Annual Expansion?

Would you buy an Annual Expansion of CoH?
What would you expect from one?
If you would (wouldn't), Why? (Why not?)

For an annual paid expansion I would expect them to stop giving us free 3/4 monthly issues with nice juicy content and save it all for the once annual.

I would expect some addendum to the subscription model to compensate, to entice people into buying it.

The other (WoWier option) is to keep the same subscription model and instead make players characters/IOs etc obsolete by a large margin, effectively forcing people into buying the expansion.

Froman expectation of content - a dozen or so new costume sets, 1 new powersets for each AT, 1 proliferated powerset. New end game and mid game Task Forces. Some QoL stuff in there, though hopefully basic QoL and bug fixes wouldnt take a year between stuff. New Zones.

Basically my biggest expectation would be that I simply would not like it. Theres not alot that could be done to make the majority of people think "oh hey, hat i used to get as part of my sub spread out during the year, I now get to pay for as well as my sub, and get once a year".

So seriousl yhappy this will remain a hypothetical thing unless of course the Devs, on completion of Going Rogue annouce Going Into Space, and then when that releases in a year announce Going Undersea

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Originally Posted by VoodooGirl [*]Watching out for the Spinning Disco Portal of D00M!*

I would buy it simply because I buy two of everything these guys make. It's like a reflex. Sometimes I don't even realize I'm doing it.

Would I buy an annual expansion of CoX?
Probably. I end up getting their super boosters as it is.

What would I expect from an annual expansion?
Most of the stuff that we get for free, plus some of the stuff that we can pay for now, at an overall higher price.

If I did or did not buy the annual expansion, why or why not?
Because I like the content.
Because I buy the superboosters already.
As a subscription service I'm already used to regularly paying to play the game.

Do I want annual expansions?
Hell no. I'm perfectly happy with the way it is now, with free stuff every so often, and extra bonuses that you can get if you so choose.

I'd like to say that I would quit if the game went to an annual paid expansion instead of two to four free updates a year.

However, I know how stuck I am on this game, so I would likely pay for it anyway, even though I would not like it at all.

"I already bought the game, you expect me to pay $15 a month to play it, and you're still going to charge me for your updates???"

See also: WoW. (Although it's only been three expansions in six years.) I buy the expansions because I want to be able to play the whole game, not because I want to buy the expansions...

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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.

It wholly depends on what was in the expansions and their price.

But considering I've picked up every expansion and special edition w/bonus stuff I could get my hands on thus far, there's a good chance I would pick up any expansions they put out.

Put me down in the "depends on the details" column. I certainly wouldn't want to see this at the expense of the regular free updates.

LEGION OF VALOR - Be a part of the Legend!

I like my City subscription method just the way it is, thanks.
Although, I wouldn't mind the introduction of some sorta discount for buying yearly subscriptions for 5 accounts simultaneously. That would help me out a lot financially, and also secure my patronage of this game (on 5 accounts) for another year. Also being able to purchase bundles of the boosters at reduced price. That'd help me too.

But that's NCSoft's territory, isn't it? The Paragon Studios Devs don't really have any control over that, do they?

id rather them take their time with an expansion and make it the best they can and not suck to a common or in a way short dead line

I'd buy an annual expansion, however, I would be concerned more about the potential newcomers rather than the veterans. Stack too many paid expansions, and the potential players see a massive cost up front to have any chance to truly participate. In comparison, we've been chipping at the cost for years.

I think CoH did it right the first time by creating a whole new game, CoV, allowing the new players to buy either one and have a complete game. Eventually, the merger benefitted all. I'm not certain how that "new game" concept could be done year after year, but it would allow for gradual adaptation by newcomers.

As to what I'd expect in a paid expansion? multiple new zones, at least one new powerset, graphics/audio upgrades, and definitely more endgame content. In addition, I'd personally like to see each expansion focus on a hero group and/or a villain group that has previously only been talked about. The Midnight Squad is the perfect example of how it could be done. Why not give the in-depth treatment to the Regulators, for instance?

No. Prior to Going Rogue, every player has access to every zone and every AT in the game simply by buying one retail box. Everybody gets the free issue updates. Except for a few non-game-changing frills in the booster packs (costumes, emotes, fluff temp powers). every customer has access to the whole game. COH is not only casual player friendly, it's wallet friendly.

One of the big reasons I continually turn down friends who invite me to play WOW with them is because in order to play with them I'm looking at having to buy not only the retail box just to get into the game, but what -- three? four? -- expansions. In the reverse situation, my friends coming over to COH, they'd only have to shell out for one box -- $9.99 if they pick up an discounted older version at Big Lots or somewhere like that. They'd instantly (well, instantly after the hefty initial download) have all the game I have.

Additionally, annual expansions with exclusive zones would segregate the game population some describe as too low. If they're too low now, imagine further dividing them into haves and have-nots. Forming teams would be more difficult: "Who here can has Expansion 2011? Oh, sorry, Doc Hornet ... we're gonna have to drop you from the team because everybody else wants to run the Almighty Dollar arc over in ExpansionLand." When GR's Praetoria opens up, the non-GR buyers are going to find themselves temporarily in the legacy COH/COV ghetto, teaming with what few other non-GR losers are around while the GR buyers are off in the exclusive area enjoying the new shiny. That isn't the COH game I know.

