Random thoughts about being premium
By
Commander,
Posted on: 2011-09-26 03:48 in CoH and CoV General Discussions
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How about comparing it to the "buy now!" button that trial users got before CoH:F? You couldn't close it, and while you could move it out of the way, it would re-center itself on the screen every time you changed zones.
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Originally Posted by UberGuy
To be fair, "it's not as bad as this really horrible example" isn't really a great endorsement.
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http://www.fimfiction.net/story/36641/My-Little-Exalt
My second account came online on Saturday. This is one that I've had the GVE edition and GR Complete applied to.
First thing I noticed is how much I use booster pack costume items. I decided to drop some cash on the account, for several reasons:
1: To get more character slots
2: To get Tier 4 access (For AH access, it's an okay way to make money.)
3: To get some costume bundles
It's interesting when planning the builds on the characters on that account of working around SOs, rather than common IOs. The plan is to have those characters as buff bots, for when I get my second PC.
Overall I'm happy with having access to it, happy to have dropped some money on it. If I ever feel like putting a bit more money on it, I can.
Looking at it from a purely functional perspective, free players are basically starting off with the Good vs Evil edition of the game.
No Auction House, no Invention System, no AE, no Incarnates - though they do have Ouroboros & Pocket D - whilst keeping all the QoL and Content improvements that we've seen since then. In that context, it's not such a bad deal.
Omnes relinquite spes, o vos intrantes
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Heh, that's more or less what I've been telling people since I9, but somehow I keep being labelled a Luddite over it. Maybe because I'm a lot more angry in my phrasing?
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Originally Posted by Nihilii_
Once you remove the fluff that is IOs and incarnates the core game remains pretty fun - loot has of course its purpose, something to "work" towards and keep playing, but making your own costume and beating stuff up is the most fun part if you ask me.
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Originally Posted by Arcanaville
Samuel_Tow is the only poster that makes me want to punch him in the head more often when I'm agreeing with him than when I'm disagreeing with him.
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What they need, for a QoL fix, is a window that lists as locked or unlocked all the optional major features. I'm not talking costume parts or powersets but GR features, MM and Controller, MA, IOs, AH. I probably forgot something or two.
Father Xmas - Level 50 Ice/Ice Tanker - Victory
$725 and $1350 parts lists --- My guide to computer components
Tempus unum hominem manet
My opinion.
If you have T7 or 8, premium is pretty good. One of the guys I played with soon after launch is T8 premium, has just lost his job so has time without wanting to spend money and is enjoying it.
Another is T5/6, and hates it. He is using 2 builds full of IOs already. Unless he's going to put some cash in he either loses the IOs by respecing, or he fights unenhanced.
There should be a middle ground. Say T3 you can't buy, make or slot IOs, but the ones you already have perform scaled down to as good as SOs with no set bonuses or special abilities. T5 you can buy/craft/use the common single stat IOs.
It's not a major incentive, but loses some of the disincentive to come back to the game, I fear we won't see him again unless this changes as he doesn't have enough free time at the moment to wish to subscribe. When he does have time, I suspect he'll, have moved on to another game as the freedom offering doesn't work for him.
It's true. This game is NOT rocket surgery. - BillZBubba
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As I'm sure I've mentioned in other threads, we don't know what technical limitations the devs are working with here. It may simply be that they *can't* offer us the ability to use existing IOs but not slot new ones at the moment, the same applies to only allowing the use of common IOs rather than sets - if the game doesn't distinguish between them then it wouldn't be possible.
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Originally Posted by Minotaur
My opinion.
If you have T7 or 8, premium is pretty good. One of the guys I played with soon after launch is T8 premium, has just lost his job so has time without wanting to spend money and is enjoying it. Another is T5/6, and hates it. He is using 2 builds full of IOs already. Unless he's going to put some cash in he either loses the IOs by respecing, or he fights unenhanced. There should be a middle ground. Say T3 you can't buy, make or slot IOs, but the ones you already have perform scaled down to as good as SOs with no set bonuses or special abilities. T5 you can buy/craft/use the common single stat IOs. It's not a major incentive, but loses some of the disincentive to come back to the game, I fear we won't see him again unless this changes as he doesn't have enough free time at the moment to wish to subscribe. When he does have time, I suspect he'll, have moved on to another game as the freedom offering doesn't work for him. |
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my second account is Premium and was able to fill out Tier 5 in Rewards, I see I need to reach Tier 7 before I can use IOs again...do I have to completely fill Tier 7 or just unlock it before I can use IOs?
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Oh boy...did he have both his builds filled w/ IOs?
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Originally Posted by Zyphoid
My Kid's account was reactivated as a premium account last week. I would not want to play as a low reward premium. The VIP is a far better deal if you are under t7 rewards. He did a respec and lost all of his IOs, and is now begging for me to get him an IO license. I am pretty sure after that he will ask me to replace all of his lost common IOs.
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Agreed. It took me approximately 600 hours to get my first 50 and everything I did with that character can be done with a free account. Seems like a great deal to me |
Originally Posted by The_Spad_EU
Looking at it from a purely functional perspective, free players are basically starting off with the Good vs Evil edition of the game.
No Auction House, no Invention System, no AE, no Incarnates - though they do have Ouroboros & Pocket D - whilst keeping all the QoL and Content improvements that we've seen since then. In that context, it's not such a bad deal. |
This is a song about a super hero named Tony. Its called Tony's theme.
