Call me crazy, but I'm sure Freedom is the best thing to happen to this game.
By
Airhammer,
Posted on: 2011-06-23 06:07 in CoH and CoV General Discussions
I agree with you 100%, OP.
I've been in one or two other games that have gone F2P-Hybrid (LoTRO and CO, naturally), and while you get some idiots that tag along, I've seen a lot of good things happen.
To be honest, I've found more idiots and reasons not to play with the community in WoW and Rift, both full-on P2P games. 
I'd love to teach new players, interact with them, invite them to teams, welcome them into the community, etc.
But my ability to do all of the above is severely hindered by the current and future chat restrictions of free players.
Mains (Freedom) @Auroxis
Auroxis - Emp/Rad/Power Defender Pylon Video Soloing an AV
Pelvic Thunder - SS/Elec/Mu Brute
Sorajin - Elec/Nin Stalker
Neuropain - Sonic/Mental/Elec Blaster
Quote:
Skirts are acceptable too |
Originally Posted by galadiman
 Now if this is a requirement, I'll unsub immediately  |
@Golden Girl
City of Heroes comics and artwork
Quote:
When I first started playing this game I stayed around because if SGs like Steel Justice, X-Lantis and Titans United (who I am a member of ) on Justice took the time to show me around and teach me about the game. I am still here because of the community of people I have met. |
Originally Posted by Dechs Kaison
But it is up to us to make it work. Not Beasty, not Zwilly, not Posi nor War Witch nor anybody else. It is up to us.
We, the superheroes of Paragon City, are what will make this work. And I don't mean we as in me and you and every other you reading this. I mean we as a community. People come to this game to be superheroes, but they stay for the community. These new Freepers or Freeks or whatever you want to call them are going to come here to get in some tights and knock some people around. They'll have a blast, we know they will, because this game is fun. At the end of the day, though, you can only bust so many skulls by yourself. They're going to look for more reason to stay. And they will find it in our community! But only if you show them. Stay on your home server and engage as many of these freeks as you can. Take them on high level teams, show them what characters are capable of, what fun can be had spending time with friends. Lead them on low level TFs, show them the joys of supersidekicking and never leaving friends behind because you're too high level. Show them that you don't need to exclude a friend because you never need a tank or a healer or a DPSer or anything else for that last spot. That they only need superheroes. Or supervillains. Or super rogues and vigilantes and praetorians and aliens and angels and demons and even catgirls. Let them know that you just need to be with friends and you can accomplish anything. Show them these things, and they'll fall in love with this community just like you did. Just like I did. The game will be able to grow and prosper, which leads to more development resources, which leads to a better game experience for all of us. I ask you just one more thing before I end this post. Hold me to the same. |
I agree 100% its up to US to make new people feel welcome and want to stay.. whether they are playing for free or premium or VIP.. whats most important is that they stay and play and tell others how much FUN they have.. which will only further the game down the road.
We cant act like the elitists and like the game is OURS.. I am not moving.. Im not joining he VIP Server. If anything I am getting a new faster PC and a bigger monitor LOL..
The hard things I can do--- The impossible just take a little bit longer.
If numbers are so much more important than a teammate who is fun to play with, forget about the game altogether and go play with a calculator instead. -Claws and Effect-
Quote:
I prefer Peeps|
Originally Posted by Zortel
I advocate Freeps, Preeps and Veeps.
|
Quote:
If you couldn't get into SG's at the time, would you have stayed?|
Originally Posted by Airhammer
When I first started playing this game I stayed around because if SGs like Steel Justice, X-Lantis and Titans United (who I am a member of ) on Justice took the time to show me around and teach me about the game. I am still here because of the community of people I have met.
I agree 100% its up to US to make new people feel welcome and want to stay.. whether they are playing for free or premium or VIP.. whats most important is that they stay and play and tell others how much FUN they have.. which will only further the game down the road. We cant act like the elitists and like the game is OURS.. I am not moving.. Im not joining he VIP Server. If anything I am getting a new faster PC and a bigger monitor LOL.. |
I got into the game through an SG as well, and I think it's terrible that new players can't get into SG's.
Mains (Freedom) @Auroxis
Auroxis - Emp/Rad/Power Defender Pylon Video Soloing an AV
Pelvic Thunder - SS/Elec/Mu Brute
Sorajin - Elec/Nin Stalker
Neuropain - Sonic/Mental/Elec Blaster
Quote:
Stay Gold Dechs, Stay Gold |
Originally Posted by Dechs Kaison
But it is up to us to make it work. Not Beasty, not Zwilly, not Posi nor War Witch nor anybody else. It is up to us.
