When someone logs in for free and sees the world empty, they will not pay for anything. It doesn't matter how good of a deal it is. It doesn't help when a base game is "easy and mindless" this makes it boring.... After 3 hours, uninstall !
Now that I have the main topic out of the way, let me explain:
Someone resurrected a post I made over a year ago on the Lotro forum. The topic goes off on different paths such as Value packs and how to get the most for your money. It also suggest joining one of the many high end Guilds.
I SAY NO !.... This goes for all F2P
-It has nothing to do with value !
-It has everything to do with grabbing your attention !
A F2P game will not grab anyones attention. Joining a high end guild will never help the situation.
A common misconception:
Your all alone in a boring easy game at level 10. Solution, join a Guild and they all come to your aid and make the game fun....This doesn't happen EVER !... Your still all alone in a boring, easy game. It doesn't matter how outgoing your personality is.
Want prof ?
Log into Lotro or ANY F2P GAME and see what happens.
Lets not kid our selfs.... mmorpgs are dead for now
Comments
The problem there is the ideal customer for a P2P is someone who never plays, but pays every month. If they charged by the hour they would lose that market -- at least that was their thinking.
One of greatest logical phalacies: generalization.
All Russians drink vodka heavily.
All Germans are perfectionists.
All Japanese like hentai/anime.
All [enter nation] vote for our party, because other parties are just trash.
The only problem I see in any older game - starter territories. Let us say, lvl.1-7 village. Newbies start here, explore local forest, kill 10 rats, get basic equipment, reach lvl.8, go further...almost never to return.
In Istaria I used to go to New Trismus, stand there, offering help to new players. In Lotro - just ride to Barrows near Bree, see if any player needs help against those hard to kill lvl.20 barghests. Or just ask in World chat: "Anybody needs help with questing?".
Solution 2: join guild that would explain how things work, like: at lvl.9 pick Rose Guard armour, keep untill lvl.12; get Flaming crossbow and swap for Steel bow when you get Steel bow; just do not go to Grumpy Forest, because monsters here are lvl.19 and would one-shot you - instead, go to Stinky Swamp, lots of monsters to kill, nice drops from them.
OP thinks being in a guild means being alone. Depends on player: you may not log to guild chat, stand in some corner. Or you may try to ask, to joke - to socialize, in short. There are global chats - be whatever you want to. Roleplaying person or just grumpy person, kind to all or very unfriendly, even a famous chat troll (ask in Laurelin about Roth...).
http://www.mmoblogg.wordpress.com
Without a cash shop we could not have F2P, which in of itself is a separate the issue. Take Fortnite, you can have a F2P game that only sells outfits. Now that may not last, in fact I find it hard to believe that in another year or twos time that's all it will have. But it goes to show F2P is a separate issue to the cash shop and your up and coming game as a service. My preference would be P2P, a reasonable monthly fee, which in turn means you don't get the here today gone tomorrow butterfly players or at the very least B2P. But that is for different reasons, it really helps in building communities and having decent players and guilds.
To surmise, P2P without a cash shop is a set up which creates best practise, if you don't have a cash shop you can't put dodgy elements into it. But F2P is a separate issue, it can work in some games that are bite sized, but I doubt it will ever work without huge issues in a MMORPG.
Practice doesn't make perfect, practice makes permanent.
"At one point technology meant making tech that could get to the moon, now it means making tech that could get you a taxi."
Beside the game was a subscription game. So weather the game is f2p or subscription don't matter. The game is probably more dead when it is subscription base.
Ask yourself this, in the last ten years have cash shops and F2P got better or worse, what is the direction of travel? But I still play in MMOs where I can get a good guild, in a guild of like minded folks you can make a good game of a MMO despite these changes.
This isn't a signature, you just think it is.
I'm now on my 3rd month playing POE, a F2P game, (which of course I've spent some money, $40) and am not suffering from any issues of loneliness. (Don't play POE without guidance, makes a huge difference)
I did join with some friends, but even as the current league comes to a close I see the group finder board in every town is still active and when trading I rarely have a problem finding people to connect with.
Try playing Runescape sometime, clever game which is full of people. (I did pay for a sub though)
It didn't connect for me as I was overwhelmed with all there was to do and couldn't figure how to proceed. I think with some guidance I could have stuck around.
