LOTRO's implementation of F2P is way worse than eq2. You can level to 80 in eq2 and have access to all quests and not once spend a cent. In lotro you have no quests past 20 without paying. How could you think that lotro's way is better? There's no game but grinding in lotro and the sparse story quests, whereas eq2 you have the whole game minus a few items and the broker. The classes and races are irrelevant as you can at least still play a game.
I'm sorry you didn't like LOTRO's FTP option, but then, you've never played it have you? If you had, you'd know that unlike a certain other game you mentioned, the COMPLETE PVE game is unlockable without ever spending a penny. Not less a few items, or a broker, completely free and earnable in game. So, next time do a little research before you let your inner fanboi out to post!
I have always thought Age of Conan should make Tortage free to play (with some restrictions) and then make it where you can sub to the full game (post-Tortage) or a pay-as-you-go option where you buy zones to level in (much like LOTRO).
I do think it will be the next game to do so or WAR will extend their F2P option.
Hmm, Tortage has been "F2P" for quite some time thanks to the unlimited trial that was launced quite many months ago.
Funcom was the first (or one of the first) company to embark on the F2P with AO in its time, even trough its a hybrid model. So I would guess that they know how much income each 1000/10.000 players generate. Perhaps they think they make more with subscription for a year or two more. I think they have thought this through alot already, but maybe they are not ready to swap yet.
I also think that no matter how much people think AoC "failed" Funcom has made lots and lots more income on it, then with AO in its day. Perhaps only a guess, but also I don`t know how much AO cost for them.
But your view there might work, but the downside is the PvP that has been talked about.
Perhaps if the players PvPed up to each lvl, and for the swith to the next lvl thay would have to pay a little fee to get access to the next lvl, and then pvp xp for the next lvl, and buy that again. Not so unfair really, and they will still have to work for the items. Size of the fee would either be stable or increase with the lvls and items availible.
For the paid eq2 server the f2p option was a desaster. There are no new players coming to the servers, and many old players are leaving, as the devs spent more time adding ads than adding fun to the game. So they are merging server in november due to the dropping population. My estimate ist that this is just the beginning of the end of the eq2 paid servers - almost everybody I talk to is just waiting for one of the new games in 2011.
Also, what most of you seem to forget, f2p games attrac some really scary people, that many of the subscribers of games (lets call them adults) don't want to have as company. I tried some f2p games - and I will never again play anyone again. If all MMOs go f2p, I will happily quit the whole genre...
When you look at the AoC community it seems to be quite adult, as the game may only be sold to lvl 18+ folks, and actually is doing fine with around 100k subs. So I would not expect funcom to make the silly step towards f2p soon.
I have always thought Age of Conan should make Tortage free to play (with some restrictions) and then make it where you can sub to the full game (post-Tortage) or a pay-as-you-go option where you buy zones to level in (much like LOTRO).
I do think it will be the next game to do so or WAR will extend their F2P option.
I don't know lol, I think AoC would benefit more to making people pay for Tortage and throw in the rest for free. For me Tortage was the best part of the game. It is by far one of the greatest tutorial zones of all time lol.
LOTRO's implementation of F2P is way worse than eq2. You can level to 80 in eq2 and have access to all quests and not once spend a cent. In lotro you have no quests past 20 without paying. How could you think that lotro's way is better? There's no game but grinding in lotro and the sparse story quests, whereas eq2 you have the whole game minus a few items and the broker. The classes and races are irrelevant as you can at least still play a game.
I'm sorry you didn't like LOTRO's FTP option, but then, you've never played it have you? If you had, you'd know that unlike a certain other game you mentioned, the COMPLETE PVE game is unlockable without ever spending a penny. Not less a few items, or a broker, completely free and earnable in game. So, next time do a little research before you let your inner fanboi out to post!
lol, well said.
And actually, you could go one step further here. Since EQ2X Soe havnt made any dramatic announcment like "over a million new accounts" or "doubled revenue" or "existing subsciber numbers up by 20%" ... All this without even EU going live yet.
So actually, SOE's implementation of F2P is worse than turbines since... well... turbines model clearly works, its making them more money... EQ2X has a ...erm... withering condition, lol.
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I'm sorry you didn't like LOTRO's FTP option, but then, you've never played it have you? If you had, you'd know that unlike a certain other game you mentioned, the COMPLETE PVE game is unlockable without ever spending a penny. Not less a few items, or a broker, completely free and earnable in game. So, next time do a little research before you let your inner fanboi out to post!
Hmm, Tortage has been "F2P" for quite some time thanks to the unlimited trial that was launced quite many months ago.
Funcom was the first (or one of the first) company to embark on the F2P with AO in its time, even trough its a hybrid model. So I would guess that they know how much income each 1000/10.000 players generate. Perhaps they think they make more with subscription for a year or two more. I think they have thought this through alot already, but maybe they are not ready to swap yet.
I also think that no matter how much people think AoC "failed" Funcom has made lots and lots more income on it, then with AO in its day. Perhaps only a guess, but also I don`t know how much AO cost for them.
But your view there might work, but the downside is the PvP that has been talked about.
Perhaps if the players PvPed up to each lvl, and for the swith to the next lvl thay would have to pay a little fee to get access to the next lvl, and then pvp xp for the next lvl, and buy that again. Not so unfair really, and they will still have to work for the items. Size of the fee would either be stable or increase with the lvls and items availible.
For the paid eq2 server the f2p option was a desaster. There are no new players coming to the servers, and many old players are leaving, as the devs spent more time adding ads than adding fun to the game. So they are merging server in november due to the dropping population. My estimate ist that this is just the beginning of the end of the eq2 paid servers - almost everybody I talk to is just waiting for one of the new games in 2011.
Also, what most of you seem to forget, f2p games attrac some really scary people, that many of the subscribers of games (lets call them adults) don't want to have as company. I tried some f2p games - and I will never again play anyone again. If all MMOs go f2p, I will happily quit the whole genre...
When you look at the AoC community it seems to be quite adult, as the game may only be sold to lvl 18+ folks, and actually is doing fine with around 100k subs. So I would not expect funcom to make the silly step towards f2p soon.
Currently playing: EverQuest
Waiting for Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen
I don't know lol, I think AoC would benefit more to making people pay for Tortage and throw in the rest for free. For me Tortage was the best part of the game. It is by far one of the greatest tutorial zones of all time lol.
lol, well said.
And actually, you could go one step further here. Since EQ2X Soe havnt made any dramatic announcment like "over a million new accounts" or "doubled revenue" or "existing subsciber numbers up by 20%" ... All this without even EU going live yet.
So actually, SOE's implementation of F2P is worse than turbines since... well... turbines model clearly works, its making them more money... EQ2X has a ...erm... withering condition, lol.