or go back to school and make yourself more productive.
Gaming is a luxury hobby. If you cannot afford that luxury, then you dont do it. I like Porches, but I cannot afford 1. Does that mean Porche should start selling them for less? No it means I should work harder to make more money.
I see WAY to omany entitled gamers that want things for free neglecting to recognice that very simple fact of life...nothing is free.
Except, what if you want to play more than one MMORPG?
In my case I freely pay $45.00 a month for 3 subs to EVE, but what if I want to try another title or two. That 15.00 a month can add up, where as if someone were to offer an older title like DAOC or AC1 at a discount rate like 5.00 a month, I might be encouraged to give it a go.
I agree, you need to pay for quality games, but I can understand why some folks might want a lowered fee, perhaps based on a tier system like I recently saw for ArcheAge for players who want to limit their committment.
You are missing my point entirely.
WANT has little to do with it. CAN has everything to do with it. If you want to play a game but cannot afford it, then too bad ,so sad. There is a great deal of humility in a person who wants but knows he cant have.
You do not have a right to 3 subs to EVE. You may have the ability because you have enough cash. But you arent entitled to anything.
This is what I am talking about tho, I find it hard to believe anyone who works hard for a living would take the attitude " I WANT to play multiple mmos and have multiple accounts so I should be able. The reason I say this is becuase that is a spoiled childs way of thinking and not a working persons way of thinking.
Sigh, and perhaps I was not precise in my terminology and so did not convey my point correctly.
I currently pay 45.00 a month in EVE sub fees because I am able to and it is worth the money to me to do so.
If you are a developer trying to encourage me to try your new (or old) game, there's a couple of ways you might try to encourage me to either cancel my EVE subs and replace them with your game (many have done so over the years) or convince me to spend more money on top of that figure. (which has also happened, with my monthly maximum for MMO's at abouit 75.00 or so as I recall)
Or, you could try offering a lower value sub, which would actually be more enticing to me than a F2P offer, because I generally associate F2P with "not worth the time".
Start me off on your game at 5.00 a month, for perhaps 10 hrs playtime max, and I might give it a try and if I like it, decide to up my investment to a full 15/month sub or perhaps cancel the subs to some other title.
So in the end, it's really up to the developers to figure out how they're going to get a piece of my disposable income, and a lower value sub fee might be one possible way to accomplish that task.
Truthfully, I could give a care about "wanting" to play another MMORPG, I generally only play one title at a time, regardless how many subs I have to it.
Just trying to live long enough to play a new, released MMORPG, playing New Worlds atm
Fools find no pleasure in understanding but delight in airing their own opinions. Pvbs 18:2, NIV
Don't just play games, inhabit virtual worlds™
"This is the most intelligent, well qualified and articulate response to a post I have ever seen on these forums. It's a shame most people here won't have the attention span to read past the second line." - Anon
50 cents a day for ONE MMO. What about if i want to play 10? Just keeping track of which one i have a sub is a pain.
Personally, there are enough fun F2P that i don't see a reason ever to pay for a sub, and i probably won't.
No one in their right mind is going to play 10 MMOs at a time. An adult with a job and a life is going to be capable of playing 2 or 3 MMOs realistically. When you want to try a new one you simply stop the sub on one of them. Easy breezy beautiful cover girl.
if your playing 10 MMO's then your not really having fun in any of them, hence the flitting from game to game, if none of them is fun enough to warrant prolonged attention then its easily replaced by, yet another f2p game, after a while you would probably forget which game had what features, because none of them were memorable enough for you to consider playing for longer periods of time.
Originally posted by Fearum Your talking about quanity over quality. Hyundai vs Mercedes. Just because you have a billion cheap ass cars does not take away the value of a good car with more features.
Having driven both, I'll take the Hyundai.
if you really have driven both, then you'd drive anything instead of a hyundai... though mercedes tend to be a bit boring to drive generally, their the sort of car your grandad might drive, a vauxhall astra on the other hand.. 1.8i convertible.. now isnt that worth paying that bit more for
Considering I have driven both, I'll take the Hyundai. In this case, my wifes Hyundai... I'd prefer a 2013 Nissan Armada though.
I would gladly pay $15 or $50, if people made something worth paying it....
If you want to play 10 games at once, sure, it isn't for you probably, or you have to choose which ones that are free or cheaper.
