Merging servers.

Seems to me the F2P part (which took me a minute to decipher, I assume it's 'Free to Play') is probably the key issue there. Take something with the base possibilities of D&D and make it free play? Even if it's craptastic, you'll get a lot of folks trying it.

Just saying.

Indeed it means free to play and it deffinatly gets alot of new people trying it that other wise wouldn't. But if it was craptastic people would be spending money on it or as much and wouldnt stick around.

I think alot of people just would rather pay for new content as it comes out or just the stuff they want then be forced into a sub.

I personally think what turbine did was in genious and last second quick thinking to save a game and make it profitable again.

I would personally love if they did such a buisness model here because personally I think paid subscription games have alot less people try them just on principle, where as you have both models free and sub it is best of both worlds is even proven to be succesful.

Ummm... Wow.

I said it took 2.5 hours to get 2 people.

He said he could get a full team. I doubt that, so I comment that I doubt there will even be enough potential (online, correct level, lfg messages that don't exclude the group) people to even possibly do what he is claiming.

Two different numbers are used because we are discussing two different things - the first being the experience I had, and the second being what he is claiming he can do.

I really cannot figure out where you think there is a disconnect.

I think one positive response per hour is a good bare minimum to start at.

I also already said I would consider him a success if he could get 4 people in addition to himself - a lesser feat than he has claimed he can do. How much more specific should I be?

But that's a minimum. If I were to describe what I think would be a good healthy environment for the game - something I would be pleased with - then I like those times when you have to turn people away because there is no room, and you manage to point those random people towards each other, so they can form another team. Optimally, that would be what the game was like - a swarming mass of grouping people.

Ideally, you would log on, flip your LFG and at least 3 people who type slowly would get the "already on a team" message. Sure, that's an absurd fantasy, but it's much better than the idea that you need to "work" to form a group before you can even start playing. Work should only be involved when doing something difficult, not when just getting started.

Dont forget me!!!

I bolded the most important part of your post. If the game had been a real success turbine never would have even considered the new business model. This game is a healthy success so there's no need for NCSoft to make a desperate gamble in the closing hours to save this game.

And for your information that game is not free to play. If you want the full game experience like players get here you still have to get a subscription. Otherwise you have to buy access to everything.

And what would the Free to Play person get if they followed the DDO business model?

4 characters per server. The rest would have to be bought unless they had a subscription. Pre-existing characters over the limit would be locked out unless they had a subscription or they paid real US dollars to unlock them again. I know this for a fact as I have an account whose sub ran out and all but 3-4 characters are locked out.

DDO has restricted races and character classes that you have to buy to play. in this game that would translate to:

Restricted AT's. Archetypes would be limited and players would have to buy them if they wanted to play them. $20. bucks each in DDO

Restricted powersets. Players would have to pay to access additional powerset choices. $20. bucks each in DDO

Restricted costumes. Players would have access to a very limited set of costumes and would have to buy additional items for each seperate character. $6.50 for "x" items.

Costume changes: $6.50

Extra Costume slots: probably match our current $9.99

Extremely limited content. Players in DDO have to buy additional story arcs and task forces. So say goodbye to free updates. Every time something new gets released players would have to buy access to it for each character. That would include access to some of the higher level zones, because in DDO if you haven't bought the story-arc that sends you someplace in a restricted zone, you don't get to go there. In DDO new content costs about $20 bucks

Oh wait you want to have teammates come along with you on that new mission you bought you have to buy permission to temporarily invite people to your team. You can get 2 temporary invites last 60-90 minutes for $6.50

The only way around that is if they already bought the same mission you have for their character or if they have a subscription.

Oh you want a bank storage space? $20 bucks. and that only gets you +20 character slots and +10 global bank slots.

Character Storage: What they call folders/bags costs $6.50 per character.

Want to form a Supergroup? $20 bucks. and all that gets you is the ability to invite people to your SG. Bases won't be included. Furthermore there will be no more earning prestige for bases. Every SG will get a basic floor plan and if they want to expand it will cost money. decorations anf utility are also extra expenses to come out of a players wallet.

Inspirations? Gotta pay cash for them unless you are lucky enough to get them on a drop, and each tier of inspiration would be more expensive than the last. Starting at 5 for $6.50 up to $20 for an awaken or a stack of CoB's

Enhancements? yep they cost real money to.

Salvage will also cost money.

Same with Crafting.

Travel Powers? Yeah you have to buy them seperately in DDO. In that game they are temp powers with a limited number of uses and cost $6.50

Respec's as expected they cost money too.



We would seriously have to question the intelligence of anyone that thinks people would stick around to play this game if they based it on DDO's business model.

Priceless. He can't even understand his own posts.



o.O

Either this poster is totally delusional or he has seriously pissed off nearly every regular player on his server and been globally ignored and blacklisted by them.

I know which one I'm betting my money on.

And that's not perverted HOW?

Clicking on the linked image above will take you off the City of Heroes site. However, the guides will be linked back here.

83,473

Funny thing. I've done that last bit in game multiple times - see "Scrapper LFT!" "Defender LFT!" "Blaster LFT!" within moments of each other, and responded with "There's your team right there. One of you invite the other two and you're good to go."

What happened? (Randomly making up ATs)
"Scrapper LFT!" "Defender LFT!" "Blaster LFT!"
"Scrapper LFT!" "Defender LFT!" "Blaster LFT!"
"Scrapper LFT!" "Defender LFT!" "Blaster LFT!"

Enter mission. Finish mission. Exit mission.