Jagged Reged: 23/01/04
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No, it's a disincentive to come back and play for FREE. Paragon/NCSoft isn't running a free MMO for people who had subscribed once. They want people to pay something if they don't want to pay $15 a month.|
Originally Posted by Minotaur
My opinion.
If you have T7 or 8, premium is pretty good. One of the guys I played with soon after launch is T8 premium, has just lost his job so has time without wanting to spend money and is enjoying it. Another is T5/6, and hates it. He is using 2 builds full of IOs already. Unless he's going to put some cash in he either loses the IOs by respecing, or he fights unenhanced. There should be a middle ground. Say T3 you can't buy, make or slot IOs, but the ones you already have perform scaled down to as good as SOs with no set bonuses or special abilities. T5 you can buy/craft/use the common single stat IOs. It's not a major incentive, but loses some of the disincentive to come back to the game, I fear we won't see him again unless this changes as he doesn't have enough free time at the moment to wish to subscribe. When he does have time, I suspect he'll, have moved on to another game as the freedom offering doesn't work for him. |
IO access is only $2 a month. If he goes somewhere else he has to start from scratch which is somewhat less painful since you don't have anything invested and you never had all the subscription only features. Of course he has to balance that, free and blissfully ignorant about what you don't have, with the time he spent developing and playing his characters here. For the price of two cups of McD's coffee a month.
However the complete blanking of IOs is a real problem for some and others have suggested a similar scheme, no set bonuses or procs and scale the value down to +0 SO for Lvl 50 IO with the lower levels scales the same, roughly 80% of their IO enhancement value. Depending how you slotted you may still be worse off than SOs but it's a lot better then no enhancement.
Father Xmas - Level 50 Ice/Ice Tanker - Victory
$725 and $1350 parts lists --- My guide to computer components
Tempus unum hominem manet
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Amounts to the same thing, he is going to play for few enough hours that he will not under any circumstances subscribe atm. I'm going to try to persuade him to pay a one off at some point which will get him enough points to fill T7.|
Originally Posted by Father Xmas
No, it's a disincentive to come back and play for FREE. Paragon/NCSoft isn't running a free MMO for people who had subscribed once. They want people to pay something if they don't want to pay $15 a month.
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IO access is only $2 a month. If he goes somewhere else he has to start from scratch which is somewhat less painful since you don't have anything invested and you never had all the subscription only features. Of course he has to balance that, free and blissfully ignorant about what you don't have, with the time he spent developing and playing his characters here. For the price of two cups of McD's coffee a month. However the complete blanking of IOs is a real problem for some and others have suggested a similar scheme, no set bonuses or procs and scale the value down to +0 SO for Lvl 50 IO with the lower levels scales the same, roughly 80% of their IO enhancement value. Depending how you slotted you may still be worse off than SOs but it's a lot better then no enhancement. |
It's true. This game is NOT rocket surgery. - BillZBubba
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You should just have to unlock it, not fill it. Filling it would get you tier 8.
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Originally Posted by Mr. DJ
my second account is Premium and was able to fill out Tier 5 in Rewards, I see I need to reach Tier 7 before I can use IOs again...do I have to completely fill Tier 7 or just unlock it before I can use IOs?
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Blue
American Steele: 50 BS/Inv
Nightfall: 50 DDD
Sable Slayer: 50 DM/Rgn
Fortune's Shadow: 50 Dark/Psi
WinterStrike: 47 Ice/Dev
Quantum Well: 43 Inv/EM
Twilit Destiny: 43 MA/DA
Red
Shadowslip: 50 DDC
Final Rest: 50 MA/Rgn
Abyssal Frost: 50 Ice/Dark
Golden Ember: 50 SM/FA
cool, just needed to make sure
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IMO they'd make more money if they charged for slotting IO's, rather than for a license to use them, for one thing because that would appeal to all players, not just old ones.|
Originally Posted by Father Xmas
No, it's a disincentive to come back and play for FREE. Paragon/NCSoft isn't running a free MMO for people who had subscribed once. They want people to pay something if they don't want to pay $15 a month.
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| For the price of two cups of McD's coffee a month. |
Edit: Let me try to explain some more why it doesn't work. I'm an ex-subscriber, and I've decided long ago not to pay for the game again. Suddenly I get an e-mail telling me I can play again for free. I go back and discover that I will have to pay (albeit less) to continue to play my characters. My reaction won't be to try to budget that money, but rather to go back to the decision I've already made, which is not to pay for the game. It's always easier to stay with an existing decision, and people tend to do it even when it's not logical (and in this case it can be the logical decision). The trick is to get people far enough into enjoying the game again that they will forget their previous resolve and decide it's worth paying more money, but the way things have been done a lot of people won't get that far.
I let my second account temporarily lapse so I could see what was available to it, as a tier 8 reward account. I'm actually pretty impressed at what's free for that tier. But, I'll still resub it.
As for the store icon, I just moved it so it's over the XP circle. Most of my alts on that account are 50's, so that bit of the UI has always been wasted space.
pohsyb: so of all people you must be most excited about the veats
Arachnos Commander: actually, I am
pohsyb: I mean you kinda were one already anyways ^_^
Arachnos Commander: