SOE's new mmorpg for 2006 not to have sub costs!

scaramoosh

http://www.edge-online.co.uk/archives/2005/10/sonys_freeforal.php

By using the station exchange

 

 

Jorev

The problem is that they will be selling items/advantages directly, not just allowing players to sell items earned legitimately in-game. This is a horrible idea which defeats playing a MMOG on a competitive level.

leipuri

Good as long the items they plan to sell can be obtained in game for resonable effort vs price they sell it. Not really fan of ebaying myself, but I will try it if its fun and i can compete without playing 10 hours day or buying items.

However I wouldnt suprise if they made it so that items they sell for like $10 would take tens hours in game to get, so all these ebayers wount be able to farm these items to compete with SOE's prices, which isnt bad thing really.

Anyways intresting to see how it go 

scaramoosh

IF it was buying off other players i'd love it cause i could make money.

 

Problem is they want you to buy off them! You'll be spending more than the month;y sub a month and all ur effort getting the item in game wud be a waste tbh.

admriker444

This is SOE's sleaziest move yet. And of course it will succeed. The console WoW kiddies are part of the fast food instant gratification crowd. hey'll gladly buy into this garbage rather than actually work for an item.

And Im not someone who cant afford this, my wife is a doctor and Im a college professor. However, I always felt a sense of pride pre-pub 9 knowing that my jedi was very rare. And later the feeling of knowing I had one of the best sabers around because of my efforts. Now wth a system like this, whats the point of even playing.

This is like using cheat codes in Doom 3, sure its fun for about 10 minutes then it sinks in that the game is ruined forever.

Vampir

wow this is dumb Everquest 2 is unsucessful right now partially because of this so they decide to do it again....

admriker444

Reposted from SWG forums...

I reckon I prefer the subscription model.  I reckon also that the reasons I like the subscription model are the same reasons SOE wants ta get away from it.

I like the subscription model 'cause it gives me a leg ta stand on when arguing for a change.  If I pay for somethin', then I gotta right as a consumer ta take umbridge with changes in the game that makes it less fun.

I reckon SOE don't like the subscription model for those same reasons.  They don't wanna be held accountable ta the subscribers.  What better way ta get rid of the accountability than ta get rid of the concept of buyin' a subsription?

Ya'll can play that game they are producin'.  I reckon I don't want no part of it.  Monopoly, football, and all other games are good 'cause ya can't earn an extra roll of the dice or a fifth down by submittin' a credit card number.

But I gotta level with ya ya'll, I gotta say that SWG has proved ta me one thing.  MMOin' is a rich man's sport.  It values throwin' money at it more than anythin' else.  The fellas who used ta buy the eight Diablo II disks back in the day just ta mule out SOJs by the truckload proves that bit.  'Cause the bottom line is man, the fella that'll throw more money at this MMO is gonna win.  Trust me man, anyone who said that MMOs ain't about winnin never told these guys who throw mo' money at this thing than the national debt that 'bout MMOs.

Seems ta me that SOE is takin' the next step in provin' what many of us here already know.  MMOs are an oligarchy, not a democracy.  Players are goin' ta have a worth based on how much money is thrown at 'em.  Someone who pays $100 will be given the right many here really want.  That's the right ta pwn the fella who pays nothin'.

See man, the MMO power crowd has wealth, but not honor.  They want the wealth ta give em honor, and MMOs allow em ta do it.  Here, the company will be more than willin' ta make 'em a hero and the savior of "thousands of online players" as long as they pay more.  I reckon the problem they are havin' is that nobody who pays $15 a month pays it ta be the steppin' stone of a rich subscriber's ambition.

So the solution?  Give the deimos a free game, ta act as the healots, so that the rich kids playin' with their million dollar disposable income can act out the sorta absolute aristocracy of priveledge societies like America cannot replicate.

I don't pay $15 a month ta be someone's slave and lunch.  In fact man, they couldn't pay me $15 a month ta be an object of amusement ta rich kids.  But that's what they want ta do.

I don't want no part of it.

AlBQuirky

Haven't seen the rest of the replies yet, but from my brief perusing of the page, I am lost. Is it basically "buy your way to the top"?

If so, this totally misses the mark of MMOGs. Or does it? A goodly number of players I see on message boards (not as much in game) seem to be on the "best loot" fastrack. Uber Guilds abound in most MMOGs with waiting lists pages long of peolpe wanting to get in.

It looks as if this "new thing" will separate the casual from the hardcore gamers even more. Hardcore gamers will spend the money for the uber loot. Casual gamers will more than likely look elsewhere, though not necessarily.