We, the superheroes of Paragon City, are what will make this work. And I don't mean we as in me and you and every other you reading this. I mean we as a community. People come to this game to be superheroes, but they stay for the community. These new Freepers or Freeks or whatever you want to call them are going to come here to get in some tights and knock some people around. They'll have a blast, we know they will, because this game is fun. At the end of the day, though, you can only bust so many skulls by yourself. They're going to look for more reason to stay. And they will find it in our community! But only if you show them. Stay on your home server and engage as many of these freeks as you can. Take them on high level teams, show them what characters are capable of, what fun can be had spending time with friends. Lead them on low level TFs, show them the joys of supersidekicking and never leaving friends behind because you're too high level. Show them that you don't need to exclude a friend because you never need a tank or a healer or a DPSer or anything else for that last spot. That they only need superheroes. Or supervillains. Or super rogues and vigilantes and praetorians and aliens and angels and demons and even catgirls. Let them know that you just need to be with friends and you can accomplish anything. Show them these things, and they'll fall in love with this community just like you did. Just like I did. The game will be able to grow and prosper, which leads to more development resources, which leads to a better game experience for all of us. I ask you just one more thing before I end this post. Hold me to the same. |
Quote:
|
Originally Posted by GadgetDon
I hope you're right - but my biggest concern about Freedom is how limited the Free players are in terms of participating in the community, or even realizing that the community is around them. The one channel they get is /help, which means /help is going to be utterly useless for actual help when it becomes the lft/general bull channel.
Even Premium users will be hugely limited, cut off from much of the fun and interaction. I tried the competition, speaking cryptically, and the reason I didn't stick with it was that they never got the importance of community. I tried it when they went Free, and it wasn't any better - but wasn't any worse. If there's anything that will kill this, it's the complete and utter crippling of this game's great community features. |
This. So very this. The feedback I've seen on game sites talks about this. The discussion among my friends emphasizes this. It's all well and good to make dramatic posts about how great the community is, and it is, but you're shutting players OUT of the community!
This is my biggest concern about Freedom by far.
Quote:
|
Originally Posted by Auroxis
If you couldn't get into SG's at the time, would you have stayed?
I got into the game through an SG as well, and I think it's terrible that new players can't get into SG's. |
Quote:
|
Originally Posted by Dromio
This. So very this. The feedback I've seen on game sites talks about this. The discussion among my friends emphasizes this. It's all well and good to make dramatic posts about how great the community is, and it is, but you're shutting players OUT of the community!
This is my biggest concern about Freedom by far. |
I've been arguing that same point elsewhere.
I've been coordinating the Mentor Project (link in my sig) since it's creation with a mindset identical to what Dech expressed here, and I can't help but say "well said". I would argue that the 150+ mentors who have signed up so far would agree with that sentiment as well.
/signed HereUntilTheyFlipTheOffSwitchAndThenALittleMore
█ Players Guide to the Cities
Quote:
Yep, and the mentor project essentially gets a slap in the face if Free players can't join it.|
Originally Posted by Stalemate
I've been arguing that same point elsewhere.
I've been coordinating the Mentor Project (link in my sig) since it's creation with a mindset identical to what Dech expressed here, and I can't help but say "well said". I would argue that the 150+ mentors who have signed up so far would agree with that sentiment as well. /signed HereUntilTheyFlipTheOffSwitchAndThenALittleMore |
Free players not getting access to global channels should be made optional, and they should also be allowed into SG's with limitations(can't be promoted, contributes half as much prestige).
Mains (Freedom) @Auroxis
Auroxis - Emp/Rad/Power Defender Pylon Video Soloing an AV
Pelvic Thunder - SS/Elec/Mu Brute
Sorajin - Elec/Nin Stalker
Neuropain - Sonic/Mental/Elec Blaster
They should let free accounts mature (with game time and characters levels) to be able to participate in the community, both within the game or on the forums. Sadly it is the attachment to the account and the threat of it being taken away that keeps some players in line. Once an account is open for a certain amount of time and has characters who have reached a certain level then you can probably open up communication since the account, although free, still has value to the player and they risk losing that value if they are abusive.
Moonlighter
50s include MA/SD, MA/SR, DP/Elec, Claw/Inv, Kat/Dark, Kat/Fire, Spine/Regen, Dark/SD
First Arc: Tequila Sunrise, #168563
Quote:
I must be wired a little differently, because I don't see this move as shutting people out. I'm seeing an opportunity for people to get their foot in the door, and see (or revisit) what they've been missing.|
Originally Posted by Dromio
This. So very this. The feedback I've seen on game sites talks about this. The discussion among my friends emphasizes this. It's all well and good to make dramatic posts about how great the community is, and it is, but you're shutting players OUT of the community!