For me, I would rather play 1 MMO that makes me not want to play any other MMO for most the time i play it, and I have played 5 that held my attention for over a year, and 2 that did for multiple years (got about 4-5 years out of each, in streches).
While I play that 1 MMO, I am not opposed to buying a RTS, FPS game that is a buy and play, no extra cash...But for my MMO enjoyment, I prefer 1 game....If I am playing more than 1, that means they are not a good quality MMO with depth.
Games, even with a $15 sub, are about the cheapest form of entertainment you can find, going to 1 movie that is 90-120 minutes long cost that much. I really just don't get the outcry, atleast from people that are supposed to be adults with a job, children without jobs, I get. I think free trials should come at launch, to avoid people wasting money, so they can decide if they want to support something...But if you are paying for 10 MMOs, I would say that is crazy on many levels, and could see the point, but most people from my experience play 1-2 MMOs at a time, then throw in other games without a sub traditionally.
I guess its a moot point for me atm, as I wouldn't pay $5 for most MMOs out right now, let alone $15. I wouldn't play most of them for free, even if they got rid of their cash shop....
let me do this crazy idea ok? keep it 15 a month and stop all CS and any monetizing you put in games and maybe I will stop thinking this genre golden age is long gone.
most of you guys don't give value to your own money and that is ok, but now since we have so many fools spending over $50 a month on cash shop items and then we don't have games to play anymore, that is when start to be my problem.
also its funny, games nowaday have so many graphics they don't even spend time on gameplay, I don't doubt is sometime we will only watch CG films and not play the game anymore. then why we will say its a game?
What do you mean that people here "don't give value" to their own money? This is a very shitty statement. Just because someone wants to spend $50 in a cash shop doesn't mean they don't value their money. Perhaps they just have a little more disposable income then you... You should not insult people who spend money in cash shops. I mean, it's really none of your business in the first place. And don't give me that bullshit that people who spend money in cashshops are ruining the game for others. They're not. In a lot of cases, they are keeping some of these games from dying.
You don't like the cash shop? Ignore it like I do. But don't insult people who chose to use it and tell them they don't value their money. P.S - no one cares if you think the "genre golden age is long gone". Lot's of people are still playing mmo's and having a good time.
People need to stop assuming that just because they are misreble, everyone is misreble. Fuck.
Very well said. I think if there is one thing we can all agree on, it is that there are an awful lot of miserable people on these forums.
FFA Nonconsentual Full Loot PvP ...You know you want it!!
There are already F2P, no sting attached MMOs. I am not sure what a $5 sub will accomplish.
In fact, it is not the money, but the hassle of having a sub .. and feel like i am wasting money if i don't play. No commitment F2P solves that problem.
Yes, 50 cents a day, what a fucking hassle and painful commitment
Personally, I'd much rather have a high quality P2P that keeps me coming back for more, than settle for some mediocre to subpar disposable "F2P" that relies on the unreliable by nature "whales".
50 cents a day for ONE MMO. What about if i want to play 10? Just keeping track of which one i have a sub is a pain.
Personally, there are enough fun F2P that i don't see a reason ever to pay for a sub, and i probably won't.
How can you find time to play 10 mmorpg's? I found trying to juggle 2 to be a herculean task.
By playing each a little? It is not like i need to devote myself to any games. If i feel like it, i will play for 2 hours, then not for the next two weeks. Given there are so many MMOs out there, it is not that hard.
Originally posted by dave6660 Originally posted by nariusseldon Originally posted by Cecropia Originally posted by nariusseldon There are already F2P, no sting attached MMOs. I am not sure what a $5 sub will accomplish.In fact, it is not the money, but the hassle of having a sub .. and feel like i am wasting money if i don't play. No commitment F2P solves that problem.
Yes, 50 cents a day, what a fucking hassle and painful commitment
Personally, I'd much rather have a high quality P2P that keeps me coming back for more, than settle for some mediocre to subpar disposable "F2P" that relies on the unreliable by nature "whales".
50 cents a day for ONE MMO. What about if i want to play 10? Just keeping track of which one i have a sub is a pain.
Personally, there are enough fun F2P that i don't see a reason ever to pay for a sub, and i probably won't.
How can you find time to play 10 mmorpg's? I found trying to juggle 2 to be a herculean task.
