AOC going free to play in Korea

fallenlords

Don't know about anybody else but I actually find this quite annoying.  According to this when AOC launches it will be free, so what the hell are we paying for then?

http://mmoculture.blogspot.com/2010/07/age-of-conan-goes-f2p-in-korea.html

Funcom have some explaining to do on this one.

GTwander

Because you can't market a subscription game there, much like how you can't market an F2P here.

Isn't Aion another game that is subbed in the west and F2P in the east? (I may be wrong there though).

Either way, when a game with a sub pops up there you prolly get all the rampant complaining you'd see here on F2P releases, only with a lot more bowing after.

swollenwabit

Originally posted by fallenlords

Don't know about anybody else but I actually find this quite annoying.  According to this when AOC launches it will be free, so what the hell are we paying for then?

http://mmoculture.blogspot.com/2010/07/age-of-conan-goes-f2p-in-korea.html

Funcom have some explaining to do on this one.

Different areas, different ways of paying for the game. F2P in asia is quite common, so not surprised they do it. Cash shop is an option and that's where they will generate the cash, would you rather AoC go F2P in western MMO markets with a cash shop? The western part of MMO players see F2P as a death sentence to the game, the asian audience see P2P as an unecessary evil for their gaming.   

whitelock

Originally posted by GTwander

Isn't Aion another game that is subbed in the west and F2P in the east? (I may be wrong there though).

 

 

You buy time in hours on Aion in china

GTwander

That's right... same thing for WoW too.

I'd have personal qualms with that as well, and prefer Cash Shop to it (personally).

 

@above poster

No, they buy it by the hour - it's law.

Luthor_X

Originally posted by swollenwabit

Originally posted by fallenlords

Don't know about anybody else but I actually find this quite annoying.  According to this when AOC launches it will be free, so what the hell are we paying for then?

http://mmoculture.blogspot.com/2010/07/age-of-conan-goes-f2p-in-korea.html

Funcom have some explaining to do on this one.

Different areas, different ways of paying for the game. F2P in asia is quite common, so not surprised they do it. Cash shop is an option and that's where they will generate the cash, would you rather AoC go F2P in western MMO markets with a cash shop? The western part of MMO players see F2P as a death sentence to the game, the asian audience see P2P as an unecessary evil for their gaming.   

 

And the suits exploit this difference all the way to the bank... Makes me wonder if the asian market grasps the cost difference between f2p and p2p?

swollenwabit

Originally posted by Robokapp

WoW has a subscription in china...

Indeed, you pay by hour or so. compared to our pricez it's dirty cheap tho. Still the fact is that the biggest markets in asia is for F2P games rather then P2P.  

fallenlords

 

Well I see a difference in that (if Aion has gone free to sub) if you can take something free to play and launch it successfully as a subscription based model hats off.  No investment has been made by subscribers in the game so I don't see a problem with doing it that way around. 

Taking a subscription based game and flipping it free to play for only a specific region is beyond belief.   Why, well because people have paid there money already and bought the product and subscriptions.  They have made an investment in the game. Unless it goes free to play globally then the money the Western users pay is funding a free game in Korea. Where is the fairness in that?   You either go free to play or you don't, if Funcom do this and don't expand it globally then they are treating their current subscribers as mugs.  but then again that is what Funcom do most of the time anyway. 

swollenwabit

Originally posted by Luthor_X

Originally posted by swollenwabit

Originally posted by fallenlords

Don't know about anybody else but I actually find this quite annoying.  According to this when AOC launches it will be free, so what the hell are we paying for then?

http://mmoculture.blogspot.com/2010/07/age-of-conan-goes-f2p-in-korea.html

Funcom have some explaining to do on this one.

Different areas, different ways of paying for the game. F2P in asia is quite common, so not surprised they do it. Cash shop is an option and that's where they will generate the cash, would you rather AoC go F2P in western MMO markets with a cash shop? The western part of MMO players see F2P as a death sentence to the game, the asian audience see P2P as an unecessary evil for their gaming.   

