F2P Doom!


Alkaiser

 

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So I took a break from City of Heroes a while back, about a two year break with occasional relapses. In that time I played a few other MMO's that were, at the time, pay-per-month games. Below is a short list.

Dungeons & Dragons Online
Lord of the Rings Online
Champions

Notice, perhaps, what each has in common? Each of them is, currently, a game with a 'free to play' option. Each one was dying from lack of population and a down-turn in subscription fee's when I started playing them. Perhaps I was on a kick for games that were doing badly, or perhaps I just wanted a fantasy MMO. Either way, I was there for the F2P merge on each of these games. There isn't a whole lot in common between each of the merges, but there were a few things that stood out to me.

Firstly, the player base increased over night. These 'new' people had a lot in common. Namely that they were apparently the bottom of the internet. This doesn't apply to all of them, of course. Nothing can stand up to that absolute, but it was mighty close.

Additionally, since I obviously have many of my characters on virtue this concerns me for another reason. Specifically, the trials as they stand now on one of the most populated servers in the game are almost unplayable. Lag bursts that freeze everything, escaping resistance members in the BAF, and crappy response time on grenades in the Lambda. Sure, you can still complete them but try playing one on, say, Pinnacle at 2am. The difference is amazing. What's going to happen now that the servers are going to be redlined from dawn until dusk? I honestly don't believe the servers can take the strain, and I'll be damned if I'm going to play a turn-based MMO. This isn't because my computer is a relic either, it's a brand new quad core that I bought specifically for ultra mode.

I don't want to move all my characters to some backwater server to run from the lag either. Perhaps it's time to consider a server merge, or to upgrade the server backend, or something in that vein because I don't see this going well. I'm also curious if the VIP server will have the standard number of starting slots, or if I can move ALL of my three servers worth of characters to the VIP server. I'd rather not pick and choose twelve characters, but will if I have to. Also, are these moves to the VIP server free, or are we creating new characters there, or what? How's that mechanic going to work?


 

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Holy drunk posting!


 

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Originally Posted by VoodooGirl View Post
City of Heroes population isn't dying. Perhaps the intelligence of the people playing it, but not the numbers. CoH has a ridiculously high retention rate.
No, you're right. This is what makes me wonder why a change over to a F2P system is necessary or desirable at this point. What do we stand to gain? Added income to NCSoft to make more content? Maybe. Blatant money grab? Perhaps. Only time will tell.

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I suppose it is the same bottom of the internet that gave us you?
I suppose this is all the proof I need that you're simply trolling, eh?

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People need to learn the difference between where it is their computer that can handle the trial and when it's the actual servers. I never experience any lag bursts that freeze me. And my computer is outdated.
Lets see what my system spec's are then:
AMD 3.2ghz x4
NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GT
4 Gigs RAM
Terrabyte of harddisk

It's not top of the line I suppose, but it doesn't have even a hiccup running the game on ultra mode. Additionally, since I get zero lag and the game runs like glass on Pinnacle than I suppose it *must* therefore be my computer, and not the subpar servers, that are causing the problem. Especially since *everyone* I've played with on Virtue complains about the lag *nonstop*. I suppose that's my computer too. Additionally, I know the difference between server lag and computer lag. It's not obvious in every situation, but when but I mapserve and log back in and hear twelve people asking if everyone else just mapserved it's not rocket science. Now imagine the same situation, only with a hundred more instances of the same running. It's going to be redline city without some major upgrades. I really *hope* they upgrade, because even as it stands now it is unplayable at peak hours. I refer to unplayable as around the 3 fps range, which is where it's at for me. Last note on this issue, I've tried setting my settings to the lowest possible quality and the game still lags my power tray, and there should be no argument that it should run like a gazelle from a lion at those settings.

