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The so called ''FREE2PLAY'' model and its prospective ''PAY TO WIN'' trend makes me a Saaaad Panda!!
Krelian
Member UncommonPosts: 385
This is f%cking terrible, IMO.
First it was the Asian companies, than slowly BUT CLEARLY its seeping into western company policy as well.
In MY OPINION, here is the jiggy:
F2P=Pay-MOAR-to-Play, but also, ALMOST (there are a few exceptions) any game out there with any sort of cash shop, ultimately ends up being a pay-to-win game , OR at least; pay-to-avoid-inhuman-amounts-of-grinding kind of thing.,
Well, we all know there is no such thing as ''free to play''
Sure, if u have 8-16 hours to play a day, you might be able to grind stuff in-game in order to be able to really enjoy all the possibilities that are available and EVEN be a contender in the end-game,
BUT
most people don't have that much time on their hands,
even if they do, they prolly wouldn't want to grind that much, IMO
even if they did, the company probably would find new ways to force,,,,,,,,,SORRY give ''incentives'' to folks to hand over their cash.
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OK, so free to play OR HYBRID (p2p+f2p) games are created by real-life companies, AND GOD KNOWS THEY NEED TO MAKE MONEY SOMEHOW!
Than why am I so much against this pay2win or the so called (FAKE) free-to-play idea?
1-IN THE END, IT CAN VERY EASILY COST YOU MORE THAN 15$ A MONTH!
You would normally buy a p2p game for between 5$-40$ -A ONE TIME PURCHASE, with a free month included, than you pay 15$ at a time for each month you play.
P2P=Total cost in a continues play of 6 months= 30$+15x5=105$ bucks
F2P=NO INITIAL BOX PURCHASE (Lolz there is no box production) + NO monthly fees x 6 months = NOT A DIME PAID`?
WRONG!
We all know that the first month you might only need to shell out 3$ - 20$ for the game (paying for a mount or a few upgrade crystals or whatever you call it in your resident game)
BUT WITH ALL THE BOXES, GAMBLES, GAMBLING BOXES 
, BROKEN CRYSTALS (NEED TO BE REPLACED UNTIL U SUCCEED) + WINGS AND/OR OTHER STUFF THAT IS NOT PERMANENT, RE-CUSTOMIZATION CRYSTALS, RESPEC SCROLLS, END GAME OVERPOWERING ITEMS SUCH AS UBER HEALTH POTIONS, UBER BOOST SCROLLS, ETC ETC,
In between those costs, you might easily loose more than 100$ IN-A-SINGLE-MONTH!!
JASUS CHRYST! Thats like paying for a subscription based game for cost for for half a year! - JUST IN A MONTH!
There is a freaking reason most companies are choosing or switching off to ''free to play'' model, people! THey make more money that way! = GOOD FOR THEM!! BUT AS A PLAYER, THERE IS ONLY SO MUCH I CAN AFFORD TO PAY BEFORE I SAY ENOUGH!
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ALSO, in a subscription game (p2p) WITH NO real cash shop (pay to win)
I KNOW* that I can enjoy ALL that the game has to offer for my 15$ a month, I can don any piece of gear, I can enter any map, I can run any dungeon, AND MOST IMPORTANTLY OF ALL, I know I wont be at an UNFAIR DISADVENTAGE IN COMPARASION TO ANOTHER PLAYER NOT JUST IN PVP, BUT ALSO IN PVE (No uber elixires or potions that other players can buy with real life $$ to gain an advantage over me in even pve)..
I won't ever have to be jealeus in any ways looking at the PAY$-TO-BUY gear that some other player or NPC has, BECAUSE; I KNOW THAT I TOO CAN GET THAT SET OF ARMOR IN GAME if i strive/grind for it like every1 else!
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WHY THIS LONG POST AND SO MANY CAPS !!??
