Which is exactly why Im cancelling the sub yet continuing to play. I think I will get more benefit by using my 15 bucks a month on credits than I am getting for my sub.
However this is a complete punt from Trion as there is no guarantee that I will actually spend the $15 or any $$ at all for that matter as gamers like myself, who prefer subs - as in the end they work out cheaper than cash shops - really don’t tend to purchase anything from cash shops at all.
After 15 years of playing MMO's I am yet to purchase a single item from a cash shop in any game! Rift MAY be the first to actually get me into a cash shop..... however I doubt it. I just find them...... distasteful, for lack of a better word.
So for most MMO's I am probably a preferred client as I prefer subs. With Rift, perhaps I am the customer they absolutely do not want -or have disregarded- as their subscription benefits are inferior to the stuff of equal value available in the cash shop and as I've said I am unlikely to purchase form a cash shop
Can the community confirm, am I really a minority of gamers when it comes to preferring subs over cash shops?
Hee! Until 2012 I was exactly like you. I had never bought anything in a cash shop and preferred subs. I still prefer subs, but I do play Rift without a sub partly because I do not see the point in getting one. If I pay roughly the same as a sub to unlock stuff in the cash shop, that is alright.
I never, ever will buy fluff items except for one situation and that is when they are tied to charity events like the hurricane Sandy event held by Blizzard (great for those of us who wanted to contribute and do not live in the US, so can't donate directly to the US Red Cross). So that leaves services or unlocking new content. Most of the services I have purchased in the cash shop are subscriptions though.
I just wish that subscriptions were a little more flexible like, they cover only two weeks or they only cover the weekend. I don't like it when I have to lose half a month or more sometimes due to work, or otherwise I have to unsub and can't play for the rest of the month that I have available. It would be nice to have more flexibility about what kind of sub you can get.
The starter dungeon was awful for me as a healer. I executed mechanics ok, but then got to the last boss and he did a burst of constant damage to the tank and plenty of unavoidable aoe damage to the group. So I quickly casted some aoe heals while leaving hits on the tank and NOPE, tank died quickly. Ok, tried just topping the tank but then dos died. I've played many MMOs and have never encountered something so healer unfriendly in a leveling dungeon. I asked around and apparently I have to be an expert at healing and have really good support to complete this dungeon. I mean, dafuq? This is not a hardcore game, I don't understand this.
Anyways, I didn't even make it to endgame as I only got my cleric to 54. This was before FTP. FTP will not entice me to come back unless changes are made.
Yup, it says it all over the place. Unless you are really good (and/or really geared), you're going to need support to heal a Rift dungeon. Experts are tougher. And raids even tougher. This was well known at time of SL launch and hasn't changed. I hope they don't take that part of the challenge away. And while Rift isn't a hardcore game, the Trion devs have gone on record multiple times saying that they weren't going to nerf content. (and right now, that's really about the only thing they have going for them IMO)
This was kind of my point when I called Rift "WoW for adults." The content is much harder than the snooze fest dungeons in WoW and requires a support healer/buffer unless you completely out gear the content. It was designed this way to promote strategy and thought process beyond the trinity.
Don't make me laugh, most mmorpgs in existence work this way, you need a dedicated group to handle content appropriate for your level...even the F2P bottom dwellers. But what you do not see are games with little to no support "retweaking" dungeons that have been released already. That would mean players are still experiencing said content to even warrant attention in the first place. A trait if I may add, that happens with mmorpgs being monitored and analyzed by a full team of devs and data miners for all it's content. Has nothing to do with being for adults or non adults.
Anyway the actual point of my post was the troubling statement from the author:
"In the last five months, I've spent less than $10 on RIFT."