By playing each a little? It is not like i need to devote myself to any games. If i feel like it, i will play for 2 hours, then not for the next two weeks. Given there are so many MMOs out there, it is not that hard.
Try it yourself sometimes.
What's the point then? 2 weeks in between game time? Rather work on 1 or 2 then juggle 10 two weeks apart lol.
By playing each a little? It is not like i need to devote myself to any games. If i feel like it, i will play for 2 hours, then not for the next two weeks. Given there are so many MMOs out there, it is not that hard.
Try it yourself sometimes.
What's the point then? 2 weeks in between game time? Rather work on 1 or 2 then juggle 10 two weeks apart lol.
The point? To have fun? To have variety in gaming experience? To sample as much content as possible? don't you know that humans are variety seeking animals?
And you use the phrase "work on 1 or 2" ... i don't "work on" games. I have fun with them whenever, and whatever i want.
I'd much rather pay 15 a month for a decent game than have to deal with a cash shop prompting me to buy crap in game. I stayed with WoW for 7 years, and only left after it just got tiring.
I'd rather pay the 15 dollars a month and get everything then have developers find ways to gouge you for money. Some of those cosmetic items in these cash shop games cost more then the sub fee itself and that's just crazy.
Originally posted by Traugar If a game is worth 15 bucks then people will pay it. If not then they won't. The issue is the developers keep making such shallow games that aren't worth paying for. If a game has some true depth to it then I won't have time to be playing 3 or 4 games at the same time.
Totally agree with this. This is a good reason why i dont support subscription mmos. The game publishers are so desperate to make quick money that they push developers to make games that are not good enough for a sub (any price sub).
On the other hand, I, like the OP said, prefer to have a variety of good games to play on my free time. Not just one. That said, even though $5 is still a money barrier, i would be able to sub more than one game that i like at that price (still, if its worth the sub).
Originally posted by vandal5627 I'd rather pay the 15 dollars a month and get everything then have developers find ways to gouge you for money. Some of those cosmetic items in these cash shop games cost more then the sub fee itself and that's just crazy.
You make it sound like you don't have a choice. Actually i am 100% for expensive cosmetic items in cash shops. I don't need them. And if a whale wants them and want to subsidize my games, so much the better.
What's the point then? 2 weeks in between game time? Rather work on 1 or 2 then juggle 10 two weeks apart lol.
The point? To have fun? To have variety in gaming experience? To sample as much content as possible? don't you know that humans are variety seeking animals?
And you use the phrase "work on 1 or 2" ... i don't "work on" games. I have fun with them whenever, and whatever i want.
Yes, Narius. You are not unique in this regard; we all game to have fun. Don't get so nitpicky over words. It's just his use of language.
Also, he most likely doesn't actually juggle with his video games
"Mr. Rothstein, your people never will understand... the way it works out here. You're all just our guests. But you act like you're at home. Let me tell you something, partner. You ain't home. But that's where we're gonna send you if it harelips the governor." - Pat Webb
Instead of pandering to the horrid misinformation that exists in the consumer base regarding the requirement for subscription fees, why don't we inform people instead?
MMOs do NOT require sub fees to operate. Sub fees have - time and time again - been proven to actually be MORE COSTLY to players than a B2P option. It does NOT cost Blizzard £200 a year per player to make 4 content patches, so why do they charge £200 a year? "To keep the servers up". It wasn't until the fourth year of WoWs life that Blizzard said they'd ONLY JUST spent $200 million on WoW, whilst they reported profits of $1 billion+.
So my two cents here? I'd rather not be exploited to line the pockets of greedy profiteers and investors.
Originally posted by vandal5627 I'd rather pay the 15 dollars a month and get everything then have developers find ways to gouge you for money. Some of those cosmetic items in these cash shop games cost more then the sub fee itself and that's just crazy.
You make it sound like you don't have a choice. Actually i am 100% for expensive cosmetic items in cash shops. I don't need them. And if a whale wants them and want to subsidize my games, so much the better.
Good for you, you like cash shops i don't. I honestly don't care what you like or don't but calling people whales, that's not very nice.
Originally posted by vandal5627 I'd rather pay the 15 dollars a month and get everything then have developers find ways to gouge you for money. Some of those cosmetic items in these cash shop games cost more then the sub fee itself and that's just crazy.
