I'll attempt to expand upon my original reply to your OP.
This will possibly be too much development for too little potential reward, I suspect Paragon Studios' would rather focus on Paragon Market items etc. to generate revenue.
Your idea seems clumsily constructed in terms of how the mechanic would actually work and be communicated to players.
VIP content should be for VIP players, once you start eroding the exclusivity even in a small way, you run this risk or perhaps losing more subscribers than you may gain. People who have been paying for this game for years will agree with me on this point I'm sure.
Your arguement is flawed In my opinion as this will not really encourage people to become subscribers as surely trying out some of the game for free should be sufficient.
I suspect that if this were put in place most people would just use it for what it is a freebie and that in reality the uptake would be pretty small if not almost non-existent. So in terms of your post more "FREE" than "TRY".
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In my opinion, the "free sample" is already provided with the free account. I think if a player isn't interested enough by the free content they already get, offering even more samples wouldn't really have a big impact.
And if just one major feature (Incarnate content) is what's keeping them from subbing, then I think this game may not be the right game for them.
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There actually times I miss the old Star system on posts. This one would get 5 stars from me easily.
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Originally Posted by vorpal
In my opinion, the "free sample" is already provided with the free account. I think if a player isn't interested enough by the free content they already get, offering even more samples wouldn't really have a big impact.
And if just one major feature (Incarnate content) is what's keeping them from subbing, then I think this game may not be the right game for them. |
If the game spit out 20 dollar bills people would complain that they weren't sequentially numbered. If they were sequentially numbered people would complain that they weren't random enough.
Black Pebble is my new hero.
(Can't delete this now, but thank you Forbin for following up on the request. It is appreciated.)
From someone else's suggestion in another thread, since this seems to be "too much" for some people:
What if we limit it more?
Again, the point is to give people a chance to see what Incarnates can do for their character, more than anything, since there's nothing like them in the rest of the game - as well as sampling a few things they're missing. SO:
- Clarification: The original suggestion was not meant to trigger every two weeks on the same character. It's a one time thing when a character hits 50, and can only happen once every two weeks to a month or some limit like that.
- HOWEVER, since that seems to be unacceptable, change it to this: if this was enacted, the player is awarded a token, *one time only,* either for having a 50 when this is enabled or once their next character hits 50.
- If they delete the token, or use it and don't log in for the 72 hours... they lose it, period. One time only.
- The 72 hours is realtime from when they activate the token. If they play for an hour and don't log in the rest of the week, their time is up.
- THEY DO NOT (again) get paragon points, rewards tokens, etc. (I'll even throw the SSAs into the "not" side.)
- THEY DO get one slot - with lots of warning that this relocks in 72 hours - with VIP powersets/ATs unlocked, again, with lots of warning it relocks in 72 hours.
- At the end of the 72 hours, everything they haven't purchased relocks, unless they go VIP.
- They do not get another token on that account, period.
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And yet, in this same thread, there's at least one person saying it's what keeps them subbed. (See opprime28's post.) Isn't it worth capturing those people who *will* have that be what keeps them interested and paying? I want the game to make whatever money it can to keep going as long as it can.
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Originally Posted by vorpal
And if just one major feature (Incarnate content) is what's keeping them from subbing, then I think this game may not be the right game for them.
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The problem I see with this is that we'd get a flood of freebies in iTrials. We'd have waves among waves of people who don't know what they're doing.
http://www.virtueverse.net/wiki/Shadow_Mokadara
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Which would make them different from a VIP with their first 50 how? |
Originally Posted by ShadowMoka
The problem I see with this is that we'd get a flood of freebies in iTrials. We'd have waves among waves of people who don't know what they're doing.
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Or from anyone who ran the trials the first time?
Or everyone the first time a trial is launched?
And, frankly, I see "vets" who still don't know what they're doing after years.
Wanted: Origin centric story arcs.
If you've only played an AT once (one set combo) and "hate" it - don't give up. Roll a different combo. It may just be those sets not clicking for you.