Now think about that for a moment...if he continues along that same pattern for a year, Trion would have collected a whopping $20 or less from him in a year. Is this the kind of revenue stream Turbine was looking at from the crowd that demands F2P mmorpgs? No wonder they were facing another round of layoffs. More importantly is the oxymoronic notion of creating a cash shop where players should feel that what they are buying is worthless, in order to support your entire game... Really? Now I can see why the author only felt the need to spend $10 in five months. Anything more would be ridiculous.
F2P gamers to devs:
"Hey guys, make your game F2P and I may play it. Oh but make sure if you have a cash shop to support the game to only include worthless things I wouldn't buy in the first place, kthxbye."
Most F2P players are nonfactors in MMORPGs and should be treated as such , over the years Ive seen F2P players go as far as say they deserve access to the entire game and no restrictions for free, then they complain on the forums about being treated like 2nd class citizens...then brag about not spening a dime on the game... there you go you don't contribute to the games continued existence or support the devs that in my opinion , YOU dont have a right to complain period.
Before you start ripping apart Turbine for their F2P system understand that they allow players to earn the Turbine points to spend on their store items in game. SWTOR doesn't do anything like that instead they want you to spend money for their cartel coins and nickel and dime your rear for unlocks if you go to a 'premium' or F2P account. LOTRO does something similar but still allows you to play the Epic quest line up to their recent expansion Helm's Deep. They also do bonus point sales where you can get double or triple the points on purchases. What they need to be wary of is their currency within a currency aka the Mithril Coin system which is a joke. The game isn't dying like so many people say especially the writer of this article who doesn't seem to know jack about LOTRO or Turbine to begin with.
GW2 is another F2P MMO that allows you to exchange in game currency to get their gems but the market fluctuates so much and it's not exactly easy to earn funds in the game to start with but it is doable. It's also still considered successful and brings out new content on a regular basis.
I haven't tried Rift since it's gone F2P but I don't enjoy the game to begin with. It went F2P to survive since most MMOs go by their own variations on that model.
Before you start ripping apart Turbine for their F2P system understand that they allow players to earn the Turbine points to spend on their store items in game. SWTOR doesn't do anything like that instead they want you to spend money for their cartel coins and nickel and dime your rear for unlocks if you go to a 'premium' or F2P account. LOTRO does something similar but still allows you to play the Epic quest line up to their recent expansion Helm's Deep. They also do bonus point sales where you can get double or triple the points on purchases. What they need to be wary of is their currency within a currency aka the Mithril Coin system which is a joke. The game isn't dying like so many people say especially the writer of this article who doesn't seem to know jack about LOTRO or Turbine to begin with.
GW2 is another F2P MMO that allows you to exchange in game currency to get their gems but the market fluctuates so much and it's not exactly easy to earn funds in the game to start with but it is doable. It's also still considered successful and brings out new content on a regular basis.
I haven't tried Rift since it's gone F2P but I don't enjoy the game to begin with. It went F2P to survive since most MMOs go by their own variations on that model.
Rift is by far the best F2P hybrid I have seen and that includes Lotro. If you take the time to grind in Rift the ingame currency you can buy REX and therefore gametime or use it in the cash shop.
Originally posted by Ginaz Rift is a well made game and I hope it continues to do well, but the world was always way too bland for me. There's just something missing that's hard to put your finger on.
soul
uninspired
this is what always deters me from enjoying rift
it feels like executives who don't even get the fantasy genre designed the setting, based on data from current fantasy trends
I went back to rift and I resubbed...but I am playing the Russian launch of archage right now I hate to say it when trion launches archage it might be the nail in rifts coffin along with a few other f2p mmos the game is that good.
I still get on and play RIFT, i like it a lot, has many things i like doing , from BG's to questing, dungeons .. fishing .. i dont get bored .. ESO might drag me away though... least for longer periods of time... if i like the PVP.
I left LOTRO after they went free to play .. i had a level 60 minstrel and 46 Lore-Master .. but i wasnt going to PAY to do quest in zones .. quest that i had already started on and picked up, i had to now pay to finish them or to do them entirely and that just turned me right off from the game. IMHO its one of the worst F2P models out there ... period !