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The hardware is being upgraded from what we know, based on the stress test last month during the Praetorian Invasion. As VIP every month you get a free server transfer. Just one. The VIP server is mostly for the elitist players who can't handle dealing with new players.
Is it? Is it really being upgraded? I hope you're right, can't say I've been super active on the forums of late since I've been playing other games so maybe I just haven't heard. I'm not saying this F2P is going to be a horrible, horrible failure. I'm just saying that it's probably going to bring a lot of bad along with it, seeing as how every game I've played that's gone F2P has changed for the worse. Maybe they'll get it right, but I'm not going to hold my breath. Remember how awesome the AE was going to be? And while I'm sure there are good maps under all the farming maps, there's also a thousand farming maps.


 

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Originally Posted by VoodooGirl View Post
As VIP every month you get a free server transfer. Just one. The VIP server is mostly for the elitist players who can't handle dealing with new players.
I was also already aware of this, I was simply hoping they might do a bit more since they're completely changing the game. If there was a 'paying customers only' server when I started, perhaps I'd have put all my characters there. If I get *one* character a month moved onto that server, that's as good a time as any to put this game behind me because I've got dozens of level 50 characters that I would just as soon not re-level to 50 or pay over a 100 dollars to transfer to get away from the deluge of people that don't know the first thing about a seven year old game. Call me elitist, but you'll come over to VIP as well after the 6000th character that day asks you how to turn off the pop-up hints. I don't hate new players, I just want those new players to stick around for longer than the five minutes it will take them to realize this isn't WoW. We're sheltered here in CoH from the WoW kiddies, more than you realize. That's about to change forever.


 

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Hey, it's your money. I'm staying on Virtue because I'm not elitist. I'll enjoy playing with the new players. It'll be them experiencing something all new, and for once I'll be the veteran.

Remember, free players CAN'T send tells. They need money to send tells.

The restrictions.


ATs to 50 - TA/A Def, Nrg/Nrg Blaster, EM/EA Brute, WS,ELM/ELA Stalker

 

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As a F2p phobic i was one of the first to rage quit...but then i came back
the good in coh outweighs the bad and best thing to do is see how they implement it.I mean really where are we going the other superhero mmo is F2p and a failure...and the new superhero mmo is yuck console and pc causing headaches on loading and being hack i heard .....
Im really sorry I almost rage quit =)


as Ood Sigma said....We will sing to you, Doctor. The universe will sing you to your sleep. This song is ending. But the story never ends.

 

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Originally Posted by Cien_Fuegos View Post
As a F2p phobic i was one of the first to rage quit...but then i came back
the good in coh outweighs the bad and best thing to do is see how they implement it.I mean really where are we going the other superhero mmo is F2p and a failure...and the new superhero mmo is yuck console and pc causing headaches on loading and being hack i heard .....
Im really sorry I almost rage quit =)
I was around to see Champs go F2P and it wasn't that bad. Just wait a month for all the WoW tourists to get bored and leave. Those that like what CoH offers will stay.

It'll just take some patience and a thick skin (Okay, that last one might be hard, this is Virtue after all.)


I would like to issue a plea on behalf of Paragon's diminutive protectors, please watch where you step. We're four feet tall in a six foot tall world, we've been cast adrift in a sea of butts. -Pillbug

 

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Originally Posted by Magpie_Mouse View Post
I was around to see Champs go F2P and it wasn't that bad. Just wait a month for all the WoW tourists to get bored and leave. Those that like what CoH offers will stay.

It'll just take some patience and a thick skin (Okay, that last one might be hard, this is Virtue after all.)
Fair enough, a good attitude will go far I imagine ^_^

The only real concern's I have are latency related in the immediate future, hopefully Voodoo was right about the server upgrades. Even if I have priority over F2P I could still get locked out, unless of course a F2P gets booted every time a VIP wants on ^_-


 

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Originally Posted by SpaceJew View Post
Even if I have priority over F2P I could still get locked out, unless of course a F2P gets booted every time a VIP wants on ^_-
If that seriously happened, I would stop giving NCsoft and Paragon Studios all my 2k monies right then and there.

I don't wanna play a game where a free player gets the boot every time a member of the VIP Master Race decides to log on and shoot the breeze. I'm just saying, that's all.