 

And the suits exploit this difference all the way to the bank... Makes me wonder if the asian market grasps the cost difference between f2p and p2p?

There is probably a good reason why they do it this way. and if they see the difference well I would think so yes.

swollenwabit

Originally posted by fallenlords

 

Well I see a difference in that (if Aion has gone free to sub) if you can take something free to play and launch it successfully as a subscription based model hats off.  No investment has been made by subscribers in the game so I don't see a problem with doing it that way around. 

Taking a subscription based game and flipping it free to play for only a specific region is beyond belief.   Why, well because people have paid there money already and bought the product and subscriptions.  They have made an investment in the game. Unless it goes free to play globally then the money the Western users pay is funding a free game in Korea. Where is the fairness in that?   You either go free to play or you don't, if Funcom do this and don't expand it globally then they are treating their current subscribers as mugs.  but then again that is what Funcom do most of the time anyway. 

You would probably be surprised over the amount of money cash shop can generate for a game... I'm pretty sure western players won't be paying for the asian servers.  

GTwander

Originally posted by Luthor_X

And the suits exploit this difference all the way to the bank... Makes me wonder if the asian market grasps the cost difference between f2p and p2p?

I wonder if the Western market realizes that the methods are faaar different between here and there.

Here they overprice items, knowing that a select few are going to spend way more than anyone else anyway, while over there, everything is moderately priced and more people tend to take part in it. The reason F2Ps over here are so brutal is because the US hosts have their own take on how to make money - and it's off the impulsive. There is tons of price comparisons on CS items all over the place, that is, if you cared to do your research beforehand.

Don't blame the Koreans, blame the state-side hosts for raping your wallet more than necessary.

They do it because they can... and because their entire marketing department's college degree is printed a candy wrapper.

 

 

For instance;

Korean DFO (DnF) lets you choose the avatars you want.

US DFO makes you gamble on them through Gachapon, and they cost almost as much per 'spin'.

Papadam

Since Craig Morrison already have said that they are considering making AoC F2P/hybrid (similar to LotrO) this cant come as a big surprsie to anyone.

Luthor_X

Originally posted by GTwander

Originally posted by Luthor_X

And the suits exploit this difference all the way to the bank... Makes me wonder if the asian market grasps the cost difference between f2p and p2p?

I wonder if the Western market realizes that the methods are faaar different between here and there.

Here they overprice items, knowing that a select few are going to spend way more than anyone else anyway, while over there, everything is moderately priced and more people tend to take part in it. The reason F2Ps over here are so brutal is because the US hosts have their own take on how to make money - and it's off the impulsive. There is tons of price comparisons on CS items all over the place, that is, if you cared to do your research beforehand.

Don't blame the Koreans, blame the state-side hosts for raping your wallet more than necessary.

They do it because they can... and because their entire marketing department's college degree is printed a candy wrapper.

 

I have a somewhat limited exposure to the f2p market here in the west. But this my take on it...

 

It costs a shit-ton of money ( <--- read far more) to purchase things in the cash shop -v- paying a monthly sub and playing the game. So to me, if all things are equal, the asian players are being exploited in-game.

swollenwabit

Originally posted by Sukiyaki

Just a random bypasser but these answers are pretty hilarious.

-Hey AoC going F2P in Korea!

-Dunno arent most games F2P in the East like Aion?

-Aion has hourly payment in China

-WoW has subscription in China

-No WoW has hourly payment in China

-Yeah looks like its normal to go F2P there.

Because clearly there is just 2 MMO's in asia.... :P

fallenlords

Well considering Funcom post loses year in and year out, it is probably correct to assume that the funding for this little project is coming from their main revenue stream which is what? AOC I would imagine at the moment. Which in effect means current Western subscribers, money that could perhaps be spent on improving the game and fixing the bugs.  No lets ignore the bugs and the performance issues, lets launch free to play in Korea.  In the hope of making a quick buck off a game that is going downhill fast. 

GTwander

You do realize that the hosts are the ones that edit the game to feature the changeover to F2P, and not FunCom, right?