Before you start ripping apart Turbine for their F2P system understand that they allow players to earn the Turbine points to spend on their store items in game. SWTOR doesn't do anything like that instead they want you to spend money for their cartel coins and nickel and dime your rear for unlocks if you go to a 'premium' or F2P account. LOTRO does something similar but still allows you to play the Epic quest line up to their recent expansion Helm's Deep. They also do bonus point sales where you can get double or triple the points on purchases. What they need to be wary of is their currency within a currency aka the Mithril Coin system which is a joke. The game isn't dying like so many people say especially the writer of this article who doesn't seem to know jack about LOTRO or Turbine to begin with.
You can earn Turbine Points in-game but it's time consuming and, I dare say, not all that fun. It involves a lot of grinding.
As to Mithril Coins, well, the reason things like Turbine Points and Cartel Coins exist in the first place is to try to divorce players from the real life costs. It's proven to work particularly well with younger players and is one of the essentials of a f2p model.
So, from a certain perspective, Mithril Coins are genius as they create further obstacles to players being able to realise the actual real life money value of things in the game.
I say from a certain perspective as I don't think it's right personally but, if you looking to trick people into spending more on your product then it's a clever, if arguably immoral, technique.
Think about it, nobody wants to die, there's rules to this game son, I'm justified.
This game forget to bring up the fact that, pre FTP release Rift was bleeding players, and going free did not fix that problem.
At the end of the day, pricing doesn't matter much. People will pay for a good game (Eve), and ignore a bland one (Rift).
You keep forgetting though that EVE is a game with no real competition. While there are hundreds of fantasy themeparks, there is only one well-made space MMO. Lets talk numbers when ELITE: Dangerous and Star Citizen are released
I left LOTRO after they went free to play .. i had a level 60 minstrel and 46 Lore-Master .. but i wasnt going to PAY to do quest in zones ... IMHO its one of the worst F2P models out there ... period !
I have to defend it... Don't get me wrong, I wrote earlier too that I think Rift has the best f2p model out there, but LotRO's model is good as well (if not one of the bests, among the "usual" method freemium models, pre-Rift)
i wasnt going to PAY to do quest in zones- easy, stay subbed, then you won't have to pay for it or gather some TPs from playing, and unlock the zones for free.
Originally posted by SgtPepperUK
As to Mithril Coins, well, the reason things like Turbine Points and Cartel Coins exist in the first place is to try to divorce players from the real life costs.
It's not, it's to divorce the company from the real lif costs and not only with microtransactions in gaming, just look at PayPal. If the in-game stores (not just LotRO, I'm talking about every game with in-game store) would be tied to your card directly, and every $1-$2 purchases would happen directly, the costs would be huge. That's why you have a balance, you upload it with one transaction, and then you can deplete that balance even with dozens of tiny purchases if you want, without any additional cost.
Mithril Coins are nasty, I agree, but not because of what you think, it has a clear value, 1MC is 8-10 cents (based on the amount you buy at once). Those are nasty because Turbine put them right into the game, much more than TP. If you want to buy something for TP you need to use the in-game store, which is a regular store, with a basket, a checkout process, etc. There's a chance that during the process you came to your senses and change your mind, skipping the whole deal
MC is just a click away, and it's small, "micro"transaction to the letter. While stuff you can get for TP are in the dollars region (from $1 to even $25 or $30), MC stuff are 10-50 cents (I think the max. is a couple dollars). Quick and easy, it's built for impulse purchases. And with that, it gets a huge no from me
I don't normally like f2p games, but I really did like Rift's f2p model and I played it for a while.
The reason I don't play it now is because of their pvp gear treadmill system. It's just WAY too repetitive and time consuming. You need to acquire the full sets of gear from each "season" you missed in order to access the next "season" and work your way up to the current season just to catch up. There are just too many tiers to grind through for my taste just to catch up.
