Great game, with one major drawback...
By
Acyl,
Posted on: 2009-06-05 22:28 in CoH and CoV General Discussions
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At heart, all of you agree with me. A one time fee would be far better. You may be ridiculing it, there's nothing wrong with the idea. The continuous fee is more ridiculous than the idea to replace it with a one-time fee.
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Well, if I understand correctly, there's been two arguments so far:
Not all players want a lifetime sub: Plenty of people wouldn't want this model. The lifetime subs that LoTRO and other games offer...are very expensive.
It's a LOT of money at once. If you're not sure you'll be sticking with a game, why pay that kinda cash? And since MMOs go bust all the time, it's a bit of an iffy investment even if you love the game. Better to pay a little one month at a time, and see how things go.
Of course, we're assuming lifetime subscriptions will be expensive. Maybe they don't have to be. The game could be something like Guild Wars, where the price of the box gives you indefinite access. But then we get to the problem of...
A workable business model for the company: If the developers can't get enough cash, there's no game for any of us to play. We may not like their prices. We may wish that it were free - but it ain't gonna happen.
Guild Wars sold frequent expansions. That's how they earned cash. Most 'free to play' MMOs make money by selling items.
City of Heroes? Historically, 'expansion' content has been free. 'course, the devs have recently started selling us little perks and costumes for cash, as well as character slots and so on. We've got a paid expansion coming soon.
Can that replace subscriptions as an income stream? Probably not. And besides, a lot of CoH players are upset about some of the new cash perks and even the upcoming expansion. They don't WANT to pay additional cash for stuff. Just a monthly fee...
@Acyl
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This game is great
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Yes it is, and isn't that a good enough reason to spend a little money? 
I used to be very sceptical of the idea of a monthly subscription to any game - I'd played a couple of free-to-play MMOs and... well, they were fun, but nothing I'd spend money on. Then I tried CoH.
At the worst possible time, in retrospect. I didn't have a lot of free time that fortnight to spend on it and never really got past level 10 or so. Even so, there was enough in that 2 weeks to bring me back - exploring all over Mercy (I spent a lot of time climbing around the roofs, don't know why... just felt like the thing to do), my first sewer team (I remember being sooo impressed seeing an energy blaster using an AoE on a big group of enemies) and the Rikti invasion of Kings Row.
That was really what brought me back. I figured any game that would, seemingly at random, turn the sky green and flood a zone with alien invaders was a game that would hold my interest.
It's worth it. If you enjoy the low levels of a trial account you're sure to enjoy the higher levels. It only gets better.
Post deleted by Moderator 08
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Only read half the thread so I apologize if this has already been brought up.
I'm going to assume since you brought LotRO up that dropping $300 for a game is not only something you can afford, but something you desire to do.
If that's the case then get a 1 year sub, $143 if I recall. After 2 years you've spent $286. That's less than $300 and most people seem to take a 6-12 month break after playing for 2 years, if they come back at all.
With a lifetime subscription you aren't getting anything more real than a with a monthly subscription if the game goes belly up.
A lifetime sub is good for 2 things:
1. Screwing the Devs out of cash if you really really love this game (which if you really really love this game you don't want to do).
2. Letting you several years from now think to yourself, "Hey, I haven't played COH in years and I used to really enjoy it. I wonder what it's like these days." Then you go log on and play for a little bit until you find that at it's core the game hasn't changed. You get bored and go away until the cycle repeats.
But guess what, you can already do that. Two, sometimes three times a year they have reactivation weeks where people who had accounts get to play for a week, free. They'll email you about it no work on your part required.
So, in summary. Pay for 1 year subscriptions (you get to choose that when you set up your billing) and then after two years only play during reactivation weeks. Gives you everything a lifetime sub would with less cost and more control.
Enjoying every AT in the game.
Remember the Golden Rule: Skill > Build
Leader of the True Blues on Liberty
As an example, would $300 upfriont for Auto Assault been a good Deal ?
How about Tabula Rasa ?
Meanwhile $15 a month is less than my cable TV, my internet, my phone service, my housing association dues.
Im by no means on a low, fixed income and can easily budget for the game, but I certainly feel I get value for money.
I also pay annually, which reduces the overall cost significantly.
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At heart, all of you agree with me. A one time fee would be far better. You may be ridiculing it, there's nothing wrong with the idea. The continuous fee is more ridiculous than the idea to replace it with a one-time fee.
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$15 a month is dirt cheap entertainment. Going to see a movie can cost $10 or more for just 2 hours worth of entertainment. MMOs are $15 for unlimited access.
If it were a pay once and that's it deal, there wouldn't be free content like we have now. A lot of the recent Issues have had game changing features / QoL changes.
I have no problem at all with the monthly fee setup we currently have.
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Another thing to note is I spend WAY less on buying new games because of my involvements with MMOs. A game getting me to drop $60 nowadays has to be pretty good.
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I'll give the OP a 9/10 for getting maximum results with a minimal effort. It's actually quite impressive how easily you strung them along with so few strokes of a keyboard. Near perfect. Good job!