Its because (as hinted during my opening sentences on this thread) im scared! :P heheh.,
Im scared that in a few years, all games will be ''SO CALLED FREE TO PLAY'', which actually means; ''PAY US MORE THAN EVER TO PLAY''
Im worried that next time I play a game like WoW, or Warhammer online or even stuff like CoD, battlefield etc, other players will be able to pwn me NOT because of my inferiror skills or my lack of time to grind,, :D BUT simply because they paid for that machinegun/sword upgrade with real life cash, which i vehemently refused to do.
Yeah, I know QQ moar, baby boy!
EVERYWHERE I LOOK, I SEE GAMES EITHER;
A) BEING CONVERTED INTO ''FREE-TO-PLAY/A.K.A= PAY TO WIN,
OR
BEING RELEASED AS ''FREE TO PLAY'' to begin with.
Now even companies like Blizzard are taking heed from this unusually greedy development, a.k.a Diablo..,, (the system is already well implemented into games like STO, EVEN EVE*!! 
)
Im QQing and Ranting here coz im afraid that my type of MMO's (p2p) are coming to an end, and so im a little worried.
Hey, its not the end of life, there is much worse stuff that can happen, I'm well aware of that fact:P
But what the hell! IF us ''old fashioned'' P2P (or whatever u wanna call it) players are going down, I might as well go down with screaming a little.
But im afraid once I do loose this battle (which is likely) I will have to stop playing MMO's alltogether, and find a new hobby.
(Im already had to cut my playing time down: only 0-4 hrs a day AT MOST, because of real life issues such as work, social life etc) and hanging out with my friends, gf and drinking and smoking hooka's instead! :XD But MMO gaming has a special place in my hearth, and I dont wanna loose it, heheh.
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PS; Im trying to go with the flow and find interesting F2P games that don't cost you an arm and a leg to play. I AM kind of.... trying to go with the flow, but I haven't had much luck so far.
Comments
The first time in a while someone brings up a topic of necessary discussion rather than an issue that has been discussed over and over again.
P2P IS coming to an end. Embrace it.
Microtransactions are the future of MMO's.
It's a system (when done correctly) that works for the player and the company.
However it is NOT being done correctly ATM.
The buyable advantages are a self-explanatory problem.
Once MMO developers learn how to look past this issue and finally do it properly, P2P will become OBSOLETE.
Even WoW thinks that their subscription based model will become dated: http://mygaming.co.za/news/PC/4082-Free--play-World-Warcraft-future-possibility.html
And with several other MMO's going free-to-play: LOTR, D&D etc.
Microtransactons is facing a current problem causing negative feedback toward the system.
Once they do it right, communities will learn to embrace this type of system as it works for everyone rather than for the developer and against players not willing to pay too much for the game.
I could write an entire book on the advantages to Free-to-Play with microtransactions, how its being done wrong, how we could incorporate it in MMO's when done right and other deciding factors in why people want (or should want) microtransactions in games, but this video does it all too well for me: http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/extra-credits/3689-Microtransactions
http://steamcommunity.com/id/Cloudsol/
There is only one reason so many companies would turn to the so called free to play model. It makes them more CASH. Any player that espouses otherwise enjoys buying his win. Period. These companies aren't moving to this model to save players money. Any player that believes that should check out the ocean front property I have for sale here in Phoenix AZ.
As long as players are willing to spend 50-60 bux a month to enjoy advantages, companies are going to imitate that model. If you dont believe people are spending that on trashy Korean grinds right now, you need a reality check.
MMOs are going to become the slot machine-indian casinos of the online world. Developers are going to keep cashing in on all that money people dont mind spending 5-7 bux at a time for a pretty mount.
^ This is absurdity right here.
There is no real logical or objective basis for this OPINION.
First of all the f2p business model flourished in an environment where people had to play in PC cafe's and PC arcades, where they would rent time to play rather than own a PC at home and buy a hard copy.
