Paragon Points Clarification

Actually, I do not believe that you can use your credit card/paypal within the game itself. The online store in the game simply facilitates the usage of paragon points.

I do not recall them stating anywhere that you could purchase these points in the game, only spend them.

If you are subscribed to the game, you will earn 400 Paragon Points per month as part of your subscription.

And if you're free you never get any points, ever, without spending money?

Unless the in-game store allows you to actually buy points specifically with a credit card, it does not have to be PCI compliant. Only the part that touches credit cards needs to be PCI compliant and if they have a brain in their heads if they do it at all they will tunnel card transactions through the in-game store and to a stand alone processor, and only make it look seamless. This isolates PCI compliance requirements.


I cannot say anything about anything I might know about the mechanics of the in-game store, but hypothetically speaking I might point out that adding that functionality directly to the game client would not be the most efficient and logical way to do it. Given that much of what the store would be selling would require external communication to systems outside the core game systems, it would make more sense to make a system external to the game servers and clients that had access to all the systems that are necessary to process such orders, and to make that system somehow accessible from within the game client via an embedded access system of some kind. This would allow rapid development of the store systems and functionality without having to push updates to the game client.


I'd say more about the DSS, but I'm afraid there's a tiny chance there are PCI auditors out there, and I wouldn't want to make them cry.

CoH: Justice! :P

My guess - unless I've missed something along the way here - is that you won't be buying anything with a credit card through the game client. You will buy points with your credit card through the NCSoft store online. The POINTS will be spent in the game client.

If they've already stated something different, please show me where so I can review it

Storm

They have not stated any other method of acquiring points, other than purchasing them, for non-VIP players.

They are already giving people a method to play for free with a few minor limitations. Why would they give away the points for free as well?

Purchasing points, which in turn makes you a Premium player and removes some of the limitations, is part of the basic f2p system that includes microtransactions, and seems to be a core of the hybrid models some games are using.

It's not a hard stretch of imagination to guess that the act of purchasing Paragon Points will behave very similarly to the way one purchases a server transfer, rename token or additional character slots now: in-game, on the character select screen.

I can't speak for those who bill via time cards or PayPal, but for those who pay for their accounts via credit card, it just charges the card you have on file.

Originally Posted by Nethergoat it's NEVER too late to pad your /ignore list!

Well, there is the whole completely successful DDO model which they're essentially basing this on.. other than that no reason. I fail to see how basicly expanding the trial account.. badly.. and giving us more stuff to pay for is going to 'save the game' though I predict... DOOM. Whole thing seems kind of pointless without an incentivising model. Throw points at them for doing things in game.. get them close to being able to buy swag, then they'll want to buy points so they can get it faster. Myself if I always had to pay for points I'd never buy anything. But if I had almost enough points and just really wanted that hat I'd strongly consider buying points. But if I wanted that hat and it just cost $2 out of pocket I'd never buy it.

Also I don't believe purchasing points makes you premium, it's purchasing a month of VIP access and then canceling.

Not that's been announced, no. They could always run specials and promotional events, though, and a totally free player still gets to play a LOT of the game for, well, free. Seems fair enough to me, and I've been paying to play for nearly six years now.

Purchasing points does not, in fact, make you premium. Spending the points does.

Lemme do another list to show the differences between Free, Premium and VIP accounts...

FREE ACCOUNTS:

• Are a completely blank slate--no perks at all. You're only Free if you never had a subscription previously and never purchased anything additional for the game.
• Are limited to 2 character slots among all servers (excluding VIP server).
• Cannot make Masterminds, Controllers or the Kheldian or Soldiers of Arachnos EATs.
• Do not have access to every powerset (such as Dual Pistols, Kinetic Melee, Time Manipulation, etc.)
• Can only use the basic costume options for their characters.
• Can not use Inventions.
• Have limited use of auction houses.
• Cannot create or join Supergroups.
• May be restricted from some content (such as the new Signature Story Arcs in Issue 21)
• Cannot access Incarnate abilities or Incarnate content (trials, etc.) -- VIPs only.