Are you implying the OP is a troll?
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At heart, all of you agree with me. A one time fee would be far better.
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False. Do NOT presume to speak for me.
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Nor me.
Eco.
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I love giving this company money for this game. I love it so much I have multiple accounts.
So, NO I don't agree with the OP.
As far as I'm concerned if the company were to suddenly offer a lifetime membership it would be a sign that they are not going to develop anything else for the game and they are in fact gearing down and will let it die off.
A lifetime membership at this point is an announcement that the end of the game is near and it's time to start looking for something else to play.
Edit: Fixed typo.
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At heart, all of you agree with me.
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This is one of the best arguments I've ever seen. No matter how many people disagree with you or give reasons, you simply claim that they actually do agree with you, they just don't want to admit it.
*clap* I've nary seen a better "I'm still right!" argument.
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Originally Posted by PRAF68_EU
Dispari has more than enough credability, and certainly doesn't need to borrow any from you.
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Troll or no, he brought up a legitimate topic and has even engaged us in discussion about it.
disagreeing with his position doesn't make him a troll.
Enjoying every AT in the game.
Remember the Golden Rule: Skill > Build
Leader of the True Blues on Liberty
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Troll or no, he brought up a legitimate topic and has even engaged us in discussion about it.
disagreeing with his position doesn't make him a troll.
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Why are you addressing me? I only asked The Player if that was what he was implying. If you want to confront someone then address the person that made the implication, not the person asking for clarification.
Let's see...
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he brought up a legitimate topic
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Start a fire...
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and has even engaged us in discussion about it.
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...and come by occasionally to stoke it when it starts to die down.
You're right, he's not a troll, he's a Boy Scout working on a merit badge, and he's doing a GREAT JOB! 
Keep up the good work buddy, you'll have that sash filled in NO TIME and soon you'll get to be an EAGLE SCOUT!
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reword what? we just had this discussion with a guy who wanted the fee to be lowered to $10/month because he doesn't know how to budget his money.
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That was the guy that told us that each month he spends
$50 yr/ $4.17 mth - Xbox live
$10 mth - Phantasy Star Universe
$10 mth - PSU
$15 mth - WoW
$150 mth - Alcohol/Restaurants
$20 mth - Adult entertainment
$40 mth - Maid service
$60 mth - SF4, Fightpad, Defense Grid, Castle Crashers, SSF2THDR
$100 mth - Gambling
$60 mth - Movie Theatres
$25 mth - on credit reports
$15 mth - CoH
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$509.17
even tho he only has $900 a month from disability to live off of.
And he has trouble paying his expenses, Who'd have guessed that.
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AdventureQuest.
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A Flash game one plays on their internet browser. Um, no.
I should have been more clear what I meant by subscription.
"A purchase made by signed order, as for a periodical for a specified period of time or for a series of performances."
Basically, I'm only talking about MMO's that have subscription options of either a monthly fee or lifetime one-time payment. I didn't know that LotR even offered that, so duly noted.
If you are that much against a subscription then just go with Guild Wars. I don't see CoX ever adding a Lifetime Subscription option.
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Post Deleted by Moderator_08
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Actually - I started out playing COH purely on a fluke. Picked it up cheaply at walmart, but was of the "Why would I want to keep paying for a game I've bought already?" mindset. But it was cheap enough ($20 for the COH CE, Issue 3) that I figured, what the heck.
And we got content updates. And a bunch of people running around. Servers to keep running. And a continually evolving game (in terms of powers, zones, and storyline.)
Lifetime subs? Well, I wouldn't have bought one then (put out $200-$300 for a game I hadn't tried, when I can burn through a $50 in a few hours? Insanity!) and the monthly fee is still cheap NOW. Lifetime fees - let's see, Hellgate: London, Founders sub. That was a gamble that was sure *lost* by the people who did it. (Actually, just buying the game was a big loss.) Tabula Rasa? Dead. LOTRO? Under the radar, though it's still going.
And guild wars? I *have* GW. They're more like Diablo II with servers hosting the towns. You go out into the world and see NPCs and whoever you hauled along. They are nothing like a traditional MMO, and sure haven't delivered content updates like a real one. (Not to mention, IMHO, it's exceptionally *boring.*)
$15/mo for continual upkeep, keeping the servers going, keeping content coming in and keeping the game alive - it's cheap.
to the OP,
if $15 a month is too much to swing, i would make the assumption that any free time you have would be better spent making more money. really, it's a pittance in the grand scheme of things, and if you can't swing it, that means you shouldn't be wasting time on mmo's. you should be working on furthering your career.
Oh yeah, that was the time that girl got her whatchamacallit stuck in that guys dooblickitz and then what his name did that thing with the lizards and it cleared right up.
screw your joke, i want "FREEM"
The monthly fee is for server access. It's the smart way to make money in today's file-sharing world and it's not going away anytime soon.
Bill even posted here??