I think the OP has a great idea, well thought out and presented. It really feels to me as if most of the objections may just knee jerk reactions to the word "Free" without really seeing what he has to say.
I approve of the intention of this idea! I think it would generate follow on sales that might not otherwise occur at all when F2P'ers get see what VIP is really about.
I prefer leaving the ignore list to the worst offenders. Such as Golden Girl, who I remember all too well from before.
Let me re-explain the idea for you, since I *really* want to believe you misunderstand it (and you'll find these points in the first post. This is an expansion.)
Idea: Free/Premium player hits 50. They get an opportunity to try some VIP content: SSAs, Incarnate trials, etc. as a limited time trial.
1. LIMITATION: This is limited to 72 hours real time, after which anything not purchased is re-locked. They aren't "getting it free."
2. LIMITATION: This is limited to once a month (or once every two weeks, something long but reasonable - if they're PLing 50s and get one every day, only the first gets to see this stuff.)
3. LIMITATION: They don't get the VIP paragon points. (Reason: They're not paying yet.)
4. LIMITATION: They don't get the Paragon Reward tokens (Reason: Not paying yet.)
5. They get one (1) temporarily unlocked slot - which, again, is re-locked after the 72 hours. (With plenty of warning when it happens.) Reason: So they can try out VIP/locked powersets - see reason 6 - or another AT/powerset that looked interesting, which may at the least lead to another slot being unlocked.
6. Locked powersets are unlocked for the 72 hours so they can try one out (or make/delete/make/delete during that 72 hours.) Why? So they can try them out and decide if they want to buy them. (AKA, Paragon gets money when they find one they like.)
7. Mender Ramiel is unlocked. Reason: Good playthrough of a lore-based "explanation" for the Incarnate stuff they're trying out. However, someone else mentioned using another contact specifically for this. More work on the devs part, but if that's a better way of doing it (make them more of a salesman, letting the player know "These will be relocked unless you buy!" I won't argue.) Reason: Some people may not care about the powerset, but may enjoy the raids (unlike anything lower level) or Incarnate powers, which they'd pay for to keep active.
8. Anything they use that's locked does come with a popup warning that this is available solely during the 72 hour trial unless they purchase or, where appropriate, become a VIP.
9. Beginning and end of the trial, VIP specific benefits (like the points, tokens, etc.) are spelled out - more encouragement to spend money.
Arguments put forth against it:
People are getting something for free: Incorrect. They are getting to TRY something free in order to entice them into purchasing. After 72 realtime hours (3 days) the items are re-locked unless purchased or the account is converted to VIP.
People will think they're getting permanent access: Possibly. However, that's the point of putting in the warnings as mentioned above.
People can play COH now without paying, where they couldn't after 14 days with the old trials: I have yet to figure out how this is an argument against, though it's being put forward as one. The free COH trials got people to subscribe to the game, bringing in money. Which is... exactly what this is idea meant to do. People try something they're not sure about putting money down for, decide they like it, and - give Paragon Studios money.
"VIP will mean nothing" : Incorrect. VIP means you have all this stuff - and more (like not losing the powersets, slots, etc. after 72 hours, getting your point allotment and the like.)
Free players try very hard not to spend money: Possibly. Well, this is a way of trying to change that.
"VIP Content should be exclusive to VIPs!" Incorrect. Shows a complete missing of the point, to be blunt - as this is meant to *get* more people to become VIP in the first place. Or at the very least, spend some money and go Premium. The person doesn't, again, "Get" the stuff (and doesn't get everything a VIP does,) they get to try it out in order to convince them to spend money. (And I expect this to be misquoted and chopped up.)
Doing something like this risks annoying a long term customer base. Incorrect. How is convincing more people to pay - thus getting more content out, more "fun stuff," and having more people available for Incarnate trials and content, going to annoy the long term customer base? The argument seems to want to state that people like having fewer people to play less stuff with and that Paragon couldn't use more money, which is nonsensical.