Except I cannot access it in their new business model, which to me seems odd. Im not about to run about spewing how I should get this and that for free, but lets face it, this entire f2p switch is a marketing move to get both new and returning subscribers to head into the game and see what is new, get them hooked and eventually turn them into subscribers. As a level 80, 95% of the content for me rests in Khitai, and without the ability to even enter it I am unable to see any of the changes they have made to the expansion zone, a zone that when it launched was buggy as hell, had loading screens that went into oblivion and consisted mostly of the same faction grind quests over and over.
If you roll around the EU forums you will see their reasoning for this, which is mainly to stop free players from achieving gear equal to that of T2 and T3, and I am perfectly fine with this explanation. However, why did they just not do what they did in the Hyborian zones and block off the dungeons from non paying subscribers and possibly limit factions to rank 1 or 2. This way returning subscribers can see the new changes, try the zone but are still blocked from competing with subscribers and still hit that wall that they will need to subscribe.
To me completely blocking you off from the level 80 content is just not a smart move to getting returning subscribers back. Especially when I sit in chat and see that all but 1 of the Khitai 6 mans are bugged. Does not give an overly comforting want to resubscribe.
AoC's cash shop is way too expensive. Only half the bag space? 2 Gold limit? No access to the full open world? No access to all lowbie dungeons? No access to sieges?
Come on... I'm kinda enjoying the game at the moment and wouldn't mind spending money in their item mall, but not the way they have it right now. If their plan is to get f2p to convert to a sub, it's not gonna work for me (and I'm sure many others). This game just isn't worthy of a sub for me. I would pay for certain things and continue to play once in a while, though.
If it's revenue they're after, I'm afraid their F2P system is not gonna work in their favor at all. I don't think AoC has enough of a sub paying player base for them to be acting like it's so great that f2p players might as well sub.
I feel if they ease up on the restrictions and prices they will make more money and more players. Just my opinion.
For me its the proverbial swings and roundabouts some things are better in AOC unchained like the fact that you get all content bar a few dungeons upto lvl80, whereas in LotRO you have to buy quest packs, In LotRO you can grind out TP for buying stuff later, but as Mav says its an insane grind, but in AOC you are given all the usual content you'd spend your ground out TP on anyway namely quests packs in LotRO, so AOC unchained is more about charging for premuin content like raids and access to Khitai. In EQ2x you are limited as you cannot buy an unlock to highist tier level spells which you will need in the high level areas in Norrath and it costs to access the auction house. I feel LotRO and AOC are very similar while EQ2x is the most restricting, IMO that is, EQ2x shot themselves in the foot by not making all the servers f2p but thats SOE for ya, one strange company all around
My only problem is the fact that you have to buy a slot increase and class if you want to keep your existing classes which makes some extra classes quite expensive, that makes it 15E/$20/£13.50 for a premium class, though luckily my two classes are both premium so I could just roll one of the free ones and just buy the slot.
This doom and gloom thread was brought to you by Chin Up the new ultra high caffeine soft drink for gamers who just need that boost of happiness after a long forum session.
That's true. If you're serious in competing and raids and sieges, then subbing is the way to go.
Sigh....how can everyone argue against the F2P model? I am just really happy that I can play for FREE up to max level cap! If I like the game....well, then I subscribe and everything is solved! And the cost is like....a shirt or some hamburgers each month for something that I enjoy? As I said....I don't see the problem here! It is the same cake as it was before and now when they give you a piece of the cake for free, then everyone just wants more from it! Just play the game for a long time, for free, and then later on subscribe if you want to enjoy some more. You can't get a tasty cake like this entierly for free!
Maverick, this is not against you....I am just agreeing with you!
To level cap, AoC definitely wins...it's completely free. It's end-game and competition (my main draw to AoC) where things start falling apart. I'm a lvl80 DT, and under the F2P model, I can't do a single thing in this game without a huge up-front investment. Even though I've already paid cold hard cash for the Khitai expansion, I can't quest there for faction points, I can't earn AA, and I cant run any end-game raids. There is literally nothing for me to do at this point, even gold farming is out of the quetion with the currency cap in place. So for me (and every other F2P player that eventually reaches this point), it's definiately cheaper to just subscribe, which I don't want to do, especially considering Funcom's notorious billing practices.