My final though is:
I really will miss this boat, should it come to fruition.

Detonated

Gone are the glory days of UO/Everquest. At least in those games , when in thier prime , had players playing the game for what it was.

 

There was a basic love for MMOs when they first came out. Items,levels,etc just sort of came with the territory. Now , as was said in the above post , its a "who can throw the most money at it" rat race. Sounds too much like real life.

 

I myself will be bowing out of the entire genre. To those that got enjoyment from these games before they became mass marketed and bastardized , my hat is off to you. Players like that made the genre what it was in the early-mid 90's.

 

So when is Ps3 coming out again? Looks like its back to consoles for me after a decade of PC online gaming.

 

Tired of the almighty dollar.

Shownder

LOL

They're CS sucks crap when we ARE paying a monthly fee... Imagine what it will be like for a free game =P

magik_fx

I hear you get the VISA sword, the American Express shield, a Mastercard spell and PAYPAL heal . It's awesome, all you do is put your card in and each dollar translates to 1 damage caused/received. That means, I can pwn all the little kids face with my VISA sword, it will cost me a measly 100 dollars to instantly kill them, and I KNOW no snot nosed kid will be able to afford the 100 dollar American Express shield charge. For a mere 50 dollars, I can use the Mastercard AOE spell to kill an entire group of stupid noobs. Oh the carnage will be so great, for once everyone in game will know just how big my penis is IRL. I'll make them pay!! LITERALLY!

If things get tough, I can use the PAYPAL heal to heal myself, also at the 1 dollar a damage. NO ONE will be able to kill me - PFFT go ahead and attack me all day, my grandma died and I have trust fund money in there. Do as much damage as you can, PAYPAL HEAL!!!!

The only ones bringing me down are CEO's and oil companies... there will be no end to the owning of the noobs.

admriker444

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Originally posted by Detonated

Gone are the glory days of UO/Everquest. At least in those games , when in thier prime , had players playing the game for what it was.
 
There was a basic love for MMOs when they first came out. Items,levels,etc just sort of came with the territory. Now , as was said in the above post , its a "who can throw the most money at it" rat race. Sounds too much like real life.
 
I myself will be bowing out of the entire genre. To those that got enjoyment from these games before they became mass marketed and bastardized , my hat is off to you. Players like that made the genre what it was in the early-mid 90's.
 
So when is Ps3 coming out again? Looks like its back to consoles for me after a decade of PC online gaming.
 
Tired of the almighty dollar.

---

Im with you pal, this might be the end of mmorpgs as we know it. Not much else out there and SOE keeps buying everyone up like EA did a few years back.

Im taking a look at the XBOX 360 now. Seems it might have more thinking type strategy games. Playstations have always been about mindless smash and blast genre. Elder scrolls 4 is coming for it for starters.

Or I could always go back to playing Fallout 2 but I cant find the disc

Vampir

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Originally posted by admriker444



Originally posted by Detonated

Gone are the glory days of UO/Everquest. At least in those games , when in thier prime , had players playing the game for what it was.
 
There was a basic love for MMOs when they first came out. Items,levels,etc just sort of came with the territory. Now , as was said in the above post , its a "who can throw the most money at it" rat race. Sounds too much like real life.
 
I myself will be bowing out of the entire genre. To those that got enjoyment from these games before they became mass marketed and bastardized , my hat is off to you. Players like that made the genre what it was in the early-mid 90's.
 
So when is Ps3 coming out again? Looks like its back to consoles for me after a decade of PC online gaming.
 
Tired of the almighty dollar.




Im with you pal, this might be the end of mmorpgs as we know it. Not much else out there and SOE keeps buying everyone up like EA did a few years back.
Im taking a look at the XBOX 360 now. Seems it might have more thinking type strategy games. Playstations have always been about mindless smash and blast genre. Elder scrolls 4 is coming for it for starters.
Or I could always go back to playing Fallout 2 but I cant find the disc

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DnL  looks like its gonna be the most hopeful either it or Imperator could probably capture that spirit they are talking about.

however everquest originally people werent playing for the love of a game it was more of a love of RPGing and now its become which RPG is your thing.

Cleffy

This has already been done with the game Project Entropia.  Recently they auctioned in game land for 100k dollars.  They also sold an island for 26k dollars.

There are pros and cons to this approach based on Project Entropia.  When a player learns the game is free forever they get in and play; when the player learns they have to pay a couple bucks to get some starting equipment, they bail; despite the fact how much you spend on equipment equats to less then what you would typically pay for a subscription fee.  Another advantage is the world is almost empty of people.  I went to the main hub of the game and there were... 6 people. 

zoey121

While it has been done with Project Entopia it was also a social experiment in There/second life

  THe addage of not paying for something still doesn't make it worth while playing.

