Don't go Free to Play(F2P), COH
By
33253,
Posted on: 2010-10-27 07:26 in CoH and CoV General Discussions
I'd edit your post to remove the mention of any other game here. The Community bods are allergic to other games, it makes them break out in hives. Alternative you can switch to a telepathic channel, or possibly mention a steakhouse, although Mod12 apparently hasn't read that memo.
Raising the fees is probably a non-runner, I wouldn't be surprised to see NCSoft announce a F2P model sometime in the future as a response to forthcoming "external pressures".
I think we may be healthier then other things so that model may not be applicable at this time.
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Healthier? Didn't Paragon just fire...I mean layoff talent? RIP BAB!! |
Originally Posted by LISAR
I think we may be healthier then other things so that model may not be applicable at this time.
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Honestly, I feel like I'm about to lose all that I've invested in this game in the next 365 days. Can't you feel it? The purge is coming...
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I dunno, there may or not have been other examples, possibly featuring wee hairy-footed types, which seemed to have been pretty healthy too but which also may or may not have gone down the same route and may have been recently reporting that now they are even healthier. |
Originally Posted by LISAR
I think we may be healthier then other things so that model may not be applicable at this time.
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Allegedly.
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Originally Posted by Residentx10
F2P attracts the worse kinds of people. At the last Trial weekend, I played CoH with some of the rudest people I have ever played with since I've joined the game. Talk heavily about this before you do this with the community. Raise the fees or something...anything but going to F2P model. I beg you!!
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Originally Posted by Residentx10
Healthier? Didn't Paragon just fire...I mean layoff talent? RIP BAB!!
Honestly, I feel like I'm about to lose all that I've invested in this game in the next 365 days. Can't you feel it? The purge is coming... |
CoH has been a solid game for approaching 7 years now. While there may be a chance it'll go F2P sometime in the future that's not something that'll likely happen anytime soon. That's the kind of thing games do when they are close to dying. That "other" game has been close to dying almost as soon as it launched.
Sure it's sad when a game lays off people and it is a matter of concern. But people like BAB have been at this game for many years. For all we know he accepted the layoff willingly as a means to move on to other projects. Let's just say it's far too early to be assuming this game is dying any day now.
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It is a very viable business model, the number of people who are willing to pay $15 every once in awhile for something (Be it a new character slot/race/costume/etc) are far larger than those willing to pay $15 a month for game access.
Brawling Cactus from a distant planet.
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As I posted above the F2P model has been applied in situations where "close to dying" has not been the case.|
Originally Posted by Lothic
Cry Doom much?
CoH has been a solid game for approaching 7 years now. While there may be a chance it'll go F2P sometime in the future that's not something that'll likely happen anytime soon. That's the kind of thing games do when they are close to dying. That "other" game has been close to dying almost as soon as it launched. Sure it's sad when a game lays off people and it is a matter of concern. But people like BAB have been at this game for many years. For all we know he accepted the layoff willingly as a means to move on to other projects. Let's just say it's far too early to be assuming this game is dying any day now. |
I reckon it's a business model NCSoft are looking closely at. Of course with the plethora of expansions and optional packs they are churning out over the last few months they do have their cake and can eat it for the moment.
Given the lack of splash GR seemed to make overall in the gaming community I wouldn't be surprised to see it announced at some point.
The industry may be changing to that model. Only time will tell. All that each of us should ever care about is whether the game is entertaining and worth our time and money in the present.
total kick to the gut
This is like having Ra's Al Ghul show up at your birthday party.
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In that particular case F2P means you are Free 2 Purchase content or sit around doing nothing it is just wasted GBs on my HD. |
Originally Posted by Carnifax_NA
I dunno, there may or not have been other examples, possibly featuring wee hairy-footed types, which seemed to have been pretty healthy too but which also may or may not have gone down the same route and may have been recently reporting that now they are even healthier.
Allegedly. |
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As I said there's always a chance this game will become a F2P game at some point.|
Originally Posted by Carnifax_NA
As I posted above the F2P model has been applied in situations where "close to dying" has not been the case.
I reckon it's a business model NCSoft are looking closely at. Of course with the plethora of expansions and optional packs they are churning out over the last few months they do have their cake and can eat it for the moment. Given the lack of splash GR seemed to make overall in the gaming community (the recent Ugly Sister news has garnered a lot more headlines than the release of GR did) I wouldn't be surprised to see it announced at some point. |
I just don't see it as a near-term possibility.
Perhaps after we see what impact other "related' MMOs have on this game we'll be able to better judge it.
Regardless I'd be amazed to see it happen here any sooner than within a year or so.
Time will tell of course...
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Oh, and as an Euro-in-exile I would LOVE for F2P to become an option so I could revisit my old stomping grounds, since a unified US/EU system seems to be something NCSoft couldn't give much of a toss about resolving.
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It's not crying doom. It's more like selfish concern for MY INTERESTS!|
Originally Posted by Lothic
Cry Doom much?
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Lady Attitude, Diva Attitude, and Dynamica Attitude are my virtual children and I'm concerned about their futures :-)
Moving along, I do have concern for the state of the industry. Too many bad games will/are dilute/marginalizing the good ones. Cryptic is giving a bad name to everyone with the C-Store nonsense. Free will not solve Cryptic's problems. They seem to be avoiding the obvious...richer content.
I don't care if we go F2P or not, but I would like a Lifetime subscription option.
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As I said these things are a matter of concern. A -reasonable- amount of concern...|
Originally Posted by Residentx10
It's not crying doom. It's more like selfish concern for MY INTERESTS!
Lady Attitude, Diva Attitude, and Dynamica Attitude are my virtual children and I'm concerned about their futures :-) Moving along, I do have concern for the state of the industry. Too many bad games will/are dilute/marginalizing the good ones. Cryptic is giving a bad name to everyone with the C-Store nonsense. Free will not solve Cryptic's problems. They seem to be avoiding the obvious...richer content. |
Obviously this game (at least in its present form) will not last forever. At some point it'll either shutdown or evolve into something like "CoH2" or somesuch. I hope it lasts for as long as it can but if it spends its last days under some kind of F2P model that'll hardly be the end of the world.
Some could argue it's already had a great run as is.
Anything more at this point is very much just icing on the cake.
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I know I'm treading real thin ground w/this reply, but here goes...
As to seeing CoX go the F2P model? I personally don't feel the development time to implement system changes to mirror the F2P changes over there would be worth while. While a F2P player would be a glorified trial player, the additional burden on the Market, E-mail, and other background systems might make more problems than anything else. I can't see that as a good thing. It might also open up a new wave of RMT issues on Freedom and Virtue, more than anything else.
I just hope the higher ups at NCSoft look at what they have and know it's a good thing.
Thank you for the time...
@Travlr (Main) / @Tymers Realm (Test) 
City will go F2P. Bet your lungs on it.
We're already halfway there with "booster packs". The other games aren't going this way because they're dying. They're going this way because it works.
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"Even healthier" doesn't mean much. If you were expecting revenue of $1,000,000* and you find yourself making $15,000 then "doubling revenue" to $30,000 via a new system is a success over where you were but it doesn't mean you ever met expectations. Since "other examples" refuse to release any numbers aside from saying they "doubled revenue", I would take any claims of glowing successes with a grain of salt. Stopping the bleeding isn't the same thing.|
Originally Posted by Carnifax_NA
I dunno, there may or not have been other examples, possibly featuring wee hairy-footed types, which seemed to have been pretty healthy too but which also may or may not have gone down the same route and may have been recently reporting that now they are even healthier.
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* Completely imaginary numbers for illustration purposes
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This is thin ground but it's a valid comment. |
Originally Posted by Tymers_Realm
I know I'm treading real thin ground w/this reply, but here goes...
As to seeing CoX go the F2P model? I personally don't feel the development time to implement system changes to mirror the F2P changes over there would be worth while. While a F2P player would be a glorified trial player, the additional burden on the Market, E-mail, and other background systems might make more problems than anything else. I can't see that as a good thing. It might also open up a new wave of RMT issues on Freedom and Virtue, more than anything else. I just hope the higher ups at NCSoft look at what they have and know it's a good thing. Thank you for the time... |
What does the USER get with F2P?
What does the Dev get with F2P?
What is the value of the Lifetime Sub?
Users get less content and have to pay more with F2P
Dev get more money with less content with F2P
Why buy a lifetime sub? A lifetime sub is a manipulation. You Pay now but the future isn't guaranteed. When MMOs go F2P all who bought lifetime subs must be feeling pretty stupid right now. Why pay a dev for content you haven't rec'ved yet?
How is the developer going to give me better content on a pay as you go model if he/she couldn't deliver on the sub model? The game changes but the works is still the same...creating content!
Paragon needs to be smart about this. All people don't think the same. Some like sub, some want pay content, some want free. Leave all options open.
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I think this is probably correct. "Going free to play" is the current bandwagon in the MMO industry, and I don't see any reason CoH won't do it. Whether it will provide any real benefit or detriment to the game is a separate question.|
Originally Posted by Venture
City will go F2P. Bet your lungs on it.
We're already halfway there with "booster packs". The other games aren't going this way because they're dying. They're going this way because it works. |
I also sense a threadlock in this thread's future ...
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They will deliver in order to get paid rather than players pay and hope for delivery.|
Originally Posted by Residentx10
This is thin ground but it's a valid comment.
What does the USER get with F2P? What does the Dev get with F2P? What is the value of the Lifetime Sub? Users get less content and have to pay more with F2P Dev get more money with less content with F2P How is the developer going to give me better content on a pay as you go model if he/she couldn't deliver on sub model? |
If anything it will result in getting more but only what you pay for.
total kick to the gut
This is like having Ra's Al Ghul show up at your birthday party.
CoH is far more successful than the other MMOs that have been going free, and may not need to consider such options to increase revenue.
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This. F2P seems to counter-intuitively bring in more revenue than the subscription model, at least in the few cases where it's been tried so far. I think it's hard to say whether it ends up costing players more in the end, but I'd doubt it.
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Originally Posted by Venture
City will go F2P. Bet your lungs on it.
We're already halfway there with "booster packs". The other games aren't going this way because they're dying. They're going this way because it works. |
bababadalgharaghtakamminarronnkonnbronntonner-
ronntuonnthunntrovarrhounawnskawntoohoohoordenenth ur-
nuk!
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Originally Posted by james_joyce
This. F2P seems to counter-intuitively bring in more revenue than the subscription model, at least in the few cases where it's been tried so far. I think it's hard to say whether it ends up costing players more in the end, but I'd doubt it.
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People who subscribe get the exact same experience as they did before, including free stuff. People who don't have the money or don't wish to pay monthly can also play a cut down version, with options to buy extra stuff.
It makes sense because even if only one in a hundred of the people playing on the Free version actually buys something, that's still a sale they wouldn't of got if it had been subscription only.
Brawling Cactus from a distant planet.
I hope your not going F2P. F2P attracts the worse kinds of people. At the last Trial weekend, I played CoH with some of the rudest people I have ever played with since I've joined the game. Talk heavily about this before you do this with the community. Raise the fees or something...anything but going to F2P model. I beg you!!