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Costs and Release date.
mrwigglz07
Member Posts: 283
in Guild Wars
How much is the box itself supposed cost.... and when is the release date if steady....
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If you wait to do something until the last minute, your more efficient since it will only take 1 minute.
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It will be free (at least for North American players) and will be out second half 2004 I think... as for the box I bet it'll cost as uch as your average store-bought game. But as it's stream-based it'll have close bonds to the net, so download versions sounds possible. Maybe they'll add some extras to the boxed version such as maps, bonus disks or fancy manuals? Just a thought...
EDIT: Look at this:
Hi, all,
Let me try to explain the "no monthly fee" policy. We've mentioned it in a few interviews, but it's great to have the opportunity to say it straight out here:
No monthly subscription fee. Anywhere.
No sponsors.
No hidden fees.
No advertising.
Can't wait till it comes out
http://www.aimoo.com/forum/freeboard.cfm?id=559646&NoCaches=Yes
^My Board about my game^
Please go and post!
My GUESS is the price when it first comes out is somewhere around $50, its only an educated guess though.
Probably $40-$60. It's a small price to pay for a "free" MMORPG. If it's as good as their previous project (Diablo2), then they'd earn more than enough to make up for the monthly fees.
A bit off topic here, but anyone notice how some Asian (of Asian based MMORPGS) companies allow you to download their client software for free off the website while here we have to pay $30-$60 a cd and then in addition to that pay a monthly fee (and be lucky if you get a month or so free of testing).
Most likely as much as any other Pc game, so 40-60 us dollars (49.95 euros) sounds just about right to me
Dont think they'll include bonus disks though. In fact, you can carry the install file on a floppy disk. Yes, a floppy disk is all you need for acces to GW. The rest just dribbles into your pc like MAAAAAAGIC.
*Disclaimer*
I am an alpha-tester at arena.net. We have been appointed "ambassadors" to share our experiences with GW, but us alpha-testers are no offical spokespersons. GW is far from done and the game, and our experiences, change on a daily basis. You are getting a view at a game being developed, not at the finished product .
*End disclaimer*
*Disclaimer*
I am an alpha-tester at arena.net. We have been appointed "ambassadors" to share our experiences with GW, but us alpha-testers are no offical spokespersons. GW is far from done and the game, and our experiences, change on a daily basis. You are getting a view at a game being developed, not at the finished product .
*End disclaimer*
The ArenaNet web site http://www.arena.net/ does not mention this either. NCsoft is a large, experienced online gaming company, so they must know what they're doing. I just wish I could figure out they plan on making money on this after the first few months...
Hi, there,
I'd like to explain how ArenaNet will continue to support Guild Wars: Rather than charging monthly fees, we have adopted an expansion pack model. How does this work? Well, on-demand streaming technology is where it starts, and expansion packs are what sustain it. After the intial retail purchase, we hope that you want to play the subsequent chapters in the evolving Guild Wars universe and that you will purchase the XP's when they come out. Don't worry, no one is forced to do so to keep playing -- this is about choice! So if some of your friends buy the XP and some do not, you can still play together. But we intend to pack each new chapter with so many cool things and new elements that everyone wants to buy the expansion packs. The purchase of those expansion packs is what sustains the Guild Wars universe.
You might think of the story of Guild Wars like chapters in a book. You read the first and it really blows you away, and you can't wait to play more, and learn more about this exciting world and this story in which the characters are involved. You can't wait to read more about your story! The costs of an expansion pack every six to nine months is far less than a monthly fee of $10 or $15 or even $20 a month. I look upon it as the difference between owning a game and renting it. I'd rather own.
Gaile Gray
Community Relations Manager
ArenaNet
www.guildwars.com & www.arena.net
Gaile Gray
Community Relations Manager
ArenaNet
www.guildwars.com & www.arena.net
A fronte precipitium a tergo lupi
EQII
Requiiem, Templar
Neriak
I don't think it's as black and white as that, Gnarled. Being free of monthly fee's will bring in more customers, those customers are more likely to buy an expansion pack than an expansion pack AND pay monthly, which all MMORPG's do these days.
Guildwars is designed in such a way that it doesn't beat the crap out of the servers, missions are instanced and easier on the servers due to the spread out server load. This means Arena.net have no inclination to charge more than they have to.
Another thing to note is that Guildwars has the potential to have a very engaging storyline. Your character advances through the missions, learning more about the story in a controlled and enjoyable environment. Something that makes Guildwars stand out from other typical MMORPG's is that they will release frequent high quality expansion packs that people will want to buy. These expansion packs will develop the storyline even further and as the game ages, will give Guildwars a lot of lore and story behind it.
No, you're not rude at all, Gnarled, you're asking good questions! It's true that we have found ways to reduce the cost of development. For one thing, we worked for well over two years with a very small team, keeping costs minimal while the "skeleton" (programming and network structure) was developed upon which the game could be placed. Once we had that created, we brought people onto the team at a moderate pace, and only when needed. This has kept the bottom line quite reasonable. We have also found substantial ways to reduce the basic game server costs through the use of our own networking code that makes each user require less in the way of server assets.
If you think about it, our game has to compete with any other in the market, and our expansion packs need to be great in order to deserve your support. Your support in purchasing the expansion packs, and not your monthly fee, is what will keep us going. You can be sure that the game will be full of excellent content and that the costs of the Expansion Packs will be kept affordable and competitively priced.
The whole reason our company was started was to do something different, to take a leap forward in game development and game support by creating a terrific game and bringing it to people in a novel way -- without a monthly fee. We're closing in on accomplishing that goal.
Gaile Gray
Community Relations Manager
ArenaNet
www.guildwars.com & www.arena.net
Gaile Gray
Community Relations Manager
ArenaNet
www.guildwars.com & www.arena.net
Could not have said it better myself. Thumbs up
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~~Looking for AOD(GW) members gimme a msg or add me on msn (palanco@gmail.com cuse i want to get in touch whit you again~~
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I'd rather spend 10-20 twice a year then over $200/year with the average mmorpg.
In Canada WoW time card for a year is $275 + any expansion packs!
I always wanted to try a mmorpg and now with Guild Wars I can!
Wow, this thread is like a year old. Apparently they didn't make release my 2nd half '04. Oh well, better than being rushed out before it's ready like many others. At least I'll be playing next weekend.
The Obsidian Kings
The Obsidian Kings
so is there an exact release date besides the one listed by mmorpg.com?
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~~Looking for AOD(GW) members gimme a msg or add me on msn (palanco@gmail.com cuse i want to get in touch whit you again~~
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Evil will always triumph because good is dumb....
Ultimately, none of those dates mean much of anything. Pure speculation, until ArenaNet themselves post a date.
The Obsidian Kings
The Obsidian Kings
Well said Gaile.
It seem there are way too many people who do not understand the concept of your business strategy. (but then most players are really kids who have had no or little experiences in business/marketing, can't blame them too much)
I suggest add a new FAQ page dedicated in answering questions why there are no "traditional" monthly fee involved in GuildWars and how exactly it is possible for your company to remain competitive and profit.
Unofficially, I would try to place a FAQ explaining why other MMORPG developers are charging monthly fee for their products and how they are using "buyer preceived price model" instead of the commonly assumed "cost based price model". It is highly possible for other developers to not charge a monthly fee, or at minimum, charge a much lower price. However, since the market allows them to do so, it is natural for them to charge this market price.
Anyway, I am really impressed not only with the ArenaNet's product itself, but their customer service along with their unique business and marketing strategies within the MMORPG industry.