Now, in defense of LOTRO, what some people fail to realize is that a lot of people are OK with spending SOME money in a F2P game. This is where Turbine excels. They have priced things that, in combination with the ability to earn free TP, makes it very reasonable to essentially unlock a lifetime account. I know, because I've done so for less than $50.
Yeah I get that your getting the vanilla game for free and that is nice, However with Turbines models you can buy the content you want own it giving you an option outside of the just 'sub' idea, lets face it this game could hold subs in the first place it wouldn't be going freemium. While most freemium models give you the options of purchasing chunks of content this model is you can rent some dungeons/raids or you can sub.
I think as models go this one is gonna miss the boat on attracting the alternative money where people can buy some content experience the content at there own pace then when the time is right buy another chunk.
That being said I have full intention to play for free to max-level however once i'm there if I'm still faced with the subscribe or rental mode for end game content I will most likely be done.
I bought the expansion and the original game a long time ago, I have 3 character slots (like 8 characters though lol) and access to all classes, open areas, and old dungeons. I have yet to try the newer dungeons yet. I have to find a guild to go raid in first hehe....fyi anyone on Set looking for a level 80 Guardian with ~12 years tanking expirience
The same same applies to lotro. Turbine is way better when it comes to the FTP model of their MMO. You can play the whole game and all content without spending a penny with time and patience. You are also on the same server as vip players unlike EQx. I am a lifer subcriber but lotro and ddo are light years ahead of AOC and EQx.
I don't know about DDO but I have played LotrO.
You're barred from the questing (and I think also the Books) content. That makes a huge difference in your leveling experience, I can tell you that, everyone who says differently is lying.
FYI all epic book content in LOTRO is in fact free to play up to max level. However questing past level 30 is split into quest packs, each containing a zone full of quests (about 75 -200 quests per pack). Tasks are also free in every zone, but these are simple 'gather trash from mobs' quests, not really exciting. It is possible to grind questpacks without paying a dime, however it would indeed be not very fun at all. It is hard for free players in LOTRO to get past 30, that's certain. Myself, having multiple max level characters from past 4 years, after going FTP I managed to easily buy and play most quest packs and other stuff merely by earning in-game points and not spending a penny (that includes successful hardcore raiding on top tier). You do make a LOT points having multiple characters on high levels, however that does not apply to new players, obvlously. They will hit a wall around 30, and be forced to go back and finish deeds to earn points for next quest pack, (which isn't really fun i.e kill 120 spiders..) or spend real money to avoid mindless and pointless mob grind.
Currently I'm trying out AoC and loving it. Can't say much about the FTP system here yet, but so far (lev 21) I haven't found any significant walls. I love my cliche barbarian, so don't mind the lack of classes. We will see how the road to 80 will look.
One thing that I can say is, that Turbines FTP system is perfect for former subscribers, if they played a lot before, now they can pretty much play for free, unlocking nearly everything by just playing with minimal grind. Worked for me At least until I got finally bored of Turbine's inability to fix broken stuff and provide interesting content/mechanics. They also push the store way too much in your face and sell things they really shouldn't. Not to mention they bend their promises and spin half truths and misinformation into all they say and do, which just sickens me. So I ceased playing, for now, until they change their ways.
I downloaded and installed AoC today. But I think I'm going to uninstall it without even playing.
Reading the forums reminded me how much these "free to play" MMOs make me unhappy. If a company makes a top-notch MMO I will happily subscribe and play. But now we have the phenomenom of failed subscription MMOs trying to resurrect themselves as "free to play". The reality is that the entire game is now structured to cleverly soak you for as much cash as possible without pissing you off enough to make you quit.
The worst part is when monthly subscribers do not even get access to all the game features. You pay your $15 a month and then you still need to buy additional features. The old philosophy of MMOs was that your monthly sub was paying for a steady stream of upgrades, new content and improvements. But once a company moves to the cash shop model everything gets sliced and diced into items for the store and they start charging subscribers for items and features.