 

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im sure theyll get upgraded servers...right they wouldnt do that to us ....right


as Ood Sigma said....We will sing to you, Doctor. The universe will sing you to your sleep. This song is ending. But the story never ends.

 

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Originally Posted by SpaceJew View Post
>it's a brand new quad core that I bought specifically for ultra mode.
MFW he spent $2000 so he could play a 7 year old game that uses openGL:




MFW my single-core pentium 4 runs ultra-mode at 30 FPS:


 

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Redacted my after midnight drunk post.


 

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Originally Posted by Alkaiser View Post
If that seriously happened, I would stop giving NCsoft and Paragon Studios all my 2k monies right then and there.

I don't wanna play a game where a free player gets the boot every time a member of the VIP Master Race decides to log on and shoot the breeze. I'm just saying, that's all.
I think using the term master race is a bit needlessly inflammatory. They should give precedence to paying customers though. That's what keeps the game running. They are just hoping F2P accounts are like a gate way drug to create more addicts!


Heroes : Angrem (50 Stone tank), Exo Inferis (50 Fire blaster), Exo Proteus (50 ill/emp), IceVengance (50 cold defender)
Villains : AtomBomb (50 Rad/Kin corruptor), Aleks (50 SS/Inv brute), StoneLethal (50 EM/Stone brute), Davroz (50 Bots/Dark mastermind)

 

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MFW my single-core pentium 4 runs ultra-mode at 30 FPS
Congrats? I don't see what that has to do with anything. If you must know, I suppose I didn't buy it just to play ultra mode but rather to also play new release video games that require a lot more than a single core anything. Also, it hardly cost $2000, building it myself it ran me $650.

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If that seriously happened, I would stop giving NCsoft and Paragon Studios all my 2k monies right then and there.

I don't wanna play a game where a free player gets the boot every time a member of the VIP Master Race decides to log on and shoot the breeze. I'm just saying, that's all.
Sooo, you would rather be locked out of the game you pay a monthly fee for rather than have some freeloader that's contributing nothing be kicked off the server? I dunno, I pay 15$ a month for the 'privilege' of playing City of Heroes. I've done so for four years. I'd like to think I'm worth more than some freebooter. And without F2P people Virtue currently hits the red-bar of doom pretty often, such as almost every evening. It doesn't take a huge stretch of the imagination to think that lock-outs will be a daily occurance without some serious upgrades. I'm really hoping voodoo was right about those upgrades...anyone know something specific? I didn't get anything from a forum search...


 

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Originally Posted by SpaceJew View Post
Sooo, you would rather be locked out of the game you pay a monthly fee for rather than have some freeloader that's contributing nothing be kicked off the server?
If my logging on to a server means that I suddenly boot a "freemium" player off said server while said "freemium" player is enjoying the game, which you seem to want in your previous post, then no, I no longer want to tell NCsoft and Paragon Studios to shut up and take my money.

I dunno about you, but I draw the line at my enjoying the game at the expense of someone else's enjoyment, be they "dirty unwashed freemium peasant scum" or "glorious VIP master race." I believe that with the new Freedom model, the game can--and should--be enjoyed by everyone, no matter their account level.

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Originally Posted by SpaceJew View Post
I dunno, I pay 15$ a month for the 'privilege' of playing City of Heroes. I've done so for four years. I'd like to think I'm worth more than some freebooter.
Going by that logic, I'm possibly "worth" slightly less than you, since I only play sporadically over the years and am just barely creeping up on my 45-month vet reward badge. Then again, I feel that judging a player's "worth" as such is a form of discrimination, which, by the way, is not cool.

By the way, I'd like to put this out in the open right now:

I do share similar concerns over the "freemium" crowd, and that it might--no, will--attract a fair number of the unsavory MMO stereotypes floating around. However, I still believe that they deserve the privilege of enjoying this game, just like you and me, even as "freemium" account holders. Maybe I'm a bit of an idealist, but I still want people to experience the game that I keep going back to when I want my superhero MMO fix despite--or maybe because of--its age and quirks, and deep down, I hope you do too.