This works to a certain extent outside of Asia as well, but it has its limits and is often used to save dying mmorpgs or push for casual games like those found on cell phones. It is a partial bubble, if you think there is long term success, especially that which is greater than the p2p model then you are sorely mistaken.
p2p will not go away, it is the single most effective and reliable model. The business knows exactly how much it will bring in based on subscription numbers, it can invest accordly based on subscriptions and objective monthly revenue numbers. Consistency is more important than unreliable monthly earnings.
Quite frankly, f2p based games are unreliable. They are high risk if too much investment is put into them, therefore they are minimalized and not playercentric but rather buyercentric in their game design. They face limitations and too much uncertainties...player count means nothing. At the end of the day, they may do well in the casual market to an extent, but not to a competitive market.
Current trends point out that both markets are growing. As pro gaming is getting bigger, as competative and hard core gaming grows, so to does the demand for more reliable and heavily invested games with their renenue intake. P2P is key.
As casual grows with smart phones, facebook and tablets.... the f2p model also flourishes to an extent, and not for games which recieve heavy investments. IN fact they are rarely "long term" by nature but mass produced. A p2p game may be failing, the f2p model allows it to get some more revenue if the sub count was too low to begin with before it gets shut down. Turbine (DDO, LOTR) was already failing, their games outdated, the name brand was making up for a lack of design, and instead of letting the games die out entirely (there wasnt going to be much more development on them), they let the f2p take over.
Fact is, p2p is here to stay and for many reasons. Both models will exist, and sometimes even hybrids of both, but to suggest p2p is hurting or on its way out is utterly rediculous. It will only gain ground. GW2 is bringing back an older model as well, the continue buy 2 play with no subs, but constant xpacs. This works well granted the server cost is minimal.
Simple answer is don't play the games that use this system, but we all know you folks won't do that. Why? Well then you would simply have to abandon gaming all together.
For some reason you guys feel like the best option is to constantly rant on and on with endless walls of text in the hopes that people who are perfectly able to decide what they like or are willing to accept will somehow come around to your way of thinking good luck with that.
Ask sandbox gamers how well that works in getting what they want.
Back to the simple answer again if anyone feels strongly about this then don't play p2w or freemium games speak with the only voice that matters in the debate your wallets as people who like freemium and p2w gaming do.
I honestly have no issue with people paying for double xp potions or for basic game items because they either do not have the time to play a lot or prefer to pay to progress. it doesnt affect me negatively and if people want to miss out on the actual gameplay that is their perogative. If you feel slighted when you have layed 100 hours to get to level 40 and you see someone who has played 50 hours to get to level 40, well thats your problem but keep in mind that A) you are playing for free because that player and others like them paid some money and
You would probably crap on that player with your character because you have waay more experience and probably a more tweaked build.
Where I have issue and where games actually become Pay 2 Win is when cash shops contain items more powerfull than what can be found in the game and usually said items can then be used in PvP to gain an obvious unfair and ultimately (without spending money in the cash shop) an advantage a free player can never hope to overcome. That is pay to win.
like a poster above said, if done right it can create a good balance, win win player/company
but it is not AT ALL WELL DONE. i would say the closest one i see is D&D online. where you buy dungeon packs (same as if you would buy the monster book and the dungeon books and son on) you buy for what you play.
but games that are horribly done like Allods that require you to pay 50$/month as a minimum to have decent stuff... NOT WELL MADE.