In the future I'll pay a monthly fee to play a very high quality MMO. I might even consider playing a fun MMO that uses a pure cash shop model. But I'll never play these wretched hybrid subscription/cash shop games.
So goodbye Age of Conan. I bought your game ages ago. I played it for awhile and quit because it was not worth a monthly fee. You aren't going to suck me back in with a manipulative and miserable "free to play" structure.
AoC has, by far, the worst community of any game I've every played. Not that I haven't found some nice people in the game, and there are helpful people in global, but it's a crappy community overall. The chat is less censored and it devolves into ugly world quite often. I use /ignore more often in AoC than all my others games combined.
After hearing about this problem for years and playing AoC on various servers, I'm pretty much convinced that this problem only occurs this dominantly on US servers and this only on specific servers, namely the PvP servers and the servers the PvP crowd from Tyrannis migrated to. I read that Wiccana was quite alright, and in my experience the EU servers certainly aren't any worse than other MMO's, in some cases even a lot better.
The ease with which predictions are made on these forums: Fratman: "I'm saying Spring 2012 at the earliest [for TOR release]. Anyone still clinging to 2011 is deluding themself at this point."
AoC has, by far, the worst community of any game I've every played. Not that I haven't found some nice people in the game, and there are helpful people in global, but it's a crappy community overall. The chat is less censored and it devolves into ugly world quite often. I use /ignore more often in AoC than all my others games combined.
After hearing about this problem for years and playing AoC on various servers, I'm pretty much convinced that this problem only occurs this dominantly on US servers and this only on specific servers, namely the PvP servers and the servers the PvP crowd from Tyrannis migrated to. I read that Wiccana was quite alright, and in my experience the EU servers certainly aren't any worse than other MMO's, in some cases even a lot better.
This is totally a PvP server issue and is not an AoC only problem. You will find just as many offensive PvP players in other games, the difference with AoC is that it has a greater focus on PvP than most AAA MMOs, so its more obvious.
On the PvE servers though the community is really nice, I've played on and off for awhile and never had issues, in fact its one of the few MMOs I've found that has good, polite, public raiding, and a lot of it.
I can't even begin to understand why people say LoTRO has the best F2P scheme. You're all but forced to use the cash shop post level 30. Is your favorite class not for free in AoC? Pay the small fee and unlock the class. You won't have to pay another dime until you're at the max level.
Originally posted by bobfish Originally posted by MMO.Maverick
Originally posted by Torvaldr
AoC has, by far, the worst community of any game I've every played. Not that I haven't found some nice people in the game, and there are helpful people in global, but it's a crappy community overall. The chat is less censored and it devolves into ugly world quite often. I use /ignore more often in AoC than all my others games combined.
After hearing about this problem for years and playing AoC on various servers, I'm pretty much convinced that this problem only occurs this dominantly on US servers and this only on specific servers, namely the PvP servers and the servers the PvP crowd from Tyrannis migrated to. I read that Wiccana was quite alright, and in my experience the EU servers certainly aren't any worse than other MMO's, in some cases even a lot better. This is totally a PvP server issue and is not an AoC only problem. You will find just as many offensive PvP players in other games, the difference with AoC is that it has a greater focus on PvP than most AAA MMOs, so its more obvious.
On the PvE servers though the community is really nice, I've played on and off for awhile and never had issues, in fact its one of the few MMOs I've found that has good, polite, public raiding, and a lot of it.
I have to disagree with this. I have only played on the PVE servers (Set more than the others) and I have to say that I found the community to be the absolute worst that I have ever encountered on any MMO that I have ever played.
I absolutely agree. People always talk so highly of the LOTRO model, but it's one of the most restricting models out there. You can't do half the stuff without spending money or grinding points (and in that case the grinding is just insane).
In AoC and for example Champions Online you can level up to max level without paying anything and get the most out of it while still being able to enjoy the game as a true free player. :P
I have to disagree with this. I have only played on the PVE servers (Set more than the others) and I have to say that I found the community to be the absolute worst that I have ever encountered on any MMO that I have ever played.