If they decided to go F2P/Hybrid model beforehand, then you could assume such, but the hosts will still edit it to suit their needs (because the sub options still will not fly).

GTwander

Originally posted by Luthor_X

Originally posted by GTwander

Originally posted by Luthor_X

And the suits exploit this difference all the way to the bank... Makes me wonder if the asian market grasps the cost difference between f2p and p2p?

I wonder if the Western market realizes that the methods are faaar different between here and there.

Here they overprice items, knowing that a select few are going to spend way more than anyone else anyway, while over there, everything is moderately priced and more people tend to take part in it. The reason F2Ps over here are so brutal is because the US hosts have their own take on how to make money - and it's off the impulsive. There is tons of price comparisons on CS items all over the place, that is, if you cared to do your research beforehand.

Don't blame the Koreans, blame the state-side hosts for raping your wallet more than necessary.

They do it because they can... and because their entire marketing department's college degree is printed a candy wrapper.

 

I have a somewhat limited exposure to the f2p market here in the west. But this my take on it...

 

It costs a shit-ton of money ( <--- read far more) to purchase things in the cash shop -v- paying a monthly sub and playing the game. So to me, if all things are equal, the asian players are being exploited in-game.

Did you ignore what you just quoted?

Yes, that is your experience with state-side versions of games. Go do some research on pricing in Korean F2Ps, compare them, then get back to me.

Part of it is because they owe dues back to Korea for hosting thier game, but mostly it's because they would rather have the few people spending 100's a month, then the majority spending 5-10. Makes no sense to me, because the guys spending that much will continue to do so, while the rest are more inclined to actually pay *something* at all. It should balance out, but I think the hosts are too scared to attempt it.

fallenlords

Originally posted by GTwander

You do realize that the hosts are the ones that edit the game to feature the changeover to F2P, and not FunCom, right?

If they decided to go F2P/Hybrid model beforehand, then you could assume such, but the hosts will still edit it to suit their needs (because the sub options still will not fly).

Yeah but Funcom must have a massive load of involvement as they use their own game engine. Time and money that could be spent on sorting out the game as it stands and making it better for the current subscribers, you know the ones that pay Funcom money at the moment. 

Luthor_X

Originally posted by GTwander

Originally posted by Luthor_X

Originally posted by GTwander

Originally posted by Luthor_X

And the suits exploit this difference all the way to the bank... Makes me wonder if the asian market grasps the cost difference between f2p and p2p?

I wonder if the Western market realizes that the methods are faaar different between here and there.

Here they overprice items, knowing that a select few are going to spend way more than anyone else anyway, while over there, everything is moderately priced and more people tend to take part in it. The reason F2Ps over here are so brutal is because the US hosts have their own take on how to make money - and it's off the impulsive. There is tons of price comparisons on CS items all over the place, that is, if you cared to do your research beforehand.

Don't blame the Koreans, blame the state-side hosts for raping your wallet more than necessary.

They do it because they can... and because their entire marketing department's college degree is printed a candy wrapper.

 

I have a somewhat limited exposure to the f2p market here in the west. But this my take on it...

 

It costs a shit-ton of money ( <--- read far more) to purchase things in the cash shop -v- paying a monthly sub and playing the game. So to me, if all things are equal, the asian players are being exploited in-game.

Did you ignore what you just quoted?

Yes, that is your experience with state-side versions of games. Go do some research on pricing in Korean F2Ps, compare them, then get back to me.

Part of it is because they owe dues back to Korea for hosting thier game, but mostly it's because they would rather have the few people spending 100's a month, then the majority spending 5-10. Makes no sense to me, because the guys spending that much will continue to do so, while the rest are more inclined to actually pay *something* at all. It should balance out, but I think the hosts are too scared to attempt it.

 

Since you have already done the leg work, why not just post an example or two

GTwander

Originally posted by fallenlords

Originally posted by GTwander

You do realize that the hosts are the ones that edit the game to feature the changeover to F2P, and not FunCom, right?