You make it sound like you don't have a choice. Actually i am 100% for expensive cosmetic items in cash shops. I don't need them. And if a whale wants them and want to subsidize my games, so much the better.
Good for you, you like cash shops i don't. I honestly don't care what you like or don't but calling people whales, that's not very nice.
"whales" is a standard industry term. What is not nice about it?
Originally posted by vandal5627 I'd rather pay the 15 dollars a month and get everything then have developers find ways to gouge you for money. Some of those cosmetic items in these cash shop games cost more then the sub fee itself and that's just crazy.
You make it sound like you don't have a choice. Actually i am 100% for expensive cosmetic items in cash shops. I don't need them. And if a whale wants them and want to subsidize my games, so much the better.
Good for you, you like cash shops i don't. I honestly don't care what you like or don't but calling people whales, that's not very nice.
"whales" is a standard industry term. What is not nice about it?
Originally posted by vandal5627 I'd rather pay the 15 dollars a month and get everything then have developers find ways to gouge you for money. Some of those cosmetic items in these cash shop games cost more then the sub fee itself and that's just crazy.
You make it sound like you don't have a choice. Actually i am 100% for expensive cosmetic items in cash shops. I don't need them. And if a whale wants them and want to subsidize my games, so much the better.
Good for you, you like cash shops i don't. I honestly don't care what you like or don't but calling people whales, that's not very nice.
"whales" is a standard industry term. What is not nice about it?
Do you like being called a whale?
That would be inaccurate because i am more a free rider. But i wouldnt mind, if i were one.
A "whale" is new to MMO terminology but it's used in other areas where one can spend a lot of money (hotels, gambling, casino, etc). It's more implying that the company caught a bigger fish than what is normal. Once Raph Koster coined the term when speaking about F2P it kind of stuck.
I think a sub is great as it allows a company to better plan and prepare updates for it's MMO. That said with such market saturation and a lot of players playing musical MMOs the F2P/freemium route casts a net tight enough for even chum.
One reason I go back to WoW when an xpac is released is that it's a quality made game. It's really polished and is constantly changing because it has a steady stream of money from subs. Rift I'm sure is similar with constant updates and polish. You won't find that as often in F2P games. It will either take longer or not be as vast of changes in comparison.
I will say that some comments when referencing F2P MMOs are really suprising and confusing at the same time. I understand that everyone would choose "free" before paying for something is they could but game design is no different than any other business. There needs to be money coming in for the company/game to survive. What if you were working as a game developer? Wouldn't you want a decent paycheck for what you do?
Originally posted by vandal5627 I'd rather pay the 15 dollars a month and get everything then have developers find ways to gouge you for money. Some of those cosmetic items in these cash shop games cost more then the sub fee itself and that's just crazy.
You make it sound like you don't have a choice. Actually i am 100% for expensive cosmetic items in cash shops. I don't need them. And if a whale wants them and want to subsidize my games, so much the better.
Good for you, you like cash shops i don't. I honestly don't care what you like or don't but calling people whales, that's not very nice.
"whales" is a standard industry term. What is not nice about it?
Do you like being called a whale?
That would be inaccurate because i am more a free rider. But i wouldnt mind, if i were one.
The problem with the plan would be if all people took on your sentiment. You need the whales, they don't need you. They can compete with each other, you are the extra on their stage. Getting more people like yourself is only going to blow the lid off your plan if you get more converts. Eventually, you will outnumber your larger gilled ocean dwelling subsidies. You must know that it's derogatory in the way you use it like sucker or dumb---k. You are being offensive in the way you describe them as doing something for you without you returning any favors and considering that something better than a parasitic bond. Unless you are one of them, you shouldn't be speaking for them or what you want in the cash shop. You aren't the cash shop consumer as you have said over and over.
Here are some more synonyms for whale since you want to call them derogatory terms instead more complimentary versions like "big spender, high roller, wealthy, blessed, well off, successful financially, good at saving money, people with well paying careers" etc. - you could call yourself "parasitic, deadbeat, bloodsucking, tightwad, mooch, dependent, sponge, niggard, free loader" and make it negative too to make it even if you like though, some of those are shorter if you are striving for least characters to type.