Like said, this doesnt describe the situation on the servers I've played on on EU side at all, and I'm highly doubtful that this is how it was and is on the Wiccana server, or the other PvE servers on the US side before PvP players started to play on them after Bori.
In fact, I'd say that I've met some of the best server communities in AoC (eg Corinthia, Aquilonia server) in the 10 years I've played MMO's.
The ease with which predictions are made on these forums: Fratman: "I'm saying Spring 2012 at the earliest [for TOR release]. Anyone still clinging to 2011 is deluding themself at this point."
I absolutely agree. People always talk so highly of the LOTRO model, but it's one of the most restricting models out there. You can't do half the stuff without spending money or grinding points (and in that case the grinding is just insane).
In AoC and for example Champions Online you can level up to max level without paying anything and get the most out of it while still being able to enjoy the game as a true free player. :P
Yea I agree with you on this. MMO site should rephrase AOC, LOTRO and DDO as F2T ( Free to try ) instead of F2P.
Except I cannot access it in their new business model, which to me seems odd. Im not about to run about spewing how I should get this and that for free, but lets face it, this entire f2p switch is a marketing move to get both new and returning subscribers to head into the game and see what is new, get them hooked and eventually turn them into subscribers. As a level 80, 95% of the content for me rests in Khitai, ....
A company, wanting to generate revenue, expand its customer base and increase their bottom line through marketing, THE AUDACITY!!!!!
------- Check out my side project http://lfger.com/ - a mobile lfg tool for any game, any time. -------
I have to disagree with this. I have only played on the PVE servers (Set more than the others) and I have to say that I found the community to be the absolute worst that I have ever encountered on any MMO that I have ever played.
Like said, this doesnt describe the situation on the servers I've played on on EU side at all, and I'm highly doubtful that this is how it was and is on the Wiccana server, or the other PvE servers on the US side before PvP players started to play on them after Bori.
In fact, I'd say that I've met some of the best server communities in AoC (eg Corinthia, Aquilonia server) in the 10 years I've played MMO's.
I have characters on both Set and Wicconia in the US. I'm not seeing this community problem. Of course there are the usual global tards but you see those in every game.
I have to disagree with this. I have only played on the PVE servers (Set more than the others) and I have to say that I found the community to be the absolute worst that I have ever encountered on any MMO that I have ever played.
Like said, this doesnt describe the situation on the servers I've played on on EU side at all, and I'm highly doubtful that this is how it was and is on the Wiccana server, or the other PvE servers on the US side before PvP players started to play on them after Bori.
In fact, I'd say that I've met some of the best server communities in AoC (eg Corinthia, Aquilonia server) in the 10 years I've played MMO's.
I have characters on both Set and Wicconia in the US. I'm not seeing this community problem. Of course there are the usual global tards but you see those in every game.
I was on IronSpine and got merged into Set. Maybe the experience has been just because of the F2P transition, but it's definitely not as friendly as other games, even pvp games like Aion. Is Wicanna any friendlier and would it be worth re-rolling to check it out?
Can always start a character there and judge for yourself. Out of curiosity, is your main issue from the chat or actual players in the world?
Yeah, I've long learned to ignore chat, not just in this game but in all mmos that I have played. I suppose I'm just so used to the general chat tards that it doesn't phase me anymore.
Unlocking each locked-out classe costs anywhere from around $6-12 USD. There are loads of classes, so this would cost an arm and a leg eventually. In LotRO, it cost me about $7 I think to unlock all of their classes.
No, it does not cost different for seperate classes, it's a flat 750 FP. Which is 12 USD for 1200 FP + a left over 450 that you can actually use on other things. OR simply pay 14.99 for one month and make TWO classes and use them after your premium runs out.
LotRO has two classes to unluck, AoC has 8.
Try again nerd.
Unless they suddenly changed their cash shop from what it was, each individual class was 750 Funcom points. For the first few days, the Bear Shaman was 1,500 points, so that's how it was pretty obvious it was 750 Funcom points per class, not 750 for for all of them combined.