This is my biggest concern about Freedom by far. |
-Gate
@Generator
Mostly Pinnacle, with scattered alts on Liberty, Freedom, and Justice.
I had a great time playing with you!
Quote:
Thanks, Zwillinger. It's good to hear you guys appreciate what we've got here. Our community truly is an anomaly in the market. I can't say for sure why that is, but my theory is that a superhero game attracts a sort of person that wishes to be a hero. Those kind of people will be helpful by nature.|
Originally Posted by Zwillinger
Dechs, I really have nothing more that I could add to this post...
I've been saying it since we started preparing for this announcement, the Community of City of Heroes is our strongest selling point. For the past 7 years you've continually supported us and each other in a way that I can only refer to as inspiring. I have no doubt that we're going to be successful in pulling new players in, and the utmost confidence that the reason they're going to stick around is you guys, the awesome Community... |
Look at the things this community has done, things that were started by players. A Real World Hero, our charity drive, which gained the support of the official community and development teams. The Mentor Project, which has over 150 dedicated mentors willing to give advice to anyone who comes asking. This is the kind of strong community this game has.
Quote:
|
Originally Posted by Zwillinger
oh yeah and there's a bunch of other cool stuff too...
 . |
I cannot stress enough, though, that I would not continue to play and pay for access to this game were it not for my friends and the community. I have played games that were obscenely fun mechanically, visually stunning, but ultimately, the respective communities drove me away.
So, again, I'd like to express my thanks to everyone involved here. From development team, to community team, to the fabulous players, all of you reading this today. Thank you. You've made the past years I've spent playing this game something special.
Where to now?
Check out all my guides and fiction pieces on my blog.
The MFing Warshade | The Last Rule of Tanking | The Got Dam Mastermind
Everything Dark Armor | The Softcap
don'T attempt to read tHis mEssaGe, And believe Me, it is not a codE.
/signed.
I couldn't agree more Dechs.
Outside of rampant hacks/exploits, I've never had problems with f2p "communities." But just like I can selectively sound filter in real life, I can use /ignore in games. 
Your spot on though, when this goes live, it will be up to us as players to demonstrate that F2P != death knell to the folks who give the game a try.
I, for one, tend to have help chat running in a window almost all the time, and intend on answer questions to the best of my limited ability. I actually look forward to showing off my couple of Fully Operational Battle-Stations (witness the firepower!!!) to the freebies.
I've had concerns about the state of the community after the VIP server goes live.
This thread, and the answers I received in my own thread, have gone a long way toward alleviating those concerns.
Hopefully everything stays as positive as it is here and we don't get flooded with jacktards who just want to troll the game (fortunately, they'll leave shortly after they figure out their ability to annoy people is limited).
I'll probably start leading some sewer runs on Pinnacle as time permits, and maybe a couple Positron TFs and such. You're all welcome to join me and show the newbies how we roll in these parts
Quote:
|
Originally Posted by Dechs Kaison See, it's gems like these that make me check Claws' post history every once in a while to make sure I haven't missed anything good lately. |
The more I think about CoHF, I'm choosing this point of view; whether one is paying to access the game or not, it says little about their potential to add value to the game community and/or my personal experience in-game.
Or, in other words, if someone is a positive contributor to someone else's game time by actively using their powers and/or personality, or they're a person who likes to spam a heal aura and go watch TV, whether they pay per month or not at all is irrelevant. The net result is the same.
People considering moving wholesale to the VIP server should remember that it is somthing of a double-edged sword.
Beyond one character per month, you will have to pay to move characters there, and after the first 12 you will have to pay more to unlock new slots as well. (This should actually act as somthing of a throttle on such behaviour actually, cleaver of our devs really).
Perhapes even more importantly; if you ever go to Premimum (for whatever reason) any characters on that server would be off-limits until you re-subbed (or, once again; paid to transfer them), as would any comunities you had joined (supergroups, channels, etc) that are on that server.
I'm not going anywhere. I'm not afraid of people, be they paying or free customers, be they nice newbies or idiot noobs. Those who ask for help will receive it, those who end up on teams I'm on will be treated fairly. I don't team because I need warm bodies. I team for the company, so it makes sense to treat every other player with respect. More than that I can't promise.
Yours are golden words, my friend.... golden...
** Guardian�s Crazy Catgirl **
************* 22 XxX 10 *************
Yes. I can get lost on a straight-line map.