Two points. They need us as content. There are very few whales, as raph koster has pointed out, and there wont be many to play with if there are no free riders. I highly doubt if this model is going to go away soon.
second, i dont really care about labels. I just called myself a free rider, didn't i?
Comments
No one in their right mind is going to play 10 MMOs at a time. An adult with a job and a life is going to be capable of playing 2 or 3 MMOs realistically. When you want to try a new one you simply stop the sub on one of them. Easy breezy beautiful cover girl.
"Mr. Rothstein, your people never will understand... the way it works out here. You're all just our guests. But you act like you're at home. Let me tell you something, partner. You ain't home. But that's where we're gonna send you if it harelips the governor." - Pat Webb
if you really have driven both, then you'd drive anything instead of a hyundai... though mercedes tend to be a bit boring to drive generally, their the sort of car your grandad might drive, a vauxhall astra on the other hand.. 1.8i convertible.. now isnt that worth paying that bit more for
Sigh, and perhaps I was not precise in my terminology and so did not convey my point correctly.
I currently pay 45.00 a month in EVE sub fees because I am able to and it is worth the money to me to do so.
If you are a developer trying to encourage me to try your new (or old) game, there's a couple of ways you might try to encourage me to either cancel my EVE subs and replace them with your game (many have done so over the years) or convince me to spend more money on top of that figure. (which has also happened, with my monthly maximum for MMO's at abouit 75.00 or so as I recall)
Or, you could try offering a lower value sub, which would actually be more enticing to me than a F2P offer, because I generally associate F2P with "not worth the time".
Start me off on your game at 5.00 a month, for perhaps 10 hrs playtime max, and I might give it a try and if I like it, decide to up my investment to a full 15/month sub or perhaps cancel the subs to some other title.
So in the end, it's really up to the developers to figure out how they're going to get a piece of my disposable income, and a lower value sub fee might be one possible way to accomplish that task.
Truthfully, I could give a care about "wanting" to play another MMORPG, I generally only play one title at a time, regardless how many subs I have to it.
"True friends stab you in the front." | Oscar Wilde
"I need to finish" - Christian Wolff: The Accountant
Just trying to live long enough to play a new, released MMORPG, playing New Worlds atm
Fools find no pleasure in understanding but delight in airing their own opinions. Pvbs 18:2, NIV
Don't just play games, inhabit virtual worlds™
"This is the most intelligent, well qualified and articulate response to a post I have ever seen on these forums. It's a shame most people here won't have the attention span to read past the second line." - Anon
if your playing 10 MMO's then your not really having fun in any of them, hence the flitting from game to game, if none of them is fun enough to warrant prolonged attention then its easily replaced by, yet another f2p game, after a while you would probably forget which game had what features, because none of them were memorable enough for you to consider playing for longer periods of time.
Considering I have driven both, I'll take the Hyundai. In this case, my wifes Hyundai... I'd prefer a 2013 Nissan Armada though.
I would gladly pay $15 or $50, if people made something worth paying it....
If you want to play 10 games at once, sure, it isn't for you probably, or you have to choose which ones that are free or cheaper.
For me, I would rather play 1 MMO that makes me not want to play any other MMO for most the time i play it, and I have played 5 that held my attention for over a year, and 2 that did for multiple years (got about 4-5 years out of each, in streches).
While I play that 1 MMO, I am not opposed to buying a RTS, FPS game that is a buy and play, no extra cash...But for my MMO enjoyment, I prefer 1 game....If I am playing more than 1, that means they are not a good quality MMO with depth.
Games, even with a $15 sub, are about the cheapest form of entertainment you can find, going to 1 movie that is 90-120 minutes long cost that much. I really just don't get the outcry, atleast from people that are supposed to be adults with a job, children without jobs, I get. I think free trials should come at launch, to avoid people wasting money, so they can decide if they want to support something...But if you are paying for 10 MMOs, I would say that is crazy on many levels, and could see the point, but most people from my experience play 1-2 MMOs at a time, then throw in other games without a sub traditionally.
I guess its a moot point for me atm, as I wouldn't pay $5 for most MMOs out right now, let alone $15. I wouldn't play most of them for free, even if they got rid of their cash shop....
Very well said. I think if there is one thing we can all agree on, it is that there are an awful lot of miserable people on these forums.
FFA Nonconsentual Full Loot PvP ...You know you want it!!