At the very least, today's "freemium" players may become tomorrow's (returning) VIPs, so to speak. And again, you can always use your free monthly server transfer to move one of your characters to the VIP server, away from the "unwashed masses."

By the way, you do realize I'm using those terms in jest, right?

Just wanted to make sure.

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Originally Posted by SpaceJew View Post
And without F2P people Virtue currently hits the red-bar of doom pretty often, such as almost every evening. It doesn't take a huge stretch of the imagination to think that lock-outs will be a daily occurance without some serious upgrades. I'm really hoping voodoo was right about those upgrades...anyone know something specific? I didn't get anything from a forum search...
I don't usually follow the forums all that much, but the whole "Praetorian Surge event = stress-testing the servers" kinda makes sense if you think about it in the long run.





tl;dr: No, I don't think that VIPs logging on should immediately boot a playing "freemium" player. I also think that you're overreacting a bit, though I do understand where you're coming from in a way.


 

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Being a VIP determines Queue access to log into the server.

I'll put this in big bold caps word for y'all:

IT DOES NOT MEAN A FREE PLAYER WILL BE BOOTED FROM A SERVER WHEN YOU TRY TO LOG IN ON A VIP ACCOUNT. IT SIMPLY MEANS WHEN YOU QUEUE TO LOG IN TO THE SERVER YOU WILL GET PRIORITY IN LOGGING IN. THAT IS ALL.


 

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Originally Posted by VoodooGirl View Post
Being a VIP determines Queue access to log into the server.

I'll put this in big bold caps word for y'all:

IT DOES NOT MEAN A FREE PLAYER WILL BE BOOTED FROM A SERVER WHEN YOU TRY TO LOG IN ON A VIP ACCOUNT. IT SIMPLY MEANS WHEN YOU QUEUE TO LOG IN TO THE SERVER YOU WILL GET PRIORITY IN LOGGING IN. THAT IS ALL.
/this


 

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Originally Posted by VoodooGirl View Post
(snip)
You'll have to forgive me for derping here in this post, but I know this. However, I'm getting the feeling that the OP wants to give "freeloaders" the boot whenever a VIP logs on. That's what I'm butthurt about.


 

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Originally Posted by Alkaiser View Post
You'll have to forgive me for derping here in this post, but I know this. However, I'm getting the feeling that the OP wants to give "freeloaders" the boot whenever a VIP logs on. That's what I'm butthurt about.
Understood. It's not the only time I've heard that speculation/sentiment/concern, so was just blasting it out. Loudly. Hope you were wearing ear plugs.


 

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I know I have had some bad experiences in F2P games, an will be slowly moving characters to the VIP server. With the free transfer each month plus 400 points for extra slots as needed, it should be fairly easy.

However, what has made this game great is the community and the fact that we are willing to help new players. There is a chance that we can show these bums a community that doesn't suck. Silver lining and all that.


Level 50 Heroes: Atomic Twinkie, Muddy McCrush, Master Jolt, Sureshot Jones, Wushubot, Sirenbot, Phantom Warp
Level 50 Villians: Soul Breaker

Urban Renewal SG / Urban Decay VG (Virtue Server)

 

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Originally Posted by NuclearTwinkie View Post
I know I have had some bad experiences in F2P games, an will be slowly moving characters to the VIP server. With the free transfer each month plus 400 points for extra slots as needed, it should be fairly easy.

However, what has made this game great is the community and the fact that we are willing to help new players. There is a chance that we can show these bums a community that doesn't suck. Silver lining and all that.
I don't think we have to show them our community doesn't suck - I think it will be evident when they log in.

I know I, for one, will spend a lot of that time when the new generation comes in mentoring who I can. Years ago, when I was on Victory (and it still had a population,) I used to spend my evenings in Mercy Island waiting for new new players to log in and would offer to help them.


 

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That forum signature...













lol