PREMIUM ACCOUNTS:

• Are any accounts that have had at least one perk added on. You may have earned them via previous subscription, via microtransaction payments, or some combination of the two.
• Default to 2 character slots among all servers (excluding VIP server), but can have more added--you get 1 additional for each previous year of subscription, 2 if you bought the Going Rogue expansion in the past, 1 for any character slots you paid money for in the past, and can purchase more tokens via microtransaction (up to 36 characters per server).
• Can purchase access to Mastermind and Controller ATs, or unlock them free as a bonus for a previous three year subscription. (No official word yet on EAT unlocks.)
• Can purchase access to all powersets, or retain access due to veteran status or past purchase (such as having paid for the Going Rogue expansion).
• Can use the basic costume options for their characters, plus any others you have purchased in the past or earned via Veteran Rewards or the new Paragon Rewards program for past subscription.
• Can unlock the ability to use Inventions (no official word on this, but probably also free to those with a previous long-term subscription).
• Have limited use of auction houses at base, but can upgrade (via microtransaction or probably past subscription duration).
• Can create or join Supergroups by purchasing the ability, or receive it as a reward for past subscription.
• Can purchase or earn via past subscription access to most content (Incarnate content is an exception)
• Cannot access Incarnate abilities or Incarnate content (trials, etc.) -- VIPs only. Note that any Incarnate abilities you earn as a VIP will not be deleted, but will be greyed out and inaccessible if you cancel your subscription.

VIP ACCOUNTS:

• Are any accounts with an active subscription to City of Heroes Freedom.
• Default to 12 character slots per server (including VIP server!), but can have more added up to a total of 36 per server (see Premium).
• Have full access to Masterminds and Controllers at the start, and can unlock Kheldian and Soldiers of Arachnos EATs by getting a Hero and Villain to level 20, respectively.
• Have full access to all existing powersets, including the new Time Manipulation set. (Some future powersets may require additional purchase.)
• Can use the basic costume options for their characters, plus any others you have purchased in the past or earned via Veteran Rewards or the new Paragon Rewards program for past subscription. You will continue to earn new Paragon Rewards for every month you maintain your subscription (as opposed to every three months for Vet Rewards).
• Have full access to Inventions.
• Have full access to the auction houses.
• Have full access to create or join a Supergroup.
• Have full access to all the new content in Issue 21 (Signature Story Arcs, First Ward missions, Time Manipulation powerset, etc.)
• Have full access Incarnate abilities and Incarnate content (trials, etc.)
• Have access to the new VIP only server (if you make characters here and cancel your subscription, you can view the server list and transfer characters away, but you cannot log them in)
• Will earn 400 Paragon Points a month for maintaining your subscription, to be spent however you choose--costume pieces, temporary powers (such as those in the Super Boosters), consumeable items, etc.
• Will earn Paragon Reward Tokens every month for maintaining your subscription--you basically earn a new Veteran Reward every month, rather than having to wait for three!
• Get a free Server Transfer Token every month (which can be banked up and used later)

Did I miss anything big?

Originally Posted by Nethergoat it's NEVER too late to pad your /ignore list!

Well hopefully they'll announce gaining points for completing story arcs or hitting certain levels or some such which I'd strongly suggest.

http://www.cityofheroes.com/news/fre...r_choices.html

Oh hey thanks!

edit: I have to say I completely don't see the strategy here.. but I'm not in marketing either (thank god)

Not likely to happen. The whole point of the perks that VIPs get (including the 400pp/month) is to entice Freems and Preems to subscribe to the game. Why would you expect that as a non-paying player you should also have the capability of getting other content for free by earning points towards such things? That defeats the purpose of the system, which is designed to make money, not give people a free game to play. Nothing is truly free.

Basically the new hybrid model is designed to say "hey, you don't want to pony up $15 a month...ok...well, you could at least spend a few bucks here and there to help us release new stuff, instead of being a complete free loader."

You are correct. I stand corrected. I'll have to correct how I word things in the future in relation to this.

As for whether this is based off of the DDO model, I don't really think it is based solely off of any one games model. There are a few games using variations of a hybrid model and I believe they are choosing to find a hybrid model that incorporates some of the best of the different systems while trying to avoid some of the problems they've seen with those systems, and still provide a slightly unique model of their own.

For all else, I'll just contemplate the first part of my signature.

EDIT: Looking at what Psyte quoted, perhaps I DON'T need to change how I word things in the future.

Ok, again, seriously, DDO is and has been using this model successfully for some time.

Actually, considering it, you've got a good point/marketing hook - I wonder if, however, offering vouchers/coupon codes might be another approach? Say, part of a full set of something, redeemable for the next week with the purchase of something else?

This is something I like about the move to micros is they can do things like that.

That has never been an option (at least, not that I ever saw). I would have signed up immediately.

DDO went F2P because they could not retain subscribers. They are now solely focused on maintaining the game via micro transactions, so "successful" is really only relative to the goal at hand. Have they been successful? Yes, however it does not fit the goal of PS, which is gain more subscribers, not cater to non-subscribers. That is why they are attempting to make VIP (subscriber) access a no-brainer.

You are correct, it has never been an option. It was Champions Online which offered a lifetime sub and apparently still does. STO does as well (or did?).

You've been misinformed. There has never been a Lifetime subscription offered for City of Herores/City of Villains.

There are other games that have offered Lifetime subs, but this one hasn't.

I'd have been a Lifer if it had been offered.