for me a F2P game that would be well made,
1 box sale
2 no subscription
3 you get 1 character slot (you can buy more)
3A Character RE-customization (name change, sex change, looks) would also have to be purchased
4 you get couple of basic races (you buy more)
5 you get basic bank storage (you buy more)
6 you get 1 Quest line per level tier (1-25 / 25-50 / 50-75 / 75-99) but you buy extra quest packs or Quest lines for any level tier
7 you have access to all maps/areas, Loot/gear Mounts except for items in #8
8 special slots for "looks" that would override the current visuals for your armor (ALL these items can only be BOUGHT with $$$ and are character bound, aka no trade no drop) if you are a space smuggler gunslinger but the armor you have makes you look like spongeboob trianglepants, you can buy from the cash shop an outfit that will make you look like Alucard (oh and this has to be permanent purchase) This would also include Mounts. but in their case, mounts would not be overriding your own, but they will have requirements, so as a level one you cant buy that unicorm nightmare pegasus mount, you can only buy that ladybug mount that runs as fast as the pony you can get for free (with ingame currency)
9. i would be willing to allow into my system xp boosters
10. there would be ingame teleport service, a basic one that you can go from main city to main city (for ingame currency) AND also you can have ELITE Mages that can perform a ritual costing runes (only bought through cash shop) that would teleport you to more specific places like dungeon entrances and further out terciary sities or outpost (all which you can go by foot or mount, but are reasonably far enough to justify the Elite mage TP)
11 the runes in #10 can also be used to purchase other ingame services like clothe dyes, repair shops etc...
12. in PVP you would have the basic map battlegrounds and you would but others
in the end all these things you could BUY for convenience and buy when you NEED, like quest lines and fancy mounts. As a player of this game i would probably put myself a 20$ budget each month. so in the end the company gets more than 15$ / month from an account plus the box sale and i feel like im getting my money;s worth.
13. expansion box sales every 6-12 months
P.S. ALL THIS ASSUMING THE GAME IS WELL POLISHED AND BUG FREE AT LAUNCH WITH CONSTANT UPDATES AND FIXES. AND NOT AS IMPORTANT BUT STILL FUN TO HAVE: DECENT GRAPHICS and AMAZINGLY JAW DROPPING CHARACTER ANIMATIONS
I remember playin Kampfgruppe on my old atari 600 or 800 or something like that so I have been around the gaming scene for a while now and personally I welcome the many different play and pay models we have.
It wasn't that long ago when NOBODY would think of offering a free 2 play title. Instead they would make you buy their game and if ya didn't like it then oh well, they got a chunk of money out of you anyway. At least now you can try the game out and if you like it you have the option to subscribe or use their pay shop to get whatever level you want or can afford. Nice options.
Seems to me people just love to bitch more and more about not getting enough free out of a game and then in the next breath say shit like "but i realize companies need to make money". Sure, as long as it isn't you dishing it out. You expect to play for free and get the benefits of the paying guy.
Simple answer that has been said already, If you don't like the pay model of a game, then simply move on and don't play it. The different pay models are here and it looks like companies are making money from it so I doubt it is going anywhere soon.
Free to play games are evolving from the classic grindfests to a new generation of games, with simplified mechanics and a more quest-driven experience.
As RMT traders arise, the natural solution for game companies is to provide RMT transactions in game. Eventually even in your most cherished P2P games, there will be someone who will buy items using RMT traders to gain advantage or to skip boring hours of item hunting and leveling. And that is because usually game mechanics in those aspects are not fun.
So companies cannot stop RMT, and they have to set up item shops to take advantage of the demand of quick good items.
But IMHO a good cash shop should be a shortcut, not an advantage. I mean, you can sell items that are available in game, and items that quicken the leveling, or enhance item drop, or allow a better enchantment rate, but selling a sword 10 times more powerful than any sword available in game is ruining the experience.
That video was fantastic. All true to the max. If only... *sigh*
I try all the F2P games...if they were not F2P, I would have not tried over 90% of them. I have payed regular subs in the past for a couple of games but mostly play F2P games now days. I have never payed to play in any of the F2P games. I play till i get bored, then move on to the next one, it is fun. Now, I will agree that it is horrible when you buy the game full price, pay subs then the company turns it into F2P. I have had that happen to one of the games i was subbin on...needless to say, i left and never went back. I have no problem playing games that I never had to spend a penny on though.
