The right kind of F2P

feldomatic

I've seen a lot of griping in the forum highlights about F2P, and seen a lot of complaints about Firefall.

 

I've recently come back to the game and want to share some thoughts.

 

Firefall is the RIGHT way to do F2P as I see it, and here's why:

-NOT Pay 2 Win.  Scrolling through the cash shop I'm at a loss to find one thing that would truly give me an advantage over other players.  There are some definite quality of life items (buggy, 2 minute permanent glider, etc) but nothing that would automagically make me better than another player.  Even VIP time doesn't really give me an advantage.  Yes it makes life easier to play the game, but arguably it puts me at a strategic disadvantage over the player who had to play longer to get to 40, since they killed more mobs/did more missions and by 40 could presumably have more CY, valuable items, etc.

-Permanent.  Virtually nothing i would play real money for is consumable.  Technically VIP time and Tokens are, but those make sense.

-(Majoritively) NOT Random.  Yes, I can buy tokens and play the slots.  However, the overwhelming majority of things in the shop are What You See is What You Get.  I haven't slotted any of my tokens from my last purchase, so not sure if the payout is reasonably worth the cost.

-VIP time is actually valuable.  25%!?!? Thats a huge bonus.  If I look at what VIP time is worth in RBs, it comes close to a sub fee.  if I could have a choice between playing WOW without a sub or paying the current monthly fee for that kind of a bonus to rep, gold drop and XP, I'd be there in a heartbeat.

I find a lot of other F2P's don't follow this, especially the last three, which makes them arguably less attractive to spend money.

Sure, there's a LOT of cosmetic stuff.  The only thing about this I'd like to see is more free options in each category in which cash gear is also offered.  The way I look at it now is this: I can have a decent character and some choice, or I can basically pay for the design work (in my mind, artists) to get better looking stuff.  THIS ACTUALLY MAKES SENSE.  What they're doing is offering the commodity of the game free, and charging a premium for premium things.

There may be a lot of things in FF that need work (*cough* Crafting *cough). But my hat goes off to the business majors (whom I usually hate more than most people hate lawyers)  working at R5 for giving me a monetization experience that works.

d_20

Originally posted by feldomatic

Sure, there's a LOT of cosmetic stuff.  The only thing about this I'd like to see is more free options in each category in which cash gear is also offered.  The way I look at it now is this: I can have a decent character and some choice, or I can basically pay for the design work (in my mind, artists) to get better looking stuff.  THIS ACTUALLY MAKES SENSE.  What they're doing is offering the commodity of the game free, and charging a premium for premium things.

 

I just played for an hour or so and thought this seems like a really fun game.

 

Is there a way to see yourself in 3rd person? Because from a first person pov, I can't see my armor, so I don't buy cosmetic stuff. I don't really care how I look to other players

 

 

Gdemami

...so how much did you spend on the game and what period of time?

Sal1

Originally posted by d_20

Originally posted by feldomatic

Sure, there's a LOT of cosmetic stuff.  The only thing about this I'd like to see is more free options in each category in which cash gear is also offered.  The way I look at it now is this: I can have a decent character and some choice, or I can basically pay for the design work (in my mind, artists) to get better looking stuff.  THIS ACTUALLY MAKES SENSE.  What they're doing is offering the commodity of the game free, and charging a premium for premium things.

 

I just played for an hour or so and thought this seems like a really fun game.

 

Is there a way to see yourself in 3rd person? Because from a first person pov, I can't see my armor, so I don't buy cosmetic stuff. I don't really care how I look to other players

 

 

 Press F10 for a camera view of yourself. And for 3rd person view while shooting I think its the middle mouse button.

CrazKanuk

I totally agree. Actually, I was a founder and I only dropped $20 into the game. That $20 basically bought me 2 battle frames (essentially classes) as well as a permanent glider (for getting places faster). I think I've still got some in-game currency left and I'll probably put in a little more cash to pick up a ground mount, but overall it's been a pretty good experience.