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[Column] Allods Online: Allods Tries On Subscriptions in Russia

BillMurphyBillMurphy Former Managing EditorMember LegendaryPosts: 4,565

In this week's Free Zone, we're taking a look at something we've not seen before... a F2P game trying out a subscription model. Wait, is that right? Yep, Allods Online is adding a subscription model in Russia. And we're figuring out what that means.

As usual, quite a few interesting things came across my desktop during the past couple of weeks - news stories, other pieces of information, rumors, etc. The one that grabbed the largest share of my attention was from the Russian-speaking market, which I try to keep an eye on because it's both one of the largest in the world and also among the most rapidly growing. Since the free to play business model is predominant there, it came as a surprise to learn that publisher Mail.Ru has opened a subscription server for Allods Online, the well-known offering developed by a studio it now owns. In order to satisfy my curiosity, I checked to find out more about this situation.

Read the rest of Richard Aihoshi's The Free Zone: Allods Tries Subscriptions in Russia.

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Comments

  • brianw1brianw1 Member UncommonPosts: 59
    what horrible idea
  • MMOGamer71MMOGamer71 Member UncommonPosts: 1,988
    Interesting, though most F2P games have a subscription model already.
  • EtherignisEtherignis Member UncommonPosts: 249
    GL with that lol
  • DSWBeefDSWBeef Member UncommonPosts: 789
    It always amazed me with allods. If you showed me those screenshots without the logo id say it was wow lol.

    Playing: FFXIV, DnL, and World of Warships
    Waiting on: Ashes of Creation

  • rawfoxrawfox Member UncommonPosts: 788

    Yeah its very WoWish, but of lower quality (lower polygons etc.).

    The game is fun, sadly it is Gala for EU again, that ruined the f2p totally, same desaster like with Age of WushuWulin.

     

    A subscription model would for sure be attraktive if the fee fits the games quality and opens up a complete playable experience without the need to buy this or that for extra chash.

     

    Would be nice to know, if it has pay2win mechanix in the shop/subbed game.

    Well, ill never again touch a game where Gala is involved.

     

  • MMOGamer71MMOGamer71 Member UncommonPosts: 1,988
    Originally posted by DSWBeef
    It always amazed me with allods. If you showed me those screenshots without the logo id say it was wow lol.

    Ironic, because WoW reminds me of 1st edtion PnP D&D.

  • AsamofAsamof Member UncommonPosts: 824

    Could be interesting if the game was anything more than a decent WoW clone with a pay to win cash shop system in place.

    Really though, if you're going to pay a sub, why wouldn't you just sub to one of the many better wow clones (or WoW itself)

  • PurutzilPurutzil Member UncommonPosts: 3,048
    Basically it is Sub based with how it forces you to buy stuff from cash shop to play a decent amount of time even doing the annoying daily to try and get some play out of it. Perhaps a sub based model will make it worth wild to play without eating a hole in your wallet from the poor choice of forcing users to buy a particular item from cash shop to be worth anything in the game after a certain point.
  • GoldenArrowGoldenArrow Member UncommonPosts: 1,186

    Allods ain't that bad. The game just revolves around P2W. Will be interesting to see how it turns out. If Atlantica Online opened a P2P server without cash shop, I'd be there in a flash.

     
  • DrolkinDrolkin Member UncommonPosts: 246
    WoW is very EQish and EQ is very UOish and UO is very Merdian64ish, and Meredian64 is very MUDish, and MUDs are very Tabletopish, and Tabletops are very Boardgameish, and Boardgames are very boring.
  • ironhelixironhelix Member Posts: 448
    I never understood why games don't have F2P servers AND subscription based servers. The hardcore types can go to the subscription servers, and the casuals can go to the F2P. This way, you capitalize on BOTH markets. Seems obvious to me.
  • VarthanderVarthander Member UncommonPosts: 466
    im sure that will work in countries that have a high player base (Russia as the obvious example) but i doubt that it will take any profit in the rest of the world.

    image

  • GrayGhost79GrayGhost79 Member UncommonPosts: 4,775

    The worste of the pay to plays are forced to go free to play... 

     

    Meanwhile... 

     

    The best free to plays get to go pay to play... 

     

     

  • zastrophzastroph Member Posts: 242

    Nothing unexpected here, they have been trying to make extra money on several different ideas, since the game was created!