Here are a few things to think about:
1) Wether it is P2P or F2P, there are people out there who have 16 hours of free time a day to play.
2) The F2P model has more than likely saved and/or created numerous games.
3) Most games that turn to a F2P model never really had enough substance to even be a P2P game in the first place (most, not all)
Yeah, that was really good...need more corporate douches to watch that, cause damn near everything presented in that video is how I feel, and I'd be very happy if that is how it plays out.
And to start up the shit-storm again...I think that Blizzard has probably figured it out with Diablo III at least, and I wouldn't be surprised if Titan is entirely Freemium w/ paid benefits.
Well - I agree that F2P is nothing I care about.
Though trying to reforming F2P players to P2P players is futile. Most of them (ca 80%) do it because they cant even afford the 15€ per month that a subscription game demands.
Or maybe they just like game hopping.
Why is it futile? You make it sound like those that pay or have more money should be treated better. That already happens in RL, and doesn't need to be present in games too. I'm sure we can all agree that gaming is a place for us all to disappear too, and escape reality no matter what type of RL we each have.
Personally I could easily afford paying for a dozen P2P titles simultaneously if I wanted, but I don't because its a ridiculous notion. And yeah I do like to game hop often, but always cycle back around to where I started. Not only do all MMOs have different periods of content patches, {some that are huge with things to do for weeks on end, and other times only a few days} and after I finish the new content, yeah I sometimes want to move onto another MMO and do the new stuff there.
If you're paying for mulitple P2P MMOs, but you only spend 1 week in this one, or 2 weeks in that one, it adds up and its a waste of money. Sure its only $.50 a day at $14.99 a month, but really think about how all that paid time is wasted. With F2P MMOs, you're not losing any money on a daily basis, and you can pick and choose when and how much money to spend and on what content.
You know Free to Play / Micro Transactions were invented by a USA company right?
Anyways, there is room in the market for both subscription and micro transaction games, it depends on the game. For example SWTOR would never work as free to play initially, because it needs the box sales and regular income to generate the revenue to pay off the huge development cost.
Something most people on here tend to ignore is the fact that 90% of people who play a free to play game don't pay anything at all. They may not be the "winners" of the game, but even in a subscription MMO the top tier of players are a very small percentage of the playerbase.
You can't lay all the blame on greedy MMO companies trying to double dip in our wallets. Players told these companies a decade or more ago that they will pay for more than access to games. They told them so by purchasing items, gold, and power leveling through an illicit black market that breeds account theft, hacking, and sweatshops, and possibly even money laundering.
Personally, opening my wallet for pay to win items or in game currency takes the fun out of the game for me, so I don't do it. I especially despise the 'chance of an upgrade or chance of an item' gambling cash shop tactics Perfect World, among others, utilizes.
I'd prefer a no tolerance policy, buying or selling, in the games I play, with permabans for violators, but If a company can't or won't stop RMT in its games, then I hope they do it like Diablo 3 supposedly will, by letting every player participate in purchasing and/or selling items on a regulated auction house, or by choosing not to use that auction house. But we'll see how all that works out. If it helps with the hacking, account theft, and sweat shop gold farms, I'm all for it. It's clear that players won't stop buying characters, services, items, and gold.
I am convinced there is only one way to eliminate these grave evils, namely through the establishment of a socialist economy, accompanied by an educational system which would be oriented toward social goals.
~Albert Einstein
Like I wrote just threat buyers like sellers and things will get better soon. Also players can do something back in Vanguard our guid (Darkwind!) caught a guy buying gold we kicked him and added with support from other guilds a blacklist. Players on that list were known for doing RMT stuff soon everyone kicked them, ignored them and they had a hard time making progress ingame.
I cant stand the pay 2 win model and never ever will understand how one can be stupid enough ponying up real money for virtual goods. Thats not a matter of wealth its a matter of sanity, maybe thats they reason why games are becoming more and more dumbed down...