As far as so many of us finnaly getting tired of genra maybe it is not so much the genra no new ideas under the sun, grind, level, skills forced grouping, maybe it is just tired of people?

I combine the people issue, with cruddy releases or poor game shape customer service non existant, and just maybe that is enough for a while to take a break from the genra......

  I was reading through Dark and light forum on bot issue, there were many posts defending bots, folks saying beta was useful to them for finding exploits, and taking full advantage of exploits in live cause so many of them were released live, it just made me shake my head and go "these were the folks i wanted to spend game time with bah............

grapevine

Aside from Station Exchange, isn't this the same business model as Guild Wars?  No monthly free, yet charge for the extra levels, major content, etc?

Jorev

According to what Smedley said, they will be selling upgraded items and levels directly, not as part of an expansion that still requires you to earn them, which means individual players will buy their way to superiority.

What's the point in playing in that kind of environment?

Elnator

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Originally posted by Vergeltung
wow this is dumb Everquest 2 is unsucessful right now partially because of this so they decide to do it again....

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Correction: EQ2 is very successful right now despite the Station Exchange

I fail to see how people can call a game with over 400k subscribers 'unsuccessful'.

Ya'll amaze me.

That said I'm not sure how I feel about this move. I can see how it would work. The key will be how they balance cost of an item against the effort required to get the same item without buying it. If it's a reasonable balance this could work out very very well. But, knowing SOE, I suspect this won't work well.

Marku

im glad the majority of you are finally awake and see the situation for what it is. Lets stop throwing cash at these companies with their buggy/imcomplete products and say FU ^_^. SWG is the best example of a flawed product which is slowly getting worst as they continue to ignore the community. They dont want jedi !. Wish would of been a good game if they had more money and polished up the graphics etc, Best naked wrestling competition(in wish) ive had since Ultima Online. Hehehe

Elnator

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Originally posted by Jorev
According to what Smedley said, they will be selling upgraded items and levels directly, not as part of an expansion that still requires you to earn them, which means individual players will buy their way to superiority.
What's the point in playing in that kind of environment?

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Depends...

I don't play MMORPG's as a competition against other players unless they're PVP. IF this is going to be a PVP game then, I agree, this is a bad thing. But if it's primarily a PVE game then I don't have a problem with it, per se, mostly depends on how well you can do IN THE GAME (not against other players) if you don't buy items but instead adventure for them.

If an MMORPG is a competition to you then yeah I could see why folks would be dead set against it. But for me it's never mattered if I have better or the same or equal or whatever gear as the next guy. Hell, half the time I go for form over function anyway. I remember in EQ1 I had blackened iron mail for a LONG time because I liked how it looked. Matter of fact I wore it till I managed to get a full set of ranger armor when they released it. In EQ2 My characters typically wear the sharkskin armor you find on IoR until they can get into chain (or are forced into better leather in the case of leather wearers).

Basically, since I look at an MMORPG as an adventure that I'm playing to have fun I don't much care what anyone else has, gear wise. I simply worry about 1) how I look and 2) that I'm effective.

As long as the game allows players to be effective if they don't buy items it will probably be ok. But, as I said in my other post: I suspect SOE will make it impossible to do that so the game will suck.

grapevine

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Originally posted by Jorev

According to what Smedley said, they will be selling upgraded items and levels directly, not as part of an expansion that still requires you to earn them, which means individual players will buy their way to superiority.
What's the point in playing in that kind of environment?

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Hmm!!  If you can buy levels instead of actualy playing to gain them then yes its sucks.  Big time!!!  Although kind of worth trying just to see the max level characters running around on day one, which have managed to gimp themselves as they have no idea how the game plays.

I really hope this game isn't going to be the DC Comics one.  I was looking forard to that.

Marku

lets all spend our moneys on a coffin for SOE cauz thats the direction its heading to be honest. Its not just game communities giving bad opinions of Sony's mmorpgs, some UK magazines have given their games some rather low pecents.

Dodoo

Right SOE!

Make those players pay for extra levels and better items BUT...

...don't forget to allow Free-for-all PvP with full inventory loot and direct permadeath!

Kjarl

Unless the headline Reads, SOE to be destroyed in the most horrible way possable, then its bad. SOE is the destroyer of online games, Lucas should be slapped for all time allowing them to ruin Star Wars.

Marku

Lucas has turned to the dark side

scaramoosh

SOE r gonna get owned