So that's ~$50 to unlock all the classes. I'd go back to check prices in the cash shop to see if the prices have changed yet again,, but I already uninstalled the bejesus outta that game. LOL.
the big difference is that in lotro and ddo you can earn points to spend in the store through in game grinding so it is possible to open up the game without spending vast amounts of money. I managed to level a toon to max and can now raid with it whenever I want for free for the price of 2 months of subscription. £20
AoC the only way to earn points is through paying cash for them. for how much I spent on lotro to play for free whenever I want I can only get 4 classes unlocked in aoc
Well I thought I would give Funcom another chance with this unchained version, after the initial release, where I PURCHASED a game with broken end game content (PvE & PvP) surrounded by lying developers with their marketing spin, I didn’t even play for more than 2 weeks, never felt so ripped off by a game in my entire gaming life, but returning to the game has just shown me how OUT OF TOUCH Funcom are with gamers and the current market for MMO’s.
Unchained is basically a taste for new players to see if they enjoy the game, which is fair enough, but for the sceptical gamers like myself who have been burnt by Funcom once will not spend money to test the things that were originally broken.
The current impression I got was, that there is an extremely low player base which in turn means virtually no PvP mini games going on and sieges seemed none existent when talking to “Subbed” players, an overpriced cash shop and a overly gimped F2P model.
Unchained is basically a taste for new players to see if they enjoy the game, which is fair enough, but for the sceptical gamers like myself who have been burnt by Funcom once will not spend money to test the things that were originally broken.
The current impression I got was, that there is an extremely low player base which in turn means virtually no PvP mini games going on and sieges seemed none existent when talking to “Subbed” players, an overpriced cash shop and a overly gimped F2P model.
It's a taste where players can see all the areas and do all the quests of the original game from level 1 to level 80, and can access half the dungeons of the original game, all this without paying a single dime or grind a single hour to have these unlocked.
I counted 1600 concurrent players (simultaneously logged in) on Fury and 2400 on Crom, that's more than on most high population servers in other MMORPG's. Of course, half of those were in the levels 1 to 30 which was to be expected with the F2P move only happening last week.
The ease with which predictions are made on these forums: Fratman: "I'm saying Spring 2012 at the earliest [for TOR release]. Anyone still clinging to 2011 is deluding themself at this point."
Comments
Except I cannot access it in their new business model, which to me seems odd. Im not about to run about spewing how I should get this and that for free, but lets face it, this entire f2p switch is a marketing move to get both new and returning subscribers to head into the game and see what is new, get them hooked and eventually turn them into subscribers. As a level 80, 95% of the content for me rests in Khitai, and without the ability to even enter it I am unable to see any of the changes they have made to the expansion zone, a zone that when it launched was buggy as hell, had loading screens that went into oblivion and consisted mostly of the same faction grind quests over and over.
If you roll around the EU forums you will see their reasoning for this, which is mainly to stop free players from achieving gear equal to that of T2 and T3, and I am perfectly fine with this explanation. However, why did they just not do what they did in the Hyborian zones and block off the dungeons from non paying subscribers and possibly limit factions to rank 1 or 2. This way returning subscribers can see the new changes, try the zone but are still blocked from competing with subscribers and still hit that wall that they will need to subscribe.
To me completely blocking you off from the level 80 content is just not a smart move to getting returning subscribers back. Especially when I sit in chat and see that all but 1 of the Khitai 6 mans are bugged. Does not give an overly comforting want to resubscribe.
My Guild Wars 2 Vids
AoC's cash shop is way too expensive. Only half the bag space? 2 Gold limit? No access to the full open world? No access to all lowbie dungeons? No access to sieges?
Come on... I'm kinda enjoying the game at the moment and wouldn't mind spending money in their item mall, but not the way they have it right now. If their plan is to get f2p to convert to a sub, it's not gonna work for me (and I'm sure many others). This game just isn't worthy of a sub for me. I would pay for certain things and continue to play once in a while, though.
If it's revenue they're after, I'm afraid their F2P system is not gonna work in their favor at all. I don't think AoC has enough of a sub paying player base for them to be acting like it's so great that f2p players might as well sub.