Originally posted by Ceryshen I don't normally like f2p games, but I really did like Rift's f2p model and I played it for a while.
The reason I don't play it now is because of their pvp gear treadmill system. It's just WAY too repetitive and time consuming. You need to acquire the full sets of gear from each "season" you missed in order to access the next "season" and work your way up to the current season just to catch up. There are just too many tiers to grind through for my taste just to catch up.
Well if you love pvp, you just pvp, with gear or with not. you're pvping for the love of it. that's what i think pvp'rs perspective
Tried the game a few months ago, I got bored real quick. The story was just stupid. The "rifts" are a complete distraction, to the leveling process. Class balance is awful.
You seemed to miss the fact that they (Trion) were, are and will close servers because they want mega server type servers (well, that was the lies we got told. We see it as it is... Small server? Axe it!).
The line in my sig. covers it. Betrayal equals lost players.
Add to that the layoffs of top people within the company and it's looking bleak. (Yes, yes, spin some crap about she wasn't sacked/let go blah blah).
I remember a interview a while ago on here, where we saw and spoke to a out of work Hartsman having a beer and laughing, and I remember thinking that it sucked that Trion axed him. Then he returns and starts a chopping block system of his own. He should be in Game of Thrones with the amount of lies, axing and betrayal that's going on.
EDIT: As per sig.: "No trials. No tricks. No traps. No EU-RP server. NO THANKS!"
No trials. No tricks. No traps. No EU-RP server. NO THANKS!
Hmm I like how you chose to avoid talking about the FACT that under a sub based model they had the best customer support in the industry, and MONTHLY updates not quarterly.
You seem to totally miss out on the fact they fired almost their entire customer support staff and now outsource support.
Have now cut phone support completely and have gone to an email system with around 5 day turn around that usually results in piss poor service.
But hey on the positive side all the worthless selfish self-centered entitled generation get to keep getting a free ride while real gamers have to pay for the abuse and disrespect that all the entitled generation that are getting it for free continue to spam our games with.
Great job!!
I'd pay $100 a month for any game I enjoy if they would sign a legally binding contract to NEVER go F2P EVER!
Don't make me laugh, most mmorpgs in existence work this way, you need a dedicated group to handle content appropriate for your level...even the F2P bottom dwellers. But what you do not see are games with little to no support "retweaking" dungeons that have been released already. That would mean players are still experiencing said content to even warrant attention in the first place. A trait if I may add, that happens with mmorpgs being monitored and analyzed by a full team of devs and data miners for all it's content. Has nothing to do with being for adults or non adults.
Anyway the actual point of my post was the troubling statement from the author:
"In the last five months, I've spent less than $10 on RIFT."
Now think about that for a moment...if he continues along that same pattern for a year, Trion would have collected a whopping $20 or less from him in a year. Is this the kind of revenue stream Turbine was looking at from the crowd that demands F2P mmorpgs? No wonder they were facing another round of layoffs. More importantly is the oxymoronic notion of creating a cash shop where players should feel that what they are buying is worthless, in order to support your entire game... Really? Now I can see why the author only felt the need to spend $10 in five months. Anything more would be ridiculous.
F2P gamers to devs:
"Hey guys, make your game F2P and I may play it. Oh but make sure if you have a cash shop to support the game to only include worthless things I wouldn't buy in the first place, kthxbye."
Most F2P players are nonfactors in MMORPGs and should be treated as such , over the years Ive seen F2P players go as far as say they deserve access to the entire game and no restrictions for free, then they complain on the forums about being treated like 2nd class citizens...then brag about not spening a dime on the game... there you go you don't contribute to the games continued existence or support the devs that in my opinion , YOU dont have a right to complain period.
