Contradictory Info on Premium Access to Incarnates

So. A new set of thoughts occurs to me.

The Incarnate System is intended to bring Stuff For 50s to the table. Setting aside the whole 'is it grindy or not' argument, it's an extension to the core development of a character.

This is an alternative to the previous primary option of "Let's start over on a new character."

Premium characters, even if they've got some vet time and bought some character slots, are very limited in their capacity to decide "Let's just roll another one." Sure, maybe they could buy more slots, but them having already known they only had a small number of slots, they might have decided to invest strongly in the characters they CAN have.

Is the intention to use the ceiling this arrangement produces to be an incentive to go VIP? "Subscribe, or your path stops here" ?

With The Other Game, a decision was made to take a core selling point and wall it off to subscribers only, rather than take the opportunity to provide a per-character unlock option to get access to that feature on a character. There were arguments in that context of 'If you have it on one, you don't need any other characters' due to how their system works, but that doesn't really apply here.

I just hope you guys are looking at the psychological impact of this arrangement. You might otherwise miss some opportunities, either due to sales that you WOULD have but don't because you haven't made it possible, or people who walk away because while they're willing to give money on a transaction basis, they aren't willing to subscribe.


I'd also like to expand on my previous post about the Alpha slot.. For someone who's taken the time to get Alpha in place, much of the time that's become a core part of how the character works, since it alters how all of their powers work; for some character builds, this would be like having IOs shut off entirely.

Is it possible the Alpha slot could continue to work but, say, the Level Shift is only active if you're able to access the full Incarnate System? The alpha slot basic features could be a good teaser, and not losing all of those facets could be less upsetting for downgrading/returning players.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Arcanaville Softcapping an Invuln is fantastic. Softcapping a Willpower is amazing. Softcapping SR is kissing your sister.

This still seems a little unclear to me. If the purchase of GR doesn't unlock incarnates, then does that mean everyone will get access to incarnates once CoH:F goes live? If not will incarnates be an unlock available separate from GR? If so then when someone purchases access to incarnates, will they still lose it when dropping to Premium?

This is a very interesting question, Zombie Man...

On the Going Rogue website... nowhere in Game Features, FAQ or Incarnates section does it say Incarnates are "included" with the purchase, just that you need Going Rogue to access them... which, I imagine if legally pressed... means they can restrict Incarnates to VIP players or those that pay for it.

As far as Demon Summoning and Dual Pistols, if someone Pre-Ordered... have since cancelled and want to return as a non-paying Premium... they should have access to those two sets.

Electric Control and Kinetic Melee were not part of the deal tho and will probably remain exclusive to VIPs or purchasable.

I can't locate my Going Rogue Complete Collection physical package to see what's stated on there, but hopefully they're mindful of what was in print on that.

Ultimately, my guess is going to be the Incarnate System is going to be legally restricted to paying customers... VIP or through Paragon Points purchase for F2Pers.

A red name verification on this topic would be nice, I agree. <---ooops, I need sleep... totally didn't see beyond page 1.

It seems like the kind of thing they might add to the store at some point in the future. Maybe they don't want to play all their cards at once. Or maybe they want to see how many subscribers drop to premium status, to see how much of a demand there will be.

Ooops, it's late.... sleep now....

This situation has convinced me to just ignore everything being said and wait for launch. It's too far off, too early, and too much could change. The conflicting information isn't helping. We're just in a situation of who said what most recently.

I will say that with this backpedal on "Owning Going Rogue and keeping the things you paid for" (or legalese swapping when you have examples like "You still have it, you just can't use it!") that I don't think the premium plan is going to be anywhere as attractive as initially shown.

Which is fine, it's a business, they have to make money, they can't give the house away for free.

Let's face it, they had to set aside something to make VIP attractive to the new free player. Extended level 50 content is the one obvious carrot.

As I remember it Incarnate stuff wasn't actually included with Going Rogue at release

Buying Going Rouge gave you access to Praetoria, Tip/morality missions, and the 1-20 Praetorian arc.

Then they released Incarnates, which you could only access buy owning Going Rouge. Now they're changing it so you don't have to own Going Rogue to play Incarnates (because it's really an intrinsic aspect of endgame, and will probably only be moreso as it continues to develop) but you have to maintain a subscription.

I don't see what the problem is here. Makes perfect sense to me. I was wondering if powers would be disabled for Premium Players or it you got to use what you earned even if you subscription expired, but either way makes sense to me.

If you're a Veteran who wants to continue to enjoy all the things you love about CoH, then you're going to have to maintain a subscription. That's all there is to it. Premium status is just there so you still have a safety net within the game if you can't afford it for a month.

It's not like you lose all the stuff you paid for. You just don't have access to it when you're not paying a subscription. You still have access to way more stuff than the free-loaders.

I thought you could join at -4 without the Alpha. Not personal knowledge, as never having done the task force, but I thought that was the way it worked.

You have a -4 level debuff if your Alpha is unslotted but you need it unlocked.

Ah, thanks!