I feel if they ease up on the restrictions and prices they will make more money and more players. Just my opinion.
For me its the proverbial swings and roundabouts some things are better in AOC unchained like the fact that you get all content bar a few dungeons upto lvl80, whereas in LotRO you have to buy quest packs, In LotRO you can grind out TP for buying stuff later, but as Mav says its an insane grind, but in AOC you are given all the usual content you'd spend your ground out TP on anyway namely quests packs in LotRO, so AOC unchained is more about charging for premuin content like raids and access to Khitai. In EQ2x you are limited as you cannot buy an unlock to highist tier level spells which you will need in the high level areas in Norrath and it costs to access the auction house. I feel LotRO and AOC are very similar while EQ2x is the most restricting, IMO that is, EQ2x shot themselves in the foot by not making all the servers f2p but thats SOE for ya, one strange company all around
My only problem is the fact that you have to buy a slot increase and class if you want to keep your existing classes which makes some extra classes quite expensive, that makes it 15E/$20/£13.50 for a premium class, though luckily my two classes are both premium so I could just roll one of the free ones and just buy the slot.
This doom and gloom thread was brought to you by Chin Up the new ultra high caffeine soft drink for gamers who just need that boost of happiness after a long forum session.
Sigh....how can everyone argue against the F2P model? I am just really happy that I can play for FREE up to max level cap! If I like the game....well, then I subscribe and everything is solved! And the cost is like....a shirt or some hamburgers each month for something that I enjoy? As I said....I don't see the problem here! It is the same cake as it was before and now when they give you a piece of the cake for free, then everyone just wants more from it! Just play the game for a long time, for free, and then later on subscribe if you want to enjoy some more. You can't get a tasty cake like this entierly for free!
Maverick, this is not against you....I am just agreeing with you!
To level cap, AoC definitely wins...it's completely free. It's end-game and competition (my main draw to AoC) where things start falling apart. I'm a lvl80 DT, and under the F2P model, I can't do a single thing in this game without a huge up-front investment. Even though I've already paid cold hard cash for the Khitai expansion, I can't quest there for faction points, I can't earn AA, and I cant run any end-game raids. There is literally nothing for me to do at this point, even gold farming is out of the quetion with the currency cap in place. So for me (and every other F2P player that eventually reaches this point), it's definiately cheaper to just subscribe, which I don't want to do, especially considering Funcom's notorious billing practices.
Now, in defense of LOTRO, what some people fail to realize is that a lot of people are OK with spending SOME money in a F2P game. This is where Turbine excels. They have priced things that, in combination with the ability to earn free TP, makes it very reasonable to essentially unlock a lifetime account. I know, because I've done so for less than $50.
Yeah I get that your getting the vanilla game for free and that is nice, However with Turbines models you can buy the content you want own it giving you an option outside of the just 'sub' idea, lets face it this game could hold subs in the first place it wouldn't be going freemium. While most freemium models give you the options of purchasing chunks of content this model is you can rent some dungeons/raids or you can sub.
I think as models go this one is gonna miss the boat on attracting the alternative money where people can buy some content experience the content at there own pace then when the time is right buy another chunk.
That being said I have full intention to play for free to max-level however once i'm there if I'm still faced with the subscribe or rental mode for end game content I will most likely be done.
Nice sum up Torvaldr. I'd would pretty much agree with all that.
One thing I would add is that if you're more of a soloer, I'd lean toward Turbine games, and EQ if you are more of grouper.