"Scrapper LFT!" "Defender LFT!" "Blaster LFT!"

So... yeah. And I'd almost put money down that at least one of those, at any time, had either ******* to friends or here about "not being able to find a team."
Unless you're starting a TF/SF/Trial or planning on tackling a GM... you don't need to do *anything* besides log in and pick a character "before you can even start playing." Know what else? You can keep checking for people before, during, and after missions. No "work" involved.

See my Guides and Tutorials

I think personally its a good buisness model for any game but thats just my opinion. Wether the game is dying or not cause if it does that for a dying game I just imagine what it would do to a healthy game.

Wrong people can and have made it to lvl cap of 20 without spending a dime, you just have to grind some. But what MMO doesn't have some grind right.

True partly but you can also earn favours to unlock EVERYTHING that is in the DDO store instead of paying cash for it. Just more options for players I think is better. Besides not like your not paying your monthly sub on this game for content.

See again can earn favors in game to unlock everything in the DDO store. I know I sound like a broken record but you just sound like a disgruntled former player that rage quit when they went with the new buisness model

This just makes you look ignorant as heal and mana potions and such drop from boxes and enemys aplenty.

Travel powers in DDO? lol everything is instanced and there is next to no travel and their are still boots and such that give run speed boost, certain amount poer charges

already do what's your point? you think they would take out the respec trials? more likely they would make you unlock them




Question peoples intelligence based on a buisness model that is proven to work? Kettle this black, Hi black /waves

I see that you have no idea what constitutes a proven business model.

City of Heroes has a proven business model that has 6 years of success under it's belt. DDO's business model hasn't reached the 8 month mark yet. That's right they've only been doing the Free to Play thing since September of last year. They are still waiting to see if it will be a success.

The CoX business model has evolved considerably over 6 years. It is far from being a straight subscription based revenue stream.

On a slightly different tangent, I have respect for any MMO that opens up shop and manages to turn a profit these days. It is way harder than it used to be. Suffice to say if CoX launched now in the shape it did back in '04 we would probably be joining the ranks of Tabula Rasa.

I think it goes without saying that things change over time. We've seen a definite shift away from pure subscription based models in the last few years and I well imagine that shift will continue. Whether that means more DDO style systems will be popping up who's to say (they aren't exactly rare). But just like how layered defenses are the best in this game a layered revenue model is probably the best for MMO's as well. Which CoX has already taken steps to moving toward. The 2010 Financial report might be an indication that another step in that direction will be coming at some point too.

CoX has survived and even done well for itself for 6 years, but it has not done so using the same business model the entire time.

No the business model here has evolved, and I do hope the route DDO has chosen to take turns out to be a success because I enjoy that game as a pleasant diversion from here when I need it. But going F2P was a drastic change and it needs more time to pass before it can be considered a success.

Considered a success for DDO? sure.
F2P can work though, the success or failure of DDO isn't the determinant of that revenue model.

The thing to walk away with is the knowledge that when survival (and the various definitions of it) is on the line innovation goes into overdrive.

The fact that they were able to reverse the direction the game was going in (whether permanent or otherwise) is a huge credit to the company. Trend alteration is exceptionally difficult as anyone in marketing will tell you.

Copying someone that started charging for an auxiliary service is great and all, but it is the people that push to carve out survival where survival seemed impossible that truly advance systems.

As fair as it is to say that a F2P+ model needs to prove itself for that particular game it is also fair to say that a straight subscription model is no longer as effective for the industry as a whole as it once was.

Put into another light: If AE had been a raving success and the next step in innovation of MMO's like it was heralded to be, then you would have seen more companies trying to copy it. The fact that by all quantitative standards it has been a complete bomb probably means we won't see other companies spending such considerable resources on similar systems for awhile.

I logged on to Justice last night. It was approximately 10pm Pacific time, so that puts it at 1am Eastern. Justice was fourth in load (approx. equiv. to population), so somewhat low body count.

I was almost instantly invited to a duo, which ballooned to a team of five within 15 minutes.

How did this happen? I /friend characters if I like them. I /gfriend people if we REALLY enjoy playing together. I have a global list of around ...35? people at the moment. Most of my characters have 1-5 more people that are only on the character friend list (meaning I'll probably eventually global friend them, but I'd like more interaction first).

Additionally, I am a part of two cross-server global channels, one of which is NEVER empty. I am also a part of several global channels that are server specific (like Justice For All/JFA, VirtueUnited, etc.), and most of these are also never empty.

Additionally, I invite my teammates to suggest their friends to join. Typically, this ends up with me /friending them (or sometimes even /gfriending them), which expands my list of folks to poke.

I *never* set an LFT flag (unless it is to set it to red). In fact, almost all of my characters utilize /hidesearch to be removed from search lists. I *never* broadcast LFT.

If I want on a team, I can be on a team within half an hour at most. Any server. Any time.

This is the power of friends/global friends/global channels. You should try it some time.

Originally Posted by Dispari I don't know why Dink thinks she's not as sexy as Jay was. In 5 posts she's already upstaged his entire career.

Funny you posted this. I was just on Pinnacle checking something for a post I responded to dowm in the base section and I got 2 team invites from different people during the 5 minutes I was online there.

Sure it has only been 8 months but they have open 2 new servers since. I think that says alot about their buisness model and deffinatly says its succesful if anything. What would you call it?

I suppose it's all a matter of perspective. Although I find "missionary position only on Saturday night and not enjoying it" to be more lazy and unimaginative than perverse.

LEGION OF VALOR - Be a part of the Legend!

Hopeful anticipation.