If they decided to go F2P/Hybrid model beforehand, then you could assume such, but the hosts will still edit it to suit their needs (because the sub options still will not fly).

Yeah but Funcom must have a massive load of involvement as they use their own game engine. Time and money that could be spent on sorting out the game as it stands and making it better for the current subscribers, you know the ones that pay Funcom money at the moment. 

About as much as Epic does with their Unreal Engine... which is basically phone calls.

When is the last time you heard of them sending an engineer out to handle a serious problem occuring to someone licensing the engine from them? People end up learning the tech just to muck with it on thier end, it's just how it works atm.

swollenwabit

Originally posted by fallenlords

Originally posted by GTwander

You do realize that the hosts are the ones that edit the game to feature the changeover to F2P, and not FunCom, right?

If they decided to go F2P/Hybrid model beforehand, then you could assume such, but the hosts will still edit it to suit their needs (because the sub options still will not fly).

Yeah but Funcom must have a massive load of involvement as they use their own game engine. Time and money that could be spent on sorting out the game as it stands and making it better for the current subscribers, you know the ones that pay Funcom money at the moment. 

Not really, Funcom sells the publisher in Korea a product. This product is the game and the korean publisher then organizes servers etc. This process should and in most cases will never occupy game developers doing their normal job. So I'm afraid your little theory about this making the game for US/EU players worse is nothing bu hopeful thinking on your behalf. 

Gravarg

In the early 90s you had to pay by the hour for your online games...p2p or f2p are infinitely cheaper than that.  I used to pay over $50 a month to play Neverwinter Nights...I guess that's why I don't mind if a game is p2p or f2p.

GTwander

Originally posted by Luthor_X

Since you have already done the leg work, why not just post an example or two

From what I heard from players that are in either the Korean, Taiwanese, Japanese or "arad senki" versions of DFO - the avatars are not only selectable (meaning *not* random gachapon), but they cost roughly half as much as the US versions when they do allow a selectable version.

The last event here was a bunch of crappy sports-themed avatar items, and I wasn't paying attention to the price because they were lame to begin with, but the new stuff is only a 4-piece swimsuit set that they *discounted* from 80$ to 22$. Only thing is that they are not permanent unless you follow a lot of 'fine print stipulations' that most people are going to QQ over not getting the terms/conditions right. In fact, the US hosts made it this way *knowing* that a lot of people are going to goof on it and end up losing the gear at the end of 60 days, forcing them to get more or ragequit.

It's effin ridiculous, and I refuse to play these mindgames they are throwing out. At least the Asian versions figured out how to do this stuff right, and again, it's the stateside hosts you need to be angry at.

 

Edited for brainfart mid-paragraph

MMO.Maverick

The OP is interesting to read, but warped argumentation.

 

Korea has a different gaming culture with its internet cafes and most of the online games there having a different payment model.

Even Blizzard has changed their  payment model for WoW in countries like Korea and China, directly or via subsidiaries.

Thorqemada

I guess that is a good move, they can monitor closely the process and its success and only learn about.

 

Beside that its no secret that western people do have less and less money in their purses (including myself) and i really can not see to play more than one P2P mmo plus the entry barrier to buy a full prized game gets higher and higher too.

F2P has no entry barrier, easy to play one day a few hours with your old friends, another day exploring a new game or meet different/new friends in a different/new game.

 

For sure F2P is not a free lunch - but you do not need ot be the person that pays the real money!

Its a decison in the players hand and how much discipline and patience one has if the player uses real money.

If one lacks booth it can be more epxensive than a P2P-game...but well, that is ones self responsibility.

Otherwise F2P is much more convenient and flexible than P2P.

GTwander

Originally posted by GTwander

Part of it is because they owe dues back to Korea for hosting thier game, but mostly it's because they would rather have the few people spending 100's a month, then the majority spending 5-10. Makes no sense to me, because the guys spending that much will continue to do so, while the rest are more inclined to actually pay *something* at all. It should balance out, but I think the hosts are too scared to attempt it.

@you