And that's exactly my point. Yet they label players who show support as "whales". Really? So you F2P remoras (whalesuckers) with no sense of gratuity think you have the right to complain? Get real. You cannot demand without supplying. This is why I have more respect for whales (at least they are paying). But without getting further into them, let me say again that I support all three payments models.
What I do not like is the switching from one to another. I steer clear of games that downgrade their payment models. Starting off as F2P is one thing, but switching gears send me the wrong message. To me, it sends the message that your game couldn't cut it as a P2P and now you need to entice whales and remoras to keep you afloat just a little longer. Where if you started off as F2P or B2P in the first place, I can respect that and be in a better position to determine what the focus of your development will be, revenue (through your cash shop) or retention (gameplay improvements).
But because of the mixture of payment models flippers, all the statistics, numbers and revenue streams get convoluted. And it is from this some pro F2Pers get the ammunition to spout their ridiculous message that every mmo should be a F2P mmo. A dying game will always be....a dying game. Whether it started as P2P, F2P or B2P. Prolonging it's death by throwing in a F2P lifeline is just that....prolonging death. It will happen, the only thing switching does is slow down the process. It also may keep individual developers from getting picked up by another team sooner for newer projects. But these days suits are privy to frugal gamers and it seems going from B2P to F2P is being used more as a "bait and switch" to maximize revenue in the face of development shortcomings. And also as a prime example of a failed mmo by many mmo enthusiast.
So I to clarify my stance, I support all three payment models. What I do not support is gear switching. Maybe I would if we had more examples of games that switch from F2P to P2P or B2P. But I only know of one mmorpg in this genre's history to ever do that (and it was not a full transition from one to the other) Allods Online. But until it happens more frequently, I'll continue to avoid switcher mmos.
"Small minds talk about people, average minds talk about events, great minds talk about ideas."
I am wondering when this house of cards is going to collapse. I see whales as they are unflatteringly called stopping their spending and since those who continue to siphon off them will die as without the whales the game income will dwindle I am just wondering when will all this come crashing down. It is true that whales are the only thing keeping these games afloat as the freeloaders who do not spend a dime gleefully come on every forum and loudly declare their triumph of having not spent a cent when the games start dying what will they be playing. We whales who spend our money will always find games but those who want to freeload what will you play .
The problem with Rift's and in a lot of ways most western F2P MMO's cash shop is they are player friendly. You don't create long term financial viability by being consumer friendly you make it by creating a arms race of spending between your players and that means things like trading in game currency for real world currency, lock boxes with exclusive items that are rare to create envy for those who spend a lot, the best costumes and mounts in the cash shop priced high and things like the guaranteed crafting improvement success items so people can be as powerful as their credit card limit allows.
This is the path that F2P leads to and any developers who starts down that path no matter how much they might fight it will end up here sooner or later or with a shutdown game.
One thing I don't understand about mmo pricing is it's either $15 a month or it's free to play. Netflix has millions of subscribers because it hits that sweet spot of $7.99 that people are willing to pay and are less likely to cancel "just in case" they want to use the service. Why can't an mmo launch with just a cheaper subscription than others?
This is spot on, I've been saying it for years. Bandwidth and hardware costs are so low now compared to 15 years ago that $15 a month is too much. Forbes broke down WoW's revenue a few years back, and taking into account running costs, wages etc you're still looking at an 80% profit margin.
80 fucking percent!
Subscription MMO's could easily half their monthly fee and still make a decent profit, while retaining more players, providing the game is well made of course. Nobody is going to pay for a shit game after all.
We just need someone to not be a greedy bastard and price their sub at a reasonable amount to encourage a new trend in value for money, subscription MMO's. Instead of the "free" to play BS.
I also have been saying this. But for some reason mmo players refuse to believe this. Back in the 90's yeah but todays mmo hardware can also run itself and is alot smaller. Its all about taking as much money as they can. 80% profit is nothing to sneeze at. Even if they charged 8 bucks a month they would still make a profit. But these guys are just greedy.