Okay, I give in..... here you go, OP, you've earned it! 
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Post Deleted by Moderator_08
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Actually - I started out playing COH purely on a fluke. Picked it up cheaply at walmart, but was of the "Why would I want to keep paying for a game I've bought already?" mindset. But it was cheap enough ($20 for the COH CE, Issue 3) that I figured, what the heck.
And we got content updates. And a bunch of people running around. Servers to keep running. And a continually evolving game (in terms of powers, zones, and storyline.)
Lifetime subs? Well, I wouldn't have bought one then (put out $200-$300 for a game I hadn't tried, when I can burn through a $50 in a few hours? Insanity!) and the monthly fee is still cheap NOW. Lifetime fees - let's see, Hellgate: London, Founders sub. That was a gamble that was sure *lost* by the people who did it. (Actually, just buying the game was a big loss.) Tabula Rasa? Dead. LOTRO? Under the radar, though it's still going.
And guild wars? I *have* GW. They're more like Diablo II with servers hosting the towns. You go out into the world and see NPCs and whoever you hauled along. They are nothing like a traditional MMO, and sure haven't delivered content updates like a real one. (Not to mention, IMHO, it's exceptionally *boring.*)
$15/mo for continual upkeep, keeping the servers going, keeping content coming in and keeping the game alive - it's cheap.
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Yeah but my guess is you're not the type of person who goes on forums arguing against having the pay a subscription, so you don't really fall into what I'm talking about. People like the OP have a high tendency to REFUSE to understand something when it's something that is inconvenient for them.
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Troll or no, he brought up a legitimate topic and has even engaged us in discussion about it.
disagreeing with his position doesn't make him a troll.
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Why are you addressing me? I only asked The Player if that was what he was implying. If you want to confront someone then address the person that made the implication, not the person asking for clarification.
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Sorry, I was quick replying (usually I'm better at marking that). I was actually replying to The-Player, who's post is above yours.
Enjoying every AT in the game.
Remember the Golden Rule: Skill > Build
Leader of the True Blues on Liberty
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Sorry, I was quick replying (usually I'm better at marking that). I was actually replying to The-Player, who's post is above yours.
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You hear that Forbin? My post is ABOVE yours!
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Post Deleted by Moderator_08
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Actually - I started out playing COH purely on a fluke. Picked it up cheaply at walmart, but was of the "Why would I want to keep paying for a game I've bought already?" mindset. But it was cheap enough ($20 for the COH CE, Issue 3) that I figured, what the heck.
And we got content updates. And a bunch of people running around. Servers to keep running. And a continually evolving game (in terms of powers, zones, and storyline.)
Lifetime subs? Well, I wouldn't have bought one then (put out $200-$300 for a game I hadn't tried, when I can burn through a $50 in a few hours? Insanity!) and the monthly fee is still cheap NOW. Lifetime fees - let's see, Hellgate: London, Founders sub. That was a gamble that was sure *lost* by the people who did it. (Actually, just buying the game was a big loss.) Tabula Rasa? Dead. LOTRO? Under the radar, though it's still going.
And guild wars? I *have* GW. They're more like Diablo II with servers hosting the towns. You go out into the world and see NPCs and whoever you hauled along. They are nothing like a traditional MMO, and sure haven't delivered content updates like a real one. (Not to mention, IMHO, it's exceptionally *boring.*)
$15/mo for continual upkeep, keeping the servers going, keeping content coming in and keeping the game alive - it's cheap.
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Yeah but my guess is you're not the type of person who goes on forums arguing against having the pay a subscription, so you don't really fall into what I'm talking about. People like the OP have a high tendency to REFUSE to understand something when it's something that is inconvenient for them.
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Well, I've argued a lot of things on the forums in the last four years. My main point there was that I did, indeed, start out with a similar mindset of "This is a ridiculous idea, and while I'll pay this first month, I don't see myself ever paying a subscription. What a stupid concept."
... until I actually sat down and saw what it *did* for me, and for the game.
So, honestly, the people against monthly fees fall into two categories - those who will end up learning what they do and why they're a good thing, and those who will just - as the type you highlighted - refuse to no matter what you show them.
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It's also the model used by some of the bigger games, because while some of those do offer lifetime subscriptions, I know two of those limit them only to people that went from Beta to Launch or bought the Collector's edition, and put everyone else on a monthly subscription.
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In the case of LOTRO, the "Founders" plan allowed people to get the lifetime subscription for $200. Anyone can get it now for $300.
By way of anecdote, I don't know *anyone* who would pay $300 all at once to play an MMO, even if they knew they'd save money in the long run.
[/ QUOTE ] Thats nearly two years of subscribing to get the value you put into it. Theres very few MMOs I play longer than a year at a time.... No way I'd do that. In the case of LOTRO I didn't last 4 months before calling it quits. That would have been money wasted.
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At heart, all of you agree with me. A one time fee would be far better.
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False. Do NOT presume to speak for me.
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Nor me.
Eco.
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