We need a MMORPG Cataclysm asap, finish the dark age of MMORPGS now!
"Everything you're bitching about is wrong. People don't have the time to invest in corpse runs, impossible zones, or long winded quests. Sometimes, they just want to pop on and play."
"Then maybe MMORPGs aren't for you."
Sorry i couldnt be arsed to read the hole post and thread but here is my opinion.
LIke every company out there game companies need to make money to pay for everything, MMOS even mroe so because of the server costs.
So if they dont have box saels, or digital downlaod sales then they loose a massive amount of cash just from the initial rush new games usually get. Then they dont charge a monthly fee so no $15 a month coming in from the 500 or so subs they have or whatever...
So yes they need to make money and item shops are the way they do it, and also locknig out certain content for people who dont want to pay anything.
I have no issues with this at all, its your choice if you pay or not.. I have played many f2p games and not paid a penny, but I have also played soem where I ahve spent maybe $15 a month on stuff.. i never go crazy as im just a casual player anyway..
At the end of the day they are out to make money otherwise what the hell is the ponit for them.
Tho to the OP it sounds like you have joined the real world and are actually having fun with real people
welcome to life 
F2P games are dying. they thought they could go F2P and becuase they had a great generic MMO they could survive on the micro trans. but the game was still sucky to start with. at least lotro had a good IP to back them up.Even so, Lotro will die,not because it sucks, but it offers a system that relies on people paying more cash then a normal sub of 15 a month to gain entry.
Now as far as D3, you wont see an offline mode as long as the AH exist. and like i said in aother thread, don't think it's not a pay to win feature it is. some asians will grind endless hours for a month to get the best sword/armor/items in the game and put it up for sale. some guy buys it without working for it, and the rest that don't have the time to see it drop are at a disadvantage.now the only option they have to stay competive is to buy the same stuff and forget working to have it drop.
It's a loose loose for players. the ones that don't care about this AH are the same people who will buy there way to the top or they claim they wont use it. but they still allowed it in, and blizzard will start rolling out more exotic ways to nickel and dime the shit of of the average player. it wont be long until WOW intergrates the D3 AH as well. it's a given for Titan to have it if it's allowed in D3.
See if blizzard does it then all these companys that mimic blizz will add them as well. and if blizz gets away with it, then you can bet it's only a matter of time before the entire industry implodes. which at this point might be a good thing.
the f2p model in asia isnt popular because the system is good .i bet if asian had prepaid credit card like here
every freaking asian would have a full account .the only reason i can thing for f2p to be popular is because on the other side they dont have a choice.
espacially went you think most play in cafe,we get the card they get in usa when was the last time you saw a full monthly account card from nexon or the others
you dont!since i bet there are no prepaid credit card like here,and they cant just go buy those say at gas station
they re stuck
some are lucky found a way to play guild wars but most go in internet cafe we had thos in the what 90s?
then there was the console era and computer gaming evolved since player felt it costred too much to cafe gaming!
Besides you forgetting that P2P exist in Asia as well.
Aion has preety big player base there , most of 3 mln of subscribers of Aion are in Asia.
Lineage I & II still have almost 2 mln subs together ( almsot 1 mln each ) with Lineage I is only in Asia still and Lineage II have most of those 1 mln in Asia as well.
Now Tera is coming it will be preety popular at least in Asia surely and will be p2p as well.
Archeage there is good chance it will be p2p as well.
So not whole Asian mmorpg market is f2p.
I have no idea how on earth you can come to this conclusion considering the current trend in the gaming industry.
1. For god's sake mmo gamers, enough with the analogies. They're unnecessary and your comparisons are terrible, dissimilar, and illogical.
2. To posters feeling the need to state how f2p really isn't f2p: Players understand the concept. You aren't privy to some secret the rest are missing. You're embarrassing yourself.