How is Rifts bottom line is the real question. When a game goes F2P they are desperate for money. If the ship is sinking and F2P doesn't stop it then the game will die. That's another good thing to scare players away.
The definition of insanity: doing the same thing over and over expecting different results.
Ddo & particularly LOTRO haven't aged well & LOTRO veterans have been treated very poorly. All MMO'S have an expiry date & even though I did enjoy DDO it is basically time for it & LOTRO to shit up shop.
Game is still too expensive even if it is free. The combat and movement are just awful. Kind of a shame because the rest of it is decent for a WoW clone.
Comments
Hee! Until 2012 I was exactly like you. I had never bought anything in a cash shop and preferred subs. I still prefer subs, but I do play Rift without a sub partly because I do not see the point in getting one. If I pay roughly the same as a sub to unlock stuff in the cash shop, that is alright.
I never, ever will buy fluff items except for one situation and that is when they are tied to charity events like the hurricane Sandy event held by Blizzard (great for those of us who wanted to contribute and do not live in the US, so can't donate directly to the US Red Cross). So that leaves services or unlocking new content. Most of the services I have purchased in the cash shop are subscriptions though.
I just wish that subscriptions were a little more flexible like, they cover only two weeks or they only cover the weekend. I don't like it when I have to lose half a month or more sometimes due to work, or otherwise I have to unsub and can't play for the rest of the month that I have available. It would be nice to have more flexibility about what kind of sub you can get.
Playing MUDs and MMOs since 1994.
AH restriction is to limit gold farmers. You don't need the AH to play the game anyway. Try again.
Is a man not entitled to the herp of his derp?
Remember, I live in a world where juggalos and yugioh players are real things.
Most F2P players are nonfactors in MMORPGs and should be treated as such , over the years Ive seen F2P players go as far as say they deserve access to the entire game and no restrictions for free, then they complain on the forums about being treated like 2nd class citizens...then brag about not spening a dime on the game... there you go you don't contribute to the games continued existence or support the devs that in my opinion , YOU dont have a right to complain period.
Before you start ripping apart Turbine for their F2P system understand that they allow players to earn the Turbine points to spend on their store items in game. SWTOR doesn't do anything like that instead they want you to spend money for their cartel coins and nickel and dime your rear for unlocks if you go to a 'premium' or F2P account. LOTRO does something similar but still allows you to play the Epic quest line up to their recent expansion Helm's Deep. They also do bonus point sales where you can get double or triple the points on purchases. What they need to be wary of is their currency within a currency aka the Mithril Coin system which is a joke. The game isn't dying like so many people say especially the writer of this article who doesn't seem to know jack about LOTRO or Turbine to begin with.
GW2 is another F2P MMO that allows you to exchange in game currency to get their gems but the market fluctuates so much and it's not exactly easy to earn funds in the game to start with but it is doable. It's also still considered successful and brings out new content on a regular basis.
I haven't tried Rift since it's gone F2P but I don't enjoy the game to begin with. It went F2P to survive since most MMOs go by their own variations on that model.
Rift is by far the best F2P hybrid I have seen and that includes Lotro. If you take the time to grind in Rift the ingame currency you can buy REX and therefore gametime or use it in the cash shop.
this is what always deters me from enjoying rift
it feels like executives who don't even get the fantasy genre designed the setting, based on data from current fantasy trends
so say we all
I still get on and play RIFT, i like it a lot, has many things i like doing , from BG's to questing, dungeons .. fishing .. i dont get bored .. ESO might drag me away though... least for longer periods of time... if i like the PVP.
I left LOTRO after they went free to play .. i had a level 60 minstrel and 46 Lore-Master .. but i wasnt going to PAY to do quest in zones .. quest that i had already started on and picked up, i had to now pay to finish them or to do them entirely and that just turned me right off from the game. IMHO its one of the worst F2P models out there ... period !