I bought the expansion and the original game a long time ago, I have 3 character slots (like 8 characters though lol) and access to all classes, open areas, and old dungeons. I have yet to try the newer dungeons yet. I have to find a guild to go raid in first hehe....fyi anyone on Set looking for a level 80 Guardian with ~12 years tanking expirience
FYI all epic book content in LOTRO is in fact free to play up to max level. However questing past level 30 is split into quest packs, each containing a zone full of quests (about 75 -200 quests per pack). Tasks are also free in every zone, but these are simple 'gather trash from mobs' quests, not really exciting. It is possible to grind questpacks without paying a dime, however it would indeed be not very fun at all. It is hard for free players in LOTRO to get past 30, that's certain. Myself, having multiple max level characters from past 4 years, after going FTP I managed to easily buy and play most quest packs and other stuff merely by earning in-game points and not spending a penny (that includes successful hardcore raiding on top tier). You do make a LOT points having multiple characters on high levels, however that does not apply to new players, obvlously. They will hit a wall around 30, and be forced to go back and finish deeds to earn points for next quest pack, (which isn't really fun i.e kill 120 spiders..) or spend real money to avoid mindless and pointless mob grind.
Currently I'm trying out AoC and loving it. Can't say much about the FTP system here yet, but so far (lev 21) I haven't found any significant walls. I love my cliche barbarian, so don't mind the lack of classes. We will see how the road to 80 will look.
One thing that I can say is, that Turbines FTP system is perfect for former subscribers, if they played a lot before, now they can pretty much play for free, unlocking nearly everything by just playing with minimal grind. Worked for me
At least until I got finally bored of Turbine's inability to fix broken stuff and provide interesting content/mechanics. They also push the store way too much in your face and sell things they really shouldn't. Not to mention they bend their promises and spin half truths and misinformation into all they say and do, which just sickens me. So I ceased playing, for now, until they change their ways.
My Guild Wars 2 First Beta Weekend "reviewette" : http://www.mmorpg.com/discussion2.cfm/post/4944570/thread/349125#4944570
I downloaded and installed AoC today. But I think I'm going to uninstall it without even playing.
Reading the forums reminded me how much these "free to play" MMOs make me unhappy. If a company makes a top-notch MMO I will happily subscribe and play. But now we have the phenomenom of failed subscription MMOs trying to resurrect themselves as "free to play". The reality is that the entire game is now structured to cleverly soak you for as much cash as possible without pissing you off enough to make you quit.
The worst part is when monthly subscribers do not even get access to all the game features. You pay your $15 a month and then you still need to buy additional features. The old philosophy of MMOs was that your monthly sub was paying for a steady stream of upgrades, new content and improvements. But once a company moves to the cash shop model everything gets sliced and diced into items for the store and they start charging subscribers for items and features.
In the future I'll pay a monthly fee to play a very high quality MMO. I might even consider playing a fun MMO that uses a pure cash shop model. But I'll never play these wretched hybrid subscription/cash shop games.
So goodbye Age of Conan. I bought your game ages ago. I played it for awhile and quit because it was not worth a monthly fee. You aren't going to suck me back in with a manipulative and miserable "free to play" structure.
After hearing about this problem for years and playing AoC on various servers, I'm pretty much convinced that this problem only occurs this dominantly on US servers and this only on specific servers, namely the PvP servers and the servers the PvP crowd from Tyrannis migrated to. I read that Wiccana was quite alright, and in my experience the EU servers certainly aren't any worse than other MMO's, in some cases even a lot better.
The ACTUAL size of MMORPG worlds: a comparison list between MMO's
The ease with which predictions are made on these forums:
Fratman: "I'm saying Spring 2012 at the earliest [for TOR release]. Anyone still clinging to 2011 is deluding themself at this point."
This is totally a PvP server issue and is not an AoC only problem. You will find just as many offensive PvP players in other games, the difference with AoC is that it has a greater focus on PvP than most AAA MMOs, so its more obvious.
On the PvE servers though the community is really nice, I've played on and off for awhile and never had issues, in fact its one of the few MMOs I've found that has good, polite, public raiding, and a lot of it.
I can't even begin to understand why people say LoTRO has the best F2P scheme. You're all but forced to use the cash shop post level 30. Is your favorite class not for free in AoC? Pay the small fee and unlock the class. You won't have to pay another dime until you're at the max level.
This is totally a PvP server issue and is not an AoC only problem. You will find just as many offensive PvP players in other games, the difference with AoC is that it has a greater focus on PvP than most AAA MMOs, so its more obvious.