By playing each a little? It is not like i need to devote myself to any games. If i feel like it, i will play for 2 hours, then not for the next two weeks. Given there are so many MMOs out there, it is not that hard.
Try it yourself sometimes.
Yes, 50 cents a day, what a fucking hassle and painful commitment
Personally, I'd much rather have a high quality P2P that keeps me coming back for more, than settle for some mediocre to subpar disposable "F2P" that relies on the unreliable by nature "whales".
50 cents a day for ONE MMO. What about if i want to play 10? Just keeping track of which one i have a sub is a pain.
Personally, there are enough fun F2P that i don't see a reason ever to pay for a sub, and i probably won't.
How can you find time to play 10 mmorpg's? I found trying to juggle 2 to be a herculean task.
By playing each a little? It is not like i need to devote myself to any games. If i feel like it, i will play for 2 hours, then not for the next two weeks. Given there are so many MMOs out there, it is not that hard.
Try it yourself sometimes.
What's the point then? 2 weeks in between game time? Rather work on 1 or 2 then juggle 10 two weeks apart lol.The point? To have fun? To have variety in gaming experience? To sample as much content as possible? don't you know that humans are variety seeking animals?
And you use the phrase "work on 1 or 2" ... i don't "work on" games. I have fun with them whenever, and whatever i want.
I am fine with $15 a month.
When I was younger I found a way to make the $15 a month, I am now older and the $15 a month is unnoticeable.
You make me like charity
Totally agree with this. This is a good reason why i dont support subscription mmos. The game publishers are so desperate to make quick money that they push developers to make games that are not good enough for a sub (any price sub).
On the other hand, I, like the OP said, prefer to have a variety of good games to play on my free time. Not just one. That said, even though $5 is still a money barrier, i would be able to sub more than one game that i like at that price (still, if its worth the sub).
You make it sound like you don't have a choice. Actually i am 100% for expensive cosmetic items in cash shops. I don't need them. And if a whale wants them and want to subsidize my games, so much the better.
Yes, Narius. You are not unique in this regard; we all game to have fun. Don't get so nitpicky over words. It's just his use of language.
Also, he most likely doesn't actually juggle with his video games
"Mr. Rothstein, your people never will understand... the way it works out here. You're all just our guests. But you act like you're at home. Let me tell you something, partner. You ain't home. But that's where we're gonna send you if it harelips the governor." - Pat Webb
Instead of pandering to the horrid misinformation that exists in the consumer base regarding the requirement for subscription fees, why don't we inform people instead?
MMOs do NOT require sub fees to operate. Sub fees have - time and time again - been proven to actually be MORE COSTLY to players than a B2P option. It does NOT cost Blizzard £200 a year per player to make 4 content patches, so why do they charge £200 a year? "To keep the servers up". It wasn't until the fourth year of WoWs life that Blizzard said they'd ONLY JUST spent $200 million on WoW, whilst they reported profits of $1 billion+.
So my two cents here? I'd rather not be exploited to line the pockets of greedy profiteers and investors.
I will NOT pay a subscription fee. Ever.
Good for you, you like cash shops i don't. I honestly don't care what you like or don't but calling people whales, that's not very nice.
"whales" is a standard industry term. What is not nice about it?
Do you like being called a whale?
That would be inaccurate because i am more a free rider. But i wouldnt mind, if i were one.
I think a sub is great as it allows a company to better plan and prepare updates for it's MMO. That said with such market saturation and a lot of players playing musical MMOs the F2P/freemium route casts a net tight enough for even chum.
One reason I go back to WoW when an xpac is released is that it's a quality made game. It's really polished and is constantly changing because it has a steady stream of money from subs. Rift I'm sure is similar with constant updates and polish. You won't find that as often in F2P games. It will either take longer or not be as vast of changes in comparison.
I will say that some comments when referencing F2P MMOs are really suprising and confusing at the same time. I understand that everyone would choose "free" before paying for something is they could but game design is no different than any other business. There needs to be money coming in for the company/game to survive. What if you were working as a game developer? Wouldn't you want a decent paycheck for what you do?
Two points. They need us as content. There are very few whales, as raph koster has pointed out, and there wont be many to play with if there are no free riders. I highly doubt if this model is going to go away soon.
second, i dont really care about labels. I just called myself a free rider, didn't i?