You can earn Turbine Points in-game but it's time consuming and, I dare say, not all that fun. It involves a lot of grinding.
As to Mithril Coins, well, the reason things like Turbine Points and Cartel Coins exist in the first place is to try to divorce players from the real life costs. It's proven to work particularly well with younger players and is one of the essentials of a f2p model.
So, from a certain perspective, Mithril Coins are genius as they create further obstacles to players being able to realise the actual real life money value of things in the game.
I say from a certain perspective as I don't think it's right personally but, if you looking to trick people into spending more on your product then it's a clever, if arguably immoral, technique.
Think about it, nobody wants to die, there's rules to this game son, I'm justified.
Aren't you aware that you can buy the unlocks in SWTOR for in game credits ?
You keep forgetting though that EVE is a game with no real competition. While there are hundreds of fantasy themeparks, there is only one well-made space MMO. Lets talk numbers when ELITE: Dangerous and Star Citizen are released
Why do you think they're making EVE: Valkyrie?
I have to defend it... Don't get me wrong, I wrote earlier too that I think Rift has the best f2p model out there, but LotRO's model is good as well (if not one of the bests, among the "usual" method freemium models, pre-Rift)
i wasnt going to PAY to do quest in zones- easy, stay subbed, then you won't have to pay for it
or gather some TPs from playing, and unlock the zones for free.
It's not, it's to divorce the company from the real lif costs
and not only with microtransactions in gaming, just look at PayPal. If the in-game stores (not just LotRO, I'm talking about every game with in-game store) would be tied to your card directly, and every $1-$2 purchases would happen directly, the costs would be huge. That's why you have a balance, you upload it with one transaction, and then you can deplete that balance even with dozens of tiny purchases if you want, without any additional cost.
Mithril Coins are nasty, I agree, but not because of what you think, it has a clear value, 1MC is 8-10 cents (based on the amount you buy at once). Those are nasty because Turbine put them right into the game, much more than TP. If you want to buy something for TP you need to use the in-game store, which is a regular store, with a basket, a checkout process, etc. There's a chance that during the process you came to your senses and change your mind, skipping the whole deal
MC is just a click away, and it's small, "micro"transaction to the letter. While stuff you can get for TP are in the dollars region (from $1 to even $25 or $30), MC stuff are 10-50 cents (I think the max. is a couple dollars). Quick and easy, it's built for impulse purchases. And with that, it gets a huge no from me
The reason I don't play it now is because of their pvp gear treadmill system. It's just WAY too repetitive and time consuming. You need to acquire the full sets of gear from each "season" you missed in order to access the next "season" and work your way up to the current season just to catch up. There are just too many tiers to grind through for my taste just to catch up.
Well if you love pvp, you just pvp, with gear or with not. you're pvping for the love of it. that's what i think pvp'rs perspective
Tried the game a few months ago, I got bored real quick. The story was just stupid. The "rifts" are a complete distraction, to the leveling process. Class balance is awful.
Even for free it isn't worth the time
You seemed to miss the fact that they (Trion) were, are and will close servers because they want mega server type servers (well, that was the lies we got told. We see it as it is... Small server? Axe it!).
The line in my sig. covers it. Betrayal equals lost players.
Add to that the layoffs of top people within the company and it's looking bleak. (Yes, yes, spin some crap about she wasn't sacked/let go blah blah).
I remember a interview a while ago on here, where we saw and spoke to a out of work Hartsman having a beer and laughing, and I remember thinking that it sucked that Trion axed him. Then he returns and starts a chopping block system of his own. He should be in Game of Thrones with the amount of lies, axing and betrayal that's going on.
EDIT: As per sig.: "No trials. No tricks. No traps. No EU-RP server. NO THANKS!"
No trials. No tricks. No traps. No EU-RP server. NO THANKS!
...10% Benevolence, 90% Arrogance in my case!
Hmm I like how you chose to avoid talking about the FACT that under a sub based model they had the best customer support in the industry, and MONTHLY updates not quarterly.