On the PvE servers though the community is really nice, I've played on and off for awhile and never had issues, in fact its one of the few MMOs I've found that has good, polite, public raiding, and a lot of it.
I have to disagree with this. I have only played on the PVE servers (Set more than the others) and I have to say that I found the community to be the absolute worst that I have ever encountered on any MMO that I have ever played.
I absolutely agree. People always talk so highly of the LOTRO model, but it's one of the most restricting models out there. You can't do half the stuff without spending money or grinding points (and in that case the grinding is just insane).
In AoC and for example Champions Online you can level up to max level without paying anything and get the most out of it while still being able to enjoy the game as a true free player. :P
Like said, this doesnt describe the situation on the servers I've played on on EU side at all, and I'm highly doubtful that this is how it was and is on the Wiccana server, or the other PvE servers on the US side before PvP players started to play on them after Bori.
In fact, I'd say that I've met some of the best server communities in AoC (eg Corinthia, Aquilonia server) in the 10 years I've played MMO's.
The ACTUAL size of MMORPG worlds: a comparison list between MMO's
The ease with which predictions are made on these forums:
Fratman: "I'm saying Spring 2012 at the earliest [for TOR release]. Anyone still clinging to 2011 is deluding themself at this point."
Yea I agree with you on this. MMO site should rephrase AOC, LOTRO and DDO as F2T ( Free to try ) instead of F2P.
Pardon my English as it is not my 1st language
A company, wanting to generate revenue, expand its customer base and increase their bottom line through marketing, THE AUDACITY!!!!!
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I have characters on both Set and Wicconia in the US. I'm not seeing this community problem. Of course there are the usual global tards but you see those in every game.
Can always start a character there and judge for yourself. Out of curiosity, is your main issue from the chat or actual players in the world?
Yeah, I've long learned to ignore chat, not just in this game but in all mmos that I have played. I suppose I'm just so used to the general chat tards that it doesn't phase me anymore.
Unless they suddenly changed their cash shop from what it was, each individual class was 750 Funcom points. For the first few days, the Bear Shaman was 1,500 points, so that's how it was pretty obvious it was 750 Funcom points per class, not 750 for for all of them combined.
So that's ~$50 to unlock all the classes. I'd go back to check prices in the cash shop to see if the prices have changed yet again,, but I already uninstalled the bejesus outta that game. LOL.
the big difference is that in lotro and ddo you can earn points to spend in the store through in game grinding so it is possible to open up the game without spending vast amounts of money. I managed to level a toon to max and can now raid with it whenever I want for free for the price of 2 months of subscription. £20
AoC the only way to earn points is through paying cash for them. for how much I spent on lotro to play for free whenever I want I can only get 4 classes unlocked in aoc
Well I thought I would give Funcom another chance with this unchained version, after the initial release, where I PURCHASED a game with broken end game content (PvE & PvP) surrounded by lying developers with their marketing spin, I didn’t even play for more than 2 weeks, never felt so ripped off by a game in my entire gaming life, but returning to the game has just shown me how OUT OF TOUCH Funcom are with gamers and the current market for MMO’s.
Unchained is basically a taste for new players to see if they enjoy the game, which is fair enough, but for the sceptical gamers like myself who have been burnt by Funcom once will not spend money to test the things that were originally broken.
The current impression I got was, that there is an extremely low player base which in turn means virtually no PvP mini games going on and sieges seemed none existent when talking to “Subbed” players, an overpriced cash shop and a overly gimped F2P model.
It's a taste where players can see all the areas and do all the quests of the original game from level 1 to level 80, and can access half the dungeons of the original game, all this without paying a single dime or grind a single hour to have these unlocked.
I counted 1600 concurrent players (simultaneously logged in) on Fury and 2400 on Crom, that's more than on most high population servers in other MMORPG's. Of course, half of those were in the levels 1 to 30 which was to be expected with the F2P move only happening last week.
The ACTUAL size of MMORPG worlds: a comparison list between MMO's
The ease with which predictions are made on these forums:
Fratman: "I'm saying Spring 2012 at the earliest [for TOR release]. Anyone still clinging to 2011 is deluding themself at this point."