"True friends stab you in the front." | Oscar Wilde
"I need to finish" - Christian Wolff: The Accountant
Just trying to live long enough to play a new, released MMORPG, playing New Worlds atm
Fools find no pleasure in understanding but delight in airing their own opinions. Pvbs 18:2, NIV
Don't just play games, inhabit virtual worlds™
"This is the most intelligent, well qualified and articulate response to a post I have ever seen on these forums. It's a shame most people here won't have the attention span to read past the second line." - Anon
Im now into SC2 and twitch streaming.
You can see my sci-fi/WW2 book recommendations.
"True friends stab you in the front." | Oscar Wilde
"I need to finish" - Christian Wolff: The Accountant
Just trying to live long enough to play a new, released MMORPG, playing New Worlds atm
Fools find no pleasure in understanding but delight in airing their own opinions. Pvbs 18:2, NIV
Don't just play games, inhabit virtual worlds™
"This is the most intelligent, well qualified and articulate response to a post I have ever seen on these forums. It's a shame most people here won't have the attention span to read past the second line." - Anon
So not unsurprisingly the baulk of the player base which was once dedicated and community orientated became a butterfly population demanding "meaningful" content even if they are only in game for ten minutes a day. That did not happen over night, but it is where it ended up.
You can see my sci-fi/WW2 book recommendations.
This is the tale of how so many games evolved. And many aren't even around anymore. Those that remain, are a shell of their former selves.
POE is a great example, a bit over 2 months in and I've spent $40....on stash tabs....and I now need more.
Meanwhile, my character is a total murder hobo in terms of attire, been wearing this ridiculous looking helm (Deidbell) which looks as stupid as its name. (But the stats are great, can't let it go)
Thought I might buy an outfit, one outfit, whoops, have to pay $42.00 for it....uhh no. OK wait for a sale, put it on watchlist, whoops they sent me an email 2 days ago which I just read today....only $32.00...whoops, was a one day (fking really?) sale.
Hey, how about a nice pet? The three I like would cost roughly $75.00 at full list.
There is no other way to obtain these items in game, you must buy them off the cash shop.
So I go without, again, by having to forgo some of the "fun" unless willing to sink big bucks into not looking like a ragamuffin.
People often say POE is an example of a "good" cash shop, I find it to be one of the worst, even ArcheAges looked better. (As I don't fear "P2W" as much as others)
But hey at least you can play the core content totally free right?
I'd much rather pay a decent sub price and be able to access everything in the game, one way or another.
This pay as you go stuff sux IMO.
"True friends stab you in the front." | Oscar Wilde
"I need to finish" - Christian Wolff: The Accountant
Just trying to live long enough to play a new, released MMORPG, playing New Worlds atm
Fools find no pleasure in understanding but delight in airing their own opinions. Pvbs 18:2, NIV
Don't just play games, inhabit virtual worlds™
"This is the most intelligent, well qualified and articulate response to a post I have ever seen on these forums. It's a shame most people here won't have the attention span to read past the second line." - Anon
Then i only buy things on sale in the shop. I dont use pets as they clutter the screen and i cant have that when playing HC.
Im okay with my chars looking like hobos, i only give them outfits if they hit lvl 75+ or sometimes only at lvl 90.
In terms of stash, you are probably a hoarder, so you get rid of a lot of junk. Also, you could join a guild anf use their stash tabs for non essentials.
Ive played PoE for 1700 hours, ive probably put in $300, fair and easy trade for me. Also, i dont consider cosmetics that much fun, the thrill of not dying with weird builds ans reaching high levels is my fun.
You can gain cosmetics by entering contests or new league accomplishments.
You can see my sci-fi/WW2 book recommendations.
Paywalls in many mobile games make F2P unplayable without spending any money after you reach a point in progression. For me even if I am enjoying a mobile game I usually know eventually there will be a point I can't progression in a fun manner.
Pay to win or pay for advantages. These can just be straight up paid advantages or keys to paywall that allow you to advance faster. I know people say paying to advance faster is not pay to win. When your are talking thousands of man hours likely to achieve what they are paying for it does.
I think cosmetics and other items are ok for some games. MMORPG it just looks more like you are ripping out gameplay features to sell.
I think F2P is fine for attracting players. P2P games often have problems keeping those semi interested player because they don't want to pay for a game they are have little interest in or passing hobby.
I am not sure what business model MMORPG should use. I really don't like any of them except B2P at this point.
The poster above this is just trying to look for free games. Thats the other problem why Guilds will not help low level players.... Cant blame them..... But Hay, If all these mmoprgs suck, can't blame anyone, even the poster above.