    At one time it was trying to sell item through the cahs shop, that you needed to actually play the game, but thiese were made free due to player reaction.

    I don't play it anymore!!!

  • Panther2103Panther2103 Member EpicPosts: 5,766
    The thing about this, is this is what people were asking for back in beta for the game. Back before it went pay to win, the people asked them to release it with a subscription to avoid pay to win. But they never listened. now that the player base has dwindled to the point of just one medium server on the G-Potato servers I doubt it will do anything if they released it here. But maybe by some miracle if they did do that here, and it took away the pay to win, then maybe it would bring back people. I somehow doubt it, but who knows haven't ever seen a game do this before.
  • evilastroevilastro Member Posts: 4,270
    This was reported over 2 weeks ago by other websites.
  • samfortalsamfortal Member Posts: 13
    This game and this company deserve to be burned and disapers from the earth. Allods is the one of the most pay to win game in the market. A really shame on ethics and for smart players.
  • Toxic2kToxic2k Member Posts: 16

    Their greed has no boundaries, and i am pretty sure they will fail again and again and again. Maybe in 10 years from now they will finally understand, that we are not their money milking cows, we want to play, not to pay TO win.

  • rojoArcueidrojoArcueid Member EpicPosts: 10,722
    Originally posted by GrayGhost79

    The worste of the pay to plays are forced to go free to play... 

     

    Meanwhile... 

     

    The best free to plays get to go pay to play... 

     

     

    while the worst P2P that moved to F2P are still better than the best F2P that go P2P.

    I think Allods is a nice game and i like it, but it really needs to fire management team and hire decent people.





  • MuppetierMuppetier Member UncommonPosts: 279

    Whether or not this will work for Allods I can see the sense in the idea.

     

    If I enjoy a particular MMO and wish to compete at the top level then I may well be prepared to pay a subscription in order to buy a level playing field.

     

    At least having the choice is a good thing.

  • rojoArcueidrojoArcueid Member EpicPosts: 10,722
    Originally posted by Muppetier

    Whether or not this will work for Allods I can see the sense in the idea.

     

    If I enjoy a particular MMO and wish to compete at the top level then I may well be prepared to pay a subscription in order to buy a level playing field.

     

    At least having the choice is a good thing.

    more options are always good but the problem here is that the free model will still be pay to win. I think they said the P2P model will not have a cash shop at all, which is good. But they should remove the pay to win elements from the cash shop for the F2P model and add more cool cosmetic and boosts instead, which they most likely wont.

    Thats where the sense gets dirty.





  • sibs4455sibs4455 Member UncommonPosts: 369

    I remember the fiasco with the cash shop, i also remember when the game had a decent population, some companys are just greedy and dont disserve another chance.

    All the carefully planned out advertising and threads/posts on forums will not bring the players back.

  • GrayGhost79GrayGhost79 Member UncommonPosts: 4,775
    Originally posted by rojo6934
    Originally posted by GrayGhost79

    The worste of the pay to plays are forced to go free to play... 

     

    Meanwhile... 

     

    The best free to plays get to go pay to play... 

     

     

    while the worst P2P that moved to F2P are still better than the best F2P that go P2P.

    I think Allods is a nice game and i like it, but it really needs to fire management team and hire decent people.

    Nah, I think you forgot what the worst P2P that went F2P was.

  • MuppetierMuppetier Member UncommonPosts: 279
    Originally posted by rojo6934
    Originally posted by Muppetier

    Whether or not this will work for Allods I can see the sense in the idea.

     

    If I enjoy a particular MMO and wish to compete at the top level then I may well be prepared to pay a subscription in order to buy a level playing field.

     

    At least having the choice is a good thing.

    more options are always good but the problem here is that the free model will still be pay to win. I think they said the P2P model will not have a cash shop at all, which is good. But they should remove the pay to win elements from the cash shop for the F2P model and add more cool cosmetic and boosts instead, which they most likely wont.

    Thats where the sense gets dirty.

    Which would make their P2P server pointless. The reason people will pay the subscription is to remove the P2W. If you remove the P2W from the Free version then....

  • RazeeksterRazeekster Member UncommonPosts: 2,591
    I've actually always wished it was P2P in the NA because as it stands now it's P2W and if you want the best upgraded gear you have to end up paying like 2k which seems ridiculous to me.

    Smile

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