I see the Going Rogue expansion as a one-time necessary evil -- a means for Paragon Studios to capitalize a ramp up of staff for much needed changes to the game's tech. I'd be quite unhappy if it became their normal business model.

Sign me up for the 'Keep it to Free Issues' camp of thought.

Although I disagree with Doc Hornets 'ghetto' analogy. Even when GR comes out there will be 1) the characters that dont change sides, 2) the characters that DO change sides and wind up simply in the other city, 3) the newbie Praetorian 20s who, according to Dev comments, have to visit the 'normal world' at level 20 (for how long's anyones guess, we just got told that its at 20)
So, Paragon and the Rogue Isles aint just gonna magically empty. It's not like WoWs ma-hoosive empty deserts and stuff.

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Originally Posted by Zwillinger GG, I would tell you that "I am killing you with my mind", but I couldn't find an emoticon to properly express my sentiment.

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Originally Posted by Captain_Photon NOTE: The Incarnate System is basically farming for IOs on a larger scale, and with more obtrusive lore.

I'm all for more paid expansions. I think there are some big projects they could do that might only be do-able through paid expansions. (IE Expanding the shadow shard.) But I really like my several issues a year for free, and I'm not sure the Devs have the time or man power to do both.

For instance, Going Rogue, while I'm sure it will be epic, has cut into our free updates already. It's already July practically, the year is half over and we've only had one, relatively small (Though very cool) issue this year and that was a long time after the previous issue back in October. It's definately a much slower rate while their working on GR.

Fore the record: I'm not complaining.

Concurrently with massive expansions like i9,i10,1i11,i12 within 1 year? Yes.

Concurrently with more minimal expansions like many of those since? No.

Since i13, the first expansion with hints of GR implementation, issues have come slower and smaller. There are huge things like power customization and MA, but nothing as revolutionary to core mechanics or content loaded as i9-i12, and, other than power customization, each of the issues has been very unpolished, to make an understatement.

Using GR to add staff that can create more expansions would be welcome, but not diverting much of the team's efforts to a huge release.

would i buy it? eh, i buy everything coh anyhow. but there would be a significant change from what we see even now. gr clearly had a long lead up and it did seem to affect the size of the issues, so going into a permanent cycle of them would mean that issues would go to be gone. and that would need to be reflected in a change in the price. Yes i know that technically the sub price is for server access, but the reality is that for 15 a month, we expect continued development, and acces included therein. but as is aid, i enjoy coh, and i would likely keep up with what is going on in it, so i woudl buy it, but the idea would make me nervous. i think it would lose people and not gain new ones to replace them.

Take the Magic: The Gathering 'What Color Are You?' Quiz.

I would not buy an Annual Expansion. And if they were basically required, I would stop playing.

That being said, I would expect a yearly, paid expansion to offer MUCH more than the issues do. Most of the issues have only offered minor QoL updates and some new powers and missions. Not some thing I would pay for.

At least two new power sets would be a requirement. But to be honest, if I was paying for it, I would probably expect a new archetype out of it every couple of years. Each one would need at least one new zone per side, all with multiple story arcs and a new Task or Strike Force.

Like I said, I wouldn't even play if they changed the game so much that it would be pointless to play with out them, but at the same time they would need to do just that. The market and AE are major changes, and I would expect each expansion to come out with things like that, which actually change the game and don't just add fluff that's cool for a couple months.

If there was an expansion, of course I would buy it.

Yet, since GR has been on the cards regular issues have been smaller. I17 gave us a new story arc, but compared to previous issues it really wasn't much. Having said that, I love Ultra mode, but I wish I had new content to use it on

I would if it didn't reduce the amount of free content we regularly get via Issues, but I don't think that's possible.

the problem with that is that new players don't know about the free updates... returning players though...

Well, if new players honestly don't know about free updates, then the marketing team should just sell that point more strongly in their advertisements. Right, I know. We need a marketing team first.

Even still, if I were a new player, I would be repulsed by being /forced/ to purchase additional content just to play the game.
For example: I have not bought the add-ons for Heroes of Might and Magic: V. I really liked the basic game itself, and enjoyed some time playing online. Then they introduced the two expansions, and all the online players migrated to a version of the game I couldn't play. I had no interest in shelling out money when they could have kept the expansions backwards compatible.

In an MMO, community drives a large portion of the playerbase. Forcing players to purchase expansions might generate the company more money than free content . . . but I suspect they'd be losing more players, rather than attracting more.
Personally, I think it may end up being a regrettable decision to tie Incarnates to Going Rogue. And if I actually cared about "end game" content, I'd probably make a fuss about it to.

What I think the Devs _ARE_ doing correctly with Going Rogue, though, is making it a "levels 1 to 20" add-on. Coupled with the game's already alt-friendly nature, this expansion shouldn't be alienating any existing customers who aren't inclined or able to purchase the add-on.