3. Yes, Cpt. Obvious, we're not industry experts. Now run along and let the big people use the forums for their purpose.
I believe its more because the 2 cultures are fundamentally different. Grinding isnt seen as a bad thing in several asian countries, but in the west it is. I also believe that the reason internet cafes are popular is because typical asian housing is more modest, and there isnt alot of room for personal computers, also i'm not sure about the availability of personal internet services.
Also, how do they buy stuff in game with no pre-paid cards and what not?
Thx for the replies, ppl.
In the meantime; I have been browsing though the ''good list'' of free to play mmo's (god-knows there are lots of em, and a new similar one comes out every week) and only found a handful of mmorpgs that I would actually play DESPITE them being free to play.
One good example is what has been mentioned before; Dungeons and Dragons Online, and maybe even Global Agency.
WHY?
For example; DDO offers a cash shop for sure, BUT it also offers a subscription based model to its player base, ALONG with that said cash shop, AND the subscription practically COVERS EVERYTHING YOU COULD EVER IMAGINE in the game (at least, ALMOST),
SO IN-EFFECT= For folks like me; DDO's p2p system is still active, ALAS, if ur hurting for money, wanna try the game out for a long time, OR you just don't wanna pay the full subs price for a month AND ONLY interested in a few tidbits of stuff here and there, you can do so, too, for a much lower price. (Seems to me like an good set-up for both the players and the devs/publishers )
This; ladies and gentelman, is a pure win model IMHO, or at least seem like it to me....well Im not 100% sure about this, but at definetely it sounds good on paper, even for a f2p hater like me :P:)
I am NOT SURE, but I believe that there is no god damn asian-market-style REAL GAMBLING in the games mentioned above, either, such as in; Atlantica Online and Voyage Century and Air Rivals (and its syster game, practically the same thing).
In the country I live, there are some very, very, very strict rules to gambling, and I swear if those above mentioned games ever cought the attention of actual government officials somehow, it wouldn't Start World war III:D BUT it WOULD cause the games to be discontinued in our countries. (And maybe even a class action suite or whatever tis called)
Inciting children to gamble my a$$! _:D
F2P system that milks you for 40$ a month, or even ''Fake free to play models'' (thats what I call em) that are actually directly pay-2-win.........even they are so much better than the ones that ALSO include actual virtual gambling for its gamers, IMO.
(Paying more than usual subscription, and even more so to be competitive in pvp and etc isnt enough, we also have to gamble now, pfft, this has to be stopped somewhere)
Anyways, its like, a day or two after I made this post, I heard COX (City of Heroes/Villains) is going F2P too, right?
I hope that these games either go (what I PERSONALLY deem as) ''the good'' free to play model, (as a person replied with a link how it should work etc or something similar), heheheh, otherwise as an MMO gamer I, and other gamers like me will be royally screwed-over:D
PS; so in the end, so far, i still do not much like the f2p model, BUT at least DDO has shown me something new, and if more companies ever followed suit, hell they could even convert me somewhere down to line,
YET FOR NOW, im still scared as hell:P of where the MMO industry is heading, and I definetly don't think its being done right
Cheers.
you need to look at the big picture i guess, its not so much about the sheer number of games, F2P or otherwise, but in terms of how many games are actually successful enough to be there for the long haul, which.. for F2P games, is not quite so clear cut.. the trend for failing games to go from P2P to F2P might make it seem as though more games are going F2P.. but its not a trend thats particularly healthy... the successes are few.. and the F2P market itself has a fairly high mortality rate all of its own, which seems to encourage some morally grey business practices in some of the F2P games, particularly those that encourage gambling... although the 'Shiny Item' cash shops are probably just as bad.. it does seem as though a significant proportion of the F2P games are more concerned about trying to sell the players something, than with player satisfaction.. the ones that are concerned more about their players.... are rare gems indeed.
i think personally that its long past time that the F2P tag was replaced with a Microtransaction one..