You seem to totally miss out on the fact they fired almost their entire customer support staff and now outsource support.
Have now cut phone support completely and have gone to an email system with around 5 day turn around that usually results in piss poor service.
But hey on the positive side all the worthless selfish self-centered entitled generation get to keep getting a free ride while real gamers have to pay for the abuse and disrespect that all the entitled generation that are getting it for free continue to spam our games with.
Great job!!
I'd pay $100 a month for any game I enjoy if they would sign a legally binding contract to NEVER go F2P EVER!
And that's exactly my point. Yet they label players who show support as "whales". Really? So you F2P remoras (whalesuckers) with no sense of gratuity think you have the right to complain? Get real. You cannot demand without supplying. This is why I have more respect for whales (at least they are paying). But without getting further into them, let me say again that I support all three payments models.
What I do not like is the switching from one to another. I steer clear of games that downgrade their payment models. Starting off as F2P is one thing, but switching gears send me the wrong message. To me, it sends the message that your game couldn't cut it as a P2P and now you need to entice whales and remoras to keep you afloat just a little longer. Where if you started off as F2P or B2P in the first place, I can respect that and be in a better position to determine what the focus of your development will be, revenue (through your cash shop) or retention (gameplay improvements).
But because of the mixture of payment models flippers, all the statistics, numbers and revenue streams get convoluted. And it is from this some pro F2Pers get the ammunition to spout their ridiculous message that every mmo should be a F2P mmo. A dying game will always be....a dying game. Whether it started as P2P, F2P or B2P. Prolonging it's death by throwing in a F2P lifeline is just that....prolonging death. It will happen, the only thing switching does is slow down the process. It also may keep individual developers from getting picked up by another team sooner for newer projects. But these days suits are privy to frugal gamers and it seems going from B2P to F2P is being used more as a "bait and switch" to maximize revenue in the face of development shortcomings. And also as a prime example of a failed mmo by many mmo enthusiast.
So I to clarify my stance, I support all three payment models. What I do not support is gear switching. Maybe I would if we had more examples of games that switch from F2P to P2P or B2P. But I only know of one mmorpg in this genre's history to ever do that (and it was not a full transition from one to the other) Allods Online. But until it happens more frequently, I'll continue to avoid switcher mmos.
"Small minds talk about people, average minds talk about events, great minds talk about ideas."
I am wondering when this house of cards is going to collapse. I see whales as they are unflatteringly called stopping their spending and since those who continue to siphon off them will die as without the whales the game income will dwindle I am just wondering when will all this come crashing down. It is true that whales are the only thing keeping these games afloat as the freeloaders who do not spend a dime gleefully come on every forum and loudly declare their triumph of having not spent a cent when the games start dying what will they be playing. We whales who spend our money will always find games but those who want to freeload what will you play .
The problem with Rift's and in a lot of ways most western F2P MMO's cash shop is they are player friendly. You don't create long term financial viability by being consumer friendly you make it by creating a arms race of spending between your players and that means things like trading in game currency for real world currency, lock boxes with exclusive items that are rare to create envy for those who spend a lot, the best costumes and mounts in the cash shop priced high and things like the guaranteed crafting improvement success items so people can be as powerful as their credit card limit allows.
This is the path that F2P leads to and any developers who starts down that path no matter how much they might fight it will end up here sooner or later or with a shutdown game.
I also have been saying this. But for some reason mmo players refuse to believe this. Back in the 90's yeah but todays mmo hardware can also run itself and is alot smaller. Its all about taking as much money as they can. 80% profit is nothing to sneeze at. Even if they charged 8 bucks a month they would still make a profit. But these guys are just greedy.
The definition of insanity: doing the same thing over and over expecting different results.
Game is still too expensive even if it is free. The combat and movement are just awful. Kind of a shame because the rest of it is decent for a WoW clone.