Trial Account Restrictions Revisited

Hello everyone,

As I've been working with a lot of new players of late (shameless plug for the Mentor Project, link in my sig) and talking to them has me questioning some of the trial restrictions currently in place.

Here's what I'd like to accomplish - I'd like to offer up some of my observations, along with some possible changes and get your feedback. In turn, I'd then make a thread in Suggestions with the finished project.

You can see a list of the restrictions here - http://paragonwiki.com/wiki/Trial_Account

So in no order,

1) The Trial Account/Buy Full Version box. I honestly don't have a problem with this, but if you reposition the box, it will automatically reset to the center of the screen every time you zone or go in/out of a mission.

Personally, I'd prefer that it remembers where I moved the box for each session - in other words, if I logout and login, it should be back to the center of the screen, but if I move it and then zone, it stays where I moved it.

2) The 50k inf limit. To be perfectly honest here, I have no idea if that's appropriate for a lvl 14 toon to buy their enhs and so on. I think so, but maybe someone has some insight on if it should be higher (to say 1mil)?

3) Trial accounts can't walk up to a MA terminal, search for a mission, and then try out a MA mission - they have to ask someone to start a team and invite them.

No problem with them not being able to create a MA mission, but not being able to try one on their own?

On a related note, currently a trial player recieves a note saying "You're unable to acces Architect Entertainment from this location", in case someone asks you what's going on.

4) I'm guessing trial accounts are prevented from sending team invites because of a concern of spammers doing a /i then spamming a /g message, but I wonder how much of a concern that is compared to a couple of friends trying the game out and having to ask for someone to start a team for them.

Comments?

5) On a related note, global channels. As mentioned in my intro post, I run into a lot of new players these days and many are on trials. Until they get the full version, they can't join the Mentor global channel and part of me wonders if this restriction is still necessary.

As it stands, a lot of channels are silence on join or became so when trials could join global channels, to prevent the spamming.

Is this still a concern vs. trial players being able to get involved in what is arguably the most important social activity (as in widespread and everyday part of our in-game social lives) - that of participating in a global channel.

What about adding an option to global channels allowing them to prevent trial accounts from joining?

Any other thoughts?

tl;dr version - I like pie.

I completely disagree with all the restrictions impossed on trial accounts. Impossing them means the RMT'ers win.

somebody obviously wasn't here for those halcyon days of RMT TRIAL ACCOUNT FEVA.

Let's just say there's a reason for all those restrictions.

As for the BUY ME! box making a nuisance of itself....a trial account is basically an advertisement for the game. A certain amount of intrusion is to be expected.

1) I agree with that change, it's pretty minor.

2) Agree with this one too. A set of DOs at level 12 will cost the character over 100k most likely, so the cap should be that high at least. 150k would be a good number for it.

3) No problem with this either.

4) This is the tough one. I'm not completely against it, but there would have to be some other protections in place to keep gold farmers from annoying everyone.

5) Let whoever is in charge of the global channel decide whether they'd like to let trial accounts join or not. Simple solution.

If the purpose of trial accounts is to restrict RMTers from using this mechanism as much as possible, mission achieved.

If the purpose of trial accounts is to get new players interested in playing CoH/V and giving them a streamlined play experience, I don't think the current trial is anywhere near that.

Key to this is the issue of trial accounts not being able to start their own teams. I know of several people who signed up to the CoH/V trial with friends (also on trial accounts) who don't last long when they find they can't team with each other without trying to flag down another player to start the team for them.